The Missing Half (2019)

The thing that makes this drama unique is that it incorporates a lot of flashbacks to tell the story of the female main lead. The FL is currently in a coma at the present, but she's supposed to be getting married to her fiance whom she met in college. The focal point of this drama is not about the accident or how she got into that predicament. After all, she's in a coma for most of the episodes and she lives through flashbacks that tell the story of how she and her friends met. Moreover, this drama's purpose is to highlight the people who are special to the FL. Very clearly, all the people in her life have a piece of her heart and she lives through them, even though they may not realize their significance.

This drama is confusing in that it does not introduce the characters in the beginning nor does it explicitly show how each character has grown from the past to the present. It's meant to build on the viewer's personal experiences and memories, especially for the sentimental ones who look back on their college days and wonder where the people we used to know have gone. During this drama, I wondered: would I ever be able to reconnect with my old acquaintances and friends again? This drama is artistically done and is up to your interpretation of what the moral of this drama is. For me, it's reminiscent of the people who I used to know but only exist in my memories now. Most importantly, it reminds me that even though these people may not be in my life anymore, their impact on me is forever.

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Bland and Contrived

This series falls flat because it lacks substance. Its over- dependence on flashbacks makes it messy to follow at times as it’s not always obvious whether the storyline is in the present or the past. While Huang Pei ja is strong as Su Yen, the whole note-writing concept comes off as contrived and not very believable. On the other hand, Anson Chen as Yu Jin Yu struggles with his character, often appearing awkward, bland and lacking energy. In the end, he is nothing more than eye-candy, his expressionless persona unable to convince us he is truly in love. Edison Wang should have played the main role as his acting is superior. Unfortunately his ill-defined character of Su Yin gives him little to sink his teeth into. J.C. Yang adds much needed comedic input but often overreacts making his character appear artificial.

By the time this series reaches its finale, you wonder why you bothered to sit through it all. Disappointing.

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