This review may contain spoilers
Too short to be great, competent enough to be good
If I had to describe The Fragrance Of The First Flower in one sentence I would call it a great show trapped in a good show.Words cannot describe how excited I was when I discovered this drama, I think that usually, Taiwan tackles LGBT+ subjects in its media in a very tasteful and impactful manner and on every level, from looks to premise, The Fragrance Of The First Flower looked like it was going to fill the GL-shaped void in my life. Needless to say, that I was gutted when I discovered that each of the only 6 episodes was going to be barely 18 minutes long. Still, I decided to give this drama a fair chance, even though I had the sneaking suspicion that that short runtime wouldn’t be enough to tell this story. And I’m afraid I was correct.
The Fragrance Of The First Flower is a beautiful portrayal of right person- wrong time. The show’s strength without a doubt lies in its gorgeous cinematography and especially in the colour grading. Every shot had purpose while still being aesthetically pleasing and I really feel like the colours dictated the mood and feel of each scene. Some people have pointed out that the actresses look way too old to play their teenage selves and I will have to agree but I still appreciated bot of the leads’ acting. I’ve also seen people complain about the lack of chemistry between them, but that is a sentiment I cannot agree with. I was fully immersed in the relationship between the two characters. There was a lot of subtlety in their performances which I feel like can be traced back to the subtlety of the script and plot. It was very fitting, in my opinion, that the thing that killed the relationship of the two protagonists in high school before it even began, the thing that triggered Yi Mins internalized homophobia, was the painful reminder of the inherent sexualization that comes with being a young woman. The scene in which the two leads almost kiss for the first time until they are interrupted by a pervert was the one that left the biggest impression on me in the whole show. I think it was a brilliant and subtle way of addressing how lesbians are viewed under the male gaze and how their sexualization makes it harder for young queer women to find themselves.
I also think the scene in which Yi Min finally confesses to her husband that she has fallen for someone else is a really strong one. She is desperately looking for another reason to break up with him because on a surface level, she should be happy. Her husband is not a bad man and she has everything she wanted in her teenage years, the house, family, and the role of a wife. Yi Min is looking for something wrong in their relationship so she doesn’t have to address what is really keeping her from being content.
Still, as I mentioned before, The Fragrance Of The First Flower ended up not fully living up to its potential and I really do feel like its main fault lies in the infuriatingly short runtime. In no way is this drama flawless but in my honest opinion most of its problems could have been addressed, if the show just had a few more episodes, or at least longer ones. Everything felt just slightly underdeveloped and it’s such a shame because all the ingredients to make this really special were there. But you just really need that time to develop a believable relationship between two people and unfortunately, time is the one thing this drama didn’t have and that might be the reason the ending fell completely flat for me.
Admittedly, I am a little salty. The BL fandom practically gets content shoved down their throat (eventhough most of said content to be fair, is not great) while I have to look for ages to find half-decent WLW representation. I just kinda had held on to the hope that this drama would be the one to kick off the success of the GL genre, and I doubt it will. But then again, I fully realize that what I am asking for is the same fetishization that gay men have to deal with, so maybe I should just be happy with what I get.
In the end, I feel like The Fragrance Of The First Flower did its best with what little it had. I have certainly seen way worse and at least I can confidently say that this was an earnest attempt at believable, well-meant representation. I have no problem recommending this show to other people who are also starved for WLW-content. The short runtime might have been what killed this drama but at least this way it doesn’t feel like a big commitment.
I will do my best to be optimistic about the future of GL and I’m sure that dramas like this one pave the way to better WLW representation.
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Beautiful but very real
The whole season gave a very beautiful and captivating feel.My lower rating is because I felt like a 3rd person trying to understand their story but it's hard because I'm not them. I just got the feeling like it's somebody trying to tell me their story but they don't know how to fully get me into their point of view. They aren't able to completely let me stand in their place to understand what they are feeling in those moments. It didn't draw me into the story. It was more like somebody was telling me a story but they were having a hard time finding their words and having trouble putting together a picture for me to really get what was taking place. It's like I'm prying into their feelings and life but I'm only getting the bare minimum to understand them and their story. The whole thing isn't confusing or anything, but I'm more of describing the vibe the show was giving off to me.
The story is a sad one. But, it gives off a very beautiful romantic feeling that captivated me to keep watching when I had mixed feelings about this show.
I wouldn't say that I loved it, but it wasn't horribly done.
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Finding The Strength To Be Different
Let me say that I’m not a fan of the storyline, but because this is from Taiwan and the team/platform behind the project, I’m choosing to believe they mean well with the story.Characters
Personally for me, this is where the film shines -- its characters and the actresses who brought them to life.
Yi-Ming
We have Yi-Ming who grew up being the “apple” of her parents’ eyes. Basically, she is the model daughter that any Asian parent would be proud to have. Unfortunately, accepting and carrying on that role is also her downfall. She believes everything she was taught to believe without question even in the face of an opposing reality. Once you understand this, her actions for the rest of the film will make a lot of sense to you and maybe hate her a little less. Not to defend her actions or say they are right of course.
Ting-Ting
Then we have the seemingly carefree Ting-Ting who unlike Yi-Ming, doesn’t seem to live up to anyone’s expectations but her own. A little more brave. A little more open to following her heart and what makes her happy despite society telling her otherwise. We don’t find out until some time later that Ting-Ting has been living with her own struggles of self-acceptance. When I found out, that made my heart break for her and Yi-Ming on some deep level I didn’t know I had.
Lessons From The Film
If Yi-Ming and Ting-Ting has taught me anything is that being different is what makes you who you are and sometimes being who you are can be difficult in a society that tells you that who you are is wrong, abnormal, a sin. And when you go against yourself to conform to the way society wants you to be, then you might end up going down self-destructive paths unless you learn to accept and embrace yourself.
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Painfully Real
This show is beautifully crafted—sad and painfully real. It’s a harsh reminder of just how much I dislike this world. The moments of raw emotion cut deep, especially the line: “We’re disgusting.” It’s a simple yet painful truth, one that echoes throughout the series. Then there’s another gut-wrenching line: “You know why I hate myself for liking girls?” The pain of those words, the self-loathing tied to something as simple as loving someone differently, is heartbreaking.The show doesn’t hold back in showing how society makes it nearly impossible for some people to accept who they are. The pressure is relentless, and it forces characters to hide their truth, pretending to fit into a world that refuses to understand them. This constant struggle, this battle with internalized shame, is more than just heartbreak—it’s a war on their sense of self. The consequences of living in a society that judges love so harshly go beyond just a broken heart. It leaves lasting scars, forcing people to question their worth and place in the world.
The emotional depth of this show hits hard. It’s not just about a love that cannot be, but about the damage that years of societal rejection can cause. The way the characters are forced to accept a reality where their love is “disgusting” leaves you reflecting long after you watch. It’s exhausting, painful, and raw in a way that’s hard to fully describe, but it's something everyone should see, especially for those who’ve ever felt the weight of being told their love wasn’t “normal.”
This is not an easy watch, and it’s not meant to be. It’s an emotional ride that doesn’t offer a happy ending but gives you a powerful and real depiction of love, rejection, and the toll society’s standards take on personal identity.
Rating: 8/10
This show is beautifully painful, raw, and real. It’s not for those seeking escapism but will resonate deeply with anyone who’s ever faced the harshness of the world for loving differently.
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Affair for nerds (lol jk)
Fragrance of the First Flower is fantastic: beautifully written, directed, acted, and shot. (The first shot of the first episode alone is jaw-dropping.) It feels closer in spirit to an art film than it does to most series under the GL umbrella. It’s about the length of a film, less than two hours altogether, and the tone is understated and bittersweet. As a work of art, I recommend it wholeheartedly.But isn’t it sad? Haven’t we had enough tragic lesbians? Well, if you’re looking for cute escapism, luckily we live in a golden age and there’s a greater variety of sapphic content than ever out there. I’m personally happy that, along with high-sugar series like 23.5 (which I adore), we also have series like FotFF, because life sucks in all kinds of ways and we need art that is honest about that. If you don’t mind a drama that offers no simple rom-com solutions, this one is for you. Or, if you liked Affair, but want to experience that story with the soap opera goggles off, FotFF has got you covered. (I’m kidding but it’s actually kind of weird how similar the plots are.)
I don’t want to overemphasize the doom and gloom, though, because I actually found FotFF more uplifting than any big happy wedding scene. The moments of tenderness between the characters are more powerful imo because of how real they are. Even a gesture as simple as a touch on the wrist carries emotional weight. You feel how deeply Yi-ming is yearning for a lifeline, how surprised and charmed and scared she is by Ting-Ting’s affection, how she clings to those little bits of warmth, in spite of all the risks—and then you realize, in a stunning gut-punch, that the stakes have been just as high for Ting-Ting from the beginning. Their connection feels intimate in a way that fluffier series can’t match, even when they run eight times as long.
Of course there are limits to what can be accomplished in six fifteen-minute episodes, which is why the second season is one of my most anticipated releases this year. The first season is already near the top of my list, but with more time to devote to the characters and story, this could easily become my all-time favorite GL drama.
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Final aberto? É sério?
Sabe aquele drama que dói, pq a gente sabe que a ficção está literalmente imitando a vida real? Esse é um deles.Achei que a quantidade de EPS foi pouca, o final é aberto, impossível dizer se elas ficam juntas ou não, eu odiei isso até saber que uma segunda temporada está chegando ainda esse ano (2023).
O drama é bem psicológico, e se vc é alguém que não gosta muito de pensar, problematizar, usar o censo crítico, talvez não goste. Existem vários flash backs que vão nos mostrando como surgiu a relação das meninas, e também como acabou. Vi algumas críticas sobre a Yi Min ter traído o marido, mas desde o primeiro EP é perceptível que o casamento já está fadado ao fim. Sobre o fato de Ting Ting ter mentido para Yi Min e traído o namorado, levando a uma série de fatos que desencadearam no divórcio de Yi Min, eu passo pano pra ela. Ela estava disposta a lutar contra tudo durante a escola, foi ela que foi abandonada, foi ela que conviveu com a dor de ser rejeitada pelo seu amor por causa do medo que o preconceito da sociedade impôs e sofreu sozinha enquanto a outra reconstruída sua vida, mesmo sendo de fachada. Acredito que ela estava esperando uma certeza absoluta para não sofrer tudo de novo, mas enfim, que a segunda temporada nos explique.
A atuação é impecável, a ost é uma das melhores que já vi, e todos os detalhes técnicos são dignos de aplausos. Indico e com certeza a segunda temporada já está na minha lista de espera.
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Nhẹ nhàng và Đượm buồn
Khi còn là những học sinh trung học, con người có lẽ sống thật hơn với cảm xúc của mình, không bị ràng buộc bởi những lo âu và toan tính nhưng mấy khi những mối tình trung học có thể dài lâu, dù có tình cảm với Đình Đình, Di Mẫn lại sợ hãi chính tình cảm của bản thân, để rồi sau nhiều năm gặp lại, đừng trước những thách thức và thực tế cuộc sống cô một lần nữa đối mặt với cảm xúc của mình dành cho Đình Đình.Chính sự lưỡng lự của cô giữa cuộc sống hiện tại với người mà cô luôn yêu bấy năm nay mà không dám thừa nhận khiến cho bộ phim càng trở nên thật hơn và giúp tôi kết nối với nó hơn, không drama, không gay cấn, đôi khi thứ ngăn cản ta đến với sự hạnh phúc là chính ta khi ta không có can đảm để đưa ra sự lựa chọn.
Về Đình Đình, cô đã trúng tiếng sét ái tình với Di Mẫn từ lần gặp đầu tiên và sau nhiều năm, tình cảm của cô vẫn chưa từng thay đổi, mối khi gặp lại Di Mẫn, mắt cô như ánh lên hy vọng về tương lai cho 2 người nhưng rồi cô lại thất vọng, một phần cô đổi lỗi cho bản thân nhưng một phần cô cũng mong mỏi Di Mẫn sẽ chọn mình.
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Ambas protagonistas son magníficas interpretando sus versiones adultas y adolescentes. Más allá de conseguir una apariencia juvenil, hay un contraste muy creíble en las personalidades de antes y después.
Toda la trama tiene un tinte de pesadumbre. Se trata de poner en la balanza qué es mejor, hacer caso a tus deseos y verdaderos sentimientos o continuar una vida estable y socialmente aceptable.
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