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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Disappointed
I was very excited to watch this series because of Zhao Lusi, butdropped it because of ML. I was not able to watch him onscreen,
somehow adjusted because of Zhao Lusi.
ML is not looking like a man in love, his expression is of lusty man.
In the first few episodes, he is looking like a pervert, a Pedophile.
Disappointed . They should had hired a good actor, with a little bit more mature love looks not a actor who's giving expression of a molester than a lover.
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Diabetic sweetness we need in our life
SO ADORABLE!! Great acting, great chemistry., beautiful family relationships. This is such s breath of fresh air after watching so many toxic relationships.Recommended to watch to ease d pressure of daily life. Makes you rethink on wat kind of relationships you want in your life. On a deeper level, this is d kind of love and family dynamics dat we should aim lol.. Love d brother realness, dat regardless his full blown annoying attitude, he always protects his sister. I want one too, please.. And dont forget his brother kind and fluffy sidekick., Love his kind nature too.. DAYM I ADORE THIS NON TOXIC CREATURES!!!
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Dropped
The acting is bad except for the first episode.The music is decent.
The story is too slow. Can walk away to get some coffee and 20 min later and not miss anything. Can miss an entire episode and not miss anything. Being called 2nd brother over and over, him acting like a father figure but later wanting a romance is creepy.
Shouldn't be listed as comedy.
The hype is ridiculous. Started off at 9.9 on imdb and once it gets on Netflix, it'll probably dump faster when people try it like I did. Waste of time unless you are a 9 or 10 year old maybe.
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This review may contain spoilers
2 puppies in love!
This is the perfect drama if you are looking for "feel good" series. It is overloaded with sweetness and pure moments between 2 very "nice" people.
Plot: a naive girl falls in love with her brother's best friend. Being 5 years younger than him, they find themselves in different stages of life, but when she becomes an adult they finally get the chance to be together.
This is a very sweet story but and it's fame is well deserved but of course nothing is perfect.
First point: I feel that adding the scenes of a middle school FL added nothing to the story, but made it a bit weirder. Why? Just why? If they met when she was already in highschool would have been better.
Second point: this is my first drama with Zhao lusi and I can confidently say her fame is well deserved. She is amazing and very believable. The main "beef" I have is with her character.
She is frankly one dimensional. Except for being in love with this guy there isn't much else. I am not even quite sure what she studies at university. School days are basically non existing.
Third point: why did they have to make the ml such a miserable guy. The amount of trauma this guy went through... I know the drama wants to make two opposite face each other (they guy who had a hard life and the sheltered princess) but this doesn't really work. Even though he went through so much he is heavenly sweet just like the FL who didn't face a single struggle in her life.
Fourth point : this is not really a point but just a preference. At the very beginning I thought the FL was playing a more childish voice to create a contrast between her character as a teenager and her character as an adult... I quickly realized that is just the way she speaks😅. I know that China probably has some sort of sweet spot for aegyo like in Korea.. but man.. sometimes it is hard to listen to a 20 something years old girl like a child. That's nobody a fault. It's just the actress way of speaking. No big deal.
Talking about positives: the actors have such good chemistry. They really feel like a real couple.
Going back to negatives : I am currently at episode 20... Ok I love their story, but this entire series is only based on their love story. Nothing else is happening. It's starting to be a bit boring...
Finally over.
Definitely a good drama, worth watching but only if you really like romance cause there isn't anything else in here.😅
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Worth it ❤️
The story is just perfect. I love the development of the plot. The scenes are very simple yet it invokes so much emotion. I also like the fact that there is no dull moment nor toxic parts. The story does not only gives entertainment but it also gives lessons. Like how the characters build their own self, there’s self-love, there’s patience, there’s hope. The story is really nice and i don’t want to spoil it.The casts and their acting is FRENCH KISS💋💋 They are so talented and very natural. Especially the female lead both her kid and adult version. I also love the dynamics between their siblings relationship. Everything about the cast is just so pretty, natural, and VEERRYYY talented. Just imagine how thier subtle smiles or movements looks so natural 🥹 Gossssshhh, I so want to hug her in her middle school airport scene, that scene is so impactful that I totally felt her what she felt that time, very relatable. The story is nice but I must say that because of the casts, the story was brought to so much life.
OSTs are so cute that it feels well to the scenes. I must say that they chose prefectly well the osts for this series.
Overall, I will definitely recommend this 🥹❤️
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Hidden First Love
Hidden Love is a sweet romance that captures the magic and vulnerability of falling in love for the first time. With its soft atmosphere, lovable leads, and heartfelt storytelling, this drama feels like a comforting memory you want to hold on to.The story follows Sang Zhi, a bright and somewhat awkward high school girl, and Duan Jiaxu, her older brother’s friend. What starts as a quiet crush gradually grows into something deeper, and the drama carefully traces their relationship over several years. It’s not rushed, not overly dramatic, but instead focused on small moments—glances, shared silences, and emotional growth.
One of the drama’s biggest strengths is its atmosphere. The cinematography is warm and nostalgic, almost dreamlike at times. The pacing is relaxed, which might feel slow to some, but it works beautifully for a story built on unspoken feelings and growing trust. The OST (original soundtrack) also adds to the overall feeling, matching the tone perfectly.
Zhao Lusi as Sang Zhi is incredibly charming, capturing the innocence and uncertainty of young love. Chen Zheyuan plays Duan Jiaxu with a calm, steady presence that slowly reveals more emotional depth as the story unfolds. Their chemistry feels natural, never forced, and the age gap is handled with sensitivity and care.
Beyond the romance, Hidden Love also explores themes like family relationships, personal growth, and emotional healing. It doesn’t rely on dramatic twists, but instead lets the characters grow organically. It’s a story about timing, patience, and the quiet ways people come to care for each other.
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SECOND WATCH REVIEW (i never wrote a review the first time i watched it, but would have gut rated it 9.5-10)
This show was one of my first c-dramas! I remember enjoying it a lot and really finding myself to be a fan of Lu Si. She is a phenomenal actress. That said, its been at least two-ish years since I first watched it. So after watching Chen Zhe Yuan be fantastic in Fated Hearts and re-entering this “universe” via The First Frost, I decided it was time for a rewatch.
I want to say, this romance is excellent! They are cute and adorable and caring toward each other. In my memory, the age gap wasn’t that big of a deal – and while it’s true it wasn’t “creepy” because Duan Jia Xu was **not** romantically into her at all until she was 18, this re-watch had me noticing that some phrases and wording were … interesting. As always, I’m not sure if it’s because it’s being translated to english. But even once they are together, the show chose to kind of romanticize Sang Zhi’s childhood crush. It doesn’t help that the actress that played her for when they first met looked 8 rather than 13?
Also I wish they let Lu Si drop the baby voice once she got into college. It’s like the writers REALLY wanted their age gap TO BE an issue even though it wasn’t? Idk I do think this aspect while not horrible, could have been better. He still refers to her as kiddo randomly which is *not* equivalent to her calling him old, it just isn’t. So little things like that were eh. IDK if this is a reflection on the story or the romance? I am leaning toward story only because again, he wasn’t into her until she was older and if he was, this would be more of a horror than a romance tbh.
Honestly, no offense to Duan Jia Xu, but I don’t understand why him and him mom did not take the dad off life support. We only see the dad in one flashback in which he confesses to his family he hit someone and ran, then jumps off the balcony. We have no background as to if this was an unfortunate blip or if Duan Jia Xu’s father was always a dead beat? I think after watching The First Frost, I have such a low tolerance for shitty parenting that I’m being more nit-picky, but other than the man being his birth parent, we get no insight on if he was a good father. If he was a good father and it was a literal one day disaster, I think it would explain why they even kept him on life support. Idk if its maybe a Chinese law or something that was why the man wasn’t just *not* given life support – but 9 years at $100K a year for a man that, if he woke up, would be sent to jail, does not make sense at all? Again, I think I’m being nit picky after hating Wen Yi Fan’s mother and extended family in The First Frost.
Alas, I think the way these two interact and fall in love from start to finish is pretty wholesome. **Sang Zhi** definitely “fell in love” first, but I would say **Duan Jia Xu** fell in love much harder – not to diminish Zhi’s love. She is consistent and persistent in getting Duan Jia Xu to recognize he is a good person and should not bare the weight of his father’s mistake. She is ready to support him which was cute and funny because girl let him make that dough. But from a dynamics perspective is really adorable because Duan Jia Xu has never had anyone look after him. After the accident he had to look after his mother, father, and the victim’s family. He literally has been grinding nonstop so to find a woman that sees him for who he is and not what he can provide was important. Duan Jia Xu’s love on the other hand, was an inkling at first. He was like she’s actually pretty cute inside and out. But from there he really dived into loving her. While he did kinda suck at pursuing her when he was working, I liked that he just could not think about anyone or anything but her. Near the end, once everyone is questioning their relationship, he is literally thinking about how to set them up for marriage. And while I’m sure Zhi has imagined being together forever, he is the one that actually verbalizes and plans around that longer term commitment.
Also, the proposal is cute for the face value reason but also with the realization that he contacted her friends and all of them figured the best way to trick her was to have her think she is helping set up Ning Wei’s proposal.
### Original Thoughts & Ideas
- To what end is a parent a parent vs a burden. When it is “guiltless” to sever or let go of those familial bonds?
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This review may contain spoilers
Healing dramas
For this drama I'll give 9 out of 10 since the plot isn't that bad and not overhyped. I get it why, their chemistry is chef kiss and what I love the most is the relationship love-hate siblings between Sang Yan and Sang Zhi.Literally the definition of siblings 😂😂
I'll look forward to other Zhu Yi's Universe.
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I LOVE ITTTTT
this was so cozy and TBH it changed my perspective on relationships. the way they’re each other's constant support system throughout the whole story is so SOOOO 🫶🏻 watching their bond grow made me realize how important it is to have someone who truly gets you and is always there for you.duan jiaxu didn’t deserve anything that happened to him. he’s such an amazing person and i’m so happy sang zhi was there to show him his worth and helped him heal. it was so heartwarming to see how she brought out the best in him ❤️🩹
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Moral and ethical decision
It is outrageous that people rate story as 10.The big ethical and moral issues is in promoting or encouraging very young underage girls that is ok for them to be in love with much older guys. In real life that can be very troubling if they encounter unethical person who will take advantage of them. Once ethical doubts is created, its hard to like relationship between two actors, story becomes unpalatable. I do not have problems with love stories between adults, but involving underage children is no go.
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