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Expected Magic, Got Meh
First of all, I just want to say — if you haven’t watched Lighter and Princess, go watch it 🔥. But if you have already seen it, then please don’t keep too many expectations for this one. I had huge anticipation for Eat Run Love, mainly because I’ve liked Arthur Chen ever since Lighter and Princess 💖. Even though I don’t usually watch this kind of modern romance genre, I still gave it a try… and ahh, what a disappointment it turned out to be 😔.
The story follows Ding Zhi Tong (Zhuang Da Fei), a young woman fresh out of college, who’s passionate about work, running, and building a future through her own strength 🏃♀️💼. She meets Gan Yang (Arthur Chen Feiyu) — a cheerful rich boy who falls for her despite their very different worlds. Everything seems sweet and healing until Gan Yang’s family faces a huge financial downfall 💸. Instead of facing it together, he hides the truth and chooses to break up with her 💔. Ten years later, fate brings them back together, but both have changed. It’s no longer about puppy love — it’s about second chances, forgiveness, and growing up through love 🌧️❤️.
Honestly, the premise was initially influential and gave me hope 🌟. I liked seeing Zhi Tong’s determination — she wasn’t some clingy FL waiting for love to fix her life. She had dreams, a career, and her own pace. That part really resonated with me.
The first few episodes had a nice charm. The running scenes, the way they met, their natural banter — it actually felt refreshing 🏃♀️✨. And Arthur Chen? Still charming as ever 😍. Even if the script wasn’t perfect, his screen presence carried a lot of warmth.
Also, visually, the drama looks good 🎨 — the city shots, the lighting, the youthful mood, everything felt modern and comforting. For a few moments, I thought this could be another Lighter and Princess type story — emotional but real.
But ahh... after those early episodes, things started falling apart 💔. The writing just couldn’t keep the same energy. The pacing slowed down, and the story began to feel draggy. So many misunderstandings that could’ve been solved with one honest conversation 😩.
The chemistry between the leads also didn’t shine as much as I expected. I kept waiting for that spark 🔥 — the kind of connection that makes your heart ache like in Lighter and Princess — but it never really came. Instead, it felt like the emotions were forced in some scenes, especially after the time-skip.
And seriously, the plot tried to do too much: business collapse, emotional trauma, family drama, career struggle, reunion romance... everything at once 😵💫. Instead of being emotional and healing, it felt confusing and scattered.
I also didn’t like how some moments were made overly dramatic just for tears 😢. Like, give me pain with meaning, not just endless sad faces and background music trying too hard.
If you loved The Lighter and the Princess and want something similar, I’d say: give this a try only if you lower your expectations a little. If you expect peak romantic ❤️🔥 drama with crisp writing and sizzling chemistry, you might come away feeling like me — a bit let-down.😔
The story follows Ding Zhi Tong (Zhuang Da Fei), a young woman fresh out of college, who’s passionate about work, running, and building a future through her own strength 🏃♀️💼. She meets Gan Yang (Arthur Chen Feiyu) — a cheerful rich boy who falls for her despite their very different worlds. Everything seems sweet and healing until Gan Yang’s family faces a huge financial downfall 💸. Instead of facing it together, he hides the truth and chooses to break up with her 💔. Ten years later, fate brings them back together, but both have changed. It’s no longer about puppy love — it’s about second chances, forgiveness, and growing up through love 🌧️❤️.
Honestly, the premise was initially influential and gave me hope 🌟. I liked seeing Zhi Tong’s determination — she wasn’t some clingy FL waiting for love to fix her life. She had dreams, a career, and her own pace. That part really resonated with me.
The first few episodes had a nice charm. The running scenes, the way they met, their natural banter — it actually felt refreshing 🏃♀️✨. And Arthur Chen? Still charming as ever 😍. Even if the script wasn’t perfect, his screen presence carried a lot of warmth.
Also, visually, the drama looks good 🎨 — the city shots, the lighting, the youthful mood, everything felt modern and comforting. For a few moments, I thought this could be another Lighter and Princess type story — emotional but real.
But ahh... after those early episodes, things started falling apart 💔. The writing just couldn’t keep the same energy. The pacing slowed down, and the story began to feel draggy. So many misunderstandings that could’ve been solved with one honest conversation 😩.
The chemistry between the leads also didn’t shine as much as I expected. I kept waiting for that spark 🔥 — the kind of connection that makes your heart ache like in Lighter and Princess — but it never really came. Instead, it felt like the emotions were forced in some scenes, especially after the time-skip.
And seriously, the plot tried to do too much: business collapse, emotional trauma, family drama, career struggle, reunion romance... everything at once 😵💫. Instead of being emotional and healing, it felt confusing and scattered.
I also didn’t like how some moments were made overly dramatic just for tears 😢. Like, give me pain with meaning, not just endless sad faces and background music trying too hard.
If you loved The Lighter and the Princess and want something similar, I’d say: give this a try only if you lower your expectations a little. If you expect peak romantic ❤️🔥 drama with crisp writing and sizzling chemistry, you might come away feeling like me — a bit let-down.😔
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