Lost Romance (2020)

If you're sick of the typical tropes in Taiwanese romance novels or in Taiwanese/Korean/Japanese romance dramas, then this one is for you.
Kind of like Extraordinary You and W: Two Worlds in that main characters travel between a fictional literary world and a "real world," but more focused on the love line and hilarious references to other works in Taiwan, Japan, and Korea.

The leads are all eye candy and the dialogue is friggin' hilarious. If you have been watching Korean drama in recent years you would understand some of the references a little more -- they paid homage to Crash Landing On You, Secret Garden, Goblin, Descendants of the Sun, and more. The way the main characters describe drama tropes is A+ and if you regularly consume rom coms you'd understand -- "oh, shower scene again?!" "how do people kiss in the morning? did they even brush their teeth?"

Unfortunately, while the story spends so much effort making fun of tropes, it later on becomes tropey in itself and thus slightly hypocritical, with a nasty second female lead and unexplained attraction between male and female leads. It's almost as if the leads are in love because "the writer wants them to be," so that was disappointing :( (especially since the female lead is a regular consumer of romance novels and would understand the power of warm second male leads! Why she falls in love with the first male lead is ???? to me, though I see why it's necessary for plot development LOL.

I would also appreciate it more if Qing Feng could make a greater comeback in later episodes -- as the real world writer, for example.

Still would recommend for the comedy factor, and if you like to ship leads -- the second male lead here is superb. I love his character so much and the script didn't do him enough justice :(
The rewatch value goes to the many joke scenes, like the certain kdrama remakes :0)

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Iconic romantic drama!

Best Taiwanese drama ever! Great storyline, music, visuals and graphics.
As for the storyline I really liked how the FL managed to break the stereotypes of FL despite of being shy,emotional,pity character the FL was brave, independent smart and quirky and fought for her love until the end. Marcus chang really portrayed two characters well, from changing into an overbearing, arrogant CEO to calm ,composed CEO. The switching of roles were portrayed really well. Second ML was also very good in terms of acting. I really liked how ML chased the FL until the end despite of getting rejected again and again. The chemistry between the leads was great and full of sweet moments. If you are looking for an iconic, fantasy, emotional romantic drama it's highly recommended. Don't jump into conclusions early the plot is outstanding . Overall it's 10/10 drama for me.
Kudos to screenwriters,cast,crew and dramasettv channel for bringing this drama. I really wish that lost romance drama gets recognised in international platforms and become a major hit series in other countries also. Thanks to all people who bought this amazing drama to viewers in times of pandemic where people are so sad and depressed. These type of dramas really lighten mood in free time.
Note: Watch this drama it's highly recommended for viewers who are looking for an iconic rom-com drama..

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So freaking worth the hype!

OMG I just finished this drama and I'm so in love. This, ladies and gentlemen, is what we call a love story.

It's quite rare to find so many good things in a drama, but this one is truly a gem. They did a great job not only turnig a "complicate/confusing" plot into an interesting one, but also wrapping all the loose ends with a pretty cute bow.

The main leads have OUT OF THIS WORLD chemistry, I mean, the PDA was heavy and they were on FIRE. It was honestly one of the most risqué scenes I've seen in a asian dramas. It also had a great amount of skinship to satisfy your romantic naughty heart (it does feel like you are reading those books with "weirdly" enticing covers of half naked man).

So we have an amazing cast and I was not disappointed by them, either the main or the secondary leads.
Vivian Sung did a great job with the Female Lead. She was independent, so funny and had an awesome guilty pleasure (I mean, who has never fantasized about a domineering, handsome CEO? ;) ) and her friendship with her BFF was so relatable that I missed hanging out with mine in this quarantine. I have not seen any other work from her, but now I sure will.

I'm overly suspicious to talk about Marcus Chang (I'm a fan, the man can act, sing, dance...), but he was so good doing both characters!! He was a classic domineering sexy beast of a CEO, with a soft heart and in dire need of the right one (oh be still my heart).

Well nothing is perfect, so the drama did have some flaws. We do get annoying characters, I mean He Tianxing had the worst family in "real" life, and he doesn't have a normal reaction to them (I mean they treat him horribly and he kind of let it all go, and I'm like: - Dude, get a spine and kick the toxic people out of your life!"). And the "real life" part of the drama was the boring part, BUT I promise you, all the other parts are so worthy!

All in all it was a beautiful romance and definitely a great watch (specially now that you don't have to wait a whole week for the next episode).

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Decent Cross World Love Story Filled with Chemistry

Usually, while I watch dramas, I would take notes on what stood out to me as ridiculous, well done, etc. However, it's draining to feel like I'm tearing dramas apart instead of enjoying them for what they are. For this drama, I decided to just watch it for what it was. So, this review may sound like it's quite choppy.

Some warning notes for the drama:
- CHEMISTRY ALERT
- kisses overload in last half
- second lead syndrome

ACTING/CAST/CHARACTERS (contains some spoilers)
Marcus Chang's dramas have been on my to-watch list for the longest time. This was the first of his works for me and it was quite a delightful first peek of his acting. I think apart from the earring on Aoran and no earring on Tianxing, Marcus did great at depicting these two characters (or at least I felt the distinction between the two). Tianxing felt colder and closed off, while Aoran was more open.

This is my second time watching Vivian Sung. It's been a couple of years since Our Times and her acting doesn't disappoint. If I'm being honest, her character/Xiao En isn't quite likable in the first third of the drama. I can get past the whole drone stalking aspect, but Xiao En's response and actions in the novel weren't my cup of tea. I do enjoy that she's not a white lotus or a green tea one. That slap, MAD respect for Xiao En for doing that.

Simon Lian made me question where he's been during all of my drama binge-watch moments. Give this guy more lead roles! He's bound to steal more hearts! Qingfeng was so well written, except for that one moment towards the end of the novel. For a moment there, I thought he was selfish as in wanting someone to suffer with him and was going to turn evil. It was just me reading it wrong for a bit there, but the writers making him come off that way didn't vibe well with me. I do know that he is just trying for the sake of his own happiness, but it contradicts his character whom most of us have come to love.

MUSIC
I think the lyrics match the storyline of the drama. It may be a Taiwanese drama thing, or I'm just paying more attention to lyrics in dramas now. There were some scenes where the music was quite too loud for my liking, especially when there's a serious dialogue going on. If the music doesn't add to the dialogue or pauses of the speech, it would sound noisy, even if it matches the scene's mood. I do really enjoy the slow motions and certain scenes where the music gets inserted in at the perfect timing. That aspect kind of gave me "The Wolf" vibes, even one of the instrumental reminded me of it. Again, this could be Taiwanese-style editing.

RE-WATCH VALUE
This drama has a good re-watch value due to how entertaining it is. Personally, I probably wouldn't re-watch this again. While it was entertaining, there were quite some scenes where I wouldn't sit through again. This may have to do with personal preference and that I'm still not quite used to Taiwanese-style dramas.

STORY/OVERALL (contains spoilers)
There were some loopholes and aspects where it doesn't make sense. It was easy for me to overlook this because the bulk of the plot took place in the novel world. With that, I let most things slide. If you have read translated novels, it feels exactly like how they depicted the novel world in this drama, making it feel like a parody for me. You can tell that the writers thought it through connecting the two lifes/worlds to make sense. I've seen many plots where scriptwriters will write things and expect us to believe it/ignore the massive gap.

For me, this story only started to pick up at episode 9 when Qingfeng starts realizing his feelings for Xiao En. There were a lot of boring scenes and scenes I could have done without. For example, the real-life parts where we see He Tianxing's half-brother and sister plotting against one another was quite anti-climactic. I had to fast forward and sometimes skip all these parts to get back to the novel storyline.

To be honest, Situ Aoran's character is complete crap, and I was surprised that he is supposed to be the better half. I wouldn't fall for this guy and wouldn't even try to get him if I was in Xiao En's position. If it weren't for the fact that he looked like Tianxing, she probably wouldn't give him the time of day (at least I'm assuming she wouldn't have). Aoran only started to get on my good books after Xiao En got locked up in the bathroom.

The plot took on a crazy loop to finish the novel and continue to the real-life world. There was a lot of cringe-fest going on, on my end of the screen. I think the best part about this drama is the chemistry between the two leads. It was so good that I eventually stopped feeling sad for Qingfeng for being the second male lead. And it was so good that I forgot how much I disliked Situ Aoran at the beginning of the drama.

I can surely say that this is the first time in a long time that I've experienced a huge second lead syndrome. I can't really recall when the last time I had a second lead syndrome. However, not in a way that I wished Xiao En ended up with Qingfeng. I just purely enjoyed Qingfeng's character and rooted for his happiness in general. I am happy that he finally got his happy ending and is not wandering anymore. Would actually really love to see him in his own leading roles and will follow more of his works.

I enjoyed Chuntain and Xiao En's friendship with one another. When Chuntian told Xiao En, "I love you", I got teary at this line as well. We clearly saw and felt their strong bond through it all, even when we didn't see much of Chuntian. Even when the same actress was playing Qiutain, it wasn't the same bond and feelings.

Also, just a little note, if you watch the opening scene and the short intermission scenes, it spoils the plotline.

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The best Taiwanese drama of 2020

At first I started watching this drama, because some aspects of the story reminded me of W: Two Worlds and Extraordinary You.

I found the first episode a little tedious, but the following episodes stuck me in the story and since then I was looking forward to the next episodes.

I admit that I liked the story better when it happened in the book, because the plot in the real world, for me, was a little tedious

About the characters, I loved the female lead and the way she made fun of the romantic cliché stories. This role was made for Vivian Sung and I loved her in this role.
The first lead irritated me at times and until halfway through the drama I shipped the protagonist with the second lead.

Speaking of the second lead, he was one of the best characters in this drama, I loved his attitudes and I loved the ending that the story gave him.

Now for sure the character that I hated the most in this drama was Chuchu, at first she was very annoying and then when she started to become friends with the female lead I even started to like her, but I hated the way that the story turned her into a villain, I think it would be much better to leave her as a friend of the principal, without creating an unnecessary female rivalry.

In summary, this is a very cute and romantic drama that will surely bring you some good laughs and you will be addicted to the story and hope that the couple will be together soon.

The ost of this drama is also perfect and for sure many songs will stay in your head and you will probably want to put them in your playlist

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An okey drama but nothing special

My expectations were quite high for the drama and I did enjoy some parts of it but frankly speaking it is not as good as its rating suggests.
Mainly because the real world part of the plot is quite lame and poorly thought out. The whole ML's siblings' struggle for control over the corporation is downright ridiculous and feels like a third rate soap opera. Almost all the characters of the real world are either unsympathetic or unremarkable.
The part where the FL finds herself in a novel is actually much better. It has some really funny moments and heart-warming scenes. The only weak point of the novel part of the plot is the cringe worhty episode about FL and ML abduction by an evil character that came out of the blue and totally ruined the famous sex scene that happened immediately after.
I must say the love story both in real world and the novel did not impress me much. It was mildly amusing at best. By the end of the drama I was more interested whether the ML sister and her assistant would be together or not. The issue is that in the novel the FL is in love with the ML almost instantly. It feels quite unrealistic and shallow. That's why her and Qing Feng gradually growing sympathy is more believable and makes more sense.
The drama definately has a good cast. I liked all the main and almost all the support actors and actresses. Especially gorgeous Marcus Chang who portrays two different persons here with such an ease. My favourite here though is Simon Lian. I think his acting and charisma made Qing Feng the most likable character in the drama. The Qing Feng true story would make a great plot for a drama actually.
On the whole I do not regret watching the drama but I definintely won't rewatch it.

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This is stay-up-all-night drama for me!

I have recently been in a slump, where I get bored after the first-kiss in dramas, but this one keeps the interest up throughout. There is no slump in the middle or end, and even the surrounding side-plot is relevant and interesting enough that I barely skipped ahead, where I skipped I did only because I needed to know what the FL and ML were going to do next. Also the chemistry is great and the acting is really good.
At it's heart, it is a story about personal growth and integration of suppressed personality traits.
Watch this for the heart fluttering and thrill:
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Entering Spoiler territory:
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The setting is interesting and for people who watch and read a lot of romance-plots there are so many hilarious moments, with a very self-aware FL. She is intelligent and witty throughout, even when all the people around her are cookie-cutter romance novel characters (which is so well done, like none of them have background stories, families or lives of their own) and I love how both the FL and ML are so different and more realistic in the "Real World" part of the story, because in the "Book World" the FL often acts outrageous, because she knows nothing can really happen to her, its a novel after all, nobody really gets fired or killed there, especially if you are the FL and ML is your overbearing, never-smiling CEO, who is only nice to the FL. Their actions are well-explained, which I always find important. FL acts crazy, because once in her life she can. ML acts rude, because we only see his "dark side".
But all of this makes sense in the end, because the ML, at death's door and having lived all his life to get recognition from his father, finally needed to face all of the things he had stuffed down in his psyche and FL also needed a playground to be fierce, crazy and brave in, living her life as timid corporate slave before, constantly needing to escape via romance novels. Afterwards both are changed and "whole", in themselves and together.

If for nothing else, watch it for Marcus Cheng playing He Tianxin as he melts away. Trust me, it's really good.

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How many times needs this series to change its form to finally work and be fun?

I have noticed while ago that Marcus Chang is GEORGEOUS. I watched three of his previous dramas in a row (all the titles starting with letter 'B') which I might else not finish to the end, just to keep looking at his face (okay I dropped the 3rd one, LOL). Had he starred in something really thrilling (romantically or otherwise) I think I would probably explode:) Instead, I slowly like, fell asleep in my admiration. The 'Lost Romance' received pretty promising ratings but from reading about it, I got the impression this shall be morelike a mocking of romantic genre than a strong piece of it itself. Still, I tried watching.

First episode was boring for me and I kept watching only to not drop this before it begins. It indeed only begins in episode 2. The heroine finds herself INSIDE her favorite romance novel. The leading guy looks exactly like the guy across the street she's got a huge crush on (because he looks like Marcus Chang:) else he is just like the book character (ridiculous name, gay looking shirt, ridiculous behavior towards women), the real world guy probably acted differently but we barely got to know him, so who cares. The romance book line is indeed (mockingly) over the top, but then again so it's the "real" one (characters DO have typical drama behavior even there, also there's the evil step-sister capable of murder and everything). So the only difference is one line of the series takes itself seriously. It's the one I wanted to drop in episode 1.

So, was I only watching the "inside-the-book" line from then on? More or less. In the other line, both the lead male & female kept lying unconscious in the hospital and there were mostly scenes with the side-characters only. So, I did continue to skip it.

The dreamy guy wearing Marcus Chang's face has someone else (both the book and the off-book version). There's a couple of clear 'Hana Yori Dango' references - or clear to me, as I am such fan I see it in everything - so our main heroine, despite not being the saint-like romance lead, can surely catch the main guy's eye with her antics. After all, not all the romance heroines were the angelic type, right? But then, she quickly falls into being a vile side-character, bullying the angelic girl. And the romantic hero sees her that way! What now?

Now whatever she does, her hero ends up in romantic moments with the angelic girl. It's practically annoying:) To be fair, Vivian Sung isn't that much of a looker and the angelic girl IS prettier than her... There is one plus guy also pining for the angelic girl, of course. He is not acting so exalted as the main one, just cute, rather. Resulting in him being actually more likeable: it's clear he represents the "second lead syndrome", here. Everyone shall gradually like him more than the lead... And so, poor Marcus Chang once again landed the role that despite his attractive looks, turned out to be not that attractive.

But! Then she moves into his house as his housemaid (big LOL:) and finally the proper fun setting starts. See, the viewer like me would not be satisfied with romance mockings only, usually I would wish for some of it really working (the scene where he rescued her from the icing truck looked the best, so far). But then, this series heroine knows she's actually just lying there in hospital. So, she can enjoy certain liberties no other romance heroine can:) To watch her behaving with such anarchy was kinda fun of its own:) I started enjoying since episode 4. Episode 5, my fun got even greater. Almost whole runtime got filled with their interactions. Though it's kinda pitty Marcus Chang never seems to have a leading lady who would match him in looks, his romantic hero obviously never enjoyed himself better than with this naughty "heroine":) And I enjoyed watching this couple's antics. But! It ended soon.

Yeah, pitty they changed things back in episode 7... She's back working at his office. That is just not so funny like when she was his housekeeper! Typical weak script, going back and forth. She's back interacting with the SECOND male most of the screentime... And he IS likeable. Very. So it's like you really start to like certain pairing, and when you're enjoying them the most, they tell you: "Sorry, a little change!" And then you really start to like the different pairing, LOL. It suddenly feels like that the first guy is practically forgotten. There is even a scene where she bumps into him not looking, doesn't even stop to notice him and just leaves. Kind of symbolical. Still, the 3 "housemaid episodes" featured just fun in concentrated form. Now it seems all the usual fillers are back in play. After all, we have TWENTY episodes to fill here...

The heroine who was to enjoy herself in her favorite romance genre now doesn't actually know whom should she romance sooner, as she works so well with both the guys. AND they both seem interested in her now, neither of them seems to care about the angelic girl anymore (only the office female side-characters seem to "care" about her). Vivian Sung's hairstyle and make-up in this series often looks so deliberately unflattering like she TRIES to look ugly. So it must be the bubbly personality? That does wonders. As the guys, both the first and second male, in truth, seem like they are BORED more than anything else (well, there isn't really any "drama", or anything happening). Still, the book story we were supposed to be inside of probably no longer works, if the angelic girl got out of the picture so easily. She IS after all the resident cinderella the both guys are supposed to like NO MATTER WHAT.

Now, the lead guy (or let's say the first guy? 'cause both the guys are actually the leads) suddenly keeps having flashes and dreams about the other, "reality" line. Which would mean the concept was shifted to some kind or 'Life On Mars' experience (another series I am a huge fan of to see it in everything:)

To expand the heroine's reversed-harem experience even further, third guy is introduced into her circle (of course he is also related/befriended with the first one). He might be a latecomer but he has bleached hair to stand out. He is called Moran so he has the best name, too. Just replace the 'a' with an 'o'. At the main girl's place, I'd date all 3 alternately. I'd put them on schedule:) It's not like that a single romance line here is consistent to enjoy, anyways.

Then, it looks like the screenwriter really started to run the guys like on schedule:) So, first they put some romantic scenes with the first guy back into the program. Hmm... Their kiss after 10 episodes of waiting is not a very good one. Ookay... turn for the second guy, again?;) And not forgetting the third one later:) Because it's better to move from that. (Still, I wonder who possibly could kiss the heroine on her hospital bed as it was emphasized so much that each TOUCH is interconnected with the other reality.) Then, she gets the romantic position in situations instead of the angelic girl (and she like, immediatelly jumps into the unocuppied seat of a villain girl... no longer angelic). Then, she gets scenes getting closer with the second guy, again... It's like a merry-go-round.

Btw, all this is 1/2 of the series. It feels long already as it didn't really run in one steady flow. Speaking of which, such is my experience with several romance dramas of late. It's like simple, good romance is something scriptwriters can no longer write. Maybe that's why 'Lost Romance'.

After it's shown that both his former girlfriend, the former angelic girl & his bleached-haired brother are capable of things they should not be capable of, the first guy declares love to our heroine (with the second guy firmly friend-zoned). So, after they rescue each other from these psychos, our couple is happily in his house again (she no longer a housekeeper though, lol) sharing a hot kiss & hot bed scene that is not short. But... there are still 8 episodes remaining. Good to finally know whose lovestory this is, but what do they intend to do with it now?

They started to dig into the connection in between the two realities. Well, what else could they do. Since episode 14 it starts getting really demented (something between badly written sci-fi or an unintended parody) and we can kiss goodbye the show that didn't take itself too seriously. So, the main couple's cute scenes are the only thing that save the whole thingy. Marcus Chang is charming in his role, but in which role he wasn't?;) Episode 15-16 on, we don't have chance seeing him other than just one reality version, though. Which is the version I skipped right from the start. I kinda wished to stick with that:)

I really wasn't interested in the off-book version of his character or the line with his insane sister (like I mentioned early episodes, this "reality" didn't seem like a reality either, it was morelike a typical corny drama). Meanwhile, the main heroine (who is SAME in both realities) spends all her energy to convince others the other reality "wasn't just a dream". But I watched different shows where almost everything happened in the main character's subconscious and it was not treated as an inferior story. Here, we're anxious to find some physical "proof" it all existed (one character produces a book in which it's possible to read about it, etc.), but what was more important for me was the fact I was REALLY bored this time. How many times should this series change its form to finally work and be fun?

By 16th episode this was VERY long (and inconsistent) experience and I couldn't believe it was STILL not the final. I did not understand how much they wanted to drag this dead thing and I did not understand so many praising reviews. HOW were the viewers able to enjoy this? I red a few but I don't get it, my experience is as I described above. Also, it CHANGED like every 3 episodes, therefore I used so many paragraphs, lol.

I'm afraid the quality of this show definitely isn't the scriptwriter, it's Marcus Chang only... The way he can look at a woman. Or if after a long time, there is a sudden smile on that face of his. At least director used this well. But it's not the first time someone did. Marcus Chang was amazing in all his dramas, no matter how dumb those were. When we're all back in the "reality" I was not interested in since the first episode, he only makes it bearable by being there. The only drop of humour in this reality (the only reality now left for watching) was the scene where Marcus Chang's off-book character was reading a girl-audience romance book and was trying to logically understand it, lol. Else it was tedious, or plain unwatchable: any scenes with his "real" family, which all belonged to the prison/pillowed cell, really like from stupid sixpenny paperback crime novel.

To spend THREE more long-runtime episodes in the off-book reality was dubious decision to say the least, just watching the opening credits (those are nice, perhaps better than the series itself:) Because most of the scenes shown in the opening credits are from the other reality, and even the characters (including the famous second lead syndrome) are actually gone from the series, now. It was like the spell was broken. What we were left with? All I can say is the return into "reality" was a disaster. Forget about playful mockings of the romantic genre. This was rather something to mock.

Rewatch quality: To tell the truth, series like this, even if this WAS a good romance, I would still crop the "other reality" intro and outro and used just the middle part for a re-watch. But, the good romance here lasted about 3 episodes, lol. So I won't bother re-watching it.

Overall, WAS this a perfect, "iconic" romance? You be the judge. Just take a look at this series' poster. Does romance have so many people? The poster is crowded, also it's double. I think it answers you best.

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Yan Qing Xiao Shuo within a Yan Qing Xiao Shuo

Lost Romance (LR) was linked to Romance of Tiger and Rose (RoTR) as both were aired about the same time and have similar concepts about main character stuck in a fictional story. However, as one watched on, one would soon realized that these are 2 different dramas.

RoTR is a more predominantly a romantic comedic series, and LR is a 言情小說 "yan qing xiao shuo" (romantic fiction). After the initial fish out of water, comedic moments of Zheng Xiao En getting pulled in and adapting to the fictional world, the drama took a turn to be more melodramatic as it slowly unraveled the past of Si Tu Ao Ran / He Tian Xing, mystery of getting stuck in a fictional story, and the power struggles that comes with being an Overbearing CEO.

Bear no mistakes, I still enjoyed this drama, especially the hilarious moments, funny dialogues (mostly from Xiao En), and *glups* the steamy scenes. However, I suppose it also a realization for myself that I have a higher preference to rom coms compared to melodramas. I also realized I have slightly grown out of the "Rude Male Leads with a past, so please forgive and love him" troupe when I kept rooting for Xiao En to fall for the warmer Second Male Lead, Duanmu Qing Feng in the fictional world. He Tian Xing is great, just that he is not Si Tu Ao Ran. Perhaps this how 言情小說 "yan qing xiao shuo" is.

Watch for the comedic element in the drama. And maybe if you love 言情 Yan Qing, you would personally enjoy it even more.

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A purposely cliche-ridden show! Such a fun watch.

The only reason this show isn't a 10 is because the "real world" was so drawn out, everyone in the real world was toxic, and the heroine became kind of spineless at the end. That said, I still highly recommend this drama, because it is just so much fun!

STORY - I'm not going to repeat the synopsis, but let me just say, if you have been a fan of Asian dramas for awhile, you will love this show. I think it has pretty much every cliche we've learned to love/hate. There are multiple Hyun Bin references, homages to Goblin, DOTS, Kill Me Heal Me, and a couple of others that I didn't recognize. You've got the scrappy heroine/female lead that, once she goes into the novel, realizes that she's not the lead, which makes for very entertaining dilemmas. Overbearing CEO (yes, he's actually called that), second male lead which caused me serious second lead syndrome, the arm grabs, the shower scenes (they really played these up!) the comas, the evil family, the childhood traumas, etc. I loved all the lines relating to the FL in the novel "why does she trip every time she gets near the CEO? Doesn't this company make you pass a physical?" The writer did an excellent job of making fun of all these things, saying exactly what I'm sure all of us have said at one time or another. I did feel that the writing was more stilted at the end in the real world, it was bordering on cliche, unfortunately. I absolutely hated the FL in the novel - so vapid, with a whispery voice, wide eyes, and I was surprised she was able to breathe on her own without assistance. I didn't get why Xiao En was in love with the CEO/Ao Ran, other than that's what the FL is supposed to do. It made sense once they got to know each other, but it felt backward to me - just being in love with a pretty face, I guess. I loved the FL and her best friend - the kind of friendship that we all want to have in our lives.

CAST - Vivian Sung was good as Xiao En, though her hair hanging in her face was about to drive me crazy - give that girl a barrette, for heaven's sake! Marcus Chang as He Tian Hang/Ao Ran - let's be honest, this guy is serious eye candy. I think his acting tends to be a little flat and one note, which was perfect for this show. He did an admirable job of playing two different sides to the same person. Simon Lian as Qing Feng - he was my favorite person in the show. The strong, silent type, he really took the time to get to know Xiao En - I was shipping them for the longest time, even though I knew it could never be. I loved his relationship with Ao Ran as well. I was actually very sad that He Tian Hang didn't have his counterpart in the real world.

COSTUMING - Why they put the FL in huge, hanging, oversized, blousy, not attractive outfits through the whole thing, I have no idea. The clothes that the men wore were nice.

OST - beautiful. Marcus Chang did a few of the songs.

So, even though I felt like there was a lot of boring stuff, it was so fun to watch a show give voice to questions that I always have while watching these shows. Kissing first thing in the morning? Don't they need to brush their teeth?

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This is how a romance involving an alternate world should be!

I suppose many people when reading Lost Romance's synopsis will immediately connect it to the KDrama "W" or even last year's high school comic book romance drama "Extraordinary you" (which was very ordinary in my opinion). I admit to being quite skeptical at first when I read LR's synopsis. I went "Not again! Another W!" You see, I was very very disappointed with W. It was a total wreck in my opinion. Hence, that influenced my perception of any romance drama with an alternate world setting. Having said that, I have a soft spot for TDramas even though most of them performed terribly; there were times when you get gems of legendary status such as Autumn's Concerto, Meteor Garden, It Started With a Kiss, Prince turns into a frog, Fated to Love You etc etc that got adapted many times over into CDramas, KDramas, JDoramas, Thai lakorn, Filipino drama etc. So, I have some hope left for the TDrama industry. Hence, I went into Lost Romance with caution and I am glad I did!

Lost Romance is by far the best example of how a romance drama involving an alternate world should be! I know so far it has received mixed reviews. Those who disliked it mostly could not wrap their heads around the alternate world setting. Why did they go into the novel world? How did that happen? If you are one of those who can get caught up with the scientific explanation of the hows and whys in order to enjoy a drama, you might not like this drama. Lost Romance does not offer to fully explain why and how they traveled into the novel world. The leads did try to discuss why and how it happened but in the end they too had to dismiss it. The ML, in the final episode, reflected and said that perhaps it was due to his desperation and lost of hope that drew him into the novel world. The jury is out on that but again, the hows and whys are not important in this drama. If you had watched Someday or One Day - which coincidentally is also one of my recent favourites - you'll also notice the they did not fully explain the whys and hows - simply the ML & FL time traveled when listening to Wu Bai's song and hence the events/story started.

Another popular reason given by those who disliked LR is because they could not comprehend or stand the FL's hesitations. This I have to disagree. I think the hesitations are valid. After all, the ML in the novel and in the real world are two entirely different people in character and personality, and the FL had promised the ML in the novel world that she will love only him. So, immediately jumping on to the ML in the real world will be equivalent to cheating. In this, I agree with the FL's actions to stay firm and loyal to one man only (aka the man in the novel world whom she gave her promise to).

The pacing of this drama is just right for me. I am after all, a person used to watching CDramas with over 30+ episodes. This sort of pacing in LR is just perfect -neither too fast nor too slow. I find myself wanting to watch episode after episode without fast forwarding any parts.

The chemistry between the ML and FL is perfect. And while we are at the topic of chemistry, I would like to announce a good news to all those drama lovers out there who are seeking for romance dramas with lots of kissing, skinship and bed scenes....you will be pleased to know that Lost Romance will fulfill them for you!

Where story goes - it is a pretty simple romance story. Lost Romance does not pretend to make things complicated with multiple plots or try to explain every single thing. It is simply a love story. There are some business and family-related skirmish but it's just on the side and do not distract from the main couple's love story. There are love-able and dislike-able characters, some comedy and adequate push-pull factor in the romance to keep the viewers interested in the OTPs relationship. It also has a perfect and unhurried ending. With only 20 episodes and lots of lovey-dovey scenes in every episode, LR has a high re-watchability value. So, what's stopping you? Now that it has ended, it's the perfect drama for you to binge watch! Overall, I give Lost Romance a 9/10. Happy watching!

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