Hidden Love (2023)

The amount of sweetness in this drama will give you cavities!

I have to say that I've seen a lot of dramas adapted from the novel before. Some strayed away from the novel, some started off promising but ended with disappointment, some just take a completely different direction from the novel but with Hidden Love, for someone who had read the novel, it did remain faithful to the novel and I am impressed that I can get so many of the scenes I like in the novel adapted into the drama itself.

I know the novel have some scenes that wasn't adapted in the drama but given the drama only has 25 episodes it's only understandable why they cannot included everything in.

I think the only sad part that I was looking forward to see in the novel was the part when DJX went to visit SZ parents again and that time Sang Yan(SZ brother was there), I really love that part in the novel because SY express how much he cares for DJX to the point that he was defending him from being "bully" by his own parents. Although SZ parents concerned was understandable, I liked how that scene played out in the novel better because I love seeing SY stepping in and wanting to protect DJX on his end. So yeah that's a sad missed in the drama.

This isn't my first time seeing actress Zhao Lusi (ZLS) since I've seen her other dramas before, and I have to say that her acting on the character Sang Zhi really brought it to life and I'm glad she is cast to play this role.

For Chen Zhe Yuan (CZY), this is my first time watching his drama to be honest as I've never seen his other dramas before. Similarly to how I feel for Zhao Lusi being cast to play Sang Zhi, I am glad that Chen Zhe Yuan got this role for Duan Jia Xu. He really did played the character well on his end.

Both ZLS and CZY really have chemistry and their interactions as a CP was sizzling with the romance between them and their kiss scenes definitely doesn't disappoint!

I truly recommend this drama to all fans because it is really sweet to see the journey between the main leads SZ and DJX come from the beginning to the end. DJX is SZ first crush and her one true love ever since she saw him the first time she fell in love at first sight. Some may not like that trope but I think the writers did well to bring out how she hid her feelings from him developed from a mere crush to her one true love.

Aside from the main pairing I also have to say I really like Sang Yan's character. I love him for being the tsundere brother who cares for his sister and I love all his interactions with his sister Sang Zhi.

The sibling relationship between SZ and SY kinda does remind me to Touya and Sakura in Cardcaptors and SZ crush for DJX is similar to Sakura crush for Yukito(in cardcaptors), although the outcome between the two pairings in their respective stories is a different outcome at the end.

I also love the part when it was revealed that at the beginning when SZ was born, SY didn't like her because he felt that his parents was giving all their attention to SZ(his little sister) and it was revealed by his father that back then SY said that he rather have a dog than a sister but it was also revealed that when his sister was not at home for the few days (since she had to stay in the hospital), he was worried about her and how he ask his father where SZ is and his father lied and told him that he threw her away, and then when SY heard that he was crying (because of what happened) and at that moment I was like really awing at the scene because I love how he said he doesn't like his sister but that's not really how he feels, because deep down he really cares and loves his sister.

SZ parents are great parents and I envy that kind of family environment that she grew up in. She have loving parents and a loving brother.

I wish DJX could grow up in a more warm environment but because of his father , his life turned upside down that made me feel so sorry for him. I don't blame DJX if he cannot forgive his father to be honest because I do think he has the right to be mad at him.

Anyways, to cut my review short and not spoil too much of the story, I do recommend this drama to everyone. It definitely don't disappoint and it's definitely on my list of favourite dramas and CP.

If I may, I will also add this down in my review here, based on my preference

My top 3 Favourite Chinese CP:

1. Wangxian (Mo Dao Zu Shi - Novel)
2. TianHui (Back from the Brink/Hu Xin)
3. Duan Jia Xu x Sang Zhi (Hidden Love)

So, DJX and SZ made it into my top 3 favourite CP, and that's a good outcome since it's not easy to make it into my top category.

I have to also thank this drama since I cannot get into any other new drama after Back from the Brink (because I miss HMH and ZY so much!!) But Hidden Love made me got into it from the first episode that not even Here we meet again and Snow Eagle could which I have been having plans to get back into it

I guess some dramas will have different magnetic pulls for each of us.

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Enchanting fairytale

Once in a while, a simple rom-com can be more satisfying to watch than an elaborate expensive costume dramas. This is exactly what happens here. Who would have thought that the summer 2023 will have a surprise mega hit in the form of a simple rom-com that was adapted and executed beautifully. Going against the high profile costume dramas this summer, this simply stood out due to excellent acting , visuals and charisma of the leads.

No doubt, this will become a classic as evidence of its high rewatch value and relationship goals.

Get ready to laugh and cry and experience butterflies and be enchanted with this cute fairytale.

Highly recommended

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is it love ?

sometimes people's wild imagination can be creepy and when you read their comments or watch their reviews, it effect your experience as a viewer too. this is my review , hope it help you and clear your head so you enjoy watching such a beautiful wholesome story.

1- ( FL persona )
not every teenager act the same as you. FL is an introverted teenager but she is smart and doesn't hesitate when she wants to make a decision. i completely feel her cause i have similar behavior pattern but you may not. the way you talk and act at 14 is different than at 20, and you can act differently in front of your friends ,family or your crush (which is well portrayed in this drama).

2- ( chemistry and shipping )
if you don't feel any chemistry between leads by ep 8, well you are not supposed to. story is about a teenager who had a crush on an adult and after she go uni and met the guy again ,the guy fall for her. some of us are fan of actors and we were here before the drama air so it's obvious that we are shipping them more than you cause we saw the bts of this drama month ago.

3- ( age gap )
ML is 5 years older than FL . ML fell in love when the FL was an adult . it shows in story when he fell in love and why. he was not her neighbor and he was not grew up with her . ML was her brothers friend who lived and worked in dorm and THEN in another city , he did not know that FL loved her. you see clearly the way He act when She is minor, when She is an adult and in uni, when He start to falling for her and when He wanna pursue her. it's all clear in the drama . it doesn't seem creepy to me at all. ( and tbh 5 years is nothing )

4 - this is a very simple story. doesn't have messy or dumb plot to it . everything go smoothly and if there is a problem ,they handle it quick. so if you love messy drama, this drama ain't for you. this drama has simple plot and logic to it .
so for me it is love and it's a very sincere and healthy couple .

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Almost perfect

I would have given 10 if there was a little more intense story, then it could have been better. I mean ML suddenly fell for her out of the blue within an episode after he accidentally kissed her forehead and started flirting suddenly. it would have been nice if there were more romantic encounters before he realized that he actually fell for her and started to develop feeling for a girl whom he considered to be his sister (even attended P&T on behave of her original brother) THAT AWKARDNESS IS MISSING!!! and then try to avoid her but finally give in to his feelings for her...something like that would have been nice. other than that there is romance and the story is pretty good but the anime version of this was on another level so my expectations were high. TBH I didn't like the fact that ML's background story is something that almost all typical C dramas and Kdramas have. it would have been nice if at least he was an orphan and that girl who followed him around was a stalker or something like that instead of a debtor who is behaving like a psycho with no self-respect, that was kind of awkward to watch.

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Not too good

Well the story is really ordinary there are few interesting twists ,the starting was good but then it became boring for me and I skipped most of the drama from ep 8 till 17 and then only watched few important scene the revelation one was my favourite where she reveals her secret love other than that it was ok for me and nothing good ...plus the acting was fine for me ,the good looks of the main lead was great but I wish if it had more twists and turns
This drama had a lot of hype but still it couldn't catch much attention to me because of the boring job of the main lead and also her friends were not that good or interesting as well
And the age gap was not too much I don't know why it was made such a deal

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Heart flutteing love story, Rewatch is inevitable

I'm a frequent watcher for many c dramas but i would say this drama really awestruck me for a while after watching it. Both actors have given their best on screen performances..Zhao lusi is very well dwelled into sang zhi's role and ChenZY is well suited for Duan Jaixu Role..i would really appreciate the writer of the plot which made the chemistry of the two characters emerged so nicely on screen..very well edited, directed and acted..MUST Watch..No a Rewatch i would say..

Well written, superb acting, chemistry between the leads is awesome and sang zhi character was well potrayed from child hood to young age.

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I understood the hype

I truly understood the hype. I had huge expectations, and it didn't disappoint.

The first thing that I like about this drama is that they made the sister-brother relationship of San Zhi and Jia Xu more acceptable. It's not weird to see since Jia Xu sincerely saw her as his sister when she was still a minor. He didn't have any romantic feelings or show any signs of them. You could feel that it was really genuine.

The second thing I like is the acting of the leads, especially Lu Si. I saw her in two dramas, but this one made me fall in love with her due to her natural acting and cuteness. Now, I also understood the hype around her. She's indeed a good actress. I just couldn't stop smiling when she was smiling. She's so cute!

When San Zhi said something like, "I don't care about the reason, but if you mistreated him, then I'll do the same with you," That's when I fell in love with her character. Again, I said it in my review of When I Fly Towards You: Both of the female characters know how to stand up and fight against those annoying people. They're not just cute, but brave too. It's so refreshing to see that in cdrama because they always present some cute characters that are too kind to stand up for themselves and for others.

And about the chemistry, do I really need to say it too? It's so great! They complement each other from their visuals up to their personalities.

When I Fly Towards You is for those who like youth romance and wholesome friendship. Watch Hidden Love if you like a drama that only focuses on the main lead. Personally, I enjoyed Hidden Love more.

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Another great acting chop from Zhao Lusi - great script and good acting from Chen Zhe Yuan as well.

Hidden Love is another good act from Zhao Lusi. Sang Zhi falls in Love with Duan Jia Xu, the boy who often comes to her house to play games in her older brother's room. He is five years older than her. Sang Zhi had a crush on Duan Jia Xu when she was young, but they lost contact for some reason. After she graduates, she joins the university in the city he is in. During their day-to-day intimate and close interaction, they slowly fall in Love.

The story is cute, and ZLS did an exceptional job playing a teenage girl with a crush and Love, Duan Jia Xu, and into adulthood. The onscreen chemistry between ZLS and Chen Zhe Yuan is undeniably fantastic. Victor Ma did a good job at playing her annoying older brother as well. I love this drama and found myself rewatching it just like WRTW.

Awesome job, ZLS, and Chen Zhe Yuan. I give it a 9.0 rating.

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Wish ZLS would stop picking these roles

Being a ZLS fan I wish she'd be more selective with her roles.

Troubled drama:
1. Single line story line. It's fine if its paper thin story line with some witty dialogue but .... you can sum this up in 1 line so why so many episodes?
2. Wrong age casting: Little zls played by a great young actress but she's 10 playing a 14 yr old. In love like galaxy ZLS played a 15 year old just fine. Total avoidable pedophile feel.
3. ML keep on referring himself as "Ge ge" in 3rd person. Like no one talks like that EVER. In English, it's like saying something like : "Big bro will take you home... " "Tell big bro blahblahblah" "Big bro refer to self as big bro...."
4. ZLS downplay her age way too much. Her voice is always baby sounding even when she reached college age.
5. She keeps saying "I am adult now." "I am mature now." while sounding 14.....
5. Making big deal on 5 year difference even in college. That's just silly....

Few positives:
1. Her parents are both characters I loved in Love like Galaxy. Both positive parenting in this drama.
2. Her real brother scenes are funny, like a real brother "Big Dumb Dog"
3. ZLS's hair. She has great hair, beautiful highlights.

I can see 12 year olds would probably like this drama....

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