Hide Day and Night (2025)

Toxic Love From my Uncle

Confession time : the Wang Yiran/Lan Lan "canary" dramas are one of my biggest guilty pleasures, I keep seeking them like a hungry racoon, the trashier the better. The overall plot of this one is fine if barebone (they love each other but his sister married her dad so they can't be together, that's it that's the plot), and the actual writing/interpretation of it in this version is pretty straightforward. The hero spends more than half of the drama not taking "no" for an answer and being the sole driving force of the romance, because if we were counting on the heroïne, there would be zero action since she forbids herself from the possibility of any relationship with him. There is no cat and mouse in this game, it's just relentless chasing/escaping (and sometimes, but rarely, yielding) so if you can't stand the very, very, very dated tale of the girl who just won't admit her own desires and feelings because what about rules/family/reputation, and the boy who chooses the abuser path to overcome that, and if the (again, so damn stale) line "you're saying no but your body is saying yes" makes you vomit, just run. Okay, still there ? Hello fellow deranged souls and trash pandas, you have come to the right place. If "Toxic Love From the Mob Boss" is your preferred soap perfume, this is a good pick, he's not a mob boss but he's a territorial, forceful, sexy asshole who needs to assert dominance at every turn. He also can be defined as a deranged yandere and I know there is a public for it. I enjoyed it a lot and couldn't look away, thanks to the great casting (Lan Lan and Wang Yiran know how to sell it), a wonderful translation (honestly it makes a huge difference, I swear half of the time I'm annoyed at a vertical it's because the automated translation is garbage) and a trashy plot played completely straight, that knows exactly what its demented audience wants to see. Finally, this is the drama that made me realize I have a thing for actors who look constantly pissed off, as I loved Wang Yiran's perpetual frown and mean gaze. In conclusion this is very much a "if it's your thing watch it, if not avoid it" kind of vertical.

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ML never did any wooing and I hated him and his possessiveness

I noticed this drama last year and while I am a fan of Wang Yi Ran, I was never compelled to watch until recently. I started writing a column about two drama adaptations from the same source so I thought of tackling this drama. Oh boy, I have a lot to say about this drama.

What I liked:
1. Dialogue - I liked FL's quips towards ML's pursuer. That's clever snapback.
2. Supporting characters - I liked ML's friend a lot. He was respectful of boundaries.
3. FL characterisation - I actually liked her despite being bullied by ML. She knew where to draw the line when it came to her delicate situation with ML. I just didn't like that she believed the other woman's claims so easily.
4. Kissing - While the romance was forced, the kissing scenes were done well. Yeah ML was crazy and possessive but I always enjoy Wang Yi Ran's kissing scenes.
5. Pairing - I liked the height differences between them two. Wang Yi Ran and Lan Lan had good chemistry.

What I disliked:
1. ML characterisation - He was a neanderthal. So aggressive about his love for FL.
2. Romance - It was toxic - ML never wooed her, she was forced to accept his love. I hated that she was coerced into having sex.
3. Parents - ML's mother and FL's father never cared about their kids' feelings. Very old-fashioned - they were more concerned about what others might think of FL-ML romantic relationship.
4. FL's friend - She was out of line when she wanted to find out the reason for FL's visit to the gynaecologist. The friend was nosy despite being a doctor.

Favourite scene
When FL snapped back at ML's pursuer

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