Hidden Love (2023)

The feeling of being loved and loving those regardless of their flaws

I felt like I was apart of this drama. The cast and writers pulled me in with such raw emotions. This drama has an overall happy/pure feeling to it. This drama not only had a good sounding synopsis but actually exceeded every expectation I had for it while watching it. This drama primarily focuses on the main leads relationship and their family/school plots. Not much of side character plots, but there are some. Occasionally with first loves, you’ll be let down or have doubts in yourself… Sang Zhi expressed those feelings in such a pure manner. At one point I just had to stop the drama and let myself have a good cry, and at other points I found myself laughing out loud and smiling ear to ear. I haven’t had such a fun drama come across my list in quiet some time. The speed in which I finished this drama says it all, and at no point did I skip through any scenes that I felt weren’t relevant. I absolutely loved this drama!!!

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Perfect drama to relax

Highly recommend if you're in the mood for adorable and heartwarming love story. No complicated twists or mind-boggling plots, just a simple, sweet plot, and it's a perfect drama to relax.

Chen Zheyuan and Zhao Lusi have extraordinary chemistry, portraying a cute yet mature relationship. Zhao Lusi totally nailed it as a cute high schooler without being cringe, and Chen Zheyuan also nailed his role as Sang Zhi's loving "brother" aka boyfriend. I'm obsessed with the Sang Sang siblings too. They’re so relatable, just like how real brothers and sisters act at home. Waiting for new episodes every week is torture, and now I'm already missing them like crazy.

The OSTs for this drama also *chef kiss*. Currently listening to Forever Star, Be your light and I Have Someone I Like non-stop.

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CLASSIC Coming-of-Age Romance Drama! MUST WATCH!

This series was simply beautiful! From the cast, crew and overall production, well done! The ML and FL were very good at giving nonverbal communication and cues that spoke volumes. The trials and challenges within the series were felt but not overdone. Thank you, writers, for smart edits. The OST was perfect for driving the theme and overall progression and tensions throughout. I have seen Zhao Lu Si in various series, and she is good at conveying innocence and desire very well. Yet, within this series the audience can feel and see the growth within the ML and FL more than just positioning of hairstyle, job, school or situation. The leads conveyed real innocence to mature growth throughout the series that felt genuine and not forced or assumed. Chen Zhe Yuan is very dynamic and charismatic with his nonverbal cues. Their chemistry was methodically heartfelt and warm. There are many series that try to convey the love, desires and expectation gained and lost through adolescence to adulthood. Some come close but this one truly hit the mark in every way. The supporting cast was very good. The parental concerns which can be intense were addressed with reason and not an overbearing abuse or control. This is truly a treasure of what a blooming respect of connection, friendship and love can be. MUST WATCH!!!

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In simple words... Overrated.

To start off the story has major potential.
I loved the Sang siblings relationship. Their relationship is what kept me hooked.

I personally think the ML's acting wasn't that great. I couldn't really feel the emotions that he was trying to portray. I felt they had a good opportunity to make his character have depth but they didn't.

The entire story revolves around her being madly in love with the ML, which is understandable considering the title. But I felt there should have been more scenes that show his love.
It's almost like the writers and directors had enough of female chasing male, so out of nowhere the ML falls in love. How did that happen? When did that happen? Why did it happen? None of these questions are answered.

I personally love Rosy Zhao but this was the most annoying character she ever played. She was trying to hard to be childish and it came off as weird and strange to me. It made her more unrelatable. Though the situation the FL is in, I think a lot of us has gone through similar emotions (I personally have been in similar situation). But most of the time the FL was so pathetic about it that I didnt feel sympathy but anger.

Once the ML falls in love with her, he barely chases her and starts teasing her because he figured out he was her crush. He also kept standing her up. Yes, he had legit reasons but he never once explained it to her. The main couple never talk, they never have the real convos.

The most unrealistic part was how none of her friends were angry with him for constantly cancelling on her. Women/girls are not like that. If my friend's boyfriend would do that to her I personally would have gone to him and given him a piece of my mind.

A lot of videos list this show as "girl falls first but guy falls deeper", which I personally feel is totally untrue. Even if the last few episodes she runs to the airport to his city again to tell him how deeply she feels for him by showing him the "folded stars". Throughout the story she is proving her love for him. Yes, I will agree he takes some major steps for their future but I personally feel it's too little too late. By that time I am already convinced that "he is just not into her".

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A drama adaptation that stayed true to the original source material

This drama has a special place in my heart. To be honest, when I heard that the novel will have a drama adaptation, I had my doubts. Given that most adaptations don't really give justice to the original source material, I really thought this project won't go well. Fortunately, I was totally wrong! I love how they closely followed the novel. The vital scenes that kept the story standing together were well executed. I must say some of the scenes was even better in the drama than what I have imagined while I was reading the novel. The Female and Male leads down to the supporting casts had created this dynamic that will made you feel a sense of comfort from just watching a fictional show. The acting felt so real and natural. Interactions are not forced with no over the top expressions. Lines were delivered perfectly especially from the leads from the funny sibling interactions to Duan Jia Xu and Sang Zhi's conversations which made me so emotional. I also love how they showed Sang Zhi's university life and Duan Jia Xu work life normally. Sang Zhi's interactions with her roommates felt so relatable and nostalgic as well. Moreover, the leads were so character coded and their chemistry were off the charts! I almost forgot they're just acting. The greenest couple I have witnessed in dramaland. ? Their genuine care, love, and trust with each other made me realize that I may not find a love like that. ? I definitely cried in single. ??

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Unpretentious Fluffy Drama

This drama is perfect for a binge-watching experience. Watch beautiful people enact young love. It is perfect escapism.
The actors did a stellar job but I have to specially mention #ZhaoLusi who brought the character of Sang Zhi very true to the book.

The chemistry between Zhao Lusi (Sang Zhi) and Chen Zhuyuan (Duan Jiaxu) is palpably scorching. But having said that I actually love the brother-sister synergy between Zhao Lusi and Victor Ma better. It actually got to me more and I would have loved it if they had more scenes together.

Highly recommend this drama, particularly to those who wanted to relive the cute feeling of puppy love/first love.
I would also like to mention the OST. The songs are very catchy which is of course a testament to how good they are for a non-Chinese speaker.

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Sweet Warm Drama

I'm not a fan of Zhao Lusi and Chen Ze Yuan. I'm watching out of curiosity as to why it's so popular.

a warm and sweet teenage story, perfect for watching when relaxing. but for me this was a bit boring, I skipped some scenes that were too long, like the scene when Sang Zhi was thinking. this is great to watch, especially for those of you who like relaxing dramas that warm your heart. i recommend it.

ML and FL are very good looking, they also have strong chemistry. very suitable. I last saw ZLS on Feel at ease Mr Ling, and CZY on Mr. bad did not expect they would play together and break a record like this. their acting skills are very natural and pleasing to the eye.

Anyway, this is a warm story, watch it if you're bored and relax. I think it will also be good if you watch it when you're lonely. one more thing, this drama is very light, especially since the characters are still teenagers, don't think the conflict will be complicated!

Happy watching all!

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No. 1 in rankings!

No. 1 in MDL for top C-Dramas and overall (even beating out K-dramas)! Hidden Love is getting all the love it deserves! ?

For those who are still wondering or hesitating to watch this drama, just give it a try! It has a good storyline (nothing very stressful), lots of heartwarming scenes, nice visuals (Zhao Lu Si's clothes here are pretty and looks good on her!), beautiful soundtrack (Forever Star is especially written for this drama), superb acting (even the micro-expressions of the leads are spot-on), perfect chemistry between the main leads and even the supporting cast (sibling chemistry between Zhao Lu Si and Victor Ma, which we often don't get from dramas), and I don't know what else to say to convince you, the rankings don't lie! I will definitely miss waiting for new episodes to come. Congratulations to the cast and crew of Hidden Love! ❤️

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She's 17, and acting like a baby

Am I the only one who finds the girl's acting in the series as off??! She's 17 but acts like a 3 year old child, making it hard to buy into the on-screen relationship between the main leads. It feels like the guy is dating a kid, and her immature acting messes with the credibility of the show. She could do better by showing a more grown-up side that matches her character's age, which would have made the series more believable and enjoyable to watch!

It's such a pity because the story and concept of the series is awesome, and also all cred to the rest of the actors who did an amazing job!

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Lovely

There are spoilers interspersed throughout my review, because some of them were things I liked, some I didn't.

LOVED:
1) Zhao Lu Si as Sang Zhi. She is so beautiful and bubbly, I felt she was perfectly cast for this. Finally, a show in which they didn't put her in a lot of oversized outfits.
2) Chen Zhe Yuan as Duan Jia Xu. I've not seen him in anything before and I loved him in this. First, he's gorgeous. Second, the character was a warm and caring person.
3) Romance chemistry - just wow! The ML said things that most women would love to hear from their man. The way he looks at her, sigh. Good kisses.
4) Story - knowing someone for a long time and developing a relationship. For the most part, this was handled well.
5) Victor Ma as Sang Yan. He was a terrific character. The dynamic between him and his sister, and him and his friends was such fun to watch.
6) SPOILER: It seems like most romances have a secondary female that used to be a girlfriend that comes back after years and wants to pick up where they left off. She thinks she's entitled to him because she wants him. FINALLY, this show portrays the female the way I feel about the secondary women in other dramas. She's a stalker and not-just-a-little unhinged. And I love how the FL told the stalker's friend to go with her to get some counseling! END SPOILER.
7) Ending - I cried.
8) The voices weren't too terrible and the roommates weren't stupid and irritating.
9) The focus was on the romance of the main couple. Not a lot of wasted time.
10) She met him when she was in middle school. The way they handled her crush, her youth, and how he felt about her was handled well. This could have been kind of creepy if he liked her too soon. And the progression of how his feelings changed made sense.
11) The brother's reaction to finding out his friend was dating his sister.
12) The fact that the ML didn't drink alcohol.
13) I know it's not realistic, but I love when the people haven't had relationships before. When he came out and said he'd never dated...he got me!

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: (SPOILERS THROUGHOUT)
1) Sang Zhi acted in a very immature fashion when she was younger. I get that she was young, but when a girl has a crush on a guy, especially an older guy, she does everything she can to demonstrate how mature she is.
2) She's had a crush on him for literally years. She grows up, he confesses his feelings, and she says she needs to think about whether she likes him. I wanted to smack her upside the head. I felt so bad for him, but thank goodness he was patient. I think he knew, even if she didn't say anything. I was mad for a couple of episodes.
3) Her friends saying she needed to "test" him, and her doing it. Game playing in a relationship isn't a good thing, and it, again, made her look really immature.
4) Her making herself cry (when she was younger) to get her way. Once she grew up, I felt that she was still trying to manipulate people.
5) Them saying they would be there for each other, but then keeping things from the other because they didn't want to bother/overwhelm them.
6) One of the last episodes, he's alone in the living room drinking. She comes out and asks him about it, and he never opens up about what the problem is. AND, I really had a problem with the fact that the first time they were intimate he was drunk.
7) Parents, especially, complaining about the age difference. It was five years, people!

Kudos to the writers for not making this a long and drawn out story. My fast forward button got a good rest while I was watching this. It's low angst, light, fluffy, cute, and all the other things when you don't want something heavy. It's one of those shows that I put off, thinking it couldn't possibly be that good, and then I was disappointed when it was over. I will definitely be re-watching it at some point in time.

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