I have noticed while ago that Marcus Chang is GEORGEOUS. I watched three of his previous dramas in a row (all the titles starting with letter 'B') which I might else not finish to the end, just to keep looking at his face (okay I dropped the 3rd one, LOL). Had he starred in something really thrilling (romantically or otherwise) I think I would probably explode:) Instead, I slowly like, fell asleep in my admiration. The 'Lost Romance' received pretty promising ratings but from reading about it, I got the impression this shall be morelike a mocking of romantic genre than a strong piece of it itself. Still, I tried watching.

First episode was boring for me and I kept watching only to not drop this before it begins. It indeed only begins in episode 2. The heroine finds herself INSIDE her favorite romance novel. The leading guy looks exactly like the guy across the street she's got a huge crush on (because he looks like Marcus Chang:) else he is just like the book character (ridiculous name, gay looking shirt, ridiculous behavior towards women), the real world guy probably acted differently but we barely got to know him, so who cares. The romance book line is indeed (mockingly) over the top, but then again so it's the "real" one (characters DO have typical drama behavior even there, also there's the evil step-sister capable of murder and everything). So the only difference is one line of the series takes itself seriously. It's the one I wanted to drop in episode 1.

So, was I only watching the "inside-the-book" line from then on? More or less. In the other line, both the lead male & female kept lying unconscious in the hospital and there were mostly scenes with the side-characters only. So, I did continue to skip it.

The dreamy guy wearing Marcus Chang's face has someone else (both the book and the off-book version). There's a couple of clear 'Hana Yori Dango' references - or clear to me, as I am such fan I see it in everything - so our main heroine, despite not being the saint-like romance lead, can surely catch the main guy's eye with her antics. After all, not all the romance heroines were the angelic type, right? But then, she quickly falls into being a vile side-character, bullying the angelic girl. And the romantic hero sees her that way! What now?

Now whatever she does, her hero ends up in romantic moments with the angelic girl. It's practically annoying:) To be fair, Vivian Sung isn't that much of a looker and the angelic girl IS prettier than her... There is one plus guy also pining for the angelic girl, of course. He is not acting so exalted as the main one, just cute, rather. Resulting in him being actually more likeable: it's clear he represents the "second lead syndrome", here. Everyone shall gradually like him more than the lead... And so, poor Marcus Chang once again landed the role that despite his attractive looks, turned out to be not that attractive.

But! Then she moves into his house as his housemaid (big LOL:) and finally the proper fun setting starts. See, the viewer like me would not be satisfied with romance mockings only, usually I would wish for some of it really working (the scene where he rescued her from the icing truck looked the best, so far). But then, this series heroine knows she's actually just lying there in hospital. So, she can enjoy certain liberties no other romance heroine can:) To watch her behaving with such anarchy was kinda fun of its own:) I started enjoying since episode 4. Episode 5, my fun got even greater. Almost whole runtime got filled with their interactions. Though it's kinda pitty Marcus Chang never seems to have a leading lady who would match him in looks, his romantic hero obviously never enjoyed himself better than with this naughty "heroine":) And I enjoyed watching this couple's antics. But! It ended soon.

Yeah, pitty they changed things back in episode 7... She's back working at his office. That is just not so funny like when she was his housekeeper! Typical weak script, going back and forth. She's back interacting with the SECOND male most of the screentime... And he IS likeable. Very. So it's like you really start to like certain pairing, and when you're enjoying them the most, they tell you: "Sorry, a little change!" And then you really start to like the different pairing, LOL. It suddenly feels like that the first guy is practically forgotten. There is even a scene where she bumps into him not looking, doesn't even stop to notice him and just leaves. Kind of symbolical. Still, the 3 "housemaid episodes" featured just fun in concentrated form. Now it seems all the usual fillers are back in play. After all, we have TWENTY episodes to fill here...

The heroine who was to enjoy herself in her favorite romance genre now doesn't actually know whom should she romance sooner, as she works so well with both the guys. AND they both seem interested in her now, neither of them seems to care about the angelic girl anymore (only the office female side-characters seem to "care" about her). Vivian Sung's hairstyle and make-up in this series often looks so deliberately unflattering like she TRIES to look ugly. So it must be the bubbly personality? That does wonders. As the guys, both the first and second male, in truth, seem like they are BORED more than anything else (well, there isn't really any "drama", or anything happening). Still, the book story we were supposed to be inside of probably no longer works, if the angelic girl got out of the picture so easily. She IS after all the resident cinderella the both guys are supposed to like NO MATTER WHAT.

Now, the lead guy (or let's say the first guy? 'cause both the guys are actually the leads) suddenly keeps having flashes and dreams about the other, "reality" line. Which would mean the concept was shifted to some kind or 'Life On Mars' experience (another series I am a huge fan of to see it in everything:)

To expand the heroine's reversed-harem experience even further, third guy is introduced into her circle (of course he is also related/befriended with the first one). He might be a latecomer but he has bleached hair to stand out. He is called Moran so he has the best name, too. Just replace the 'a' with an 'o'. At the main girl's place, I'd date all 3 alternately. I'd put them on schedule:) It's not like that a single romance line here is consistent to enjoy, anyways.

Then, it looks like the screenwriter really started to run the guys like on schedule:) So, first they put some romantic scenes with the first guy back into the program. Hmm... Their kiss after 10 episodes of waiting is not a very good one. Ookay... turn for the second guy, again?;) And not forgetting the third one later:) Because it's better to move from that. (Still, I wonder who possibly could kiss the heroine on her hospital bed as it was emphasized so much that each TOUCH is interconnected with the other reality.) Then, she gets the romantic position in situations instead of the angelic girl (and she like, immediatelly jumps into the unocuppied seat of a villain girl... no longer angelic). Then, she gets scenes getting closer with the second guy, again... It's like a merry-go-round.

Btw, all this is 1/2 of the series. It feels long already as it didn't really run in one steady flow. Speaking of which, such is my experience with several romance dramas of late. It's like simple, good romance is something scriptwriters can no longer write. Maybe that's why 'Lost Romance'.

After it's shown that both his former girlfriend, the former angelic girl & his bleached-haired brother are capable of things they should not be capable of, the first guy declares love to our heroine (with the second guy firmly friend-zoned). So, after they rescue each other from these psychos, our couple is happily in his house again (she no longer a housekeeper though, lol) sharing a hot kiss & hot bed scene that is not short. But... there are still 8 episodes remaining. Good to finally know whose lovestory this is, but what do they intend to do with it now?

They started to dig into the connection in between the two realities. Well, what else could they do. Since episode 14 it starts getting really demented (something between badly written sci-fi or an unintended parody) and we can kiss goodbye the show that didn't take itself too seriously. So, the main couple's cute scenes are the only thing that save the whole thingy. Marcus Chang is charming in his role, but in which role he wasn't?;) Episode 15-16 on, we don't have chance seeing him other than just one reality version, though. Which is the version I skipped right from the start. I kinda wished to stick with that:)

I really wasn't interested in the off-book version of his character or the line with his insane sister (like I mentioned early episodes, this "reality" didn't seem like a reality either, it was morelike a typical corny drama). Meanwhile, the main heroine (who is SAME in both realities) spends all her energy to convince others the other reality "wasn't just a dream". But I watched different shows where almost everything happened in the main character's subconscious and it was not treated as an inferior story. Here, we're anxious to find some physical "proof" it all existed (one character produces a book in which it's possible to read about it, etc.), but what was more important for me was the fact I was REALLY bored this time. How many times should this series change its form to finally work and be fun?

By 16th episode this was VERY long (and inconsistent) experience and I couldn't believe it was STILL not the final. I did not understand how much they wanted to drag this dead thing and I did not understand so many praising reviews. HOW were the viewers able to enjoy this? I red a few but I don't get it, my experience is as I described above. Also, it CHANGED like every 3 episodes, therefore I used so many paragraphs, lol.

I'm afraid the quality of this show definitely isn't the scriptwriter, it's Marcus Chang only... The way he can look at a woman. Or if after a long time, there is a sudden smile on that face of his. At least director used this well. But it's not the first time someone did. Marcus Chang was amazing in all his dramas, no matter how dumb those were. When we're all back in the "reality" I was not interested in since the first episode, he only makes it bearable by being there. The only drop of humour in this reality (the only reality now left for watching) was the scene where Marcus Chang's off-book character was reading a girl-audience romance book and was trying to logically understand it, lol. Else it was tedious, or plain unwatchable: any scenes with his "real" family, which all belonged to the prison/pillowed cell, really like from stupid sixpenny paperback crime novel.

To spend THREE more long-runtime episodes in the off-book reality was dubious decision to say the least, just watching the opening credits (those are nice, perhaps better than the series itself:) Because most of the scenes shown in the opening credits are from the other reality, and even the characters (including the famous second lead syndrome) are actually gone from the series, now. It was like the spell was broken. What we were left with? All I can say is the return into "reality" was a disaster. Forget about playful mockings of the romantic genre. This was rather something to mock.

Rewatch quality: To tell the truth, series like this, even if this WAS a good romance, I would still crop the "other reality" intro and outro and used just the middle part for a re-watch. But, the good romance here lasted about 3 episodes, lol. So I won't bother re-watching it.

Overall, WAS this a perfect, "iconic" romance? You be the judge. Just take a look at this series' poster. Does romance have so many people? The poster is crowded, also it's double. I think it answers you best.