A beautiful, compelling watch!
Many people would assume this drama is purely romance based on its synopsis or title. But nope! This drama has so much more to offer that you’ll forget the one thing where it fails in the romance department: an actual kiss scene.
Be Passionately In Love is a whole rounded show which I ended up loving despite the initial prejudice I had. Initially I stayed away from this drama because of the female lead’s alleged no-kissing clause, and I remember thinking to myself, “how could that be? one big aspect of this show is the physical intimacy between the main couple. not doing any kiss scene is a disrespect to the novel”.
But you know what? This drama worked for me! Maybe I’m just a sucker for young, pure love romance, or the amazing OSTs, or maybe it’s the convincing acting from Anyu/Haocun, or the lack of unnecessary toxicity from external factors. In any case, there’s many aspects about this show that tugged my heart.
I enjoyed the family dynamics in this show. It centred around compassion, forgiveness, acceptance. There was this scene where XZ looked at her father and noticed his white hairs, likewise there was a similar scene where CLZ noticed the same on his stepdad. They realized how their fathers were aging and decided to be more compassionate towards them. There was also this whole identity ordeal surrounding CLZ, and despite past conflicts or misunderstandings, he chose to let go of resentment and embraced it with compassion and forgiveness instead.
I also loved how this drama captured the essence of wholesome friendships without relying on unnecessary conflicts. Same thing could also be said for the relationship between XZ and CLZ. The talking or flirting stage in the beginning was fun, and witnessing how that casual connection transitioned to a deeper bond was mesmerizing to watch.
Another aspect that I appreciated from this drama was how inspirational it was. It featured a female lead who cared about her goals and not just her romance with the male lead. I love how it inspired me to wake up early (the FL wakes up at 4am!) and work hard to get what I want to achieve. Yes, XZ got a boyfriend at a young age but it did not make her forget her responsibilities to her studies. The FL worked hard to achieve everything she got. Even when she got together with the ML, she was still focused in her studies. One of my fave scenes was when XZ gave her speech in her high school at the end, saying:
“We can be insignificant, but we can also be great”
“As long as the sun rises, we will always have the future”
“In those rainy days, we can wring out our clothes. It can still go on”
“In the end, it is us who choose the world, and not the world that chooses us”
Having only 24 eps also means that this drama is not that long, which means there are little to no unnecessary side plots. Even if there is, e.g. side couple, they’re still interesting to watch.
Last but not the least, the acting of the leads was spectacular. I realized how Haocun was perfect to act as Xu Zhi. Her aloof yet soft hearted spot has been acted so well. She was great, but I still think that the real magic of why this drama worked for me was Anyu. He shined in this show! Anyu’s acting truly embodies CLZ – whether it’s joy, fear, love, doubts, longing – everything from his eyes to his body language feels natural and genuine.
Overall, this has been a compelling watch that combines emotional depth with stunning storytelling and visuals. It’s the kind that stays with you after the very last episode, not just for how it ended, but for what it made you feel in its entirety.
Be Passionately In Love is a whole rounded show which I ended up loving despite the initial prejudice I had. Initially I stayed away from this drama because of the female lead’s alleged no-kissing clause, and I remember thinking to myself, “how could that be? one big aspect of this show is the physical intimacy between the main couple. not doing any kiss scene is a disrespect to the novel”.
But you know what? This drama worked for me! Maybe I’m just a sucker for young, pure love romance, or the amazing OSTs, or maybe it’s the convincing acting from Anyu/Haocun, or the lack of unnecessary toxicity from external factors. In any case, there’s many aspects about this show that tugged my heart.
I enjoyed the family dynamics in this show. It centred around compassion, forgiveness, acceptance. There was this scene where XZ looked at her father and noticed his white hairs, likewise there was a similar scene where CLZ noticed the same on his stepdad. They realized how their fathers were aging and decided to be more compassionate towards them. There was also this whole identity ordeal surrounding CLZ, and despite past conflicts or misunderstandings, he chose to let go of resentment and embraced it with compassion and forgiveness instead.
I also loved how this drama captured the essence of wholesome friendships without relying on unnecessary conflicts. Same thing could also be said for the relationship between XZ and CLZ. The talking or flirting stage in the beginning was fun, and witnessing how that casual connection transitioned to a deeper bond was mesmerizing to watch.
Another aspect that I appreciated from this drama was how inspirational it was. It featured a female lead who cared about her goals and not just her romance with the male lead. I love how it inspired me to wake up early (the FL wakes up at 4am!) and work hard to get what I want to achieve. Yes, XZ got a boyfriend at a young age but it did not make her forget her responsibilities to her studies. The FL worked hard to achieve everything she got. Even when she got together with the ML, she was still focused in her studies. One of my fave scenes was when XZ gave her speech in her high school at the end, saying:
“We can be insignificant, but we can also be great”
“As long as the sun rises, we will always have the future”
“In those rainy days, we can wring out our clothes. It can still go on”
“In the end, it is us who choose the world, and not the world that chooses us”
Having only 24 eps also means that this drama is not that long, which means there are little to no unnecessary side plots. Even if there is, e.g. side couple, they’re still interesting to watch.
Last but not the least, the acting of the leads was spectacular. I realized how Haocun was perfect to act as Xu Zhi. Her aloof yet soft hearted spot has been acted so well. She was great, but I still think that the real magic of why this drama worked for me was Anyu. He shined in this show! Anyu’s acting truly embodies CLZ – whether it’s joy, fear, love, doubts, longing – everything from his eyes to his body language feels natural and genuine.
Overall, this has been a compelling watch that combines emotional depth with stunning storytelling and visuals. It’s the kind that stays with you after the very last episode, not just for how it ended, but for what it made you feel in its entirety.
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