binniesbubbles

I think this drama is definitely on the more tender, youthful side with the slow development and realisation of feelings for the main couple. The cinematography is stunning, transmitting this very warm, fuzzy feeling of nostalgic summer romance, the colouring is gorgeous. The silent shots where little glances linger for too long, fingers brush and the scenery and light are just right, are really the scenes that kinda save this drama for me, because while Yu Lei and Chen Ke's romantic development is definitely natural, they could've cut the whole fillers and back and forth with the friend zoning. Chen Ke is literally frustrated to the point of retreating and even going abroad. If that's not a wake up call for Yu Lei then idk what could be. I think if they had given us more than just 8 eps, this could've been very well-rounded and balanced with a fun side couple (LOVE THEM). Instead my high hopes were kinda let down in the last few eps. I wish they had given up on the whole "we're best friends" thing and cut to the chase a tad bit earlier, this could've been perfect!

Definitely! Yu Lei is in denial and Chen Ke is frustrated and is retreating into his shell, pushing Yu Lei away (or at least the idea of a romantic relationship between them). This just draws the story out unnecessarily imo :/ this could've worked if we'd have had more than just 8 eps, but I'm afraid they might cram it all into the finale (it better be good).

I have to agree. I love me some young sweet love (and I think they definitely did that part very well) but it got kinda draggy and the romance fell kinda flat in the last few episodes with the prolonged friend zoning due to fillers and them not being able to express their feelings openly. The second couple was more straightforward, especially since Ouyang Han is very aware and secure in his identity as a gay man. And Li Ming is apparently more reflected than Yu Lei since he grasped and acted on his attraction to Ouyang fairly quickly (thought they didn't sacrifice the lead up to the romance THANK GOD).

Yeah, while I still really love the cinematography and tender romance, I guess in the last few episodes, the value definitely dropped since they dragged it for no apparent reason... the fillers kind of pulled this down for me a lot. I had insanely high hopes for this since ep. 1 and I guess a lot of it was fulfilled but many parts did indeed fall flat!

I had the same exact feeling about this drama! I think the cinematography really underscores the vibe of youthful, nostalgic summer romance: tender, sweet and with organic development. The camera settings and colouring make this feel so cozy yet refreshing. I agree with you on the subtleness of the acting! It makes it feel more believable in comparison to a random, loud declaration of love in this situation.

Very true. I think the development of their relationship is definitely very natural, but I guess since they're both on the shy/ cautious side and not as confident with the expression of their feelings (and for some part not even fully aware) it's just more tender than the side couple. I think this could've worked well if they hadn't dragged it as much or at least added more episodes, bc the chemistry was definitely there!

The On1y One is actually based on the Chinese novel Mou Mou (A Certain Someone) and the series just never finished. They stopped at the halfway mark (actually a bit before that) and we never got to see the ending from the book. It's one of the sweetest BL novels ever, can highly recommend it, it's got translations on NovelUpdates