This review may contain spoilers
The Adrenaline Rush of Precarious Street Racing and Love for a Toddler-Like Teenager
Welcome back to my review. As usual, I’m sorry for delaying “Speed and Love” review because I’m just too idle to write down my thoughts (FYI, my holiday will end in three days, so I’m making sure that I complete this review before getting back to school and being busy again). Without further ado, let’s just dive into the review.“Speed and Love”, formerly named “Star Trails”, is a rom-com drama adapted from Shi Jiuyan’s novel with the same name (in Chinese), staged in the perilous world of street racing in Manshi, Thailand (supposed to be a remote area in China named Tong Gang). The series revolves around a pair of nonblood-related siblings, Jin Zhao and Jiang Mu. After a crushing divorce, their dad moved out from the house and took Jin Zhao with him to Thailand, where they struggled to make ends meet to the point that Jin Zhao needed to quit from high school and took up odd jobs instead, including establishing a self-independent garage and joining high-stake racings in the midnight to earn some cash for the family. FYI, Jin Qiang married another Chinese woman, Zhao Meijuan, at that time and bore a new daughter, Jin Xin (no doubt there will a lot of mouths to be fed).
Meanwhile, Jiang Mu stayed in China with her mom, Jiang Yinghan, at Nanjing. However, Jiang Yinghan soon found a new Canadian-Chinese boyfriend, Chris, and they decide to marry together and live in Canada from then on. Nevertheless, Jiang Mu didn’t agree on her mom’s remarriage and demanded to stay behind in China for she didn’t have a good impression on Chris. After having petty arguments back and forth, Jiang Yinghan finally agreed to let Jiang Mu stay at her father’s place and told her about the past of Jin Zhao as well. This piece of truth only fueled Jiang Mu’s personal desire to search for Jin Zhao and her hope to rekindle the old memories together.
After settling down in Thailand, Jiang Mu enrolls a language foundation course and a Thai high school too (though this is a heavy point stressed in the novel, it’s completely brushed aside in the drama since it’s going all out in the aspects of emotional tension and sexual interactions). Not only that, she also learns about Jin Zhao’s new life and finds that he’s beginning to look like a stranger in her eyes. To understand his world better, she also learns how to race since Jin Zhao always participates in illegal street racings. Soon, she falls in love with Jin Zhao and slowly peels away his thick fortress, ultimately gaining his heart. But an accident will occur in no time and the two are separated for a very long time, breaking each other’s heart while still yearning. Will they finally give in to their fates or fight against it to stage another fluffy love story?
To put it frankly, I do agree with most of the viewers that the plot is very cliché except the racing part. Firstly, the myriad numbers of tropes crammed into this drama is pretty outstanding, considering it only has 29 episodes. Nonblood-related siblings, spoiled girl x bad boy, accidental hugs, friends coming to disturb your peaceful moments of kissing, noble idiocy, ML decides what’s good for FL without asking for her consent. Those tropes have been utilized by other rom-com dramas and some even do better than this one. Honestly, if it hadn’t been for the electrifying chemistry of the main leads, most people would’ve dropped it long ago, and so do I.
However, I want to praise about how well the racing arc is done, especially Jin Qiang’s methods of how to adapt to tricky situations by relying on your neural instinct. The machinery of car is also explained in basic language so that viewers of non-physics background can grasp the foundation easily (one of them happens to be me, since I’m very awful in physics, but don’t get me wrong, I have deep fascination for mechanics and machinery stuffs).
Now, please welcome our high-and-mighty spoiled little queen Jiang Mu. Well, she does act like a spoiled 10-year-old little chick, as if she were a vexatious mosquito hovering around Jin Zhao’s orbit. No offence, but I’m also a picky eater and tend to pick out the vegetables that I dislike. However, there’s a little discrepancy between me and her. At least, I keep my tongue well shut while nitpicking the vegetables, unlike Jiang Mu, who keeps pouting and scowling interminably till I get irritated of her. Also, why does the designer love to dress Jiang Mu in conspicuous sexy clothing that apparently doesn’t fit her image as an ordinary high schooler at all? Even she only wears her uniform as a formality to conceal the black shirt and mini skirt beneath. And how does she know about cars just by having a single glance (the part where Xiao Yang and Tie Gongji are having a difficulty at)? And how does she manage to learn drifting after having seen Lin Sui performs it one time? And from when does she develop a feeling for Jin Zhao? I know it’s a taboo stuff for others when it comes to siblings falling for each other, but I think that’s fine for me. The thing that keeps troubling me is perhaps she had fallen for him since her childhood years and that feeling grows incessantly over years in the shape of the spoiled queen (don’t get me wrong, she initiates most of the intimate acts). Esther Yu’s acting and baby-ish voice don’t help much with Jiang Mu’s interpretation either. She’s trying hard to act like a toddler just because the script demands so, and she turns 180 degree into a mature woman in six years, but not that mature though. Check out the reason below after I finish blabbing about the ML.
For the ML, I actually and truly love him very much that I also want him to be my boyfriend. Welp, who doesn’t want to? He can race, cook, dry your hair, repair the water heater, exceptionally outstanding in physics, draw, fetch you back from school as if his time had been reserved just for you, and many other things I can’t think of anymore. But, the noble idiocy really irks some people and I really don’t know why because noble idiocy is a rudimentary key point during their separation arc or it would’ve been less fulfilling (for me). Also, Jin Zhao’s character is also shaped from the harsh reality of the world and how he can overcome the trials and vicissitudes of life. I think He Yu has shone brighter than ever and it’s his outbreak role after several mediocre performances. He totally rocks Jin Zhao’s portrayal and embodies his essential point quite well.
For this paragraph, this is going to be a hell of a ride, so please bear with me. The show does convey dangerous moral impacts about how to selflessly sacrifice your dignity for someone you’re not supposed to love and how unrequited love soon blooms into a bold yet dangerous possessiveness. This is shown when Jiang Mu confronts Wan Qing in an unfriendly manner and keeps thinking that she has an affair with Jin Zhao, when he actually never reciprocates her feelings. If Jiang Mu had initiated a more proper and clearer communication instead, things wouldn’t have gone awry and the girls would’ve made such good friends from the get go (I tried really hard to suppress my urge to yell at Jiang Mu, seriously). Not only that, the show also romanticizes taboo stuffs such as how you ogle for that person to be your emotional anchor when things go wrong or unlike your expectation. If the person-in-demand doesn’t give you the respond that you desire, you’re going to start throwing tantrums here and there, in order to attract his attention back to you (which is not worth your time at all). I even have to restrain myself not to take any lessons from this show so as not be deluded into an astray path, given that this show is directed for young teenage girls like me, who will be self-deluded in your little fantasy bubble and have a great rage when your reality turns out to say no to you.
Now, to the OSTs. Yes, I love most of the OST in “Speed and Love” especially the upbeat hip hop track sung by Yan An (not Pentagon’s member). I also like the sultry song by Alyce Zhou (R.E.D) and the wistful memory in Zhang Bichen’s track. The other tracks are as pleasant as well. Backgrounds and settings are thumbs-up for me, while the costume can be toned down a little bit for our dear Jiang Mu.
Will I rewatch? That will be a 50/50 answer. If you’re looking for hot sexual tension and dozens of intimate scenes, then you’ll have a great fun here. However, if you’re into a coherent storyline, I’m sorry to say that this show doesn’t fulfill this requirement. It’s time to end my review now (since I have to go to sleep now), good luck and happy watching!!!
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Just go for it
If you don't wanna read you can jump into the drama..just go for it.I don't usually write reviews but i definitely do read them before watching a drama and it really helps. That's why I'm writing one here..
For this drama you don't even need to read a review just go for it ..it was a whole rollercoaster journey for me as i watched it after all ep were dropped as i didn't knew about its airing schedule and just read the first review i saw and decided to start it.
I really loved the acting storyline and the leads were superb for their roles. Other than the leads the roles that really fascinated me and i really loved were ..Sanlai and Lin Sui i really liked their roles and others did an amazing job as well.
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Fork in the road
I totally ate this series up. The main leads had such crazy chemistry that it was just intense. I had to keep checking myself on why I am swooning over sibling love, but I just simply think they are two kids who grew up together and end up falling in love. I read fantasy romance so the plot isn't something I would consider weird or gross. I mean, once you get past that, it is a really cute and sweet drama. I enjoyed it so much. My 11 year old who watched with me sometimes kept asking why the girl aka Jiang Mu aka Esther Yu sounds like a kid, LOL. Well, this series was definitely trademark Esther Yu series. I don't hate her. She was in her element. As for Jian Zhao, He Yu really owned it. I just really had fun with this and such a good one to end the year.Was this review helpful to you?
Didn’t Want It To End
I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this one. Going in, the synopsis is somewhat questionable but over time it’s easy to forget. The main cast, particularly He Yu and Esther Yu had incredible chemistry that their relationship felt real. Each of them also delivered layered performances and had me tearing up many times. I haven’t seen either of them before (I mostly watch K Dramas) so I’m not familiar with their usual acting styles, but the amount of emotions they conveyed with just their eyes (especially He Yu) was insane.The plot was interesting, though the pacing felt off in some places. The editing could be odd too, but I’ve found that to be the case for a lot of C Dramas I’ve seen. That being said, I was hooked and it all ended too fast! This story and this couple left me wanting more. I heard certain plot points/scenes were left out of the final cut, but it would’ve been nice to see even more of their relationship.
Visually, this show was stunning (both the camera work/lighting and actors). It set a perfect tone. The music was also really good and used well. I would definitely stream the full OST.
I’ll definitely have to come back to this again sometime; I can’t seem to let go of these characters! Just a beautiful story of yearning, devotion, heartbreak, and destiny.
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yearning day and night....♥️❤️? The Male lead is fine shytt??
the intense chemistry between the leads is actually insane and seriously the male lead is literally anime character 🥵 the faceeahhhhhhh......🥵🥵🥵 so damn hottt
worth watching my favvv🫶🏻♥️
the speed and love the drama hold is damn hottt and intense....
if your looking for something hot , intense, slow burn romance then this it is 🥰...
...... yearning day and night ⛅🌛
the drama and male lead who driven evryone at the end of December ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh🔥🥵🥵🥵🥵
must watch this..
if you don't you're missing a masterpiece 🫶🏻🔥
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This review may contain spoilers
Truly loved it ?✨ This drama has my ??
After Amidst a Snowstorm of Love, Lighter and Princess, and The First Frost, Speed and Love has officially been added to my list of most-favorite C-dramas.The love standard in this drama is on another level. Honestly, in today’s time, where do we even find love stories like this? The patience, the deep love, and the care they show for each other—even after separation—just touched my heart. Uff… I absolutely loved it.
This drama is a must-watch if you truly understand and appreciate meaningful love stories.
I especially loved Brandy and Mu’s Thailand scenes—his house, his garage, and that soft, sweet background music. Everything felt so calm, intimate, and cozy.
Those moments melt my heart every time and make me fall in love with the scenes all over again.
Brandy was just so cool, handsome, and effortlessly charming.
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Post Drama Withdrawal! Updated.
EmotionsI love Esther Yu, and this was not my first time watching He Yu. I truly enjoyed the character he played. I’m a big fan of boxing, martial arts, and race cars—especially Funny Car racing—so this story stirred up a lot of memories for me right away.
The one thing that frustrated me was the way the writer shaped the character Esther Yu played. The character she played is she always asked question and tested him. I genuinely disliked that part when she found him towards the end, making him walk.
However, Esther Yu brought the role to the screen so convincingly that I kept watching because of her. Her performance was so strong that I almost stopped watching out of frustration with the writing alone—which only proves how excellent she is as an actress. Even when I didn’t like the script, her talent held my attention.
I kept going, though, and when Zhao was injured, it hit me hard. It brought back painful emotions about my own son’s motorcycle accident, and that really struck home.
In the end, I still gave this drama a 10. If a storyline can make me want to stop watching because my emotions are all over the place, then the writers and actors did their job. That kind of impact isn’t easy to pull off.
I only wish Esther Yu had been written as a stronger, more physically powerful female character—seeing her do martial arts or real fighting scenes would have been incredible.
Update: I’ve now watched it 9 times. I genuinely cried during the accident scene and felt how deeply the two characters love each other. I couldn’t get it out of my head, so I kept going back to rewatch — not wanting to miss a single detail, especially the way Esther Yu and He Yu kept looking at each other. It made me wish we all knew love like that. It felt real… deeply real. That kiss though... several kisses where He Yu engulfed Esther lips... I never viewed that in Chinese Dramas. I was like... whoa there buddy... so cute, I too, blushed and hid my face. All I know this wasn't a regular Chinese Drama for me... This was some real stuff right here (little slang used).
2nd Update: I hope this doesn’t stop me from watching either of them in future dramas, given how strongly I feel right now. I went through something similar with Yang Zi and Deng Lun in Ashes of Love — my mind simply couldn’t separate them from those characters. Seeing them in other roles felt like it would break something precious. It took time, but I eventually snapped out of it. That’s what happens when you stay true to a drama you absolutely love — it settles into your heart and refuses to let go right away. It's called "post-drama withdrawal".
3rd Update: Lawdamercy, this is the only drama that calms me down and makes me smile. I know this is a story but dang, I wish all men were like Zhao Zhao!
4th Update: 7/18/2026 After watching it three more times, I realized something. It wasn't fair to He Yu or Esther Yu—our beloved "Yu Yu"—to only associate them with one drama. So I decided to watch other series where they are the lead actors.
The funny part? I started watching Blossom, and before I knew it, I caught myself thinking, "Unt uh... that's supposed to be Esther Yu!" I had to laugh because it was such a childish reaction.
I stopped after the second episode, not because the drama wasn't good, but because I needed to regroup. These are incredibly talented actors and actresses, and I don't want to cheat myself out of experiencing their amazing performances in other roles.
I also have to remind myself that dramas are works of fiction. The characters they portray are not real life—they're stories brought to life by gifted performers.
Most importantly, I need to stop reading all the online controversy every time they are paired with a different lead. It only distracts me from appreciating their talent. I'd rather enjoy the performances, celebrate their hard work, and let each story stand on its own.
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Compelled to write a review because it's that good.
For me this drama is on a whole different level. So as a regular CDrama watcher, I didn't have much expectation, just a few romantic scenes, a change of heart, and a little bit of action, but damn. I was flabbergasted by SAL—the plot, the cast, the OSTs, everything.About the cast:
Esther Yu—I see people hating on her unnecessarily. She is the perfect cast for SAL. She can do both—a mature grown woman and an immature teenager. I think the director knew exactly what the story needed.
He Yu—Imagine anyone other than him playing Jin Zhao, CAN YOU? That's it. He is irreplaceable. He is the whole package, and as the director said, heaven decided on Jin Zhao.
Ignore the negative PR. Just go and watch it. It's that good.
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I Don’t Think This Is Overrated If You’re Here for the Forbidden Sparks
This drama definitely won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. For some, it might feel too cringey, almost like one of those over-the-top Chinese vertical dramas. But honestly? That’s part of the charm. I only picked it up because I’m familiar with Yu Xu Shin (Esther Yu), and knowing her filmography, I’d say Speed and Love is actually pretty tame by her standards of exaggerated cutesy acting. If a drama is going to lean into cringe, I’d rather it fully commit and this one does, while still staying within the limits of being watchable.What surprised me most was how well it sold the forbidden-love tension. The forbidden-love tension here was intense, and it kept building in a way that felt addictive. And for my first time watching He Yu, I have to say he fit the “hot rebel” role effortlessly. He had the looks, the energy, and enough attitude to make the cold bad-boy image work.
That said, I wasn’t a fan of the premise at first. I won’t lie though, the whole unrelated siblings-turn-lovers premise still felt weird to me at first. Especially because Jiang Mu was very upfront with her feelings from the start, her aggressive feelings made it even harder to digest. But as their relationship evolved, the chemistry between them became impossible to ignore. The forbidden-love trope was executed so well. The tension, the push-and-pull, and the taboo element all worked together in a way that made the romance far more compelling than I expected. Their chemistry eventually became so undeniable that the fact they once saw each other as siblings barely mattered anymore.
The speed part of racing scenes, foreign country underground setting, and rebellious atmosphere are mostly there to build the vibe rather than the plot, but it works. If you’re looking for a simple, no-brainer drama with sizzling chemistry of forbidden tension, and don’t mind a bit of cringe, this is definitely worth a watch.
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Really need more!!
I just finished watching this drama. I need three days to finish this. I can’t help myself—I really need more episodes, especially the wedding scene and their reunion with their old friends. Overall, this drama is really good. The tension, the chemistry, the storyline—everything about it feels wholesome. At first, it felt very wattpad coded, but I still enjoyed every moment I spent watching it. By the way, the male lead … I think I’m already looking forward to his next drama. I really love his acting.Was this review helpful to you?
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First time watching a racing based drama and I’m hooked
First, I’m into cars so when I saw the trailer and synopsis about the drama I set a reminder to watch this and it’s better than what I’ve expected (in all c-dramas that I’ve watch, I really set my expectations low so I will not be disappointed).What I really wanted to point out is that the setting was in Thailand, but its like, doesn’t say much about it. It’s like all of the people in Thailand were chinese-speaking and didn’t integrate much of it —they tried speaking in Thai but please, can the actors and the extras match the lips and the audio huhuhuhu it was so awkward while watching it 😭 I know they dubbed it because of the noise and all but yeah just my few pieces hehe
Another thing is that when Zhao and Mu were like in the driving scene, when MuMu was the navigator? (the one with emotional talk) I’m no race car driver but when they were talking, it’s like ZhaoZhao is not driving, the hands doesn’t move 😭 I know these are just little things but when little things are piled up, it becomes big.
But the actors tho? Especially, San Lai & Jin Zhao, they are damn great!!! The fighting scenes of He Yu? It was amazing! ✨
The cinematography when there’s like a racing competition was excellent, too!!! I was not expecting that level of production cos girl I am hooked every race scene AND THE SOUNDTRACK??? I LOVEEEE 💗
Lastly, I’ve been reading the novel and there’s some changes that I liked is that when MuMu and Snakey had the heart to heart talk? I AM WEAK WITH GIRL FRIENDSHIP I DEF LOVE THAT THEY MADE SNAKEY THE ONE WHO REVEALED SOMETHING NOT THE CRAZY FRIEND. The other scenes should not have been changed but oh well, censorship and all I think. It’s still a good watch tho.
and I think that’s all hehe will continue to watch tho because it really exceeded my expectations but probably will not rewatch it, but can watch some clips tho when it appears to my fyp.
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What the f* was this drama
I think all my reviews will end up being dedicated to Esther Yu, because all her dramas SHOCK me.Speed and Love is the current thing, so well-regarded that it made me start watching even knowing who the FL was. And sure enough, it was impossible to watch. She acts like a child, moans like a child, talks like a child, and in this drama there was an even worse point: they were (or at least should have been) half-siblings.
So there's this whole dynamic where ML is the older brother and acts as such, while she acts like a child. Without any exaggeration, he dries her hair, peels her apples for her, takes the scallions off her plate, goes to college as her GUARDIAN. It's bizarre. In one scene he chops up meat for her to eat. What is that if not a bizarre fetish?
In fact, in the first two episodes, Esther Yu appears with beautiful clothes, beautiful hair, and a womanly demeanor, which changes completely after that, when she starts to appear with f*ing pigtails, overalls, hair clips, everthing to make her character just like a child, and the ML feel attracted to that wierd thing.
What shocks me the most is that people are entertained by this, liking it, loving it, and recommending it. The story, by the way, is super interesting. As in all of Esther Yu's dramas, the ML is amazing, and she's there to RUIN everything. The character has a very interesting backstory; he's a true warrior, a survivor of social inequality. And she's the opposite. Because of her parents' divorce, he was forced to take care of her father, while she stayed with her mother, living a life of luxury.
I understand the "my way or the highway" life, but it doesn't work here. I thought we'd have a supporting character like Sang Zhi from Hidden Love was to Diaxu, someone who would see through ML's situation and be supportive, a strong arm in his life.
Here, on the contrary, Esther Yu's character becomes just another problem in our ML's already troubled life. She doesn't come along to take some weight off his shoulders, but to add even more, since, even though she's an 18-year-old woman, she acts like a child who can't even chew on a pig's leg without ML having to chop it up (literally!!!!!).
Honestly, it's disgusting. It's a fetishistic project that only shows how sick the world is to be okay with a relationship like this. I hope to see He Yu in other dramas, cause he is gooooood. And it makes me even more mad the fact that I have seen Esther Yu acting like a woman (and not a child) and she's really good, but the directors keep chosing to cast her on fetishistc projects. Hope to her in other dramas playing deep characters that I know she is capable of.
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