Transhumanism meets a living version of Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray.

The script for this drama is one of the best done on this topic to date. No doubt this is a view of what is to come in dramas. Initially, it is unclear whether this is AI-induced or if is it simply opening a portal for parallel concurrent "men" to pull their other selves. For most of the viewing audience, this is probably not a concept they are familiar with. As a link to the use of AI, it is based on the idea that an AI can be controlled ie pulled from a mirror.

Advanced AI takes on an independent persona and quickly exceeds what the "inventor" intends which is one of the issues in having no laws governing the use of AI in limitations....a topic for another day. AI has been around since the early 1950s so most applications to date have been invisible but all are tied to the "transhumanism movement".

In this drama, only a portion of the personality is captured in the AI model....which implies that your personality is segmented within a person versus a set of integrated characteristics. Also a topic for another time.

My very favorite part is the exploding mirror images toward the end. As it was dolled out over weeks, going back to watch the full series in one sitting allows you to catch the details we miss in this choppy viewing model. In part, it takes a few episodes to figure out what is happening. Of course in true Asian drama style....it is all about men changing new ways to continue the archaic practice of following their "tiny tim" into the lives of a host of women....except for their wives of course......so for this to be a Chinese drama....well all who are researchers in Chinese culture know that this is a centuries-old male clown act driven by a sense of entitlement to thousands of women from the concubines/consorts of dynasty times to the 21st-century mistresses and Erani (second wives).

The women characters are the real stars of this drama as they are the investigators, the group that holds up the morality in the saga (well except for the off-the-shelf typical Chinese MIL character). They work together without striking one another and embody the millions of professional Chinese women globally of today. Overall it was very well done for the first time.

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Why is a cheating spouse rewarded??

There is nothing new or special about a storyline that creates a 'happy ending" for a cheating spouse and mistress. To drag out the cheating for over 50 episodes reinforces that marriage vows are just "suggestions" versus a commitment. The damage of a cheating partner on the children, extended family, and loyal partner in this series are simply side concerns of the cheaters. Cheating is a character flaw in an individual that is not only present in relationships....but a cheater is untrustworthy as an employee, or friend, and they will cheat again on the next partner. After decades of this theme in dramas, we now have generations not getting married and for those few that are, most are not having children. Children and loyal spouses are always the victims of cheaters left behind in real life and in all dramas that sanction this behavior. When will producers stop funding this storyline??

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Every now and then,, you just need a great chick flick!

This review has germinated for several months. Why? For me, the real test of a film that just makes your heart happy is tied to sustaining that viewing after viewing. "Hidden Love" as a script far exceeded the original story by adding character depth, a first love romance that most women remember, with ML/FL actors that fill the screen with emotion and...let's be honest, amazing visuals....but it was more than that. The entire cast ensemble created a story synergy filling in all the spaces in a series of interwoven plotlines with a director's sequence expertise that is missing in most dramas.

The relationships of siblings, parents, friends, and those college roommates we all had that have remained in our lives since our first dormitory room long ago. Scriptwriters who bring humor, sadness, conflict, and growing pains into each episode are rare in modern dramas but fortunately for the producers of Hidden Love, they took you on a concurrent journey through the storyline and our memories of similar moments in our coming of age from high school through our college years.

I could spend time exploring the chemistry among Zhoa Lusi, Victor Ma, and Chen Zheyuan, but each episode pretty much speaks for itself as we travel through the years watching the dynamics of these three grow individually as people and together in romance, friendship, and as siblings. An older brother protecting you growing up creates a very special bond that transcends time. The heartbreak of thinking our first love "couldn't wait for us to grow up" before finding someone was a sequence of emotional events that was handled so realistically you could feel her despair right along with her. The only aspect of this drama I would have to say I found disappointing was when it ended without a clear possibility for a follow-up season.

The story of this drama would be incomplete without congratulating the marking team who created a BTS series of videos that kept viewers engaged between episodes and added depth to the drama in getting to know the detailed work that went into the final product. Watching actors having fun while focused on their craft and supporting one another is rare. Those captured moments made each actor shine as people versus only seeing them in the roles they are portraying. I have watched this drama several times and purchased it for special friends who I know will be drawn into many of the college antics pulling from the collective memory of my college roommates and classmates. Happy Viewing--Hope

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Why??? How??

Why?? After watching short episode versions I decided to take the time to watch the full drama. My expectations were neutral as the short episodes left you with a big "maybe"...his rom-com could be a fun experience or like nails sliding across a chalkboard. The chalkboard scenario was the clear winner. The FL was ridiculous whenever she was in a scene. Of the hundreds of high-potential young Chinese actresses to select from, the mystery question is more about the casting director than the actress (who was painful to watch). It leaves you wondering if the scriptwriter has ever met anyone in this highly competitive industry. The poor FL would never make it through the academics . Slap-stick comedy, when positioned for effect can be amazing. Too bad the director didn't seem to grasp this concept. The FL's screeching voice, ultra-poor eating habits, and inability to deliver a performance for 30 episodes were, after episode 9 share torture to watch. Usually, in a rom-com, you don't feel sorry for the ML but it is easy to shift to pity and compassion for him as his role was a support role to the antics of this unskilled, poorly directed, or a combination of both series. His portfolio of work is well done....except for this series.

How?? Once in a while, the decision-making of producers, scriptwriters, directors, and agents of actors comes together to create amazing stories frame after frame. Of course, there is always the potential for a "dark side" to balance the "bright lights" of rewatchable stories. It is difficult to hold actors accountable as their role is to speak words they do not write at the direction of men/women hired to produce a final product that attracts large viewership. I looked at scores for this rom-com on 4 different platforms. It did well on some and tanked on others. A swing this large in viewer ratings when averaged together moves this drama to a 5 maximum final score. It is always sad when there is so much untapped potential left out of a drama.

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Is March of the Concubines Next??

The cheating men ending up with the whores they cheat with is an overdone storyline. In the 21st century, it is disappointing that this is the extent of either character development or scriptwriting. Next, will it be the march of the concubines for "old time's sake"? It is difficult to watch a full drama when after each episode, you feel the need to shower to remove the stench from narcissistic cheating men....and she-whores whose only real talent is in seducing married men (apparently the single men are too smart to get into these fancy personal brothels) based on the she-whore's family money.

This wife should have sued him and the whore for adultery and let them serve time while penniless. Scriptwriters should read more about legal options. The next time the government issues the low marriage rates and zero population growth statistics.....just remember dramas like this that flood the media waves and wonder why two full generations have figured marriage and children as the cornerstone of the traditional family values is personally worth it. Disappointedly Hope

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Leading Men Roaming in Relationship Confusion.

So much untapped potential it was a never progressing story. Baffling! Are there just no scripts of consistent value to be made? Is this a supply chain issue in the entertainment industry??

Four college friends....so far so good...start their professional lives...ok, I know those individuals.....start different careers in the same city......got it, exciting times in everyone's lives... been there, lived that.....THEN....enters the first idiot.....well every woman can identify with that on some level....but seriously to then pass him around----said no woman ever on the planet, "Sure go ahead and date my best friend since you are clearly a cheating untrustworthy guy"........and if you live long enough to get to episode 33/34 when he then beats both your best friend and her brother....... seriously??? This is the dribble that goes on for 1,575 minutes.

Dual career couples where only the women are asked to take second seat white three geniuses take off to pursue intellectual property theft....the ever-popular "but I have to move for my career" excuse, and "I must abandon you at the alter to find myself"...and who could forget the ever popular, "sorry honey, I really love you, but since I am a criminal who did leave you for dead in my apartment---I gotta go serve time". ,,,, even the "terminally ill boyfriend" chooses to abandon the "love of his life" so he can die alone.....

Conclusion....scriptwriters of this series do not know any professional women in relationships with professional men who, when in committed relationships, make joint career decisions planning for each carer and what is best for them as a couple. The CEO who "had to go to Beijing" and then simply stopped calling her....well how do you think he ditched the other two ex-girlfriends that came back to ruin his life or "re-capture" him as a love partner? ....notice he only dates women in the company he is an executive......and abandons all three. How in the name of blue sky is that a hero????? In a movie, to have the lead male character attract women for no obvious reasons.....well, I guess we are just supposed to use our imagination to wonder what magic he has that is not visible in actions, words, or physical appearance. Hours of undeveloped script potential....so sad.

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Is Marriage Necessary for the21st Century Woman?

This male lead was a pig from the beginning.....and remained a pig plus to the very end. There are many things a professional woman will tolerate...cheating and stupidity due to ego are not among those attributes in a man. "Love is a luxury" was the best line in the entire series. The 21st-century professional woman, unlike her sisters of previous generations, are well educated and financially independent. Both these aspects of our lives afford us options that our mothers and grandmothers did not have. So the real question in the 21st century is no longer tied to marriage for security.....but to the role, marriage does or does not have in our lives. Each woman makes this decision for herself as she pursues her authentic life. Ironically....these dramas are based on the old paradigm. This duality of female perspective is well developed in this series with insights of this transition in many of the comments of the mother-in-law. When she discussed her husband's adultery and her sacrifices to take care of the pig son lend s subtle set of ideas to wonder about in watching her son simply repeat the behaviors of the father.

Divorce is commonplace and most professional women globally, if the woman marries, once divorced, rarely remarry a second time. Unlike their male counterparts who are cutting a "filly" from the herd to marry as soon as their current marriage is in trouble and before the ink is dry on the divorce certificate, they are heading down the aisle to the alter again. It is always interesting that the rich full independent lives of these professional women in this drama didn't prove worthy enough of a continual season of stories. I guess dramas are not ready for the realities of the 21st-century woman. Cheers, Hope

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Sequels are Challenging

This series came into being with a challenge. The first series "Until We Meet Again" was a great yet complex script with masterful direction which made it easy to keep the time shift between past life and this life organized for the viewers. This series has much of the same cast, the scripting is very weak with slow-moving progress in each storyline. The delayed rollout onto other platforms such as iQIYI was probably not the best strategy for this series. Had there never been “Until We Meet Again” this series may have had an easier sell to a wider viewership.

The secondary couples are what draw you back for follow-on episodes. When Samantha Melanie Coates (Manow) is in a series, she always brings fun and sunshine to every scene she is in. Her partnership with Bosston Suphadach Wilairat (Pruek, the third swim coach) is a very innovative (almost unexpected) match and one that I hope appears in a future series (not a third season of this current story thread--- let's end this here). Sood Yacht Patsit Permpoonsavat (Tul, a member of the swim team) and O Puwanai Sangwan (Wan, Win's older brother) are lively in interviews with a very cool vibe.

Benz Panupun Vongjorn (Prince) and Tae Weerapat Toemmaneerat (Bee/Bumblebee) the final secondary couple started out slow, but their momentum shifted in an un-noticed script transition. Prince introducing Bee to skin beauty products---well just too fun. If you haven't seen Benz Panupun Vongjorn Duean (Prince) in the series “Coffee Melody” (2022) it is well worth your time. I probably would have missed it but as we* were researching for other roles the secondary couples were in, we* started through his portfolio of work.

Much to our delight, when we* were seeking expanded portfolios for Born and Zee (from Cutie Pie and many other options) we* watched the comedy “Rose in Da House”, with Born and Zee plus others you will recognize from BL dramas. It was hilarious. We* rounded out our search last week by watching the "Be My Boyfriend 2 " concert. Both Boun and Zee were performing with 4 other BL stars in "boy band mode". Boun has a great voice. Seeing these actors in expanded performance roles makes you appreciate the full range of their talent. Today, someone sent me the trailer for the 2023 “Zomvivor Series”…another comedy with BL stars including Boun and Zee. The trailer was funny…mostly to see these actors as themselves in comedies is such a change…just watching their antics makes you laugh out loud.

Bottomline…we* got to episode 10 and will certainly see it through to the end, but unlike “Until We Meet Again” this won’t be a “re-watch” for us. Let me be very clear….this is just our view (and we review dozens of projects a quarter). This is in no way a criticism of the actors (which we like and now have viewed most of their full portfolios of work). In today’s marketplace, there is so much competition for a viewer’s time (and we are often asked “what have you watched lately you would recommend”. We* recommend what we have seen that felt at the end of the series/movie that it was time well spent. NOTE: This is one reason we* took the time to seek out the full portfolios of these actors. We* wanted to be able to make recommendations from their portfolios to give them continued visibility of their work.

*We clarified: Usually there is a small group who gets together for “viewings” of various types of movies/concerts/documentaries etc.*

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