Platinum Fox

Why did you drop it after season 1? If you can look past why you dropped it then by all means continue. However, I have to say that season 2 mirrors season 1; we just get LBY's story and then their completed love story.

Depends on what you mean by romance. One of the most sexual scenes of the drama (and any drama that I have watched) is in episode 12, and they are not even a couple yet. The next most sexual scene is in season 2.

Yes, you can blame Fang Lei only partly for this lie. However, what I found interesting is that the Shens carefully created this elaborate illusion to protect the image of their company, yet they didn't double check the paternity of the child. That to me is the weakness in the plot, not that HC is really not HM's son. That follows the overarching theme of the story.

Many viewers like you have argued that if the Shens hadn't taken HC in then he may have become an orphan. That isn't true. He had a maternal set of grandparents, a maternal aunt, and a dad (even though they don't know who he was) who could have taken care of him and seemed to be just as well off as the Shens. I don't think the parents who had just lost their daughter would not have taken in her child if they knew she had one. Which leads me to believe that they may not have known. If they did know, then they may have made the arrangement with the Shens to take the child as HM was the "known" father at that time according to the fake paternity test.

We all want a happy ending for HC which it seems happened as he was not in the last episode, so I am assuming that he went to his maternal grandparents house to live as his true self as the Shens would have no claim over him since it was not the laboratory's fault, but Fang Lei's lie that made him a Shen.

Hope this clarifies things and thank you for the discussion.

I have to disagree with you on the message of HC's parentage. Yes, family is chosen, not blood, but what the Shen's did to HC was despicable. They deprived him of knowing his true roots for 12 years just to create an illusion of the perfect family. It is poetic justice for what they did to him. If HC had been HM's actual son, it would have contradicted the drama's overall theme: live sincerely as your true self down to your roots. jmo

I love how DSC's t-shirts match the scene. What wonderful easter eggs. Also, DMS' ringtone of James Bond.

I have to disagree with you on your main point that the ethnic clothing arc is wrong for the story. The whole point of the drama was to dismiss the fake, illusion (including how one dresses), and phony behavior that each character brought to the story. The scene where XY takes off her makeup and clothes is one of the most powerful scenes in the drama, it is then that she begins to become her true self, including in what she wears, hence why the organic, ethnic clothing line. Remember her goal in marrying HM wasn't money, she actually loved him. HM was the one who thought she was after his money and compensated her accordingly. If you turn her into a wealthy influencer, then you are still adding to the illusion, just because it is live-streamed doesn't make it real.

Also, remember the family went overseas once they found out about HM's "son", they purposely stayed away until it was a proper time for them to come back and be able to explain HC, so there is no plot hole. Again, this is to play into the illusion of the first part of the drama. Once that illusion was torn apart, HC could live as his true self.

One thing I can agree with you on are some of the ways they take to get to the point of drama. I despise drunk scenes. They are so over done, but this one had its point that they could only be their true selves when they let go of their inhibitions. The same with the silliness of those games, but the point was the same.

Happy drama watching.

I have been doing a Boys over Flowers binge watch of all the versions. This is hilarious with its homage to Grease. What a fun movie!

Is it just me or are the Japanese really okay with teenage boys having noona girlfriends? Every version I have watched (three) makes these boys out to be great catches because they can attract older women, one even makes it a goal to go after older married women. Otherwise, I did like this version and did hope that Rui would get the love of his life back after he graduated and lived a little.

Just finished three of the adaptations of this drama, and by far this is the best as far as story line and the great social messages for all ages. Had to look past the bad acting of the male lead ( I blame the director, not the actor).

It should. Is it a 10/10, no, as the lead actor is a terrible actor (which I blame the director), but the story is much cleaner and has great social messages for its intended audience, teenagers. jmo

Don't know if you watched any of the ones Molham recommended, but I have, except for Pasta and My Girlfriend is Gumiho. I have noticed that many kdramas around this time focus on classism and toxic male leads with "commoners" being their tamers and the Cinderella plot line.

For me, the least of the toxic male leads of her recommendations is Rooftop Prince. It was fun and entertaining, but not profound. Secret Garden, for me, has the most toxic male lead and he doesn't change much in the end. His behavior just becomes tolerable as the "commoner" who tames him is a stunt woman. The rest of the recommendations fall in the middle.

I would recommend Sungkyunkwan Scandal and Jewel in the Crown or Dong Yi. In both the male leads are very green flag.

Actually, I am looking at it from the "real" world perspective according to Chinese law and culture. The drama starts with Sang Zhi at the age of 14. The age every person in Chinese society is considered "mature" enough to have a relationship, including sex, with any person 14 and older according to the age of consent law. Because of this low age of consent, in China, the only "protection" 14 year olds have against predatory older people are the parents and siblings. The law will not help them. Hence, Sang Yan is very protective of his younger sister when the boys become "big bad wolves".

Throughout the drama with DJX, Sang Yan has slowly handed DJX his "brotherly" duties because Sang Yan is tired of it. What did DJX do, well, he takes those "brotherly" duties a step further all behind Sang Yan's back. Something he told Sang Yan he was going to do when he tells Sang Yan, "I am not her brother." According to Chinese culture, when Sang Yan punches DJX, Sang Yan is finally the perfect brother. However, it is a little late in the game as she is 19 and almost a full blown adult. Most countries consider people of age 18 adults free to make their own choices and get married without parental consent. In China the marriageable age is 20 for females and 22 for males. Throughout most of the drama DJX has been a full blown adult, whereas Sang Zhi has been a child, except when it comes to the age of consent.

I see that you have watched The First Frost. Notice at the very beginning when WYF goes to the police about the neighbor attacking her, the friends of the neighbor come after her. Her family does not protect her only Sang Yan, so Sang Yan is acting according to Chinese culture. Also, WYF's family do not do their job in protecting her when she is raped in high school by a family member. With that in mind, punching DJX is nothing compared to not protecting your sibling or child at all.

For me, Hidden Love is a well written social commentary on a lot of different subjects, but the main one is the protection of teenagers from predatory older adults.

Thanks for the discussion.

When you look at the drama as a whole and the message it conveys, Sang Yan's behavior of punching DJX is extremely valid and quite common in the drama world. Guy friends tend to fight it out and then talk, not talk it out first. DJX understands this bro code and why he allows Sang Yan to hit him in the first place. DJX felt he deserved it as he has hidden many things from Sang Yan, especially his interactions and intentions with SZ from the very beginning.

When Sang Zhi asked him to go to the school in place of her brother, they kept that a secret from Sang Yan. Why? Why did DJX go in the first place? We don't know his intentions until episode 25. It is only then that we realize how green flag he is. When he hides the fact that he is meeting her to give back the notebook and even writes an essay, what is his intentions? When he hides the fact that he accidentally kisses her on the forehead, what are his intentions? DJX hasn't exactly been straightforward with Sang Yan, except to say, "I am not her brother," with the period scene.

Perception plays a key role in this drama. It is what drives the unrequited love aspect and how the characters and the audience can feel okay with the age gap. The audience perceives DJX as a brother to Sang Zhi and not a boyfriend when she is 14 and 17. Yet, if you juxtapose Sang Yan's behavior and DJX's behavior against each other is DJX acting as the perfect brother or as a boyfriend? All the memorable things DJX does for Sang Zhi (the claw machine, the bicycle ride, the milk bottle scene) can all be construed as romantic gestures. Love and romance does not have to be just hugs, kisses, and sex.

In China the age of consent is 14 with no restrictions. DJX could legally date Sang Zhi if he wanted. Sang Yan couldn't do a thing about it, except punch him and disown as a friend. Thus why this drama is a cautionary tale. Not all males are green flag males. DJX is as green as they get. He waits until she is mostly an adult to have a physical relationship with her. I do say mostly because marriageable age is 20 for girls and 22 for males.

I can see where you are coming from, but it makes perfect sense as to why Sang Yan punches DJX. From the very beginning she has been of legal age to start her sexual journey with whomever she wants, and the only way to protect 14 and 17 year old Sang Zhi is carefully choose who she sees and dates (thus the online boyfriend). Fortunately, DJX is a green flag male and not the big bad wolf.

Hope this helps.

The pacing of this drama was the slowest I have seen yet, but it seems to symbolize the lives of our characters perfectly. None of them were going anywhere until the entrance of Chae Song Ah.

Wonderful music, great story, and great acting. Loved it all.

You have brought up a really good point about XFF. Her actions with the fake pregnancy was there for a very good reason. We want heroes and heroines to be perfect and god/goddess like. XFF's action was to show that she is indeed human, and she does pay for this action at the end. She must wait for XH to return from the border war, if he makes it all. This is poetic justice as I am sure they consummated their marriage before he left for the war and possibly even before (candlelight kiss scene). She did not get pregnant, so she is paying the price for being greedy in her revenge. She must remain alone.

The whole drama is based on appearance vs. reality. Viewers wanted a happy ending, so they made the five minute special ending to keep viewers happy, but in reality the drama's ending is as it should be with her paying for going too far in revenge.

Yes, I agree with you about the forgotten values, and I want to apologize. I came off a little harsh. I edited my comment above. I also have to disagree with you. She is very interested in him, and she does show it. DJX picks up on this and even begins to flirt with her until Sang Yan shuts him down in the car. I don't know of a brother who would place a warm milk bottle on his sister's cheek to symbolize a kiss. I also don't know of any brother who would pick out the food that his sister is allergic to, so that she could eat it, especially Sang Yan who has repeatedly ignored his sister and tried to get out of buying the menstrual pads for her. In those same scenes DJX goes and gets her a warm cup of water to help with the cramps, picks out a dark skirt because that is what she was wearing to begin with. Is he just the perfect brother or the perfect boyfriend? For me, DJX has repeatedly shown that he is interested in her, especially when she is 17. It is just under the guise of being her brother because viewers would be more comfortable with that. Hence why people say the first eight episodes are creepy. They are meant to be.

Thank you for the discussion and again I apologize for my harsh comment.

Thank you.

Yes, the first eight episodes can be deemed as creepy and that is okay. The first five to seven minutes of this drama tells you that this story will be about relationships with age gaps, especially those in the teenage years as per Sang Zhi's age. Not every guy is a green flag male like DJX that is why girls must take precautionary measures and wait. Many viewers see this drama as a sweet, fluffy, simple drama, but it is way more than that.

And I agree with you, it does deserve a 10 rating as it is an intelligently written social commentary on the age of consent law.

Actually, the first eight episodes are the reason for the entire drama. The author of the Hidden Love novel stated that she wanted to create a story where her unrequited love actually turned into love. If you take out the unrequited love aspect, then the story does not make sense. The writers of the drama turned this story into a cautionary tale, not every guy is a green flag male like DJX. Thus why you feel that creepiness in the beginning. Also, the age of consent in China is 14, so 14 year old Sang Zhi according to Chinese law is mature enough to handle a relationship even with someone five years older than her.

This is why the beginning episodes. In most of the world the age of consent is 16. The drama is saying that 14 year olds are still children and need to be protected from predatory older people, even those just five years older as they are at a different maturity level and height. This drama is actually a very intelligently written social commentary on the age of consent. jmo

Thank you for your detailed response. Yes, we certainly have a different perspective as I have not fully read Hidden Love. I made it through 8 chapters. When I first watched this another commenter read the novel and I read The End of Eternity and we compared notes, but not to the extent that you did. Since you know the novel Hidden Love really well, could you answer some questions for me? What was DJX's job after graduation in the novel? How involved were the parents in disciplining Sang Zhi? Were the bear and dog stuffed animals in the novel? Did DJX call her a puffer fish in novel? Was the structure of the novel chronological or did it have flashbacks like the drama? These are just some of the easter eggs that I saw in the drama. what easter eggs did you find? For me, there are at least 20 or more.

In addition, I went back and watched episode 10 again and you are right. It is a picture of the roommates, not the computer students and their professor. Thanks for correcting me. I will write more over the weekend, but wanted to ask those things.

If you annotated The End of Eternity, did you notice all the references and concepts to it in Hidden Love? I would love your thoughts on this since you read The End of Eternity.