Hidden Love (2023)

MUST WATCH

My honest view on this drama is you must stop reading this right now and go watch it. When this drama was filming I saw many post about Zhao Lusi and Chen ZheYuan however I felt like it was not on my priority list to watch as it sounded like any other romance high school/ college drama. I watched it at first as a distraction from my other airing drama at the time as I waited for new episodes I planned to watch this one. It soon became the other way around because of how awesome this drama is. The casting, acting, soundtrack everything was done perfectly. I felt like Sang Zhi is the representation of many girls who experienced similar one sided love for many years and just kind of expected it to fail because of the age gap etc.. Honestly I felt like I at least was represented in this story. Of course it’s a drama so the ending MUST be a happy one and for that I am grateful. I found myself smiling, laughing, and sometimes even crying in this drama. I honestly feel like it’s extremely rare for a drama to enthrall me so much that I must review. IF YOU’RE STILL READING DIDN’T I SAY SINCE THE BEGINNING TO STOP AND GO WATCH HIDDEN LOVE RIGHT NOW! Go enjoy yourself some Dian Jiaxu action alongside with Sang Yan and Sang Zhi. I feel like I must reiterate how much I loved this cast.

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Young sweet love diary

Main Leads plays a great part to make this romcom a success story and cdrama., their chemistry is extraordinaire.... CZY and ZLS intimate interaction esp. their kissing scenes are so natural, they seems comfortable with each other , makes you think they're in a relationship for real. Off and on screen bts is evident of that, it shows how these two works together to bring this romcom drama to the next level, they make this story alive with their brilliant acting.
OST , background music plays well in the background in each scenes and the song is soo good that it stays in my mind for awhile that I even have to play it from spotify after watching this drama. Such a perfect choice of music in every episode.

Production & Settings - it's an urban romcom drama where the settings is simply from home , schools and office and the entire Casts great acting also plays an important role to make this drama wholesome while keeping the focus on the main leads towards the development of their relationships.

Great Director plus a great scriptwriter / novel writer makes up this Hidden Love a brilliant show, the entire drama is definitely a breath of fresh air from having to watch costume drama , heavy plot action drama or even a mediocre romcom drama that always ends in a wedding... Hidden Love ending is quite different tho' it still makes you feel happy,, Zhi's wishes were all written in a stars, and it ends with fulfilling them all, all was revealed at the end to Jiaxu , which was quite heartwarming and touching.... and Jiaxu proposals and vows to Zhi was quite emotional , it got me crying, tears of happiness..

Overall if you like Feel Good modern urban romcom drama, this is your show :) One of the best cdrama in 2023 for sure. You'll be smiling in each episodes while your heart flutters from the sweet interaction of our main leads - Zhi & Jianxu. This story is truly a realistic drama, it brings back those good ol' days with your secret crush or secret admirer from high school or University days :)

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Realistic & Relatable

This drama brings you back to the time when you think your crush can do no wrong, read meaning into everything he does, and find ways to just to get a glimpse of him. To those who have experienced this, the drama rekindles those feelings and you begin to realize you are smiling the whole time while watching. Although some people wrote it off as concerning because of the age gap (5 years), the FL had a crush when she was 17 and the ML reciprocated that love when she was 19, then they became a couple. The main premise missed by those who have not watched the drama is how a relationship helps us grow and become a better version of ourselves. The issues tackled in the drama were handled well, in a realistic manner and again, relatable. The acting was subtle and effective. Amazing performance from both leads, actually from the entire cast. They were able to evoke the actual feeling for any particular situation. If you love romcoms and the feeling of being in love, this drama is for you.

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MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE POP ROCKS, STRAWBERRY, BUBBLE GUM *easily best c-drama of this year* must watch!!

I don't know how to explain my feelings about this but literally everything about this drama was amazing.
Maybe you can see this as a general youth drama but but their acting and the subjects they deal with have made the series warm to your heart.

Their acting was so good like.. it was so natural. The way zhe yuan expressed his feelings, the way lu si showed sang zhi's love for jia xu so clearly in his eyes, the chemistry of the two was truly incredible. Even their bickering and being jealous about each other was so cute.

At first I was worried that sang zhi was not yet a minor, but I was very relieved that nothing was as we feared. I think this was one of the most ambitious series of the summer - in fact, many of the summers. Their chemistry was so good that I hope we can see the two of them as partners on a project again.

Also, I think sang yan (victor ma) really shines in the drama. They played so well that they really were like siblings with lu si. And i don't even know why i thought like that but am i the only one that expect sang zhi's friend yu xin would end up with sang yan lmao ?? i think i really want him to be happy with someone and show off about this to sang zhi?

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The best modern cdrama ?

Their chemistry is to die for ? I hope that they will do an another cdrama together (and that they will end up dating?)
I have almost seen all of Zhao Lusi's dramas and she does not disappoint. Chen Zheyuan is also an amazing actor with a promising career and I really hope that they will collaborate in an another drama!

I just love how the characters cared for each other and how they resolved misunderstanding's almost immediately. I have smiled throughout all episodes like an idiot and this drama is totally worth your time and patience! I guarantee you that.

The OST is also to die for, especially two of them where the FML sings. I will most definitely rewatch this drama in a couple of years and get reminded of one of the happiest time of my life - which is when I watch this drama ?

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A drama that is sugary sweet but delivered so we believe its real!

This drama deserves a 10 because it is perfect for romantic junkies like me. If you want a story that focuses on the main couple and explores how the became a couple, this is it.

The music was perfectly timed an presented to support the relationship. The acting from our leads was wonderful and compelling and their chemistry was off the charts. They conveyed the myriad of emotions of their journey with beautiful facial expressions that pulled me in every time. I believed in their love.

This is not new or groundbreaking story and for some it is actually a problematic story. The part that attracts me if the way the drama lets me experience the emotions the characters are feeling. We feel their butterflies and frustrations and feelings of inadequacies and yearnings and hope and desire to loved and be loved. From beginning to end the actors portray a scenario that unfolds to explain the POV of both of the people in the relationship and how they get to the point of being the ones for each other. It kind of sacrifices any other story lines to just focus on our leads.. There are short scenes of side stories but they were really only to support the main couple . I could see the potential for criticism to say these were just "forgotten" but I was too invested in the main coupe to really care.

So this is not even a flaw for me. In my opinion this allows for the main characters to be fully developed. By this I mean that at the end, I believed that even though the ML was older his life circumstance led him to focus on survival so his romantic/emotional age was actually less than his real age. The same with the FL - her princess life gave her so much security and safety to be who she wanted to be. We also learn early on that she is intellectually capable so this coupled with her freedom of expressions helps her to study and learn from her experiences. She is able to analyze situations and critically think through problems which in a way bridges the age gap. I totally believed that his emotional age and hers where much closer and made them well-suited and no issues with a romantic relationship.

A romantic relationship that they are fully committed to an expend all the passion and energy in their heart and soul to secure and maintain and be happy in. That is the sweetness and also the pure fantasy of this drama. The portrayed sincerity which these two bring to their relationship makes us believe it could absolutely be real. I really enjoyed that ride and will definitely watch again. In my books they deserve a 10/10 for delivering this so well.

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Love Springs From Youth

I guess we all have done it, pined over this boy or girl that we first saw when we were tweenies and maybe carried that crush into adulthood. Hidden Love is about a girl who meets a good friend of her much older brother. When she first sees him as a tweny, her heart drops. The expression on this little tweeny’s face when she first sees him is beyond classic. The little girl (Zhang Xiwei) who plays the tweeny is definitely someone to lookout for in Chinese Dramas in the future. She is a star and I am a fan already. The male lead at first meeting is near his twenties.

Note: While ML Chen Zhenyuan’s character does not approach the tweeny or acknowledges any crush ideas of the youth, there is a profound age difference between the two in the younger years of the story. This is handled discretely. He treats her like a little sister. A relationship does not start till she is in College.

The female and male leads of this endearing romantic drama about everlasting crushes are actress Zhao Lusi (Love Like the Galaxy) and singer/actor Chen Zheyuan (Handsome Siblings).

Hidden Love has a lot of extras in the drama that makes this Chinese Drama work; the open mental contemplations, the set design notations placed discretely about, and the wonderfully handled flashbacks all help bring insight into the thoughts and motivations of this young girl. Hidden Love will be a trip down memory lane for the many of us. I am willing to take this ride. The drama Hidden Love is a go for me.

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A good coming age love story

Romance was not my preferred genre but it still capture my attention enough to completely watch the series. The cinematography and storytelling is quite good it gives the nostalgia feels and connect to the inner longing crush we encounter in our lives during teenage but never had chance to acted upon.
The take and actors manage to capture the tender n innocence of romance from their growing years to adulthood removing all the uncomfortable feels for that i would applaud the main actors.

I would definitely recommend to give it a try rather going through reviews; it is not everyone's cup of tea.

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