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Naito Shuichiro Makes It Watchable

Cute premise and starts out fairly strong then becomes less interesting for a couple of reasons. You might enjoy this if you're looking for something kind of cute, awkwardly funny, light & easy, and with one really good lead actor.

The most disappointing thing for me was that the sincerity of character attraction felt one-sided by the actors. Naito Shuichiro acted in-crush then in-love so convincingly. You could see the intensity and depth of emotions in his eyes and his face was full of nuanced reactions. Compared to him, Seto Toshiki felt miscast as the main character. He did okay at the beginning with the simplicity of being in awe of his idol and nervous, but his portrayal of deeper emotions fell flat. He became more and more of a disappointment to me as the series went on. (Also his bleached-orange hair didn't suit his timid/self-conscious character and was distracting; poor judgment on someone's part.)

The story itself became more boring as it started to rely on clichés to keep it going. If it wasn't for Naito I probably would have stopped watched sometime during episode 6 (out of 8).

There were more physical interactions to build tension than there were affectionate ones after the characters fell for each other. I might not have felt the lack of physical closeness as much had Seto been able to match the affection and desire Naito showed with his eyes.

I did think the end credits were very clever as they they showed a little bit more of the background scene with every episode.

There were multiple moments of second-hand embarrassment that made me cringe and want to fast-forward, but I am fairly susceptible to that. There were a few non-cringe comedic moments too.

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Well done and interesting dom-sub undertones between leads

(I rate vertically filmed micro dramas on their own sliding scale.)
A strong production and a very different story (at the time it came out, it has been repeated multiple times since). I didn't fast-forward anything. A darker/grim story (the main male antagonist, aka SML, is involved in human trafficking for sex and organ harvesting).

To me there were some strong dom-sub undertones in the dynamic between the leads all the way through; it was captivating. ML has the air of a predator but he's not sadistic. FL could be considered a rabbit but she's smarter/sharper than most. There are multiple moments of sexual tension and intimacy. After their first time, the FL mostly welcomes his advances and participates a bit. Kisses are mainly lip presses to small movements but often intense.

Expansion on synopsis:
A student intern needs money to pay for her dad's medical fees and decides to sell some eggs. She accidentally dials the number for the ML doctor who has her come over and scares her into promising not to sell eggs or organs ever. Later they run into each other when she's serving drinks at a bar and gets sexually assaulted and the ML saves her. The ML keeps being drawn to the FL and continues to help her out. The ML becomes the color in the FL's colorless world.

General spoilers below.
It did get a little old that the FL was so strongly swayed by the words of SFL and the ML's mother, determining she wasn't worthy of him and giving up on them instead of listening to the ML who said his world/life meant nothing without her.
I was happy to see in a flashback that the leads actually planned and worked together near the end.

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Fun dynamic between leads as a fantasy (yellow flags IRL)

A vertically filmed micro drama (I rate these on their own sliding scale). General spoilers further down. I thoroughly enjoyed this, but it won't appeal to all. I'll definitely watch again.
The writing, acting, and directing presents everything in a slightly humorous way, which lightens things up and makes the interactions and reactions fun. Both lead actors are fantastic. The ML is extremely domineering and occasionally manhandles the FL but is not violent (no slapping, choking, sadism, etc). He does raise his voice and can have an imposing or threatening demeanor, and the FL is afraid of him in a flustered way. To me, both actors did it in a way that wasn't heavy and both had great comedic timing that played into the fantasy of it without making it feel uncomfortably real. There are some sweet moments between them too.

The FL is super clumsy and shy but earnest, cute, and a good worker, and the ML is sometimes exasperated/miffed yet drawn and attracted to her. He does ask her questions and gives her a chance to explain things in different situations before judging her, which is rare! He grows suspicious over time that she is keeping something from him but continues to give her the benefit of the doubt. He steps in to help and/or save her a couple of times.

This story does multiple things slightly differently than expected (in the micro drama genre).
One of them is that the ML continuously chooses to gives the FL the benefit of the doubt (as mentioned above).
Another is that no 3rd wheel wanna-be pretends to be the woman the ML slept with when drugged.
Another is how the FL acts when drugged; not only does she become aggressive with intimacy, she also gets more dominant with a hazy predator look in her eye (their starting scene is the first time I can remember seeing a FL grab a ML's throat in that way). The two leads have great chemistry and seem comfortable with each other (underneath how they act as their characters). There are multiple moments of sexual and/or romantic tension and a couple great, realistic kisses with small to medium movements.

General Spoilers below:

Expansion of synopsis that sets up the story:
The FL works as one of the ML's assistants and the two of them end up drugged and sleeping together one night. The FL wakes up first and sneaks away. She knows the ML hates women who try to seduce him, so she is comedically afraid that he will think this of her and run her out of town if he finds out. The next day the ML tasks the FL and his main male assistant to find the schemer who stayed with him in the hotel. He suspects that it was manipulated by his stepmother. The FL's best friend, who also works at the company, helps her cover up the evidence (surveillance and hotel workers). Over the course of the story the best friend continues to advise the FL to cover up the truth, afraid of retribution. Thus the lies get bigger and the FL gets more and more flustered, especially as she starts to like the ML.

There is also:
Family debt that the FL is trying to pay off, a contract relationship that slowly turns into more, an unexpected pregnancy (that the FL wants to keep), later in the story there's a 3rd wheel for a bit (the ML's girlfriend from the past who comes back to the country), drugging of the FL and attempted rape, and a kidnapping. Still, for a vertical drama, things don't feel overly crazy. The focus remains on the interactions between the leads.

The ending is sweet, ends with a kiss, and is satisfying enough; it's not long, but it didn't feel rushed either.

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Potentially Frustrating, Character Study, Sweet & Angsty, Dreamlike, Great Chemistry.

(General spoilers only.) The atmosphere and sweet tension are alluring but there is more character based angst than a viewer might initially expect. If you like character studies and growth you might enjoy this. Love is the main theme and catalyst, but this story is about more than just romance.

Very General Spoilers below.

Things that frustrate some viewers (but didn't frustrate me, as I explain further down):
- Vague sense of time and non-linear flashbacks.
- Night continuously struggles to understand his own feelings and then communicate them.
- Dream is avoidant as a self-preservation mechanism.
- Love triangles.
- The ending is positive but a bit rushed (this one I agree with).

I like character studies and there is an interesting symmetry between Night and Dream: Night mentally "runs away" while Dream physically runs away. They often hinder themselves from getting what they truly want because of their personal coping mechanisms for fear. I found watching them navigate that interesting, pretty realistic, and meaningful.

I thought the actors did a great, naturalistic job, and got me emotionally invested in their characters. The magnetic pull of affection and attraction between Dream and Night is palpable.

Namwan, Night, and Day seemed kind of unlikable shortly after being introduced to them, but as more of their character was revealed, the more I was able to empathize with, and like, them.

Night DOES have character growth but the process is messy and everyone, including himself, gets hurt. A lot. But Dream contributes to that too. Both Night and Dream are young and still figuring life out, so that came across fairly realistically to me.

I didn't mind the love triangles in this so much because they really do serve a purpose in propelling Night's character growth forward. Especially since there aren't that many episodes in which to tell this story. Night has to get to a certain point emotionally and mentally so he can gain clarity, self-resolve, and purpose in the whole of his life.

The cinematography and editing felt dreamlike in a way that I was surprisingly not annoyed by. There were partial flashbacks that, after awhile, would be returned to with more of the flashbacks shown. They also aren't shown in chronological order, so they add to the *feel* of the past relationship without having to tell the full story. It was slightly confusing at first, and then it drew me in and I was able to roll with that and the unspecified time skips through the series. Reminded me of how it feels when just waking and mentally replaying bits of interesting dreams and trying to remember what connected them. It wasn't linear but it all tied together in an atmospheric way. I'm not sure if I've explained it well, but it worked for me.

My only disappointment with this show is I wish the ending had had more to it. It was sweet but just too short to fully balance out the tension from the whole series and the recent heavy feels. If the show had frustrated me, as it did some viewers, then the ending probably wouldn't have been enough to soothe that and leave me in a good mood.

The reason the professor gives for not passing Night's thesis is realistically ridiculous and requires suspension of disbelief.

MEDIUM General Spoilers below.

If the following resonates with you, you may find this story moving, as I did. If not, you may find Night, and even Dream, annoying (as some reviewers do):

Being unfamiliar with, and confusing different types of love. Never seeming to be able to meet parent and teacher expectations. Not receiving approval or emotional support from family members. Sibling rivalry. Worrying about and being stifled by societal norms. Severe insecurities about self-worth. Being so scared of more failures that it hinders trying for desired things.

Dream's biggest flaw is his main coping mechanism of running away and ghosting.

I may not rewatch often, but I know that I will want to watch again.

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Two Friends Moaning On Every Bite Of Food.

If you like watching other people eat while exclaiming their exaggerated pleasure loudly then I would recommend this, otherwise there's not much there. It's kind of cute but I mainly found it annoying. 50% of it is over-the-top "OMG" noises when eating and 40% is yelling/screeching so the 10% when anybody talks normally I had to briefly turn the volume up for before turning it back down again.

EVERY bite of food (or drink) is the SAME level of moaning/squealing inducing "orgasmic", lol! Rice with mayo is just as amazing as a gyoza with kimchi and cheese, or a sip of beer, or a sundae, or ramen with vegetables, or a plain baked sweet potato, etc. It's ridiculous and boringly repetative. The only thing that got a normalized "yum" was the corn soup (likely because it had an emotional tie-in with the characters' joint history).

General Spoiler below.

The movie also felt like only part of a story. It's a slow burn bromance that barely grows before the movie is done. The characters individually come to some conclusions about how important the other is to them in a way that is alluded to vs spelled out. With each other, they confirm they will continue on together as they have been without really saying why. And that's it. The movie does stop at a good pausing point, but that's not very satisfying as an ending.

The acting is decent except Aki is vocally childish. There's not much plot or script that isn't noise for the actors to work with so it's a bit difficult to ascertain their talent.

Cinematography was good and soft.

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Slow. Sky and NC Scenes Are Reasons To Watch.

The sceenplay is weak and slow. You could probably watch Ep 1 to get started then skip to Ep 5 or 6 without too much trouble because Ep 2-5 are repetitious and extremely slow burn. Ep 6 is when things start to get somewhat more interesting and emotional. I'm speed-watching about half of this and don't care that much about the two side couples.

The screenplay should have spent more time on the backstory because there's not enough weight and reason behind the brief flashback we get to believably be the crux of Venus's fallout with Sky.

The actor Tod playing Sky is surprisingly good, noticeably better than everyone else once the script actually gives him something with some layers to work with. He's got micro-facial expressions and nuances in face, body, and voice, especially when things are more emotional. He successfully tugged hard at my heartstrings even though the script is not well written. He has potential and I would be interested to see him act again, especially with a better script.

Once Sky and Venus get together there's even less plot but they actually act like boyfriends (unlike a lot of BLs where one partner acts disgusted by anything physical). Sky is in love and horny and they have a lot of sex. And a lot is shown. Someone commented somewhere that the show could have just been called "Sky in Venus", lol.

The two actors are pretty comfortable with each other but the chemistry feels one-sided; Tod successfully conveys attraction and desire (outside of intimate scenes as well as during) but Cheque struggles with this.

Cheque as Venus is pretty flat. It kind of works for the character (who's cautious and has his defensive walls high) but it's obvious that he's a newbie actor. He's not awful, but because he's lacking nuances he gets boring.

I may watch the intimate scenes here as a bandaid of sorts after watching an unsatisfying BL series with disguised homophobia (any where the "boyfriend" thinks physical, or even romantic, intimacy is gross).

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Comedic Melodrama Odd Mix, Worth 1 Watch For Leads.

General Spoilers only. The interactions of the two lead actors make this worth one watch. They are endearing even when their characters are written frustratingly. Without them I would not have enjoyed this series much. It starts as a romantic comedy, then spins into a melodrama, then whip-lashes back.
Story: Ep 1-7 are 7.5/10 but Ep 8-10 are 5/10. Acting 9, Chemistry 10. Nothing great or distracting about cinematography or music.

The story itself is trope heavy but mostly cute, though the character Shang Zhou is rather pushy (the cliche excuse is that he's never learned how to communicate feelings). There's a lot of tension with physical (and mental) attraction between the leads.

The storytelling starts to fall apart in episode 8. Up until then it's very obviously a comedy with an over-the-top feel. It's not my favorite type of humor, but Hsiao Hung as Shun Yu has very dynamic facial expressions with a good sense of comedic timing and did make me laugh.

In Ep 8-9 the melodrama starts to build and gets really heavy. It does pull at heartstrings thanks to the acting, but it’s also annoyingly unnecessary. The angst requires a lot of plot contrivances in addition to miscommunication. The dialogue doesn't sound natural or realistic because the plot obviously needs certain things to remain un-said.

In Ep 10 it's like a switch is flipped and all of a sudden we're back to romantic comedy without a care in the world for realistic technicalities. The bits with Shang Zhou's mother were weirdly contrived/written and completely awkward. The only thing I liked was that we got a good amount of screen time with the leads being happy together, though I had to just throw up my hands to roll with it.

I would easily watch the lead actors if they were in another show together, but I probably won't re-watch this one.

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Well-Crafted, Practically Perfect Romantic Drama With Rom-com Feel.

I loved the strong female lead; both the actress and the way her character is written. The actress had great comedic sense and portrayed a wide range of emotions with nuance. Her eyes are very expressive. The male lead is well matched with her and they have great chemistry. He was good at acting stoic as the character with emotions underneath the surface. I couldn't always tell what the emotions were, but I could see they were there. I also had second lead syndrome (for the actor and the way the 2nd male lead was written) and I liked the way the triangle was sorted out in the end.

Consistent build of emotions and tension through all 8 episodes. Did not fast-forward through anything, even the third time I watched it. The blend of sweetness/cuteness, humor, desire, pining, love, and angst lead to a very satisfying experience. There's a lot of well done comedic moments, many of which nade me chuckle or laugh out loud. I'm especially impressed with the consistent undercurrent of emotional angst that was built on easily believable emotions, perceptions, and misconceptions based on story situations. Yet the plot never felt forced. The angst was so well balanced with feel-good moments that it didn't make the series feel heavy, even though there was a lot of it. It was satisfactorily resolved, so it hurt perfectly!

The ending is a clever twist on a common rom-com cliché and was very satisfying.

The mostly instrumental music fit very well and there were some beautifully shot scenes. The script and dialogue are very natural and didn't have any clichéd lines (at least none that I remember).

Ep 7 is from the ML point of view.

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Better Upon 2nd Viewing.

Updated Jan 2024. I watched this again knowing that I had found both characters really unlikable the first time, and was actually able to appreciate the story more. So I've raised my rating from a 4.5 to a 6.5.

While both characters are morally dark grey (cheating and coercion/dub-con/stalking), Otomo does have character growth. The changes are incremental and very subtle until the end when his actions suddenly make the extent of his internal growth obvious. Upon second viewing, I was able to empathize with his character a lot sooner (40min before the ending instead of 7min before).

Imagase, on the other hand, has no growth and is not fleshed out. He was just as 2-dimensional in my second viewing as he was in the first. Also, it's hard *not* to feel like whatever misery he feels, he brought upon himself (multiple times). He may be kind of pitiable, but I still struggled to sympathize with him because he was just one thing on repeat: an obsessed gay man who was very insecure about his straight friend/lover whom he kept pushing into an intimate relationship.

The way Imagase is written remains my biggest dissatisfaction with the film.

As with the first viewing, I was not that invested in the characters because, first, they aren't likeable, and second, because their connection lacks depth and affection (there doesn't seem much reason for them to like each other except for maybe being able to be comfortable around each other, which isn't nothing, but there's not a lot of that shown either). However, already knowing what I didn't like about it, I found the second viewing more mentally intriguing and enjoyable, and was able to better appreciate how the cornered mouse metaphor came into play throughout the story.

Another thing I was able to roll with better the second time around was the very loose sense of time. The movie somewhat disjointedly jumps from scene to scene and exact markers of time (days, weeks, etc) are never mentioned. Knowing where the story was going allowed me to string things together in my head. For the first watch, it was like reading a book with chunks of pages torn out at random; I could piece the story together, but it felt like multiple scenes were missing.

The sex is very realistic and the atmosphere created with light, colors, and cinematography was very well done and cohesive.

GENERAL SPOILER On The Ending:

......

It is an open ending, but I think the pattern of what will happen is pretty clear, only this time there's more hope for stability in it. The only thing left in question, in my mind, is when.

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Weaknesses Kept Pulling Me Out Of Immersion.

Slow yet mentally intriguing. I really wanted to like this but the frusterating and unbelievable aspects kept accumulating and pulling me out of being immersed in the story. Mentally I was really intrigued by the premise and curious about what would happen so I kept watching. At 7 episodes in, however, it was not really engaging my emotions.

Update: I completed the series on 11/19/23 and episodes 8-11 were the best to me. The story was more focused and things did start to get emotional, mainly due to Bright's acting as Yai. There's also a little less stupidity by characters overall. I did love the change in family dynamics with the mother, that was one thing that was written well. The intimate scenes were full of love and emotions and beautifully shot. I appreciated that the eroticism of undressing each other was frequently included.

Ep 12 was rushed, choppy, not explained well, and thus not very satisfying. The set up for a second season was interesting though and I will probably give it a try out of curiosity if it gets made.

The director and screenwriters have worked together before and their weaknesses are consistent throughout their work. This series is their strongest work to date though. Maybe it helped that they had a whole book as source material to work from.

There's a lot of telling vs showing. It's like we get the highlights but the stuff in-between is skipped over so sense of time is really muddled (and not in an intentional way). Characters will say things like 'we've been together a while now' or ''you've been avoiding me for a while' or 'since this time' and we see the most recent example of being avoided but not the multiple times leading up to the current conversation. Because of this, the emotions of the characters feel rather shallow and mercurial because we don't get to experience the building of their emotions in-step with them.

We see Yai's process of falling for Jom over multiple episodes, but not the other way around. Yes, Jom has to go through some things/emotions before he can fall for someone new, but Yai is obviously drawn to Jom like a magnet and that doesn't feel reciprocated.

At the same time, the way the story is directed and shot is super slow. I would have dropped this series if I didn't have the ability to watch at 1.5 to 2 x the speed. And even then I still skipped through some bits. So the script could have fit in more examples of the main characters interacting and growing their connection with each other.

There's also a huge lack of self-preservation instincts in an era that was even less accepting of queer relationships, which is unbelievable enough to pull me out of the fantasy they are spinning. Especially since they are depicting social sentiments in a serious manner and in-line with an older era. So to have a 20 year old young master (Yai), with a very strict and traditional father, and frequently in the spotlight, who is not at all paranoid about showing affection out in the open or in broad daylight (but will jump apart and act nervous when caught), is ridiculous to me.

GENERAL SPOILERS below.

Example, in a later episode Yai's dad confronts him about his relationship with Jom and tells him his man has been watching them. Yai is alarmed and nervous and says "we never do anything explicit in public". Yet, even knowing the above, the very next day he has his arms half around Jom & is holding his hands out in the porch on the river in broad daylight when, gasp, someone "unexpectedly" comes upon them. JUST like someone did before at that exact spot. It's so reckless it's just dumb and obviously contrived by the writers. It makes the characters seem way less believable AND of low IQ to boot! *Facepalm.

Other things that keep pulling me out of the story:
Jom is acted pretty woodenly and he comes across as a simpleton the way he's written, directed, and acted (seriously, the amount of times he's asked a question and takes 10 to 40 seconds to answer while there's not much going on in his face or behind his eyes is frustrating).

Yai is supposed to be 20 but isn't written or acted like he's that young until a much later episode when young naivete and determination bubble up.

Robert is reportedly able to be charming because he's won over Yai's father, but all we and everyone else sees is a very obviously bad man, which makes that important plot point unbelievable. (And it's a missed opportunity to make in interesting two-faced, charismatic but dangerous antagonist.)

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Satisfying In All Aspects!

(No spoiler until the bottom of the review)
This is the most fulfilling series! The acting, script, cinematography, music, production value, everything! The show is not 100% perfect, but it still FEELS like a 10/10. The mood it set, the tension that was built, the deep bonding between characters... it hooked me immediately and kept me enthralled throughout. I didn't fast-forward through anything, it was all worth watching.

Everyone is perfectly cast! Gun especially did a fantastic job as the two twins White and Black. His energy, the way he carried himself, and the look in his eyes were so distinct between them. Phenomenal acting. All the characters, even the secondary ones, felt like fully-fleshed people. The script, acting, and directing all supported this. I became invested in almost all of the characters! And I loved the different group dynamics.

I loved how this was done: It's hard to describe but it felt like the focus was on the slowly built bond and trust between White and Sean, NOT on the romance of it. Yet when it did become romantic, it was immensely powerful because of how carefully their connection had been built up. It felt so real/realistic and filled me with warmth, happiness, and satisfaction.

The politics of the story was interwoven very well with the plot. I appreciated that it often gave arguments from opposing viewpoints and mostly didn't feel too heavy-handed or preach-y. Instead it was easy to invest in the group's goals and root for their cause, even if they had disagreements amongst themselves (or with others) on the best way to go about it.

Most of the time I wasn't conscious of what the background music was doing. I like that because it means it was an effective support and not a distraction. Whenever I did notice it, it fit perfectly to enhance the emotions I was already feeling.

I already know this is a show I will watch again and again, at least once a year. It has filled my heart full of feelings and prompted some thoughtful thinking.

GENERAL SPOILER on the ending:
I liked the ending. It felt like a natural lull in a story that would continue. A time when our beloved characters are in a good spot even though their fight is not over. They still have goals they want to accomplish but we are able to be hopeful with them. It felt like a satisfying end to the show but didn't feel like an end to their story. Beautifully done.

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So Poorly Executed And Toxic Relationship

Through ep 5/8. Struggles with writing (dialogue, plot, and characters), acting, music, and heavy-handed makeup. It comes off like it's trying really hard but has ended up campy.

Max and Nat do have good chemistry, but that's not enough for me to think positively of this series.

Possible trigger warning if you've ever been in an emotionally abusive relationship, or with a narcissist, or someone who uses an illness to compell you to stay with them.

The script is juvenile. Dialogue is shallow, cliche, repetative, and awkwardly unnatural. Like, "Don't overthink things. It's probably nothing to worry about... You should take this time to really think about your feelings and things." But you just said to stop thinking? *Facepalm.

The plot is convoluted and requires a ridiculous amount of suspension of disbelief. There's a lot of generic/bad elevator music and it's really obvious in spots.

The main character Yi is a compulsive manipulator. It casts an uncomfortable shadow on all the romantic scenes thus far; it feels more like purely selfish coercion. Because of Yi's long-standing and blatent disregard of Khondiao's mental and emotional well-being, it's difficult for me to enjoy the pressured-seduction heavy plot (which is a trope I often enjoy). More on this under the "general spoilers" section at the bottom of review. I really didn't like the emotionally abusive way Yi treated Khondiao in Cutie Pie and he's just as bad here. Though he's supposedly trying to make up for his horrible past treatment, Yi's current approach still includes lies and misdirection, and is not respectful or even thoughtful of Khondiao. *His actions, both previous and current, do not match his sweet words.*

Nat shows some potential as an actor and I'd really like to see what he can do if given a decent script. I most enjoyed the moments when his character starts showing some backbone and pushing back. There's a fire behind his eyes that makes those moments engaging.

Max's acting hasn't improved from Cutie Pie. He postures a lot and his emotions stay on the surface in almost everything he does. In other words, he's not good at pretending. He doesn't internalize and embody what his character experiences.

I am impressed with NuNew; how he manages to infuse such sincerity into his few, inanely-written lines here is beyond me, lol.

Now onto the emotional (and sexual) manipulation. GENERAL SPOILERS below.
If Yi doesn't remember any of his relationship with Khondiao, then it's so not romantic for Yi to all of a sudden start getting heavily sexual with Khondiao. The audience may know that Yi's miraculously and quickly gotten his memories back, but Khondiao doesn't because Yi is purposefully keeping that from him. From that perspective Yi is just a guy, with no emotional attachment, trying to get into Khondiao's pants. And going after that hard. Yi forces attention on Khondiao, and while Khondiao tries to put up boundaries, he keeps relenting to the seduction and sweet-sounding words because he's trauma-bonded and co-dependant on Yi, thinks he loves him, and is touch-starved. When really, there has been nothing redeeming about their relationship for years (or ever).

The approach written for Yi to take in this series is not putting things to rights in a way that is at all respectful to Khondiao. I can't believe Yi truly loves him. To me there is nothing sweet in that dynamic.

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Tightly woven, lots of feels, and fully satisfying.

(I rate vertical micro dramas on their own sliding scale.) General spoilers only.
The best I've seen of this plotline so far (July 2025). The script, acting, and directing were excellent. Everything felt so natural and the old bond and magnetism between the leads was palpable. So many nuances and layers in emotions. And the emotional and mental shifts the characters go through were very believable, realistic, and paced well (in a natural, un-rushed way). There were many shifts for the leads, but especially the ML, and his face was so expressive, even when there were only subtle changes. The dynamic between the leads had fluctuations too that really drew me in. There were more times of the leads acting almost-at-peace or equanimity with each other than in many other versions. It wasn't all negative feelings for most of the show, which I appreciated.

The love/hate dynamic and actions were very well balanced too. There is bullying and manhandling along with forced kisses, but also pondering looks and flashes of concern from the ML. Things never went too far (in my opinion) to make his character irredeemable. He is not as cruel as some other versions I've seen. Quite the opposite; he was very empathizable. Even when the ML was bullying the FL he would stop escalating things at a relatively low point (compared to other versions) and he still stepped in to protect her at times. His internal conflict was evident.

And I loved how there was a good amount of time of the ML softening towards the FL, even thinking about letting her go so she and her son could be happy with the SML, before he knew the kid was his.

Multiple sexual tension moments that were quite intense and quite a few really good kisses. The actors seemed comfortable with each other and played off of each other very well.

The multiple misunderstandings in the plot make sense (none were too far a reach to stray from believability and didn't feel like the story was forcing them in) and were resolved well.

There was a contractual marriage green tea who wanted to be more, but she wasn't over-used in the plot. The amount of screen time she got was good and not a main focus.

Story is tightly woven. I didn't fast-forward anything, and re-played multiple scenes as I watched to really absorb all the micro facial expressions the leads gave.

I watched on iQIYI in August 2025 under "Inescapable Scorching Love" and the background music was quite good; it fit well.

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Naturally sweet romance; two people finding their way back to each other after many years.

A vertically filmed micro drama (I rate these on their own sliding scale). General spoilers only below. Really sweet while staying natural (not going over-the-top), and fully satisfying! The focus remains on the developing relationship between the leads. A calm yet captivating story, especially for those who enjoy slow-burn, long-standing crushes, and rekindling love. There's pursuing, wooing, and flirting as well as supporting and comforting. A bit different than most vertical dramas I've seen, and well written. Mostly from the FL's POV, but there are times with the ML's POV interspersed throughout.

Both leads are good people, genuine, and faithful to eachother. I was easily and fully invested in both of them.

The acting is great (especially Wang GeGe as the FL; her eyes express so many nuances), and the chemistry is palpable and consistent throughout. There is some skinship, hugs, face caresses, and face/neck kisses. No direct lip kisses in this one but I didn't mind in this instance because the romantic and physical tension was satisfying even without them. There are a few suggestive lines of dialogue too later in the story. The FL is enraptured with the ML's hands, he knows, and it's fun to watch him use them to flirt with her.

Characters act and speak like people in real life might, even the jealous ones. There are no crazy plot shenanigans (there is a little drama here and there but it stays within the realm of plausibility), no violence (apart from a couple of punches), no abuse, no family hate, no long pointless arguments, and no mistaken identities. While there is a 3rd wheel wannabe for the ML, she is not given a lot of screen time or power, and the guys who get crushes on the FL are respectful and get minimal screen time as well. There is one big misunderstanding from back in highschool that takes a while for both leads to open up about, but that is also approached believably.

An easy recommendation for fans of relationship-focused romances. I expect I will also re-watch at some point.

I watched on a licensed channel (浪漫短劇社Romantic Drama) with good English subtitles in Nov 2024: https://youtu.be/OVjp4QDx128?si=fE1zgYw2emTuw-gC

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