Butterflies in your stomach!
I have already watched this drama many times, it just gets under your skin and i will never get enough of it! I definatly will watch this many more times in the future. For me it's the best modern Chinese drama out there, it is really perfect!The music is fantastic, everytime i hear a song in my playlist on spotify it makes me want to go and watch the series again.
The visuals are stunning! And the acting is amazing.
This story really makes your heart flutter all throughout the drama but also gives you some sad and funny moments.
The brother / sister dynamics are so hilarious and sweet. The dynamics in the friendships are great. The cheekiness of Sang Zhi is hilarious.
And Zhao Lu Si and Chen Zhe Yuan are amazing together, their chemistry is amazing.
And i loved the easter eggs at te end of every episode, they were a little extra bonuspeek in their lives.
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Breaking My Silence 2.0 (since its edited way below)
I tried. I really did.I had randomly, one day started a manhua of the same name and did not finish it. Guess the art was not my style. And then I heard Zhao Lusi( I like her) starring in this drama and thought the production would be impeccable.
It was, but that's it.
I like age gap dramas if executed properly, but this drama did not have the magic.
That breathy baby voice of Lusi's had me in tears by the 2nd episode. It was too...juvenile and shallow. Could not feel the chemistry between the leads and had to push myself to complete the 3rd episode in hopes of it getting better.
It didn't. Now I can't even find the motivation to start the 4th episode, it's that serious for me.
I could not feel any personality from the fl and tried to muddle through the experience.
The only saving grace was the brother. Loved him
Edit: Okay so I completed it, never thought I would but I was too bored. The cast is absolutely fabulous and delivers every scene and every action. The pace of the story completely changes after the 8th episode and the chemistry literally melted my screen. I also changed my ratings especially for the cast (fl and ml are terrific) and the etheral ost.
Even if the story is nothing special, the delivery is out if the world.
Ps: I still absolutely LOVE the brother, the highlight if the whole show.
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Truly a rare find ! Don't ever miss watching it
I stumbled upon this rare gem of a drama by accident and started watching it. As the show moved on I found it so intesresting and facinating. It was written so thoughtfully and one could not have asked for a better writing.Both Zhao Lu Si and Chen Zhe Yuan had lived the part actually. It is my first time watching them and their expessions were so good. It felt like I was watching something so precious. I started missing the show so much after it ended. The brother character (Sang Yan) by Victor Ma was also exceptional.
Once you are done with the show the hangover from it is so heavy that surely we will want to rewatch it many times. True drama lovers will never want to miss this gem of a show. The OSTs were so good. They suited the drama very well and captured the feel of the show aptly.
So glad I watched this show and watching it for the first time is an experience which will never come back. Amazing story and acting! Wish the dream team will do more shows together.
This is the one show where I could give full ratings without even thinking. It was that good.
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This review may contain spoilers
Read if you want to know what MAGIC awaits you
I loved this drama that I had to drop all my thoughts about it out into the world T-T My love for this cannot be HIDDEN >-<I don’t think I have any dramas rated as a 10, but this was such a gem after a long time that I had to bump it from 9.5 into 10!
Everything was perfect for a nice rom-com. They didn’t spend too much time on the innocent youth part so they got to develop the sizzling chemistry. NGL FL’s voice was super annoying as a teenager. She tried to make herself seem young, but I can’t imagine a teenager acting that meek and naive. Luckily we got our normal Lusi by ep 13. No conflict lasted long. They respected each other’s wishes and worked to make each other their priority. The way he asked her permission to “woo” her was absolutely adorable! He also clearly started the relationship by explaining his life and the problems he is facing. They communicated as a couple. The way she empathized before knowing his backstory and even more so after he told her.
Her bro is such a real bro that the writer had to have modeled him after someone. He was always bullying but with all the love in the world and is her most fiercest protector.
The way the parents were protective of her is completely understandable and weary of her being with ML. They showed she grew up like a princess in their eyes.
There were no backstabbing friends (at least after middle school) unlike other cdramas. Even that friend that liked the guy that liked FL. They were all so supportive and loving.
The acting was spot on by every single actor! The way Lusi cries is so real. She had me in tears with her. ML’s cries were like all the IRL dudes I know. Trying to keep it in and wiping tears in secret and when it’s really emotional, letting out in the most heartbreaking whimpers.
None of the bad clichés. It was refreshing to not have the last minute break ups, the stupid accidents and crazy second leads.
They were truly adorable together. Relationship goals. No joke. They were cute and hot…sometimes all at the same time…when together. The marriage proposal was so cute too. I totally fell for it and thought her friend was going to get engaged.
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This review may contain spoilers
Sang Zhi's diary: A story of life, love and friendship
Love the flow of the story. Worth to watch every episode. Even though I finished watching it, I rewatched it again and again for consecutive days now. And the OST, gaaaad!! It is well-made for the whole series.The casts portrayed their characters well. They can delivered their emotions without overacting the situation. Especially, when Sang Zhi personally went to Yihe to confirm if Jiaxu has a girlfriend and she hides her tears as much as possible in front of Jiaxu, I felt her brokenness on that part. And to Jiaxu, I felt his sincerity and respect towards Sang Zhi that even though he already knew that Sang Zhi likes him, he still pursue her.
Also, you can see the transition of Sang Zhi from being a simple school girl to college girl with lots of maturity in mind. Like, the confrontation of her and to the lady who constantly harassed Jiaxu for the death of her father. Sang Zhi handled that confrontation so well that she managed to stay calm the whole confrontation part even if the lady bombarding her with a number of negative comments about Jiaxu.
Overall, the series is worth of your time to watch. The series is not just about a secret love but it tackles also the supportiveness of the parents, friends. You can grasp a number of lessons towards the story.
Congratulations to the production, staff and crew, and to the casts for a wonderful project! Job well done!
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Definitely worth all the hype
To begin with, this is my very first review. I hardly ever review anything at all, but this time I just can't hold my emotions. Secondly, melodrama is not my genre of choice. I normally find melodramas rather boring to watch, but this is absolutely NOT the case.This title is just amazing. Literally everything about 'Hidden Love' makes it an outstanding viewer experience:
- the story is sweet, relatable, at times funny, at times sad, always profound and thought provoking;
- the music is lovely and in tune with the overall aesthetics of the series;
- no stupid cringy moments or vulgar jokes that can make some viewers uncomfortable;
- events unfold at a very comfortable pace - the story keeps moving and you don't feel bored a second, but at the same time you do not feel pushed by the creators as in some action-packed dramas.
But most importantly the cast - I loved them all! With me, I often find that one of the main leads doesn't match the other in terms of visuals or acting skills, but in this drama both the ML and the FL were incredibly fine in all respects, and the chemistry between them was nearly palpable. Support role actors were also great. So there is literally nothing about this drama that I would change, it is too good. The only drawback, I guess, is that after watching it I got a drama hangover I won't be able to overcome soon :-) Very much looking forward to the news projects of CZY and ZLS!
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Butterflies in my stomach; the whole world turns pink
I think this drama has a special place in my heart. Even though I usually prefer historical dramas I liked the plot and was super excited to watch Lusi in this role; so I had been waiting for this for about a year. I didn't even know that I could love this type of slow burn and slice of life drama so much... But! OMG!!!This was a masterpiece!!!
IDK if it was the chemistry of the actors, the script; the directing or all of the above but this drama is definitely one of my most favourite ones!! I will definitely be re-watching this!!! I don't think that I can move on from Sang Zhi and Duan Jiaxu. They are one of the sweetest couples ever! I also ADORED Sang Yan and his relationship with his sister and his friend (DJ)! Oh how I wished to see more of them. I'm not gonna lie this is one of the (very few) dramas that I wouldn't mind having 100+ episodes. It could literally be the cast in character doing everyday stuff like a reality show and I wouldn't miss an episode! Unfortunately, the story had to come to wrap up. And even though Sang Zhi's and Duan Jiaxu's story may have come to an end I'd really love to see the entire cast together in another drama as their chemistry was simply spectacular!
P.S. I already was a fan of Lusi and Zeng Li, but through this drama I became a fan of Victor Ma and Chen Zhe Yuan as well!
Also the OSTs are AMAZING! I put all of them in my favourites on Spotify!
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CRINGE, MUSHY AND OVERRATED
There's so much that I didn't like about this drama BUT THE BROTHER ISN'T ONE OF THEM. LOVED the brother ❣️The relationship is creepy. He had seen her as a little girl and she had barely matured as a human when he started liking her.
What's funny is that they wanted to portray her as "an adult" but the actress really acted like a 15-16 year in the romance scenes making it soo much uncomfortable for me to watch. What's with the BABYING?
Its for teens but I hope they don't learn anything from this drama. She git married a little too early as well.
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This review may contain spoilers
I loved a lot of things about this drama but let me get this out of the way, the age gap WAS weird. Personally, I think the show could’ve made things feel a lot less awkward by having them meet when she was 17 rather than when she was in middle school and then later reconnecting. Even though her character is supposed to be around 14, the actress they cast to play this younger version of her looked about 7 years old and seeing her act opposite to the male lead felt extremely uncomfortable to me, especially because they kept flashing back to that time. There were way too many episodes taking place when she was a kid, it felt like maybe three or four would have been plenty. The show also made such a big deal about the age gap that it was hard to forget about it. It could have been the translations or a cultural thing, but at certain points when they were talking about their ages, it didn’t seem to line up with a five year gap. Again, I think this might be a cultural difference, but it was also odd to hear him constantly introduce her as sister. It could have been the translation but when he said “I don’t want to just be your elder brother, I want to be your boyfriend” I almost laughed out loud at how bizarre that sounds, when this is supposed to be a very sweet scene. All this being said, I actually really did like the romance for the most part. Sang zhi was such an interesting character and was written so differently than a lot of other drama leading ladies. Jiaxu was of course written as the perfect boyfriend and the actor did an amazing job showcasing his charm. While age gap is not my favorite, the show allowed Jiaxu multiple opportunities to see Sangzhi in a different, more mature light that made him realize she had grown up. What was such a great aspect of their relationship is that they were a true partnership. They both were extremely protective of each other, not just him being protective of her. Sangzhi was constantly standing up for her man and Jiaxu’s reaction to that was heartbreaking because it was clear that he’d never had anyone on his side like that before. Sangzhi had a lot of scenes that I think in other dramas it would have the male lead in her role, for example when she wraps the scarf around his neck or when she confronts his harasser. They really highlighted that even though Sangzhi was younger than him, she was willing to go to bat for him just as much as he was for her.
Jiaxu was truly adorable and it was so understandable how Sangzhi had a crush on him for so long - who wouldn’t! The college roommate crew was such a good addition and it would have been great to see more of them. One of the other places that the show really excelled was with the depiction of the sibling relationship. Brother sister relationships are not often done this well; the way the two of them bickered felt so natural and even when they were fighting or didn’t know how to express it, you could tell how much they cared about each other. My only complaint is that there wasn’t enough of the brother, especially in the later portion of the show. I would’ve liked him to have his own storyline and I thought there would have been more shown with the girlfriend.
Sangzhi’s roommates were cute but they didn’t feel like realized characters because none of them really had their own arcs. The one roommate having the crush went nowhere and it felt like a waste for the show to spend time on it. The latter half of the show started to feel like it was dragging and part of that could be because almost every scene was just these two main characters. It could have worked better if the show was either a few episodes shorter or if they spent more time on some of the other characters, especially the brother!
Even with some of the issues, I do still think the show is worth watching. There were a lot of very sweet moments that I can see myself going back to rewatch, not even just with the main couple but also with Sangzhi and her brother. The part of the show when Sangzhi is a child is pretty long, so just be aware of what you’re getting into, but once she gets to college it was a lot more enjoyable.
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Gege Hao Shuai - drama that started a trend on tiktok - amazing romance between 2 normal people
The drama- is special for c drama cinematics because it is romance between two ordinary people. They don't have super talents, superpowers. They have ordinary jobs. The plot is already unique just by that.
- she fell first, he fell harder
- the famous gege hao shuai scene that started a tiktok trend is in a 2nd episode of this drama
- the kind of love we look for in a drama. The kind of love you look for in your life.
Financially they are not poor nor rich. So they are two "ordinary" people. But I liked the drama because it shown romance between a really good guy, and a really good girl. Two really nice people fall in love, and do their best to navigate life and make it together. There is something so subtly powerful, and healing about that.
ML actor - Oscar worthy performance
FL actor -Zhao Lu Si amazing as always, such a beautiful, vulnerable girl, real, authentic, normal
Brother actor - he elevated the entire plot. He is embodiment of "brother" noun in the world. He makes you feel everything you feel for your brother - you love him he is super cute, he is annoying just as brothers are, so cool, role model you look up to him. Advisor, protector, This actor made FL and ML much more special. Some parts of their characters were able to shine because of brother character.
NOW SPOILERS, read them if ONLY you're not sure weather to watch. If you are sure to watch THEN DON'T READ IT. Enjoy this masterpiece as it goes.
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The scene that is completely worth the watch and rewatch, and is one of the best scenes of c drama universe
- the scene where she tells him she was in love with him since they first met, this is where ML actor did one of the best performances ever. You could tell by his expression he wanted to hug her, protect her, and he felt sorry for not loving her sooner. Because to him she was the most valuable, and she was for first 5 years alone in that love. You could see it in his eyes, on his face as FL spoke. You forget you're watching a drama, it is so real. Amazing performance, and a must watch. After all this is what we look for in a drama. And in life.
- almost every scene where she tells him something important. The focus he listens with.. Men who are reading this, watch and learn . This is what women want. It's that simple. You can come back here to comment it is one of the best scenes ever :) you welcome.
- every interaction of FL and ML with brother, such an amazing guy. Even the way he's annoying is cute.
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love that truly is hidden until revealed
The only thing that bothered me was the age gap, but I am glad he never had romantic feelings for her until she was older. I was giggling and blushing over how adorable their dynamic is. The casting was also good and they played their roles well. I love how the female lead was always there for the male lead unconditionally. Her love for the male lead was so sweet and pure. I love how the male lead showed his love for her too. Gonna rewatch when I feel lonely ( like I always do). <3Was this review helpful to you?
Sweet and tender
Hidden Love it’s a beautiful love story about love, overcoming grief, guilt and building a family. The acting is really good and the OST fun. I don’t know where scriptwriter Shen Fei Xian has been for the past 7 years but, God, I am so glad she’s back!This drama had two MVPs: Sang Yan for opening his home and always being a good friend and brother, and Qian Fei for helping Jian Xu figure out his love life. Where would our leads be without them? Probably still pining for each other.
Zhao Lusi and Chen Zheyuan carry the drama with ease and sizzling chemistry. It was a joy to see their characters fall in love and dealing with everything that came their way as a team with a deep understanding of each other. They made an effort to communicate and this made them stronger and smarter as couple. Wonderful.
If you enjoyed this drama, you might want to check out Love O2O. Shen Fei Xian was also the scriptwriter responsible for that adaptation to the screen and she clearly very talented. And if you have already seen both dramas, then good news: she’s already working on her next project!
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