The Presence of Arts in The Double
Definitely Not Today
(Aka No Park for Young Men; native title: 今天不是最后一天定)
Warning: Minimal spoilers - Content Warning: Suicide
Definitely Not Today (2021) is a short Chinese romantic and slice-of-life drama on the topics of death and despair that is presented in dark humor. Dark humor is a style of comedy that makes light of subject that is considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discuss (Wikipedia). The drama is based on an actual case of Supreme People's Procuratorate, the highest national agency responsible for legal prosecution and investigation in the People's Republic of China. Unlike usual draggy Cdramas, you can binge watch this in one day. It's only 8 episodes with a duration of 20 minutes each, totaling 2 hours and 40 minutes. So it's like a movie, right? All episodes are released and subbed on Youku official channel.
The story is about two young individuals who meet in a bizarre near death situation. Mi Chong (played by Leon Leong) is an unassertive and pessimistic young man. After a series of events that happened in his past, he is hopeless about his gloomy life and doesn't have any desire to live. All he does is stay home with no motivation to interact with anyone. His mind is occupied by negativity and suicidal thoughts, mainly inspired by his favorite author, Osamu Dazai, who committed suicide. On the author's death anniversary, Mi Chong has intended to end his life the same way: drowning himself in the nearby river.
As perfectionist as he is, Mi Chong planned to jump into the water at exactly the same time as the author's death time. While waiting, he sees a young woman drowning in the water nearby. He uses the time left to save her, who is none other than Zhi Liao (Vivienne Tien). Unlike Mi Chong, Zhi Liao is resilient and has a survival mindset since running away from home when she was a teenager. Now she is a gang member who works as a scammer to lure people with her beauty for money. I don't want to spoil you how she ended up in the water. All I can tell you is that she ends up at his house leeching off of Mi Chong for money. And soon, for some reason, they both have to leave to go on the run, embarking on a journey to discover themselves, each other, and the world.
I have seen Leon Leong in two idol dramas, Meteor Garden (2018) and My Love, Enlighten Me (2020), so I was surprised he took a serious role in this short drama. I have never seen Vivienne Tien before, but I am impressed with her acting. Compared to Leon's passive character, Vivienne's character undergoes a wide emotional range: from happy to sad, mean to sweet, crying to laughing. Their chemistry is palpable, having worked together as a couple in Be Yourself (2021).
Although this drama is short, the limited budget used delivered outstanding quality of directing, script-writing, cinematography, and music. One thing that is unique about this drama is the harmonious blend of witty script, funny cartoon/animation, and quirky background music. For example, the screenshot on the left depicting Mi Chong facing a scene where he has to do something brave. The cartoon shows a superhero costume cap, the background music turns upbeat fit for an action scene, and his thought: "Where's the background music coming from?" that seems to be forcing him to do a heroic action, lol! You cannot turn off the volume while watching this. The background music and sound fill the scene perfectly!
However, if you're looking for a light-hearted fluffy romantic drama, this one isn't it. The plot presents serious issues with an emotionally sad mood, some dark moments with violence, while keeping its comedic tone. But most of all, without excessive talking, the dialogues/monologues deliver meaningful messages for the audiences, one of them as quoted below:
 We think that we're like an abandoned house. Forgotten by the world. But we often forget, we're the ones who trap ourselves. The world has always been out there. |
Although Definitely Not Today is short, not star-studded, has no big advertisements, pretty clothes, nor colorful props, however, some viewers hailed this drama as one of the best Cdramas released this year. Is it really? I don't know. If you haven't watched it, you can binge it and come back to my article with praises or critics, all in one day. So, why don't you take a peek and decide for yourself? Definitely not today!
Thank you for reading and happy watching!
Acknowledgments and credits: Thank you to the editors who edited this article. I do not own any of the images; credits go to their respective owners. The images are from drama posters, still, and screenshot. GIF is self-made from drama scene.
Edited by: devitto (1st editor)
