Because Of Love is not your typical fluffy romance drama like To Fly With You or Love At Night. This has a more matured and depressive mood to it with a past heartbreak and a struggling mother who is always short of money to treat her sick son. The plot is not anything groundbreaking with a link to the past as young lovers before circumstances forced the girl to initiate a breakup which actually reminds me of Here To Heart. Then, of course, the pair meet again and all the pain is then brought to the fore. In short, this is a second chance romance story with tissues needed along the way.

So, my guess is it could be slow-moving and predictable for some. But it is also a very well-executed drama that effectively moves you and touches your heart. Just like Shining For One Thing, this is achieved through a brilliant cast, great cinematography, and a very apt setting which enhance the overall angsty mood. It is the whole package that makes Because Of Love very real to the audience. It may not have a refreshing plot but it is exactly the seemingly ordinary that makes the story relatable.

Having said that, there are also two weaknesses in the drama that I think are worth highlighting – the way the flashbacks are told and a faltering last third of the story.

Constant Flashbacks
Because Of Love relies on intermittent flashbacks to tell the viewers what happened in the past. So, the scenes will flip between the present and their student days whenever the leads are triggered into reminiscing about the past. This happens quite often in the first 8 episodes or so. It is done without warning at times and you will have to adjust to the change in time setting before it reverts back to the present just as quickly.

Therefore, if you prefer flashbacks to be told in one long sequence rather than in a back and forth manner, then Because Of Love could start off being highly annoying. Personally, it did take a few episodes for me to get used to the story telling technique. I guess this is done to heighten the viewers’ angst and to emphasize that the leads are still thinking of each other after all the years apart. So, don’t get turned off when you start watching and discover all these constant flashbacks. The story will grow on you and leave you with a strong desire to see the couple reconcile.

A Not So Great Last Third (Spoilers Alert!)
To me, the first 20 episodes of the drama is highly engrossing. But it starts to lose its intensity and falter in the last third. The mental regression suddenly changes the tone of the drama and Yu Sheng’s recovery looks too simplistic to be real. The couple is then shown to be back together after the real culprit is exposed which has nothing to do with Yu Sheng’s father.

However, the viewers are shortchanged here as there is a lack of scenes of the couple towards the end to address everything that has happened in their lives. At the very least, there should be a heartfelt communication between them after all the misunderstandings and pain. Unfortunately, there is no such satisfaction for the viewers.

As for the side couple, their ending is also a bit rushed with no proper accounting of Vicky’s thought process on how she arrives at the decision to leave. It is not a bad conclusion to the drama overall but there just seems to be a few missing scenes here and there which could have increased viewers’ satisfaction and fulfillment.

Wonderful Acting
The casting director deserves accolades here for picking the right people for the roles. The last time I caught Wallace Chung was in The Sword And The Brocade which is a period drama. In Because Of Love, he delivers as usual with a very convincing performance as a pensive and melancholy doctor who can’t seem to get over a lost love. He is not a handsome hunk here and he doesn’t try to be. Instead, he gives the character a sort of depressive vibe. The pain and yearning are written on his face that viewers will automatically feel for him.

Li Xiao Ran is also excellent as Tan Jing to me. This is a very steely but sad character due to her circumstances. So, you can see it through Li Xiao Ran’s impassive facial expressions which show her determination and stoicism on the surface but her eyes will tell you how she is suffering inside. Her chemistry with Wallace Chung is also impressive as both of these veterans know how to take advantage of their characters’ anger and longing for each other to set the mood in their scenes together.

Li Xiao Ran’s chemistry with the child actor is also worth a mention. They manage to bring out a very special bond of mother and son and for his part, Mi Ke is a joy to watch as a viewer. For someone so young, Mi Ke delivers his lines so well and with an innocent charm that fits the character perfectly. Mi Ke and Morni Zhang’s scenes are also extremely touching as both young and old seem to have a natural affinity for each other.

A Stoic And Cold Female Character (Spoilers Alert!)
I suspect that Tan Jing may not be a likable character to all. This is because she is cold and impassive on the surface and her actions may not be agreeable to some viewers. For instance, she didn’t tell Yu Sheng that Ping Ping is his son which is grossly unfair to him. She also didn’t trust him in her custody fight with his father. Hence, Tan Jing is a flawed character with a lot of stubbornness and pride in her. Her coldness might also not win her any supporters.

Personally though, she is not a hateful character to me. Whether you can relate to her will depend on your ability see things from her perspective. I can understand why she broke up with him and kept quiet about her pregnancy. That is because she didn’t want to drag him down with her so that he could fulfill his potential. Moreover, his father’s involvement in her father’s death is a major barrier for her. When they meet up again, she just isn’t prepared to confront the past as that would be opening up old wounds. Moreover, he is dating Vicky then.

Basically, Tan Jing is not that type of person who can easily forgive and forget. If you can accept this flaw in her, then her pain and actions will be easily understood. Otherwise, she will seem too cold for a female lead character and that will take away some level of enjoyment from this melodrama.

My Verdict – Watch!
Because Of Love is definitely worth watching to me. It moves away from the typical substandard romance dramas that are getting too common like Meeting You Loving You and I Am The Years You Are The Stars. It is hard to get a matured love story that is well-executed with great acting and this is where Because Of Love shines. The couple’s past is also revealed bit by bit and this also helps to make it intriguing. As this is a serious romance drama with the lead couple being in their 30’s, it will resonate better with a more matured audience. In fact, I would think the younger viewers might find the pace to be too slow and hence, boring.

If you are worried about this being a tearjerker, then I would say that it is not as sad as it seems. If you can tolerate One And Only or Go Ahead, this should be less taxing on the emotions. Yes, some scenes will make you cry and tissues will be needed. But they don’t weigh you down considerably and it is not all sadness and tears throughout the whole drama. Some scenes are touching rather than truly sad especially those that feature the little boy. Thus, don’t let the tearjerker label stop you from giving this a go.

For this Because Of Love review, I would give it a score of 8/10. Watch it for the acting and simple story that successfully evokes deep feelings in the viewers. The plot is really nothing great. But this is a more of an emotionally driven romance drama that relies a lot on the acting skills of the cast to move viewers which was effectively achieved. This is what you will be signing up for when you get on the ride!