Fragrance of the First Flower 2021 Series Review

『A Forgotten Heart Blooming with a Second Fragrance』

🎥 Drama Overview

🎬 Title: Fragrance of the First Flower (Original title: 第一次遇見花香的那刻, 2021)
🌍 Country: 🇹🇼 Taiwan
🎞️ Genre: Romance / Drama / Queer Romance
🗓️ Production & Release: GagaOOLala, 1 season with 6 episodes
⏳ Runtime: About 25 minutes per episode
📢 Director & Screenwriter: Angel Teng (鄧依涵)
📺 Platform: GagaOOLala, theatrical release in 2023

👩‍💼 Cast: Lin Zai Zai (林辰唏) – Yi Min (怡敏)
Lyan Cheng (程予希) – Ting Ting (亭亭)

🧩 Story Deep Dive (Spoilers)

🏐 Repressed Self and the Love of a 'Second Chance'

The drama begins with the reunion of the married Yi Min (怡敏) and her former high school junior Ting Ting (亭亭). Their relationship creates dramatic tension between the unfulfilled first love of the past and the constraints of the present.

Yi Min: A woman living like a 'single mom in disguise' because her husband works away from home. She suppresses herself within society’s expectations of being a 'good wife and good mother' and avoids her homosexual feelings, labeling them as 'negative and abnormal.' Her life, defined by 'a dull marriage' and 'domestic labor,' symbolizes a loss of self.

Ting Ting: A free-spirited and honest woman who is confident about her sexual orientation. She reappears in Yi Min’s repressed life as a 'catalyst for awakening.' Ting Ting reminds Yi Min of her past pure yet rejected love and challenges her to confront the true self she had long denied.

The Meaning in a Post-Marriage Equality Era

The setting is important as it takes place after Taiwan became the first in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. While legal and social restrictions have been lifted, Yi Min is still bound by her internalized homophobia and fear of social norms. The question "Is it too late?" reflects the reality that beyond legal acceptance, personal courage is still required.

🌼 Painful but Realistic Awakening

The strength of this drama lies in its realistic and complex psychological portrayal of the two women’s relationship. This clearly distinguishes it from typical 'light' GL (Girls' Love) dramas.

• The wounds of the past and the metaphor of 'fragrance': Their high school story was innocent and pure, but Yi Min, under social pressure, rejected Ting Ting’s feelings as 'disgusting.' The 'fragrance' symbolizes Yi Min’s first experience of same-sex attraction—beautiful but also dangerous and something she felt compelled to deny. Their attraction after reuniting is not mere nostalgia, but rather an unfinished task that disrupts Yi Min’s life.

• Yi Min’s 'realistic pain': Yi Min’s conflict feels painfully real. She knows that her child (son), husband, in-laws, and her own family would never accept her deviation, which makes her hesitation and guilt suffocating for viewers, but also deeply realistic.

• 'Love' alone is not enough: Season 2 deals with the real-life challenges the two face after reuniting. Divorce and life as a single mom, parenting struggles (autism spectrum), career, and jealousy toward new romantic interests all highlight that love alone cannot resolve the complex lives of adult women. Yi Min’s reluctance to show 'effort' and 'commitment' in her relationship with Ting Ting brings their love to a crisis, underscoring the importance of mature communication in sustaining a relationship.

✍️ A Milestone in Taiwanese GL Drama

This drama is considered a milestone in Taiwanese GL (Girls’ Love) storytelling.

• Delicate direction and mise-en-scène: Season 1, directed by Angel Teng (鄧依涵), delivers dense and poetic storytelling within short episodes. The symbolism of transportation—bicycle (freedom of high school years), motorcycle (present-day transgression), and husband’s car (stable heterosexual life)—visually represents the characters’ emotional transitions.

• Outstanding performances: Lin Chen Xi (Yi Min) perfectly portrays a woman torn between repression and liberation with her subtle expressions, while Cheng Yu Hsi (Ting Ting) compellingly depicts the younger lover—tough on the outside but vulnerable in love. Both actresses won Golden Bell Awards for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, solidifying their performances’ recognition.

• Discursive value: By focusing on 'adult women,' the drama offers critical insights into queer women’s real lives, parenting challenges in same-sex relationships (single mothers), and social pressures.

🌈 《Fragrance of the First Flower》 is a work where message, acting, and direction come together seamlessly, delivering deep resonance and empathy for viewers seeking a realistic and authentic queer drama.

🎯 Personal Rating

💕 Love Scene Intensity: ♥♥
⭐ Rating: ★★★★☆