The Early Spring

Endless Leaps of Faith

Fresh out of university, Shang Zhi Tao steps into the cutthroat world of advertising and immediately finds herself under the watchful eye of Luan Nian, a boss whose favorite way of motivating her seems to be telling her to quit. What begins as an antagonistic workplace dynamic slowly turns into attraction, then a relationship, then a cycle of love, hurt, separation, and reconciliation. Years later, fate brings them together again, with Zhi Tao living a quieter life back home and Luan Nian still carrying the unfinished business of their past.

On paper, The Early Spring has all the ingredients for an addictive romance. Two capable but emotionally complicated adults, an unequal workplace dynamic, undeniable sexual tension, old wounds, misunderstandings, and a second chance at love. In practice, however, there are plenty of layers on screen, but the story rarely takes the time to examine what is actually between them.

The attraction between Zhi Tao and Luan Nian is obvious from the beginning. In fact, perhaps too obvious. They are burning for each other, and once they cross that line, it becomes almost impossible for them to stay away from each other. The physical chemistry is probably the most convincing part of their relationship. For a Chinese drama constrained by censorship, the intimacy scenes are surprisingly effective at creating heat without actually crossing the line. Fans understandably had plenty to scream about. The problem is that the emotional chemistry never quite catches up.

Zhi Tao's attraction is easy enough to understand. She is drawn to Luan Nian's looks almost immediately, and after their first night together, it is clear that the physical attraction has a very strong hold on her. Luan Nian is more difficult to read. The drama tells us that his curiosity and interest in her gradually grow, but it does not show enough of the journey. One moment he is this rude, intimidating boss, and the next he is deliberately waiting to drive this new employee home. Later, we learn that he worried when she got lost in the mountains, was touched when she saved him, and gradually became emotionally invested in her. Those pieces are there, but the connective tissue is missing. It makes their romance feel less like falling in love and more like falling into bed, then figuring out the feelings afterward.

This is especially unfortunate because Luan Nian is potentially the more interesting character. He is arrogant, condescending, rude, capable, well connected, and seemingly experienced with women. Yet underneath that intimidating exterior is someone who apparently does not actually date around and is surprisingly inexperienced when it comes to real emotional intimacy. He can be the knight in shining armor one moment, helping with investments, finances, career problems, and all sorts of practical matters, then turn around and say something so cruel that I wanted to reach through the screen and confiscate his mouth. And yes, Jing Bo Ran is a huge part of why any of this works.

Jing Bo Ran does not simply play Luan Nian. He becomes Luan Nian. The arrogance, the condescension, the quiet jealousy, the intimidating boss energy, and especially that ridiculous amount of masculine charisma are all there. He somehow manages to make a man who says the worst possible thing at the worst possible moment look devastatingly attractive while doing it. That is a dangerous skill.

His wardrobe was another visual treat. Considering Jing Bo Ran's reputation as a fashionista, it was hardly surprising that many of Luan Nian's clothes, accessories, and shoes came from his own wardrobe. Most of the looks worked beautifully for the character, although there were a few details I would have happily edited out. His presence alone explains a significant portion of my willingness to keep watching. Unfortunately, even Jing Bo Ran's face could not completely redeem Luan Nian for me.

There is a difference between a flawed character and a character who repeatedly crosses the line into being unpleasant. Luan Nian's mouth gets him into trouble far too often, and some of the things he says to Zhi Tao are genuinely degrading. The worst comes when he lashes out and essentially reduces her to being cheap, obedient, young, inexperienced, docile, and whatever else he can throw at her in anger. Those words are especially cruel because they hit directly at insecurities she already carries. He is her talented, powerful boss while she is the inexperienced newcomer trying to prove herself. His words reinforce every fear she already has about how he sees her and the imbalance between them. What frustrated me even more was how quickly Zhi Tao forgave him.

Their relationship becomes a strange loop of intimacy, conflict, breakup, reconciliation, intimacy, conflict, and another reconciliation. At first, the push and pull is entertaining. Eventually, it becomes exhausting. The drama seemed to be rage-baiting me into asking the same question over and over again: why are these two still together?

Zhi Tao is not innocent in this dynamic either. She is actually a surprisingly complicated and sometimes hypocritical character. From the beginning, she is presented as career driven and determined to put her work first. Yet she quickly gives in to Luan Nian despite knowing the company has rules against office relationships and despite the obvious power imbalance between them. She knows she is playing with fire, and Luan Nian is standing there enthusiastically adding gasoline.

She is not a completely passive woman. She knows Luan Nian cannot get enough of her, and she knows exactly how to push his jealousy buttons. She can handle him better than most people can. But when it comes to him, she repeatedly sacrifices the boundaries she seems to value everywhere else. That contradiction could have made her character fascinating if the drama had explored it more deeply. Instead, it often feels like Zhi Tao simply cannot resist the Luke allure.

Every reconciliation seems to follow a familiar choreography. He gets close, touches her, stares closely at her face, the tension rises, and suddenly we are back to physical intimacy. At some point, I started wondering whether their relationship had any other language. The drama tells me they love each other, but it rarely gives me enough emotional evidence to actually feel it.

Their relationship is also oddly ambiguous. They move back and forth between situationship and relationship for so long that I sometimes felt the drama itself was unsure what exactly they were. Given the nature of their relationship in the novel and the restrictions of Chinese drama censorship, I cannot help wondering whether this was simply a messy adaptation. If the writers intentionally wanted to preserve that ambiguity, I wish they had used it to explore the emotional confusion rather than mainly turning it into another source of sexual tension.

Sun Qian's performance as Zhi Tao was a mixed bag for me. I have enjoyed her in other roles, and she does well with Zhi Tao's happier, innocent, hardworking, and more passive moments. However, the heavier emotional scenes did not always land. Her crying scenes in particular often amounted to a few tears and a hand partially covering her face. Her fights and breakups with Luan Nian were serviceable, but rarely devastating. The biggest disappointment was Sun Yuan Zhu's death.

Yuan Zhu is presented as someone who has a significant place in Zhi Tao's life, so I expected his death to leave a substantial emotional scar. Instead, the grief felt strangely brief. I understand that people grieve differently, but I simply could not feel the weight of the loss from Zhi Tao. The following episode immediately moving into her promotion made the whole thing feel even more bizarre.

I also found Yuan Zhu's death unnecessary. Liu Xiao Bei did a wonderful job portraying him, especially the character's hidden struggles, quiet affection, longing for family, and depression. I genuinely felt sorry for him and understood the pain underneath his calm exterior. That made his ending feel even more frustrating because the drama did not seem interested in giving his death the emotional space it deserved.

Afterward, the grief mostly disappeared, with Sun Yu being the one person whose pain I could really feel. Even Luan Nian suddenly going from being jealous of Yuan Zhu to talking about how he was a wonderful person and how he should thank him felt almost comical. If the purpose was to give Yuan Zhu closure or follow the novel, then the drama needed to build toward that ending properly. Otherwise, simply allowing him to move on from Zhi Tao and acknowledge that he could not have her would have been more meaningful.

The drama's symbolism, however, is something I appreciated. There is clearly more thought behind the visual language than the actual storytelling sometimes suggests. Jing Bo Ran mentioned that Luan Nian's early outfits were more buttoned up, often closed with a scarf or tie, representing how guarded he was. As he becomes closer to Zhi Tao, the clothes gradually open up. There are also recurring symbols involving the typewriter, fish tank, and other elements associated with control and barriers. These details give the drama an additional layer that I wish the writing had matched.

Visually, The Early Spring is generally beautiful. The medium contrast, soft color palette, slight grain, camera angles, and settings create a polished and easy-on-the-eyes aesthetic. When the story stays in China, the drama looks particularly good. Then comes Phuket.

The Phuket arc was where both the visual quality and editing started to fall apart for me. The studio shooting was painfully obvious, and the editing became increasingly choppy. For such a short storyline involving Alex's resignation, employee scouting, and its consequences, the company trip to Phuket felt unnecessary. The same plot could have happened in Beijing or somewhere else in China without losing anything important. If the production really wanted Phuket, then they needed to either commit to the location properly or smooth the editing. As presented, it sometimes felt less like a meaningful story setting and more like an excuse to manufacture another intimate scene. There are several other scenes like this where I found myself wondering, "Why are we here?"

The scene with Zhi Tao and Kitty reporting their work in Donny's hotel room simply ends without proper continuation. There are also various continuity issues and abrupt transitions that made me wonder whether scenes had been cut or rearranged. If episode cuts were responsible, the remaining scenes needed to be chosen more carefully. If they were not, then the writing and editing have some explaining to do. Either way, the result is the same: the narrative often feels jumpy when it should feel seamless.

And then we arrive at the grand ultimate breakup, the arc that fans had been waiting for. Unfortunately, this was another letdown.

I expected the breakup to feel like the culmination of everything that had been building between them. Instead, the reason felt like yet another misunderstanding, enough for a major sulk but not quite enough to convince me that this was truly the end. Zhi Tao never really felt like she exploded after years of accumulated hurt. Given how often she had already swallowed Luan Nian's behavior, the breakup almost felt like the drama simply pressed the reset button.

Luan Nian's devastation afterward was also underwhelming. He calls Zhi Tao's inactive number, apologizes, begs her to come back, and generally behaves like someone who has just discovered that actions have consequences. Yet when people tell him to say those things to her face, he refuses because she has cut him off.

When they reunite, Zhi Tao staying cold toward him makes perfect sense. What does not make sense to me is how Luan Nian chooses to pursue her. He goes to her parents and repeatedly forces his way into her home. I know many viewers will find this romantic, but I found it intrusive. There is no meaningful evolution in his approach. He does not seem to learn how to communicate better, respect boundaries, or rebuild trust. Instead, he simply resumes the same old routine and hopes proximity will do the emotional work for him. It feels less like pursuing her and more like playing house until she remembers she still loves him. And she does.

That is perhaps my biggest frustration with the ending. Zhi Tao's character does not seem to have grown much either. She tries to be cold, but the moment Luan Nian gets close enough, the attraction takes over again. Sun Qian herself mentioned in an interview that Zhi Tao was initially drawn to Luan Nian because of his looks and their physical intimacy, and honestly, the drama reflects that very clearly. Perhaps too clearly.

The ending then tries to patch everything up by finally giving us Luan Nian's perspective. We learn more about his first impression of Zhi Tao, when he fell for her, and why he gave her certain things. These explanations provide some useful context, but I wish we had gotten them earlier. Keeping Luan Nian mysterious can work, but mystery needs enough breadcrumbs for the audience to understand the character. Otherwise, he spends most of the drama looking like a walking red flag, only for the finale to say, "Actually, he was just bad at dating." That is not quite the same thing as character development.

The L necklace was another moment that completely missed me. I understand why viewers might find it romantic, especially with the symbolism of the L representing love and tying back to the beginning of their relationship. But after watching the entire drama, my brain could not stop interpreting it as Luan Nian putting a collar on Zhi Tao. It felt restrictive rather than romantic, which is probably not the reaction the scene was aiming for.

Ultimately, the ending feels more like a leap of faith than genuine growth or closure. The drama does not convincingly show that Luan Nian has overcome his arrogance and inability to communicate, nor that Zhi Tao has learned to establish boundaries, communicate openly, or compromise. They simply choose each other again.

Oddly enough, I still appreciate that The Early Spring does not completely sugarcoat them. Luan Nian and Zhi Tao are messy, contradictory, insecure people, and people like them absolutely exist in real life. Their relationship is toxic in ways that feel recognizably human. My problem is not that they are flawed. My problem is that the drama introduces all these flaws and then rarely digs deep enough into them.

The Early Spring started with the kind of fluttery excitement that makes you understand why people become obsessed with a couple. It had the looks, the chemistry, the fashion, the tension, and Jing Bo Ran being Jing Bo Ran. But somewhere along the way, the story became a loop of sexual intimacy, fights, breakups, makeups, and another round of the same emotional problems. What was initially addictive eventually became exhausting.

Still, one thing refuses to leave me even after the credits roll: the OST. Liu Yuning and Li Changgeng's songs are beautiful, memorable, and probably more emotionally consistent than the relationship itself. I especially enjoyed how certain songs became almost like emotional signposts. The moment a particular OST started playing, I already knew what kind of scene was coming. Sometimes the music understood the characters better than the script did.

In the end, what lingers is Jing Bo Ran's face, a handful of beautiful visual details, some genuinely memorable intimate moments, an OST that refuses to leave my head, and, unfortunately, my rage.

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What did they like about each other beyond the sex?

Good chemistry and hot leads often delude people into romanticising and idolising a romantic relationship. Clearly the case here with so many people fawning over the ML / the leads.

I am simply gonna talk about the writing because that's what lets this drama down. Acting, direction, score were all great.

If the writer's intention was for the leads to end up together, then he/she has failed because rather than show me why these two will work, the writer showed me all the reasons why these two wouldn't work only to give them a happily ever after at the end. I would have given this a really high score if they ended it with the leads not ending up together.

In the 6 years of the relationship, other than in anger / break-up, these two never once communicated their feelings. There was zero sharing from both their end about what was going on in their lives. Other than spending the weekends together having sex, what did they even do or bring to each other's lives? They were never shown going on a proper date (other than the Tibet trip towards the end) or even having a normal conversation the way they would have with their friends respectively or like the way they talked when she saved him in the mountain. There was nothing real about their relationship. It was very superficially written, and acted by 2 gorgeous actors who had great chemistry together. There were lots of time jumps here and there but there was little intricacy or detail to their relationship other than the makeout scenes. I can see why he fell for her at the beginning and wanted to pursue her but after they got together - what even made him stay? I can see why she, too, felt attracted at the beginning. But what made her stay?

The unequal power dynamic, the socio-economic difference between both of them and most importantly, the way he constantly belittled her in almost every conversation heavily weighed down their relationship. These were never addressed. The unequal power dynamic with him being her boss and her walking on ice to keep the relationship hidden so that their relationship will never be misinterpreted as him praising her at work due to their relationship behind closed doors stressed her out. Her need to make money and have a stable job while he could splurge easily made her feel inferior in the relationship. The way he constantly belittled her in almost every conversation made her retreat, hide and step back so that she wouldn't be of any problem to him.

Instead of addressing this unequality and having the leads either

(1) be better together - transform this unhealthy relationship into a positive, healing one with both being vulnerable and learning to communicate better

OR

(2) not be better together but be co-dependent / have a home in each other - acknowledging the unhealthiness but leaning back on each other for support, for love. I am not against toxic relationships but you gotta show me how they make it work.

But the show didn't do either, and I was left confused as to why they even dated for so long. Both of them did not change. Neither did they truly have emotional and vulnerable moments together beyond the sex that made the relationship compelling. There was a lack of intricacy / detail beyond the sex that made the relationship feel real.

WHY THE FL NEVER FELT SAFE TO OPEN UP WITH HER "BOYFRIEND" He did not empathize and used cutting words all the time to belittle her.
The tone of the relationship was set the day he accused her of leaving the bag at his house on purpose and she was made to realise that he doesn't like clingy women. He brought her a bag the next day and she made it very clear that she did not want it and that she would stay silent in return for the bag. He did not correct her. The way he proposed being in a relationship - he made it clear he doesn't do romantic relationships and that they'll inform the other if they are sleeping around to which she proposed exclusivity. What is she to take from the proposal? Clearly she was once again made to feel that this isn't a relationship where they'll be on an equal footing and where they'll be like a normal boyfriend/girlfriend. The mistake at work - how difficult was it to simply type a 'how are you' message to her? She needed his support. He said Dony is likely to sexually assault her because she is the most naive. She is enticed to leave with Alex because she is cheap and obedient. 6 years of a relationship and he belittled it saying that she was with him just to climb the ladder. How can she truly be open when all he does belittle her at each point?

She was problematic too - I mean if she can't see him with another woman, why did she think he would be ok with her meeting her ex? Or why would she talk about marriage right when they're having so many problems.. was she really expecting an exciting answer from him LOL

WHY DID HE BELITTLE HER ALL THE TIME?
He never felt secure in being honest about his feelings because of his past with his family / dad (which was barely addressed in the show). He grew, and did learn to give her some appreciation over the course of the relationship but where was the empathy whenever she was struggling? How difficult was it for him to type a 'how are you doing' whenever she made a mistake or ran into difficulty? He had his freedom to go on overseas trips with his friends or handle his work issues by himself but couldn't take it that she had her own friends, and did not share about her work decisions. Much of their conflict revolved around work-related issues - why did he never try to understand how work and earning money was important for her?

WHERE WAS THEIR EMPATHY FOR EACH OTHER? WHAT DID THEY EVEN LIKE ABOUT EACH OTHER?
Whenever they took breaks or had long periods of not talking, there was never a 'how did you cope' or an emotional sharing session after that. They never admitted their issues, and neither did they ever really try to address them.. the only way they coped was having sex. Did they ever try to know what the other was feeling or even up to?

His praises for her was always about doing well at work. But what did he like about her as a girlfriend.. what value did she bring for him? She respected him as a boss who knew what he was doing. But what did she like about him as a boyfriend? What value did he bring to her life that her friends didn't bring?

Had the show ended with both of them giving each other closure and walking separate paths, I would have applauded it. But the writing never rose above the superficiality of their hot sex to give a thoughtful, meaningful dialogue about the way their miscommunication, his treatment of her, the difference in balance of power, the socio-economic difference, their psychology made them suffer and impacted the way they dealt with each other. Him creating a museum of her at the end to propose was absolutely cringe and till the end, there was no heartfelt conversation between these two. I can't believe that people are romanticising this dynamic and people are calling it 'real'. Other than the sex, these two didn't even feel like a couple. I mean which young couple doesn't talk at all?

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Did people seriously like this show or is it just rage bait?

The Early Spring was a rough, deeply uncomfortable watch from start to finish, with virtually no redeeming qualities. I skipped almost the entire episodes just to get to the end.
Luke (ML) is a toxic, arrogant boss who stays despicable throughout the entire drama. His behavior toward the FL is constantly exploitative. Their first intimate night together was outright predatory—he lured his naive, intoxicated subordinate into his apartment and made a move on her. Even if she "sobered up" and "initiated" it later, the massive power imbalance and setup were deeply unsettling from the start.
The FL behaves completely irrationally. As a new employee, she has ABSOLUTELY no issue sleeping with her boss, only to spend the rest of the show whining about his terrible behavior—behavior he never even bothered to conceal. He was upfront about being a awful person, yet she willingly entertained it.
The plot is painfully boring. It feels like another "fake-deep," pseudo-realistic romance web novel adaptation turned into a braindead drama. Anyone who enjoyed this likely only watched it for the intimacy scenes ( ridiculous) which completely lacked chemistry and looked so awkward I had to fast-forward through them.. just like I did with most of the show.
The ending made zero sense. After a childish, teenage-level fight that leads to a big breakup, they immediately reconcile and get married out of nowhere after a couple of years.
Overall, this was an unsettling romance that left me feeling uncomfortable the entire time. China really needs to stop churning out these toxic workplace dramas.

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More Than Just a Romance

I honestly didn’t expect *The Early Spring* to become one of those dramas that stays in my mind even when I’m not watching it. I started it mainly because I was curious about the leads and the overall vibe, but somewhere along the way I became completely invested in the characters and their relationship.

What I liked most is that this doesn’t feel like a typical sweet and easy romance. The relationship is complicated, and both characters have their own flaws. I know some people may find certain parts of their dynamic frustrating, especially because there is a clear difference in their personalities and positions, but personally, that was also one of the things that made the drama interesting for me. They don't feel like perfect fictional people who always make the right decision. They make mistakes, misunderstand each other, get hurt, and slowly learn from their experiences.

The chemistry between Jing Boran and Sun Qian is probably one of the biggest reasons I enjoyed this drama so much. Their interactions don't feel forced to me. Even their small expressions and the way they look at each other can communicate a lot without needing a huge romantic scene. There is a certain tension between them that keeps the relationship interesting, and I genuinely looked forward to their scenes.

I also really liked Shang Zhitao as a character. She isn't someone who immediately has everything figured out, and I actually appreciated that. Watching her gradually become more confident and find her own voice made her journey much more satisfying. I especially liked that her character isn't defined only by her relationship with the male lead. She has her own professional struggles, ambitions and moments of growth.

Luan Nian is definitely a character who won't be everyone's cup of tea. He can be arrogant, difficult and frustrating at times, and I completely understand why some viewers might dislike him. But that's exactly why I found his character interesting. I didn't need him to be perfect from the beginning. What mattered more to me was seeing the different sides of his personality and how his experiences affected the way he treated the people around him.

Another thing I really enjoyed was the atmosphere of the drama. The cinematography, locations, styling and overall visual direction make it very easy to get immersed in the world. There is something about the way the drama presents ordinary moments that I really like. It doesn't always need a huge dramatic event to make a scene memorable.

The workplace aspect was also a pleasant surprise for me. I usually get bored when a romance drama uses the workplace only as an excuse for the leads to meet, but here the professional side actually contributes to the characters' development. It gives Shang Zhitao opportunities to grow independently instead of making everything revolve around romance.

Of course, the drama isn't perfect. There were moments where I wanted the characters to communicate more clearly instead of creating unnecessary misunderstandings. Some decisions made me frustrated, and there were definitely moments when I thought, *please just talk to each other*. 😭 But surprisingly, those flaws didn't ruin the experience for me. If anything, they made the characters feel more human.

I also think this is one of those dramas where your enjoyment depends a lot on what you expect from it. If you're looking for a completely healthy, fluffy and uncomplicated romance, this probably won't be everyone's ideal drama. But if you enjoy complicated characters, strong chemistry, character development and a relationship that isn't perfect from the beginning, I think it's worth giving a chance.

And honestly, the biggest reason I'm giving this a **10/10** is simply because of how much I enjoyed watching it. I wasn't watching it just to finish the episodes. I was actually looking forward to the next one, thinking about the characters after an episode ended, and wanting to see where their relationship and individual journeys would go.

For me, that's what makes a drama memorable. It doesn't have to be flawless to deserve a high rating. Sometimes a drama can have a few things you would change and still give you an experience that you genuinely love.

**The Early Spring was definitely that drama for me. 10/10.** I loved the chemistry, the characters, the atmosphere and especially the feeling of watching two imperfect people slowly grow through their experiences. I can understand why some viewers won't connect with it, but personally, it worked extremely well for me.
**Definitely one of my favourite watches this year.** ❤️

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A masterclass in watching two gorgeous people make questionable decisions

Wow. Wow, wow, wow. I lost myself in this drama. I was down bad. A total gone girl.

When I wasn't watching The Early Spring, I was watching edits on TikTok. When I was watching it, I was on my laptop while simultaneously holding my phone so I could clip the scenes I loved because, naturally, Netflix's clipping function lives on the phone app. So at some point, I had two screens. One drama. Zero dignity.

And the truly deranged part is that even while I was watching it, I was already mourning the day I would run out of episodes. That, to me, is how you know you love a drama.

What makes The Early Spring so compelling is how real its world feels. These people feel like they actually exist. The class dynamics, workplaces, families, friendships and social expectations are recognisable, but the drama still manages to put this incredibly heady, toxic, sexy romance right in the middle of it.

Luke and Flora are, frankly, two of the sexiest characters I've encountered in Asian drama land. There are moments where I genuinely feel like I should leave the room because these people deserve privacy. But part of what makes their romance so compelling is that the drama doesn't constantly ask us to insert ourselves into it.

Unlike many dramas that deliberately position the male lead as someone who is essentially wooing you, The Early Spring makes you an observer. I wasn't Flora. I was watching Flora. I felt like I was sitting in their boardroom, their marketing department, their lounge, watching these people make questionable decisions in real time. And I found that incredibly refreshing.

The class commentary is also one of the drama's strongest elements. Luke and Flora come from very different worlds, and the drama is interested in how those differences shape the way they see themselves, each other and the world around them. It doesn't reduce class to simply rich versus poor. It is much more interested in the invisible cushioning that money, family, education and social position can provide.

And then there is the discourse about who the red flag is, which I think is one of the more interesting things to emerge from watching this drama. Without getting into spoilers, I think the show asks us to interrogate something we often get wrong in romance: being a good person is not automatically the same thing as being a good partner.

Decency, kindness and attraction are not rare. But a romantic relationship requires more. You need emotional safety, reassurance, encouragement, understanding and peace. Those are the truffles.

Not everyone can be peace to another person. Not everyone can be love. Not everyone can be assurance.

And I think The Early Spring is very interested in that distinction. It doesn't give us a perfectly communicative, perfectly emotionally intelligent couple. Instead, it gives us two adults with different experiences, expectations and emotional vocabularies trying to navigate attraction, ambition and intimacy.

That is also why I think the drama's treatment of class, gender, age, money and ambition works so well. Love doesn't exist in a vacuum. Who you are, where you come from and what you have experienced inevitably affects how you love and what you expect from another person.

What I particularly appreciate is that the drama never becomes emotionally exhausting despite all of this. There is messiness, conflict and questionable decision-making, but The Early Spring has a wonderful sense of lightness and movement. It lets its characters be complicated without making the viewing experience miserable.

And perhaps that's why I've become so attached to it.

Its not often you get a drama that is romantic without being completely detached from reality, sexy without constantly winking at us, socially observant without becoming a lecture, and full of people who can be selfish, tender, ridiculous, privileged, insecure and incredibly hot , sometimes within the same five minutes. This is a feat

So yes, I highly, highly, highly recommend The Early Spring.

It is a workplace romance, a class study, a commentary on gender and ambition, and, most importantly, a masterclass in watching two gorgeous people make questionable decisions while you sit there completely invested.

I have thoroughly enjoyed losing myself in this drama

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Whew.....what a ride!

I assume by now we've all finished this wonderful drama?
If not, DON'T read on...
It would take a month of Sundays to review the whole drama...it was THAT good, so I'm choosing to concentrate just on the final episode and say...I LOVED the end, especially the long apx. 5 mins of their final reconciliation which is in reality truly a good chunk of time, especially for an Asian drama.

So...A few thoughts:

When Luke finally, finally kissed her (and isn't Jing Boran extremely good at translating eagerness and intensity without words plus we must give Sun Qian her due too as she definitely holds her own in these scenes...it does take two to tango to make passion seem real), well, it was truly a goosebump moment for me...the staging and timing was genius but truth be told this drama was full of those kinds of moments...I am sure collective sighs were probably heard worldwide.

AND so. many. kudos, to the direction and shooting of that exquisite "dance" into the bedroom ...Lordy....I thought for sure they'd fade to the next day when they went through the door, as that is the usual MO, BUT the powers that be were kind enough to give us more!! IT WAS GORGEOUSLY DONE!! The direction and cinematography of these moments (and truly throughout this drama) was A+++++. The shots of hands and feet in this sequence so relayed the passion and the fervor and the tension and the emotion and the depth between them.

AND a minute later, still reeling from the scene I'd just watched, I laughed out loud when Luke followed her out of the bedroom and addressed her dad..."Mr. Shang......" lolz....soooooo good....One thing this drama has managed to do throughout, for me, is balance the light and dark moments of the story arc so well...Episodes like #5 or #20 will forever live in my head and heart...

AND I'm gonna give it a lot of leeway for the cheesy proposal scene...I mean it really isn't a Chinese drama without a cheesy proposal scene, right? This one was Okay, for me especially because it did so many flashbacks to their relationship which helped me keep things in sequential order and kind of "sealed the deal" on how hard they worked, what they overcame, and how their love and tenacity sort of forced the hand of fate to acknowledge them as a couple.

Interestingly I seem to almost always have a tiny bit of let down at the end of a lot of melodramas. Maybe because the angst and ups and downs in the relationship, especially in such a well done drama as this one was, become almost addicting so when the end comes, too much happiness can almost be anticlimactic but I didn't feel that here...and maybe because Episode 24 gave us enough angst and then passion and finally happiness that it left us sated? 🤷🏼‍♀️

If I have one complaint it would be the occasional continuity problem in the drama...what happened when, the time between break-ups and reunites felt, at times, choppy...BUT I am guessing, because as a whole the drama was so beautifully done, that if it's true the choppiness was the result of the incredible amount of edits we heard that this drama went through...There is no way losing 8 episodes worth of footage would not result in some continuity problems! So SHAME ON THE CHINESE CENSORS...I don't know that I'll ever forgive them for this one... 😉

Finally I think this grand experiment for Chinese drama creators to use, for the first time, an intimacy coordinator was a stroke of genius...so I am gonna guess that a LOT more top tier dramas in the future will utilize one as well, meaning we are probably witnessing a pivotal point in how CDz will address passion and intimacy in future dramas...so here's a BIG thank you to The Early Spring for opening that door!👍

In the end for all involved, The Early Spring is a drama everyone who worked on it should be extremely proud of. It was a truly a beautifully made and very satisfying drama and I'll miss it....

Oh and iykyk...thank god for Tan Mian's interference with that video......

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THIS CDRAMA IS EXTREMELY OBSESSIVE ❤️‍

I can say It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this urge to keep watching and become so obsessed with a C-drama.🥰

I love the chemistry between the leads; both the romantic scenes and the moments of tension are incredible. Without a doubt, this show has really hooked a lot of people.🫶

And as for Luke (Jing Boran), what can I say? The man is perfect: sexy, handsome, attractive, commanding, and seductive. He’s everything a woman could want in a man. Even though he’s a bit cold, I think that’s exactly what drives us all crazy and makes us swoon. ❤️‍🔥🫦🔥

I literally can't sleep because I keep thinking about the scenes and episodes I've watched; I find myself smiling to myself when I remember them, feeling as though I’m living the story right along with them. 🤭

The OST is absolutely beautiful, the songs are constantly playing in my head, and listening to them feels like reliving every moment between the main characters. 💖👌

I just hope they don't let us down and give us a beautiful ending for Luke & Flora. 😍❤️

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“You don’t have to be perfect to be worthy of love.”

The tagline of this drama fits well with Luan Nian & Shang Zhitao relationship.

This isn't a story about two perfect people finding each other.

Luan Nian and Shang Zhitao are both flawed, and their biggest problem isn't whether they love each other, but it's whether they know how to love each other properly.

[Story/Plot]:
At first glance, The Early Spring doesn't have a particularly groundbreaking plot. It's ultimately a romance drama about two people falling in love, building a relationship, facing misunderstandings, separating, and eventually finding their way back to each other.

But what makes it interesting is the way it portrays the problems inside a long-term relationship realistically. The idea that six years together doesn't automatically mean you truly understand your partner.

Luan Nian and Shang Zhitao have known each other for years, but they still misunderstand each other's needs and motivations. They love each other, but they don't always communicate that love in a way the other person can understand.

And Luan Nian's biggest problem isn't that he doesn't care about Shang Zhitao. In fact, he is probably someone who expresses love very naturally through acts of service. He takes care of her, notices small details, helps her, and is always there when she needs him.

The problem is his ego and arrogance.

He often says things without realizing how deeply they can hurt Shang Zhitao. He also spends a long time denying just how deeply he has fallen for her.

He knows he cares about her.
He knows he is attached to her.
He knows he gets jealous.
But admitting “I'm in love with you” is another matter entirely.

Flora has her own problems too.

From the beginning, she builds a certain emotional guard around Luan Nian because she is never completely sure where she stands with him. Is he her boyfriend? Is he her superior? Is she someone he genuinely loves, or simply someone he has chosen to keep around?

That blurred line between boyfriend and boss makes it difficult for her to completely surrender herself to the relationship.

She loves him, but she is also constantly protecting herself.

There are many occasions where she puts her career and friedship first before Luan Nian. It's not because she loves Luan Nian less, but because she needs to establish her own sense of worth and independence.

I actually think that's important to her character development.

Flora needs to achieve her own goals and become comfortable with who she is outside of her relationship with Luan Nian.

Because when you don't feel complete within yourself, it's much harder to love someone openly without constantly asking, “Am I enough for you?”
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— The breakup was necessary —

There are many drama out there with unnecessary break up, but in this drama the break up is something that viewers looking forward to and it's essential to the plot.

The breakup isn't simply there to create angst or give us a dramatic separation before the reunion.

They genuinely needed to break up.

Luan Nian needed to experience what his life was like without Flora before he could stop rationalizing their relationship and finally confront what she meant to him.

He needed to understand that taking care of her wasn't enough, but sometimes you also have to actually say the words.

He needed to put his ego aside, stop hiding behind his usual confidence, acknowledge that he had fallen deeply in love with her and start talking decently and properly.

And Flora needed the separation too.

She needed to step outside of their relationship and build herself up independently. She needed to pursue her career, accomplish the things she wanted, and understand her own value without measuring it through Luan Nian's eyes.

Only after both of them had time to reflect could they come back to the relationship as two more complete individuals, rather than two people desperately trying to get the other person to fill whatever was missing inside them.

That's why I don't see the breakup as the failure of their love. It was part of their growth.

Criticism:
My biggest criticism is that the drama needed more episodes.

I genuinely think The Early Spring should have been 28–30 episodes. Trying to portray a six-year relationship in around 20 episodes makes everything feel compressed.

We are told that these two people have shared years of memories, but sometimes we don't get enough time to actually experience those years with them.

The biggest victim of this pacing is probably Flora's perspective.

The drama doesn't spend enough time showing what's happening inside her head, why she becomes insecure, why she has built those emotional walls, and how the small things Luan Nian says gradually accumulate.

As a result, some of her reactions can feel abrupt if you don't already understand her character.


[Acting of the Actor and Actress]:

The acting is one of the drama's strongest points.

Jing Boran and Sun Qian have excellent chemistry, but what I particularly appreciate is how different their characters feel.

Jing Boran's portrayal of Luan Nian is especially impressive.

Luan Nian isn't an easy character to play because so much of his emotion is internalized. He isn't someone who constantly says what he's feeling. A lot of his emotions come through his eyes, pauses, expressions, and subtle changes in behavior.

Jing Boran, as a senior and established actor, handles those nuances extremely well.

Sun Qian as Shang Zhitao also works well because she brings warmth and vulnerability to the character. She conveys Shang Zhitao's insecurity, hurt, affection, and gradual emotional growth with a great deal of sincerity.

At the same time, the drama's limited exploration of Shang Zhitao's perspective feels like a waste of Sun Qian's acting potential. She is capable of expressing the small, internal shifts that would make Flora's development more convincing, but the rushed pacing means many of those changes are implied rather than fully shown.


[Music]:

The music is another highlight.

The OST fits the drama's emotional atmosphere beautifully, especially during the romantic, nostalgic, and heartbreaking moments.

The songs complement the characters' emotional journeys rather than simply functioning as background music.

Some scenes definitely hit harder because of the music.


[Rewatch Value]:

I think The Early Spring has very good rewatch value, especially if you enjoy relationship-driven dramas.

Once you know where Luan Nian and Flora's relationship eventually goes, their earlier interactions become more interesting. You start noticing little details in Luan Nian's behavior and the ways Flora's insecurities appear before they become major conflicts.

It is the kind of drama where the second watch can make you understand the characters differently.


[Conclusions]:

The Early Spring isn't a drama with a revolutionary romance plot.

Its strength is in something much more familiar:
It tries to show what happens when love exists, but communication doesn't always follow.

Luan Nian and Shang Zhitao aren't perfect. They make mistakes. They misunderstand each other. They hurt each other. Sometimes they are selfish. Sometimes they are afraid. Sometimes they love each other but don't know how to make the other person feel loved.

And that's precisely why the tagline fits them so well:

"You don't have to be perfect to be worthy of love."

It's about learning how to love an imperfect person and allowing yourself to be loved despite your own imperfections.

Luan Nian isn't perfect.
Shang Zhitao isn't perfect.
Their relationship certainly isn't perfect.

But their imperfections don't make their love less worthy.

And perhaps that's what makes The Early Spring feel so real.

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What adult relationships look like

What I loved about this drama is that it showed what mature relationships look like. How corporate work works, how actions and their consequences work, and how work romances can be both good and bad.

The only thing I didn't like was Luke being Flora's direct boss at some point. I think in reality, there is almost no chance of someone ending up with their boss without it somehow ending up in favour of one party or people assuming that the relationship was solely for climbing the corporate ladder. That was why Flora was always so keen on not exposing their relationship. No matter what, those kinds of relationships don't really give off a good outlook to onlookers.

I loved how each of their personalities grew throughout the years. It was also very realistic how it took them literally almost ten years to figure everything out and restart. They started off being very toxic but ended up respecting each other's boundaries and loving each other.

I loved the ending too. Truly enjoyed watching this drama.

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