Hidden Love

Saccharine sweet new adult romance

Hidden Love is saccharine sweet I almost got toothache. Very light cdrama focusing on first love. Chen Zheyuan reminds me of Chanyeol of EXO, kpop group☺️

What I liked:
1) I really liked Sang Yan and his interactions with his younger sister, Sang Zhi. Victor Ma rocks the role.
2) The actress who played middle school Sang Zhi was really good despite not resembling Zhao Lusi.
3) Sang Zhi's characterisation once she was an intern. She didn't waver easily when her love rival threatened her and harassed Jia Xu.
4) Their kisses and intimate scenes were hot.

What I disliked:
1) 1st half of the series was slow.
2) Don't like how Sang Zhi was infantilised at start. I find her cunning because she knew how to manipulate her parents and brother to do things for her. I also don't like that she hero worshipped Jia Xu.
3) I am on indifferent about Jia Xu. Yeah he has conflict like any other main characters but I don't find him interesting enough to root for him.

Favourite scene
Everytime Sang Yan bickered with Sang Zhi

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"Like a puppy trying to win your heart but tripping over its own paws idfk !?"

"Hidden Love : 7 or 8 or 7.8/10 idk– A Cringe-Fest That Somehow Wins You Over (Like a Puppy Tripping Over Its Own Paws)"

💖 WHY IT KINDA WORKS:
The young love vibes – Awkward, sweet, and painfully relatable if you’ve ever had a hopeless crush.

Zhao Lusi’s chaotic charm – Girl could make reading a phonebook entertaining.

The brother’s best friend trope – Predictable? Yes. Addictive? Also yes.

🙈 THE "WHY AM I BLUSHING?" CRINGE:
The secondhand embarrassment – So strong, you’ll scream into a pillow at least twice.

The over-the-top confession scenes – "Are they… serenading her with a drone?!"

The age-gap weirdness – Slightly less creepy than other dramas, but still hmm.

🎯 YOUR RATING (AND WHY IT TRACKS):
"It’s flawed, it’s cringy, but damn it, it’s endearing." You gave it a 7/10 because:
✅ Nostalgic teen romance
✅ Zhao Lusi’s comedic timing
❌ Some "oof" moments
❌ Pacing issues in the middle

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Sweet youth romance + controversial setting

The best part of this romance drama is the chemistry between the main couple as well as the trio leads. The main leads ZLS and CZY are truly complement each other, although tbvh it's also hard to believe their characters are supposed to be 5 years apart with him being older.

Controversial part, the setting between adult male lead and child version of the female lead/ when the female lead during her high school in around 7 ep was actually quite uncomfortable to watch, yes we can argue the male lead didn't see her as a woman yet that time but it doesn't mean everyone should agree with that.

Overall, it's still quite pleasant to watch. All of us have crush, but mostly ended as unrequited ones. Nice to see someone's crush has her happy ending in the fictional world.

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Drama for girls yearning for love

perhaps i'm too old for this type of dramas... the overall plot didnt appeal much to me. watched this because i watched the first frost and wanted to know more about the sang family story.

the storyline feels a bit unbelievable. i can understand how a young girl can have a crush on an elder brother's friend, but i cannot understand why the male lead will fall in love with the girl just because she stood up for him. based on the story, it seems SZ holds a special place in DJX's heart from an early part of the story.

i feel this show appeals more to the younger crowd, those who like to see their first love fairytale come true. it does have a feel good vibe to it. both male and female leads look amazing and sweet together. not a show i will rewatch for sure.

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Ugh

I am very late to this cdrama because this didn't really appeal to me until a couple of days ago when I finished watching The First Frost and saw that this was sort of connected to it. I don't normally like cutesy female leads who can barely talk like a normal human being and this had exactly that. We start off with 8 episodes of the teen FL pining after the ML. These episodes were so boring and cringy and just kind of strange at the same time. I'm not sure why they focused so much on their interactions when she was underage. At least they changed the child that was playing the FL in the beginning cause that was super weird. Tbh even with the actress change later on, it was borderline creepy at times because the actress was doing this ridiculous voice that made her sound like a child. So I was just weirded out by their interactions. I pushed through since I can get over some dubious shit in dramas and I can ignore it somewhat if it's not too much. So I got through these 8 episodes and finally made it to the adult life bits excited to finally see some actual romance. And um, the same childish cutesy behaviour is there. Unlucky me I guess.

I still persisted and hoped that the romance would make up for the first 8 episodes. And nope. The romance is bad. I didn't really buy their chemistry. The fixation on the age thing seemed so strange. He's 5 years older, not 50. Although based on the immaturity of the FL, I guess the age difference seems larger and more significant. I don't think him falling for her was shown properly. They have some interactions and all of a sudden he likes her I guess. He wasn't really conflicted, didn't hesitate at all and just went for it. His flirting was so cringy lol. I guess when you don't buy the chemistry, it's bound to seem cringy. And the FL is still acting in the same way as before. It's so jarring, at times it honestly seems like she might have some developmental disability. Feels pretty harsh, but that's how it looked like to me.

Anyway, I still persisted and wanted to keep watching to see what this relationship will look like once they start properly dating. And ugh. I think their relationship is so weird. Her juvenile behaviour is so jarring and him being attracted to her when she is so childish is giving me the ick. I also really hate the way he keeps bending over to study her face from up close, it's so odd lol. I genuinely think that if she had an adult woman's voice and behaviour, it would make this much less weird and tolerable.

Now I'm at the end of episode 18 and I can't persist anymore. He's just bent over AGAIN to get close to her face and talk to her like he's talking to a child and that was the final straw. I can't take these two anymore, it's time to drop it and move on to something I'm actually enjoying.

I knew I wouldn't like this back when this first came out and everyone was raving about it. Nothing about this appealed to me and my instincts were right. I blame The First Frost for this lol. If I hadn't liked it, I would have never watched this.

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not my cup of tea

i truly could not continue it. i have seen so many people talk abt this drama and i was so excited to try it and see for myself how good it is.
first like 2 episodes were alright,interesting and funny,but then i started to get annoyed at how Sang Zhi was acting. she was supposedly a 17 year old but acted like a 5 yr old. at first i was like okie...but then she just kept acting like that and it got so annoying i ended skipping so much through the episodes.
maybe im missing out on the rest of the story by dropping it like this here,but i just cant do it man
props to the ones that like it and could finish it👍🏻its just not my thing

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A common trope done well. Short and sweet drama...

I'm typically not a fan of the "falling in love with my brother's best friend" trope. But it was well done here. I can't really judge because when I met my first love I was 19 and he was 24. But if we had met when I was kid I don't know how I would've felt. When these stories start off with the ML meeting the girl as a child it could always be borderline creepy. I don't always believe that feelings can change from someone viewing someone as a younger sibling and then suddenly a love interest. But this drama did a good job by focusing more on the coming of age story of Sang Zhi first. There interactions when she was in first and secondary school were wholesome. It's perfectly natural for young girls to have crushes on older boys. (Also side note: the actress they got to play young Zhao Lusi was perfect. Really looked and acted like her. )The show did a good job on keeping that one sided. The crush was clearly not reciprocated during this time and all the sweet things the ML did he did because he is a genuinely nice person. However, I did think the first 7-9 episodes were borderline boring. The show could've gotten the point across in 3-4 episodes showing her childhood/high school years. I love short dramas but I would've liked it if they had used more of the earlier episodes on their actual relationship time period.

Story: It's okay. Again, not a huge fan of this trope but I think this was executed well. Other than that there's not much going on. The main CP's career paths are both dull. Her college roommates are somewhat entertaining but I didn't care about any of their stories. It was nice to see the one actress from Tiger and Rose act with Zhao Lusi again though. The ML's friends are funny, but my favorite supporting character was Sang Yan. The ML's dark family drama is off-putting and his creepy stalker is insufferable. Who falls in love with the son of the man who accidentally killed your father and then believes he owes you a relationship somehow?? I'm only half Chinese and from the states but is this typical in China where the family takes responsibility for another family member's actions? Like the whole thing was clearly the father's fault. Why would Jianxu's mom basically pimp her son out to make amends? Can you imagine how much better off he would've been in life without having to pay that debt or deal with that nutjob? But I guess they needed to throw something other than the romance into the story to keep the blood flowing. I just didn't like this part of the story and would have preferred an alternate issue for him to have been dealing with that wasn't so ridiculous.

Acting: I am a Zhao Lusi fan. She's just adorable and a great actress. Her hair and outfits were perfect and she looked beautiful in this drama. I don't believe her skills were on full display here until the last 5 episodes but she did well with her comedic timing and emotional scenes. The blank stares when she was nervous around Jianxu were a little strange. She put him through a lot of awkward silences. But their chemistry was still pretty good. The way Sang Zhi always fiercely protects Jianxu and the way he takes care of her makes them the sweetest couple. Zhao Lusi has a naturally mousy, sweet voice which makes her sound innocent, but her character was actually very mature in her actions. The way she handled the confrontations with his stalker showed her emotional intelligence. I must admit the scene at the airport where she finally told Jiaxu she's always liked him almost made me cry for 2 reasons: 1 -embarrassment! I would've personally taken that to the grave! 2 - the acting was great in this scene from the both of them. You could really feel the angst, the love and the sadness.
I'm aware that Chen Zhe Yuan has a pretty big fan base. I can't say that I'm in it. I don't dislike him but he's not my type. Jianxu was a great character for him though and he fit the role perfectly. His natural boyish looks and charm were on full display here and his acting wasn't half bad. If I'm being honest, I had more of a crush on Sang Yan. He looks like a young Jet Li with a spunkier personality and plays the perfect convincing older brother. Sang Yan & Sang Zhis relationship was spot on and very entertaining to watch.

Conclusion: The focal point of this drama is the sweet romance and the chemistry between the main leads is undeniable. If you want to watch something sugary and without a heavy plot, this is a great option. Also the OST is full of catchy, soothing songs, 2 from Lusi.

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Decent show overall.... amazing show for the right crowd

The issu i have with this show is... story like these are a dime and dozen every few months.
Though this show did an amazing job portraying a little girl's infatuation slowly turn into her first love and so on...it lack that "thing" to keep me hooked... by episode 11 or so... I was asking myself... so what's next...

Personnaly, the acting is by far the biggest plus to this serie....Zhao Lusi is insanely good in this role... it's actually scary how good of a job she did portraying a little girl from 14 to 19 years old. .. the rest of the cast was... meh nothing more nothing less.

The music was ok I guess.... you see show like " The Double" for example have me humming differents songs after each episode... because not only were they good.... but they stick with you... this show.... to be honest.... i can't even rememer a single song from any scene...I wouldn't say it was bad... but just forgettable.

Thi si the kind of drama that I usually watch once then forget about it....

Overall I gave it a 7 because it wasn't really my type of show and there are soo many out there like this one....
However I can see why people who enjoy this kind of show giving it 9-10.

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✒⭐Grasp Those Stars & Hold Tight⭐ °7.8° °VG°

Here's a romance that's a warm and sticky sweet bun with a nice cup of chamomile tea. We're talking very low drama. Romance fans will find it charming and relaxing. I certainly did. Others might be underwhelmed. We meet Sang Zhi (Zhizhi) in middle school and follow her through several years of her life. In ep1 big bro brings his friend, Jiaxu, home. Zhizhi is smitten. Jiaxu is thoughtful and kind towards her. He always has time for her, which only fans the flames as the years roll by.

HL is a 2023 release that is rated a whopping 9 on MDL. It is 1 season consisting of 25 45-minute episodes. Zhao Lu Si (Who Rules the World-7.5, I Hear You-7, The Romance of Tiger and Rose-9.8, Love Like the Galaxy) is FL Sang Zhi. I've liked her in everything I've seen so far, but my respect for her abilities took a leap forward with this show. Feisty and full of life describes most of her characters. Here, she's shy and demure (though she's capable of pulling some bold moves, we'll see). Even her body language says she's not fully grown. While in HS, her gangly walk is the pièce de résistance of her act. She's extremely impressive, particularly when one factors in how different she is from her other performances. I am a fan.

Chen Zhe Yuan (Our Secret, Handsome Siblings-8.7) play ML Duan Jiaxu. He's a sparky, mischievous brat in HS, a show that I love. In HL he's calm and thoughtful. Victor Ma (Detective Chinatown, Moments We Shared) is big brother Sang Yan. He may be the big brother, but he's a bit of a brat, always calling Zhizhi “Little demon”. The director is Lee Ching Jung (Go Go Squid!, Everyone Loves Me). The screenwriter is Ou Si Jia of Mirror: A Tale of Twin Cities, and the original creator is Zhu Yi of the show, When I Fly Towards You-7.8.

The day Zhizhi meets Jiaxu she has a dilemma. She's in trouble at school and her parents have been called in for a teacher conference. She somehow persuades Jiaxu to pose as her brother for the conference. He attends, explaining that the parents are out of town. Crisis deleveled. That favor creates a bond between them that will never be broken. Zhizhi ends up at college in Jiaxu's hometown, and he is the only person she knows there. Sang Yan asks friend, Jiaxu, to look out for his sister. Jiaxu does. Zhizhi was already looking at Jiaxu… and only him.

I watched HL back-to-back with When I Fly Towards You. They are similar - same author. They're relaxing, they really couldn't be sweeter, and they both lack depth. Other than a stalker connected to Jiaxu over a mistake his father made, the biggest problem the characters face in HL is Zhi's milk allergy. (The show presents the 5 year age difference as a big issue. It certainly is for teens, but once they are both in their 20's it isn't worth mentioning). That's okay; there's a nice big space with comfy couches for such wind-down watches. It does lower the degree of difficulty, though, and thus the maximum score. One the one hand, to do a slice-of-life feature in which not much happens, yet it is still a great watch, takes skill. On the other hand, for a feature to be in the high 8's and above, there should be complexity and these 2 shows have none. They can be every bit as enjoyable as, and the ones we rewatch before more highly rated shows. Entertainment that touches the heart is meritorious regardless of technical lapses. WIFTY gets a higher cuteness rating because the female lead’s character is ridiculously and relentlessly cute, while HL is more tranquil. It's almost plodding, but never boring. These shows are for romantiholics only, and look at the ratings - romance junkies are very satisfied. If you want to expose a friend, who is only a casual romance watcher, to a youthful Chinese romance, I suggest A Little Thing Called First Love-8.5 or Wait, My Youth-8.4.

HL may lack deeper shading but it has no flaws. Every element is done well. The music is quite nice, however Shazam only had titles in Mandarin. Some did pop up on Spotify. Modern-day Cdramas have gotten better. Before 2019 most are deeply flawed, though not without their charms. One of the best things about Cdramas is what I call their Prozac effect. They are designed to quiet the mind and calm the spirit. If anxiety is up, a Chinese modern-day romance like HL could very well help level the mood.

At one point Zhizhi pumps her fist in the air and gives Jiaxu the common Kdrama encouragement: “FIGHTING!” The most recent Cdramas have been acknowledging the popularity of Kdramas, and I suspect it's a call out to what has inspired their growth. I love it. I also loved HL. Will you? If you call yourself a romance fan, maybe. Probably. If you consider yourself a romance /junkie/ then there can be no doubt; check it out!

〰🖍 IMHO

📣7.5 📝7 🎭8.3 💓7 🦋6 🎨6.5 🎵/🔊8 🔚7.7 ▪ 🌞7 ⚡3 😅3 😭3 😱1 😯2 🤢0 🤔3 💤0


Age 12+ for mild sexual content; Rated TV-Y7: Directed to Older Children

Re-📺? It's not impossible, but there's a long list of other shows that would precede it in a rewatch.


In order of ~lite & trite~ to ~heavy & serious~ you may also like:

💓 -
C🇨🇳: Well-Intended Love 7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine;
🌐 I Hear You ‘19 7.3, so cute but with many flaws
🌐 You are my destiny 6.8 ‘20 cute and sweet and 1/2 padding
Find Yourself 8.9;
The Sleepless Princess 9.1
K🇰🇷 :
A Witch's Love 7.8;
Love To Hate You 8.9;
Touch Your Heart 8.2;
Crash Landing On You 9.1;
Oh My Ghost 10;
It's Okay Not to Be Okay 9;
Hospital Playlist 9;
My Mister 9.5;

🎎 -
C🇨🇳: Overlord 8.4,
Under the Power 8.6,
The Rebel Princess 9.1,
The Sword and the Brocade 8.6 (in ancient Chinese opera style),
The Rise of Phoenixes 9
K🇰🇷:
My Only Love Song 8.7 excellent comedy;
Mr. Queen 8.5;
My Sassy Girl 8.5;
The King's Affection 8.3;
Mr. Sunshine 9

🔮🐉-
C🇨🇳: Love Between Fairy & Devil 8.9;
Once upon a time in Linglian Mountain 7.5;
Douluo Continent 9.4;
Eternal Love 8.3,
Ancient Love Poetry 8.6;
Love and Redemption 10

Japanese🇯🇵 lite romcoms: Maid Sama-10, Mischievous Kiss Love in Tokyo-7.8, Love, Chunibyo And Other Delusions-8.4, Toradora-8.5

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Trope and juvenile

This is a juvenile drama and should be watched as such. It is trope and adolescent to be crushing someone. It is very innocent (or naive depending on your viewpoint) and pure as some reviewers have commented. It is refreshing even compared to some other teen dramas which nowadays focus on difficult themes like bullying or the stress/pressure of academic excellence or suicide ideation. However, I couldn't help but get vibes of paedophilic grooming especially in the first episode with the 14 yo Sang Zhi and developed a strong 'ick' factor.

I seriously don't know how this drama can rate so highly compared to real meaty dramas. I watched hoping it would get more 'adult' and meaty but finally gave up. I really liked Zhao Lu Si and her portrayal of a high school student was spot on. Young love is pure and juvenile and one has to be in the right mood for it. Unfortunately, I'm not.

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