Hidden Love (2023)

Love conquers all

This drama now holds a good spot in my go and rewatch list. Both Zao Lusi and Chen Zheyuan are amazing, even Victor Ma was good. Loved the story line, which is soft, fluffy, full of sweetness, beautiful songs and sweetness over all. No hateful characters. It's a story of a struggling but a nice ML and a mischievous, manipulating 14 year old who slowly grows into a fine woman. Whose love is unshakable and pure. Goes all in. Eventually both ML and FL stick together, very healthy relationship once they are together, who loves and supports each other.
If anytime you feel you are down and you just want to experience sweetness this drama is for you. This drama to me, can competes with Love O2O. There are very few dramas where though they are not very realistic but gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling. Well in a way it feels realistic, when you love someone you want to shorten the distance and want to become the best version of yourself.

Leia Mais

A Rare Gem

Their story is so beautiful. Their love is genuine. Their fight for love is worth it. Her encouraging him in his lowest, and him supporting her dreams is so heartwarming.

Hidden Love is truly a gem. It's the drama you want to watch after going through a hard/stressful day and watching an episode of it can immediately wash away your tiredness.

The cast are casted perfectly. Victor Ma portrayed the role of an older brother that truly cares for his little sister. He might not be showy on his care but you can see it through his actions towards Sang Zhi.

Duan Jiaxu, he remained strong and steady to prove the world that his family matter wont affect his accomplishments and eager for success. The way he fought for his love for Sang Zhi and how he is willing to give up his career on Yihe, just to make Sang Zhi's parents relieved and for his build a future for Sang Zhi without staying far away from her parents is such a rare trait for a man nowadays. (I AM CRYING YESSS)


Sang Zhi, Zhao Lusi, I truly love her character. The drama displayed her progress from a little kid to a mature lady and how her persistence paid off, not only for chasing her love for Jiaxu but also for her own achievement.

All I can just say is this drama truly deserved its hype and high rating.


Also PS,

The proposal is not grand, but the emotions are rich.
Damn I cri again.

"Lifetime, One Person"

/punches the wall and cries/

Leia Mais

Wish ZLS would stop picking these roles

Being a ZLS fan I wish she'd be more selective with her roles.

Troubled drama:
1. Single line story line. It's fine if its paper thin story line with some witty dialogue but .... you can sum this up in 1 line so why so many episodes?
2. Wrong age casting: Little zls played by a great young actress but she's 10 playing a 14 yr old. In love like galaxy ZLS played a 15 year old just fine. Total avoidable pedophile feel.
3. ML keep on referring himself as "Ge ge" in 3rd person. Like no one talks like that EVER. In English, it's like saying something like : "Big bro will take you home... " "Tell big bro blahblahblah" "Big bro refer to self as big bro...."
4. ZLS downplay her age way too much. Her voice is always baby sounding even when she reached college age.
5. She keeps saying "I am adult now." "I am mature now." while sounding 14.....
5. Making big deal on 5 year difference even in college. That's just silly....

Few positives:
1. Her parents are both characters I loved in Love like Galaxy. Both positive parenting in this drama.
2. Her real brother scenes are funny, like a real brother "Big Dumb Dog"
3. ZLS's hair. She has great hair, beautiful highlights.

I can see 12 year olds would probably like this drama....

Leia Mais

ACHINGLY SWEET!

*** JUST FINISHED IT. WATCH ITTTTTTT

Cuteness overload about a girl falling for her older brother’s best friend. This story’s been done a million times but casting ZLS and Chen Zhe Yuan was spot on. They have so much chemistry and they look perfect together.

This drama is well paced, casting is PERFECT and the story is adorable. I normally stay away from modern cdramas because of the cringe factor and I can honestly say - no cringe here! Also, 25 episodes is the perfect amount. A lot of times romcoms die a painful death by dragging it out to 40. Patiently waiting for the next episode.

Leia Mais

My experience

I was Zheyuan's fan. Last year in June I heard rumors about #ChenZheyuan & #ZhaoLusi will be starred together in a drama called Hidden Love. I was so excited because of this.
Finally when they started shooting I couldn’t wait for the drama. I wanted to know the story so I started reading the novel "Secretly Secretly But Unable To Hide It". I found the story interesting. Somehow I had the feeling #HiddenLove would be a hit drama.I like #ChenZheyuan that's why i was eagerly waiting for #HiddenLove. I earlier watched #ZhaoLusi's works so I knew that she was a wonderful actress. She would slay as #SangZhi. My fingers were crossed. Hoping best for the drama. I was waiting for #HiddenLove from last year. I kept all updates so when it was confirmed that it was coming in June. I was like finally I can see #ChenZheyuan & #ZhaoLusi together. After seeing the drama I felt it was worth waiting for a year.Nowadays when I see people’s positive reviews somehow I feel proud. From the very beginning, I knew #HiddenLove would be a hit drama & Finally It's happening. People are loving #ChenZheyuan & #ZhaoLusi chemistry.

This was my story 😉💙

Leia Mais

Truly a rare find ! Don't ever miss watching it

I stumbled upon this rare gem of a drama by accident and started watching it. As the show moved on I found it so intesresting and facinating. It was written so thoughtfully and one could not have asked for a better writing.

Both Zhao Lu Si and Chen Zhe Yuan had lived the part actually. It is my first time watching them and their expessions were so good. It felt like I was watching something so precious. I started missing the show so much after it ended. The brother character (Sang Yan) by Victor Ma was also exceptional.

Once you are done with the show the hangover from it is so heavy that surely we will want to rewatch it many times. True drama lovers will never want to miss this gem of a show. The OSTs were so good. They suited the drama very well and captured the feel of the show aptly.
So glad I watched this show and watching it for the first time is an experience which will never come back. Amazing story and acting! Wish the dream team will do more shows together.

This is the one show where I could give full ratings without even thinking. It was that good.

Leia Mais

(In my best Yoda voice) “Feel the Love!”

Once in awhile a show comes along that just tells a simple story really well. No fuss, no unproductive theatrics, just the basics.

This show is all about the love story between a handsome dude and a beautiful girl 5 years his junior. Their association started when the girl was in junior high and she developed a crush on him when he was introduced as his older brother’s roommate in college. The ML played the "brotherly" role for years until the FL comes of age and he started to have romantic feelings for her. That’s how the show portrayed his side of the story and we shall leave it at that.

The Show took its time to recount their early meetings and how the girl crushed hard on him and going through all the highs and lows of an unrequited love. The Show really hits its stride when they meet again by chance after the FL finished high school and went to a college in the city where the ML is working. Their chemistry is a sight to behold.

As I mentioned in other reviews, in a romance drama, you want to ship the OTP and watch them overcome adversities and fight foes arm in arm. More often than not, dramas will have them fighting each other due to some weak plot twist and go through a breakup or two just to "spice things up". I am thankful that the writer heard my prayers and there is none of that in this show.

Instead, there are lots of playful teasing and plenty of heart fluttering moments and bonus skinship. Their deep love for each other should be distilled and bottled for sale. There are challenges but they are handled with aplomb by our OTP. The writer seems to have gone out of her way to collect all manners of relationship challenges and then set about resolving them in the most positive ways. Each obstacle serves to reaffirm their love and make their relationship stronger. There is little fuss and definitely nothing can come between these two lovebirds. There are no real antagonists and a circle of good friends cheer them on. This type of honest yet heartfelt love story is rare in today’s dramaland. I, for one, give thanks.

The leads are perfect for their roles. ZLS was born to play the lead. I believe this is her first high school drama and she did it with ease. She looks cute and vulnerable in her high school scenes. She then blossomed into a beautiful and radiant young woman in her college years. This goes double after she is in a committed relationship. CZY is handsome and showed a lot more maturity in his role. He played the big brother role well but his take on a devoted boyfriend is next level. He is loving but respectful and always caring. He will make any girl swoon. Their scenes are always worth watching and their chemistry is off the chart. You can really feel their love and commitment especially in later scenes when their resolve is tested.

However, it is not a perfect show. the FL uses a breathless, higher pitched voice when she was playing her younger self and it can be unpleasant to the ears at times. Most of the support casts are from central casting. Their subplots are largely superfluous.

Hidden Love is a sweet, fluffy romance with little angst and few stress points. It is not going to win any awards but this is a show that you can rewatch with guilty pleasure. If you have Romantics Anonymous on speed dial, then you will be doing a happy dance. However, If you want to watch a show with complex plots and matching level of angst and intrigue, then you should have stopped watching 24 episodes ago.

For me, this show has a permanent spot on my rewatch list.

Leia Mais

Perfect!!!

Beautiful and all fluff.

PERFECT!!!

Will take me a very long time to get over this simple yet one of a kind drama..

It's already a given that Lusi will give a remarkable performance as FL (she always does base from all her previous dramas).. But I am still pleasantly surprised on how well she performed the younger ZS.. I love the small acts/details that made her performance as a child/teenager more authentic.

I have also seen Yuan in "Our Secret" and yes I like him a lot in that drama, too.. But the way he acts, specially how his eyes acts in this drama is just beautiful and remarkable. I have only seen that performance from older veteran actors and considering his age, he's just extraordinary.

I specifically liked the different ways he looked at ZS's depending on her age..

1. The child ZS (portrayed by that pretty child actress, sorry I dont know her name): his gaze is like an older brother who's amused with his sister's antics.

2. The child/teenager ZS (portrayed by Lusi): his gaze shows warmth for someone younger than him but with a hint of curiosity.

3. The adult ZS: his gaze shows full of sexiness, naughtyness, playfulness, dominance, and romance. FINALLY!

Everything about this drama is beautiful, including the songs.

Leia Mais

Sang Zhi's diary: A story of life, love and friendship

Love the flow of the story. Worth to watch every episode. Even though I finished watching it, I rewatched it again and again for consecutive days now. And the OST, gaaaad!! It is well-made for the whole series.

The casts portrayed their characters well. They can delivered their emotions without overacting the situation. Especially, when Sang Zhi personally went to Yihe to confirm if Jiaxu has a girlfriend and she hides her tears as much as possible in front of Jiaxu, I felt her brokenness on that part. And to Jiaxu, I felt his sincerity and respect towards Sang Zhi that even though he already knew that Sang Zhi likes him, he still pursue her.

Also, you can see the transition of Sang Zhi from being a simple school girl to college girl with lots of maturity in mind. Like, the confrontation of her and to the lady who constantly harassed Jiaxu for the death of her father. Sang Zhi handled that confrontation so well that she managed to stay calm the whole confrontation part even if the lady bombarding her with a number of negative comments about Jiaxu.

Overall, the series is worth of your time to watch. The series is not just about a secret love but it tackles also the supportiveness of the parents, friends. You can grasp a number of lessons towards the story.

Congratulations to the production, staff and crew, and to the casts for a wonderful project! Job well done!

Leia Mais

Refreshing take on a modern romance

Such a lovely story of a young crush turning into more in adulthood. There is nothing remotely sinister in the childhood portion, as seen from the perspective of a young girl, with the object of her attention having no idea, but just being kind and helpful to her. No ulterior motives by DJX. The adulthood portion is wonderful as feelings start to develop and will ring a bell with so many people when falling in love.
This is a very realistic story about romance, helped by the amazing chemistry between Zhao Lusi and Chen Zheyuan! The smiles, sparkling eyes looking at ech other, they are so beautiful together. Lusi again does that youngster to grown up seamlessly, not just in the way she speaks but in all the physical attributes she brings to playing a youngster. Chen Zheyuan has never looked so attractive as the sly, sexy, foxy DJX, trying to woo SZ when she is grown up and he has fallen for her. Brings alot of emotion to the character as well. Her brother is amazing as well, as is all the other cast. A supportive loving couple ,it is a delight to watch and wish it had gone on longer!

Leia Mais