This review may contain spoilers
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!
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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