Perfectly Sweet, and perfectly performed
This was the second Zhao Lu Si drama I've watched. The first I had enjoyed, Dating in the Kitchen, but this one I simply LOVED. It definitely didn't hurt that, to quote Zoolander, she is a really, really, really ridiculously good-looking (especially her stunning smile), but what what stunned me in this Drama was her acting. She was so very, very good at her job, which was to make it look like she wasn't acting. She nailed it.Another major reason why I gave this 10 was because there was none of the toxic misogyny of recent contemporary and youth C Dramas. No ice cold tsundere ML who knows everything and is freakishly good at everything and bullies or gaslights (or both), the FL into worshipping him. The dialogue given to both leads was refreshingly real, and Chen Zhe Yuan's Jia Xu was a likeable lead. His character got better and better as the Drama went on, leading up to oh so sweet ending, and Chen delivered a fine performance. Zhao's Sang Zhi got the best lines though, her sweet but firm self-conviction was great to see and the exchange with the very troubled Jiang Ying was outstandnig.
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Hidden love review
I honestly loved this show so much, in just 25 episodes this show managed to become my favorite show of all time. Before watching it I thought the description sounded cute and it was new so I decided to give it a go. It was quite tiresome waiting for all the episodes to come out on Netflix but every week I waited and it was so worth it because the storyline was cute, the acting was amazing, and the chemistry between Zhao Lusi and Chen Zheyuan was blooming. It was so amazing and the casting was perfect. I can’t think of any flaws this show had.Was this review helpful to you?
Sweet, adorable and funny moments
Another excellent series of Zhao Lusi. This series is very sweet, heart warming, adorable and endearing. A childhood crush come true is, I guess, many people's dream. All the casts in this series really did a great job on the series. I love every single one of them. The male and female lead of course is also extremely excellent - also working together as a couple. The innocence and shyness of both of them is very cute to watch at many scenes, though the overthinking on the female lead's part does hit home alot in reality. I bet many of us also thinks like her in certain scenarios of life. Really reflect alot on real life scenarios etc. The songs paired for this series is also beautiful.Was this review helpful to you?
A Pure, True Romance in it's finest form.
Hidden Love is a Romance that actually seems to know it's a Romance. This is much rarer than you may think, and one only needs to look at it's contemporaries to understand why. Where Hidden Love excels is in it's simplicity: from the beginning of the story it's obvious that the couple will face a challenge with respect to their age gap and we also know that to some extent the ML has ghosts of the past that haunt his present. The Drama does not seek to extensively shock us in any capacity - there are twists but they are all largely foreshadowed and never feel entirely unexpected, however the predictability is also not cliche or grotesque, the hints slowly merge together to create a final, synergistic image that will surely leave even the most casual romance-enjoyers or c-drama watchers with butterflies.This Drama has murder, mystery and social commentary, but it recognises that these are simply elements of the larger, romantic storyline. It never wades too far away from the love story, nor does it have to. It's fine that the plot is focused around the relationship of the two central characters because it never feels like their actions only affect themselves; other dramas consistently fail in this regard, either dedicating too much time to the main couple and leaving the side characters to the wayside or prioritising the plot and overall story while not focusing enough on the romance. Hidden Love merges the two together. Each decision Sang Zhi makes very obviously has consequences for people other than herself, and Jiaxu's relationship with her is the same. Because we care about the supporting cast we are able to understand what implications the relationship of the main couple will have on them, and so their own stories seamlessly merge with those of the male and female lead without ever distracting from the story being a Romance. The plot and the genre work in harmony rather than against each other, and it is beautifully done.
TLDR - Poesy aside this is a wonderful drama, and if you'd like 25 episodes of heart racing romance, then look no further.
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Best coming of age drama
Loved the storyline, loved the honesty, love the believability. Sometimes dramas can have elements where it's so unbelievable, it's cringy. I like this one because every scenario is done well. There's no over the top situation. It's very relatable.I like how you see growth in Sang Zhi, especially in her relationship with her parents. There comes a time when every parents needs to realize their daughter has grown into a woman, and that was done well in this drama.
Loved the actors and actresses, not just the mains, but the whole cast. Casting was done well.
The music, I can listen to on repeat FOREVER. I don't think I've liked a soundtrack so much since A Walk To Remember.
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Highly addictive
This is indeed a story about hidden love as it offers several spaces where the love seems to be hidden. How well it is hidden is however kind of questionable and made me wonder how oblivious the people in this story are.The story itself offers very little new, girl meets her older brothers roommate, gets a crush on him and tries to hide it. things happen, people grow up... Girl is smart, mature, straight forward with pretty much everything (except for the hidden love thing). There are a few episodes in the middle where she goes immature and takes a turn out of character but other than that I she is definitely one of the most fun to watch female leads in all of C-dramaland.
Boy has had a life full of difficulties but somehow becomes superman, good at school, good athlete, great work ethics.. and even though girls keep whispering "what a handsome guy he is" he is not really the type to flirt around as he only cares about his work and found family... The guy is extremely kind... and playful oh so playful. He even seems to have basic communication skills that go beyond wrist grabs.He is said to have a good moral compass (he says that over and over until the audience is sure to believe it. He is overly protective of his best friends little sister and though he is the sweetest guy ever he does have a bunch of flags here and there, and while some would think it is because of the age gap, I say the age gap is not the issue bere. the guy is pretty jealous, and seems to forget to lack the ability to include others in his process of making decisions.
These two grow in a beautiful way and make tasteful, playful fireworks... With great dialog. lots of cheese.. and I mean a lot of cheese... so much cheese it may make you cringe.
When it comes to the side characters:
The girls brother is 80% sweet and the audience voice 20% annoying, but I am now intrigues by this guy and would love to see more of him.
The friends and found family in this are lovely (except for one but she is there to forward the plot) and the supporting characters do their job well. the fat friend is unnecessarily portrayed as a guy who eats like pig... and yes that bothers me quite a bit. Some twists are a bit meeh, others good the flow of the story is decent and highly addictive so even with all these flaws I could not give it less than a 9.
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Like A Warm, Comforting Hug. Worth The Hype!
This Chinese drama shall go down as a modern day classic.It has a relatively simple story, but the execution is marvellous. The casting is on point and all the characters were brought to life so incredibly well. Every single song in the soundtrack is lovely and fitting. The plot and premise of this drama is fairly straight-forward but perhaps that is what makes it so brilliant. It is realistic, relatable, and immersive. Slowly but steadily, Hidden Love will blossom in your heart as you watch the ML and FL's relationship grow, transform, and mature.
There are many similar productions that I would've rated a solid 8/10, but Hidden Love just feels too special. There is not an ounce of artificiality or overstatement. I laughed, I cried, I felt their heartbreaks, and I felt their ecstatic moments too. This drama also contained hands down THE cutest drunk FL scene I have ever witnessed, plus many other scenes that were so adorable, funny, and heartwarming that I rewound multiple times.
This drama will remind you what it feels like to love, and to be loved.
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Always a must watch!
DANG, IT! I loved this drama! I couldn't wait for every 5 episodes to be out on Netflix so I just binged watched it on Dramacool and I'm glad I did. This drama was sweet all the way. Not even any breakup scene. YAH!The couples are soooooooooooo cute together! I love that we showed him starting to have feelings for her and wanting to woo her. I loved every episode of it. Made me laugh, cry, and just happy all the way!
The acting was amazing all the way! And honestly, 5 years isn't bad at all. Trust me. I looooved both ML and FL. They worked perfectly and adorably together.
Honestly, I loved everything about this whole drama. It was so adorable to see the two lead together. You can tell there was so much chemistry happening, even down to all the kissing scenes!
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Classic Rom-com
This cute love story has 3 arcs as to when SZ met DJX: middle school, HS and College. The pre-teen yrs to teenage was shown from ep 1-7 where she displays puppy love/crush. Ep 7-25 is the adult arc. They met again when SZ is already an adult and attended university in DJX hometown. This drama depicts one-sided hidden love on SZ side. Just to be clear they got together when she was of legal age.How is this different from other rom-com or coming of age dramas:
- focus briefly on school but instead the challenges of young love
-pure and innocent love that flourished to real love
- matured teenager, she basically knows what she is fighting for but at the same time she is not aggressive.
Pros:
ahhh-mazing chemistry of the leads, sibbling and family relationships
ML background did not lead him to go astray but responsible and loving
Great acting, directing and novel adaptations
Cons:
As much as I love ZLS, the first 7 episodes where she is acting as a teenager still attached to her stuff toys with her childish vocals was quite overdone. Not sure if it’s per the novel or director’s call. But her character devt was amazing.
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surprisingly good
Having watched #HiddenLove brought back a lot of youthful memories. I remember having a huge crush on my best friend’s older brother in secret and the giggly feelings .The story of Hidden Love is so heartwarming and lighthearted at the same time. I love the goodness shown in this drama that when you are well loved you pay it forward too. Moreover I just love the family dynamics as well as how SZ developed into a mature young lady. Both Zhao Lusi and Chen Shueyan delivered their portrayal of their respective role effectively plus Victor Ma wow what a pleasant surprise he did great too!
THE LOVE STORY! What can I say ‘chef’s kiss’ . I wish everybody can have this type of loving and healthy relationship .
I highly recommend this drama and it’s a drama for all ages👌🏻👌🏻
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Mmm... Cute.
I don't usually watch cdramas but this one caught my attention and I really liked it. The story is cute, touching and the characters are adorable, I have a special place in my heart for Sang Yan -the brother- I always loved it when he appears on screen and the dynamic between him and Sang Zhi is so real, a real sibling behavior. Another thing I liked about this cdrama was how it portrayed friendship, between the female characters and the male characters, it made me want to have friends like them. Maybe I have a lot to say about this cdrama but some people find it a bit controversial because of the age difference (I highly understand), but from my point of view the story is well constructed, they met when she was little but he never saw her as a potential lover until they met again when she was older, having an older crush when you are little is very common, he never interacted with her with other intentions when they first met, she sees his actions in that romantic way simply because she is in love with him. I don't know what else you think but for me, this story was super cute, the ost was also super cute, I loved the songs, and again Victor Ma and his character was my favorite.Maybe what I didn't like so much is how the female lead continues to be so innocent and pure even as an adult, as they emphasize so much.
But if you're looking for something cute, sweet and very cheesy, you should watch it.
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My all time favourite ❤️❤️❤️
This would be my top Chinese drama followed by love O2O. The storyline is so soothing and I feel calm and content watching it. The chemistry between the main leads are overflowing……😍😍😍. The acting is superb. The clothing is top notch….❤️🙌🏻. I really like how they did Chen Zheyuan’s ( Duan Jia Xu ) hair on this drama. I have seen him in other dramas and never thought that he’s much attractive. But with this hairstyle as well as the clothes he wore here I couldn’t take my eyes off him….!!!! ❤️❤️❤️ I’m so obsessed with this drama and I have already rewatched this multiple times. It’s a feel good drama for sure.Was this review helpful to you?
