Reviews

Losing Control to _ove: Finding the Missing Key

🍑🌸❄️"After that day, it feels he has put a spell on me. He unlocked the secret of my desire....And all those years he made me long for more... He drove me crazy in my mind...I spent 6 years in this shameful, hidden relationship."🍑🌸❄️

The drama begins with Shang Zhitao's point of view with the quote above, and then it flashes back to the beginning when she met Luan Nian. I have to admit, I am completely captivated by Luan Nian. He is everything. He is seductive. He is tough, but he is soft.

🌸As you watch the drama, you will notice the director uses repetition to highlight key points. For example, the leads pass each other, going in opposite directions, several times. The first time is when the FL goes to her job interview. In the first scene, she is a rookie. Her hair is in a ponytail. There is a bounce in her step. As she passes the ML, she looks at him, and she looks back. In one of the later episodes, when she went in to turn in her resignation, her hair is in a ponytail, but she is no longer a rookie. Her steps are not bouncy. They are determined. She passes the ML; she doesn't look at him. This shows a change in dynamics.


🌸The title, THE EARLY SPRING, brings to mind thawing ice and tulips growing from bulbs that have been dormant during the cold winter months. Think of the male lead, Luan Nian, as the thawing ice and the female lead, Shang Zhitao, as a blooming tulip fresh out of college. Even her English name, Flora, correlates with the theme.It takes time and endurance for love and ambition to reach their full bloom. The early Spring is a time of new beginnings and growth. It is also a time of rebirth and relates to the second chance at love for the leads after a time of separation. Just like the tulips remain dormant only to bloom again in the early Spring, Luan Nian and Shang Zhitao will have their second chance.



🌸Main Characters🌸

💗🧊💗 Luan Nian is a highly successful and brilliant marketing director with confidence in his own ability to control and manage those around him, as well as his self-control. He thinks through problems logically and strategically. His character is complex. His actions show he has an emotional attachment to Tao, but he will not admit it to himself. He represents the illusion of emotional control. His logical mind didn't account for the missing key and the concept that love has no rules. But I love his character. He is my favorite in this drama. His words can be harsh, but he shows his affection for Zhitao more easily than she does. He is tough on the outside, appearing detached and stoic, but at times, so tender and caring to Zhitao. I would say he fell first. The problem is that he wants to be in control. He asks the question, "Can you control your feelings of love?" While he thinks he has self-control, he comes to realize that Zhitao shatters his control. When he falls in love with Zhitao, he doesn't want to admit it because he doesn't know how to deal with the vulnerability that comes with emotional love.


NOTE: Even though his character is sophisticated and controlled, it is Luan Nian who makes me laugh out loud at his unexpected and spontaneous actions. He is blunt! He is shocking! He is bold! He is daring! He is petty 😂 And he is addictive!

🌷🍑🌷Shang Zhitao is the female lead who first appeared as a fresh graduate with average academic standards. Luan Nian rejects her as an employee, but due to circumstances, she is nevertheless hired by the company. On her first day at the prestigious firm, her boss, Luan Nian, bluntly tells her she is not suitable and will not survive in the field. Instead of backing down, she works hard with determination to achieve her goals. Shang Zhitao represents women striving for independence and career goals. She is cautious not to jeopardize her career for her relationship with Luan Nian. However, she does not share her problems with Luan Nian and tries to work things out herself. He helps her when he does find out, but it also bothers him that she doesn't call him for help. Zhitao is a character to be admired for her resilience and perseverance. She is brave. She pushes forward even though she feels vulnerable and inadequate. She becomes someone respected and admired in the workplace and even impresses Luan Nian. Shang Zhitao's vulnerability was that she never felt she was good enough.



🌸The Metaphor of the Antique Typewriter🌸

The minute I saw Luan Nian meticulously dusting off his antique typewriter. I knew it was special. Not just to him, but to the theme of this drama. My parents had one of these, and I know the keys of the manual or antique typewriters work differently than the keyboards we use today. The keys need to be pressed with some control. If you press too hard, they stick or will not bounce back smoothly. If you don't press enough, nothing will print. The typewriter represents Luan Nian and his control. He operates his business deals with the same mechanical precision, and he believes in managing with a system of rules. It also mirrors the way he approaches Zhi Tao. He knows not to pressure her too much, and he knows when to back off when she resists him.

In episode 1, Zhi Tao accidentally knocks the typewriter off the pedestal at the end of Luan Nian's desk, and it shatters on the ground. It was shocking! The pieces went everywhere. On the pedestal, it represented his controlled world, but shattered on the floor, it became a visual symbol that he does not have the control he thinks he has. He reassembles the typewriter, minus the broken L key, and puts it back on the edge of his desk, where it sits precariously, waiting to be knocked off again 😱 Zhi Tao notices the L key is missing and finds a replacement key for him. The key is not a perfect fit, and he types. "You don't have to be perfect to be worthy love." I think it's the fact that she helped him that made him accept the key as is. The question is, what does the L represent? It could be "love" as it is missing from their relationship, and it could also be for "Luan" once he accepts that love is a necessary part of a relationship.

In a nutshell, the antique typewriter represents Luan Nian's controlled, ordered life . He prides himself on his control. But his well-ordered life sits precariously on a pedestal just like his typewriter.

🎶FAVORITE OST🎵

💗 Her ( Liu Yuning)
💗 Lady Snow(Jingfei)
💗 Peacheyblossom's playlist with English lyrics https://mydramalist.com/761231-zao-chun-qing-lang/discussions/154870-the-early-spring-full-ost-with-eng-subs-lyrics (copy and paste the link)


💗The Relationship 💗 "Can You Control Your Feelings of Love?"💗

The attraction is undeniable. Luan Nian wants a relationship with Zhi Tao, but he doesn't want the complications of emotional attachment. She wants to be with him. She doesn't want her career affected, as he is her boss. It is important to her to succeed without the stigma of taking shortcuts. But she is also unsure about being in a relationship with him. She resists. He pursues.

He challenges her with the question, "Can you control your feelings of Love?" At first, I thought there was an error and the meaning was lost in translation because why would a man who doesn't want emotional ties use the word love? The translation to the Mandarin word, xi huan, is like. Perhaps he really means "like" in the romantic sense, and maybe that is why it was translated as "love." He feels he has control over his emotions, and he knows she has feelings for him. She tells him she can control her feelings. The irony of it all is that Luan Nian already has feelings for Zhitao. It becomes obvious quite early in the drama even if he doesn't say it.


Luan Nian and Zhitao agree to an exclusive relationship. Can we say "friends with benefits?"

And then there were 3. Around episode 15, the addition of Luke🐾💗 became a symbol of unity and almost immediately softened the barriers between Luan Nian and Zhitao. They became a little family.


🌸Significant Quotes🌸

Tan Mian: You are a typical case of wanting something but being scared.
You didn't want her to cling to you,
yet you are afraid that she doesn't care about you.
Mr. Luan, you lost it.

Luan Nian: You don’t have to be perfect to be worthy of love.

Shang Zhitao: As much as I longed for love, I was still struggling with reality.


💗The Reconciliation💗

I will not go into the events that led to the separation. The journey had challenges but was filled with many beautiful moments and character development. The reconciliation spanned from episode 22 to 24. Luan Nian patiently waits for Zhitao to accept him back into her life. The conversations, the emotions, and the love that shone through their eyes when they looked at each other made this a beautiful part of the drama. I will not go into the details of the proposal, as the surprise will leave you smiling.
As for the typewriter that fascinated me from episode 1, I was thrilled to see a part of it make its appearance at the end. It was all so perfect!
"Their love survived the bitter winter, and finally welcomed the early spring.
From there through the blazing summer, they entered the brightest season of their lives.
And that warmth will never fade."


💗🌷💗The Early Spring is a powerful portrayal of love and relationships. It shows how two flawed people can hurt each other, evolve through years of separation, and finally stand as equals, proving that while we will never be perfect, we can always choose to be better.

We don't have to be perfect to be loved.

Read More

alls well that ends well (feat. yummy zen)

Not going to do a full-fledged review since this is just one episode, but I really appreciated this special episode. I hate when a BL ends and we don't actually get to SEE the couple be a couple. This episode did that perfectly. They fully let us fangirl and seethe in jealousy over the perfect adorable relationship these two have. They also included the NC scene(s) that I usually crave from a special episode! Zen also looks SO sexy in glasses and that brown hoodie hello. i completely get why he can act like an idiot now... if i were ryo i'd let him get away w/ it too

Read More

Classic and Mature Japanese BL (feat. HAH????)

Fake fact lips, emphasis on the LIPS my god. key tags: rivals-to-lovers, office romance, childhood friends

Story 8.5/10: I read the manga and this live action was a surprisingly faithful adaptation. There aren't an overwhelming amount of cliché or cringe-y scenes, and I actually found myself laughing out loud a few times throughout. Some episodes are better than others, but overall, it grows really well and I found myself enjoying later episodes more than the first few, which can be hard for BL dramas to really hold your attention over a span of ten episodes. I enjoyed the length and pacing a lot.

Acting/Cast/CHEMISTRY 9.0/10: Okay, sometimes they over do the whole yankee type accent. Never in my life have I heard such an intense HAH???? as many times as in this show. But the acting was really quite good, they play the characters really realistically and don't over-do it very often. And Ryo and Zen have great chemistry, especially on Ryo's side I fully believed he was completely head over heels for Zen. Also, I LOVE the actor who played Young Ryo, he was perfect. Despite being introduced late, Futami did a great job as well! (Also, props to Zen's actor when he "passed out" for a second on the desk in episode 5, I genuinely gasped out loud I thought he really fell lol)

Music 6.5/10: Omg, this is my biggest gripe with the whole show. Some of the music was SUCH an odd choice and it was so distracting. For some scenes this loud clown-ass song would be playing over everything, or some dramatic ballad and it was like bro can we please just watch the damn show.

Rewatch Value 7/10: I could see myself rewatching this show at some point.

OVERALL 8.5/10: Would definitely recommend watching.

**Spice Meter 9/10: Wow, for a JBL this really took things to the next level. In general, Japanese BL's can be a bit shy with NC scenes but they did not shy away at all. Ep 3 had me gagged. And their KISSES are GREAT. However, I'm giving it an 9/10 because some of the scenes did kinda lack a sort of passion? And did sometimes come across as a bit awkward. But overall, really really happy with the intimate scenes in this show. What a treat.

Read More

Watch this with an open mind and patience, and you will be blown away :)

This was fantastic. I think the way they brought everything together in the last 10 episodes was genius. The ending was so clever, and definitely left it open to a sequel so they should you know...get on that lol.

Special shout out to Joseph Zeng. The entire cast did great, had perfect arcs, amazing chemistry. The bromance was chef's kiss. Joseph Zeng's performance was incredibly special for me. The emotional range that he possessed in this drama was on a another level. If he wasn't making me laugh he was making me cry. They put him through it in this drama and met every challenge to perfection. He's such a great actor, and I really need to watch more of his stuff I was very impressed.

No negatives, not even a nitpick, my fave Cdrama of the year by far. Watch it, but watch it with an open mind, and patience is my advice.

Read More

I don't know how the actors got through this one!

What the hell happened to this show?? It could have been so good. I get the ML's mother was a bully, however for the FL to not chase her son once she found out is just ridiculous. Also, the ML, wth he doesn't have a problem with his mother essentially stealing his son!!! and none of it gets addressed, and it just ends. What an absolute waste of time. It started off really good, and I like both leads (though she often eats with her mouth open and you can see food - that may be just me though and be a personal irritation). The actors all did what they were supposed to do, and did it well. I feel sorry for them, because by the end of it I felt none of them deserved to be happy except the ex-girlfriend, the 2ML and the son. The passiveness of the ML and FL was just enraging and pathetic.

Read More

Epic Love Story

If I can give this series a higher grading I would, the story and production was top notch. The characters are complex with each having their point of view of what social class should be. Love has no social standing, the heart wants what the heart wants which brings us to our main characters Tin & Phob. Their forbidden love is the center of this series, can their love withstand the social class pressures when their love is discovered by Prince Vasin and Nual of each respective households. Phob must battle his love for Tin on two fronts, Tin’s family and his mother who thinks being a servant to the Varakulvathin family is their duty.

Read More

Feels like watching a 1990’s old school romance novel.

I really enjoyed this drama for the “old school romance” feel which is completely taboo in today’s society. I want to compliment the director and writers for creating a story that has an old school feel but able to not cross the line and pass Chinese censorship laws.

Both ML and FL had so much chemistry together. At times the FL seems weak but she waits and then fights or crawls back out of her bad situation. she doesn’t pin and wait for the ML to return. She ends the relationship when she doesn’t need his money to pay for her studies. She tries to move on and finds another marriage partner. She doesn’t use her previous relationship to try and gain favours.

Read More

IT'S MASTERPIECE with WILLIAMEST

The first episode of You Maniac is exactly what fans of WilliamEst have been waiting for ever since their electric chemistry in ThamePo. They're back, and this time their new dynamic feels like a challenge: two "red flags" caught in the same story.

The series' biggest strength is its cast and their undeniable chemistry.

William (Dean): He brilliantly portrays a character far removed from his real-life personality. Watching him transform into a carefree flirt who never commits to anyone is fascinating. His Dean is cocky and charismatic — and that very confidence becomes his greatest vulnerability.
Est (Moth): He's a perfect fit for the introvert who's tired of being noticed. His Moth is withdrawn, mysterious, and sharply perceptive of fakery. Est masterfully conveys his frustration and his refusal to be just another conquest. Together, they're a collision of two worlds — and watching that clash is utterly captivating.

You Maniac starts off promisingly. It's not just a cute romance, but a complex game with clearly defined rules — and neither of the main characters is perfect. The first episode does a great job introducing the characters and setting up the intrigue, leaving you wondering: who will actually win whom over, and when will pretence turn into real feelings?

If you've been waiting for WilliamEst to take on something fresh, edgier, and more mature, then You Maniac is exactly what you need. It's already shaping up to be one of the most talked‑about new releases. Highly recommended if you love stories with intense dynamics and layered characters.

Read More

Not great and not just because of the bad sex.

I think anyone coming into this series would have to be illiterate to not know about the bad nc scenes, but since I am fully literate I was prepared and ready to watch what has been described over and over again in the comments section and other reviews as the worst nc scenes in the history of bl. I will say that sex scenes in jbls are pretty rare and in the handful of jbls I've seen with spicy content none of the sex scenes have ever been good so even without reading the comments I would have known not to expect too much. With that being said, these sex scenes were atrocious. Legitimately, I don't think the actors workshopped or had an intimacy coordinator on set. Their sex chemistry was 0 points. For the majority of the nc scenes neither of the actors seemed to even want to actually touch each other--they were constantly bundled up in bath robes, clothes, blankets... They seemed pretty deadset on having a physical barrier between them throughout the scenes which begs the question why they were even doing them in the first place. From my understanding this series is based off of a manga and an anime so the actors should have had a clue in on what the content of the show was going to be like so why did they sign up for it if they weren't comfortable with filming nc scenes?

Next problem (and I will admit this was entirely my own bad), I was expecting Fukami to be a slutty uke. He's not. He says early on that he doesn't like dating apps or random hookups with strangers, he only likes having sex with people he knows. Even if these are just casual relationships, it's hardly 'naughty' imo. He doesn't have any kinks (at least none that were talked about in the show), was against bondage, and only has vanilla sex. So apparently the only reason why he's naughty is because he looks pretty when he takes his glasses off which was very disappointing to realize. I really like characters that have hidden personalities and I was expecting Fukami to go from shy nerd to sexy slut, but no, that was not the case. He is a shy nerd through and through. I supposed I could have done my research on the matter before jumping in with this expectation, but the title is Naughty Fukami, who would have thought that he isn't actually naughty in any sense of the word.

Last beef with the series. I really hated the formatting and pacing. I get that week to week releases makes more money for companies since it requires viewers to renew their subscriptions to keep watching, but that doesn't mean the show needs to be filmed like a tv series, just make a movie and cut it up into small pieces. Having to watch 10 mini plots play out, with a lot of rehashed drama I might add, was so tedious. The show didn't need to have that many sex scenes or that many break up arcs. Every episode played out the same story with slight variations and it was boring. It would have worked out way better if there had just been one singular story arc that was stretched across the series instead of this sorta episodic format that presented the couple with weekly problems.

Now, was there anything I liked about the show? I guess I liked the actors, Kaji looked like a chubby little hamster and Fukami like a little mouse and I thought that was cute. Nc scenes aside, I thought they did a decent job in their roles, especially the heartfelt and crying scenes.

General info for anyone wanting to know:
• Is it spicy/nsfw? Yes, the series show the full sex scenes, but there's barely any nudity for... reasons.
• Is there a love triangle? Nope.
• Is there noncon or violence? Nope.
• Is the anime or manga worth watching/reading? Wouldn't know, haven't seen either of them and I'm probably not ever going to.

Read More