Hidden Love

Absolute Gem in the jungle of dramas

I cannot hold back but write my first ever review….. Just watch everything about this drama is absolute gem…
Huge love to writer, director and the cast …. The music us heaven …………………………..———————————————-,……………………….💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜………………….

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A Pure, True Romance in it's finest form.

Hidden Love is a Romance that actually seems to know it's a Romance. This is much rarer than you may think, and one only needs to look at it's contemporaries to understand why. Where Hidden Love excels is in it's simplicity: from the beginning of the story it's obvious that the couple will face a challenge with respect to their age gap and we also know that to some extent the ML has ghosts of the past that haunt his present. The Drama does not seek to extensively shock us in any capacity - there are twists but they are all largely foreshadowed and never feel entirely unexpected, however the predictability is also not cliche or grotesque, the hints slowly merge together to create a final, synergistic image that will surely leave even the most casual romance-enjoyers or c-drama watchers with butterflies.

This Drama has murder, mystery and social commentary, but it recognises that these are simply elements of the larger, romantic storyline. It never wades too far away from the love story, nor does it have to. It's fine that the plot is focused around the relationship of the two central characters because it never feels like their actions only affect themselves; other dramas consistently fail in this regard, either dedicating too much time to the main couple and leaving the side characters to the wayside or prioritising the plot and overall story while not focusing enough on the romance. Hidden Love merges the two together. Each decision Sang Zhi makes very obviously has consequences for people other than herself, and Jiaxu's relationship with her is the same. Because we care about the supporting cast we are able to understand what implications the relationship of the main couple will have on them, and so their own stories seamlessly merge with those of the male and female lead without ever distracting from the story being a Romance. The plot and the genre work in harmony rather than against each other, and it is beautifully done.

TLDR - Poesy aside this is a wonderful drama, and if you'd like 25 episodes of heart racing romance, then look no further.

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Highly addictive

This is indeed a story about hidden love as it offers several spaces where the love seems to be hidden. How well it is hidden is however kind of questionable and made me wonder how oblivious the people in this story are.

The story itself offers very little new, girl meets her older brothers roommate, gets a crush on him and tries to hide it. things happen, people grow up... Girl is smart, mature, straight forward with pretty much everything (except for the hidden love thing). There are a few episodes in the middle where she goes immature and takes a turn out of character but other than that I she is definitely one of the most fun to watch female leads in all of C-dramaland.

Boy has had a life full of difficulties but somehow becomes superman, good at school, good athlete, great work ethics.. and even though girls keep whispering "what a handsome guy he is" he is not really the type to flirt around as he only cares about his work and found family... The guy is extremely kind... and playful oh so playful. He even seems to have basic communication skills that go beyond wrist grabs.He is said to have a good moral compass (he says that over and over until the audience is sure to believe it. He is overly protective of his best friends little sister and though he is the sweetest guy ever he does have a bunch of flags here and there, and while some would think it is because of the age gap, I say the age gap is not the issue bere. the guy is pretty jealous, and seems to forget to lack the ability to include others in his process of making decisions.

These two grow in a beautiful way and make tasteful, playful fireworks... With great dialog. lots of cheese.. and I mean a lot of cheese... so much cheese it may make you cringe.

When it comes to the side characters:
The girls brother is 80% sweet and the audience voice 20% annoying, but I am now intrigues by this guy and would love to see more of him.

The friends and found family in this are lovely (except for one but she is there to forward the plot) and the supporting characters do their job well. the fat friend is unnecessarily portrayed as a guy who eats like pig... and yes that bothers me quite a bit. Some twists are a bit meeh, others good the flow of the story is decent and highly addictive so even with all these flaws I could not give it less than a 9.

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LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!

HL has become my favourite top 1 drama where I smiled like a fool, laughed till my stomach hurts, and even cried. There weren’t a dull moment and I wouldn’t change anything as the storyline, cast members and OST are perfect the way I like them to be. The dynamics between all of the casts was also something worth mentioning. The chemistry between ZLS and CZY was amazing! Both of them were able to portray their roles very well.

TBH It’s been a while where I find myself obsessed over a drama (in a good way)! I would repeat the trailers, finding more BTS videos, and rewatching some of the scenes while waiting for a new episode to be released. I usually don’t rewatch most of the dramas but this I’ll definitely rewatch it soon!

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The ultimate sweet romance.

You think you saw unproblematic, cute, heartwarming and wholesome dramas? Let me tell you, none comes even close to Hidden Love. It’s an ultimate sweet romance.

Easily the best aspect of the show was how natural and real everything felt, and I’m not talking about just the romance. The relationship between the siblings? Exactly how it usually looks like in real life. The friendships? Hilarious and relatable - both for guys and the girls. How people act when they are drunk, sick, sad, happy, shy, excited - both the way it was written and then performed was just… natural, and that’s the best compliment a drama can get.

Still, the highlight, the core, the true beauty of Hidden Love was the blooming romance between Sang Zhi and Duan Jia Xiu. What started as a teen crush, turned into one of the most healthy and balanced relationships I have seen in any drama ever. Getting into the show I was afraid how they would handle the age gap. 5 years is not much, but it is not little considering the age Sang Zhi was. The writer did not disappoint.

What I loved the most about the relationship was the fact I could see true partnership between the leads. It was not an older guy just taking care of a younger girl sacrificing everything for her happiness. They also did not make Sang Zhi this unrealistically mature, 20 acting 30. They became each other's emotional support, they handled issues in a mature way while still believably presenting characters in their early and mid twenties. They also delivered some good kissing scenes, no fishes to be found on set ;)

And you know what’s great? The leads were amazing as a couple, but they were also great as their own individuals! While there were moments I found Sang Zhi’s behavior too sweet for my taste, it’s simply impossible not to love her. She was emotionally strong, empathic, driven and supportive. Then we have Duan Jia Xu - honestly too good to be real, and that makes me feel depressed. Good natured, patient, protective. But I also appreciated his own arc and the depiction of the loneliness he was facing.

What’s more to love? The sibling dynamics between Sang Zhi and Sang Yan. I’ve got both comedic and touching scenes. Yes, they might have fought a lot, but they also cared for each other deeply. And honestly? The bickering scenes between them were some of my favorite moments in the drama.

One thing that caught my attention production wise were the outfits picked for the characters. Not only did I love the slight couple matches Sang Zhi and Duan Jia Xu were wearing (even before they became a couple, their colors always matched), I also literally wanted to steal the whole wardrobe from Sang Zhi.

The acting from the whole case was so good it got me jealous watching. Jelly for the romance, the friendship, the family dynamics. It all seemed so real and so wholesome. I knew Chen Zhe Yuan is a good actor after watching Our Secret, but he was so much better in Hidden Love (even though I did not think it’s possible). Zhao Lu Si's little mannerism added to the realism of the character she was portraying and I could not stop smiling while watching her performance.

Anything I did not enjoy? Not that into the “debtor” story, or rather the closure it got. With how serious it was introduced, I expected something more to happen for it to end. I was also completely not interested in a love story of one of Sang Zhi’s roommates.

Overall, for modern romance fans, this is a golden standard. I’m extremely pleased I’m ending 2023 with this drama. Nothing better than entering the new year with a new found crippling loneliness after seeing the most perfect couple in dramas history.

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they're so beautiful, i'm gonna cry.

you'll meet the best man; the best boy; the best guy in this whole universe : Duan Jiaxu.
at this point there's no one could change my mind.

the greenest flag character that i've ever met in my whole life. i had learned a lot from him; how to face the cruelest world when in reality you are at the lowest point of your life. thanks to him? thanks to the writer! bravo!

also — thanks to chen zheyuan for succesfully portrayed the duan jiaxu so well! i couldn't imagine any other actors except him tho.

shout out to the kindest & the most adorable girl ever : Sang Zhi! girl, i envy you sooo much i can not help it 😭 i wish it was me whose get the chance to accompanied djx for his whole life haha.

i don't know what's to write anymore? Hidden Love is such a gem! got a lot warmest things in this drama. give it a try! (*^▽^)/★*☆♪

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A real gem - watch it!

I find many Chinese dramas either too melodramatic with overcomplicated plots and very 2-dimensional characters or the acting just plain awful. I don’t even bother to finish many of them - but this one (Hidden Love) is a real gem. Everything is just spot on - the casting, the acting, OST, the plot - it is faultless. An absolute pleasure to watch from start to finish!Characters have depth; the story flows naturally and it’s very well acted. Plus romance rush in practically every scene. It had me in fits of laughter (e.g. sibling rivalry), throes of despair (especially the first airport scene) and every feeling in between. So, so refreshing to find a C-drama that ticks all the boxes and left me feeling my time wasn’t wasted (which is how I feel about majority of c-dramas). In fact, I finished watching it and immediately watched it all over again. It’s that good.

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Compilation of random thoughts I had while watching this drama:

1. Why don't I have an older brother with hot friends?
2. Jiaxu is way too hot for his own good! Every time he appears on screen, my heart skips a beat; I forget to breathe; I go into a daze; and I keep smiling like a stupid fool who's too old for this shit!
3. Sang Zhi looked more mature when she was 14.
4. But Sang Zhi is still fine as 17 year old. Maybe a little too shy, or she could be like that because of her crush on Jiaxu, and I totally understand it.
5. I love Sang Zhi's petty fights with her brother. That's me and my brother and we still fight like that at the age of 26 (me) and 24 (my brother)...
6. For a moment I thought Sang Zhi at 17 is too much, but again I was kinda exactly like her except I never skipped cities just to see a guy I had a crush on (perhaps rich people privileges!)...
7. I love how considerate Sang Zhi's parents and brother are. If I would have even told my family about my first love and heartbreak in school, I would be dead.
8. Does the parents' generosity and good deeds get passed down to the kids? No! Then why should kids bear the burden of their parents' sins?
9. Again, I love the brother-sister dynamics. They are just too real!
10. Sang Zhi and Jiaxu's overthinking phase is very realistic. I am sure most people in their young age would have experienced it. Maybe that's why I am liking this drama so far, even though it's a fluffy romance (I am more into crime thrillers).
11. This is soooo cute..... I am constantly screaming and getting butterflies seeing Sang Zhi and Jiaxu interact with each other. This drama is like every girl's dream fairytale!!!
12. It should be a crime to make a guy look this adorable! How am I supposed to lower my expectations when someone could imagine such a person and put it down on paper? Where will I find someone like Jiaxu who can reach my sky-high expectation? Or does the writer wants me to be delulu forever until I die single?
13. I might die of diabetes before this drama ends!
14. I like how understanding Sang Zhi is. I would probably die of overthinking if I would have been at her place!!
15. I am going to cry myself to sleep after finishing this drama because it is making me feel single and lonely in 100 different languages.
16. Love that every action and reaction of people in the drama feels natural. Some people may not agree but when I imagine the type of situations portrayed here, I would expect people to react in the same manner, be it Sang Zhi, Jiaxu, Sang Yan, Sang Zhi's parents, or Jiang Ying. I was a little disappointed with Sang Zhi's boss coz I would expect a boss in the workplace to be more mature to keep personal and professional life separate.
17. I know I have said it before, but I truly adore the Sang siblings' relationship. Not everyone gets to experience it, but personally, I relate to it the most.
18. And slowly, I fell for Sang Zhi also!
19. I am so envious of Sang Zhi that she could ask someone to love her forever. A lot of us have lost hope in love so much that we don't expect it from anyone anymore. All we do is try to love ourselves to feel a little less lonely and somewhat content...
20. I think I can watch them for 1000 more episodes, growing old together, successfully overcoming all life problems, and living happily.

I ASAP need some advice on how to get over this series! Ahhh! It completely ruined me.

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A Pure, Wholesome Love Story with Great Rewatch Value

I would recommend this drama to everyone! Honestly, I was a bit skeptical at first, mainly because of the casting of young Sang Zhi. I felt it might have been better if they had chosen an actress who was actually 14. In fact, I think Zhao Lusi herself could have portrayed that part.

But then again, during puberty, everyone develops differently—some mature later than others. Also, nothing inappropriate happened when she was a minor; it was just an innocent, one-sided crush that eventually blossomed into a beautiful, mutual love when she became an adult.

When she was 14, they only met twice, and then they didn’t see each other for three years. They reconnected when she was 17 and interacted more often for a few months before parting ways again. So it’s not like he was watching her grow up since 14—he was barely present during those years, and even at 17, he was only around for a short time.

It’s very common for teenagers to have a crush on someone older, and in this case, the age gap was 4-5 years. Plus, it was his very first relationship as well. If the age gap had been bigger, or if the male lead had prior dating experience, it would have been harder for me to accept.

Overall, I can confidently say—I loved it!

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Fluffy, comfy and stress-free drama

This is my first time to comment and give a review here in MDL and I'm happy it's about Hidden Love. Here's my two cents.

I haven’t really been INTO Chinese dramas until Hidden Love. I watched a few of them that are really eye catching but it’s very seldom. Hidden Love opened the doors for me to notice other notable C-dramas out there.

SPOILER ALERT!!!
What I love about it?
1. The storyline. Hidden Love mastered the art of portraying the spirits of youthful love, like those heart fluttering feelings when you have a secret crush on someone are SPOT ON. It transported me back to the early days of our relationship with my then boyfriend, now husband of which I can relate to the feelings Sang Zhi felt towards Duan Jiaxu because that’s EXACTLY how I felt towards my BF. Apart from that, I love that there are no evil 2nd leads in the story that would challenge the main leads’ relationship as well as there are no overbearing, overprotective parents/family members. I love how they wrapped up the drama with the best marriage proposal ever. Who wouldn’t melt with this line, “Six words. Only one person in a lifetime.” My tears just keep rolling here together with SZ and DJX.
2. The casts. From the main leads to the supporting casts, all of them did their parts exceptionally well. Kudos to the casting team on finding these actors who brought our beloved characters to life! Zhao Lusi and Chen Zheyuan are the perfect Sang Zhi and Duan Jiaxu, there could be no one other than them. They will forever be immortalized in my system.
3. The OSTs. I think one of the things that made this drama successful are the OSTs played in the series. Seldom do I find a drama where I enjoyed almost all songs included in the official soundtrack. With Hidden Love, all songs felt comfortable to listen to even if I don’t understand the lyrics, the melody are relaxing and sets you in a mood. Zhao Lusi contributed two songs in the OST which I soooo love dearly – “I Just Want To Hide You Secretly” with Silence Wang and “I Have Someone I Like”. Victor Ma who played as Sang Zhi’s brother (Sang Yan) also contributed to the OST with his song “Be Your Light”. I couldn't tell which is my favorite because all of them are just sooo good.
4. The BTS. Their behind-the-scenes interaction can easily become a drama of its own. You can see how happy the atmosphere on set was. If the chemistry of the main leads is already top-notch in the drama, then their BTS is way beyond that which made me pine for them to be a REAL-LIFE couple. They are just sooooo amazing and comfortable with each other.

Hidden Love will forever be my “go to” comfort drama, when I just want to have a relaxing, happy viewing to cap a long, stressful week. As of writing, I am re-watching this series for the third time. And it never disappoints every single time.

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