Reviews

BEAUTIFUL LOVE STORY

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE PERFECT TO BE WORTHY OF LOVE

I thoroughly enjoyed this story.Chemistry was on another level just out of this world even they didn’t have to be overly physical for you to see it it was just there.I really love when a drama is like that it just shows how perfect the casting is just effortless synergy with each other truly remarkable

Luan Nian was not an easy/perfect person to love he was blunt and cutting with his words but his actions were contradictory to his words.He was a caring and soft person with a hard exterior lol.He realised his own shortcomings and changed for the better for the one he loved

Flora was young,a bit naive,strong and just so full of love..she gave their relationship multiple chances even though deep down she knew he was flawed in the way he handled relationships she grew in Beijing,met friends that she cherished made memories and found love.

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I was on my phone.

I watched this with my mother…

She is the type of person who doesn't like things to be too complicated… so that should tell you most of what you need to know.

This show is for babies… and that's okay.
It's definitely too long and (more than) a little unethical.

Since it's too long it wastes a lot of your time on skip fodder… the twists are predictable and the stakes are always flipping and flopping.

It was funnier but the lack of ethics was always buzzing in the back of my mind.

This isn't as egregious Destined with You, nor is it worse than Jung Hae In's last drama Love Next Door.

It okay for filling some time, but definitely skippable as hell.

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Yes.... watch it.... BUT.

I'm so conflicted.

I totally understand the hype. This show is really good, it's definitely a step above other fantasy costume dramas. I literally can not remember the last time a fantasy drama I watched was mostly competent AND enjoyable.

It's got EVERYTHING.

It looks good (wasn't the biggest fan of the costumes? Not sure what setting they were trying to invoke?) and sounds great.

The acting is crazy good.

The story is coherent, surprising and heartbreaking at times.

The leads are incredibly compelling and fun to watch due to their amazing chemistry.

The main trio of characters have such well written parallels with each other, and can truly be thought provoking. You always understand why and how everyone does what they choose to do.

Hou MingHao is now a cemented favorite of mine. Between Glory and this drama I really came to admire how expressive he is. He has some real talent.

Lu YuXiao was also great in this, I definitely think that her character here is a better fit for her than in My Journey to You.

I ADORED the romance, that is the true treasure of this drama.

Despite how much fun I had while watching this drama, I can't completely ignore the negatives.

The pacing is off here.

It moves at the speed of light at the start and barely gives us any worldbuilding, they talk about “six realms” but you don't even learn the names of the other four until 20% through the show. Nor am I even sure what exactly the “blessed rain” does or why it's so important to people. God's are mentioned but never appear. Cultivation is prized but EVERYONE is already immortal?

Our first main villain takes wayyy too long to resolve, I STILL don't fully understand why he went through with the actions that he did…. Aside for basic greed? the other reason seems to be wanton stupidity.

They casually drop early on that women with spiritual power are forced to have them sealed because some looming Eve archetype almost destroyed the world 100 years ago…. but we don't hear the whole story about that until the FINAL episodes.

I was constantly feeling that I should purposefully stop thinking about anything too hard, or else things would stop being fun.

And when I feel that way…. it's not really possible for me give it an 8+. It's sooo good, but that makes it's flaws all the more apparent.

In my heart I want to give this a 7.8… But 7.5 will have to do.

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Romance in Sensible Shoes

Shin Hae Sun elevates any drama she's in, even a drama about office politics. She was powerful, intelligent, and unstoppable. Often women are dressed in high heels to make them seem taller and more formidable. Shin Hae Sun as Jun In A made her opponents quake while wearing flats.

The Good:
• I love good character development, and this saw both leads grow. The FL learned to soften and trust; the ML changed his focus from self-promotion to cooperation with others.
• The romance felt real. It was mature and nurturing. And no silly breakup!
• Noble idiocy was done the right way—without the idiocy! Jun In A showed that sacrifice could be done without hurting the other party. I was ready to groan and watch another idiotic take on sacrifice for the partner's good, but I nearly cheered when she told the ML he shouldn't worry no matter what she did or said, because she loved him.
• Lovely OST. Beautiful song "Home" by Alexander Stewart: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6IYYoOMs9w (Lucid Dream and The Moments Live On were good, too.)

The Bad:
• Kim Jae Uck was terribly underutilized. None of his considerable charm was evident as he played the unfavored son with a life filled with soul-crushing obligations. And had an unfaithful wife to boot. He was the melancholy part of ML and FL's love triangle. I wish he'd been developed more and given a better ending. The behind the scenes at the end of the drama showed more of his personality and charisma in a few seconds than all his time in the drama. Perhaps this shouldn't be in the bad category, as Kim Jae Uck played the part beautifully, probably too well, as I ached for his character and wanted him to be happy. Just not with Jun In A.

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Don’t Let the Comments Ruin This Beautiful Drama

⚠️ spoiler alert ‼️ do not listen to anything you see in this comment sections online with all bad reviews on this drama. I almost didn’t watch I finished it and I have to defend both of them expecially fl. I’ll say just go through it to understand some of the plot.

First of all people blaming the female lead. She’s an 18 year old already living that kind of hard life. All she wants is for her grandma to live and it’s not like she went straight for the easy way out. She worked to make money but where do you think she was supposed to get that much money? Her mom doesn’t want to see her and as much as her situation allowed she helped herself.

Also about deceiving the male lead. Never for once did she want to leave him. And when grandpa asked her to leave it wasn’t a deal. It was a request and it was necessary.

The story is so beautiful trust me. Your mood depends on whether you’ll like a drama. Just know there are some really hurtful scenes but there are also a lot of beautiful moments.

When you watch a drama you’re supposed to see the whole story from both perspectives. From the female lead’s perspective that was honestly the best she could do. From the male lead’s perspective yes it hurts but it’s not her fault.

And I see some comments saying he was too obsessed with her and that he takes her as some kind of cure for his mental health. He did get better after meeting her but the word “cure” was only used once. Some people are just pure haters 😂

So just go into this drama expecting a very beautiful love story. ❤️


if you’ve seen dramas like overdo where the plot is just total nonsense you would understand
she wants him and he wants her that’s all that matters in a relationship as long as both of them wants each other no problem

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Lacking but addictive

I never expected that JBR would do this type of romance idol drama so this was on my must check list.
I also read the novel so I can get a better idea of the story, and I have to say it's definitely not my cup of tea. I really hate LN character and I don't really like ZT either, so I was prepared to not like the drama at all... but I ended up buying the express eps because I can't wait. I was invested in their mess! 🤣🤣

Pros:

1. Jing Boran!!!
I knew he will be good, but he exceeded all my expectations. I think LN (Luke) is a hard character to play because he's such a bastard... you need something to make viewers tolerate him. This kind of role can also appear too greasy if the actor mess up.

Somehow Jing Boran was able to fulfil all plausibility, like LN is still a bastard but he's an extremely charming one in the drama. I still can't get over JBR puppy eyes, I got bewitched when that scene came up.
I also really really like LN styling, all his outfits are so pretty and imo added another fun aspect to the drama.

I think JBR kind of carry this drama to a certain extent (for me at least), because LN is just not a great character to begin with. The fact that he makes LN looks compelling enough to me is amazing.

2. Romantic and intimate scenes done right.
I'm usually a bit uncomfortable watching intimate scenes, but in this drama they were shot so beautifully. It's such a genius move to hire an intimacy coordinator and I think it should become the standard.
There are so many heart fluttering moments especially in the first half, and I would happily rewatch just for those scenes🥺

3. Combination of JBR and SQ.
Their visual combination is so harmonious and their chemistry just works so well. One of the best chemistry I've seen in a romance drama, and it's definitely the main reason why I got invested.

I also have to give Sun Qian appreciation for playing ZT pretty well. Tbh her acting get overshadowed by JBR, but she did get better as the story progresses, and I especially like her acting during the last breakup scene.
I've seen some comments comparing them but I feel like it's not a fair comparison at all because SQ doesn't have the same amount of experience as JBR. I think she did a pretty convincing job overall.

4. So many great side characters. I really adore Lumi, Tracy, and the roommates.

5. I like the overall aesthetic of the drama.
I think this director have a good sense in regards to visual translation, but unfortunately they fail at organising them.

That's all the part that I like from the drama.

Cons:

1. Lack of pacing.
The pacing was so bad that you can't even tell the passage of time throughout the whole series. It's very choppy and the transition is not smooth at all. I think if you don't read the novel, you will get very confused.

I'm not sure if this is due to lack of skills or censorship, because I heard the episodes were reduced from 32 to 24, so this might also contribute to it as well.

2. Story / plot is just not good.
This drama was adapted from a webnovel. For me, the source material itself is quite problematic, very wattpad coded, and feels a bit outdated. LN in novel is so much worse and ZT is also such a frustrating character to read... so for me I don't really see the appeal. It's just a very typical romance fiction where the author just want them together no matter how incompatible or toxic they are together.

I was hoping the drama will present the story better somehow, but it doesn't really happen. I think this is also due to pacing issue because they spend way too much time showing the 6 years period and so they run out of time to show the rest. They have so many subplots / event that they try to fit in, but since they don't have enough time, everything is kind of just shown on very superficial level.

3. Rushed resolution.
So really the first 2 issues kind of lead to the 3rd issue, which is the rushed resolution. It's not the worst, but it feels very underwhelming to me.

You really can't do anything about the episodes being cut by censorship, but I wish they allocate less episodes to show the 6 years period so they will have more than 3 episodes to build the reconciliation arc.
It was just too short and I just don't think LN & ZT have enough growth to get back together at the end.

4. Lack of budget.
The overall production is still ok, but some parts feels cheap and you can definitely tell they just don't have enough budget for it.


Agree to disagree, but I don't think this drama romanticize the toxic relationship, except for the final ending which is pure wish fulfilment. Even then, it was shown that they are only together at the end because both FL and ML have some personal growth and the boss-subordinate relationship ceased to exist.

As I watch more episodes, I felt really suffocated seeing their interaction. You can see how ZT slowly get worn down by LN. The drama did not shy away from depicting that, so depending on how you take it, this drama can serve as a cautionary tale to avoid this kind of relationship.

Overall this drama is a very interesting case because on paper I would have dropped and hate it, but I ended up really enjoying it instead. I think it really shows the importance of chemistry, visuals, and great acting for this genre (romance), and this drama just happen to really excel at those imo. It's also interesting how this drama manage to open discussion about power imbalance and toxic relationship, as you can see from the discourse online.

Will I recommend this drama?
If you're very story driven or you don't like seeing frustrating or problematic characters, then I don't think this is the right drama to watch.

For me, I watch drama for entertainment, and I think there are a lot of entertainment value in this drama that I got from other aspect (aside from the story). Overall it's very lacking in so many things, but it's still a very fun watch.

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QI MIN STOLE THE SHOW

Honestly after finishing this drama I really understand the hype now. The cinematography is beautiful, the actors were absolutely gorgeous I didn't know where to look and the plot had me hooked especially towards the end.

I admit I started this drama alongside everyone else when it aired earlier this year, and while I was a big fan of the romance build up in Lin'an, I ended up halting finishing the drama about half way through. Reason being, once Yan Zheng had left to become the Marquis again and Fan Chengyu still didn't know his identity and had joined the army or doing whatever she was doing I can't remember, I low-key just lost interest. I found it quite boring. However, just recently I was struggling to find something good to watch on Netflix so decided to resume it and I am SO glad I did.

Qi min was absolutely OUT of this WORLD!!! I fear that man low-key put Zhang Linghe to shame with how incredibly hot was ugh. His acting really took the spotlight in this show. Every time he came on screen I was enraptured with his face and his ability to achieve micro expressions. I genuinely got shivers watching some of his scenes especially the hard hitting ones towards the end. And I won't lie I even shed a tear for him. Although I found him incredibly attractive I also as a viewer was absolutely terrified of him, which really goes to show how good of an actor he is.

The romance between him and Qianqian was fucking electric and they had much more chemistry (and kisses) than the main couple I fear. Some of them were so lush and sensual I loved it. Especially that scene when she asks him to get on his knees and beg her. Absolute fucking cinema. It hits so hard because we know he's a crazy psycho who goes around killing people on a whim and she really does change him and it's beautiful to see. I desperately need a sequel AU or some fanfics or something of just them.

But moving on from those two, I've gotta be real and hand it to the reason I watched this drama, Zhang Linghe. The sheer aura emanating off him in that scene when he has those antenna things in and he's riding through the capital. PEAK. Icl I knew he wasn't going to disappoint. I still prefer his character Xie Wei from The Story of Kunning Place though and I will did on that hill!!!!!

I also loved how Fan Changyu represented a strong powerful woman, who goes from being a butcher to on top of the world on her own merit. I felt so proud. The only thing I have an issue with is how unrealistic it is for her to be a strong fighter with her skinny weak physique, it's very clear she would not be able to be doing all that. Honestly I feel the same for a lot of male actors in cdramas too, including chang Linghe, so it's not just her. It kind of takes you out from the drama a little bit. The only realistic general I've seen so far is Cheng Lei in Legend of the Female General.

Anyways all in all I definitely recommend.

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It was really good until the ex showed up

This drama is a slowburn. The main couple literally took all 12 eps to get together. It started amazing. I really liked the love-hate relationship they had cz of that single rule. The 2nd couple was also soo damn adorable.

I have seen JN Yu in "wishing upon a shooting star" and loved him. I never knew he did bl before especially as a soft boy🤭🤭. Their story was pretty simple filled with cute moments.

I did watch "Just You" long ago back. Apparently this is the bl ver of it. For some reason i just didn't realise it🤣. I had dropped just you for being too draggy though. They made a smart chose by having this as a 22min 12 ep drama.

Now coming to the main couple. Absolutely loved the love hate and how both of them had this crush on each other at one point of time in the drama but i felt the ex showing up felt off and unnecessary. Like bro u already left him ages ago. Why are u even coming back to "fix" him when u already found someone else. Also what was the point of u trying to hit on him??? Like u come in and hit on his crush makes sense but hitting on him?? Nah. Also i felt it didn't make sense that he realised Yu Zhen liked Shi Lei cz when they made that jewelry both of them were like still in the "some" zone not even like. Even if he hadn't showed up Yu Zhen would have ended the single rule cz knowing shi lei he'd try to leave the company.

Also they kinda showed how they met where it looked like Yu Zhen had a brief crush on Shi Lei but then that's ignored and they just make it love at first sight once they start working. They could have done well on the ex part

One surprising thing was how they showed Yu Zhen as a switch. That's something u rarely see.

So yeah couple of minor issues. But the show is enjoyable overall.

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Underrated asf

I enjoyed it cause it wasn't like anything that fills ur fantasy, I feel like the storyline keeps it real and authentic so it's like more relatable in a way??? Like there wasn't any bad guys tryna kill u or like a overly dramatic storyline, of course I think this show compared to like Queen of Tears and like Crash Landing on You is a big difference but I think it's nice to switch it up a little bit and watch something more real and chill. Acting was good to me, all showed emotions that felt real, music was alright, didn't really speak much to me but it fits the show. I think it's very underrated, would definitely recommend, I had fun watching it if you're not looking for like any emotional roller-coasters.

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They love each other but they just didn't know how ♥️

I genuinely don't know how to put into words how much I LOVE The Early Spring. 😭❤️

As someone who read the novel before watching the drama, I went into this adaptation with a very complicated mix of excitement and anxiety. When you love a novel this much, there is always that fear that the drama won't capture what made the story special in the first place. And while The Early Spring definitely made some changes—some of which I wish had been handled differently—I still came out of this drama completely in love with Luke and Flora.
I think one thing that is really important when discussing Flora is the difference between the novel and the drama.
If you only watched the drama, I can completely understand why some people might think Flora is a red flag or question why she was so distant from Luke. But if you've actually read the novel, you would understand her so much more.

Because novel Luke is a red flag. 😭

And I don't mean that as an insult to his character—I actually think those flaws are an important part of understanding their relationship. Novel Luke is rude, cold, possessive, jealous and emotionally complicated. There are moments where his behaviour towards Flora is absolutely questionable. He isn't the perfect, emotionally mature male lead that the drama sometimes makes him appear to be.

That's actually one of the things I found so interesting about him in the novel. He loves Flora deeply, but he doesn't necessarily express that love in the healthiest or most straightforward way. There's an emotional distance to him, and at times he can be intimidating and controlling.

So when Flora distances herself or struggles to completely open up to him, it makes sense.

Her behaviour isn't happening in isolation.

The drama toned Luke down quite significantly, and while I understand why they did it, I think it changes the audience's perception of Flora.

Drama Luke can come across as much softer, warmer and more emotionally available. He is easier to understand, easier to sympathise with and, honestly, much closer to a green flag.😂

But when you remove some of novel Luke's coldness and more problematic traits, Flora suddenly looks like the one constantly creating distance in the relationship.

And I'm like... you guys, READ THE NOVEL. 😭

Because once you understand what Luke was actually like, Flora's actions make so much more sense.

And that's why I really don't agree with reducing Flora to simply being a "red flag."

She's complicated.

She's grieving.

She's guarded.

She's flawed.

And she's someone who has been carrying so much emotionally that loving someone doesn't automatically mean she knows how to love them perfectly.

I especially loved the way her friendship with SYZ was portrayed in the novel. It was a genuinely deep friendship, and his death affected Flora tremendously. Her grief wasn't something that could simply disappear because Luke was there. That loss became part of her emotional journey, and I think it explains a lot about why she struggled to open herself up completely.

So when people say, "Why didn't Flora just love Luke properly?" I'm like... did we read the same story? 😭
Her character isn't about not loving Luke.

It's about loving him while simultaneously being afraid of everything that comes with that love.
And that's what makes their relationship so heartbreaking.

She was complicated. Luke was complicated. Their relationship was complicated.

At the same time, I also appreciate that the drama made Luke easier to love. 😂 Because let's be honest, drama Luke is significantly more green-flag compared to his novel counterpart. The drama really said, Let's take this man and remove some of his crimes. 😭

And somehow it worked. 😭

But I do wish the drama had retained more of his coldness because I think it would have added another layer to their relationship. Novel Luke's coldness is not just a personality trait—it affects the way Flora interacts with him and helps explain why she is so cautious.

But despite the changes, I still think JBR did such a beautiful job portraying him.
What I love most about his performance is the yearning.

There are so many moments where Luke doesn't even need to say anything. You can see it in his eyes, his expressions, the way he looks at Flora, the hesitation in his movements. There is so much emotion underneath the surface.
And THAT is what made some of the scenes hit me so hard.

The Aurora scene, especially. 😭

That was one of my favourite scenes in the novel, so I was honestly terrified that the drama wouldn't be able to recreate the emotional impact I felt while reading it.

But JBR DELIVERED.

The tears.

The body language.

The longing.

The vulnerability.

Everything.

I cried when I read the novel's version, but watching JBR actually portray it had me bawling my eyes out. There is something completely different about seeing an actor embody a scene you've already imagined in your head.
And somehow, he gave me the exact emotional devastation I wanted. 😭

The same goes for so many of Luke and Flora's quieter scenes. I didn't necessarily need grand romantic gestures every five minutes. Sometimes it was just the way they looked at each other, the way one of them hesitated before speaking, or the way they stood next to each other while clearly having a million things going through their minds.

Those little moments were everything.

And I have to talk about the proposal scene because THAT SCENE WAS SO IMPORTANT TO ME. 🥹

It was one of my favourite scenes in the novel, and I had been hoping the drama would keep it because it carried so much emotional significance. Thankfully, it did not disappoint me.

There are certain scenes where, as a novel reader, you're sitting there watching with your hands clasped together thinking: Please don't ruin this. Please don't ruin this. Please don't ruin this.

And then they actually deliver.

The emotional payoff was worth it. 🥹

I also really loved their reconciliation and the way their relationship continued to evolve after all the misunderstandings and emotional distance.

Because for me, their story isn't simply about falling in love.

It's about learning how to love each other.

They already love each other. The problem is that love doesn't magically erase their flaws.

Luke still has his possessiveness and insecurities.

Flora still has her walls and emotional distance.

They still misunderstand each other.

They still hurt each other.

But eventually, they begin to understand each other better.

And that's what makes their happy moments feel so satisfying.

Of course, I have things I wish the drama had done differently.

I wish Luke had retained more of his novel personality, especially his coldness. I wish we had been allowed to see more

of the complicated, intimidating side of him because I think that would have made Flora's character easier for drama-only viewers to understand.

By making Luke softer, the drama sometimes unintentionally makes Flora look worse.

And I don't think that's entirely fair to her character.

I also wish some of the novel's emotional depth had been preserved because there are certain things that make much more sense when you understand the characters' internal thoughts. That's always one of the hardest things about adapting a novel—you can have the same events on screen, but without the internal monologue, the audience may interpret a character completely differently.

Still, despite all my complaints, I can't bring myself to be harsh on this drama because I genuinely had so much fun watching it.

I laughed.

I screamed.

I cried.

I got angry at them.

I defended Flora.

I defended Luke.

I complained about Luke.

Then immediately went back to loving Luke. 😭

And that's how I know a drama has successfully gotten me emotionally invested.

And I love that Luke isn't some perfect prince who comes along and magically fixes everything.

They're messy.

They're frustrating.

They're complicated.

And somehow, they're still completely meant for each other. 😭❤️

For me, The Early Spring isn't a story about two perfect people having a perfect romance.

It's about two complicated people who love each other deeply but don't always know how to express that love in the
healthiest way.

It's about distance and yearning.

It's about grief.

It's about misunderstandings.

It's about wanting someone desperately while being afraid of what that vulnerability means.

And ultimately, it's about finding your way back to the person you never truly stopped loving.

I came into The Early Spring as someone who already loved the novel, so obviously I have my complaints about the adaptation. There are scenes I wish they had kept, character traits I wish they hadn't toned down, and moments I wish had been given more depth.

But even with all of that...

I LOVE THIS DRAMA. 😭❤️

I love Luke and Flora.

I love their chemistry.

I love their complicated relationship.

I love the yearning.

I love the angst.

I love the little domestic moments.

I love watching them slowly find their way back to each other.

And most importantly, I love that after everything, they still choose each other.

Maybe the adaptation isn't exactly the The Early Spring I imagined while reading the novel, but it became its own version of the story—and somehow, I still fell completely in love with it.

So thank you, The Early Spring, for the emotional damage. 😭🫶🏻

You gave me some of my favourite scenes, some of my favourite performances, and way too many feelings.

And now that it's ending...

what the hell am I supposed to watch after this? 😭

Anyway, it has been a ride.

10/10. Would emotionally suffer over Luke and Flora again. 🫶🏻❤️

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Surprisingly better than expected!

So I have a long not so good history with vertical dramas ESPECIALLY Korean ones, and I watched this with zero expectations just wanting to kill time but I was surprised.
there isn’t really much of a “plot”, but the actors actually did a great job!
Most of the time in those vertical dramas the actors are very stiff, zero chemistry, acting very awkward and making the overall vibe uncomfy, but this one is different.
I’m not gonna say the chemistry was top tier but it was definitely there and it was good, good enough that I giggled every time I saw them being together.
now for Korean BL’s biggest enemy, the kissing scenes. they actually did a lot better than big stream shows, although it can’t be compared to other countries or dramas, the kissing didn’t feel forced or awkward in the slightest.
they were super cute and I’d say I enjoyed watching this. would recommend if you want something sweet to wind off to.

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