Be Passionately in Love

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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a different FL actress

**My Thoughts on *Be Passionately In Love***

First of all, the drama was just okay for me overall. My main concern is with the casting choice for the female lead (FL). Given the title *Be Passionately In Love*, I expected a more emotionally and physically expressive performance—especially when it comes to romantic scenes.

I completely respect the actress’s personal boundaries and principles, particularly regarding kissing scenes. However, I feel that if those limitations are in place, she may not have been the best fit for a drama that clearly aims to deliver intense romantic chemistry. The show has potential, and perhaps with a different FL, it could’ve delivered the passion the title promises.

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Watch it if you're open to the idea of romance without the portrayal of kisses

It's my first review, so bear with me. Given that this might not be the first review/comment you have read in regards to the series, some introductionary thoughts: The controversy around this one is rather interesting because somehow there seems to be little middle ground as to whether someone dislikes or likes this drama. As someone that has a rather pragmatic view in regards to the romance genre of Chinese entertainment industry, I usually don't start a series expecting heavy emotional turmoil or longshots of kisses. I'm glad if it's a part of the series but I'm quite happy with the subtle indications and for the rest to be left to imagination and context interpretation.

That being said, the likability of this drama therefore comes down to one's own preference of how romance dramas are done. Since many seem to have read the novel beforehand, it was somewhat to be expected that many were dissapointed when a lot of the phyiscal intimacy wasn't as much of a part of the script as it could have been. AsI hadn't read the novel, I had the fortunate privilege of starting the series of only having known the trailer and having seen various shorts on social media networks.

If you somehow don't mind watching a romance drama with no kisses and are open to the idea of it being a fairly light-hearted romance drama with a lot of sarcasm and just the right amount of drama - then this one might be a series for you. Due to it's light hearted nature, certain characters might therefore seem somewhat estranged from what we expect personalities to be in real life. But then again, the vast majority of romance dramas would never meet my threshold in that regard.

I enjoyed this series quite a lot since it brought me plenty of laughs but also touched on many aspects that I, as an individual having grown up in similar environments, could well relate too. It made me emotional for various scenes but then the situation would be then quickly resolved by something uplifting and sudenly the joy of that would somehow wash aways all those sorrows.

All in all, I can highly recommend this one if you manage your epectations a bit better.
Can't hurt to give it a try, it might just hit the right spots for you.

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Missing passion and boring drama

Waiting for damn express to be over and then I’ll finish this at very high speed, some thoughts for now

This goes on my disappointing list of 2025. That drama didn’t hook me at all, finding it boring and I am not attached, invested in anything…. Such a lame story. Even for just 24 eps, this is too long.

Everyone talks about it, that topic will never end, but I’ll still give my two cent. A drama without kissing scenes can be okay, even if it’s not my preference (I love a good romance with great skinship and chemistry), if it’s done well and depending of the story. Like exemple, I think it was okay in The demon hunter’s romance. (Even if we got a little peck kiss in that one). It had not passionate kiss, but I pretty much enjoyed the romance either way. At the same time, that drama wasn’t main focus on romance, so we had other things going on

And if the actors can still portray chemistry well and still some kind of intimacy (can be hugs, the eyes speaking, tension, holding hands, cheek or forhead kiss, etc…). We got some of that in here, but for a drama mainly on romance, it was lacking to me, The worst in this drama is not the no kissing scenes policy, it’s that this script was definitely written with intimacy and kissing scenes…. I don’t know who made those choices, but fake weird angle kisses was such an horrible idea. I am not in this to watch a « kids romance ». And then talking about the « passionate kiss, good kisser or whatever » damn weird since we know none of that happened. Just like the hickey…. Such missed opportunity, when you know that atmosphere, scene would have been perfect for a passionate kiss, but we get ML trying, obviously see they aren’t kissing, even looks like his lips are on her nose, her doing absolutely nothing. Ruining the moment. Mistake and miscast were made unfortunately. Maybe that was the less expensive solution, I don’t know, but instead of those fake kiss, couldn’t they modify the script a little and completely getting rid of kissing scenes and having more something else ? But at the same time, would it really had been better, if she’s clearly not comfortable in being close or anything at all 🤷‍♀️ another possibility someone actually said in the comments, a double for kissing scene 😅 anyway, would another actress really had made this drama better for me, not sure since I don’t even like the plot in general

He’s handsome, but the second guy is completely unnecessary in the story

The leads look good together at least I guess

If we take out the romantic side, I don’t think she’s a bad actress. She just need to find a drama that have 0 romance and mostly 0 contact with male costar if she’s not confortable and can’t act the part. Waiting to see in her next drama starting next week to see how she does

Want An Yu is great. He mostly carried this. It was not my first drama of him (this one is like the fourth ?), even if it was mid, most recent one, I think he gave a great performance in « Such a good love » this year, I knew he would be good here too.

I’ve seen a few comments about it, but I agree the the music wasn’t bad

Directing, editing and all could have been better at time


To be continued…..

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Be Moderately In Love

I absolutely love Wang Anyu—he’s a fantastic actor who really knows how to build chemistry. Unfortunately, he was let down by the female lead. If the drama weren’t titled Be Passionately in Love, I might have understood the more "pure" vibe. But according to the source material, the couple is supposed to be passionate.

To be fair, the FL isn’t a bad actress, but I don’t think romance is the right genre for her. I respect her no-kiss policy, but it’s frustrating when it affects the overall viewing experience in a romance drama. Honestly, at times I even wondered if she was underage, given how much the romantic scenes were toned down or cut.

That said, the story and plot are quite good. But if you're expecting heart-fluttering kisses and real romantic tension—this isn’t the drama for you, and she’s not the right FL for that kind of role.

I’d like to add that there’s a complete lack of passion throughout the show. The characters constantly tell us they’re ‘passionate and clingy,’ but it never actually comes through in their actions or chemistry. Effective storytelling relies on showing, not telling — and unfortunately, that just wasn’t achieved here. Wang Anyu probably broke his back carrying the entire show.

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How to be "Passionlessly" out of love!

This show was on my radar before it aired. Both leads look compatible visually and close in age with an interesting romance drama titled "passionate in love" and implies two young lovers in a full-blown passionate affair. Oh boy, what can go wrong?

Character wise, I cannot even hide my disappointment in the lack of storyline, it felt like ML was chasing after FL the whole time. FL has a borderline narcissistic personality which she describes as overconfidence. She is inconsiderate about everyone else until someone is upfront with her. ML acts like FL is his whole life which you can interpret as "romantic" but its not. Many times, FL is playing around cause she enjoys the chase and excitement. This is exacerbated by the fact that actress herself cannot perform intimate scenes and brought on a whole controversy that is more heated than the non-existent plot in this show. The FL just appears to keep dodging at the thought of a potential kiss. The FL in the novel is bold, confident and - let's be real - not at all shy when it comes to kissing since she initiates most of them. FL in drama is complete opposite, to say she is a miscast for whatever reasons is an understatement. The whole production team trying to sell a product that doesn't resonate with what the audience expects, play with teasers and build up the anticipation only to ruin it, you bet there will be a backlash. It feels like one paid for premium but ended getting scammed with an inferior product, cannot shake off that feeling like being ripped off cause they cheap out with fake camera angles and borrowed kisses. They are being downright disrespectful to the viewers and they're not even trying to hide that fact.

Many times it feels like ML is trying to salvage the remaining pieces, but FL has a low EQ and has a problem with reciprocating love. Most of the time the actress herself spaces out without an ounce of this "passion" for acting. When the scene requires intimacy, ML is giving passionate gazes and shooting cupid arrows at her, FL just tenses up and becomes a frozen cube. As a viewer, that discomfort transfers over to me once I realized she is truly intimated by intimacies so all those romantic scenes looks forced and unnatural. It truly was hard to watch! The only thing that had it going was the good OST. I still managed to finish the show barely getting through it with FF button.

Editing wise, there were so many choppy parts where they were doing one scene and it skipped over to something else so they ruined the whole flow of the story. The leads' relationship felt tumultuous and downright unhealthy and it felt like they were both in this sort of complicated loop that they can't climb out of. Sure they manage to get a happy ending but it fell short and didn't seem to address the issues that kept popping out throughout the entirety of the show. You can say they sort of breezed through it. Towards the end they continue to drag on unnecessary filler scenes and the focus started shifting towards the supporting couple. It almost felt like the actress and/or director sabotaged her character but she isn't entirely at fault since her agency should have not accepted a script if she's downright uncomfortable doing these roles. The director is still mostly at fault for casting an actress who cannot deliver along with the poor directing/editing so there's a whole set of problems that spiraled into what it is. Quite disappointed since it was high on my anticipated list of shows to watch but floundered as it progressed on. This has got to be one of the worst romance dramas I've seen, I'm just not vibing with the flaws in this.

Is it worth the watch?

Yes, if you didn't read the novel and have little to no expectations. Visually it's top notch and the leads look great together, the acting is not atrocious, only subpar and flat at times but still somewhat bearable.

No, if you loved the novel and have standard expectations as you bet you're going to be very frustrated as there doesn't seem to be much of a plot and feels messy at times.

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Don’t judge until you watch

Chemistry is more than just kiss scenes. Anyu is one my favorite MLs. His acting is always on point. I’m watching this FL for the first time, and she has done a good job too. Yes, I agree there are no kiss scenes. but, that doesn’t mean that there is no chemistry. I can feel the tension, love and emotions just by watching it. It definitely is that cute bubbly kind of romcom. Maybe people have gotten used to watching those steamy kisses and romance in every drama. But, I have been watching Cdramas even before those existed. so maybe that’s why I don’t feel like this series is lacking

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"Passionately in love" except lacking the passion

I absolutely love wang anyu even though my only drama I've watched of his before this was the last immortal. I love him so much that I decided to finish watching this entire drama for him, and trust me, he really makes this drama and he seems like the only thing that makes this drama. First of all, he had exceptional chemistry with Zhao lusi whether it was bts, interviews, or in the last immortal and I can not believe that they lowkey ruined this story with ZERO CHEMISTRYY. I swear to god he really really really tried and you could sometimes feel it and then it disappears because of the fl. Don't get me wrong, I love liu haocun, I think she was so cute and great in 'just for meeting you' with song weilong, but I think this is a sign that romance dramas are not for her. lets put aside her no kissing clause in her contracts, there are SO many ways for passion, tension, tender romance to be portrayed through intimate moments WITHOUT kissing. get outta here with those cuts and weird editing of them 'kissing'. I'd rather no kiss be portrayed at all in fact. I didn't know how bad it was that there was no kissing until I watched this. but yk what. idk if kissing could have saved it either. liu haocun is a great actress and I fully believe this, but when it comes to acting out the character of a young girl in love, she just can't do it. YOUR BEAUTIFUL EYES CANT SAVE YOU THIS TIME!! she is truly so cold with the ml, ik we love seeing the guy fall first and harder but it doesn't work if we don't believe the girl likes the guy at all. the acting was just lacking in terms of chemistry and intimacy - you don't really feel those butterflies you're supposed to. I get that she's supposed to always suppress her emotions because of her past with her mom, but even after that whole thing got resolved it's not like she changed much towards the ml. line delivery was also a little stiff on her end, it didn't seem natural. the story was also really lacking to be honest, they break up for like 2 months and then get back together. they made it sound like they reunited after a year or two in the synopsis. she wanted to get to know him for his mom. are u kidding me. on a side note, I loved the second couple. yingying was so lively and cute and the actress for that now has a new fan. final note, Zhu yangqi lowkey looks like wu lei at times. don't watch this if you're used to naturally flowing chemistry, it'll be kind of a hard watch

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character interactions are its strong suit, story--not so much

First impressions: the trauma dump on the first ep is craazy. imo the synopsis is a bit misleading and maybe a bit spoilery bc the part where he goes abroad doesn't happen until like half of the show (ep 13). It starts with a "misunderstanding", which usually I would be kinda eh abt it, but since we don't really know the characters that well, I'm not particularly mad abt it.

TLDR; Character interactions are better than the story tbh. You can tell this was adapted from somewhere--some parts were cut off or added on after the fact (a lot of flashback scenes). It's not that coherent imo. I love the besties-to-lovers plot though! And the second love interests aren't overly clingy or stubborn. The general messages of the story are really nice (not romance-related but still very good nonetheless). I think what I love the most about this show is the small things the couples do for each other. Acting is normal; not much in particular stands out. Music is nice to listen to, and the lyrics are beautiful. The ending left a bittersweet impression that happens when you enjoy the character interactions and don't want the show to end (I'm a sucker for the moments where all the actors get together and send off the viewers 😭). Rewatch value isn't too high imo just because the story doesn't flow completely.

Story: I love how they don't push the study abroad thing at the end. It literally is in the first ep before they even meet each other. I also love how the the ml's other love interest and the fl actually respect each other. The couples are so supportive of each other, and do sweet things when their partner isn't watching. The comedy is pretty funny, though. The second couple is also incredibly adorable. We love a functional family.. There's a lot of accountability in this story, which I really do appreciate. The proposal is quite unique, actually.

Acting/Cast: Acting didn't stand out to me too much, but it wasn't terrible either. Xu Zhi is a very forward person and a bit cheeky towards Chen Luzhou. I love the side banters they have--very funny. I also love her outfits as well as her bestie's too. Her hairstyle is also really cute and unique. The joking between the leads flows so well. They actually hug more than they kiss, which is fine by me, and tbh I might prefer that more just because it happens during sentimental moments. And everyone likes hugs, right?

Music: The singer reminds me of the one who sang the song in Meeting You, but the melody reminds me of the songs in The Glory.

Rewatch value: Although it's a short show compared to other ones I've watched, idk.. it's not incentive enough to rewatch something I already know the plot to.

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The "passionately" part of the title is a bit of a misnomer

Review

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a solid, typical modern Chinese romance. I would recommend it to romance fans and would be willing to watch it again if it was on. It is predictable except for the main female character. She is very strong and autonomous. He is considered so handsome he literally has his pick of women. She is also very beautiful and has many admirers. And he hasn't shown much interest in romance until he runs into this woman who seems more interested in getting closer to his mother than to him. They are both so alike and so different at the same time it is easy to see how it works. He is more of the emotional one and she is the take it or leave it more carefree seeming type.

Some reviewers have criticized that there are not very good kissing scenes. While you don't get the close up of them actually kissing and it more often cuts away or shows it from an angle where it could easily be faked, I found that they had great chemistry, and they showed enough it was obvious they were kissing. But if you want zoom in details then you might be disappointed. I don't think the actress or actor had some kind of no kiss policy as several have speculated. I just don't think they saw the need to zero in to that degree. Which was fine by me but others that like the more intimate scenes might find it lacking.

Spoilers

A criticism many have of the series is, despite the title (passionately in love) the scenes where they are physically close either cut away or fall short of any display of passion. It is hinted at. They might even talk about "the kiss" after but there are no true kiss scenes. Which makes it hard to convey the passionately part. I thought it was a good romance and there was enough for me in that regard but if you are going to title something "passionately" then it really should show some passion. So, I get why other reviewers had that perspective.

I thoroughly enjoyed how fascinated he was with her for the simple fact that she did not fall all over herself for him. He was so unused to that, the anomaly alone had him hooked. But, I did get the sense she blew hot and cold as did he at times. They had the volatile temperament that only very young lovers might have. It could be frustrating at times, as one or the other drifted for no meaningful reason, but it was more real that way.

I mean what teenage boy is not going to be interested in a girl that calls a guy out talking smack about you, challenges him to a race, and wins. Forces him to apologize for saying all kinds of mean boy things. She races a motorcycle. That has to be some teenage boy's fantasy. But, beyond that, she provided the emotional security and sense of home he so desperately needed.

I was disappointed he did not ever reconcile with his biological father. His dad was wrong to turn his mother away, but he had spent a lifetime making up for it and regretting. He was very humble, took all the blame, and apologetic. He didn't know what had happened to his son and he was in an accident after all. I have seen characters forgive a parent for much more egregious behavior. So, that was a little disappointing that storyline did not play out to a more satisfactory conclusion.

Scroll down for a unique synopsis

Synopsis

This is a 2025 Chinese Romance drama with 24, 45-minute episodes

Chen Lu Zhou (Anyu Wang) was adopted by a wealthy family and feels like he can never say no. He strives to be the perfect son and never disappoint his adopted parents, particularly his mother. There has not been many occasions when he has wanted anything from himself. Exceptionally handsome, girls have always chased him but he has never found anyone that had attributes that held his interest. That is until he met Xu Zhi (Liu Haocun) who is beautiful, smart and does not seem particularly interested in him. Xu Zhi meets Lu Zhou knowing he is soon to go abroad so does not take the relationship seriously. But as the two continue to interact and Lu Zhou realizes that not only is the girl smart, she is one of the top scorers. Her beauty and brains are very attractive to him but it is also her uniqueness. Not only is she unlike any other girl he has known, she races motorcycles. The two must navigate their promising futures, elders expectations, and their own hesitancy on a winding path of love.



#BePassionatelyInLove #LiuHaocun #AnyuWang

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