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A sappily charmed romance that is simply irresistible
One of the things I like about C-dramas is that their stories are relatively simple yet the relatable characters draw you in. Hidden Love is no exception.
Hidden Love revolves around Sang Zhi who has a crush on her brother's friend Duan Jia Xu. From the get-go, you know that the major conflict from this story is their age gap but this suprisingly this C-drama has more to offer.
The story follows Sang Zhi (played by Zhao Lu Si) throughout her high school and college days. We watched how her feelings evolve through time. What was once a harmless crush turned into an undeniable affection and beautiful love. I was impressed by how Lu Si was able to pull of the 13-year-old school girl look similar to how Kim Tae Ri effortlessly portrayed her role in Twenty Five Twenty One.
Sang Zhi's object of affection is Duan Ji Xau (played by Chen Zhe Yuan). I initially thought his character would be just one-dimensional, a male lead who only exists to be handsome and serve as the eye candy of the show. As the story progresses, Ji Xau's back story is revealed which ultimately affected the relationship dynamics between him and Sang Zhi.
In another note, this Cdrama reminds me so much of Twenty Five Twenty One sans the sports and slice of life theme. Hidden Love heavily focuses on romance while 25 21 revolves on ML and FL chasing their dreams. They may have different narratives but I must commend how they both handled well the age gap between the leads including the right time and the transition for the romance to bloom.
It is no easy feat to weave compassionate male characters in shows like these. It comes as no surprise when I learned that the director and writer of Hidden Love are women. Because of the female gaze, viewers like me were able to empathize and follow along Sang Zhi's journey as she learns more about her emotions and intimacy with Duan Ji Xau. It helped a lot that both our main leads did not rush their relationship and instead made efforts to get to know each other's feelings and intentions. It was a good slow-burn romance, one that keeps you at the edge of your seat while you can't stop giggling and swooning over the characters.
Although the show started at a slow pace, it successfully drew viewers into Sang Zhi's experience of first love and heartbreak. The show also portrayed the green flags of a relationship as both Sang Zhi and Duan Jia Xu constantly communicates their worries and dreams for each other.
Overall, Hidden Love contains familiar tropes but perfectly delivers a sincere and pure love supplemented by charming performances. This show is far from perfect but the absence of annoying villains and over-the-top conflicts makes this rom-com a comfort watch.
Hidden Love revolves around Sang Zhi who has a crush on her brother's friend Duan Jia Xu. From the get-go, you know that the major conflict from this story is their age gap but this suprisingly this C-drama has more to offer.
The story follows Sang Zhi (played by Zhao Lu Si) throughout her high school and college days. We watched how her feelings evolve through time. What was once a harmless crush turned into an undeniable affection and beautiful love. I was impressed by how Lu Si was able to pull of the 13-year-old school girl look similar to how Kim Tae Ri effortlessly portrayed her role in Twenty Five Twenty One.
Sang Zhi's object of affection is Duan Ji Xau (played by Chen Zhe Yuan). I initially thought his character would be just one-dimensional, a male lead who only exists to be handsome and serve as the eye candy of the show. As the story progresses, Ji Xau's back story is revealed which ultimately affected the relationship dynamics between him and Sang Zhi.
In another note, this Cdrama reminds me so much of Twenty Five Twenty One sans the sports and slice of life theme. Hidden Love heavily focuses on romance while 25 21 revolves on ML and FL chasing their dreams. They may have different narratives but I must commend how they both handled well the age gap between the leads including the right time and the transition for the romance to bloom.
It is no easy feat to weave compassionate male characters in shows like these. It comes as no surprise when I learned that the director and writer of Hidden Love are women. Because of the female gaze, viewers like me were able to empathize and follow along Sang Zhi's journey as she learns more about her emotions and intimacy with Duan Ji Xau. It helped a lot that both our main leads did not rush their relationship and instead made efforts to get to know each other's feelings and intentions. It was a good slow-burn romance, one that keeps you at the edge of your seat while you can't stop giggling and swooning over the characters.
Although the show started at a slow pace, it successfully drew viewers into Sang Zhi's experience of first love and heartbreak. The show also portrayed the green flags of a relationship as both Sang Zhi and Duan Jia Xu constantly communicates their worries and dreams for each other.
Overall, Hidden Love contains familiar tropes but perfectly delivers a sincere and pure love supplemented by charming performances. This show is far from perfect but the absence of annoying villains and over-the-top conflicts makes this rom-com a comfort watch.
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