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mamamon23

Philippines

mamamon23

Philippines
Hidden Love chinese drama review
Completed
Hidden Love
7 people found this review helpful
by mamamon23
Aug 5, 2023
25 of 25 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 10
Story 10.0
Acting/Cast 10.0
Music 10.0
Rewatch Value 10.0
This review may contain spoilers

its simplicity delivered a superb, binge-worthy drama that will leave you smiling and feeling good!

What I like about this series is that it really is a very simple plot line. A young girl's admiration developing into a crush then to a puppy love then the love growing as she matures and eventually getting her happily ever after. I like how the interaction between the characters shows the difference as they grow/mature. The initial stages, the interactions of DJX and SZ are like an older, doting brother taking care and indulging a younger sister. Just like a different version of Sang Yan - SZ's real brother who happens to be his best friend in school. Whereas SY often teases and makes fun of SZ when they are together and is portrayed as being brash and a bit cocky, DJX is the caring, gentle and warmer brother. Though he is indulging her, he makes sure to still teach her and correct her behavior when needed - like when he told SZ to (1) pay attention in class when he helped her by pretending to be her older brother so her parent wouldn't know that her teacher requested another meeting, (2) how she should act when she gets confessed to - study first as she is too young, but to thank the other person for having an interest in her and to either accept or not to hurt him but to politely reject the other person's interest if she does not reciprocate the feeling. Not that SY does not indulge her, SY just has a different love language shown to his sister. When they met again when SZ was in college, you can see how DJX starts seeing SZ as a woman, not just a younger sister. You see him starting to fall in love with the adult SZ. You then get to join their journey from their courtship to how they lay the foundation of their relationship and how it (their relationship) and they (SZ and DJX) grow as individual and together as a couple. In today's society of instant gratification, I especially love how they brought back the art of anticipation during the courtship period. Qian Fei had a point when he asked Jiaxu why he is still decided to pursue his girl when he knows she likes him and they could have gotten together then. I like that they build up the anticipation of them becoming together. The kilig moments in this series is just *chef's kiss*. (KILIG is not misspelled, its a Filipino term that I think best describes the situation in the drama. It refers to the feeling of excitement or elation one gets in various romantic situations like making eye contact with your crush, holds for the first time, your first kiss with someone you are romantically interested in and other situation like that. I may have mucked up the explanation, Google it if you must.) They did great in making their experience in their courtship period very relatable, makes the series more endearing because it somehow reminds you of your own experience - remember the scene when SZ was telling her girls about her and DJX status and ending up giggling with each other and laughing and being silly about it? I was smiling along with them, like its a secret between us sisters!

I am not the biggest Chen Zhe Yuan fan out there but I must say HIS ACTING WAS SUPERB in this series. I've seen his other works and they were good, don't get me wrong. Boy can act, but he would not be the first actor I would have in mind had the character of Duan Jiaxu been explained to me before seeing this drama. As CZY mentioned in their special, this is the first time he is acting as an older brother/senior. I think he really pulled it off. He has shown DJX being playful, teasing SZ and even his friends, being cold to Jiang Ying, being indulgent to young SZ, being cutesy and loving to adult SZ. I love how even his eyes are delivering in this series. If you watch how he looks as SZ from start to finish, you can see how even they way he looks at SZ had changed as their story progressed, especially how his eyes looked when he kisses SZ at the later episodes. I especially like the scene in the airport when SZ confessed she liked him since she was a kid. You can see in his whole facial reaction that DJX was having a whole flashback of (1) what had transpired in that very airport when SZ went there in HS - what SZ said, what he said, how SZ reacted and cried and (2) when he picked up a drunk SZ from a bar and she shared her secret about liking someone. You can see minute changes in his face as realization dawns on him.

Whereas I am not a big fan of CZY, I love, love, love, love, love Zhao Lusi. Other than those that have not been aired yet, I have not see (clips in YT included) only 4 of her works. She is one of my go-to actresses when I want to rewatch a drama. I love how she portrayed SZ in this series. She had shown a different SZ in each stage of the series. From being a young, bratty, spoiled princess to growing up and being a mature young adult. I love how for the most part, she looks timid but she knows how to stand up for herself. I like how they showed in the drama that even when she is in love with DJX she has not lost herself and her priorities.

This is the first time I have come across Victor Ma and I must say, I love his voice. He played Sang Yan so well, I could not imagine another actor playing SY. He and Lusi has such great sibling chemistry. I love that despite being brash and a bit cocky and always teasing and making fun of his sister, he is his number one protector - remember the scene with the bully when SZ injured his leg? and when he picked her up at the airport when SZ went to Yihe in HS? and when he visited Yihe and SZ was getting bullied at the office where she was interning? I absolutely adore that the show still reflected his love language for his sister.

I could go on and on about what I like in this drama and it will make this review waaaay too long. So overall, I love how even though the plot line pretty simple, all of its cast and crew delivered a phenomenal job. I can go on an elaborate episode per episode what I liked about it. Suffice to say, after this drama aired its last episode, it has been a constant repeat whenever I want something on to pass time. I think I've watched this 6-7 times now since it last aired. That's how much I love this.
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