really enjoyed your article! possessiveness and exaggerated tropes are what make me drop a lot of dramas, i haven’t watched some of the dramas you pointed out bc of this. you pointed out some interesting things about the dramas i have watched, especially you are my hero. the audience probably sees the “watch from afar” kind of thing as sweet but as you said it can also be seen as light stalking.
other than that part about the drama, i think everything else about all of the couples relationships were so real and non toxic that other writers should take notes about how you can make a drama enjoyable without constant skinship & conflict.
i’m debating watching this since i can’t get over FITYS but i watched the trailer and saw that there’s the ex trope, how long does that last and is it super annoying?
loved loved this drama, i really liked the character development, how the drama still focused on their careers after they got together, & how their relationship felt natural and was very non toxic. they talked things out, joked around with each other, encouraged each other, etc. sometimes dramas will focus on all kissing & bed scenes after the main couple got together, but it felt really refreshing to see something different and still be satisfied. the other couples were also very nice to watch even if it took them a little time to get together.
trying to find a reason not to drop the drama :/ i really liked the beginning but now it feels boring, i wanted to enjoy this since i really like the actress but it’s so draggy and i hate when secrets take forever to come to the surface. best part about the drama is xiao bao, i feel like the leads would be cute too but it’s taking forever for them to get together & once they do i feel like it’ll be lots of misunderstandings or conflict.
I'm with you 💯 on all of that and that's why paused it. I will finish it once all episodes are out or ZWY is…
I also put it on hold for now because I sensed that a stupid long love triangle was going to happen. I was initially really excited for the drama because I saw the bts before release of her and yan yan & thought it would be a fun cute story about the first female in the imperial college and the good friends she made & them going through obstacles together.
really enjoyed this series because there was no unnecessary conflict or dragged out conflict like other bl’s have, they were able to fit all the important information and emotions into only 6 eps each season, we didn’t have to see the couple have sex to prove their attraction to each other, the parents were reasonable & actually cared about their son’s feelings, and best of all - the acting skills from everyone was spot on. you can’t help but fall for the main couple bc of their chemistry, you start to smile when they’re smiling & you’re crying when they’re hurt. lastly, i loved how the drama didn’t want to make it obvious who was the more ‘masculine’ one of the two and just focused on two people who were in love with each other.
episode 9 & 10 and the snippet on the special are so cuute, there was nothing cringy about this couple’s story compared to the first two couples i watched. hope to see them in another drama in the future :)
i first dropped the drama after watching the first 2 eps but then i saw a fmv recommended to me on my youtube channel & decided to give it another try. i don’t think the drama is terrible, they did pretty good at portraying the manga. even though the girl is timid throughout the whole drama, she does sort of develop throughout the series. if you’re looking for a drama with lots of skinship & something you can watch while doing something else, give this a try!
very interesting article and very well written!! twilight brings back middle school memories i’d like to forget & our secret gives me nostalgia of things i’ll always remember. i really enjoyed our secret and can’t wait to rewatch it a bunch more times in the future :)
was an enjoyable watch, for people who might not play games like league, dota, etc. it might be a little hard to follow the gaming parts of the show but the animation they include makes it very entertaining. i really liked how they kept the same principles throughout the show about girls in e-sports, people misjudging e-sports, & parents not understanding their kids who want to pursue a career in e-sports. there was a good balance of gaming & romance, i would recommend for anyone to watch if in need of something light, funny, & sweet! although the fl’s acting was not as good as the other characters, it was still bearable so don’t let that be the reason why you don’t watch :)
this drama is def very sweet! but not in a bad way. i love that there’s different relationships portrayed in the drama in regards to friendship, romance, & family. i enjoyed watching 2/3 couples, yi yi was a little too much for me w the whining in some parts. i loved how the friends always stayed true to themselves & each other, never hiding anything, etc. another great aspect of the drama was how mature the male interests of the fl were, nothing was shady or annoying. def consider watching this as a pick me up after watching something super sad/melodramatic.
other than that part about the drama, i think everything else about all of the couples relationships were so real and non toxic that other writers should take notes about how you can make a drama enjoyable without constant skinship & conflict.
thanks for a good read <3