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This review may contain spoilers
Intelligent Characters Overcome Trauma with a Sweet Romance
Two appealing, intelligent leads, a virtual reality world set in the Chinese Republican Era, and a slow-burn romance made for a pleasant watching experience. Add the beauty of Shanghai and some lovely architecture, and Love Between the Lines distinguished itself from other romance dramas.
There were exquisite scenes, especially in the snowy virtual world. I could have happily spent more time there; I wish a larger storyline had been set in the virtual world. It was cold and mostly colorless, a reflection of the ML's mindset. Within that world, he was in absolute control, ruthlessly plotting and eliminating his enemies at will. He was free to live as himself, something that had been taken away from his true life. When FL joined the game, she also discovered she could free herself from the "safe" walls she'd erected around her life; she could be as spirited, daring, and reckless as she wished. The couple were so striking in the virtual world! The ML in a military outfit cut a commanding figure, and the FL was stunning as she nearly glowed in white costumes in that dark world.
The ML and FL were seemingly two opposites: he was cold and aloof, while she was warm and bubbly. Their homes represented them. His was a large apartment in a modern high-rise. It was empty, quiet, devoid of character, and bereft of color (except for some lit bottles of alcohol). When the FL first saw it, she said his home was merely an extension of his office. The FL lived in a longtang, a community of multi-storied older apartments facing an alley that was shared as a public space. Her home was old, noisy, cozy, cluttered, and filled with personality. As the ML and FL's relationship advanced, his life began to fill with color, sound, and comfort; her life began to add order and purpose.
Special mention should be made of the 2ML. I generally despise love triangles, but Dai Xu played the part of the quasi-villain so deftly that I couldn't help but empathize with him and hope for good things in his future.
The best dramas show personal growth and enlightenment. Although the ML had learned to grow up quickly, hide his innermost thoughts, and depend only upon himself, he learned to trust and share with the FL. As for the FL, she'd lived with trauma that had caused her to choose safety over dreams. With the ML's support (and it was often hands-off, because he trusted her to handle things on her own, something I relished greatly), she learned to make decisions for her own good, not for security or to appease others. A line of hers that resonated with me from the drama (and I am paraphrasing loosely according to my wonky memory) was, "When a pair of shoes don't fit, I change them; if the road becomes a dead end, I take another road; if a person doesn't like me, I change him for a more suitable one." Our sweet, kind FL had learned to set boundaries and draw lines.
The quality of viewing faltered somewhat for me when it became too dramatic towards the end, but that's a minor quibble for a drama that I mostly enjoyed.
I'm awarding an extra half star for some lovely visuals in the virtual reality world.
There were exquisite scenes, especially in the snowy virtual world. I could have happily spent more time there; I wish a larger storyline had been set in the virtual world. It was cold and mostly colorless, a reflection of the ML's mindset. Within that world, he was in absolute control, ruthlessly plotting and eliminating his enemies at will. He was free to live as himself, something that had been taken away from his true life. When FL joined the game, she also discovered she could free herself from the "safe" walls she'd erected around her life; she could be as spirited, daring, and reckless as she wished. The couple were so striking in the virtual world! The ML in a military outfit cut a commanding figure, and the FL was stunning as she nearly glowed in white costumes in that dark world.
The ML and FL were seemingly two opposites: he was cold and aloof, while she was warm and bubbly. Their homes represented them. His was a large apartment in a modern high-rise. It was empty, quiet, devoid of character, and bereft of color (except for some lit bottles of alcohol). When the FL first saw it, she said his home was merely an extension of his office. The FL lived in a longtang, a community of multi-storied older apartments facing an alley that was shared as a public space. Her home was old, noisy, cozy, cluttered, and filled with personality. As the ML and FL's relationship advanced, his life began to fill with color, sound, and comfort; her life began to add order and purpose.
Special mention should be made of the 2ML. I generally despise love triangles, but Dai Xu played the part of the quasi-villain so deftly that I couldn't help but empathize with him and hope for good things in his future.
The best dramas show personal growth and enlightenment. Although the ML had learned to grow up quickly, hide his innermost thoughts, and depend only upon himself, he learned to trust and share with the FL. As for the FL, she'd lived with trauma that had caused her to choose safety over dreams. With the ML's support (and it was often hands-off, because he trusted her to handle things on her own, something I relished greatly), she learned to make decisions for her own good, not for security or to appease others. A line of hers that resonated with me from the drama (and I am paraphrasing loosely according to my wonky memory) was, "When a pair of shoes don't fit, I change them; if the road becomes a dead end, I take another road; if a person doesn't like me, I change him for a more suitable one." Our sweet, kind FL had learned to set boundaries and draw lines.
The quality of viewing faltered somewhat for me when it became too dramatic towards the end, but that's a minor quibble for a drama that I mostly enjoyed.
I'm awarding an extra half star for some lovely visuals in the virtual reality world.
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