1The Romance Drama That Breaks the Usual Cliches
I started About Love expecting the same formula that many Chinese romance dramas usually follow. Most of the time it is sweet scenes repeated again and again, unnecessary misunderstandings, and characters acting unrealistically just to keep the story going. But this drama surprised me in a very good way.About Love is not the typical lovey lovey romance story. The relationship feels much more raw and realistic. The characters are flawed and emotional and sometimes even frustrating, but in a way that actually feels human. They make decisions based on pride, fear, and personal struggles instead of just following predictable drama logic.
One thing I appreciated a lot is that the writing respects the audience. The story does not drag the same misunderstanding forever and the conflicts move forward naturally. Conversations between the characters feel genuine and sometimes uncomfortable, which makes the emotional moments much stronger when they happen.
The acting also plays a big role in why the drama works so well. The chemistry between the leads does not feel forced or exaggerated. Instead it comes through quiet moments, tension, and small emotional reactions. It feels less like a scripted romance and more like watching two people trying to figure out their complicated feelings.
The pacing is also better than what we usually see in this genre. The drama focuses more on character development and emotional growth rather than repeating the same romantic clichés over and over again.
Brutally honest, this drama made me realize how average many romance c dramas actually are. About Love does not rely on the usual tricks and it is clearly trying to tell a more honest story about relationships.
It is not a perfect drama, but it is definitely refreshing. If someone is tired of the usual sweet and predictable romance stories, About Love is a drama that actually feels different and worth watching.
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Thorny relationships in a tangled web
Finished this convoluted drama, that will not appeal to everyone because of its themes and unusual format. It is not the usual romance to binge, and fast forwarding will lose the audience, who tread the tight rope line along Bei, Gong and Xiaoxi, where other characters weigh in to trip others up and drag them down into (senti)mental abysses.The cast has many actors:
Liu Yuning (playing the mysterious bag appraiser Bei), in a very special love triangle with
Vengo Gao (as the mercurial comics artist Gong cruelly betrayed by a jealous woman who had hired Xiaoxi), and Wang Ziwen ("relationships appraiser" florist Li Xiaoxi/seductress Jiang Yifan) ;
Jiang Xin (Yu, older woman in a flagging marriage), Jason Gu (musician Xiu, Yu's husband) and Huang Ziqi (actress Luanluan) also in an unholy triangle;
Zhu Jiaqi (red haired photographer Sen) with Vivienne Tien/Chen Jiaying (Mingming, employee long pursued by Sen) and Zhou Dawei (Mingming's former suitor, photographer A Lun), alongside other men and women who distrust feelings, some who play characters who make a living from cheaters like Gong Beibi (the redoubtable Guan Jie madam of the women's club who used Li Xiaoxi to break up couples) or Ming Dao (the psychologist Lin Chen).
The relationship chart on https://wiki.d-addicts.com/images/a/a6/About_Love_Chart.jpg (unfortunately not translated in the MDL photo section copy) is not altogether straightforward.
The opening Douban rating of 6.3 from 19,600 ratings is honorable although we would like to see higher ratings for a Liu Yuning drama. This adult target drama, filmed in August 2023 and postponed while three previously filmed dramas were released before it (filmed in 2021 "Heroes", filmed in 2022 Zichuan" and filmed in 2022 "A Journey To Love") and a number more (2024 released "The Story of Pearl Girl", "2024 "Heroes", 2025 The Prisoner of Beauty", 2025 "Zichuan",and "A Dream Within A Dream") making followers wonder what was wrong and if it would ever see light on screens.
"About Love" was too generic a title : too many C-dramas have a similar one. Why not have kept the initial "Cicada Girls" title? [Edit: It was a literary reference to author Raymond Carver's collection of short stories " What We Talk About When We Talk About Love (1981), as drama reporter Avenue X brilliantly explained in her video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1avBZFI_IM ] The original Chinese source material was a manhua titled Cicada girl. The "love appraiser" is once likened to a mantis devouring her mate, the character also reminds of a moth drawn to a flame, shown in the opening credits).
The drama did not benefit from much promotion and the choppy editing, mixing animation and theater moments sometimes in a too heavy handed explanatory fashion, sometimes confusing timeline, the themes may have bewildered LYN fans looking it up now. LYN himself was not much satisfied with this drama, the visuals of which (hairstyle...) follow closely the initial source material webtoon. It was an experience, from which he concluded that he much prefers to play costume dramas. Still, it is watchable and has its merits, for the patient audience.
Liu Yuning also (unusually) did not sing here, although the voice of Zhang Lei sounds so close to his that some thought it was him singing "Love is not true".
The OST has nice songs and was compiled on YouTube. I have added in the Discussions section the links and some lyrics to the songs, together with who are the singers and lyricist, composers of those songs. Among the singers, a Sichuan Tibet autonomous Aba-Qiang prefecture born singer called Mamcù, lends her voice to the theme song, sung in English : The Secret of Love (not to be confused with the Circles of Life from the Disney animation, lol!!)
Discover more about and listen to the OST through visiting the Discussions section , or click on the direct link : https://kisskh.at/discussions/754333-chan-nv/148568-about-love-2026-complete-ost-music
Also look at lilili's post in Discussions section to appreciate the beautiful cinematography : : https://kisskh.at/discussions/754333-chan-nv/148952-the-cinematography-of-about-love
♥️💛💛♥️
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Goodbye Cinderella story; Hallo real life
Unbiased Review: About Love – Ep 1-4,12-26Unless you are in the dating era, you are 30+ or have "adulted" enough to know that life isn't a bed of roses, you might find this one of the most challenging romance dramas ever written. It’s a series for those who understand that nothing is as it seems, diving deep into the messy complexities of love, infidelity, and the psychological hurdles of real-world relationships.
The Highlights:
The Leads: Wang Ziwen and Liu Yuning deliver incredibly nuanced performances. Their chemistry is grounded and real, rather than just "idol-style" sweet.
Despite the their complex backstories, they communicate when need be and they know that they are eachother's last stop.
Vengo Gao (Gao Weiguang): His addition was a masterstroke. He provides the much-needed humor, quirkiness and levity that balances out the show's heavier, grittier themes.
Ensemble Storytelling: This isn’t just a vehicle for the main stars. If like me you’re a fan of Liu Yuning or Wang Ziwen, go in with an open mind; the side stories and the characters that bring them to life are just as vital to the plot. Once you get past the initial setup, it truly grows on you.
The Verdict: It’s not for everyone. It’s a slow-burn, sometimes uncomfortable look at how we "test" love and often break it in the process. But if you’re looking for a drama with actual substance that stays with you, this is it.
So far I can give it a good 8.6
And 9/10 for Original Creator, Gong Yuanqian, what else has he written, I need a headache..
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This review may contain spoilers
A hot mess that I enjoyed as if eating melon at a bar brawl
Watching About Love was um a journey 😅 I gave it a 7.5 because I do think there's a lot that's really interesting about this drama and I don't regret watching it but I can't give a higher rating because of how flawed it is.The director did an amazing job of portraying the more toxic aspects of the story with fantasy sequences, lighting, music choices, color story and staging. I took a lot of screenshots which you can see here: https://kisskh.at/discussions/754333-chan-nv/148952-the-cinematography-of-about-love.
But the writing was often a mess and the entire drama went off the rails in the last two episodes.
Some of my favorite scenes include the restaurant debacle that looked like it was filmed in a literal cage, the movie theater scene with Lin Chen and Xiaoxi, and the stage play aimed at Xiu and Yu. It's rare to see this level of creativity and risk taking in a Cdrama so I appreciate the story for that alone.
My favorite characters in the drama (not in the sense of liking them but I thought they made the most sense) were Xiu and Yu trapped in a toxic marriage. Yu married Xiu, a younger man, because she found him adorable and also as a way to rebel against her mother. But ten years of Xiu being irresponsible and refusing to grow up turned Yu into a miserable harpy who was unrelentingly nasty to her husband. Meanwhile Xiu escaped into an affair with Luan Luan, an actress who justified it by telling herself she was rescuing him from a wife who didn't care about his art. Having the couple divorce and go on to find happiness solo (because of course the husband doesn't couple up with the mistress) was a "bad ending" that was actually a happy ending.
Just below Xiu and Yu is Gong who is greasy, sleazy and unashamed to flirt with and then openly go after his friend's girlfriend but (this is crazy) he was probably the person who was the most honest in the entire drama. Vengo Gao portrayed this character with a lot of charisma and made him far more likable than he deserved.
But the female lead is ugh. In a drama stuffed with problematic and unlikable people, she came out on top (I guess that's what makes her the FL 😂). I never felt like she truly loved the ML. She only wanted him as a trophy, the "perfect man" she possesses. She lied in almost every single episode and she never came clean voluntarily. She would get caught and then tell half truths to get out of it. She gets a long monologue at the end about the true nature of love and it's completely unearned! She never grew or changed. She's exactly the same shitty person at the end as she was at the start but she still gets the man.
And the male lead was also problematic. His best quality is that he looks like Liu Yuning. Aside from that he's passive avoidant and boring. He has a successful business but hangs out with a crowd of shitty, terrible people and he's mostly okay with their behavior. He never met an emotional vulnerability he couldn't run away from. He never evolves and he's exactly the same person at the end that he was at the start. Also, the ML has surprisingly little screen time and if you're watching for Liu Yuning you're likely to be disappointed.
Sen and Mingming's story was kind of meh and I was never very invested in them one way or the other.
One last thing I want to mention is the OST which is great and different from the usual syrupy ballads you get from cdramas. You can find the entire OST in this discussion: https://kisskh.at/discussions/754333-chan-nv/148568-about-love-2026-complete-ost-music
I'd say if you're able to deal with toxic and often unlikable characters and are interested in innovative cinematography and editing then you should give this a shot. Otherwise steer clear.
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"let's never see each other again"
first, let me say that I did not hate About Love even though this review may seem quite negative. in fact, I enjoyed substantial portions of it, particularly the character of Lao Gong and Gao Weiguang's performance with all its peculiarities, along with the underlying theme of the drama (if not its actualisation).to set a baseline, here's the list of all the characters I detested, in order most to least:
- Da Sen
- An Miu
- Yu's mother
- Xiu
- Lun
- Mingming
- Guan-jie
- Yu
- Bei
- Zhen
- Luanluan
- Li Xiaoxi
- almost every other person who came onscreen
those I liked: Lao Gong and Yingtao's didi (probably because they had a quality the others almost entirely lacked, straightforwardness and mostly honest communication)
therein lies the crux of the problem. there is a lot to dislike. the characters are mostly devastatingly unsympathetic, and each one should go completely no-contact with all the others. the toxicity multiplier effect is off the charts.
the music is gently offbeat but enjoyable. the cinematography, on the other hand, is not gentle but brash in its desire to be different, and occasionally feels like the beginning of a migraine. while I understand the vibe the director was aiming for and have praised other dramas for a similar expressionist-inspired tone, the underlying narrative and characters simply weren't strong enough to withstand this treatment and it ended up feeling try-hard rather than suave.
let me take a brief moment to trash the hairstyles because that is where the real headache makes itself felt. I have a most-hated ranking for these too but will leave you to choose your own fighter.
the acting was overall really decent, as you'd expect from the cast list. Gao Weiguang was a standout, and Wang Ziwen managed to make Li Xiaoxi far more rounded and less dislikeable than she had any business being. Liu Yuning's Bei, however, was an interesting study in how not to write a male lead. there have been plenty of complaints about his lack of screentime but this actually does him a favour because this character is just blandly slippery and has absolutely no points of interest to grab on to. more than once I wished he'd just pack up and move back to the UK.
the ending was a bit of a wash but amusingly meta in its failure to commit, given that none of the characters knew how to commit or end things properly either.
overall, an entertaining enough watch but will undoubtedly continue to irritate those who dislike messy melodramatic adult themes with cheating partners, as well as fans of romances and of Liu Yuning.
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Sensationalism in purest form!
The only positive thing I can think of is that you will not be disappointed in the FL and ML, they are both beautiful and a joy to look at on screen. Otherwise Don't get your hopes up for this drama, it was a big let down.The title should have been (A Moth to a Flame).
This was truly sensationalism at its purest. Worst ending ever! Stupid! Wasted my time on what could have been some real healing and truth. They just moved on with no realistic ending.
The FL was some Femme Fatale who could make men fall for her. However, in reality, she did a lot to lead them on. Her actions and lack of sensibility led her to make poor decisions. In reality, the writers just wanted to make a buck on a drama with famous actors. I cannot believe they actually spent money to make this drama, but I bet they made a lot.
Each of the side couples had a partner who was not sincere. Those partners were each crossing the lines of inappropriate behavior in a relationship. If you really dissect the relationships, they all got together for the wrong reasons and should never have been or stayed together. I don't know whose idea it was to put this mess together, but it just made me frustrated and sick to my stomach watching. When I watch an Asian drama, I watch to be entertained with a feeling of being satisfied at the end. Sort of like a good lovemaking session. I like both of the leads, and I watched this until the end because I wanted this to do well. So I am sure they were paid well, but sadly, I was not.
In my opinion, none of this was about messy relationships that no one wants to relive if they have had one. It was a waste of time for me.
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"A beautiful beginning, ending in total ruin."
At the start, this series was a masterpiece. The cinematography, lighting, and the way it captured the essence of falling in love, being in love, and the bitterness of resentment were flawless. It stayed true to the Manhua, almost frame-for-frame, and the casting was spot on. Although Wang Ziwen is older than the 24-year-old Xiaoxi in the original story, her charm and acting prowess brought the character to life perfectly.However, what happened after Episode 21 was a total train wreck. It was like watching a beautiful ice sculpture being smashed into pieces.
In the latter half, the writers butchered Xiaoxi’s character. She turned into a gullible person, easily manipulated by An Miao. She chose to believe lies over the man she supposedly loved, proving she never truly understood Xiaobei’s heart. Her character growth vanished. For someone portrayed as smart and an expert in "testing love," she became incredibly toxic and irrational, accusing Xiaobei of never loving her and seeing her only as a substitute for his ex. It was maddening to watch.
What the story should have been: The core should have been about their love blooming through trust. Xiaoxi should have been the one fighting to reconcile, building their trust to 100%. The ending should have featured the beautiful intercutting scenes from the Manhua: Xiaobei and Xiaoxi signing their marriage license, contrasted with Ah Qiu and Yu signing their divorce papers, and Da Shen chasing Ming Ming on the train. One couple blooming, one parting with understanding, and one reclaiming a long-lost love.
The "Soap Opera" Turn: From Episode 22 onwards, that artistic contrast vanished, replaced by a cliché, trashy soap opera. We got cold wars, repressed problems, and Xiaobei—who did nothing wrong—having to beg for forgiveness from a wife who was losing her mind.
The women around Xiaobei became a "Toxic Trio." The ex-girlfriend playing mind games, An Miao instigating a breakup to take her shot, and the wife (Xiaoxi) who—instead of protecting her man—joined them in emotionally crushing him. It felt like they were trying to drive Xiaobei to despair. To make it worse, they turned "Laogong"—the loyal friend—into a typical idol-drama home-wrecker who confesses to Xiaoxi the moment her heart is broken by her own stupidity.
What started as a brilliant psychological romantic thriller with deep insights into love devolved into a nonsensical, soapy mess.
My Final Verdict: If you haven't finished the show yet, take my advice: Stop at Episode 21. Right after Xiaobei asks Xiaoxi to register their marriage—turn it off. You'll feel much better, and it works as a beautiful, unofficial ending.
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Great depth
This series has great depth with its non-cliche approach to the romance genre. The production values are imaginative with a variety of techniques applied when developing the story. In particular, I loved how Luan’s play is juxtaposed with the reality of the couple’s issues but that was just one out of many ways about love which was communicated in a creative and innovative way. This series sustained my interest especially in portraying the relationships between couples and amongst the characters. There is a pessimistic approach with so much angst in so far as each couple have conflicts and complications but the discussions and revelations about love are so well scripted. The resolutions for each couple with the final voice over narration by Xiao Xi with the montage visuals of the characters tied everything together as far as what love is about. This was most satisfying. The writing is top notch and the cast do a tremendous job in portraying their characters. Gong’s character is most appealing for me due to his sense of humour and larrikin nature that at times was not without depth. I loved the ending. It was an enjoyable twist. Overall a very clever series.Was this review helpful to you?
Mature and engrossing
No glossy fairy-tale sentimentality here. This series starts as a multifaceted examination of love–showcasing its promise, its challenges, its various manifestations, insecurities, and difficulties.An amazing group of actors show us the pressures, problems, and power games experienced by a group of friends, all young adults, caught up in the ups and downs of romance – and its many complications.
The ML and the FL are both dedicated to discriminating what’s real from what’s bogus–but in different domains. The ML (played by Liu Yuning) specializes in sussing out authentic designer handbags from copies, whereas the FL tests various men to see if their romantic intentions are sincere–or not.
While the ML’s profession is considered reputable, the FL’s methods are a bit sleazy--veering off, at times, into techniques that could reasonably be called entrapment.
As for genuine, long-lasting love–is there any such thing? Or does love eventually deteriorate because of the many unavoidable pitfalls, problems, and contradictions? The drama asks the question, but never really provides an answer.
Edgy and quirky, a variety of experimental techniques mirror the ambiguity of the story telling. For example, indoor scenes are sometimes filmed with a gauzy filter, making it look as if they’re encased in fog
Gao Wei Guang, who plays Old Gong, adds humor and flair. He’s a reckless, creative, and toxic presence in the drama. As it turns out, he’s also someone who has a surprising moral sensitivity and capacity for friendship.
Unfortunately, the last few episodes really drag. For example, one couple’s divorce seem to go on forever. Other couples cycle in and out of their problems a few more times–I stopped caring about who was going to end up with whom.
Also the director completely changes the tone of the last episode–giving the whole drama a weird send off. I much prefer it when the writers choose the ending of the series themselves instead of asking the viewers to figure out what happens.
But altogether a surprising and innovative series.
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Fascinating Speculative Fiction Soap Opera Seeking THE SECRETS OF LOVE
Do you know how science fiction series ask you to immediately accept something ridiculous -- so that once you do -- the story can proceed? In ABOUT LOVE, we're asked to accept a business or 'sisterhood' of women who are paid to seduce a man to see if he's truly committed to his girlfriend or wife.It's a fun premise, but also silly. So you have to get past this and accept you're watching speculative fiction. Also, as the show progresses, you need to be a soap opera fan -- because this entire premise is designed to be super soapy.
(Me? I hate bad soap operas but adore great ones. This is a really good one exploding with so many love triangles.)
Our female lead Wang Zi Wen was terrific in THREE BODY and she brought me here. She kind of plays two characters in this story and once again demonstrates her skills. Despite being tiny around our two male leads -- she is a force of nature but also fragile and beautiful. Her role as Li Xiao Xi will be remembered as one of her finest. She's on quite the tightrope in this show, and she can smile her way out of any peril. Almost.
Her story is of a love triangle between a rather tall Chinese actor and... an even taller one. Liu Yu Ning is fascinating in that he has a sweet 12 year old boy's face but a basketball player's height. I found this combination always distracting somehow, but at least his character reflected this dichotomy. Deep in the series a childhood trauma is revealed -- and the 12 year old boy they found to play him looks just like him. He represents an ideal man in this story, down to the fact he's into women's bags, lol.
Our female lead should adore him. And does. But her boyfriend's best friend is Old Gong (Gao Wei Guang) -- and she has a past with him. This actor is new to me and he's absolutely hilarious. There are many moments in the story I can assure you he invented on the spot, not the screenwriter or director. His celibate status keeps the show from being overbearing with broken hearts, infidelity, and the like.
These three leads are the show's core. The rest are friends and strangers who spin out from these three. This cast reminds me of the MEET YOURSELF gang, but I like all these characters so much better. They have depth, passions, disappointments, jealousies and all sorts of humanity in a plot wrapped around a crisp discernible theme: what's the secret of love?
In these supporting characters a new face (to me) jumped right out: Huang Zi Qi, the actress. She had a difficult role to pull off and make the audience sympathetic to her interests. I was on her page the entire time until she did a rather intense 'performance', but even after that I was still basically on her side.
To me, her and her love interest were the most logical couple of this show. It's actually fascinating to realize many of the pairings weren't suited for each other. Sometimes is was a disparity between age. Another time it was innocence vs. streetwise. Pure of heart vs... umm... deceitful. Yet at the end of the show it became clear that everyone has secrets, and so in the world of ABOUT LOVE -- true love isn't really a thing.
I wrote a draft of this review 1.5 episodes from the end. I gave the series an 8.5 in story and overall. What kept it from a 9 was the convoluted therapist subplot. Then I watched the final episode of this series, and in classic C-Drama tradition -- it was completely botched. The show suddenly became a 'comedy' and wrapped up with an unsuccessful 'Raymond Carver' conclusion. The show did not lead up to this ending at all. That dropped the story and show down to an 8.
I wish this site wouldn't ask about 'the music' because direction matters so much more. Yang Lei is destroying it here, and you'd never know he's also the director of THREE BODY. The cinematography was great too, although the lighting too often leaned on intense yellow sunlight in windows.
Overall -- a pretty great soap but could have ended much better.
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Refreshing storyline
When this first came up, reccomended to me i thought it would be like the regular love story cdrama tropes but I went ahead and gave it a go , which im happy I did so since so far i really enjoyed watching this.Its not a easy, predictable love story but feels down to earth and stressful to watch as you see the character's and their flaws introduce themselves like how they are actually human beings which are sensitive,immature,selfish,jealous,loving and emotional.
I don't usually see these types of shows often but some of the scenes actually had me stressing for the main character bad and how secrets just unfold themselves the same way human nature gets revealed to its fullest.
The actors who played in this drama did a great job and some of the characters were loveable for me and played their roles very well.
I'm needing to watch the rest of the episodes but i hope for a peaceful ending :D
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An utter mess, but...
Things I liked1 The premise. It wasn't that original, but it still stood out and wanted to know how it evolves.
2 The FL actress. She was good in her role. I haven't seen her elsewhere and I won't look for her other dramas, but here she did a decent job.
Things I disliked
1 It felt like it didn't know how to move forward, although I think that the writer knew what he wanted. It's just that it didn't land as he thought maybe and that's what makes people either like it or despise it. I'm in the middle. I think there was potential, but it could have been better.
2 The ending. I put it in the dislike list because it didn't make me feel satisfied, but it could also go to the like list because it was somewhat fitting. Many praise What If for going all the way with the ending but to me that was what broke my heart. I'll never get over that ending. I still have in mind their happy days before she left for Shanghai and can't fathom she chose that other idiot. So only for that this ending isn't that bad.
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