Platinum Fox

A commenter reminded me of another drama Zhao Lu Si was in where her character (Sang Qi) fell in love with her brother's best friend A Female Student Arrives at the Imperial College. I went back and watched the first episodes of that again and it plays out much like this drama. In that drama she is 14/15 when they meet and you can tell that he falls for her the minute he meets her. There is even romantic music playing at the time. We the audience do not think much of this. Our perception of this kind of love is okay because back then it was okay. It is called looking at something through a historical lens.

Hidden Love seems to be a modern retelling of that story. Now, as you put it and one of her roommates says, it is just plain wrong. Time has changed our perception of this kind of love. In modern times we have extended the definition of childhood to include the teenage years. Instead of children working in factories at a young age, their job is to go to school and study hard, so that they can get into a good middle, high, or university. Back when they first meet she was 14 and he was 19, they were both considered minors according to Chinese marriage laws. Once he turned 21/22, he was considered an adult and she was still a minor at 17. That's why the brother and Qian shut him down when DJX asks her if she thinks he is handsome. DJX did the same thing the brother did. Nobody in the car thinks anything of it. However, when it comes from DJX it has a different meaning. The perception is different. The brother also shuts down the other roommate who approaches her and calls her "little girl" and says, "I am nearsighted/shortsighted?" He wears glasses. This is to remind us of the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood.

Yes, the animals play huge symbolic roles in this story: the fox, the bear, the puffer fish, and the dog. Her name Sang Zhi (innocence) also has great meaning to this story. The picture of the fox and little girl signed Rosy, the flower in the museum, the math, and the book are just a few of the things that mean something in this story. I will let you discover the meanings of those for yourself. When you watch a story pay attention to the camera angles, the editing, the juxtaposition of scenes, how the story is told. There is much more to a story than what is on the screen.

Again if you have questions, I am happy to answer them. Happy reading and watching again.

Thank you for the discussion.

Yes, the opening scenes in episode 1 tell you this. I do not know if this is in the novel or something the screenwriters put in. But Hollywood has been using this technique for years. I have only seen this one other time in an Asian drama, Love Like the Galaxy. You can of course read the novel Hidden Love, but that's not the novel you should be reading. There are many other "hidden" symbols in this drama making it worth the watch at least in the earlier episodes. After they get together, it isn't as fun.

First, he acts surprised because he doesn't want her to know that he already knew that she liked him. He even apologizes for his imperceptiveness on this matter and pledges to not let it happen again. Because everything that she does for him prior to this can be read as something a sister would do (gives him a red packet with jelly beans and a star that says, "Happy New Year" on it , gives him money, and gives him flowers). All of these things she has given to her brother as well. How could he know that she thinks of him like that? Remember the conversation he had with Qian when he was trying to win her heart.

As for the manipulation of the audience and the characters, I will let you figure that one out on your own. I will give you a hint: a novel about hidden love and manipulation of time and perception. It is shown three times or exactly how many time frames there are (14 and 19, 17 and 22, and 19 and 24).

If you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them. If you still are confused go back and compare what the brother does and what DJX does in the same situation. You are correct, he does have romantic feelings for her, but hides them under the guise of brotherly affection.

Who says he doesn't know? As I have been told by others, everything that he does could be interpreted as something a brother would do. However, I disagree, especially the milk bottle scene and her drawing of it afterwards. There are many clues in the story that hint that the audience's perception is being manipulated along with the characters in the story. I am not a fan of modern dramas, but the "hidden" symbolism in this story caught my attention. The first 10 or 12 episodes are very craftily done, but after that it just turns into a modern romance.

I also loved the comparison between Love Like the Galaxy with the mother figure and even the female lead character.

Yes, I feel bad sometimes for the 2nd leads (girl or boy) who have loved the main character since they were children. This was one of those times. I think he would have turned out to be a better person if she would have loved him more.

I love this drama because there is so much that can be discussed. Thank you for defending the mother. As you can tell it is a really hot topic on this discussion forum. I love the mother character. She is so human.

As for LBY I can understand people's view on how "childish" and "selfish" they thought SS was being by saying she wouldn't forgive him if he abandoned her. He was trying to save her life on the cliff. However, If LBY didn't want to implicate her family, then he should have never asked for her hand in marriage in the first place. He should have waited until his revenge was over, and everything had settled down. That's why I don't consider what she did childish. Actually, it was the most mature thing she could have done.

Dear Nope, I agree with you on some points, but when does mom not stand up for NN? The first person who shows disrespect to NN is Aunt Ge's maid. Once this is witnessed by the parents, the maid is shipped off to the work house. Never to be seen again. The next person to go is Aunt Ge, who was shipped back to her parents house. They cannot get rid of the grandmother because she is the mother of the father. Yet, when the grandmother blames NN for the grandmother's brother going to jail, both parents stick up for NN and blame the rightful party (the uncle). Yang Yang's maids who caused all the commotion about the desk also disappear and are never to be seen again. The only time she does not say anything in NN's defense is when they are at a place where she does not have any power. That is when LBY, who represents justice, steps in to prove with evidence what NN has been saying. He is giving NN and mom a way to solve the problem in court, not in the home of a spoiled noble girl. When the same woman doesn't respect NN during the courtship to LY, mom hits the woman and SS hits the daughter. When mom knows SS doesn't love LBY and knows SS hasn't had a chance to process the breakup with LY, she again stands up for NN by repeating what everyone else has said about NN. This is NN's reputation and reputation is everything. Mom and Dad are even willing to give up their status and live in the country if they need to, so that NN doesn't have to marry LBY. When have they not stood by this girl?

A girl who is constantly trying to manipulate the outcome of a situation. A girl who deserved the paddling for collapsing the bridge because someone could have gotten seriously hurt and it happened on someone else's property. Even though there was a warning sign put up, the noble families could have sued the Wan family for the humiliation suffered by their daughters. Also, NN did not pass out from the paddling, and we later learn the paddles barely left a mark. As for the food punishment, once NN explained how Aunt Ge tried to do the same thing, mom realized that wasn't a good form of punishment. Notice it never happened again. This is trial and error on the mom's part to find a good way to punish her willful daughter without using the paddles. During that time period what more could the mom do besides make her stay in her room or not go to the lantern festival. She couldn't take away her cell phone, computer privileges, or TV privileges. Mom also seems to have made her write something a number of times and that is why SS created the three way pen. Mom tried numerous times to talk with her daughter first and even allowed her to have a voice and discipline her maid in the desk scene.
Granted is the mom a perfect mom, no, what parent is.

As for the favoritism between the two girls. This is a theme carried throughout both season. The grandmother favors boys over girls. Grandmother favors her younger and older sons over the middle son. The father favors NaioNaio over Yang Yang. Do you ever see the father hug YY? Do you ever see the father hug his sons? Do you see the mother hug her sons? In any of these dramas, I rarely see any parent hug their children. Do you ever see the 3rd aunt and uncle hug NN or YY? Besides that, there is more to the favoritism than meets the eye.

You make some really good points about the mother in both of your posts. But I have to disagree with you on LBY and the cliff scene. There would not have been a cliff scene if LBY would have shared with her his past life, who he really was, and what he had planned on doing. She understood that he wanted revenge, but she did not know why. She had worked out most of the pieces about his identity, but did not know why he wanted to kill Ling Yi. After everything is said and done she realized the problem and found a way to solve it without violence. However, he went ahead and did what he wanted to do. Had he just talked with her, justice could have been served and nobody would have had to be implicated.

Yes he does respect her and her thoughts and feelings. He allows her to do whatever she wants. He will never force her to do anything that she doesn't want to do or challenge her to be a better person. However, she also knows that he will make the effort not to hurt her, and they share the same goals in life. He would be a good match for her because at this point in time they both go by their feelings. She makes him feel more confident. He makes her feel safe and secure (providing her with food). At one point she even says, "I do things by what feels good right now." or something to that effect. Right now they both want to get away from their home lives.

Yes.

Good, then the story is doing its job. Even though she has had a crush on him since she was in middle school, she treats him like a brother because she thinks he only sees her as a little sister, especially when she is in college. This is the reason she puts him down as brother no. 2. Once all the misunderstanding on her side are cleared up, are they free to have a full bloom romance.

There are many clues that DJX when she is 17 is beginning to fall for her as well. Yet, he must treat her as a sister because of the relationship he has with the family. Once you are finished with the story I can explain more or just read other posts of mine. You are one of the few people who have noticed or should say have commented on the "weirdness" about this relationship in a good way.

Yes, many people miss the fact that the mom really loves her daughter and wants what is best for her. Is she perfect, no. That's what makes her human. As for the hugging and showing affection. How do you show affection to someone who has never had affection given to her? If mom would have run up and hugged her when they arrived home, NiaoNiao probably would have reflexively punched her because she is not used to being touched in that way. People have to want to be touched and loved. At the beginning, NiaoNiao is giving off the vibe of, "you haven't earned my respect or love, so don't touch me". As a parent you try, but you don't want to push things like this sometimes because you don't know what it will do to the child.

Thank you for sticking up for the mom. Many people have ranted about her way of showing love to NiaoNiao, but I fully understand why she did it. Discipline is love.

There are many: Who Rules the World, Nirvana in Fire, The Imperial Doctoress, The Rise of the Phoenixes, Jewel in the Crown, to name a few.

Yes, her nickname is NiaoNiao.

I love the fox drinking milk picture signed Rosy.

Thank you for the discussion. Since this I have rewatched the first four episodes of this drama to see if I missed something. You're right when she is 14 she does wish that DJX could be her brother. He plays his role accordingly when she is this age. However, once she turns 17 all bets are off. The first two episodes set this up particularly the moving scene, dorm room scene, and the car scene. He mirrors everything that the brother does, but there are minor differences in his actions and dialogue that let the audience know that his is something different than a brother, especially the period sequence.

After all of these posts I have gone back and watched this again to see if I missed something the first time. I did not. When the two first meet, the biological brother comments on her short stature. Even calls her an elementary student. If they had wanted an actress who looked 14, they would have just let Zhao Lu Si play the role as she plays 15 year olds all the time. There was a reason for them to get the younger actress to play her as a 14 year old. One the actress played her as a young child in Who Rules the World and she was short. This is significant when you take in one the first lines of drama, Sang Zhi narrates, "Time does have magic drawing us closer in height and distance." I am quoting this from the Netflix subtitles. She is looking at DJX's belongings in the back of the father's car. She first sees the fox stuffed animal and then the book The End of Eternity. Both have very significant meanings in the story about to be told.

I do know the difference between brotherly affection and romantic love. Romantic love does not have to be just hugging, kissing, and sex. Watch Jewel in the Palace and Jewel in the Crown. Both are excellent examples of how a person shows romantic love without ever touching the person. It can be about doing things for the other person that you wouldn't ordinarily do or wanting to be with that person, even if it is in a group, a look, etc.

There is also a genre trope going on here as well. Many times when a male or female character does not want to become involved with someone they will say, "I only see her as my sister or my brother." However, that person always says, "That's okay, you will learn to love me." This time it came true.

In my home country as well it is actually encouraged for people to start "dating" when they are in their early teens, but only in group settings and with people their own age. Individual dating begins at around 16. However, because college changes a person, we wait until much later to get married. At 18 we are considered adults and can get married. In some areas of our country you can get married as early as 14 with parent consent.

I do not know the exact age when people are considered to be adults in China, but if modern dramas reflect the society rules, it appears that people in China are not considered adults until they are 21 which is when they can legally get married. So age does play a huge factor in this drama for him and her.

As for DJX, there are multiple reasons why he should not reciprocate her feelings when she is 14, even if he wanted. to. First, how did the brother respond when at 19 she was dating him? Also, at 14 she looked like an elementary student. If anyone had seen them dating (a full grown adult with an elementary looking person) there would have been an uproar. Finally, it would have been an act of disrespect to the family who had helped him during his time of need. However, meeting her the first time planted the seed of love. He becomes interested in her life, pretends to be her brother at the school meeting (which by the way he never tells the brother or the parents that he did this, why?). There is more to this story and it is aptly named. I could go on.

When it comes to her being 19, their age difference again hinders his plan. She is, in fact, grown up, but she is not according to the Chinese marriage laws which seem to be 21 or 22. There is nothing wrong with their relationship at this point, but their age difference keeps them from being married, she isn't old enough. The moment she graduates, he proposes, end of story. She is now all grown up.

If you are looking for that simple love story where the couple fall in love at the twirl, then this is not that kind of story. The female lead will have three men pursue her, two win her heart, and one does not (but she is still friends with him). However, all three men are essential to the story.

In the beginning the king did not like the queen because of her family. He believed that she was there just to spy on him. He wouldn't listen to her when she said that she loved him. When the king said that he would never love her, she took her own life. Her personality didn't change, maids were reporting that she was doing strange things before she committed suicide. The king didn't really know So Yong and didn't want to have anything to do with her. How can you say that he fell in love with a different person. He didn't know her to begin with.

After Bong starts helping the two get together, he realizes that the king wants to create a more democratic society, but doesn't really know how to pull it off. Bong helps with this. He helps So Yong by getting the king to notice her for who she is, not who her family is. Once the king realizes that the queen is on his side, then he begins to look at her differently and falls in love with her.

Where is there not a happy ending? The king found his supporter, not in the concubine he brought in with the queen, but in the queen herself. In the end, he does say he feels like something is missing. But it seems they were happy and accomplished a great deal as king and queen. The queen was finally recognized for herself and not because of her family. She fully supported the king. Bong Hwan, after getting the two together got to go home to a hero's welcome. He never wanted to stay in the Joseon era. Also, he learned how to treat women better.