Speed and Love

2025 is ending with 1 of the best lovestory of the year and 1 of the best Modern Cdramas EVER!

I have been in a Cdrama/Kdrama slump lately and this drama took me out of this.
I have watched a lot of dramas and this is in my personal opinion one of the best electric, natural onscreen chemistry that I have ever seen in a drama between 2 leads. It is mostly my favorite part of the drama.
I remember watching this and thought that it felt unlike a lot of Modern cdramas I have watched lately and it is mostly because of the location since it was filmed mostly in Thailand. It is so beautiful and it gives nostalgic vibes.
I love this drama so much and I have so much to say about it but I just recently finished it but the words are not quite coming out clearly yet to express my love for this drama. I said a lot in the comments section though
I love the cinematography, the shooting location, I mourned the loss of their garage, I love the camaraderie between the other supporting actors in the drama....
Also I want the people who keep complaining about Esther every time she has a drama airing to please go watch something else. She portrayed a very young mumu and later an independent/confident moment years later like she was supposed to. I was really crying in her emotional scenes....Esther did an excellent job with her character for this drama and I dont see anyone playing this character better than her.
He yu He yu man....what a revelation. I remember seeing him from a short web drama from a few years ago so I am so glad that he got his big break with this drama. The way he portrayed Jin chao who was hopelessly crazy in love with mumu was a sight to behold....seriously what an actor....I was fully convinced while watching the drama.

I feel like I am all over the place with this review and this may not convince you to watch the drama but if you want to see one of the best love story ever created , an insane chemistry , lots of skinships and beautiful moments between the leads , a growth arc for the leads, a great supporting cast, beautiful shooting locations, top notched cinematography....please give this drama a chance.

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ummm

bruh they literally grew up and referred to eachother as siblings... no.

yes they are not biological but when u grow up with someone and referred to them as a sibling then its really really weird if u catch feelings for them... espically is you guys have a sibling relationship. So when she stopped calling him brother and he got excited that really really icked me outtttt........

Also the whole gang, racing and underground boxing just felt soo sloppy like it was just so unrealistic the fights felt too edited and despite having lots of action scenes each felt sooo comical.

Also love our girl, female lead, but why does she naturally have driving abilities, magically has a black belt in karate and being knowledgeable in mechinc despite acting and being helpless before mentioned. Like every interesting characteristic she had was pushed into her just needing to be saved by her handsome brother who is actually not her brother cause no same blood...

ewww I was just reminded of the scene when he introduced her as his gf despite literally calling eachother siblingss 😬😬😬😬

Extra info, female lead is literally freshly adult so him liking her is also really really weird.

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overhyped but watchable drama

Right. I finally finished. I have conflicting feelings with this one. I feel, its very overhyped, but i might just dont see what the audience sees, probably I am not the target audience for it.
I was hoping to see a little different style from Esther but unfortunately she was yet again overpaying the character by portraying someone who felt like 12-14, not 20. Because of this, it feels very icky to see a grown adult would fall for her... Like what?
This put aside, I did enjoy the first 14ish episodes. They were fast paced, lots of actions, different story lines, I was entertained.Is it realistic? no, not really, like no one is ever on thr roads when they race, no police ever comes around, etc etc... but you kind of turn a blind eye as its done well enough. then the middle comes and as if the editors' eyes went on holiday, the scenes got cut abruptly, bits and pieces felt being missed out of the story and overall the story line just stopped flowing.
Then around the accident and his recovery. Very very unrealistic. He is so seriously hurt, no way in hell he could have gone and break up with her in person. He could not even get out of bed before. Just how?
I did understand his intentions with the break up, he was totally right, Mu had to grow up (purely as she was pictured as a teenager, at best, not a 20 year old).
the Canadian scenes were rubbish. why the Russian lecture, non native speakers, and 2 word sentences, I suppose as they dont speak english, but then why not just leave this part out and move to the 6 years later straight? that part was just unnecessary filler, which with the bad editing ruined thr drama for me.
Thank god, the end picked up and and after their reunion it was much better, I disliked the mother and even after the redemption arch they put on for her I still couldnt get around.

I did like their friendship group, her step mum and dad and little sister and liked the banter between Jin Zhao and Lin Luo.

So if you want your brain to have a break and you dont get the ick from overplayed childish girl character, its defo a drama for you.

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boring drama - an excuse to show the hotness of He Yu

It's a simple love story, but very uneven.
The very choice of the main couple is oddly conceived. He is a walking ideal: physical attributes 10/10 — looks, build, sex appeal — your knees just go weak. On top of that he’s a one-man band: fixes everything, can cook, a master of car racing, a master of boxing, intelligent, easily solves math problems, likes to read. Girls throw themselves at him, but he remains faithful and is mainly interested in pampering his beloved. He is also honest and morally impeccable. People like that simply do not exist. His only “flaw” is that he wants to carry all burdens himself and has a slightly excessive need for self-sacrifice.
By contrast, she mostly provokes irritation. She isn’t stupid, can be clever, and can also make sensible choices. She is stubborn, but also open-minded. However, what stands out most are her unbearable mannerisms: her way of speaking, her facial expressions, and her capriciousness typical of a seven-year-old child. This is annoying and downright uncomfortable, because in the context of a love story it evokes associations that go beyond the limits of what is legal. It is hard to believe that such behavior could appeal to anyone who does not have a tendency toward perverse acts.
The problem of childishness brings up the actress who plays Jiang Mu. If it were not Esther Yu playing this role, would the effect be equally irritating? It is hard to say how much her characteristic way of speaking and making “rabbit in the headlights” faces creates the character, and how much is required by the script. In any case, Jiang Mu is definitely far too childish in her mannerisms, which is one of the biggest flaws of the drama.
The second flaw is the entire background of the story, which is simply boring. Supposedly everything takes place in the criminal world — illegal car races, illegal boxing matches, smuggling — but despite all the dangers the creators failed to create any real tension. The viewer does not feel intrigued or emotionally engaged in these events. In fact, the content of the first 20 episodes could easily be squeezed into five with no loss to the whole.
It only becomes more interesting in the second part, which takes place six years later. The fact that most of the characters who six years earlier functioned in some semi-legal underworld are now doing well and leading fairly law-abiding lives only confirms that the realities of the first part were not believable. In the final episodes we also see a more adult, more mature Jiang Mu, who - in this new version - is much more palatable.
The central topic in this second part is to lead Jin Zhao to discover that carrying burdens alone and lying to the person he loves “for her own good” was a mistake. Once this problem solved, everything ends with a cute happy ending.
In summary, most of the footage is just an excuse, a backdrop for showing off the fantastic shots of He Yu — his looks and his really good acting. A plus is also the large number (for a Chinese drama) of passionate kisses.
Anyone who likes admiring a beautiful body and a handsome face expressing moving emotions will have a lot of pleasure, though they will probably fast-forward through quite a few scenes.
Someone who wants substance from dramas — an interesting story, action scenes, and the like — will probably be bored and disappointed.

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Absolute rubbish of a drama

The story beings with a girl who goes to see her long lost “brother”. And immediately starts lusting after him. The first off putting aspect about the drama, from there onwards everything went downhill. The fuelling of delusions among young or stupid audiences is something cdramas have been aiming for and unsurprisingly it’s working. Lots of people justifying jiang mu placing her entire life around a man, and doing everything to satisfy him, will never sit well with me.
But again cdrama fans are divided into two groups, the sensible ones who aren’t afraid to call out complete nonsense like speed and love and the empty headed ones who don’t care about the message a drama is spreading, as long as it satisfies their delusions and hallucinations.
The latter group makes up 90% of speed and love viewers.

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Romance is on top! great chemistry and lovely story

I watched it with deep pleasure and I'm sure all those who don't get hung up on the smallest details (although they have provided a lot of details here) and select the drama by genre that they prefer to watch, will undoubtedly agree with me that this is an amazing drama! Initially, it is clear that the drama is in the format of a wattpad story. It's not about deep-deep meaning, although there are moments where the viewer should think. How many years were lost because one decided for the other what would be best for him. A clear example of the problem when there are misunderstandings in a relationship.
There's plenty of romance! I've never experienced such emotions when watching a drama, when you smile and giggle, get embarrassed and can't take your eyes off the screen in order to enjoy that spark between the characters! The attraction, tension and chemistry between Esther and He Yu is just crazy! They look incredibly harmonious together and when you watch bts the chemistry sparkles even more!
Many people criticize Esther's acting, saying that she overplays, but it's also about her character Mu, she's so cheerful and she's not afraid to express emotions. If you don't accept this style of behavior, then it's better to skip this drama, why underestimate it?
He Yu is a real discovery at the end of the year! So charismatic and attractive! I just melted from his smile, body, attitude to Mu, his racing skills and many more! And also his outfits.. He looked incredibly stylish! In his racing and fighting eras he undoubtedly looked the best, but in cute and gentle outfits while his cafe owner era, he was also extremely handsome! And what sensual eyes he has! You look into them and feel all the pain of his character! He's 100% the best aspect of this drama!
No wonder I've been waiting for this drama for sooo long! It exceeded all my expectations! I enjoyed every episode! I admired the racing scenes - the production is a masterpiece! He Yu also performed them on his own, which is admirable! The overall picture is incredibly beautiful! Definitely falls into my favs dramas! China ate with its hits this year!

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the chemistry is absolutely great!!!!!

the acting, the tension. I love it!!!❤️❤️❤️ sometimes I wonder if they r just acting. the storyline is great but the accident broke my heart 💔. 6 years!!! before they met!😭😭 im heartbroken. i really hope that it's a happy ending!!😭😭. I love their chemistry! the visuals. specially all the racing scenes. I hope jin Zhao can still continue to race after everything he's been through. I kinda miss the old, mysterious jin Zhao. but I'm really glad that he still lived a peaceful life after his accident. really hope they end up together. best modern drama of the year in my opinion. a MUST watch.

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Disappointment. Utter disappointment.

I was expecting a pure, slow-burn romance, but there is absolutely nothing slow about this series. First, the FL is desperately searching for his brother, then she sees him and suddenly she wants him? What? It feels less like love and more like lust, and I hate it.

All that crying, the overly cute and innocent act… and then, out of nowhere, she’s a fierce, confident driver? It just doesn’t add up. The storyline itself has potential, and the filming is actually well done, but everything else feels weak and awkward.

I’m just not feeling that deep, undivided, true love that I usually get from other C-dramas, and without that, it completely falls flat for me.

I am dropping this drama.

This was the perfect opportunity to prove that Esther Yu isn’t limited to cute roles, and they completely wasted it. For a moment, it really looked promising. She pushed a guy in a fight scene. She used taekwondo. I honestly thought, okay, are we finally getting a strong and capable female lead? And then it stopped. Suddenly she’s acting childish. What a waste.

We get a grown woman acting like a little sister. The constant childish behavior, the picky eating, the helpless energy… it honestly gives me the ick. Being innocent is fine. Acting childish is not. And Esther Yu didn’t need this kind of role at all. I truly believe she could have pulled off a strong character—but maybe I’m wrong.

It really feels like the production didn’t know what they wanted. They tried to make her cute and sexy and innocent and childish and strong all at once, and instead of balance, it just turned into a mess.
And the romantic scenes… I don’t even know what to say. Why are they constantly making out in places that look uncomfortable and unsanitary? A bathroom, next to a toilet that probably doesn’t even have running water?

And why is the male lead always sweating? Yes, he works hard, I get it, but it feels like in every scene they spray water on his face to make him look “hotter.” It feels forced to me.

I think they have completely missed the point. A die-hard C-drama fan doesn’t want to lust over the male lead. We want to ship the couple. We want that tension where a simple hand touch makes you stop breathing, where you’re giggling and kicking your feet when they first kiss and replaying scenes late at night. That’s the magic. That’s why I’m not interested in Hollywood-type dramas with weak stories, awkward conversations, and meaningless make-out scenes.

This drama completely missed that point.

Now it’s just the same thing over and over again: making out, car races or car repairs, fighting, the FL worrying about the ML, making out again, the ML worrying about the FL, car races. No depth. No development. No emotional payoff.

I’m dropping it. So much potential, but such a disappointment.

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Great Chemistry but its still incest

From the initial trailer of the drama, we might think he is walking toxic red flag baiting as well as mentally torturing her (I have not read the book)but in reality is one of the greenest flag in the cdramas I have watched. He does not say no to her. Lets her do whatever she wants and protects/saves her when she gets into trouble. He does not control her or stops her from doing stuff.

It would have been great if they were childhood sweethearts/neighbors but no. Jin Zhao was adopted by the dad when Jiang Mu's mom was still pregnant with her. They both grew up as siblings. He even asked her when did she realize he was not her blood brother implying it was not common knowledge that they were not related. They could have changed some parts of the story like they do with time travel / transmigration dramas. Otherwise it should have been open knowledge that they were not related i.e. from the beginning itself the parents should have stitched into the kids brains that they were not brother and sister. They could have pulled a 'Go Ahead'.

And for the FL's clips, I liked two of them only because it matched with her outfit. Rest all were a horror show. One of the clips in my view looked like an upside down cockroach. At first I did not like Esther Yu's acting because of this forced cuteness. I personally hated her but then I watched 'A Journey to You'. She was Awesome in that. Her best work yet! I honestly think it should stop taking such extra cute roles for a while.

For the FL and ML chemistry, it was fire!!! We could feel the yearning through the screens!! I had to block out the incest part in order to enjoy those scenes.

OST is on repeat !

Honestly if the incest part was changed, I would have given it a 10/10 . But its a maximum 8 from my side.

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This is "a He Yu showcase" - and I am absolutely not complaining

I just finished Speed and Love and I’m giving it a 7.5/10 — and honestly a big part of that score goes to He Yu and the Thailand filming locations.

Not even trying to be biased here but He Yu seriously carried the emotional core of this drama. His acting felt so natural, restrained, and quietly intense — like the way he looked at the female lead, the pauses before he spoke, the subtle heartbreak expressions… excuse me sir?? why are you acting like this is a prestige drama role.

The Thailand locations were also such a highlight for me. The atmosphere felt fresher than typical city-based romance dramas, and visually it added a softer, more emotional layer to the storytelling. Big bonus points from me there.

Now about FL — I don't hate the person but the female lead’s character writing here was honestly frustrating. Some decisions made me want to pause the episode and yell at my screen like “WHY are you doing this???!!!!!!” Meanwhile He Yu was out there delivering his lines with his acting like he was in a completely different tier of drama.

Also… lowkey the storyline does feel like something straight out of a 15-year-old Wattpad reader’s dream romance (lol) — very soft, very dramatic, very idealized love energy. If that’s your vibe, you’ll probably enjoy it even more (but not me, sorry).

So overall for me:

* He Yu = emotional backbone of the entire show
* His performance = sincere, layered, and very convincing
* Thailand setting = major visual bonus
* Romance tone = very Wattpad-coded teenage dream romance (lol)
* FL character arc = the biggest struggle point

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