This review may contain spoilers
The cutest slipper commercial in the universe!
The biggest problem with this drama is that the part I wanted to watch starts only at episode 8~. Until then there were quite a few uncomfortable moments, due to some really weird casting and cinematographic choices. The young FL is supposed to be a 14 year old, but the actress playing her is like a second grader in elementary school, her interactions with ML were nothing bad in terms of plot and script, but the suggestive lighting & framing is really really weird at times. (I had a hard time getting past this part tbh)Every romance drama has some flair & flavor to give a little contrast to all the sugar. This one has very few scenes outside of the leads' personal world, but what little there is, tends to be rather boring, or just plain bad. (concerns of ML's parents, ML's family things, ML's stalker, stalker's boss friend, workplace things)
Another minor gripe I have with the drama is how much FL is treated like a teenage princess in her relationship. This seems to be a recurring theme in cdrama roms these days, but I'm just not a fan.
---
So why is it still 8/10?
Well, we watch romantic comedies for the actual romance and that is really absolutely out of this world good in this one. The chemistry, the visuals, the mood, the acting, the red ears, well really everything pertaining to romance (well other than the princess thing) is 10/10 awesome. I always understood why Lusi is touted by many as THE romcom queen, but personally I did not like a single one of her dramas due to various reasons. I feel she is far better in this one than in anything else before & there is some real acting chops here, beyond just being a top of the line comedienne. (and ML of course is the perfect partner)
I too found the brother-sister relationship very amusing & wholesome, but I don't think it's possible to have such a brother in real life. :-) (I'm talking about FL's real blood related brother here of course.)
Was this review helpful to you?
a truly healing and heartwarming romance
"I healed the wounds of his youth and he fulfilled my young first love."This drama was such a sweet surprise for me. I confess I wasn't expecting much of it and as we say in portuguese: this show promised nothing and delivered everything.
There are such great points to talk about here that I don't even know where to start... The screenplay for this drama was perfect, the cast, the ost, the acting, the friendships, the chemistry... everything was perfection and there's no other word to describe it.
It was truly a healing romance and I loved every second of it, from her young first love, where she had a crush on him when she was younger, to when they meet again as adults and he starts to fall for the little things about her.
Their relationships with the people around them were also great, I truly loved seeing Zhi grow and find some real friends and the tragic first best friend of hers we are introduced to at the start of the show. There was also some drama along they way and things that could've easily brought misunderstandings among the main couple, but in the end, I loved how they always made things clear, allowing no wedges to come between them.
This is the first time I give a drama a 10/10 in rewatch value and that's just how good this was. I would rewatch it a thousand times all over again, just to seem them slowly falling for each other once again.
Jia Xu was also such a great guy, I loved how forward he was in persuing her and making himself clear about it, knowing she would probably feel insecure at first.
Anyways, it's a beautiful story about love, friendships, family and youth. I loved this and truly recommend it to anyone, because if you don't like this drama... well the problem it's probably you lol
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
So worth the hype!
I loved this! I cried, I laughed, I giggled, I did everything....It is just so perfect. The actors and the fluffy story work so well together.I normally don't like stories where they get together too soon and it's too 'easy'. But this show idk what they did but it just worked. It was never boring and that's rare!
Also, that proposal in the last episode??? Perfection. I'm also very aware that there is no one like that in real life...very aware. But that is what made this show so exceptional.
Was this review helpful to you?
if u truly desire something... it will come to you automatically
Hidden love… What to say about this? It's been 2 years since the drama ended, but still the memories of the wonderful drama have not faded away from our minds. To be honest, I just watched this drama last year (don’t know the exact date because I’m still watching it LOL), and I’ve fallen in love with this one head over heels. It’s a unique and top-notch drama to watch. And also, I heard a lot of negative comments regarding the age gap and her childish behavior and a lot. But come on, guys, 5 years is not that much of a gap to talk about. Honestly, I’m married, and the age gap between me and my husband is 5 years… Believe me, it's a great age gap. This is one of the reasons I enjoyed it a lot. Please ignore the negative comments about it.About the story, there are limited people in the show. No clumsiness at all. And the screenplay of the show and the changes between brother to crush/crush to love are everything smooth like butter. The cuteness is everywhere in the drama. It's emotionally connected with the people who are ever watching it.
There are no words to explain the acting of the main leads. It's worth watching their chemistry on screen and even off screen. No negative comments from my end. It's been a long time. I’m obsessed with a couple, but this one is surely in my top 3 list. They are the best to portray the characters. No one else could slay it like they did in the drama. It's like watching a real-life couple and not a series. Now Duan Juaxu is the man of my dreams. Like in the show, he is handsome, has a good temper, is good at everything he does, and is morally composed. CZY's acting skill is more like he is not acting at all. He is simply living in the character. The way he talks/his “hmmms” and the way he fell harder are really fantastic. The way he first felt like his own sister and the feeling changed into like and LOVE, all these feelings are shown through his eyes. He is the best boyfriend and husband material every girl dreamed of. and the way he tries to keep the relationship strong is really heart-touching, and he never hesitates to show his feelings in front of her family and friends also. Sang Zhi, she is one example of true love. She never hesitated to show her love for him, and in the beginning she was a bit reluctant to show her feelings due to the fact that previously they shared a brother-sister relationship, but after the confession she never hesitated to show how much she loved him, and even she confessed the truth that she tried to hide several years. And the childlike behavior of hers is shown like that in the show because she is a pampered girl in the family by her parent and her brother, but still she showed her mature side also when it's needed, like talking with Jiang Ying and her boss, etc. Both of their charming chemistry will make you smile while watching them on screen. If you talk about her brother Sang Yan, he is one of a kind. He never misses protecting his sister, and the sibling fights are heart-melting. The friendship between him and Duan is simply awesome. And their relationship from college to the end of the drama was eye-catching.
The bonding between Jiaxu and his friends, Sang Zhi and her friends, Sang Zhi with her parents, Jiaxu with his mother, and Jiaxu with Sang Zhi’s parents is eye-catching.
In this show, they showed only the positive things we can endure throughout our lives and ignore the negative things.
100/100 from my end.
There are more to put. but can't explain through words. Just watch and enjoy.
Was this review helpful to you?
A MUST WATCH
I absolutely love the story, there is nothing in here that left me unsatisfied-- although I WANT MOREEE!! yes, it's that good.I've grown in love to this story. The phasing was a bit expected, I thought we would dive right in to the romantic stuff but it was surprising refreshing that they took time introducing us to the characters and making us fall in love with them, understanding how the characters also fell in love. It was a great story phasing, i dare not to miss a single episode.
This is my first c-drama and thank you God, it is. The butterflies in my tummy did not left, the chemistry between the leads is giving!! I would love to watch more of c-drama, with them as the leading stars.
The plot wasn't as heavy as other drama I've watch but this definetly is on par in many great dramas. I wished yo watch a lot more of drama's like this one!! Thank you so much for making this masterpiece!! xoxo
Sang yan, is def my fav character fkcjnsedfncsfnwdashdb
Was this review helpful to you?
That first love type of feeling
You know that feeling--where your heart flutters, you feel butterflies in your stomach, and you feel fluffy inside? That feeling where you feel so giddy, and can't stop smiling as if you're on cloud 9--that first love type of feeling? You blush, smiling wide, feeling super warm and fuzzy...this is what this drama is. It's so WHOLESOME! After watching a few angst-type dramas, I'm so glad Hidden Love came into my life. It provided the HEALING and positivity that I needed. So warm, fuzzy, all the feels from start to finish.I felt myself going through the motions of the FL as she experiences falling in love, heartache, then happiness of having that love blossom (reciprocated). So nostalgic, making you remember what it's like to fall in love for the first time. The chemistry on screen was like no other, you get so emersed into the story of the drama and feel almost like you're the one falling in love.
If you are looking for a happy, wholesome, sweet, make-you-cry-happy-tears type of drama, then this is the one for you.
Storyline was very refreshing and well written. I was a little skeptic with the time skips at first, but it actually all flowed very well. It was nice being able to witness the gradual "growing up" of FL--how she grew and matured from an adolescent young lady who is still naive and innocent to a fine mature adult who understand resposibilites and is able to withstand hardships. Being able to watch the main leads grow (especially FL) makes you feel a special bond to the character and you find yourself cheering them on throughout their journey of discovering love and navigating those feelings for the first time.
Thank you to casts and all production crew for this wonderful love story!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Beautiful first love sweet story... Like a fairytale everyone wished to have
Hold on to your seats because I've got to tell you about this drama that blew my mind! I mean, Rosy Zhao's performance was out of this world, and her physical transformations were so on point that I had to do a double-take. From a teenager to a young adult, she crushed every single aspect of her character's portrayal.And let's not forget about the electrifying chemistry between the two leads - it was absolutely off the charts! Their on-screen relationship was so genuine that I felt like I was watching real life unfold right before my very eyes. I can confidently say that this drama has earned a spot in my top three list of must-watch dramas, and I'm sure it will have the same effect on you too, regardless of your age.
The entire cast was spot on, and each member brought their A-game to the table. The actress who played the protagonist's mother was particularly impressive, and I was blown away by her talent.
In conclusion, I urge you to watch this drama if you're looking for a heartwarming, feel-good story that will leave you with a smile on your face and a sense of nostalgia. Trust me when I say that you won't regret giving this drama a chance - it's a must-watch that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish!
Was this review helpful to you?
An all time favorite
I was hesitant in picking up modern c-dramas as i was purely a historical/wuxia/xianxia/xuanhuan purebreed however this drama just blew me away. I admit i dropped it initially during the first 5 episodes due to some comments i have seen but after watching some snippets on Tiktok edits, some moments actually made my heart skip a beat. I decided to pick it back up and voila the rest was history. It's currently on my to be rewatch list however i keep stalling as i still wanted to savor the feeling i felt watching the show. One day for sure i will revisit this (when i eventually run out of c-dramas to watch). To those of you who have hear good and bad things altogether leaving you on the fence whether to pick this up or not. JUST DO IT, DROP EVERYTHING AND BINGE THIS.Was this review helpful to you?
GO WATCH IT RIGHT NOW
I've already watched this 5 times now. I don't really like cdramas and usually stick with only kdramas, but this one completely kept me hooked. I swear there is not one cringy moment just pure love and cuteness. I absolutely love the way that the FL character is portrayed. She is not a pushover and yet she is kind and soft at the same time. I would give anything to watch this drama once again from the start. I can't get over it. I freaking love it and it is my #1 drama of all time mostly because it's realistic.Was this review helpful to you?
REFRESHING…!
This drama was a very refreshing one, with no toxic ex’s revenge or anything like that, a very simple love story but yet very heart warming.I really loved watching the drama as every episode ended up making me want to know what happened next. ( I watched it ongoing)
I mainly watched the drama because of the Main leads as both are my fav and seeing them together was a great and a very refreshing pair.
The actors and the story did equal justice to the characters.
I overall loved the drama very much as it was very relatable, all of us atleast once in our life time have had this inevitable crush on someone which is hard to resist and how we end up with that feeling. This was the feeling that actually took me back to my crush.
it was really a good choice to watch it. I suggest all hopeless romantics to atleast give this drama one watch. They will definitely on regret it…!
The ost of the drama is also great. The songs just happen to fit in pretty well as if they were meant to be.
If you feel magic, this drama is no less than one
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
One of The Best Romance I've seen for a while
I'm a big fan of romance drama. But lately many romance dramas just become so cliché, boring, and too cringey with repititive and expected plot. And at times, I see that the chemistry between the two leads is just awkward and too fake. BUT Damnnn Hidden Love just breaks it for me. I was hesitant to watch the drama at first. Cause I've grown sick of school/campus romance drama. So it took me weeks until I decided to give the drama a try.This drama has everything I'm trying to avoid from a drama. A secret crush thingy, a childhood love thingy, a ML with a terrible past and got prejudiced by the society, parents' disapproval of the leads' relationship, cutesy FL, high-school and campus love story, etc. But what I didn't expect is that I freaking love the drama since ep 1. The two leads' encounter was soooo cute. The love started to blossom from when the FL was so young and got called out by the school teacher. She met her brother's handsome friend and asked him to pretend to be her brother and came to her school. And ever since, the FL has a secret crush on the ML and that crush soon develop to become love.
Many people might find a huge age gap love story a bit weird. The thing that I find it funny is that the leads are actually has 5 years age gap. It's not too far in my opinion. But the actress who played the younger version of the FL was too much younger for a 5 years age gap (as the ML was already in his 'adult' look). So for me it will make sense if they simply dress the original actress much younger with different hairstyle or makeup instead of using a child actress. Cause people don't grow that much in 5 years. But it's not a big deal tho cause the child actress did a splendid job. Have so many things that I love about the drama that I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START😭
But I'll try to list them down.
1. An admirable female lead
As I said, they have a pretty huge age gap. The FL hides her love for the ML. But instead of pursuing the ML like a childish girl in many dramas, I love how she actually was determined to study hard and make herself worthy before pursuing the man she loves. She's giving me a smart, independent, and ambitious girl in love. She's also very strong (not in a physical way). The FL was very serious about the person she loves. To the point she didn't let any bad things that she heard about the ML from other people, wavered her love for the ML or made her rethinking about their relationship or suddenly breaking up with the ML. THANK GOD WE FINALLY HAVE A LOGICAL FEMALE LEAD.
And I love every single time the FL was protecting the ML or simply just comforting and trying to boast up his self-esteem. The scene where the victim's daughter threw water to the ML's face and the FL threw the water back to the girl's face, damnn she's so bad ass. And everytime the victim's daughter was trying to change the FL's mind by telling her bad things about the ML's family, and our FL always said "What his dad did, doesn't have anything to do with him" like I'M CRYING OUT OF HAPPINESS😭😭
And just everytime the FL was trying to ensure the ML that he's an amazing person and nothing in the world that can change that is so cute and heart warming. "Duan Jiaxu you're the best. You're an amazing person. Everyone loves you" I'M SOBBING😭😭 so yes, I still have plenty of good points about the FL but I'm gonna stop here or else I'm going to write a novel about her.
2. Loveable ML
I love how our ML was not a cold, arrogant, kinda mean person. Throughout the entire drama, from the beginning to the end, HE'S SO LOVABLE. He was so gentle, so caring, so warm, so loving, so loyal, so....sjskskskjs. I'm IN LOVE WITH HIM. I'm head over heels for him. You can't not love him I swear. You will find yourself fall in love with him IMMEDIATELY. I love his character so much to the point I kept thinking "I need a Duan Jiaxu in my life" while watching the entire drama. This drama has one of the best ML character I've ever seen. Chen Zheyuan really executed his character AMAZINGLY. I'm in love with both Chen and Duan😭
3. Cliché NON-CRINGEY love story that make sense
The story of hidden crush is pretty common in dramas. But HIDDEN LOVE really executed this story perfectly and even took it on another level. I love how the FL waited until she's in a legal age to pursue the ML. And I love how the drama didn't drag the story for too long. Like it doesn't took forever for the ML to realise his feeling for the FL. So we get lots of lovely and beautiful romance scenes between the two leads. I also love how there's no sudden breakup due to misunderstanding in this drama😭😭FINALLY. I love how both of them were fighting for each other to overcome each other's struggles and just be there for each other. So I really wanna hug the script writer, author, and all the production crews for this amazing story line.
4. Cute siblings relationship
You will find one of the cutest brother and sister relationship in this drama. Like all the fights and arguments that they had is VERY MAKE SENSE and relatable. Siblings do fight with each other, but at the end of the day they care and love for each other so much and hate to see each other's getting hurt.
I will end my list here as I'll seriously write a novel instead of a review if I keep going. Overall, this drama is a must watched and one of the best cdrama I've seen for a while. The story, the casts, the characters's and story's development, the makeup, the settings, the cinematography, the musics, EVERYTHING ARE JUST BEAUTIFULLY-MADE. so if you're still hesitant to watch this drama, well, DON'T BE. Cause I promise you this drama won't let you down.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Loved it
I wish I could say this was overrated, but it's actually not. In the age of open relationships and "situationships", it was really refreshing to see such a pure love story. The opening kind of gave me a heart attack, though. The actress playing her actually looked about 10, though they said she was 14 at that time. And they should have cast a younger ML as well. The child with him was very uncomfortable to watch, considering the end. I'm happy the actual story started when she was in university; otherwise, he would really be a pedo. I like Sang Zhi's character. She knows what she wants and works towards it. When she started liking him, it was puppy love. He was kind of a hero figure to her. He was the brother she wanted. When she heard him getting a girlfriend and kind of confirmed it, I think that's when she understood how much she actually liked him. But I was really happy to see how maturely she handled the situation. She knows he is taken, so she starts focusing on herself and lets him go. I think this is the right approach. Otherwise, it would be very disrespectful to his girlfriend. Even when they meet later, she keeps her distance. But whenever he needs anyone, she is there. And though not romantic, he also liked her more than a friend's sister. But it turned into a romantic one when she took care of him in the hospital. And during the phone call, when he understood he liked her and she probably liked him back, he wasted no time. I am actually a little surprised at how easily he accepted the fact that he liked someone he had seen growing up. I thought he would be more reluctant, given his friendship with her brother. But as long as they are both consenting adults, I actually have no problem with this type of relationship. Even when she was younger, she was so attuned to him. She knew when he was sad just by looking at him. And I loved how his gifts were not flashy but personal. I liked how her family was so protective of her. Yes, parents should be concerned. Especially if he is older than her by 5 years. They communicated instead of beating around the bush. And their concern was not baseless. If they had met the stalker girl, they would have never approved. But he proved with his actions that he is serious, which every parent wants. I love how they put effort into their long-distance relationship; it's important.Mainly, I loved how pure their love was. They trust each other wholeheartedly, as they should. I just know they will be the couple who will still be in love in their 80s. Honestly, I loved the show. Such a fresh breath of air. If you can handle the first 7 episodes, which are about her in school, the rest is worth it, trust me. Going in my comfort watch. This was a story of her coming of age and his forgiving himself for things he had no hand in. He was a closed book, she made him open up. They both helped each other grow up and become the people they are today. I will miss them.
Was this review helpful to you?
