CKDramaddicts
Canada
Interesting story hampered by uneven pacing...but find me a greener flag in C-dramaland!
Golden House Hidden Love is a refreshingly original and intriguing take on immortals and their secret existence among mortals in contemporary society, focusing on the mystery surrounding a man bound to a home for some two thousand years.
This is only Wang Zihao's second screen role, but at just 21, he is already demonstrating his acting potential. One easily forgets how young he is, as he is able to convey the gravitas and maturity of the mysterious and very lonely Nan Hua, an immortal who has shunned the world. His smooth, understated narration at the start of each episode also showcases his talent as a voice actor as well. Nan Hua is so impossibly perfect and idealized in every way, however, that in the hands of a lesser actor, he could absolutely be a boring or even annoying Gary Stu character archetype. Instead, he is perhaps one of the loveliest ML characters I’ve seen in a Chinese series. You would be hard pressed to find a greener flag anywhere in C-Dramaland.
Unfortunately, Wang Zihao's warm portrayal overshadows his female counterpart. Lai Meiyun started off perfectly fine as Jin Xia. But as the drama unfolded and the ML's character became increasingly likable (and frankly, almost too perfect), the FL's weaker casting became increasingly difficult to ignore. The FL's BFF Jiang Xiaochuan was also one of the most compelling and intriguing characters in the story, and Peng Bi Yao was immensely likable here, but like much of the cast, the character could have shone even more with a stronger actress.
Casting aside, the pacing of the story is unfortunately, extremely uneven, especially once our main couple decide to be together. Some story telling elements -- like the tantalizing flashbacks -- were highly effective, but they dwelled unnecessarily long on comedic dating gags that were only occasionally very funny and mostly cringeworthy. There were also some inconsistencies in framing the origins of the immortals that also distracted from the story. The mystery surrounding Nan Hua's past doesn't really unfold until the last 3 or 4 episodes when all our questions are finally unanswered one by one until the very last episode.
This drama had the potential to be great. Yet, despite its flaws, is still immensely watchable.
This is only Wang Zihao's second screen role, but at just 21, he is already demonstrating his acting potential. One easily forgets how young he is, as he is able to convey the gravitas and maturity of the mysterious and very lonely Nan Hua, an immortal who has shunned the world. His smooth, understated narration at the start of each episode also showcases his talent as a voice actor as well. Nan Hua is so impossibly perfect and idealized in every way, however, that in the hands of a lesser actor, he could absolutely be a boring or even annoying Gary Stu character archetype. Instead, he is perhaps one of the loveliest ML characters I’ve seen in a Chinese series. You would be hard pressed to find a greener flag anywhere in C-Dramaland.
Unfortunately, Wang Zihao's warm portrayal overshadows his female counterpart. Lai Meiyun started off perfectly fine as Jin Xia. But as the drama unfolded and the ML's character became increasingly likable (and frankly, almost too perfect), the FL's weaker casting became increasingly difficult to ignore. The FL's BFF Jiang Xiaochuan was also one of the most compelling and intriguing characters in the story, and Peng Bi Yao was immensely likable here, but like much of the cast, the character could have shone even more with a stronger actress.
Casting aside, the pacing of the story is unfortunately, extremely uneven, especially once our main couple decide to be together. Some story telling elements -- like the tantalizing flashbacks -- were highly effective, but they dwelled unnecessarily long on comedic dating gags that were only occasionally very funny and mostly cringeworthy. There were also some inconsistencies in framing the origins of the immortals that also distracted from the story. The mystery surrounding Nan Hua's past doesn't really unfold until the last 3 or 4 episodes when all our questions are finally unanswered one by one until the very last episode.
This drama had the potential to be great. Yet, despite its flaws, is still immensely watchable.
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