Speed and Love

Decent, Flashy and Fangirl-Friendly

It was a decent watch overall but it definitely didn’t live up to the expectations I had before starting it...
The script, directing and especially the editing held this drama back from being truly good for me.

The first few episodes were hard to get through, though things did improve later especially once I adjusted my expectations and settled into the show.
One of the biggest issues was the editing, particularly in the middle portion of the drama. Scenes would abruptly cut to completely different moments that seemed to take place days later, with little to no explanation. This made the story feel disjointed, created noticeable plot holes and repeatedly broke the immersion for me.
On top of that, there were directing and logical issues throughout the drama some scenes simply made no sense and felt like they existed purely for emotional impact rather than storytelling consistency.

That said, the drama wasn’t without its charms. The chemistry between the leads was genuinely enjoyable, the overall theme had potential and the car racing scenes were one of the highlights! A big part of my fangirling came from the fact that the plot reminded me strongly of the Wattpad-style romance novels I used to read as a teen. Making it kind of a nostalgic watch.
Visually, Speed and Love was definitely a feast for the eyes and consistently delivered when it came to aesthetics, making it easy to keep watching.

When it comes to this cdrama my biggest surprise was definitely He Yu! This was my first time seeing him as a ML and both his performance and visuals stood out. I genuinely hope to see him in more lead roles in the future.

Would I recommend this drama? It really depends on what you’re looking for. If you want something visually appealing, chemistry-driven and very fangirl-oriented and you’re willing to overlook the problems it has, then it can be a fun watch. ^^
Would I rewatch it? Probably not. Once was enough for me and if I ever miss parts of it, I’d rather visit FMVs than sit through the entire drama again.

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Captivating Contemporary C-Drama with Fantastic Chemistry Between the Leads

Speed and Love is all about semi-forbidden romance, fast cars, hot male lead, and a good story that’ll have you tearing up. And it’s definitely worth the hype. I watched it as soon as the final episode aired—because waiting? Not my style! I am a bing-it kinda girl.

Let’s dive in. Everyone's been buzzing about this drama for He Yu‘s Zhao Zhao, and honestly, that’s exactly why I started watching. I totally get it. He is the rugged, bad boy kind of a guy you instantly fall for. Side note: It's refreshing to see a trend in Asian shows where male leads actually look masculine and fit and a little bit like they’re from the wrong side of the tracks—quite a shift from older dramas where the men often appeared to look like they were afraid of going to the gym, had to have a college education, wear only acceptable clothes, and a lot of other things I won’t list. Anyway, Zhao Zhao has been occupying my entire Instagram feed for the past month.

As for our female lead, I like Esther Yu, so I have nothing but good things to say. I find her talented despite being consistently typecast for bubbly roles. Don’t get me wrong; she’s great in those parts, but I wish we could see her versatility shine even more. She needs to do more things like My Journey to You.

However, I do understand why she was cast as Mu Mu. In Speed and Love, her youthful charm fits the character perfectly, at least at the beginning of the drama, and she does evolve as the storyline progresses, which adds depth and we also get to see her acting abilities. I think this was done deliberately to showcase the age difference between the leads.

Speed and Love incorporates all the romance tropes I love.

Step-siblings to Lovers: While they aren’t biological siblings, the dynamics add angst.
Age Gap: The slight age difference between the leads brings a different flavor to their relationship dynamics
Opposites Attract: The classic bad boy/good girl vibe is alive and well here, creating a compelling push and pull between the characters.
And of course, we can’t overlook all the fast cars and crazy driving

Things I loved:

I appreciate that the show focuses solely on the main couple, without unnecessary side plots or additional romances.

The stunning Thai scenery adds to the drama's vibe, and while I enjoyed the bromance between Zhao Zhao and Drunk, I sometimes found myself torn between rooting for them or for Zhao Zhao and Mu Mu. Then I reminded myself—this is a Chinese production! 😂

The comedic elements were spot on, providing plenty of laughs throughout the series.

In terms of skinship, the show excels—there are plenty of cute and steamy moments between the leads. Long gone are the days with a single dead fish kiss at the end of the drama. These two ate. Literally. Each other.

Really good cinematography.

Did I mention? Zhao Zhao?

High quality driving and fighting scenes. Almost Hollywood level. I was surprised considering I hardly ever see those in Chinese dramas.

Things that I did not enjoy as much or they baffled me:

I had some issues with the pacing. The transition between the first and second arcs felt uneven. Too much time was spent on the Thailand arc before the mood shifted drastically, leaving me feeling like I was being pulled out of one narrative only to rush into another just as the series neared its end. C-dramas often stretch out their stories—yet here, they needed more episodes to give each (and I mean second) arc to give it the attention it deserved.

I also found some medical inaccuracies hard to overlook, particularly in the episode where Mu Mu and Zhao Zhao part ways in Thailand. If he had multiple broken bones and a spinal injury, I can’t accept the fact that he could just stand up there in front of her, hiding his pain to make sure she doesn’t know the extent of his injuries. (And please do not give me that crap that love made him do that just for the sake of her. sanity ) While I can suspend belief for love stories, a little grounding in reality goes a long way. I kept on asking myself how he could stand and then sit down in front of her if later on it’s shown he can’t even walk.

Further into the drama when Mu Mu and his doctor talk about his difficult recovery he was still going through, I expected that Mu Mu would be helping Zhao Zhao with whatever medical needs he still had. But as soon as they got back together, he recovered. Unless there was some inaccurate translation they had made it sound like he hadn’t recovered yet when they reconnected, I can only explain this by lazy writing or lazy editing. It didn’t really affect my enjoyment but it was a glaring inconsistency. I think this was a missed opportunity for the writers. This is one of those shows that actually could use a few more extra episodes.

In conclusion:

Speed and Love is a solid contemporary C-drama that deserves all the praise it’s receiving. The chemistry between the characters is palpable, the cinematography is absolutely breathtaking (as a cinematography enthusiast, I give major kudos to the camera team), the color grading is top notch, the acting is great, all the stunts performed well. The small flaws I noticed here and there (like strange/poorly written dialogues at the beginning of the drama) didn’t affect my opinion that this is still one of the better C-dramas. The plot is streamlined, free of unnecessary subplots or antagonistic characters with excessive monologues.

And let’s be real—it’s all about He Yu! The boy is going places. I’d never seen him in anything else before Speed and Love. I’m looking forward to see what else he’ll have coming out soon.

If you are looking for an exciting contemporary C-drama with great chemistry and high production value, I totally recommend. Enjoy the ride!

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I quite liked this drama, but I am giving some minus points for the story. I didn't like that much the FL character (I like Esther Yu, I think she acts really well), the way she was written, some of her reactions give me "pick me girl" vibe sometimes and I didn't like that.

Spoiler
I didn't mind the break up, but the way how the FL was lying about getting married, then generating the wedding invitation with AI (like excuse me it was so obvious, the image quality of that "photo" was so bad), was cringe. At this point I was speed watching and skipping a bit, the ending could have been a bit shorter.

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You might suffer a little in tje middle and dont trust those who says esther yu acted bad here

So i have finished this drama a long time ago i basically watched this during my exam it was so good that i risked my exam to watch this it became an addiction since the first episode the story the cast the main couple the bgm and the songs everything was so good before watching this drama esther yu's skii into love and when i fly towards you were first on my drama list now speed and love became my favorite of them all amd please dont trust those who says esther yu cant act they are just spreading hate towards her since i have watched this drama i wanna say that esther yu aka jiang mu acted a little childish during her story in thailand where she was 19-20 she acted comfortably infront of jinzhao but then after their separation and during her time in china where she was 27-28 she acted more maturely 🍬🍬

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Just go for it

If you don't wanna read you can jump into the drama..just go for it.
I don't usually write reviews but i definitely do read them before watching a drama and it really helps. That's why I'm writing one here..
For this drama you don't even need to read a review just go for it ..it was a whole rollercoaster journey for me as i watched it after all ep were dropped as i didn't knew about its airing schedule and just read the first review i saw and decided to start it.

I really loved the acting storyline and the leads were superb for their roles. Other than the leads the roles that really fascinated me and i really loved were ..Sanlai and Lin Sui i really liked their roles and others did an amazing job as well.

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Didn’t Want It To End

I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this one. Going in, the synopsis is somewhat questionable but over time it’s easy to forget. The main cast, particularly He Yu and Esther Yu had incredible chemistry that their relationship felt real. Each of them also delivered layered performances and had me tearing up many times. I haven’t seen either of them before (I mostly watch K Dramas) so I’m not familiar with their usual acting styles, but the amount of emotions they conveyed with just their eyes (especially He Yu) was insane.

The plot was interesting, though the pacing felt off in some places. The editing could be odd too, but I’ve found that to be the case for a lot of C Dramas I’ve seen. That being said, I was hooked and it all ended too fast! This story and this couple left me wanting more. I heard certain plot points/scenes were left out of the final cut, but it would’ve been nice to see even more of their relationship.

Visually, this show was stunning (both the camera work/lighting and actors). It set a perfect tone. The music was also really good and used well. I would definitely stream the full OST.

I’ll definitely have to come back to this again sometime; I can’t seem to let go of these characters! Just a beautiful story of yearning, devotion, heartbreak, and destiny.

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Truly loved it ?✨ This drama has my ??

After Amidst a Snowstorm of Love, Lighter and Princess, and The First Frost, Speed and Love has officially been added to my list of most-favorite C-dramas.
The love standard in this drama is on another level. Honestly, in today’s time, where do we even find love stories like this? The patience, the deep love, and the care they show for each other—even after separation—just touched my heart. Uff… I absolutely loved it.
This drama is a must-watch if you truly understand and appreciate meaningful love stories.
I especially loved Brandy and Mu’s Thailand scenes—his house, his garage, and that soft, sweet background music. Everything felt so calm, intimate, and cozy.
Those moments melt my heart every time and make me fall in love with the scenes all over again.
Brandy was just so cool, handsome, and effortlessly charming.

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Post Drama Withdrawal! Updated.

Emotions

I love Esther Yu, and this was not my first time watching He Yu. I truly enjoyed the character he played. I’m a big fan of boxing, martial arts, and race cars—especially Funny Car racing—so this story stirred up a lot of memories for me right away.

The one thing that frustrated me was the way the writer shaped the character Esther Yu played. The character she played is she always asked question and tested him. I genuinely disliked that part when she found him towards the end, making him walk.

However, Esther Yu brought the role to the screen so convincingly that I kept watching because of her. Her performance was so strong that I almost stopped watching out of frustration with the writing alone—which only proves how excellent she is as an actress. Even when I didn’t like the script, her talent held my attention.

I kept going, though, and when Zhao was injured, it hit me hard. It brought back painful emotions about my own son’s motorcycle accident, and that really struck home.

In the end, I still gave this drama a 10. If a storyline can make me want to stop watching because my emotions are all over the place, then the writers and actors did their job. That kind of impact isn’t easy to pull off.

I only wish Esther Yu had been written as a stronger, more physically powerful female character—seeing her do martial arts or real fighting scenes would have been incredible.

Update: I’ve now watched it 9 times. I genuinely cried during the accident scene and felt how deeply the two characters love each other. I couldn’t get it out of my head, so I kept going back to rewatch — not wanting to miss a single detail, especially the way Esther Yu and He Yu kept looking at each other. It made me wish we all knew love like that. It felt real… deeply real. That kiss though... several kisses where He Yu engulfed Esther lips... I never viewed that Chinese Dramas. I was like... whoa there buddy... so cute, I too, blushed and hid my face. All I know this wasn't a regular Chinese Drama for me... This was some real stuff right here (little slang used).

2nd Update: I hope this doesn’t stop me from watching either of them in future dramas, given how strongly I feel right now. I went through something similar with Yang Zi and Deng Lun in Ashes of Love — my mind simply couldn’t separate them from those characters. Seeing them in other roles felt like it would break something precious. It took time, but I eventually snapped out of it. That’s what happens when you stay true to a drama you absolutely love — it settles into your heart and refuses to let go right away. It's called "post-drama withdrawal".

3rd Update: Lawdamercy, this is the only drama that calms me down and makes me smile. I know this is a story but dang, I wish all men were like Zhao Zhao!

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Compelled to write a review because it's that good.

For me this drama is on a whole different level. So as a regular CDrama watcher, I didn't have much expectation, just a few romantic scenes, a change of heart, and a little bit of action, but damn. I was flabbergasted by SAL—the plot, the cast, the OSTs, everything.

About the cast:

Esther Yu—I see people hating on her unnecessarily. She is the perfect cast for SAL. She can do both—a mature grown woman and an immature teenager. I think the director knew exactly what the story needed.

He Yu—Imagine anyone other than him playing Jin Zhao, CAN YOU? That's it. He is irreplaceable. He is the whole package, and as the director said, heaven decided on Jin Zhao.

Ignore the negative PR. Just go and watch it. It's that good.

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First time watching a racing based drama and I’m hooked

First, I’m into cars so when I saw the trailer and synopsis about the drama I set a reminder to watch this and it’s better than what I’ve expected (in all c-dramas that I’ve watch, I really set my expectations low so I will not be disappointed).

What I really wanted to point out is that the setting was in Thailand, but its like, doesn’t say much about it. It’s like all of the people in Thailand were chinese-speaking and didn’t integrate much of it —they tried speaking in Thai but please, can the actors and the extras match the lips and the audio huhuhuhu it was so awkward while watching it 😭 I know they dubbed it because of the noise and all but yeah just my few pieces hehe

Another thing is that when Zhao and Mu were like in the driving scene, when MuMu was the navigator? (the one with emotional talk) I’m no race car driver but when they were talking, it’s like ZhaoZhao is not driving, the hands doesn’t move 😭 I know these are just little things but when little things are piled up, it becomes big.

But the actors tho? Especially, San Lai & Jin Zhao, they are damn great!!! The fighting scenes of He Yu? It was amazing! ✨

The cinematography when there’s like a racing competition was excellent, too!!! I was not expecting that level of production cos girl I am hooked every race scene AND THE SOUNDTRACK??? I LOVEEEE 💗

Lastly, I’ve been reading the novel and there’s some changes that I liked is that when MuMu and Snakey had the heart to heart talk? I AM WEAK WITH GIRL FRIENDSHIP I DEF LOVE THAT THEY MADE SNAKEY THE ONE WHO REVEALED SOMETHING NOT THE CRAZY FRIEND. The other scenes should not have been changed but oh well, censorship and all I think. It’s still a good watch tho.

and I think that’s all hehe will continue to watch tho because it really exceeded my expectations but probably will not rewatch it, but can watch some clips tho when it appears to my fyp.

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Can't stomach lead actress in rl - this is not a hate review

I love this story. I love the setting. Beautiful scenes and shots. Script is great. I love the characters that are written. I love the cars. I love the costumes/clothing. I love He Yu for this role. He is just perfect for it and a 10/10 with his acting.

But I can't seem to get past how much I don't like Esther as a person. And I've watched a lot of her interviews and variety shows to try to get to like her. I enjoy cutesy girl characters like this role and I get why she was chosen for this part. It's b/c she plays up this type of thing up in rl and I really think it's very fake.

I Try not to hold it against her that I don't like her. An actress can create a facade however she wants. But public opinion can have repercussion on a person or drama.

I'm trying not to hold it against the drama. She is playing the part, she is pretty, she can act. But she is also playing the role she always plays.

Unfortunately, I am dropping this drama. Everything else is so great.

I'm bummed. It's just so gag me to see the cutesy I'm innocent act change to all the sudden 'I know how to fix cars'. And 'I can drift' and getting on to the motorcycle in skimpy clothes but totally emitting the vibe that I'm cool and used to it. I think I wouldn't be so gagged if it wasn't Esther. I do actually like the trope if the drama is done right.

If you don't have a problem with Esther I think you will really like this drama. I just can't get into it.

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