Acting/Cast- The cast of this drama is relatively new, so I've not seen any of them before. However, each one of them left a remarkable mark on my memory. As a fan of the book, I admit I fantasized the leads to be more good looking as per the description of the characters. I was also disappointed with the cast before watching the drama, but boy did they change my perception. Both main actors were very good at their parts, played with such subtle chemistry and understanding and I totally bought their version of Luo Zhi and Sheng Huainan. Special mention to the guy who played Zheng Mingrui. He was so amazing at his role that I really felt for his character. Soo good. All other actors pretty much played their part really well.
Music- LOVED the music of this drama. Both the beginning and ending theme was amazing, especially the end song was really cute and captured the essence of youth so well.
Re-watch value- Definately gonna watch this drama again.
Overall- I might be biased because i already read the book few years ago but this drama is worth the shot and i hope more people watch it.
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I will try not to spoil the drama but if you have read the novel, it follows quite closely :-)
Story
I read the novel, and was really hyped when i heard that it finally got picked up into a drama. But if you haven’t read the novel, don’t worry, it’s something refreshing and heartwarming to watch (of course with a little twists and turns along the way). Characters are really well-developed. No overly clingy characters here like most dramas, side characters play a major part of the story too!! Towards the ending, I felt like it was really rushed? But nonetheless, i enjoyed the drama overall:)
Acting/Cast
The female lead’s acting really caught my attention. This is her first main role she has, and she pulled it off super well, her emotions she showed amazed me.
The other actors are amazing as well, although some of them are first-timers, they pulled it off smoothly!!
10/10
Music
not much to say here but it isn’t overplayed like in most dramas and quite soothing too
Rewatch Value
If I ever need a drama to rewatch, I can see myself coming back to watch it. (That’s how the good the drama is）
Overall
One of the best dramas i’ve watched in awhile :) Give it a try!!
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If you know the meaning of unrequited love, there's no much explanation needed. The whole drama revolves around the title itself. Every character had their fair share of their own unrequited love.
What makes the drama beautiful is the exposition of that abstract feeling because they made you feel it too. Watching it was a roller coaster of emotions. I felt the pain, the heartbreaks, the longing, the sadness, the happiness and of course the love. The drama was capable of portraying feelings not only to themselves but also to the the audience/watchers. Seeing the first few episodes made me bored, there were so many characters and so many side stories, but as I get through I felt one with the story.
After seeing so many dramas, this is by far the most touching drama I've watched. I love the female lead, it was so painful seeing the flashbacks and the efforts. Her character was nicely written, not your usually clingy and annoying leads. Not the one who's world crumbles for the guy. I didn't like the male lead at first but overtime I also fell in love with him, well everyone falls for him. The character and the friendship development grew within me. There were lovely characters and frustrating exes at the same time.
If you're looking for a fluffy romcom, this may or may not be for you. It is a feel good drama. About youth. Love and friendships specifically.
I believe we all encountered unrequited love. As an audience, I also had a fair share of my story. Maybe I was bias because I used to be in the same shoes, but I guarantee you it will give you realizations. Someone is always in an unrequited love, it could be you or to you.
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The story was about a girl that has been secretly in love with a boy that's like boy wonder to her. He's smart, handsome, the whole package and she's smart, quiet and pretty and they are just a good combo. She's really strong, not ditzy in anyway, she holds her own and I love that about her, WE LOVE A STRONG FEMALE LEAD. Lol. But this is the nostalgic part for me that I can relate to so much that I instantly could not help myself from tearing up a little bit is that feeling of having your first crush/first love that has no idea who you are. Like I think everyone has had that ONCE in their life where this person has no idea you even exist but you admire them from so far because they're the next best thing to sliced bread, I kid you not dudeee. That feeling just hit me, made me laugh, cry and reminiscence on that time where I was just young, dumb and carefree. Like "what is love?" ya know what I mean, but that's what I love about this show because it takes the chances of being a nobody, to a somebody, going through ups and downs like your average relationship and just...living. Man, what a feeling. Lol.
I loved the acting. I definitely get what everyone is saying though because the ML played, I wouldn't say a jerk but he was naive and young. Lol. He was a clueless boy that really was just a boy in my opinion and what I mean from that is he doesn't think of this love and just doesn't think too deep. He's smart and living his life and just living brightly. I LOVE THE FEMALE LEAD. SHE PLAYED SO WELL AT THIS CHARACTER. NOT A PANSY BUT NOT TOO BAD, SHE WAS SO FITTINGGGGG. I also liked the friends, I hated the secondary characters, the acting was just fitting for this kind of storyline.
The music is cool, I didn't mind it.
When I'm feeling blue and down or I just need a stretch, I think this is definitely a rewatch. I think this is honestly just an extremely good show. I dig it. 10/10. For sure.
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This review may contain spoilers
Story: It is unrequited love for a reason, there’s a few side stories of characters who had unrequited love. For the main couple, the heroine’s love for the main lead wasn’t returned for a few years. He didn’t even notice she existed even though he talked to her once. But he liked her without knowing what she looked like. A bit confusing? Well, there was some catfishing involved. Then there’s a few side stories. There were characters whose love were unrequited at first but had happy endings, or were returned but ended in heartbreaks and some whose love wasn’t returned at all. But rest assured, the main couple had a happy ending. It’s also a story about fates and destinies. How no matter how people and circumstances will try to tear you apart, eventually love will find and bind you.
Characters/Acting: I love the heroine. Firstly, she looks like a real person, not airbrushed. Someone normal
people can relate to. It was also refreshing to see a heroine who did chase the main lead first but she’s not weak and a pushover. Quite the contrary, she was strong minded, blunt at times and was never desperate for the main lead’s love. She did have to wait for him to notice her but knew when it was time to catch his attention. I also liked it that the main lead started out as this good-looking, popular and a bit well-off guy but due to his family’s circumstances, he fell from grace. But he was still the nice guy that the heroine liked. I also enjoyed the side stories and other couples. They were there to show the varying types and stages of unrequited love. Good acting too. The actress who played the heroine was quite convincing. It made me teary-eyed watching her in the 1st few episodes when she was wallowing in misery.
Music: There’s a couple of songs I liked
Will I watch it again? Definitely.
Overall: A believable story with relateable characters. Quite good actually. If you’re after dramas which has good story line and looks real visually, you’ll enjoy this.
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I must say this is a very heartwarming drama. I’m a sucker for romantic dramas and this one did not disappoint. I love how the girl was not chasing after the guy. I love how she was looking after him without the guy knowing. And how the guy eventually fell in love with her after. And how the guy worried that the girl will realize he was not that perfect.
I felt like I was cheering after the girl. There were scenes where I was kind of annoyed with her because she just wouldn’t listen sometimes. There were misunderstandings that would have been resolved right away had she only listened. But that’s what makes it relatable. Sometimes we just really don’t listen. But I know it was also because she was not confident about herself. And we all feel that, too.
This drama made me really happy. I must admit the first couple episodes were a bit boring and I almost dropped this, but I am glad I didn’t!
It gave me a different view about unrequited love. I, myself had my own experience with unrequited love. And it made me realize that love will not come to you because you worked hard for it, but because it was meant for you.
I would recommend this to anyone suffering from unrequited love, or if you are just wanting to watch something that is heartwarming. :)
Have fun! :)
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I'm not saying that the drama is bad, it starts very well and has one of the best female leads I've ever seen, a type of female lead that i don't remember seeing in any k drama. She is not too sentimental or too cold, she is not boring but she’s not that cool or funny. She is a normal girl with a crush on a boy. But that doesn’t make her change her personality around him or do anything to please him. I really loved that about her and to be honest, I just continued this drama because of her. But Luo Zhi was not the only interesting character in Unrequited love.
Zhang Mingrui, Sheng Huainan best friend, and Jiang Baili, Luo Zhi friend and only roommate, were also characters that I liked a lot and enjoyed to watch their scenes (sometimes more than the main couple).
Now, about the main couple, i have to say that i don't like Sheng Huainan and i don't even understand why Luo Zhi was in love with him for so many years. When i’m watching some drama that has a male lead that is very famous among girls, i usually understand why he is so famous (like Xiao Nai in Love O2O), but with Sheng Huainan i really didn't understand, to be honest in certain moments i even hoped that Luo Zhi would get over him and find some new guy that doesn’t stop talking to her or start ignoring her without telling her why like a little kid, but obviously I knew that wasn't going to happen.
At the end of the drama i was completely done with the main couple and only finished because i wanted to know the end of the secondary characters.
That’s it, in the end, Unrequited love was not so different from the other c dramas for me. But i don't want this to sound like i hated everything, i actually really enjoyed the beginning as i said before.
I also want to say that china is doing a remake of this story and i don’t f****** know why because this version is from last year so??? but ok
Also sorry if my review is bad, i just type what i’m thinking plus i’m not a english speaker. See you.
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Lonely enduring crush. Precious and painful. A bud that took a decade to bloom
Not your average story. Not your average female lead. Luo zi is a special character, you can say very intelligent and very silly. Both admirable and sad.Luo zi is a loner, who is indifferent to people around her and do not form attachment to people except her mom and cousin. Shes also proud and does not want pity. Holding on stubbornly to her crush, her like and eventually a love that she couldnt control. In her words, like being led on by the nose. In highschool she silently likes Sheng Huai Nan, watching his back figure, 7 steps behind. But he never sees her or notices her. Working hard to stand beside him, never materialise as fate wasnt by her side.
Years past meeting him again, the feelings hadnt gone away. The diary writing restarts, documenting her every moment, experience and feeling when she sees him. This time having interacted with her, Sheng Huai Nan found this girl peculiar and interesting and engaging. One whose brain and wit are both equally sharp. But he didnt understand why theres a wield anger and sometimes blatant ignorance towards him. Shes someone he couldnt see through, yet wanted to get close to understand. But when they got closer, his ex reappears to frame and smear her. The one who interupted their fate before has come once again to intervene.
Plotwise I would stop commenting and leave it for you to watch. I scored this high because of all the feelings it invoke, because Luozi is so relatable, because i believe love especially unrequited is both beautiful and painful. And its truly captured in this drama. Their dialogues are often intelligent, thought provoking and memorable. It is not your average sweet college love. Theres the frustration and real anger. Theres the confusion and uncertainty. Theres the pride and the fear. I also enjoy how multi dimensional both ML and FL are. Narcissism and sarcasm.
I watched this lastyear and recently rewatch after reading the novel. I urge you to watch. Both actors were unknown to me but they bring the characthers to life. Dont expect perfection, flawed characters and almost melancholy touch. Word of warning: It may illicit a lot of feelings and personal memories.
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Be the Main Lead of Your Own Story
I came out of the drama having so much on my mind and to say. Now that I'm typing, I don't know where to start and I probably won't say much. So, where do I start with this drama? It was a pleasant watch that took me by surprise. The coloring of the drama matched the mood of it so well. This drama has a more mellow love story, which you'll find me using the term a lot to describe this drama. It was mellow but in a good way.What I disliked about the drama was the idea of a love that was still so strong after 10 years. Would that still be considered love anymore? Because it was just a crush that seemed like a missed opportunity that felt like an obsession in a way. Another dislike I had was seeing all these failed love aside from the main love story. Why does the author/writer have to depict love like it's sad and hopeless? I understand that they were trying to paint a picture that love isn't always beautiful and pretty. You can be stuck in a relationship where you don't love the person but try to make it work. You might fall in love unexpectedly with someone else who doesn't love you. You might hold onto your first love hoping that they would choose you; however, love isn't always like that. With watching all these failed relationships, it felt kind of draining for a moment. There were quite a few loopholes that weren't really made clear with the supporting characters and the whole family backstory.
What I loved about this drama was how mature the characters were and how they went about experiencing love. Obviously, the characters are not love experts, but we can tell that they try so hard to make it work. When it doesn't work, they eventually know when to pull back, and we, as viewers, don't get stuck in a tiring loop watching them run around like headless chickens just for the drama to have drama. The drama's writing fell a bit flat towards the last few episodes, but I think it wrapped it up nicely for all of the characters.
STORY
The story is about a girl who silently loves the main guy. They went to the same high school together and now they're attending the same college. One day she is given a chance to talk to him. From that moment on, they start to establish their relationship and find out about their intertwined past. It's nothing new and special but it's the way that the writers and director unfolded the story to us that made it more unique. Most of it was told through Luo Zhi's perspective and it made it so easy for us to empathize with her.
CAST/CHARACTERS
These are all new actors and actresses to me. I was highly impressed with the actress who played Luo Zhi. Her expressions were so on point to me. I'm sad that she does not have many main roles under her belt. I would love to see more of her in the future. The main lead was kind of "meh" to me the whole time. His thought process on how he deals with things was not main lead material to me. I enjoyed the actor and actress who played Baili and Ming Rui so much. They are definitely on my to-watch list now!
MUSIC
The piano soundtrack in here is so beautiful and so beautifully intertwined into the scenes. It can be played in sad scenes and make you feel sad with the characters. Then the same song would be played in a different setting and create a different mood. The mood becomes soft and mellow. The scene then becomes a moment where it slows down like it should be engraved in your mind. I don't know if that makes sense, but that's the best way I can describe it.
RE-WATCH VALUE
I don't think I would re-watch this, but it indeed was a good one time watch. However, I might watch the other version with Hu Yi Tian or spinoffs. I think if they can capture the same feelings for me, I wouldn't mind. I don't know how I feel about longer episodes and more episodes though. The 30-minute length and 24 episodes felt like a perfect length for me. I feel like if it's any longer, it would just drag out, and I hate dramas that drag.
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I was initially concerned that it would be too sad/unbearable to watch given the title, but I was laughing so hard within the first couple episodes. This drama is set in college and explores not only unrequited love but missed opportunity, timing, regret, and second chances - but it's much more about the present and the future than being wrapped up in the past. It doesn't focus only on the main character's relationship and there are many storylines centering around other characters. There's a serious, reflective feeling to this drama that emanates from the main female character's maturity and self-awareness. I loved Luo Zhi so much - I'm not saying she's a perfect person (who's not flawed?) but I found her so relatable and admirable - and I loved her relationship with Sheng Huai Nan.
For me, I really like a strong cast of supporting characters and friendship is one of my favorite themes. I loved Luo Zhi's relationship with her roommate Bai Li, and Sheng Huai Nan's group of close friends, Zhang Min Rui. Although I didn't love every single storyline (Shui Jing's was my least favorite), I appreciate how it conveyed the complexity of feelings and relationships, and how things aren't black and white.
The episodes are about 30 minutes, which made it so easy for me to keep hitting 'next episode'. At 24 episodes of this length, I think it could have actually used a few more episodes to develop the final storylines more. But like I said, I loved this drama, would rewatch it (rare for me), and I think I'll look for the novel!
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