Be Passionately in Love

Beautiful Chemistry, Wasted Passion

Now that I’ve finished the drama, I can finally give a full review and I have to admit, my feelings are quite mixed.
At first, I was completely drawn in. The story had a peaceful, comforting tone, and the chemistry between the two leads was undeniable. I absolutely fell in love with Wang An Yu — his presence is magnetic, his acting sincere, and he truly carried the emotional weight of the show. The plot, while simple, was exactly what I needed: something romantic, light, and soothing.

However, there are a few things that really let me down. First and foremost, I’m very disappointed in the casting decision. Choosing a lead actress who doesn’t film kiss scenes for a romance drama — especially one that’s meant to *express passion*, was a huge mistake. She’s beautiful and talented, and I don’t blame her personally, but it honestly destroyed a lot of the emotional payoff the story was building toward. The chemistry was there, but without any real physical intimacy, the passion felt incomplete.

To make things worse, the final episode didn’t land the way I had hoped. The wedding was lovely, but the scenes *after* the marriage — while maybe realistic — left a bittersweet taste. I wanted a romantic high point, something fulfilling, but instead it felt a bit flat and even a little disappointing. It wasn't the satisfying ending this couple deserved.

This drama had all the elements to become one of my favorite c-dramas: a compelling love story, a visually stunning cast, and a strong emotional base. But the missed opportunities — especially the lack of any kiss scene — were frustrating. What could have easily been a 10/10 ends up as an 8.5/10 for me, saved mostly by how amazing Wang An Yu was and the overall enjoyable tone of the series.

I’m honestly a little angry that such a beautiful couple and passionate story were wasted like this.

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Be Passionately in Love was a drama with a good core storyline but ruined by lazy writing, poor dialogues and disconnected screenplay.. Even the dubbing was bad.. The one redeeming factor was Wang An Yu..

The first half was very disappointing.. It just didn’t connect with me.. Once again the issue was lazy writing.. This drama could have been salvaged easily if the writer had simply done his job with a bit more effort.. The no kiss issue only added to the drama’s problems.. I heard Liu Hao Cun had a no kiss clause in her contract.. But there is no official confirmation yet.. If that’s true she honestly shouldn’t have been cast in this role.. What is she doing in a drama literally titled Be Passionately in Love if she can’t kiss?? It just felt inauthentic. It’s true that passion doesn’t necessarily require kissing or intimate scenes.. But this drama was already lacking and abrubtly cutting those moments didn’t help its case at all..

The second half was definitely stronger than the first and the last few episodes were genuinely good..

All that said.. I still liked the drama.. Yes, it fails in execution.. But I appreciated it for what it tried to be.. A story about two teens dealing with realistic problems.. Family issues, uncertain futures and misunderstandings caused by a lack of maturity.. Another highlight for me was the absence of the usual annoying SMLs, Creepy characters hitting on people already in relationships, forced breakups and last minute patch ups.. It was clear they didn’t want to rely on the typical overused tropes and I genuinely appreciated that.. It even had strong, well written supporting characters..

“What I want might be a bit greedy..
It’s a passionate and unwavering love.. One of a kind.
It has to be just me.”

Wang Anyu really needs to consider changing his agency or start being more selective with scripts himself.. Because this isn’t the way to build a solid career.. His last few dramas haven’t been particularly impressive and that’s unfortunate given his potential.. Hopefully his upcoming roles will reflect the kind of actor he is capable of being..

Overall, Its a good drama if you can look past the shortcomings in the writing and screenplay.. Like I said earlier, the absence of the usual overused tropes was refreshing and that alone makes it worth a watch for those tired of overly familiar cliches..

P.S.. I totally respect her choice but I hope Liu Hao Cun stays away from dramas with romance as the main plot..

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What Was This???

This series was given the wrong name. It should have been “man loves with whole heart while selfish female walks all over him”.

I stuck it out hoping against hope that the last few episodes would show both of them fully committed and making an effort to keep their love passionate and committed. But this turned into a man who loved a woman who had the emotional capacity of a six year old.

I read a couple of reviews that said this was nothing like the book, and if I was the author of the book I would be incredibly sad at how a drama that started out with so much potential fell - no plummeted to the sidewalk like an apple dropped from the top of a skyscraper.

Three of the cast were stellar. the ML (Wang Anyu), ML’s little brother (Fu Bohan) and the ML’s mother (Dong Xyan). The rest felt like they were grabbed off the street to fill a role because the actors quit. It was a miss match of acting ability, and robbed the story even further of its potential.

The music was good. Especially the OST. It’s a little haunting and mysterious, like love.

The script? It’s hard to say what it was originally like, and what ended up being edited and left on the cutting room floor by censors.

I don’t like leaving bad reviews because every persons work deserves to be looked at and recognized for their efforts, but this was poorly done. Casting, editing, chemistry - all fell short. There was too much focus on the FL and very little on the story between the couples. It held very little resemblance to its title. There were hints at resolving old parental wounds on both sides, and while the ML confronted his, the FL’s started and then just stopped. No resolution, nothing.

I feel for the author and the three actors I mentioned before. So much potential and talent - wasted.

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Biggest disappointment of 2025 / Cringe-fest / I blame the casting director

==Breakdown==
Background plot - 20%
Romance - 80%

Background plot - Good
Romantic chemistry - THE WORST I'VE EVER SEEN (despite the ML attempting to carry the show by himself)
Production value and direction - Excellent

I really loved Liu Hao Cun in 'Derailment,' but this role is not right for her at all. I would go so far as to say this is the most miscast role of all time. The title of this is 'Be Passionately In Love' and the FL is neither passionate or (as far as I could tell by episode 18) in love. Reading through comments it seems this actress doesn't feel comfortable doing any kiss scenes or physical intimacy on screen? Then... why the heck did she take this show? She singlehandedly ruined what should've been an epic modern romance.

And what a total waste of Wang An Yu's talent. I felt so bad for the actor during literally *ALL* of their scenes. It's like he's acting all alone in this one. Poor guy. :-\

Basically, it's a great story, great music, great cinematography and direction, etc. etc. etc. ruined by a flat and soulless performance by the FL. Despite my admiration for both actors' previous performances, this one was legit hard to watch, I was cringing more and more, and ultimately had to drop it.

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Romance drama but without romance scene

First I see what Tencent will be airing 2025. I got so hype because this drama include in it.

The theme of the drama which is based on novel and which I have read them for couple time, was how couple of teenagers cruising the life into the adulthood like how they prepare to national exams, university life and adult life which have tons of responsibility. Plus, their eye point view on their parents life. Of, course the most important thing I wait this drama the 해방적인 teenager do when they falling in love.

In the acting perspective. I must declare first that I have no beef with Liu Haochun, she can potray Xu Zhi robot expression since Xu Zhi is apathetic because her mother issues (in novel her mother project is being held and the worker's salaries unpaid which they camped outside Xu Zhi's house even do a moral kidnapping by brought their few months old baby there.) Unfortunately, Li Haochun didnt do the romance scenes, she definitely misscasted here. On the other side Anyu acting OMG after the heart breaking drama "Such a Good Love" he take more light but challenging since Chen Louzhou aka Dog Chen/Chen GǒuGǒu and Chen Jiaojiao is complex male teenager that requires Anyu potray that emotion. His eyes spark with emotion, Anyu such a rare actor since not many can acting with their eyes.

The green screen Aigoo wrecked all the emotion that build. The lighting OMG its going to blind me not only they whiten the screen fir dreamy effect but the light. Even if the riding scene are fake please do teach the actress how to body acting ride motorcycles. If the body stiff like that, when the accidents happened the body cant handle properly the shock and will end up in Trauma Centre.

One of the worthy in this drama is the ost and bgm. Zhou Shen and Wang Anyu voices can tempted you to stay longer.

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It's good drama ,soft drama❤️‍? Edited this little bit off sometimes

At first I seen negative comments but of course they have their opinions but if your only saying only watching 2 or 3 episode then it's not fair it's actually so good when it comes in 8 th episode,I was like when is next episode? Iam really hooked with it.

Next about story ,the story is about a two 19 yr old leads male lead is chen luozhou he is like a bit cold outside but soft inside character,he have good skill in photography,basketball and female lead is xu zhi she is not like other leads who act cute if she is already cute in her face but she is a brave girl,who is good at studying they meet unexpected and become friends ,he will fall for her at first sight eventually she will too there are second leads they are a fun ones. More i will describe when I watch full

Male lead is one of my favourites Wang anyu ,I liked him in forever love and fly with you,he is actually an fun chilling guy ,and handsome too.

Actress is liu haocan , actually i didn't watched any other drama because of the story line ,i watched a movie of her with song weilong it's good ,she is effortlessly beautiful i realised in this drama ,she has an cute charm ,feels like she will act only like cute clinging characters but she acted majority of her dramas like a brave girl ,in this drama also ,she can ride motorcycle that's really cool.

Now iam here again watching full episodes,i completely liked the story ,of course iam also here for Wang anyu like others he did his best ,he didn't had any problem in this drama,now fl iam not taking anything away above off her I like her personally bcoz of her beauty ,but still she didn't have to choose this drama if she can't do kissing scenes i feeled like this drama will be a bit and this drama make Wang anyu more famous ,but unfortunately the kissing scenes issue really made a lot impact in this because of fl ,she can act in thriller crime things not romance ,the ml who act with her in romance drama will not getting appreciation with that , that's a problem, I hope she will see our comments and don't act in romance or act with kissing scenes but it her choice ,I just said what we wanted to see in an romantic drama that's it.

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'Sometimes, healing begins with being truly seen.'

Watching this drama reminded me that as long as your love is genuine, things find a way to work out.

Xuzhi’s relationship with her father touched me deeply. A single father who raised her with everything he had — not in grand gestures, but in daily effort and quiet devotion. She never forgot her mother either, still dreaming of her, still seeing her as a guiding figure in her heart. That kind of emotional memory… it doesn’t fade with time, it deepens.

And then there’s Chen Luzhou — perhaps the most sensible male lead I’ve seen in a drama. His restraint, his patience, his quiet strength... only some may truly understand the fury he hides. He never let himself cry in front of his parents, but he broke down in front of Xuzhi. That wasn’t weakness — that was trust. He finally let himself be vulnerable with someone who truly saw him for who he is.

His struggle to give love, when he never really received it, was one of the most emotional parts for me. He kept moving homes, not out of restlessness, but because none of those places felt like home.

" Xuzhi wanted to love. Luzhou was yearning for someone’s love. "

This drama doesn’t rush its emotions. It allows space for silences, for misunderstandings, for healing. It’s tender and real. And long after the final episode, I think it’s going to stay with me.

A note on the title: I’ve seen some viewers say they felt misled because there are no ‘proper’ kiss scenes, despite the title Be Passionately in Love. But to me, the passion in this story was never about physical intimacy — it was about the emotional depth, the silent sacrifices, and the intense longing both characters held. You can feel their love in a glance, in a pause, in every moment they choose to stay — and that, too, is passion.

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Their story makes me want to fall-in-love

"Love is not all about reckless impulse and romance. Love should also make people brave and strong."

A coming-of-the-age film.

Being a critic of book vs its live drama production, it cannot be denied that there would always be contrast and distinction, not only on visual presentation and imaging art or with the way the drama tells its story but specifically how it was portrayed.

The selected actors have done it under their own interpretation which I like. You cannot see these type of acting nowadays since some of youth drama are into cutesy. But them, they made it more into an emotionally charged youth drama (like the way of throwing their lines). On this drama, their lines were said like how we could hear the words on daily life - so heartfelt, genuine and real.

It's the camera works/directing that disappoint me. Sure, some important scenes be sweet and lovey-dovey but why would they shot/cut in that position. Fortunately, I am not swayed with those since it bounce back to the way they act. The chemistry is surely chemistrying.

Overall, I would like to rewatch the series to rekindle the visual portrayal of XuZhi and ChenLuZhou. Have a happy watching.

Their story makes me want to fall-in-love.
"Love is not all about reckless impulse and romance. Love should also make people brave and strong."

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Feels artificial

Dropping it on ep17, I just can't watch it any more

If you want unbiased review from a non-novel reader, here it is. I had no idea about the actress's no kissing rule, I haven't read the novel and started watching it solely because of Wang Anyu. And so far he's the only good thing in this drama.

The romance. I don't understand how exactly fl fell in love with ml. She seemed so nonchalant and then, suddenly, in love. I do love Liu Haou Cun's acting BUT only in scenes when she's on her own. I don't see fl's feelings towards ml at all. I only see the yearning and love from Wang Anyu's acting

But that wouldn't be a problem if they had some physical intimacy to SHOW that they're in love not tell. And that's when they failed. Because we have no feelings from fl's side, no physical intimacy to show that they're in love and no plot/certaim circumstances for them to get closer and fall in love

That "no plot" is another separate issue because it all started with ml's mother but then it got resolved VERY quickly and we didn't get any tension from that, then the separation ended quickly and again no tension/anticipation. And finally she forgave him for a basically non-existent problem very fast. And here's the question: what should keep the viewers engaged? Usually it's one of these 3 things: chemistry/good acting, physical touch, plot

For example, another Wang Anyu drama "Forever love" which I think is very similar to this one. That one had very little physical intimacy scenes but there was a great acting from fl and Wang Anyu, and the plot actually made you engaged.

Another example - Hidden Love, this one has all 3 things, or another Wang Anyu drama "Falling into you", too, has all 3 aspects

And when you have none of them, I don't know what you need to do to keep viewers happy, really

Maybe I'm dropping it too soon, maybe they'll do better at their actual dating era. But I think it should be engaging from the start, you, as a viewer, should feel excitement when you think about them finally getting together. But I personally don't, and it's sad

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Be Passionately in Love - Or Should It Be “Be Passionately Platonic”?

This drama promised romance but delivered little to none of it. They should consider changing the title, HONESTLY!

The chemistry between the leads had some potential, but with barely any kissing, awkwardly cut intimate scenes, and constant reliance on hugs that, over time, felt artificial, it ended up feeling completely flat.

Even if the romantic scenes had been better, the weak script and strange, often nonsensical dialogue would’ve still dragged it down. A few genuine kisses and some real chemistry might’ve at least given viewers something to hold onto.

The female lead gave off strong narcissistic vibes. She never seemed emotionally invested or even remotely in love, which is ironic considering the title. The show tried to justify her behavior with a short, superficial backstory about her mother, but it didn’t do much. I couldn’t connect with Xuzhi at all; she was cold and nonchalant the entire time.

The second leads had no development and If they had been removed from the story, it wouldn’t have made any difference.

Liu Haocun is a good actress, but this role wasn’t right for her. Even if her character had been more likable, I still couldn’t feel any of that “being in love” energy from her. There was no spark, no passion.

The male lead clearly tried to carry the drama on his own. He made his emotions believable even when he was essentially kissing air. From the start, he looked genuinely smitten, and you could really feel his love and admiration for her. He was always the one chasing after her, and that imbalance made the lack of connection even more frustrating. I actually felt bad for him.

Overall, this drama was incredibly frustrating to watch. For a story that was supposed to be romantic, it completely lacked the one thing it promised: romance.
In the end, the only memorable part was the OST.

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