JhovLovesYou

I actually attempted to watch this way back in 2024 because of Jun, but 15 minutes into the very first episode, I was already bored to death. I thought I should try it again another time because if I forced myself to watch it, I might just end up hating Jun's acting. 😂

Now, in 2026, I came back to it, thinking I was finally ready. During the first half, it caught my attention because it gave me a bit of the same vibe as "A Love So Beautiful," and I'm generally into childhood friends who eventually fall in love.

I. Positive Feedback

— The first few episodes were actually very interesting. I especially enjoyed the high school parts.
— Zhang Miao Yi (Xiao Tu), as usual, nailed her role. I love her!
— Jun did well with his acting. He wasn't very stiff.
— The side characters, like Yin Zi Han, Jiang Juan Juan, Jia Si Wen, the homeroom teacher, and the parents, made the drama more enjoyable. (I'm talking specifically about the earlier episodes.)
— It's not overly dramatic and is generally very light.
— The ML isn't the typical handsome, intelligent childhood friend who turns out to be a walking red flag. I love how caring he is toward Xiao Tu.
— It's not the typical "stupid student suddenly climbs dramatically up the rankings" kind of plot, so it felt a little more realistic to me.
— It's not the typical spoiled, overly emotional son who acts out because of a lack of parental love. He actually handled the conflict quite calmly.
— Great chemistry between the couples and friends.
— Yin Zi Han added a lot of color to the drama.
— The relationship between the two main characters developed very smoothly and naturally.

II. Negative Feedback

— Interesting at first, but boring later.
— Some additional characters introduced later, like the new roommate girl and Xiao Tu's additional love interests, didn't really add much to the plot. They felt unnecessary and just made things messier.
— Some subplots felt forced, especially the storyline involving Jiang Hu and the biker guy. I felt like the production tried to add some angst or "conflict," but it wasn't done smoothly and ended up feeling kind of pointless.
— There wasn't much character development for the best friend, Jiang Juan Juan, and she honestly started to annoy me in the later episodes.
— It's a long drama with quite a lot of fanservice.
— The FL's chemistry with the 2nd ML (Yin Zi Han) is actually much stronger than her chemistry with the 1st ML. (their chemistry as a trio is really good, though. I genuinely enjoyed the three of them together)

III. Actors/Characters:

JUN (Ling Cao)

Jun did well handling his role. Tbh, I can't call him a great actor here, but he wasn't bad either. I was actually afraid to watch this at first because I thought I was going to see another Cha Eun Woo-type performance in 'Gangnam Beauty' or 'True Beauty'. Good thing he proved me wrong.

So far, I'm satisfied with his acting here, although I wasn't as impressed as I expected to be before watching. 😂 I actually forgot that he was Jun while watching, which means I was able to set aside my Carat side and just watch him as an actor.

ZHANG MIAO YI (Xiao Tu)

Zhang Miao Yi was one of the reasons I enjoyed watching this drama. I love how perfectly suited the role was to her. I mean, this is her forte, after all, so I don't have many complaints about either her acting or her character.

She's honestly one of the loveliest C-drama FLs out there. I find her even more charming than the FL in 'A Love So Beautiful'.

XIONG AO BO (Yin Zi Han)

"My MVP"

He unexpectedly caught my attention. I didn't like him at first, but his character development slowly drew me in. His chemistry with Miao Yi was so strong and natural. I thought he was going to get on my nerves, especially because of his initial reason for approaching Xiao Tu. But I ended up giggling every time I saw him slowly falling for the FL himself. He's so funny and adorable! 😂

Sure, he was still childish even in the last episode, but I also loved how he was not too forceful with his feelings and just realistically pursued his dreams instead of following the girl wherever she was. He eventually accepted that his feelings were one-sided, let go of his initial desire to beat Ling Cao, and simply wanted to be a reliable best friend to the FL.

I really loved that character development! ❤️

I honestly wish he could get a similar role but as the main character. I love him! He's actually the reason I kept watching. I was hoping to see more of him in the later episodes, but sadly, he only appeared in the final two episodes as the hero who helped resolve the conflict. T^T I wanted more!!!

LV ZHAO (Jiang Juan Juan)

She was very adorable at first, but she really started to annoy me later on. I like her acting, but I didn't like the lack of character development for Jiang Juan. She remained so childish throughout the drama.

HAO ZHU YU (Jia Si Wen)

I think he nailed the nonchalant characterization even better than Jun. He's good! I also really loved Siwen's character development. It was very evident and solid.

— Other Interesting Character: CHERYN LIN (Xu Ling Long)

Her added "villainous" role actually contributed to the plot. It didn't feel forced, and I found her storyline interesting. I also liked how her character developed later on.

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Is This Drama Highly Recommended?

'Recommended', yes.
'Highly recommended', not really.

If you just want to take a break from very angsty or overly dramatic series, this is a perfect drama for you. It's basically a light and typical love story about two childhood-sibling-coded friends, their cute moments, and how their feelings gradually develop.

Or, if you're a Carat and a big fan of Jun, you might enjoy this drama even more. Just set aside your parasocial attachment to him while watching. Otherwise, you might end up overpraising his acting while blaming or hating the female lead. 😂

Good watch, though!