You'll need a lot of tissues ??
Such an amazing drama, really recommend you watch it.Zhao lusi and Chen zheyuan have such good chemistry in the bts. such an emotional drama too. lovely, overall tbh. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🫶❤️🫶❤️🫶🫶❤️🫶❤️😭❤️😭🥹😭❤️😭❤️😭❤️😭😭❤️😭❤️😭❤️😭❤️❤️😭❤️😭❤️😭❤️❤️❤️❤️😭❤️😭❤️😭❤️🫶❤️🫶🥹🫶🥹🫶🫶🥹🫶🥹🫶🥹🫶🥹🫶🥹🫶🥹🫶🥹😭❤️🫶❤️🫶❤️🫶❤️🫶❤️🫶❤️😭❤️❤️🫶❤️🫶🫶❤️🫶😭❤️😭❤️😭❤️🫶❤️🫶❤️🫶❤️🫶❤️😭❤️😭❤️🫶❤️🫶❤️🫶🥹🫶🥹🫶🥹🫶🥹🫶🫶🥹🫶🥹🫶🥹🫶❤️🫶🫶❤️🫶❤️🫶🫶If your still reading this then love you so much!!!!!!!!!!Was this review helpful to you?
“the distance between us was only five years, but you’re worth the time”
This film is such a youthful and light watch! I absolutely adore the aesthetic and the casting was truly incredible. I held off this film, but I’m glad I finished it as it made me feel butterflies and nostalgia for a happy ending. I like that the ml waited for her and though he might’ve not knew it at the time, he always WANTED to be there for her and see her grow through the years of adolescence. No matter what role, he wanted to be there in her life. He also said that he wanted to be her boyfriend, not he wanted her to be his girlfriend and I start to crumble whenever the ml says that (its the little things that count 😭).Overall would recommend for if you want a feel-good cdrama. Though there were many obstacles, they always found their way back to each other, so if you want a happy ending and “always meant to be” genre, it’s perfect for you!
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This review may contain spoilers
At first, I initially dropped this because I was getting annoyed by her voice as her younger version , but after watching The Romance of Tiger and Rose, I really came to like Zhao Lusi and her acting, so I decided to rewatch this from the start. I also think that this drama could be viewed wrongly, especially as the actress who played young Sangzhi was most likely about 9/10 years old at the time of filming. In adulthood I believe 5 years age difference is not bad, but considering that they knew each other when Sangzhi was in middle school it can be misinterpreted even though they started the romance after she was an adult. Sangzhi's crush was cute and I think the drama portrayed it well but after they started dating it did start to become dragging. I personally think they should have ended it at 20 episodes because the final 5 episodes kind of dragged a bit, if it didn't drag so much in the final 5, I most likely would have given this drama an 8.5 or 9. Also, Sang Yan kept saying he had a girlfriend, I know there is a spin-off series regarding this but in my opinion I would have preferred it if Sang Yan and Yuxin got together and met online while playing games, I was expecting this to happen and it never did. Victor Ma/Sang Yan was my most favourite character in this series. I really loved Victor Ma in this drama and also his OST "Be Your Light", I had it on replay so much. Was this review helpful to you?
this show is an absolute watch and rewatch
this show is one of my absolute favourite cdramas of all time no matter how many times I watch it I fall in love with it all over again. the concept of the whole show was that friendship and familyscenes were well portrayed and the roles were played by amazing actors, especially by my top faves zhou Lusi and Chen Zheyuan, my endgame throughout the show.
if you are looking for a sweet heartfelt show I highly recommend this. and if you are trying to get into cdramas this is also a recommended watch. (I was skeptical about the age gap but it did not disappoint).
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This review may contain spoilers
Overall a very cute romance drama about a girl falling in love with her brother's friend.Although I really loved the show and their romance there are still some flaws. I feel like the beginning, where she was still in school was a bit long. Also there were some cringe moments, like when FL heard that ML has a girlfriend and flew all the way to his hometown at a ver young teenage age. A bit unrealistic.
Their romance really had me giggling all the time but after they got together I feel like it became a little dragged. There was very little story progress after that.
It could definitely be some episodes shorter but still very cute
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sweet, warm, and realistic, just right, but not 10/10
In comparison to all other Chinese dramas I've watched, this drama offered an unmatched sense of realism. I felt like I was watching a natural love story unfold. Like I watched a real relationship develop from an outside friend's perspective: starting as a harmless one-sided crush on an older brother's friend and realizing a genuine affection and support for each other as they got older.I think the key to this wasn't the acting, I felt like the acting itself was acceptable and good, but nothing jaw dropping. The main player to this real-feel was the story and writing. Having watched many Chinese dramas, I'm no stranger to the crazy schemes, plot holes, dramatic side characters, and unrealistic "has it all" leads. This drama still has a ML with a devastating and traumatic childhood, it still has a sort of crazy ex, still has a ML as a top new-face in the tech field, all of these are cliches, but this drama does it right. It adds just enough cliche to keep the viewers engaged and the story going, but never too much that it becomes unreal. The stories they presented us with, how the characters acted at their respective ages, and how the characters reacted to serious situations, were all very possible in the real world. We see the characters face adversity in their careers, family, finances, balancing the many parts of their lives, and etc. However, when we are shown these struggles, we don't see big schemes, dragged-on arcs, and the introduction of meaningless filler side-character stories. We get scenes about a character's emotions, conversations between the leads, and unspoken thoughts. This drama nailed showing, not telling. I think 95% of Chinese dramas fail at this. Things happen, but everything remains fairly calm. Just like in our real lives. I was able to appreciate how the leads built a relationship from support and trust only because I felt their problems were real. Their relationship, their conversations, their moments were all so entirely heart-warming because I felt touched for them.
The cinematography was also much higher quality than any other contemporary drama I've watched. Every scene felt intentional and just right for the moment.
My only qualm with this drama was the age-gap. True, a five-year age gap is really nothing. However, I will always have a problem with this part of the story because of one reason: the leads had an established brother-sister dynamic since the FL was young, to the point that the FL had the ML saved as older brother 2 on her phone. The drama doesn't emphasize much about the ML's change in perspective on the FL. It starts off as the ML seeing the FL as a naive little "kiddo", his words exactly. This is kinda set for a while, and as an audience we don't really know when he started seeing her as an adult. This distinction was never made clear. And I fear it's because he still partly saw her as a child even while he was pursuing her....this is where I think it's a little weird. Once they get into a relationship, they settle really well into it and I don't see their age gap as a problem anymore. It's the transition that was hazy. How can a grown man go from seeing a girl as a silly naive young kid to seeing her as a potential romantic interest that fast? The drama lacks here.
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Job done !
It was the first time I watched a Cdrama so no other Cdrama to compare to… And I have to say that enjoyed it most of the time.On one (negative) hand, it was for me a typical Romance drama with classic storyline, no surprise, no plot twist (« they lived happily ever after »).
And sometimes too slow and boring (I admit I sometimes used fast forward button).
One the other (positive) hand, you get what you expect from a Romance drama : a love story without (a lot of) troubles (there is the ML’s father story but it isn’t much compares to real life), a happy ending (again « they lived happily ever after »).
A sweet, adorable and heartwarming drama with a beautiful chemistry between lead characters, cute and tender moments of romance and a funny relationship between siblings.
About acting, I didn’t know Zhao Lu Si (FL) before and I liked her acting (made me want to see more cdramas she stars in).
I also liked Chen Zhe Yuan (ML) and Victor Ma (FL’s brother) acting, they were great too.
I really appreciated the directing that allow actors to portray characters in a very natural way !!
I liked the OST and it was a good surprise to find out that Zhao Lu Si is also a great singer. I’ve added 2 or 3 songs to my Drama playlist.
Finally, yes I understand some people could find this drama too cheesy, unrealistic and a bit boring. But from my point of view, it met expectations of « sweet & adorable » Romance drama (if I’d wanted to see real slice of life drama, I’d have prefer My mister, Lost, My liberation notes or similar dramas…)
To summary, if you need heartwarming feelings and butterflies in your life, this drama is made for you.
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Watching this is like having a crush again
This show is pure dopamine; it's like falling in love or going through your first crush again. Has you squealing every time there's ANY development or even interaction between the two leads, and reminds me of the feeling of watching Business Proposal (another show that's like a pure dopamine shot). And all this is thanks to the amazing acting by the two leads, Zhao Lusi and Chen Zheyuan. The two of them were just SO good together. Chen Zheyuan's character is so dreamy, help 🥺With that being said, I still skipped a lot of scenes. I'm not a fluff person and just find fluff, coming-of-age, student life, first love etc., to be a bit too low stakes to keep me 100% invested. The pacing is (imo) pretty slow and really drags. I also struggled with how cutesy ZLS's character acted in the first 4-6 episodes, I ended up skipping those.
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Pure fluff, cuteness and love.
As someone who stopped watching 'Girl x Boy loveteam' type of series (became a BL and GL fan for a long time), Hidden Love is a great comeback. Just pure fluff. A lot of very relatable scenes and also scenes that can make the viewers believe (somehow) in love again.Both Duan Jiaxu and Sang Zhi was written perfectly, "green flag couple" indeed. Now I understand why people are really hooked up by Zheyuan and Lusi's chemistry, they worked. Their chemistry is just top-tier. Love these two so much, really. But in this drama? I fell in love truly to Victor Ma, SANG YAN!! He is just an overall relatable character, I love him so much.
Story wise, tbh, nothing new. I guess what really made this drama stand out was everything inside this drama worked out so well. From casts to story, up to the execution, its really good. But yeah, when it comes to the story, I am not too stunned or what.
Overall, this is such a good watch. It will bring back lots of butterflies on your stomach. Watch this, its worth it, really! 💞
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This review may contain spoilers
This is a romance story, only romance.
I've been waiting for this drama to air since the poster was released. I hope to enjoy this drama until the end, when this drama is trending I feel happy because I feel that I was not in vain waiting. But when I watched, I was disappointed.I feel that this drama has one mission, which is to make Sangzhi and Jiaxu become lovers. That, that's all that needs to be done in this drama. I really feel like every groove just revolves around the two of them. Many of the rest of the cast just feel like NPCs. As a viewer, I feel like I don't know any other characters besides Sangzhi and Jiaxu. Maybe this is also the reason why I quite like SangZhi's Brother SangYan, because he's the only character apart from Sangzhi and Jiaxu who feels 'alive' in this drama.
I liked the first four episodes, it was quite enjoyable and I liked the bond between little Sangzhi and Sangyan. Although I feel that the actress playing little Sangzhi is too young to be called a middle schooler, but the child's acting is quite good in my opinion, so I don't mind. The problem was when Sangzhi grew up and became a high school student. I don't know where the mistake lies, but high school Sangzhi feels more like a child than middle school Sangzhi. While watching it I felt confused as to why Sangzhi High was so much more immature, childish, and acted like an elementary schooler. Even Sangzhi lost his confidence when he was in high school. I know it might be due to some reason, but this drama doesn't explain why Sangzhi High School is more childish than Sangzhi Middle School. I can't blame ZLS for this. Because maybe that's what it says in the script. But to be honest it's quite uncomfortable, seeing adult women act like elementary school children.
Actually, I also don't really feel the 'green flag' of a Jiaxu. I felt that Jiaxu didn't have a strong character, and every scene with Sangzhi felt like 'flirt'. I tried to watch up to episode nine because everyone told me to watch until that episode to like this drama. But even up to episode ten, I only saw the relationship between the two which felt very slow and full of slow motion. I mean, not all scenes of look into each other's eyes or touching each other have to be in slow motion... I heard that Jiaxu had a trauma, but up to episode ten this trauma had never appeared. Even when in the past Jiaxu was depicted as poor and had to constantly earn money, the portrayal in the drama did not show Jiaxu as a busy person at all. Although in some scenes he looks asleep, it's just that for someone who is really pressed for money, Jiaxu seems to have a lot of time to go back and forth to take Sangzhi courses, even taking him to the planetarium. I feel like maybe the scenes of Jiaxu working in multiple places should help a bit to better illustrate how hard Jiaxu has to work to stabilize his economy. Unfortunately it was never shown, and we are immediately taken to the timeskip when Jiaxu is already working and has a car. And once again I feel that I don't have a close relationship with the characters around Jiaxu such as his co-workers and the women who chase him, all of them feel like NPCs.
Even though I think there are many characters that can be shown better in this drama. But even characters like Sangzhi's parents, Sangzhi's roommates, even Jiaxu's co-workers feel like just extra characters. They don't have a 'story' for themselves. So even when they appeared, they were only acting as characters bridging the romantic story of Sangzhi and Jiaxu. The other characters really feel lifeless apart from Sangyan. Even the conflict between Sangzhi and his high school friend was reviewed in the simplest way possible just to get the moment Jiaxu saved Sangzhi. Even though this part can be reviewed further, such as why his friend chose to do that. Or what happened after that. But all resolved very quickly. Characters that bothered Sangzhi were immediately eliminated, with no time for Sangzhi to develop when hit by a problem.
And that's the reason I dropped this drama. During the ten episodes running, there was no character development from the two main characters. They just changed costumes, but still act like high school kids. Sangzhi in college was the same as Sangzi in high school, and so was Jiaxu when he was working, he was still the same as when he was in college. Either they lack an antagonist who can develop both characters, or it was just like that from the start. Oh, and I also don't like the character of Sangzhi's parents, who feel like they pamper Sangzhi a lot. This also makes me feel that Sangzhi can't face big problems. And I feel this is why this drama really focuses on romance, because maybe for Sangzhi's character who is used to being spoiled, romance is a big problem for him.
I know this opinion is quite controversial, even here the drama's rating is very high. I am also quite sad because I can't enjoy the drama that I've been waiting for for a long time like other people. I was really looking forward to this drama, maybe that's also the main reason why I'm getting more disappointed. But it comes down to preference again, so I hope that even if I don't represent the majority, I can voice my personal preference a bit.
*note, I still really like Sangyan's character until now*
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This review may contain spoilers
Modern day Romanticized Grooming and Enablers
Zhaolusi is gorgeous and her acting is acceptable. DXJ acting is bland and boring. He hasn't improved from the Mr. Bad. I get it. He's hot, so he get the pass for his terrible acting skills.Storyline depicted lots of disturbing lines and scenes that shouldn't be romanticized such as the underage girl and the ml. If they just cut out the whole beginning and begins where they met in college, it would have been acceptable.
It's OK to like older men when we are young and naive but to encourage someone underaged to build a relationship with an older man at that age is straight up grooming. No child should be allowed to form a relationship without the guidance of their guardians. That's just neglectful and straightup enablers on her family side. I don't care if there is a back story. It doesn't make sense for the ml to keep involving himself with a child that young with no supervision. He is not a relative nor a real brother. Should have developed a sense boundary.
Overall, story is fine. The flashbacks were quite annoying as they throwed me off track a lot. I get the hype. Young kids, nowadays, are still growing and find everything amazing. I was once a teenager too and understand the imagination to hit on a hot guy. However, there are no excuses for the adults who should known better. It's ok to like a story but know what you are promoting to younger audience.
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my first and last love
So I am watching this because I am swept along with the 20,000 others that are watching this. Also it is rated a 9.2. So that means it shouldn't be a waste of my time... right?Yeah this drama isn't a waste of time. It's good. The light and cheery atmosphere alone are enough to have me watching. I have seen a lot of k-dramas lately so this is a nice switch-up. It tells a sweet little love story about a girl and her brothers best friend. Suprisngly enough I haven't seen any dramas with this synopsis before.
Now what is good is the production quality and the visuals of the main leads. I am a few episodes in already and it's easy to watch. Watching is a breeze and I can easily watch, so I hope I don't lose interest. What interests me is those visuals and the hope that the 9.2 rating brings foward some amazing scenes that punch right at my gut and get me really believing that score.
I'm not going to be super bitter about the rating. I honestly don't see that it is a 9.2. I give it what I give it because it isn't perfect, but I rate it so high because it isn't necessarily doing anything wrong either.
What gets me though is the younger actress for our main character. She is great, but she is waaaaaayyyy to young to be portraying a character that is 13/14. The actress is 10 irl, so to have moments that are classically portrayed as a budding romance is weird to me. It makes me uncomfortable.. and it shouldn't be. This show brings up the age gap though, with Duan Ji Xu and Sang Shi. It is very obvious between the two their age because of how she claims him as another 'brother' of hers. Comparing him to her brother, those are cute and not problematic. What is- is how Duan Ji brings up how if she is dating someone and he took her out knowing she is a minor than that is wrong. So he sees her as a minor, he won't date her. That is good. What could be, and notice how I saw /could/. Is that if he ends up dating her, which I know happens, then he has seen her grow up. Now that is grooming.
I think this drama isn't stupid, but it has its moments. The opening scene with the young Sang She and Duan Ji are cringe inducing. The music playing up as she sees him for a moment.. I can look past that. I can't look past how three years later she seems even more immature than her younger self. I haven't seen a show with Zhao Lu Si, so maybe her voice is just that young sounding. I do like her character a lot though. She is sweet and naive, but she is calculating in a way. She have ulterior motives with Duan Ji and that is where the love is hiding. It's cute to see her little crush and how that affects her actions with him, it's pretty simple. So the hidden love to me is more of an agenda because of this. Because she likes to hang out with him and pulls him into her life not because he is just nice, but because she secretly likes him and is waiting for the day she can confess or something. I am excited to see how that all unravels but hope that they don't emphasize her youth too much.
With Duan Ji bringing up her age and all I hope they just do it correctly when it comes to him liking her. I believe he will like her when she is of age, and I hope they address that he likes her NOW as opposed to the trope of always loving her. Because he knew her since she was 13/14. I hope he grows to like her as an adult of age and appreciates her growth as a person rather than saying something like he always has loved her. That would make this weirder than it already is.
I get that she likes an older guy, I would too. He is someone she compares her brother too, and he is nice to her. It's a mindless attraction. So I hope for Sang Shi, she realizes what she /really/ likes about him. The older she gets her feelings mature as well.
So this drama is good and I recommend. It's got this amazing feel to it, it's got stunning setups with the camera work and everything. What is needs it to have those hearthrobbing moments between the leads. The set up is very very good, I want their romance to mature and I can see that happening.
What I really must commend is Zhao Lusi's acting. I haven't seen a drama with hers in it and now I know I have been missing out. She is excellent here and so is Chen Zhe Yuan.. who I am most looking forward to see in Sho Po Lang.
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