This review may contain spoilers
Aesthetically beautiful and good acting but what a frustrating romance story
I am a massive fan of Guo Yu Xin. I have only started exploring Liu Xiao Xu's dramas and so far I enjoy his acting. This drama was released after My National Husband so I expected Summer Rose to be as good as My National Husband. However I was disappointed once I finished the drama.What I liked:
1. Framing - Beautifully shot drama that reminds me of a small but well-written indie film I used to watch. Directors certainly knew how to capture scene that are aesthetically memorable.
2. ML characterisation - It was endearing to see a stuffy ML who wasn't able to articulate his feelings. His personal struggle is different from other CEO MLs I have seen.
3. Acting - Both LXX and GYX employed a lot of "restraint" in their performances for this drama. They had magnetic chemistry which was more evident in the behind the scenes clip.
4. FL characterisation - I liked that her personality contrasted with ML's personality. She expressed most of her feelings including desire freely.
5. Supporting characters - I liked ML's grandmother and guest characters played by He Jian Qi and Wang Ge Ge.
6. Styling - What a gorgeous pairing of LXX and GYX. Beautiful outfits worn by both FL & ML. I am a fan of pyjamas and I loved the pair worn by GYX.
What I disliked:
1. FL's actions - She was stringing two men along when she broke off the engagement and pursued other man. I didn't like her at this point.
2. Writing - There was too much time spent to tell this story. I'm sorry to say some parts are draggy and boring and I struggled in the final hour of the drama. I must say that the writer and director wasted the talents of LXX & GYX.
3. Romance - Unfortunately I didn't buy their romance. There was too much push and lack of honest conversations. By the time they got together I already lost interest in this drama but just pushed through to mark this drama as complete.
Favourite scene
When FL seduced ML and succeeded.
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Cool, sober, sexy, intelligently handled drama on insecurities
This is the best Chinese 'vertical' dramas that I've seen. Another one of the ML's dramas, 'Love Lost and Found' (also known as 'Divorce, My Happily Ever After'), also has a very good story and execution as well. And both are a pleasant surprise. Unlike the usual C-short, V-dramas where the primary goal is to show a cold 'CEO' being hot and cold towards the 'cinderella' FL or makes an alliance with her to bring someone down, with those hand grabs and pushes and make out scenes splintered about, 'Summer Rose' actually HAS depth and a deeply moving story and character arc for both ML and FL. And it's been shot and edited really very well.FL is an artist, she is a talented photographer and is a bit of a hippy, mercurial, having colorful friends and associations. She is a cynical and jaded young woman whose tycoon father had an extra marital affair, which ruined her mother's already fragile mental health (mother was bipolar). Her mother killed herself, while the father married his mistress and had another child with her. So the FL's biggest desire is to be loved but her biggest fear is that the husband won't be faithful, and this thought process makes her accept an arranged marriage with someone who has been rejected by her step-sister. This thinking also leads her away from that man when she sees herself falling for him.
ML has been raised to be a serious, responsible, sensible, studious professional (I think he is heading a bank). He is a typical workaholic who went from education to work and has neither had time for 'girlfriends' nor had the inclination by the looks of it. He is called 'dull' 'dry' 'robotic' by various people in the drama. He is definitely a quiet person, not a chatter box. To the FL, however, he is stable and sexy. I've watched both the version with music and the one without background score and I think the story works better with the silences than with the music, because FL's fears and ML's desires are unspoken but apparent. And it is good to hear his side of the story in the second half of the drama.
These two are a classic example of how two people may not be perfect for others, but are well-suited and well-matched for each other. FL's insecurities and assumptions; ML seeing FL having a life around him and beyond him, in her travels abroad for work; His realization that he is not seeking FL out of duty or an arrangement between their families, but because he likes; Her high opinion and regard for him; His passionate steadfastness towards her, and their final heart-to-heart communication about expectations from love and marriage, etc. are all handled in a subtle manner.
The entire cast is fine but the FL and ML are excellent. I've seen a few other dramas of the FL and she's a naturally beautiful girl but she is picturised exceptionally well here. She shines in this role and proves she can act. The ML is a brilliant actor who can actually emote, and has a face that actually moves (no obvious fillers / cosmetic work like other MLs). No matter what his actual or reported age, he looks 32-35 and that's ok. In my opinion, he is prettier in 'Love Lost and Found'.
Highly recommended.
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This review may contain spoilers
Most reliable blockbuster short drama.
I am fans of both actor Liu Xiaoxu and Guo Yuxin. Guo Yuxin has chemistry with everyone. Its rare to have spin-off short drama since this is part of Wang Gege and He Jianqi story (they make cameo appearance) and both quality are great. The pace of the plot is quite slow but it is not boring due both actor great skill.The plot is about ML who got marriage arrangement with FL who has free spirited mind. FL was afraid to fall in love and quite confident she wont fall for ML but yeah she falls in love with ML and run away from him. ML who cannot expressed his feeling to FL quite devastated when FL leave him and tried to win her back.
I like cinematography of cameramen, it was quite melodramatic and feel so subtle.
The Up and Downs feeling are there and its quite frustrating and i always surprised how they get better chemistry on screen. I doubt if there is another remake would beat this version.
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A Short Drama with the Heart of a Full-Length Film
Summer Rose is one of those rare short dramas that doesn’t feel short at all, it feels like a complete, beautifully crafted movie. The acting is outstanding, with both leads delivering some of the best performances seen in the vertical-format genre. The script breaks away from typical C-drama formulas, offering a raw, sincere, and emotionally grounded story that feels refreshingly real.What truly sets it apart is the honest portrayal of a relationship its struggles, miscommunications, pain, and growth. There are moments when you want to shake the characters for not communicating, yet you still root for them every step of the way. Their emotional journey feels genuine, heartfelt, and deeply relatable.
The drama also stands out for what it doesn’t rely on kidnappings, dramatic deaths, or over-the-top angst. Instead, it focuses on the simple truth that marriage isn’t always roses; it requires commitment, patience, sacrifice, understanding, and love. The final part, where each character expresses what happiness means to them, is especially impactful and beautifully done.
Unexpected, emotional, and incredibly well-acted, Summer Rose is a must watch short drama that delivers far more than its length suggests. It is easily among the most thoughtful and well-performed vertical dramas to date.
Excellence mature watch, It's a roller coaster ride of emotions watching this storyline. FL was willing to marry if there was no love attached, being fearful of loving someone and getting hurt like her mom did. The minute she fell in love with ML she broke off their engagement and left without sharing her feeling to him. ML was older with a stoic personality, in loved her, but not knowing how to communicate it to her. I hurt for him, he was sad, but he pursed to win her back. Only then I was able to see his gorgeous smile! This was beautifully written, and the leads are excellent actors, with great chemistry together!
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Late blooming flowers
So I finally watched this year's inescapable, much raved-about, monster vertical hit Summer Rose. I had heard of it even when I was paying no attention to verticals, back when I was convinced I would never get addicted on those (sigh). I was not very convinced by the synopsis as I don't like stories about a cold marriage slowly turning sweet that much (I need BIG DRAMA, the more angst the better) but I did love the cast, and was curious to see what all the hype was about. Is it worth the fuss ? Yes, Oh My God, yes. I was entranced, didn't see the 3:20 hours go. Guo Yu Xin is her luminous self, the direction is enhancing her lovely, youthful feautures, Liu Xiao Xu (who is still quite young !!) gives off the perfect "uncle" vibes for the role. This is made by Stable production, a very promising studio. They went all-in for this drama : the soundtrack is great (it's not ripping off My Demon or When The Phone Rings for once), there is no stupid, childish sound effects (if you are familiar with verticals you know exactly what I'm talking about), the costumes and sets are horizontal drama level of quality, the camera work, lighting and sound design show some real industry workmanship, it feels like the vertical genre is no longer restrained by its origin as formated soap for a short attention span audience.The writing is impressive, on the surface not much is going on (it's an arranged marriage, they give it a chance, they fall in love fast which freaks her out) but it's all in the rich details, the way they dance around each other, the way he slowly breaks her barriers, the way they both evolve as individuals and as a couple through it all. He's very introverted and believes more in actions than big talk, she's outgoing, and has internalized the sad idea that love is a weakness after what happened to her mother. The drama was very mature about its theme : the heroïne didn't use her mother's tragic fate to go on a vengeful rampage, she was able to forgive her father without forgetting, she just had to understand that she wasn't doomed to repeat her parents' story. Writing wise the only thing that bothered me was that she's supposed to be bipolar : there was no sign of it in the whole drama, she's a bit impulsive and unconscious at times and has depressive bouts, that's it (not the first time I've watched a drama dropping names of very serious life-altering medical conditions while writing their characters with very basic neurosis, oh well). For romance enjoyers I'd say it's a mandatory watch, it was incredibly romantic, and gave me vibes of golden era HK romances.
For those interested there is a spin-off promoted during the drama about his little brother and his wife played by He Jian Qi and Wang Ge Ge, I'd like to check it out.
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Is this news credible?
I had difficulty finding any news related to mainstream media. I only gathered data from several Chinese drama watcher accounts spread across various social media platforms, and I roughly found that when it launched on September 20, 2025, the Hongguo platform recorded over 100 million views on its first day.
After that, seemingly unstoppable, many platforms began airing it.
The success of this micro-drama apparently attracted the interest of Netflix, which purchased the rights. This made the Chinese drama "Summer Rose" the first domestic short series to be launched on an international platform.
So, you're curious, what's so special about this short drama, which only lasts two minutes per episode?
It turns out the production costs are quite substantial. To illustrate the notion that short-form vertical dramas are simply "bad" productions, the Chinese drama "Summer Rose" cost nearly 8 million yuan to produce (the average micro-drama is around 300,000-3 million yuan).
Another highlight is the precise casting. The ML is portrayed as a stiff and boring 30-year-old man.
In fact, Liu Xiao Xu (27), who plays Zhou Sheng An, is only a year older than the FL, Guo Yu Xin (26), who plays Bai Qing Mei.
Liu Xiao Xu brilliantly captured the character. Her emotionless facial expressions, along with her body movements, which struggled to convey the FL's expressive behavior, looked incredibly natural.
Especially when she unleashed her childish "nurturing" FL, the audience fell in love and found it hard to move on.
And of course, the high production budget significantly contributed to the overall story. The scenes, cut short because each episode is only two minutes long, don't feel like a pain in the eyes thanks to the stunning, eye-pleasing time-lapse photography.
Is the Chinese drama "Summer Rose" really that good? Mmm... even standard dramas have a lot of holes, let alone micro-dramas. But with a rating of 8.0/10 from Mydramalist, this drama is sure to be very entertaining.
Next review: https://www.maria-g-soemitro.com/2025/11/summer-rose-micro-drama-rekor-tiga-miliar-penayangan.html
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In the meantime, this drama can be found on YouTube under the caption: “Rebel Girl Forced into Family Marriage-Never Expected Cold CEO Lost All Control! Craves Only Her!” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpI39JCzzzE) Or: “Forced Marriage Turns Real?! Cold CEO Becomes Her Obsession & True Love!” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR9RWkvA9PQ)
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