This review may contain spoilers
Fluffy, sweet and definitely a comfort drama for those who need a break from daily life
Loved every single thing about this drama (I am originally a fan of the novel and manhua, but I love this story in every version/format). They made ML a bit softer & FL a bit more mature compared to the novel, but I didn't mind it since the core of their characters stayed the same, as well as their deep love for each other. The first 8 episodes are a bit boring to get through since it's just showing FL's innocent teen crush on ML when she was young (just wish they used an older child actress to portray 14-year-old FL), so there wasn't anything beyond a precious found family bond between them, obviously. But once she becomes an adult (mid-ep 8), the pace of the story finally picks up & takes you on a sweet but deep ride of first love between 2 people who are each other's first, last, and only everything. Some people might think that this type of love is unrealistic, but I would say that it's just rarer in real life, which makes it more precious (I have been fortunate enough to witness some genuinely pure couples like this). Sang Yan and DJX were both called the Twin Dogs of Nanwu University since they always stuck together (Ep 1). To be precise, SY's symbol is a dog (even in First Frost's novel) because of his loyalty & overprotection (SZ even compares him to the black dog when she was 17 & has his contacts saved as "silly dog"), while DJX is a fox because of his sly, intelligent, flirty/nice facade (he is smart and hides his true self behind flirty jokes), but they are both technically "dogs aka canines." These 2 dogs are SZ's loyal protectors: her bio brother & her "brother"/boyfriend/husband.
ML feels inferior & has lots of self-doubt, so he never pursues bonding with anyone outside of his friends in any other way (even if his boss tried to set him up on blind dates, he remained distantly polite/formal). He preferred to be a workaholic & studious person since no one could accept his dad's crime/family tragedy/debts, thus he also never felt brave enough to even be with anyone in any way until FL's encouraging & unyielding love warmed his self-doubt. That's why it could only ever be Sang Zhi for Duan Jiaxu, no matter what. Friendship gave him support, but only Sang Zhi's pure love could fully open up a pure-hearted person like Duan Jiaxu and unleash his true, romantically clingy, shameless self, who no longer feels scared to be who he is with her by his side. He is a bit more emotionally reclusive/moodier in the novel (but I kinda love how mean he is to his stalker and anyone who tries to come between Sang Zhi & him if you read the extra chapters, you already know what I am talking about) but in both versions, his love is so apparently clear-- he always feels like he wanted to marry her since the moment they got together because he already knew Sang Zhi is the one he wanted to spend every life event with forever. The drama version showed a more emotional Duan Jiaxu who always cried openly with Sang Zhi, but both versions had clear communication once they were adults, so I think their relationship is healthy & cute since they both strive to talk through potential misunderstandings almost immediately. As someone who hates love rivals/love triangles along with long, unnecessary misunderstandings, this drama checked all the right boxes for me-- each other's first/only everything without others interfering & healthy fast communication to leave plenty of room for sugary fluff. Even after watching it 5 times, I never get sick of it & find myself coming back to this drama every couple of months, so it has solidified its place as one of my top comfort dramas.
Additionally, I want to sincerely thank Zhao Lusi, who took the lead in making this drama happen even after the original director gave up on it for styling the characters herself (huge upgrade from what it was), inviting her real friends as cast, singing the OSTs & for being the perfect Sang Zhi. Chen Zheyuan also did a great job as Duan Jiaxu & I don't think anyone else could have done better in that role (the man's eyes can ACT). The entire cast was amazing (Sang Yan aka Victor Ma in Hidden Love will always have my heart).
For the things people have issues with:
FL may have fallen first a bit too early, but ML definitely fell when it was the right time for both of them, which made their age gap appropriately portrayed. FL's crush on him was innocent and relatable to everyone who had a crush in their teens. Some people have a hard time with how he knew her when she was young, but they only occasionally saw each other and were separated for many years till she became an adult, so I don't really see an issue since he saw her as his "found-family," like he saw Sang Yan (FL's big bro/ML's best friend). As a found-family member, I didn't find it odd that he had her picture from his graduation next to his mom's & college friends' pictures. Also, some people may find ML's flirty lines a bit too much but my impression from reading the novel 4 times is that he does so only jokingly (which is why he flirts with his male friends too) and another reason is so that he is not be seen by others as a bad person like his dad if he portrays himself as a kind/helpful/nice to everyone persona even though he does still keep a emotional polite distance from everyone (since he feel inferior due to his family's debt/dad's crime which people fault him for just because he is the son). It's like he purposely plays "nice guy" as an emotional shield so that people don't see him as a bad guy like his dad, but by not showing his true feelings (Ch 50: the scene in the novel when his teacher criticizes his bad character when he fights with Jiang Ying after she pushes him down the stairs in school & then he thinks to himself that he should always be smiling/good to everyone/non-threatening to not be compared to his father), he keeps people at a distance. It's only in those moments when he shows his coldness/unhappiness that he is his true self. He was always looking for a life-long partner (his dating intentions are always only with marriage in mind due to his strong sense of responsibility. He even always hints at marriage to SZ - Ex. "This might be the only relationship you will ever have." + Ch 81, he even signs property over to SZ), so until he was able to meet someone who could accept his true self, he wouldn't be with anyone/willing to be alone his whole life (which is why when SZ comforted DJX after Jiang Ying splashed him with water, he fell for SZ or at least realized his feelings). I believe that it wasn't until the hospital scenes that he even saw her as an adult who was capable of taking the lead & caring for him which eventually grew his feelings till the realization after the water splash scene.
ML feels inferior & has lots of self-doubt, so he never pursues bonding with anyone outside of his friends in any other way (even if his boss tried to set him up on blind dates, he remained distantly polite/formal). He preferred to be a workaholic & studious person since no one could accept his dad's crime/family tragedy/debts, thus he also never felt brave enough to even be with anyone in any way until FL's encouraging & unyielding love warmed his self-doubt. That's why it could only ever be Sang Zhi for Duan Jiaxu, no matter what. Friendship gave him support, but only Sang Zhi's pure love could fully open up a pure-hearted person like Duan Jiaxu and unleash his true, romantically clingy, shameless self, who no longer feels scared to be who he is with her by his side. He is a bit more emotionally reclusive/moodier in the novel (but I kinda love how mean he is to his stalker and anyone who tries to come between Sang Zhi & him if you read the extra chapters, you already know what I am talking about) but in both versions, his love is so apparently clear-- he always feels like he wanted to marry her since the moment they got together because he already knew Sang Zhi is the one he wanted to spend every life event with forever. The drama version showed a more emotional Duan Jiaxu who always cried openly with Sang Zhi, but both versions had clear communication once they were adults, so I think their relationship is healthy & cute since they both strive to talk through potential misunderstandings almost immediately. As someone who hates love rivals/love triangles along with long, unnecessary misunderstandings, this drama checked all the right boxes for me-- each other's first/only everything without others interfering & healthy fast communication to leave plenty of room for sugary fluff. Even after watching it 5 times, I never get sick of it & find myself coming back to this drama every couple of months, so it has solidified its place as one of my top comfort dramas.
Additionally, I want to sincerely thank Zhao Lusi, who took the lead in making this drama happen even after the original director gave up on it for styling the characters herself (huge upgrade from what it was), inviting her real friends as cast, singing the OSTs & for being the perfect Sang Zhi. Chen Zheyuan also did a great job as Duan Jiaxu & I don't think anyone else could have done better in that role (the man's eyes can ACT). The entire cast was amazing (Sang Yan aka Victor Ma in Hidden Love will always have my heart).
For the things people have issues with:
FL may have fallen first a bit too early, but ML definitely fell when it was the right time for both of them, which made their age gap appropriately portrayed. FL's crush on him was innocent and relatable to everyone who had a crush in their teens. Some people have a hard time with how he knew her when she was young, but they only occasionally saw each other and were separated for many years till she became an adult, so I don't really see an issue since he saw her as his "found-family," like he saw Sang Yan (FL's big bro/ML's best friend). As a found-family member, I didn't find it odd that he had her picture from his graduation next to his mom's & college friends' pictures. Also, some people may find ML's flirty lines a bit too much but my impression from reading the novel 4 times is that he does so only jokingly (which is why he flirts with his male friends too) and another reason is so that he is not be seen by others as a bad person like his dad if he portrays himself as a kind/helpful/nice to everyone persona even though he does still keep a emotional polite distance from everyone (since he feel inferior due to his family's debt/dad's crime which people fault him for just because he is the son). It's like he purposely plays "nice guy" as an emotional shield so that people don't see him as a bad guy like his dad, but by not showing his true feelings (Ch 50: the scene in the novel when his teacher criticizes his bad character when he fights with Jiang Ying after she pushes him down the stairs in school & then he thinks to himself that he should always be smiling/good to everyone/non-threatening to not be compared to his father), he keeps people at a distance. It's only in those moments when he shows his coldness/unhappiness that he is his true self. He was always looking for a life-long partner (his dating intentions are always only with marriage in mind due to his strong sense of responsibility. He even always hints at marriage to SZ - Ex. "This might be the only relationship you will ever have." + Ch 81, he even signs property over to SZ), so until he was able to meet someone who could accept his true self, he wouldn't be with anyone/willing to be alone his whole life (which is why when SZ comforted DJX after Jiang Ying splashed him with water, he fell for SZ or at least realized his feelings). I believe that it wasn't until the hospital scenes that he even saw her as an adult who was capable of taking the lead & caring for him which eventually grew his feelings till the realization after the water splash scene.
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