Crush (2021)

Fantastic drama

I have a sub to Viki and this show made me get a sub to IQIYI! Dang it! I knew from the trailer this is a show to watch! It sort of reminds me of “Someone Like You”.

Storyline - a bit slow but I liked it. I took a break before they broke up because I did not want to see them break up. Glad they did in a way because I think when they finally got back together they were more mature. Just wish they would write it in that she did not turn him down so much. But I did like it and it is one I would watch once or twice a year. Love the ending. Gave you a lot to enjoy and closed off good. I was a bit shocked how they kind of threw in the story of the friend dying and then she had a physiological problem with thinking her friend was still alive…hmm it was weird how they ended it. It was almost like an afterthought. That is my only hang up for this drama. So I gave the storyline 9.5/10 because they could have spent time in ending it better. Or just not have put it in at all.

Acting/Cast - loved both leads! They both did really well. All others did really well also.

Music - the music is fantastic! I loved it all! Hope the soundtrack comes out on Amazon soon because I will be buying it!

Rewatch - YES! I loved this story. It was a bit different from most dramas. Like I said above it will be one I watch once or twice a year!

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1st half of the story is a gem !

This drama is really cute and the way it was filmed gives it the feeling of Hollywood movies of 90s (ref to Sleepless in Seattle).
It is your classical love story but It also approaches issues that we don't really speak about in Chinese dramas. Evan Lin is stunning in his role and the FL acted well her character. Wu Yan is refreshing, bold, fearless, kindhearted but also childish and hot tempered.
The music that is a central part of this drama to vehicle the different characters emotions is also beautiful. The dialogues and quotes are well written and make most of the exchanges between ML and FL very heartwarming. You are hooked from the start and can't help to fall in love with main characters ... until ....

Unfortunately, the 2nd part of the drama started to fall out and i didn't like the reactions of the FL to create misunderstandings, sad parts in the story .... it didn't feel right and even idiotic.
The 2nd lead couple's story isn't strong enough and could be removed of the scenario without making any difference in the overall story. That's too bad, as the scenario could have been better to create characters with more complex emotions and connexions.

Overall, the drama is worth watching ... but you will feel a difference between its first and second half. There are some issues in the script that leave you disconcerting.

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A really slow start but was decent, just not realistic

When I said slow start, it literally dragged over 50% of the episodes until the story progresses to the next level. I was almost convinced that the story will be a plateau with the leads falling in love real slow then happy ending. But around the 60% of the episode, it finally reached the climax and you can suddenly see decent character developments of the characters.

Because of this, maybe the flow and plot was strange, as if it was rushed towards the end of the series. They really included all romance clichés into the remaining episodes which some parts I find it really unrealistic...

Especially if I encountered such obsessive guy (almost a handsome stalker)... I would run away from him as much as I can. It is just not practical and I get it if it is for a drama because "ideal romance that make girls swoon".

The part on the mental well being of the female lead also got me confused as there's no closure to what happened after that. And the part on the reveal at the last 20mins of the series that resolved just like this? It was ok if you just focused on their acting and music but those plot holes! I can't help but to wonder at all times.

But overall its an OK drama to watch when you are multi-tasking or bored. I was hooked on the OST, it was really good and meaningful, and the acting of the actors and actresses.

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Amazing cast with mediocre plot

This is my first ever review so bear with me. When i first started watching this series, i was rather intrigued and engrossed as the ML is blind which is quite rare. The first few episodes had a great premise and it showed the difficulties and trauma experienced by the ML and how the FL slowly brought color and life into his life. It also portrayed the ML as a mysterious and cold guy while the FL was a outgoing and bright girl. After they first got together, they had alot of sweet moments together which made me envious HAHA. The plot kind of went downhill after episode 12 or so when they broke up. I felt like the later half of the show had some missing links and plot holes which were left unaddressed which made me abit upset. They mentioned about how the FL was hallucinating about her best friend who died 3 years ago in an accident due to her heart disease and claustrophobia but never mentioned about how she managed to overcome it or if anything happened afterwards due to it. Also, regarding the fact that something happened to the FL at the end but never really touched on what happened after her surgery but just fast forwarded to them bringing their child to the park and ending the show there. Ngl, that ending was pretty abrupt and uncalled for. Honestly, if not for the plot holes and missing links, this show would be one of the best romance dramas ive watched this year. It touched on certain topics like physical disabilities and mental illnesses and how it impacts themselves and the people around them. It really portrayed the difficulties these people face and how they slowly overcome it and grow as a person as a result of love as cliche as it sounds. Evan Lin and Wan Peng did a phenomenal job with their role as well as the supporting casts. The OSTs were also great! In conclusion, if u are someone looking for a mellow romance drama with a fresh take to it and do not mind the above mentioned plot holes, definitely give this show a try, you would not regret it !

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Got smacked REAL HARD in my FEELS !!!

I don't know when was the last time I saw a show that was so typical yet so distinctive at the same time. There is something so refreshing and stand apart about Crush, that it compelled me to write this review. As someone who usually prefers Kdramas/Jdramas over Cdramas, I was definitely up for a surprise. Following are my views on this show :)

AWE-WORTHY TRAITS

1) The Wow Factor
The first half of this show (1-15/16 eps) is stellar. Even if there are flaws I refuse to analyse it because the feel good factor is off the charts. Watching these episodes you'll feel as if you're transported inside an innocent world, devoid of any malice and toxicity. One of my biggest criticism of c-drama romantic shows is that they all seem very trope based and synthetic without any original characters. The stories seem recycled and the world in which these stories reside tend to be repetitive (ofourse same can be said about kdramas or jdramas but their treatment of story/characters is somewhat better #according to me). However, this was not the case with Crush. Even if visual impairment has been portrayed in many Asian dramas in the past, I was pleasantly surprised to see the sincerity with which this aspect of the story was executed. What was even more beautiful to witness, was the honesty of the relationship that shined through so brightly from the first episode itself.

2) Unexpected Cast
Did I know Evan Lin before this show? NOPE. Will I remember him after watching this show? Heck Ya! For drama addicts like me, Evan Lin is the big reward we are left with after our drama treasure hunt. Why? Because I know that from now on whatever this man is going to be featured in I will check it out for sure. He......was......incredible. Not to mention that this is his debut show, he reminded me of Japanese actor Okada Kenshi for surprising the world with his unexpected acting prowess. Evan Lin was subtle yet effective, conscious yet effortless and brooding yet charming. As an actor he commands the attention of the audience, without overpowering his co-actor or the story. On the other hand, I'd seen past few shows of Wan Peng but it was only in this show that I realized how capable she is as an actor. If Evan was the canvas for the story, then she was the landscape painted on it. I cannot wait to see what her next project will be.

3) Overall Aesthetics
This is probably one of the first modern cdrams (excluding wuxia shows) I felt where they got the music right down to the scratch. I felt every song sat well with the narration and added more layers to the story. The cinematic aesthetic was also breathtaking. There was a poignant way of story telling in every frame. The stillness and awkwardness of the characters was captured beautifully by various camera angles. The lighting was soft yet abundant and the production value was definitely above average.

4) Memorable Romance
The journey we take as an audience with our main couple is nothing short of an adventure. The evolution of their relationship, the blossoming of their characters and their melt worthy interactions is everything we can ask for. Cold man-chirpy woman trope has been used and reused in gazillion Asian shows. I was under the impression that there's nothing that can surprise me about this trope anymore, and then Crush happened. The man is cold but not too cold akin to heartlessness (A Love so Beautiful I'm talking to you) and the girl is bright but not make you annoyed with her stupidity bright. Their interactions did not seem forced, their conversations were not rigid, their skinship did not seem weird and their emotions did not seem half baked. All in all I was very pleased with the pacing and progress of their relationship. It seemed not only believable but most importantly enjoyable. Their chemistry, biology, physics, geography everything was on-point. This ship sails the best of seas and makes waves in our hearts for all the right reasons.

NOT SO AWE-WORTHY TRAITS

My only criticism of this show has to be about some aspects of the second half.

1) I was disappointed to see that the wondrous character of Su Nian Qin/Ye Jin is dragged around by the overpowering CEO trope in the later episodes. The charm of the show is the sensitive, cold, closed-off yet honest and caring Su Nian Qin. It almost seemed like he becomes a completely different character by the end of the show. It was only because of Evan Lin's performance that sustained me till the 24th ep.

2) Also, his career change was not only difficult to believe and slightly ridiculous but also sad to witness. This story choice signaled to the world that this is the only way one can be viewed as successful, rest all career choices and lifestyle are not worthy of society's attention.

3) Apart from this, Cheng Yin twist was madly uncomfortable to watch. I found it absolutely unnecessary as it served no purpose for the story or our main characters. Rather it was just a story arc that was left without any proper closure.

4) The second leads were bland as boiled potatoes without any seasoning. They were astonishingly stiff characters without any substance to them. Simply put, a poorly sketched relationship. They were used as fillers which sometimes dragged the story.

All in all this series started at 9.5 for me but ended up being 8.5 because of the second half. However, it was a great show which I know I will revisit again in few months. Romance drama lovers cannot miss this one whatsoever.

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Watch it NOW!

I have been in a drama desert where I was interested in dramas but just didn't actually feel like watching it. This is the first drama this year that made me stop everything I was doing to finish it.

The story, the acting and the MUSIC is just astounding.
The premises already would make most of you desire to watch it.
- A handsome, black bellied, cold-hearted blind male protagonist.
- A persistent, strong and caring female protagonist.
- A second chance romance.
Although the synopsis drew me into watching it. I stayed for their story/acting which was made even better by the OTP acting. I cannot believe that this is Evan Lin's first drama - he is phenomenal and I cannot wait to watch him in new dramas. Wan Peng has consistently delivered good projects so her acting in here is a given.

The OST of this drama is on a level of its own, there is honestly no bad song and what makes it better is Evan Lin sings it. Makes the viewing of this drama much more pleasant but songs do constantly get overplayed (but that is okay because they are beautiful to listen to).

The only reason why it is 8/10 and not 10/10 is the way the drama dealt with disability could be much better. For example, I think it would have been a much better drama if Su Nian Qin remained blind, showing that disability is not an inability. But that is just personal opinion and seeing him enjoy life being able to see was a joy to watch too. Also there was some storylines/plot devices that started and we never receive closure for.

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I LOVED IT!!!!!

I love the main leads there chemistry was incredible! The story itself is very beautiful as well and I really like how it evolved... It was very heart touching and I really enjoyed the OST's of this show as well! As to Acting this was the first show of Evan Lin, and playing a character who is blind is quite tough! However he nailed it! I also really liked Wang Peng's acting as well as she potrayed the emotions of her character very well, which made the plor easier to understand but also feel along with the characters. I didn't really like the 2nd lead couple, because their story was quite simple and irrelevant to the plot, I believe if they were given more time throughout the show then their story would have also cause sparks in the audiences eyes! If you are up for a light hearted romantic show then this is surely a great one to try! SPOILERS: the only 2 parts unclear and I didn't really like was how did wan pang overcome her friends death as she was dilusional about her still being alive, along with that it was never clear as to why she was afraid of the dark. I personally believe if these 2 parts were defined in the show it would have gained a better understanding from the audience, yet this show was very beautiful and pleasant to watch! Would highly recommend it to others!

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Everything was good until…

The breakup.

Everything turned into your CEO tropey after the breakup. The ML became way more immature than he was and the FL play push and pull with the relationship frustrates me. Im glad they ended the conflicts quickly but at the same time i dislike how they resolved that, considering this drama had a really good starts from ep 1-18 T.T the little to non-existent character development for both leads sadden me a lot lol not gonna lie i really miss the lead before the breakup.
However it gets better on last two episodes. Im glad i pushed it through.

The 2nd couple is a skip for me, im sorry.

Ive always love Wan peng, she no doubt a really good actress but id like to applause for Evan Lin cause he really did a great job here. Im surprised that this is his first drama and he’s started off his career as a singer.

The OSTs is totally my style so kudos to the masterpieces.

With the good and bad regardless this is really an enjoyable show and I’ll totally rewatch this for the leads chemistry, clinginess and backhugsss 😆

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Potencial desperdiçado

Comecei o drama com grandes expectativas, pois nos primeiros episódios ele aparentava ser bem feito, com cenas bem poéticas acompanhadas de uma linda trilha sonora. Além disso, os personagens em geral tinham grandes potenciais para desenvolvimento e conscientização das dificuldades das pessoas com deficiência. Porém, o roteiro ia perdendo o seu rumo a cada episódio e, ao final, o primeiro episódio parece ser de um drama totalmente diferente do último.

Comecei o drama por causa da Wang Peng, pois adoro a atuação despreocupada dela, mas a personagem dela tinha total falta de bom senso com as situações que envolviam a própria família e a vida do Nian Qin, nos últimos episódios parecia até que ela nunca tinha feito psicologia na vida ou mesmo perdeu a capacidade humana de entender o outro, fazia muita birra sem sentido, não senti que a personagem evoluiu de alguma forma.

Quanto ao Evan Lin, vou dar um desconto por ser um dos primeiros dramas dele e a falta de experiência é facilmente percebida pela cartela limitada de expressões faciais que ele apresenta (fiquei até confusa quando ele volta a enxergar, pois os olhos dele não transpassavam emoção suficiente para ter uma distinção clara entre as versões cego x não cego dele). O que estragou tudo para o Nian Qin foi o roteiro, tentaram mostrar como uma pessoa cega é capaz de fazer coisas normais e ter uma vida normal, pra depois jogar tudo fora fazendo o Nian Qin do nada enxergar de novo e, só assim, ele foi aceito pela sogra e conseguiu ser o CEO, se mostrar mais na sociedade e ter uma relação um pouco melhor com a família, que também foi muito pouco explorada na questão de aceitar a condição do Nian Qin. Enfim, esse retrato de uma pessoa cega como triste e soturna, tanto o Nian Qin, como a menina da escola, sem ter muitos contrapontos de lados positivos e felicidades, fez eu me frustrar muito com o drama, a ponto de quase parar de ver no episodio 10, mas continuei a ver pela fotografia linda e trilha sonora.

Sobre os outros personagens, achei o arco da banda mal resolvido, o casal secundário fica junto, tem empregos “normais” de adulto e o drama nunca mais toca no assunto, mas e os coleguinhas deles? Achei que poderiam ter tido um cuidado a mais com essa história.

As crianças que apareciam também foram totalmente esquecidas e utilizadas apenas como plot device, o Nian Qin continuou visitando ela até depois da passagem de tempo, mas até é mencionado que a Wu Yan não visita mais ela e fica por isso mesmo! Não é feito nada! E nem fala se o Nian Qin continuou visitando ela depois, pelo jeito que as coisas iam, até achei que adorariam a menina, mas não, ela simplesmente era um plot device dos roteiristas. E o menino autista então, nem se fala, apareceu do nada para ser outro plot device raso, em vez de aproveitarem da outra criança que já tinham apresentado, preferiram adicionar mais personagens e não trabalhar bem nenhum deles.

O ponto alto do drama é a trilha sonora, que tá no meu repeat agora, mas eu tinha pavor da trilha sonora do casal, que era um piano que parecia muito que eu estava assistindo um filme de terror ou algo bem mais melancólico do que era pra ser. Além disso, as músicas começavam e terminavam abruptamente a partir da metade pro final do drama, parece que até os editores ficaram um pouco desleixados.

Enfim, precisava tirar isso de meu peito, pois o drama tinha um potencial muito alto que foi desperdiçado e fiquei muito decepcionada.

Entretanto, se você quer ver um drama leve, porém melancólico, com uma boa trilha sonora e poucos episódios, pode assistir esse, porém sem grandes expectativas.

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Excellent first half, but 2nd half, not so much

I can't believe that this was the ML's first drama, he was really good in portraying a blind person. I have seen the FL in other dramas and I think she's an actress that's able to have chemistry no matter who her partner is. The focus of the series is not just romance but also the needs of differently abled persons.

The first half is a sweet, slow burn romance that makes you want to believe in the love conquers all kind of love. I wish they did not have that violin player who was practicing by the lake when the FL just put on her earphones and sang out of tune during their meet cute, it made her look kinda rude, unless the violin player was supposed to be imaginary (I choose to believe he's imaginary haha). FL is a girl who just go all out for love and ML is a reticent guy whose coldness is melted by the FL's love. I could not help my silly smile because of their interactions during the FL's graduation.

Then the second half happened and they both seemed to have undergone personality surgeries. ML became unreasonable then guilty, FL became unforgiving then cowardly. I really don't understand the separation trope because IRL, if reconciliation takes a long time, feelings change and another romance may slip in. Maybe I am just not a fan of any kind of stalkery behavior in the name of romance, so I felt uncomfortable that the ML kept tabs on the FL. I also only like stolen kisses when both are being playful and both are conscious. It was a good thing that the ML has a boyish charm, otherwise when they met again he would have been was too overbearing while the FL was too submissive. I also felt that the resolution of the plot twist with the FL's friend was too rushed and the future of the boy with autism had no resolution at all. BUT since it's a happy ending, I would still recommend this series.

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It's a good Drama but....

...this drama got into my skin!
The story is good, the acting was great, the music was a nice bonus.
The story has two parts that are marked with their break up. In the first part in full of new couple love, really sweet. Loved Evan Lin's acting, serious, damaged and, in my opinion, a realistic blind acting. I fell in love with Sang Wu Yan's (Wan Peng) positively and she went all the way to win Su Nian Qin's (Evan Lin) heart! (Go Girl!)
The second part is a little bit more serious, time pass, and their hurt heart is the main reason for them don't be together.
Now the bad parts: after they started dating his was many times a a** ! His insecurity, their bad communication, the lack of sympathy just made me really angry. Even thinking that they as a couple was great, I can't understand why all the time they fought was for a ridiculous reason or lack of communication!
And can anyone tell me what happened with her mental illness? Did he discover and she was magically cured? Why didn't show more about their process in her getting better?
And I think Cheng Yin (Mei Yi Chen) deserved a better end, she was a really good friend and the only "Fada Sensata" in the whole drama!
This drama has a warm place in my heart, but when I re-watch I skip many parts...

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