Reviews

the start of the story is all over the place that I can't figure out, its messy and refreshing. It has its dull moments where I had to skipped the scene to get to the interesting part in short it has no consistency. I had the urge of dropping it but you know what made me stay? my CURIOSITY!! I think the drama starts at ep11 then the peak of the story is at ep 14 (my favorite ep.) The last 3 eps leaves a great impact to me, it was beautiful, w/ that it manage to save the imperfection of this drama that's why I rate it 8. It definitely didn't waste my time.

there's something I like about the characters their bluntness and honesty. The romance is not a sweet candy neither cheesy but it definitely felt like real its more mature :) the title says it all^^

cast:
no doubt! w/ JIS and GHJ team up its just AMAZING!! plus the supporting role ~kyaaaa!! our squishy kyung soo, jang! and you better look forward to kwang soo'S love story!~ kekekek

music;
omggg!!!! kekeke.. I love it! thumb up! its chill and cozy! special mention to chen-chen! *cough* I'm an exo-L

rewatch;
I have no plans to rewatch it again since my curiosity had been answered.

I'll recommend it if you want something new, mature romance, if you're into or you want to try a psychological type drama. My advice? don't read spoilers, best thing to do is to keep yourself from reading comments!! lol

overall this drama will give you 3 options:
a. best drama ever
b. boringness to the point of dropping it.
c. curiosity and appreciating it at the end

well I'm letter C. what group do you belong to? if you happen to watch this drama I'll be glad to know your answer! :) for now ~goooooood night to me!!! n_n

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Must-watch summer drama with a unique storyline, oozing with sweetness and filled with emotions

If you are looking for a cute, sweet, and funny romance drama with great acting, this is a must-watch!
(scroll to the bottom for the drama filming incident backstory)

Hidden Love is my favourite school & life romance drama this year, with a familiar type of storyline plus a slightly different twist from the usual. The story revolves around the main characters and how they grow individually to eventually become people suitable and good for each other.

The first thing I loved about this drama was how it did away with the usual sad-life female lead and a rich-with-everything male lead. This drama kind of flipped the roles around but both characters remained on equal grounds and treated each other with respect, with both of them equal grounds throughout.

Next, character growth was great in this drama. I absolutely appreciated how they portrayed Sang Zhi, from when she was young till she grew into a fully grown adult. If filmed badly, it could easily be sending the wrong message about childhood crushes and having underage relationships. However, the Hidden Love crew did fantastic by showing how Sang Zhi saw Jia Xu as a really nice brother and wished for him to be her brother instead, resolving any possible mislead. Same for how Jia Xu was portrayed, as they showed how he only treated her as a young kid until she was in university to prevent misleads. Props to the crew!

Lastly, the actors were amazing. Every sweet scene had me screaming, and every tearful scene made me sacrifice tissues. The actors made the scenes believable, and I could feel the happiness and sadness along with them through the screen. It was so heartening to see how all characters played their role seriously, working together to make the scenes relatable, no matter funny or emotionally heavy.

This summer, Hidden Love brought me lots of happiness and laughter in a short span of less than 3 weeks. As mentioned, there were tears involved as well, but it was all worth it. Although this might seem like a pure romance drama, I deeply appreciate the realistic parts of the drama to balance everything out. Jia Xu's character taught us how hard work can change things, even when your whole world looks like it's collapsing, and days will get better eventually. Sang Zhi showed us how we have to grow and mature as we age, to become our better selves, so that we can care for the people around us who matter.

Bonus; the OSTs were all so good, one of my favourite drama OST list by far.

Just to share, the original director of Hidden Love actually left the crew before shortly before filming started, and the drama faced problems with casting and wardrobe - they only had outfits to last for 2 days.
Lu Si (female lead), invited actors she knew (previous drama partners & friends) to take up the characters appropriately. Also, she went around looking for brands to sponsor outfits for the other characters and helped with their wardrobe styling as well. Lastly, Lu Si even personally designed Sang Zhi's character further by choosing accessories and props that fit the character well. Without all these efforts, the drama could have been unable to push through.

10/10 for the actors' efforts in scenes, 10/10 for OSTs, and 10/10 in my heart, there was nothing in the plot I wanted to deduct points for, so Hidden Love is 10/10 in all!

See you next time, peach

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I read the book a few months ago. I absolutely loved it. I enjoyed the drama, too, but the reason I felt that I could not rate it above an 8.5 is because I was left scratching my head as to why they changed some of what they did to the story.

First off, let's talk about Er Lang. In the book, he was pretty badass. Like, could turn into a dragon badass. Was manly and herouc. I adore Chris Wu, but why in the world did they opt to make the character into such a low level weakling? I was greatly disappointed in that. Even if the special effects of making him turn into dragon would have been too expensive, couldn't they have made him still be a strong, competant male lead? What is up with the wuss factor?

Second, I have no clue why they opted to have all the supernatural elements be known to the mortal characters. Like, Li Lan and Er Lang just tell everyone and are totally believed, not questioned and no one thinks they are crazy at all. I also can't understand why they made Li Lan's father a victim when that never happened in the book. I can get why they cut out him being an opium addict, but why make him go to the netherworld? In the book, it just her.

Next up, the main villian from the book is turned into a woman and turned into a very minor character. The main villian is turned into Tian Ching. In the book, he is an idiot and a pawn, though I must admit that he is written much more interesting here. I also hope to see more of the actor.

Then there is Isobel. In the book, she is not even a character, really. She is just someone Tian Bai had feelings for in Hong Kong. Here, they made her a jealous second female lead and a villian. In the book, she is hardly mentioned it all.

The last thing I am disappointed in is the absence of an imortant character, a villian female ghost and a huge part of the plotline at the end. It really made the story much more interesting and without her in the drama at all, it felt like a huge chunk was missing in the plot.

Despite my complaints, however, I did enjoy the drama overall. If you haven't read the book, none of these is likely to concern you or affect your opinion of the drama. The acting was top notch, the story solid (though made very formulatic and predicible, imo) and the visuals are awesome. Very creepy, with the music was hauting and chilling. I do reccommend it highly, despite my qualms with it. Perhaps if they had a bigger budget and could have added more episodes, the story could have remained more faithful to the original work.

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I wish I can rate 11 or higher ?

If you have experienced romantic crash to older guy in your school days, you can relate to FL in this drama. The emotion and feeling of FL are so well described and performed by Lusi. And the chemistry between ML and FL were phenomenal and they made this drama much more fun and meaningful. At the same time, screenwriter, director, all of supporting performers and staff are amazing to complete this perfect love story. Especial actor who played older brother of FL, he was amazing.

Without any doubt, this drama will attract many viewers around the world. It is rated as TV-G in USA Netflix, so young adults can also enjoy it.

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"In the end, we arrive at the beginning." – Birdy

At first, I was a little worried about the direction the drama was going to take, when I noticed some different things about the webtoon. But everything went well and went much further. I believe that what made a big difference in quality was the impeccable casting, it couldn't be bad with this strong cast.

I found it interesting that they included a character from the webtoon in his 12th life, it was very significant and helped connect the story. I felt that there could have been a little more development in the relationship between the police officer and his partner's family, like in the webtoon. These are the things that made me take half a star (which isn't much).

The title of this review is an lyric from a song called "Celestial Dancers" by Birdy and I think it really fits with the story of this drama. In the end, we really arrive at the beginning.

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I usually don't watch dramas that have anything to do with historical stuff simply because I tend to find them really boring, but for this drama it's a different story. I loved the fact that they go in the the future and that's when things start getting really funny, and I mean REALLY FUNNY! The romance between the two main characters was really touching and I could feel the bond between them.
I'm guilty of always predicting whats going to happen next and ruin it for myself but this drama was unpredictable, there was twists and turns that I really enjoyed.

WARNING I'M TELLING YOU THIS DRAMA WILL MAKE YOU LAUGH A LOT! :)

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A very well crafted drama

“People are happiest when they can truly be themselves. In the end, life would be meaningless if you can never really be yourself.”

Ultimately, life would lack meaning if authenticity is denied. This sentiment encapsulates the essence of the drama's journey. The latter half delves into Choi Yi Jae's remaining life, leading to a climactic resolution that leaves us questioning whether he will attain the happiness Ji Su had wished for. The effectiveness of the second half lies in its exploration of the core characters, particularly Yi Jae and Tae Woo. The plot's pacing is adeptly executed, seamlessly alternating between acceleration and deceleration as required. The final two episodes left a profound impact on me, sparking contemplation on various themes. The entire cast and crew deserve commendation for their outstanding performances and meticulous execution.

Credit is due to the casting team for selecting the right actors and the entire crew for carrying the drama with precision. This is undoubtedly a must-watch, and I assure you that you won't regret investing your time in it.

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Everything was perfect until E08 after that......

For me Little Women was just a decent Watchable drama. Everything look so interesting and gripping in the start, too many Mysteries with a very good story telling, plot twists, and more. But all are for nothing actually from E09. Slowness is ok. Because i already knew this probably a slow poison in the start but i was completely wrong to be honest. Because after E08 everything is predictable or i predicted almost everything.

So for me, i lost all the excitement. E08 ending was lit. But it all spoiled in the starting of E09. Politics is also unbearable. Too many unwanted story complications for nothing actually. If you think there will be a grand twist coming after all this, then don't fool yourself. Nothing was there. Actually if you can easily predict everything...

I thought this would be a good mystery serial murders kind of a story telling and unfold a large mystery with an unbelievable twist or something like this. But if you just look back after all 12 episodes you will probably get what i mean infact there was nothing but too many complication ?

Stunning cast and performance. And some characterisation, oh sister's are brilliant, even a simple detailing of their behaviour is superbly narrated. But it doesn't support the story.

Overall it's not a bad drama or must watch drama, it was a simple and decent drama to watch. Too many dragging after E08. Some point i thought even for just a 12 episodes they took so many time to conclude that story and what happen if they took 16.. ?

It's only my personal view.

#N45Views

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This show couldn't match the japanese charm and acting

Again a dispointing GMM-TV commercial with some BL show inbetween.
No elegance in the characters, all is very smooth and plain.
Reading some of the reviews, it looks like people do like shallow shows with outstanding production value.

Why we did need a third couple, I have no idea, but when u write superficial scripts, you need to fill the time with something. I also don't like BL actors playing hetero in a BL even when he and his "girl" were the best characters of all, which is sad for a BL, "Jinta" was stupidly over-acted because it's a thai "comedy" and the rest of them did not leave a mark.

Some fluffy scenes don't make a good BL, This show is highly overrated, but you could have watched a worse show. Still, I would recommand to watch the japanese version and you won't miss anything if you skipped the thai version.

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So healthy. Kim Bok Joo is one damn healthy drama. I couldn't find more appropriate way to describe it with one word. Drama that will sweep you off your feet with its engaging story, lovely characters, interesting humor, beautiful scenery, wonderful music and amazing writing. I'm not usually good at writing about romantic comedies as I'm not some vivid fan of them but let me tell you that this kind of romantic comedy wasn't seen until now. It really wasn't. On the first look it may seem like a typical Korean drama full of cliches and repetitive plot but as soon as you dive a bit deeper you'll see it's so far from that. I think this is actually the most untypical typical drama that has all kind of cliches packed so great that in the end all those cliches simply disappear and you're left with something different, a breath of fresh air that crawls under your skin and steals your hear for a lifetime.

Being a sport theme drama, it could be a turn off for some of you. But don't let that affect you, just skip that and watch it because sport is there just a setting for real plot. Okay, you have sport university and some competitions in swimming and weightlifting but it really doesn't get boring or concentrate on that. The main focus is on one girl and life around her, her family, friends and love life. How she with help of all those people gets to become confident, mature brave young woman who strives for the best and with hard work make her dreams come true.We follow her journey through all that, her first crush, her first pain, her tears, sweat and fail, her smile, happiness and excitement, her confusion and realization what is actually love and whom she really loves and finally her will to accept herself fully and be the best in weightlifting.
I enjoyed in watching all her journey, in all the details this drama gave me in past two months- Kim Bok Joo with her friends who are best friends one could have- three of them are indeed an epitome of AWESOMENESS, their firm friendship full of trust, care, adventures and funny moments; Kim Bok Joo with her family, her dad and uncle were highlight of this drama and I truly loved watching them love each other that much, one of the best family relationships shown in dramaland; Bok Joo wih her coaches, those two people who helped her and were beside her all the way, who encouraged her and were there in both celebrating and bittersweet times; and finally Bok Joo with Joon Hyeong.
I dare to say that this couple, these two amazing living creatures are one the best characters written out there, couple that really became a synonym of trust, respect, love and untypical uniqueness. I loved them separated and I loved them together, I think both are truly good people who, like any of us have their own insecurities and fears, and who simply wish the best for their loved ones. They really care for their family and friends and they really try and work so hard to become good, better and the best at what they're doing. In the end they left me with feelings of full admiration and love for them. Their relationship is one of the healthiest I've seen, if not THE healthiest. Filled with humor, funny moments, teasing, bickering, great chemistry, with such natural and easiness, trust and without any stupid misunderstanding, whenever you think "oh now they're gonna mess it up like in every other drama", they surprise you with simple and normal way of dealing with all the problems, writing is just too good. And that is the best part of this drama, original, refreshing, atypical, great writing.

The actors are great too, each of them fitted the role perfectly and each of them tried to give a good performance. I really liked them all with some of them who stole my heart in a second -Nam Joo Hyuk, Lee Sung Kyung and Lee Joo Young as Sun Ok, those three somehow stood out the most. The leads were indeed great, actors did a wonderful job in portraying all right emotions when they should and actually they kinda surprised me which is good, I'll be looking forward seeing their work more and more, definitely won me here. But I guess everyone in this drama won me over, that's how much I loved it. ;)

Plus with some positive vibes and melodies, and some great outdoor shots, beautiful sceneries, I think this drama has it all. And it really deserves to be praised.
Where you have friendship that is so raw, real and pure, where you have family bond where nothing could destroy it and where you do all that you can for your beloved creature, where you have a guy who is probably the most untypical male lead in dramaland and who is literally the best guy you could ever meet and when that same guy loves you in such a normal, natural, feel good way, where you have a team that actually cheer for you without any backstabbing, when you have all that plus your own strength and will, I think you have the whole world under your feet. This is the message that Kim Bok Joo left me, simple yet heartwarming lesson- that all the people are ordinary people and that we all with the power that comes from our hearts and from the hearts of our loved ones, we can become extraordinary. Just believe in yourself, never give up and SWAG.

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Yuck ? It Sucks!

Everything abt it sucks!
ML - a ruthless general (ruthless! really?). He is worse than a cry baby.
His facial expressions are so baby like! How was he given the role of Ruthless general?
FL - Annoying presumptious girl. She was apparently abandoned by parents and raised by cruel Grandmother & Aunt who did not teach her anything but then suddenly she knows everything from Politics, Military Strategies, Fighting, Healing and you name it!
And Every Male (2nd 3rd ...) Character falls in love with her except those elders and her siblings.
Fckng Annoying.
Just Don't waste your time like i did!
I don't know how it got 9.0 rating.
Or You can just watch some 10-15 episodes, You'll get an idea ?

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Plot holes

Before I start - let me say that Zhao Lusi and Leo Wu make an awesome pair and I definitely will look forward to their future collaborative ventures.

The drama overall was poorly edited, had inconsistencies, and lacked logic. The cinematography/Direction was awesome. Now for the rant -

The king greatly favored the ML character (Ling Buiyi) and treated him as his son. Had Ling Buiyi informed the King about his real identity and the person who killed his family and clan, there is no way the king would not have supported him in his quest for revenge. Moreover, Liang Buiyi himself revealed to the King in the last episode that he had so much power that he could easily usurp the Crown Prince. Why did Ling Buiyi decide to avenge without informing anyone and choose to abandon his relationship with FL (Shaoshang/Niao Niao)? This in itself was the biggest plot hole in the drama.

The main characters had very good chemistry, but this was not properly explored in the drama. I thought Shaoshang forgiving Ling Buiyi was rushed and almost emotionally forced - she was too upset over the fact that he did not survive the fire. There was angst in their separation, but I felt that Ling Buiyi did not make any attempt to regain her trust. This meant that even though he was dishonest in their relationship, he was still forgiven without any effort on his part to forge and build trust.

Too much screen time was given to the actress playing Empress Xan - the scene where she requests the king to depose her, and her death scene was exhausting to watch - the scenes should have been cut short to less than 5 minutes instead of almost 30 minutes of airtime.

Ling Buiyi literally falls from the cliff edge and STILL survives and lives to see another day. How? Magical wings...I mean strings?? A pregnant woman (He Zhao Jun) in labor falls almost 10 feet below - no harm to either her or the baby. It felt like I was watching an old irrational movie.

The story dragged in part 2 - Unnecessary plots such as Lou Ben's crime and subsequent death and the last episode where Shaoshang saves the Guo village - she would not have survived had her family not come to save her. By the way, how did they know that she needed help??

Why they had to show that Shao Shang gives up her family/friends for 5 years and lives a secluded life with the ex-Empress? Her character was that of a strong woman who never backs off from a challenge that life throws at her. I hated to see her mellowed and lifeless. To top it off, wasn't 5 years of separation way too long?

Throughout the drama, Shao Shang's character is that of a smart, intelligent woman but after 5 years of living a lonely life, she loses all her senses and brain cells - she travels with Luo Jitong and Lady Lou on 2 separate occasions even though she knew that one lied about her relationship with Ling Buiyi and the other bullied her in the past.

Last episode - I would have preferred if the drama had ended at episode 51. However, in order that Shao Shang forgives Buyi, there were unnecessary last-moment illogical tracks. Not to mention, the main characters gazing at the stars and gushing long boring dialogues made the last couple of minutes a drag. There was no display of passion when they meet again after 5 years of separation.

On the acting front, they could have got some good actor playing the role of Lou Yao (the actor looked like a kid who is obsessed with his teacher), the Actor playing Crown Prince Yuan - whether it was the actor or the character, he was irritating to watch - no personality at all - maybe it was intentional, but I did not like both the actors and hence skipped through their scenes. Many did not like the character Yuan Shen as he was the third wheel - I thought the actor played his role well. I read some comments on the ML having a blank expression throughout - I agree he does carry deadpan expressions in a few scenes, but I believe he made up for the shortfall with his body language. Kudos...for such a young lad, he sure has a bright future and time for improvement.

I would have normally given an overall rating of 5 or less. The only reason I scored it 6 was because of the main leads.

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Don't Expect Too Much From This Cute Fantasy Romcom

Story
- Story is ok. It's cute, it's fluffy, it's lighthearted. It could have been a stronger story.
- The ending was a cop out

Acting
- Shen Yue hasn't really improved .. I thought she would have really good chemistry with Chen Zheyuan but the more I watch the more I feel like she doesn't know how to show nuances in emotions.
- Her chemistry with Chen Zheyuan feels like that of friends rather than lovers..
- Chen Zheyuan is good. He's a good actor. I have no doubt about his acting.
- Second leads have zero chemistry. They were not convincing at all.
- Dong Xuan the mom is good. Rest of the supporting cast is not convincing

Music
- Have nothing much to say about it. The themesong is cute but wouldn't play it over and over again.

Rewatch Value
- Not really gonna rewatch it

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This review will be very subjective...
in short, I did not like it at all. Sure, it's realistic, but it's just not it.
I felt its useless and a waste of time. I did not like the plot, and I was anticipating much more than what I got... it definitely was not satisfying...
Could've been better... it had much more potential.. I wish the story was written differently.
now im writing more because it wont let me submit my review unless its 500 characters.
lol
I already wrote what I wanted to say...
And to the previous review that said its a waste of good actors, I 1000000000000% agree.

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