CRINGE, MUSHY AND OVERRATED
There's so much that I didn't like about this drama BUT THE BROTHER ISN'T ONE OF THEM. LOVED the brother ❣️The relationship is creepy. He had seen her as a little girl and she had barely matured as a human when he started liking her.
What's funny is that they wanted to portray her as "an adult" but the actress really acted like a 15-16 year in the romance scenes making it soo much uncomfortable for me to watch. What's with the BABYING?
Its for teens but I hope they don't learn anything from this drama. She git married a little too early as well.
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A sappily charmed romance that is simply irresistible
One of the things I like about C-dramas is that their stories are relatively simple yet the relatable characters draw you in. Hidden Love is no exception.Hidden Love revolves around Sang Zhi who has a crush on her brother's friend Duan Jia Xu. From the get-go, you know that the major conflict from this story is their age gap but this suprisingly this C-drama has more to offer.
The story follows Sang Zhi (played by Zhao Lu Si) throughout her high school and college days. We watched how her feelings evolve through time. What was once a harmless crush turned into an undeniable affection and beautiful love. I was impressed by how Lu Si was able to pull of the 13-year-old school girl look similar to how Kim Tae Ri effortlessly portrayed her role in Twenty Five Twenty One.
Sang Zhi's object of affection is Duan Ji Xau (played by Chen Zhe Yuan). I initially thought his character would be just one-dimensional, a male lead who only exists to be handsome and serve as the eye candy of the show. As the story progresses, Ji Xau's back story is revealed which ultimately affected the relationship dynamics between him and Sang Zhi.
In another note, this Cdrama reminds me so much of Twenty Five Twenty One sans the sports and slice of life theme. Hidden Love heavily focuses on romance while 25 21 revolves on ML and FL chasing their dreams. They may have different narratives but I must commend how they both handled well the age gap between the leads including the right time and the transition for the romance to bloom.
It is no easy feat to weave compassionate male characters in shows like these. It comes as no surprise when I learned that the director and writer of Hidden Love are women. Because of the female gaze, viewers like me were able to empathize and follow along Sang Zhi's journey as she learns more about her emotions and intimacy with Duan Ji Xau. It helped a lot that both our main leads did not rush their relationship and instead made efforts to get to know each other's feelings and intentions. It was a good slow-burn romance, one that keeps you at the edge of your seat while you can't stop giggling and swooning over the characters.
Although the show started at a slow pace, it successfully drew viewers into Sang Zhi's experience of first love and heartbreak. The show also portrayed the green flags of a relationship as both Sang Zhi and Duan Jia Xu constantly communicates their worries and dreams for each other.
Overall, Hidden Love contains familiar tropes but perfectly delivers a sincere and pure love supplemented by charming performances. This show is far from perfect but the absence of annoying villains and over-the-top conflicts makes this rom-com a comfort watch.
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Feels like youth all over again
Hidden Love was my first ever introduction to C-drama's and I like that I was able to pick a good one it really made me have the feels, love shivers, and nostalgia of youth if you are into rom-com or romance in general this show is one of the best one I would even say for beginners for drama's in general though the episode count may look scary at first it worth the time these are those drama that make you want to watch what would happen next and make you sit back down when you want to stop that feeling of anticipation of what's going to happen wtih the characters make you want to continue and not stop I cried a few times and maybe so many others but its a drama worth picking up and finishing and something to watch when you are bored and need a bit of energy.Was this review helpful to you?
Any romance lover would love this
I am not typically a romance drama watcher, but when I do get the itch for one, good chemistry-dynamic is a must. The leads deliver a brilliant progression of their relationship. Initially, I was thrown off by the age gap. Its clear to note that our male lead did not harbor any romantic feelings towards our character when she was a minor, so I really don't like when people try to make it weird like that. The story introduces the first young girl, and her unrequited feelings for the older boy. I will say, the first couple of episodes that explore this part weren't my favorite. Once the drama skips to her older/college age and her progression with the male lead, that's where the drama picks up for me. And I ADORDED their dynamic. The main cast and all their relationships were fun to watch, and I really liked all the characters.Was this review helpful to you?
chemistry
watching this cdrama felt weird to me first because of the age gap but at the end it kinda made sense. their chemistry was really cute and every scene just made me jump in my bed. duan jiaxus smile always gets me, there’s something about his smile that makes you get butterflies in the stomach like bro why are u flirting at me like that 😭😭this cdrama deserves the hype its getting and i dont care if anyone says its overrated, its overrated for a reason. music is perfect, cast is perfect, everything is perfectWas this review helpful to you?
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this show is an absolute watch and rewatch
this show is one of my absolute favourite cdramas of all time no matter how many times I watch it I fall in love with it all over again. the concept of the whole show was that friendship and familyscenes were well portrayed and the roles were played by amazing actors, especially by my top faves zhou Lusi and Chen Zheyuan, my endgame throughout the show.
if you are looking for a sweet heartfelt show I highly recommend this. and if you are trying to get into cdramas this is also a recommended watch. (I was skeptical about the age gap but it did not disappoint).
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Lead couple have intense chemistry!!
I really loved this drama! The acting is some of the best I’ve seen in this type of drama, especially the female lead. The story was so sweet. I wish we could have gotten more of a story about some of the background characters, though. I also think the drama could have been 15-18 episodes, not that it was boring, but it just had a lot of really unnecessary filler. The main leads chemistry was intense! I hope they will be in future dramas together. If you like sweet romance drama the this the show for you ❤️🥰Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Overall a very cute romance drama about a girl falling in love with her brother's friend.Although I really loved the show and their romance there are still some flaws. I feel like the beginning, where she was still in school was a bit long. Also there were some cringe moments, like when FL heard that ML has a girlfriend and flew all the way to his hometown at a ver young teenage age. A bit unrealistic.
Their romance really had me giggling all the time but after they got together I feel like it became a little dragged. There was very little story progress after that.
It could definitely be some episodes shorter but still very cute
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Left me with a quote distasteful end
This show started really well, it is cute and fun, and heart fluttering. We can see the progress on how Sang Zhi took interest in Jiaxu and started to have a crush on him, even visiting him alone to Yihe and made stories up about a boy he met online, to Sang Zhi trying to forget him because of misunderstanding, and rediscover her love for Jiaxu, and also Jiaxu who always takes care of primary school Sang Zhi to college student Sang Zhi and then falling for her. Up until then, I like it so much. The corny romance and playful flirt back and forth, but also with care and thoughtfulness.Until when they dated each other, things kinda started to ick me, when Jiaxu keeps "pushing" himself towards Sang Zhi. I don't know why, it feels rushed and it wasn't the innocent love anymore. I just don't like the sight of him "throwing" himself to Sang Zhi. I am starting to get the cringe on ep 20ish, and therefore I skimmed toward the last episode.
It's just very unfortunate that the drama left me with a not so quite good note. I like both actors but I think the problem is in the writing. It's kinda tacky. Really wish I could finish it with satisfaction.
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Gentle, Sweet, but Missing Spark
This is only my second C-Drama, and I couldn’t help comparing it to my first, Speed and Love (2025), which had quick pacing, intense emotions, and explicit romantic tension. So when I started Hidden Love, the contrast was immediate.In the beginning (up to around EP 7), I found many scenes quite cringe, partly because I was already visualizing Sang Zhi and Duan Jiaxu as a couple, and seeing her as a child and him as a teenager felt strange at first. Even though I think the actress playing Sang Zhi feels less immature than some other young leads, the early interactions were overly timid and didn’t draw me in.
As the story progresses, it slowly finds its rhythm. The plot covers different stages of their lives, from Duan Jiaxu as a young adult and Sang Zhi as a teenager to both as adults, which helps ease the initial age gap discomfort. That said, when both characters finally reach adulthood, I still felt the romance lacked the emotional intensity and impactful moments I was hoping for, especially after the slow build‑up.
One highlight for me was Sang Yan, Sang Zhi’s older brother. His playful dynamic with his sister, teasing her but genuinely protective, brought real warmth and humor to the story. His interactions with Duan Jiaxu also add depth and charisma to the overall narrative, and I wish he had appeared more often.
I also really enjoyed the portrayal of the parents, Sang Rong and Li Ping. Their relationship felt healthy and mature, something I don’t often see in dramas. They communicate openly and calmly, showing concern without yelling or drama, which was refreshing and comforting.
Another interesting aspect is how the drama handles Duan Jiaxu’s feelings. He doesn’t suddenly fall for Sang Zhi as a child; instead, the shift in his perception happens later, when they’re both adults, marked by a significant moment around the first snowfall they experience together, which is when he starts acknowledging his deeper emotions for her. That moment helped clarify his emotional transition and made their connection feel more believable.
However, something that bothered me throughout the series was how often the show reiterates that Sang Zhi has “grown up”. It felt repetitive, the audience already sees them as adults by the time the story reaches that point, so the constant reminders became unnecessary.
The ending, with a marriage proposal, felt a bit cliché and slightly rushed. On paper, it makes sense, both are adults, and culturally marriage is a natural step, but narratively it jumped too quickly for me after years of slow, gentle development. I was left thinking that spending more time on their emotional connection as adults before jumping to a proposal would have been more satisfying.
Overall, Hidden Love is a well‑made, wholesome drama with strong chemistry between the leads and meaningful family dynamics. I don’t have major issues with the acting, the performances are solid, but the story wasn’t as captivating for me as the hype suggested. It feels calm and comforting, but sometimes too quiet and contained for viewers looking for deeper emotional engagement.
Final rating: 7.5/10
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Job done !
It was the first time I watched a Cdrama so no other Cdrama to compare to… And I have to say that enjoyed it most of the time.On one (negative) hand, it was for me a typical Romance drama with classic storyline, no surprise, no plot twist (« they lived happily ever after »).
And sometimes too slow and boring (I admit I sometimes used fast forward button).
One the other (positive) hand, you get what you expect from a Romance drama : a love story without (a lot of) troubles (there is the ML’s father story but it isn’t much compares to real life), a happy ending (again « they lived happily ever after »).
A sweet, adorable and heartwarming drama with a beautiful chemistry between lead characters, cute and tender moments of romance and a funny relationship between siblings.
About acting, I didn’t know Zhao Lu Si (FL) before and I liked her acting (made me want to see more cdramas she stars in).
I also liked Chen Zhe Yuan (ML) and Victor Ma (FL’s brother) acting, they were great too.
I really appreciated the directing that allow actors to portray characters in a very natural way !!
I liked the OST and it was a good surprise to find out that Zhao Lu Si is also a great singer. I’ve added 2 or 3 songs to my Drama playlist.
Finally, yes I understand some people could find this drama too cheesy, unrealistic and a bit boring. But from my point of view, it met expectations of « sweet & adorable » Romance drama (if I’d wanted to see real slice of life drama, I’d have prefer My mister, Lost, My liberation notes or similar dramas…)
To summary, if you need heartwarming feelings and butterflies in your life, this drama is made for you.
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