52
184
8
1
1
1
6
1
6
6
2
9
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
6
7
8
This review may contain spoilers
Flawed characters create Interesting stories. I might even be on Team Luke! *gasps*
To say “The Early Spring” is a controversial drama is an understatement, especially with a male lead that isn’t very kind with his words. But you know what, that’s also why this drama is so good, because you go back-and-forth on whether you like him/her or not. Flawed characters with growth make a good story.
Jing Bo Ran as Luke/Luan Nian (Male Lead)
Let’s just name the elephant in the room. Jing Bo Ran is amazing in this drama. Not only does he look so goddamn hot 🥵 in his many different outfits, but the acting is chef’s kiss. The controlled emotions he displayed in the breakup argument is WOW. And then that telephone call in tears? A completely different kind of WOW. But Luke as a character? That is one hot topic. I was preparing for the worst, but in actuality, I might even like him more than Flora (FL). The criticisms he receives from many viewers about his rudeness, his sharp tongue and his inability to communicate are very consistent with his character. He was introduced as this flawed guy, and his actions never deviate far from that. Flora knows that, we as viewers can see that very clearly. Therefore, from his perspective, he also feels insecure when Flora wants to keep their relationship a secret. Yet he respected that. He questions her affection and love for him. Flora doesn’t want her efforts to be displaced by perceived favoritism and wants to separate business from personal relationships. He respected that and I respected her. That’s why it was very hard for me to blame him when he is being a professional and makes business decisions as an executive, which may not be what Flora wants. The only thing I would say is that he should have trusted Flora more, especially her relationship with her housemate Sun Yuan Zhu. Time and time again, he gets jealous and not trusting enough. However, I also see where he’s coming from, as Flora never willingly shares important events, e.g. sexual assault or suicide. He feels powerless and useless because he can’t protect her. But Luke has consistently shown his love for Flora through actions, even if he fails to recognize he has fallen deeply in love.
Sun Qian as Flora/Shang Zhi Tao (Female Lead)
Flora is easy to root for from the very beginning. We all love a story of an idealistic, hard-working young professional persevered and become this independent and successful business woman. She has great character growth as a person and as a professional. Her initial attraction and infatuation towards Luke (come on now, who is not attracted to Luke) might have been a little naive but she’s an adult after all. She gave in to her desire and started a secret relationship. But in this relationship, she has always been in the driver’s seat. She sets the conditions and Luke listens and follows. She always has the upper hand in this relationship, even though she feels inferior to him due to their boss/employee relationship and socio-economic standing. But as viewers, we can clearly see how Luke has fallen hard fast. But her young age and inexperience make it hard for her to really accept the realistic consequence of separating personal and professional relationships. I would even argue that when she’s pissed, she was actually disrespectful to her superior, a top executive, and ignored him on several occasions. You do not ignore an executive if you walk past them so openly. On the other hand, I also can see from her perspective why she didn’t share the sexual assault and the suicide, but I think she failed to see it from Luke’s point of view as well. The power imbalance forces her to grow and be a better person so that she can stand next to him proudly, and I respect her for that.
As a Couple
As a couple, they have a lot of fun together. We get enough kisses and hugs, and flirting and fluffy moments. But when things don’t go well, they both shut down instead of asking questions. All they need is to communicate and be more trusting. But we have seen these issues in many drama couples. They do not always seem to be in sync of where they are in the relationship. When Luke is ready, Flora is not. When Flora is finally ready, Luke questions her sincerity. It takes being apart from each other and Luke to change quite drastically for the relationship to work out. Many love the softer Luke in the last few episodes. I have mixed feelings about it. Do I want to see Jing Bo Ran being a cute puppy? Sure. But I am also not a fan of a character who deviates too much from who he was in the beginning of the show. Luke has changed and has put in effort to make the relationship work. What about Flora?
The review is getting long. So a few quickfire notes:
1. I wonder if the translation has taken away the cultural context or intonation of Luke’s hard words. Either I set the bar really low for Luke, or I didn’t really find his harsh words enough to be called verbal abuse.
2. What is up with Jin Bo Ran’s entrance each time with slow-mo romantic music and glossy filters? It’s a little much.
3. Love Lumi and the housemates. A girl needs to have besties like that.
4. Where is the story of Lumi and Will?? Will is very useless here. It’s such a tease without showing us anything.
5. There are many kisses, but the camera angle isn’t showing us much. Their kisses could have been more passionate and sensual. I don’t think Sun Qian is matching up to Jing Bo Ran’s intensity.
6. The business plot is not boring and I think it has a pretty good balance of romance and business.
When I started this drama, I wasn’t sure if I would be on Team Hate or Team Love. I ended being on Team Love and Team Luke as well. With two flawed characters (I would argue they’re both red flags and not just ML), it keeps the viewers guessing what twists and turns are coming up. The pacing is good and nothing is draggy. I have a great time taking sides, flipping from one to the other. I personally would recommend “The Early Spring” but if you can’t stand the first few episodes of Luke’s harsh words, then just drop it. Also, if you don’t agree, please don’t yell at me in the comment section.. LOL 🤣 We can respectfully disagree with each other.
Drama Completed: 9/15/2026 Review #723
Jing Bo Ran as Luke/Luan Nian (Male Lead)
Let’s just name the elephant in the room. Jing Bo Ran is amazing in this drama. Not only does he look so goddamn hot 🥵 in his many different outfits, but the acting is chef’s kiss. The controlled emotions he displayed in the breakup argument is WOW. And then that telephone call in tears? A completely different kind of WOW. But Luke as a character? That is one hot topic. I was preparing for the worst, but in actuality, I might even like him more than Flora (FL). The criticisms he receives from many viewers about his rudeness, his sharp tongue and his inability to communicate are very consistent with his character. He was introduced as this flawed guy, and his actions never deviate far from that. Flora knows that, we as viewers can see that very clearly. Therefore, from his perspective, he also feels insecure when Flora wants to keep their relationship a secret. Yet he respected that. He questions her affection and love for him. Flora doesn’t want her efforts to be displaced by perceived favoritism and wants to separate business from personal relationships. He respected that and I respected her. That’s why it was very hard for me to blame him when he is being a professional and makes business decisions as an executive, which may not be what Flora wants. The only thing I would say is that he should have trusted Flora more, especially her relationship with her housemate Sun Yuan Zhu. Time and time again, he gets jealous and not trusting enough. However, I also see where he’s coming from, as Flora never willingly shares important events, e.g. sexual assault or suicide. He feels powerless and useless because he can’t protect her. But Luke has consistently shown his love for Flora through actions, even if he fails to recognize he has fallen deeply in love.
Sun Qian as Flora/Shang Zhi Tao (Female Lead)
Flora is easy to root for from the very beginning. We all love a story of an idealistic, hard-working young professional persevered and become this independent and successful business woman. She has great character growth as a person and as a professional. Her initial attraction and infatuation towards Luke (come on now, who is not attracted to Luke) might have been a little naive but she’s an adult after all. She gave in to her desire and started a secret relationship. But in this relationship, she has always been in the driver’s seat. She sets the conditions and Luke listens and follows. She always has the upper hand in this relationship, even though she feels inferior to him due to their boss/employee relationship and socio-economic standing. But as viewers, we can clearly see how Luke has fallen hard fast. But her young age and inexperience make it hard for her to really accept the realistic consequence of separating personal and professional relationships. I would even argue that when she’s pissed, she was actually disrespectful to her superior, a top executive, and ignored him on several occasions. You do not ignore an executive if you walk past them so openly. On the other hand, I also can see from her perspective why she didn’t share the sexual assault and the suicide, but I think she failed to see it from Luke’s point of view as well. The power imbalance forces her to grow and be a better person so that she can stand next to him proudly, and I respect her for that.
As a Couple
As a couple, they have a lot of fun together. We get enough kisses and hugs, and flirting and fluffy moments. But when things don’t go well, they both shut down instead of asking questions. All they need is to communicate and be more trusting. But we have seen these issues in many drama couples. They do not always seem to be in sync of where they are in the relationship. When Luke is ready, Flora is not. When Flora is finally ready, Luke questions her sincerity. It takes being apart from each other and Luke to change quite drastically for the relationship to work out. Many love the softer Luke in the last few episodes. I have mixed feelings about it. Do I want to see Jing Bo Ran being a cute puppy? Sure. But I am also not a fan of a character who deviates too much from who he was in the beginning of the show. Luke has changed and has put in effort to make the relationship work. What about Flora?
The review is getting long. So a few quickfire notes:
1. I wonder if the translation has taken away the cultural context or intonation of Luke’s hard words. Either I set the bar really low for Luke, or I didn’t really find his harsh words enough to be called verbal abuse.
2. What is up with Jin Bo Ran’s entrance each time with slow-mo romantic music and glossy filters? It’s a little much.
3. Love Lumi and the housemates. A girl needs to have besties like that.
4. Where is the story of Lumi and Will?? Will is very useless here. It’s such a tease without showing us anything.
5. There are many kisses, but the camera angle isn’t showing us much. Their kisses could have been more passionate and sensual. I don’t think Sun Qian is matching up to Jing Bo Ran’s intensity.
6. The business plot is not boring and I think it has a pretty good balance of romance and business.
When I started this drama, I wasn’t sure if I would be on Team Hate or Team Love. I ended being on Team Love and Team Luke as well. With two flawed characters (I would argue they’re both red flags and not just ML), it keeps the viewers guessing what twists and turns are coming up. The pacing is good and nothing is draggy. I have a great time taking sides, flipping from one to the other. I personally would recommend “The Early Spring” but if you can’t stand the first few episodes of Luke’s harsh words, then just drop it. Also, if you don’t agree, please don’t yell at me in the comment section.. LOL 🤣 We can respectfully disagree with each other.
Drama Completed: 9/15/2026 Review #723
Was this review helpful to you?
