[C-DRAMA] My Sunshine / Silent Separation – 何以笙箫默

I’m a sucker for romance dramas regardless of how much I say I hate them. Although I must admit, this is more because I can mindlessly watch them rather than trying to figure out intricate plots of thrillers or action dramas. My Sunshine is a 2015 drama starring Wallace Chung and Tang Yan, and in all honesty, these two are probably the only ones that kept me interested throughout the entire series.

The major drawback of watching this series, is being able to tell that the backdrop is totally fake, or at least not filmed on location.

The acting of everyone other than the two leads is either over exaggerated or mono-expression (as is the case for the love rival).

Even with all these drawbacks, the sweet moments and lack lustre attempts at revenge by Wallace is enough to make any fan girl forgive the major fail in production.

There appears to be 3 major ‘arcs’ as the series develops. Tang Yan returning, the reconciliation, and the divorce. Not necessarily all occurring with the main characters.

Zhao Mo Shen returns with qualifications more than required for her new job, raising some eyebrows as to why she decided  to leave her lucrative career in America. Her emotional baggage however, is quickly brought to the fore when she ‘reunites’ with one of her ex-closest friends. Misunderstandings caused by years of silence and misinformation have resulted in bitter broken relationships that Mo Shen will slowly, but surely, attempt to recover.

This girl doesn’t have a bad bone in her body and I must say that all the bad things that have happened to her is a direct result of her unfailing belief that there is good in everyone.

He Yi Chen is the jilted lover who was left without so much as a goodbye. A successful lawyer with a cold exterior who harbours a deep emotional wound left by his college sweetheart. Initially bent on revenge, his emotions get the better of him and turn from anger to love. With his help, Mo Shen is able to build a better future for herself, but not without numerous obstacles in their way.

Wallace’s character is the binding thread throughout the drama. As much as the story revolves around Mo Shen, it is Yi Chen that enables all the characters to interact with each other and brings the story to life.

Ying Hui is the mysterious ex-husband who lives to create trouble. In his misguided way, he does have real feelings to Mo Shen but the way he goes about it causes more damage than anything.

Yuan Feng plays the quirky not brother, younger brother. One of the first people Mo Shen meets on her return. He’s a little naive and fumbles a lot in the series. I think he was added more for comedic effect than any real substance.

Yi Mei is the annoying sister, not sister of Yi Chen. She also plays the part of love rival to Mo Shen.

Xiao Xiao is the instigator of all the trouble when Mo Shen first returns home. Without her the story would not have developed. She’s also the annoying devil’s advocate in Mo Shen’s relationship even though she can’t even get her own relationship on track.

This is one of those dramas that people say, “Watch it and you will lose brain cells.”

It literally is a no-brainer. You don’t even need to think to watch this drama. The story just flows without any shady backstabbing. The characters themselves shed light on any awkward situations and even the side stories are so simple, you’ll never scratch your head trying to understand it.

Although the production of the drama seems quite sombre based on lighting and music. I would actually consider this one of the more light-hearted dramas out there. There are some hidden family secrets, but not enough to cause strife between the main pairing.

If you have some spare hours, certainly give this a try.

You can watch it on this playlist:

The Uncut version has 32 episodes while the short version has 36, all of them can be found here.

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