After having this show on my watch list for ages, it was the show's OST, specifically Marcus Chang's 輸給你 (Lose To You) that compelled me to watch it finally, and I am glad that I did.

This series touched my heart on multiple levels, and the interesting thing is that I felt the emotions even more when it was over. It is by no means perfect, and some parts left me questioning, but it is at heart an incredibly watchable and endearing show. It has memorable characters, music and songs that I am still enjoying, and scenes that I keep replaying. Plus, the comedy is on-point. I love how meta the show is and how it makes fun of itself by leveraging all the romance novel tropes and story personalities imaginable.

It is not all about romance, though. From the get-go, Lost Romance sets up expectations of a dramatic corporate power struggle between family in the real world juxtaposed against Xiao En's romantic adventures in the modern romance novel world.

In a way, trying to fit the corporate family drama and the romantic novel world into a 20-episode long series may be the show's main flaw. The real-world link to the novel world is never really explained. Some sub-plots feel poorly developed, like encounters that seem to lead somewhere but end up nowhere. Certain character development appears half-baked like Tian Jian's and Ming Li's sudden personality changes.

Still, what the show lacks in logic, it makes up for with enjoyable cheesiness, warmth, and charm. The show's strengths are the unique premise, attractive leads, and a funny, witty script. Plots about characters cross-traveling from reality into a fantasy world are nothing new. However, Lost Romance is the first one I watched that has the female character starting off as a malicious supporting character in the story and changing her destiny to become the female lead. So it felt fresh to me.

The two drool-worthy male leads, Marcus Chang and Simon Lian were major draws for me, but it was really Vivian Sung who kept me binge-watching. Her Zheng Xiao En was funny, happy-go-lucky, spunky, and adorable, and I found her very relatable. Being an editor of chick-lit romance novels, Xiao En had many funny reactions to the twists and turns of her storyland situation. I enjoyed watching how she determinedly and unapologetically attempted to change her fate by disrupting the cliché romance plot and its characters. Ever so handsome, Marcus Chang probably had the easier role as the good-looking CEO. Still, he was good in his dual roles as the domineering and arrogant Situ Aoran and He Tian Xing, who was more composed, sophisticated, and intelligent. He emoted well, showing character differences subtly but clearly enough for one to see his transition from the flatness of Aoran, the story character, to real-world Tian Xing, someone with more emotional depth.

The chemistry between Vivian Sung and Marcus Chang was easily the best element of this drama. Both of them had some crackling dialogue, and their love scenes were the most convincing of any couple that I have seen recently. I loved their banter, and the skinship and kissing felt so natural and real that I felt like I was intruding into their intimate moments. While I did not get how Xiao En can fall for Aoran so deeply and completely when he was more of a strategic target at first, but I can appreciate how much he lifted her up and vice versa. They showed each other how much they deserved love, even the parts that they wanted to hide. As that mutual understanding developed, the progression of their relationship felt organic

As the charming, sweet, and companionable Qing Feng, Simon Lian gave me second lead syndrome. Unlike other shows, though, I did not end up pining and wishing for more for his character. Qing Feng got his own lovely happy ending that felt just right. I was glad that the show did not spin up a female character just for him at the end, or even worse, pairing him up with Chu-chu, the initial female lead turned second lead. Speaking of Chu-chu, Snowbaby portrayed the annoyingly delicate, soft, and innocent "white lotus" so consistently that I have to give her kudos for it.

The OST is fantastic, and the show has done very well in combining background music with poignant moments. The music certainly elevated the scenes and moods for me.

Ultimately, all I can say is that if you have not watched Lost Romance, you should definitely consider giving it a try. I cannot recommend it enough.