Hidden Love (2023)

Some cute moments but annoying teenager, superficial and inconsistent characters and a plain story.

Had this show started when FL was already in university it would have a bit of a higher rating on my part, I found from that point onwards it was more entertaining, not great by any means, but better. From the beginning up to that point I almost quit several times solely on the fact that the FL was EXTREMELY annoying.
I'm not familiar with the actors in this show nor I generally care who is in what. There are actors I like, but I won't watch something only based on that. I say this because I don't know if the acting of Zhao Lu Si is her or it's the director and direction that pushed her to do that (and in that case not sure why they would be happy with that result). It was extremely annoying how she was acting as a 17 year old like she was 7. She was shown as more mature at age 14 in her way of speaking and mannerisms (although physically that actress was clearly younger so it was also very jarring).
I think at this point after two cdramas watched being set in high school I should avoid cdramas set in high school. It feels at times like I'm watching a video on morality and good manners directed at high schoolers, like the civil education videos I had to watch when I was around 12-14 years old. It's also so forced how they try at some point or another say some grandiose moral quote like they're talking to me directly instead of the character.
Also, for the love of all things dear, how was she so dumb and childish when technically she had good grades in school? It makes no sense at all.
They want to show later in university that she's more of a grown up but there are so many things in her way of doing and especially her voice that she still seems so childish. On the other hand ML changes completely of character once he's starting to be interested in her, he's all of a sudden super cocky and flirty, it was very out of character. From that point onwards it's like they're trying to keep reminding me that she's a girly girl and he's a boyish boy.... MEH.
I still don't understand fully how or when Jiaxu started having feelings for her, it's kind of sudden.
I didn't care they didn't show much of the drama involving his father because I had zero interest really, it seemed kind of typical and like it was not going to add much to the story other than some cliché trauma, but I didn't understand either why introducing that daughter of the family affected, she was very annoying and contributed nothing to the story either. I'm guessing she was only there so FL could show her more "mature" side but it's very weak.

There are some cute moments, but overall I was not so sure of why they liked each other, I'm not even sure why she liked him in the beginning to be honest, just because he was handsome and nice to her? not sure, I'm not shown at any point in the first or second half that they share anything when it comes to personality or likes or hobbies, they barely share even that many special moments. It's also very weird because he goes from calling her "sister" to 5 minutes later being interested in her, I couldn't shake that feeling of uneasiness, and it brings me to the fact that the sister thing was way overdone. It would have been so much better had he just been the brother's friend and kept that relationship of friend than making it so far as to his feeling of her as a sister, I felt that put a big barrier on there that I couldn't see a way of it being broken and so I was not surprised when it was just done suddenly and didn't work for me at all. It's also quite annoying when she's already in uni and she keeps saying he's old and they keep mentioning the 5 year gap, what is not a big one by any means.

As it happens in the other cdrama I watched recently (When I Fly Towards You), everything is shown in perfect stages, high school is the time for little crushes but ultimately focusing solely in studies, university ok for relationships, and as soon as you finish uni then get a great job straight away and save to quickly buy a house and start a family. It's very unrealistic, and after this being the second one with the same idea I'm starting to think that they're trying to precisely sell me an idea here more than a story. It was equally unrealistic his career, how he's able to achieve all that at his age, no problems in anything, same with her really, nothing of much importance. It's also the fact they feel the need to include in the story the whole process instead of only one part of it, it gives it even more that feeling of someone showing "how it's done" to me so I take it as an example.
Characters are also generally always kept superficially and secondary ones are pretty non existant.
I found the brother quite annoying at times as well, why was he ten times more patriarchal than the father? I know maybe he just has the older brother complex but seems so weird when it doesn't seem they have that dynamic in the family. Her parents were all right but I didn't really understand why they let the son be that way with her or take more charge of her than them, it was weird some times.

The ending is... well... the cherry on top I suppose. It was quite shocking she would be proposed on the same day of her graduation, like chill man!! Another cdrama that pushes the marry young idea, but I mean, considering they got everything else at unrealistic young ages no wonder by 22-23 they're bored of their lives and they need to marry or something ? (I know he's older but still applies, it's not like he had to do it like he has an expiration date and as far as we know he was not being pushed to do it by anyone either).

Leggi di Più

Highly overrated

I have to preface this by saying one thing - I like both Zhao Lusi and Chen Zheyuan and I’ve watched several of their shows. This is the show I couldn’t like either of them in.

I didn’t intend to watch this show at all- the premise and trailer didn’t interest me, but I thought I would give it a shot anyway. Even though there was an uncomfortable age difference between the characters (not generally, but just because she’s a minor at the beginning), I thought the first 9 episodes were handled pretty well. There were some sweet moments and the episodic nature of the show made it look a bit like a story about growing up.

Till about ep 14, the show was still kind of sweet and funny. It’s after ep 15 that I found this absolutely juvenile and boring. I know most of the comments here will praise the “love story” and so on and how great these characters are, but I actually couldn’t root for the couple at all. From ep 15 to the end I was hoping it would get better but it never did. It was like the writer put some effort into assuaging fears of the story seeming creepy in the beginning when Sang Zhi was young, but once she was “older” all of those efforts went out the window.

My main issues:

When did Jiaxu fall in love? For someone who had been through a bunch of trauma and had a difficult family situation, he has no hesitation or thought about getting into a relationship with Sang Zhi. I didn’t like how CZY played Jiaxu as a cocky, overconfident guy (I’m guessing that’s what the script required him to do). It seemed like such a bizarre decision. We are told that he somehow blames himself for what his family got into (the accident and all that)- at least that’s what we hear Sang Zhi saying- but we never see it from Jiaxu. He has no trauma that we can grasp - his father gets shown only twice in the drama. Once when he’s about to pass away. This is where we learn that Jiaxu doesn’t drink because of the accident his dad caused. None of these traumatic events are even touched upon until the story demands them to be there. Without them it would make no difference. Instead this trauma should have been a big reason for Jiaxu to hesitate or to believe that he’s worthy of being loved.

The other issue- Zhao Lusi playing a 19 year old like she’s 13. Initially when ZLS was playing a 17 year old like a kid, I accepted it. I thought it was cute and endearing in a way. But when she’s a supposed adult, she continues talking in a baby voice. I don’t see the difference between this version and the younger one. It became rather annoying after a while.

I also don’t understand why they cast a 10 year old kid to play 14 year old SZ. With all the comments about grooming and all that going on, you think the makers of this drama would’ve been extra careful. Instead, this didn’t help the case.

The love story did absolutely nothing for me. We are somehow supposed to believe that these two have an amazing love shared between them. They never have deep conversations about things like a real couple would. Instead there are just lots of kissing scenes inserted randomly. Where are the long and deep conversations? Where is the friendship and banter in a relationship? For two supposedly smart people, they surely don’t have any smart, intelligent conversations.

I think all of these are easy fixes. Firstly, SZ and DJX could’ve met once again probably 8 years after she gives up her crush on him. At this time having both of them as working adults, having meaningful lives outside each other would have been interesting. From a slow friendship it could’ve eventually grown into love. This would’ve been much better as currently there’s no friendship stage on this show. They go from “you’re my brother/sister” to “I want to woo you” within one episode.

The supporting characters could’ve been interesting and could’ve had their own stories but their lives mostly revolve around the leads. I liked SZ’s brother the most but even he doesn’t get as much to do outside the leads.

This show is just so disappointing. It’s not a horrible show by any means- the beginning was rather nice- but it is so superficial and lacks any depth. I’m rather shocked at the immensely high ratings for a show that has nothing to say or contribute.

I’m really stumped that the rating on MDL is this high, beating out masterpieces such as Nirvana in Fire, the Untamed, etc. Actually even ZLS’s other dramas like Love Like the Galaxy and Who Rules the World are so much better. To put it into perspective, a show with a simple story - such as Reply 1988 - is so brilliant that it could do so much with the time it had. It built multiple storylines with multiple characters and everyone had their own story to tell. HL missed so many of the important elements that makes for good storytelling, so yeah, I am indeed shocked by the ratings.

EDIT:
I forgot to mention how unrealistic it is that by 24, Jiaxu has paid his father's debts and medical bills, etc, owns a really fancy car, gets a house soon after, quits his job to move to SZ's city, all in just 2 years of working. Is he a millionaire or what? Another example of the writer not having had any experience of adult life.

I also completely dislike how this drama pushes the idea of a perfect romance to very young people. SZ is only 19 when she gets into a relationship and I guess she gets married 3 years later? That’s a really terrible idea when an individual’s brain doesn’t fully develop until they’re 25. I wouldn’t have had any problems if these two were actually above 27 (ideally late 20s), but this feels like it’s telling youngsters to find “the one”’ immediately after they become legal adults.

All that said, I’m happy that Chinese dramas are getting some popularity through this show, even though in my opinion this is an average Chinese show and far from the best. However, I guess it has made some people happy and I can appreciate that.

Leggi di Più

I LOVE

When I first started watching this show, I didn't really expect much, but let me tell u I got MAJOR butterflies from it. Most people are pretty annoyed of the FL (Sang Zhi) when she was younger in the beginning, before the time skip to the main story. Which makes sense, bcs she is basically supposed to be a bit spoiled and immature kid, kind of how Jiaxu first saw her as nothing more than something like a little sister. You just have to keep on going for a few episodes if this annoyed you, trust me it's worth it. Once you get to the main story you will be jumping and squealing, at least I did, I know some people look for different things. I really loved seeing Sang Zhi grow and become more mature, as well as seeing Jiaxu's feelings start to change when he realizes Sang Zhi is no longer the little sister he remembered. AHHH it's so cute. I do feel like the plot wasn't as strong, since there really wasn't much other than the romance between the leads. I wish the delved into their dreams or goals more, since it didn't really seem like Sang Zhi had much. She said she did, but that was more of a result of her wanting to be around Jiaxu. I wanted to understand her more as Sang Zhi, not just a girl who liked Jiaxu since she was 14. I know she liked to draw, but I don't fully understand her dreams. I guess Jiaxu kind of did, but not so much Sang Zhi. Another thing I do wish, but it's not too important. I wish there was saucy scenes, but its rated G so we can't have, but that's okay. Nothing too saucy, but kind of like that scene from business proposal hehe jkjk. It is their first relationship so both of them aren't as experienced, so its cute. I guess it is more of a cute innocent feel-good TV show, definitely good to watch when you're feeling down. It is my favorite drama I've seen in a long time since it was totally swoon worthy.

Leggi di Più

Slow burn, simple, charming

This was a no frill romance, yet perfectly executed.
So charming, simple, pure and just transports you into a world of warmth and everlasting love.
Perfect prescription for a rainy day, feel good moment.

The ML and FL are excellent with sizzling chemistry and intimacy is heart fluttering.
The brother is excellent. Never once drops his relationship with the sister.
That little girl who comes in the first few episodes is absolutely cute. There is so much mischief in her eyes and she pulls off the perfect brat scene well.

My only gripe with most c- dramas is the use of the squeaky baby voice....why why why is that so popular when it is irritating to most global viewers?

And the other irritating part are the tiny skirts and shorts that the girls have to wear.
Do the regional local girls actually wear such tiny skirts and shorts that almost reveal their groin areas?
If they do then I guess it's fair for cdramas to portray them otherwise it's sexist and actually turning-off.

Leggi di Più

So happy to watch this drama... Fluffy rom-com with a lot of maturity...

Story about a girl named Sang Zhi (SZ) that falling in love with her brother's friend, Duan Jia Xu (JX). First they know each other when SZ still in junior school. Capture by the handsome & kindness that JX give her, the feeling start growing in SZ heart. After SZ start her university day, their love story begin their journey.

What I like:
+ Zhao Lu Si & Chen Zhe Yuan chemistry quite good. Zhao Lu Si with her usual cute & funny character. & what I really like is how Zhao Lu Si can make we sense the growing/maturity in SZ.
+ How JX really respect SZ. A few times he ask for permission when he want their relationship step further. Like how he ask for holding hands, kissing or even when they finally sleeping together.
+ How mature SZ is. Like how she handle JX's dad problem with the past. Although she sometimes quite childish, she's like a little princess in her home, but she show some maturity in other aspect.
+ How they keep communicating & have openness in their relationship. Like JX just telling SZ about his family problem, even when they just start the relationship, nothing JX feel the need to hide from SZ. So there is no such thing silly misunderstanding.
+ And I kinda happy to see Zeng Li played as SZ's mom, that give her love. It's kinda redemption for how she treated Zhao Lu Si in Love Like Galaxy. Haha...

Overall this really one good rom-com that I think I'll gonna keep re-watching... ^^

Leggi di Più

STRUCK MY HEART!!!

Can this be considered as a drama or whattttt??
It is one of the best drama i have ever seen

The Story - WOW!!
The Cast - WOW!!
The Acting - WOW!!
The Music- WOW!!
THE DRAMA - JUST WOWWWWW!!!!

The Main thing about this drama is that it is light and soothing , it gives a feel. of satisfaction , happiness , etc.
Sang Zhi and Duan Jiaxu have the best chemistry and no words can be used to express that

So Hidden Love is a 10/10 for me for being that perfect light romance drama that makes you blush in and out with the butterflies. it's worth checking out for the fluffy, sugar factor!! Would definitely recommend it!!

Leggi di Più

Not my typa show

Please refrain from reading this comment if you have not completed the series, as it contains major spoilers.

I typically do not find myself compelled to write reviews for dramas; however, the portrayal of the main characters in "Hidden Love" has prompted me to provide a less favourable assessment. My critique pertains solely to the character of "Sang Zhi" and not to the actress "Zhao Lusi", who has exhibited exceptional talent in her other drama works. I just couldn't stand to like how Sang Zhi presented herself in Hidden Love.

Pros
Although I've given such a modest rating, I would like to acknowledge several positive aspects of the series:
1. "Hidden Love" effectively explores and promotes healthy family relationships, particularly in the depiction of Sang Zhi's close bond with her brother. His unwavering support showcases a protective and caring older sibling. For example, he backs up Sang Zhi when she is getting bullied at school, ensures she is well at university, etc.
2. The series handles the age gap between Jiaxu and Sang Zhi with sensitivity and respect, emphasizing that their romantic relationship develops only when Sang Zhi reaches adulthood. There was also a lot of disclaimer throughout the show to emphasize that they are 5 years apart and establish their relationship on a legal and ethical foundation.
3. Sang Zhi's willingness to stand up for Jiaxu - for example, when the antagonist poured water on Jiaxu, she demonstrated her commitment to protecting her man by pouring water back.
4. Sang Zhi handled herself really professionally during her internship, even though her supervisor gave her a hard time.

Cons
1. The primary concern I have with the series centres around Zhao Lusi's portrayal of Sang Zhi as a 17-year-old, which often felt incongruous with the character's age. It almost felt like she was stuck in a 10-year-old's body. For example, there was a scene where she wanted to eat a lollipop and asked her brother's friend to open the wrapper for her - this is what ticked me off. A 17-year-old should reasonably possess the skills to open a lollipop wrapper independently. How are you 17 years old but still need someone to open a lollipop wrapper for you? This inconsistency was particularly vexing, given the more mature portrayal of Sang Zhi at 14 by the younger actress. It raises questions about whether Sang Zhi's affluent upbringing resulted in excessive pampering. Perhaps she came from a rich family so she was babied throughout her life but this still makes absolutely no sense to me. At age 17, she possibly never washed the dishes or her clothes and that's ok but the inability to open a lollipop wrapper appears far-fetched. Another example is the scene where Sang Zhi's brother takes her out to hotpot while her parents are away for a wedding and she is caught playing "fort" at home...

Given that this drama had such high ratings, I really wanted to give this drama a second chance to see what the hype is about. The initial 7 episodes wherein Zhao Lusi portrays Sang Zhi as a 17-year-old were cringe-inducing and prompted me to skip ahead to episode 8, where a 2-year time skip makes her transition to adulthood.

2. Shan Zhi's character demonstrates growth in maturity by the age of 19, making her interactions with the main lead during their early stages of romantic development more enjoyable. However, the relationship takes a downturn once they officially start dating (in ep 17/18). There were several cringeworthy moments I just couldn't stand, such as the moment at the roller skating rink when Sang Zhi felt compelled to notify Jiaxu of her intention to kiss him, which disrupted the flow of the scene. This action appears overly contrived and unrealistic, as spontaneous gestures of affection are typically more natural in romantic relationships. It's also a little bizarre for someone to say "I'm going to kiss you today" - it should usually happen naturally, at the right moment, right? I get that she wanted to respect Jiaxu by giving him a heads up but he already showed affection in the previous episodes that it is safe to assume Shan Zhi can do the same without asking Jiaxu for consent. There were also a lot of weird moments where she was getting flustered for no apparent reason. I mean, c'mon, your mans chilling in full long-sleeve pyjamas at home (and also considering y'all been dating for at least 3 months now)? It's not like he's lounging around shirtless in his boxers on the couch. It just doesn't add up to me.

3. The whole lack of communication in this show is really something else. I mean, in any decent relationship or interaction, good communication is the key to building those deep, meaningful connections, right? But seriously, there were so many times in the series where it felt like Shan Zhi couldn't get her thoughts across to Jiaxu. Let's talk about that KTV scene, for instance, when they randomly bump into each other after two years. There's this whole mix-up with her friend's sweater and some cigarettes falling out, and she tries to explain it to Jiaxu, but he's just not buying it. I mean, come on, at that moment, it felt like she could've laid it out better, like, "Hey, I accidentally grabbed my friend's sweater, and it's an exact copy of the one from KTV, so that's why this whole thing went down." You know, just to clear the air and avoid any misunderstandings. Another example is when they are in Jiaxu's car and Jiaxu asks Shan Zhi if she has any feelings for him and she literally did since the beginning of her childhood, but she replies with "no" because she was shy. I mean, she could've said something flirty like "don't worry about it" with a smirk (?) again, just my opinion. And then, when they were dating, it felt like they never had any real, deep conversations.

While Hidden Love strives to depict an innocent love story, it ultimately falls short due to numerous unrealistic and cringe-inducing moments found during the start of their relationship. As they progress further in their relationship (a year in), that's when I start seeing more improvements and fewer cringe-inducing moments - which is why I think the drama deserves +1 point higher than mid @ 5/10.

I know a lot of ppl gave a much higher rating for this drama so please don't be offended. This is just my opinion.

Leggi di Più

A reader's dream

I have a lot of nice things to say about this drama and one thing I will say is Zhao lusi doesn't disappoint at all. She has grown a lot as an actress. I have watched a lot of series adapted from novels and i dare say this drama was well executed.
(If you love reading c novels like I do, this is like a novel updates fan's dream.) I loved how the drama followed the main storyline without destroying the whole vibe , also the actors were able to make the characters come alive.
Zhao lusi was able to potray tiny details described in the book without making it seem fake. Honestly speaking, the chemistry between the cast was what made this movie so great.
Especially the chemistry between the lead roles was sweet and I hope to see more of our Duan jiaxu in other dramas.

*SPOILERS*
Even though the drama was almost perfect and made me happy, they didn't include some important parts of the story in the drama.
For example we never got to see Sang Yan's HIDDEN GIRLFRIEND and also Jiang YI's APOLOGY to Duan jiaxu and other minor details they forgot which is understandable because it's impossible to follow a storyline to the T.

Leggi di Più

Love! Love! Love!

This is my first time writing a review!! OH MY GODDD???❤️ This drama have my whole heart. The best CDRAMA I've watched till date!! If anybody are willing to watch it, just go for it without any second thought. You will never regret watching this.
Actually I became fan of CHEN ZHEYUAN after watching Our Secret. His Screen Presence and Acting are just amazing. ? Andddd, after watching this... He took my whole heart away with him ? How handsome that guy is!! ??
The Chemistry between lead pairs is too beautiful to watch ? The best lead pair as far. You will never ever get bored by them at any point.
The story is well engaging... Everything is taken perfectly!!❣️
I don't have any favourite female lead till now... But from now, ZHOU LUSI will be the one ???
Why only 25 episodes for such a beautiful story!!! I really miss them already ?
The ML and FL charecters were too good!! Not including any spoilers... People who have not watched it yet, Go for it!!

Leggi di Più

STORYLINE VERY GOOD , VERY RECOMMENDED.

Sang Zhi falls in love with Duan Jia Xu, a boy who often comes to her house to play games in his 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 with each other for some reason. After he graduated, he joined the university in the city where he was, and during their intimate and close daily interactions, they slowly fell in love.

Really support this drama chinese , the story line is never boring watching in every episode ❤️❤️ This the first drama me very recommended for you all.The chemistry between actors chen zhe yuan & zhao lu si is very good.

Leggi di Più