Some Secrets Are Better Left Unspoken
Our Secret is a Chinese drama about two high school students, Zhou Siyue and Ding Xian, who slowly fall in love. The show has a soft and sweet tone with a lot of cute moments between the main characters. Their relationship feels believable and the school setting brings back that feeling of being a teenager.
However, the drama does have some problems. One of the biggest issues is the voice-over work. Ding Xian’s voice often doesn’t match her mouth movements, which becomes really distracting. It happens a lot and takes away from the scene. Her whispered lines especially stand out as being oddly delivered. They feel out of sync and disconnected from the mood. Kong Shadi also has a few strange-sounding whispers, but Ding Xian’s are noticeably worse. It’s hard to tell if that’s the actor’s performance or if it’s more of a problem with the production and editing.
The story itself is pretty cliché. The smart quiet boy meets the bright cheerful girl, but at times it also seems like the show is trying too hard to be different. There’s a subplot with Su Bocong that didn’t really add much to the story and was very predictable.
Chen Zheyuan, who plays Zhou Siyue, is definitely better in Hidden Love. I’m not sure if it’s just that he improved between 2021 and 2023, but chemistry plays a big part. His dynamic with Zhao Lusi in Hidden Love feels more natural and emotionally grounded. He also seems to fit the older brother type of role more, and visually, the pairing with Zhao Lusi just worked better on screen. Sometimes even small things like the height difference can help make the chemistry feel stronger, and that balance felt more natural in Hidden Love than it does here with Xu Mengjie.
I’ve seen someone say it’s better to just watch Go Ahead instead. I haven’t seen that one yet but I’ll update this review once I do to see how it compares.
Even with its flaws Our Secret has its moments. It’s not perfect but if you enjoy school romance with a bit of drama it’s still a decent watch.
However, the drama does have some problems. One of the biggest issues is the voice-over work. Ding Xian’s voice often doesn’t match her mouth movements, which becomes really distracting. It happens a lot and takes away from the scene. Her whispered lines especially stand out as being oddly delivered. They feel out of sync and disconnected from the mood. Kong Shadi also has a few strange-sounding whispers, but Ding Xian’s are noticeably worse. It’s hard to tell if that’s the actor’s performance or if it’s more of a problem with the production and editing.
The story itself is pretty cliché. The smart quiet boy meets the bright cheerful girl, but at times it also seems like the show is trying too hard to be different. There’s a subplot with Su Bocong that didn’t really add much to the story and was very predictable.
Chen Zheyuan, who plays Zhou Siyue, is definitely better in Hidden Love. I’m not sure if it’s just that he improved between 2021 and 2023, but chemistry plays a big part. His dynamic with Zhao Lusi in Hidden Love feels more natural and emotionally grounded. He also seems to fit the older brother type of role more, and visually, the pairing with Zhao Lusi just worked better on screen. Sometimes even small things like the height difference can help make the chemistry feel stronger, and that balance felt more natural in Hidden Love than it does here with Xu Mengjie.
I’ve seen someone say it’s better to just watch Go Ahead instead. I haven’t seen that one yet but I’ll update this review once I do to see how it compares.
Even with its flaws Our Secret has its moments. It’s not perfect but if you enjoy school romance with a bit of drama it’s still a decent watch.
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