This review will be more of a comparison of the 2019 vs. 2021 version. There are going to be quite some biased comments as I enjoyed the 2019 version and I have already reviewed the 2019 ver based on the plot/generics itself. So, I didn't want to have to say the same things. I have not read the novel, but I probably will one of these days in my downtime. I tried to condense the review as much as possible; it was hard, as I made a lot of notes while I was watching. However, that doesn't mean I dislike this version any less as the storyline is still the same, and the characters were still true to how they were in the 2019 version. I did watch the last two episodes RAW, so I may have missed important dialogue as most of it was Luo Zhi narrating.

STORY
I want to say that if you don't like watching storylines/characters with the following, this drama isn't for you:
- unrequited love
- girls getting treated like crap in a relationship
- girls giving their all to someone who doesn't care for them
- dragging storyline due to constant misunderstandings

Those may throw you off to want to watch it, but there's something about unrequited love that makes people intrigued. It's probably because we all have had an unrequited love in some way or another. The unrequited love storyline gets exhausting because, for once, the title is true to the storyline. The female lead has been in love with our male lead for over ten years and continues to love him. She gets hurt by him but still foolishly loves him. It's this never-ending loop, but it somehow keeps drawing me to see how their story will turn out.

MUSIC
Almost all of the songs are good to throw onto my playlist. I enjoyed the opening song and think it's quite catchy (in my playlist and stuck in my head). However, I feel like the music and editing within the drama weren't great for me. There were times where I felt like the music overpowered the voiceovers/dialogue. Other times, I felt like the music wasn't fitting to the mood of the scene. Especially when they play the opening song, the music sounds upbeat (even though the lyrics are about unrequited love). It just makes it seem less serious/more of this high school crush where we're supposed to feel bubbly. But this isn't supposed to be the case for this drama. We are supposed to feel the anguish of unrequited love that Luo Zhi feels.

One thing I dislike is dramas dragging out scenes with no dialogue and the song playing. I don't mind it, but it feels like we're listening to the whole song, and I always skip it. This drama had a good amount of those (in the beginning and end). The only scene that was correct, in my opinion, was later in the show, somewhere after episode 30, where Luo Zhi was napping in the library and Huainan was staring at her.

RE-WATCH VALUE
I wouldn't re-watch this drama or version in particular. So far, I have enjoyed all adaptations, though. There were some instances where I feel like this version was dragged out, and there weren't particular scenes that stood out to me about memorable. I am waiting for the movie version and probably will watch it when it has subtitles and is available to watch.

=================OVERALL/2019 COMPARISON (major spoilers) ================

WHAT I LIKED - I knew from the get-go that there should be more depth to the supporting characters and story than the 2019 version, with this ver being 38 episodes. I'll mention the things I appreciated in the 2021 version of Unrequited Love.

1. I appreciated more depth to Ge Bi and Baili's story, especially Ge Bi's character. Ge Bi's character still stood true to how he was in the 2019 version; however, he had more conscious in this version. We can tell how this drama was directed that Ge Bi actually somewhat cared for Baili and didn't just see her go through everything for him but not appreciate it. We see some regret in Ge Bi and him missing her, even if it was selfishly.

2. This version of Huainan was a more likable male lead because there was more depth to him. We see more of his backstory and his feelings, so we could empathize with him more. For example, we see his thought process so we understand why he would ignore her. The writers literally made a whole debate competition on love and selfishness with his stance to explain why he initially felt off about Luo Zhi. In contrast, the 2019 ver focused more on Luo Zhi and her feelings rather than Huainan.

3. What this version does right is that we see them build their connection. It feels a lot stronger this time around. For example, the mutual connection they had with their conversations/texts, without Luo Zhi having to lie/pretend. It was satisfying to see them build their connection with nerdy texts and audio conversations. Which made sense to these two characters as they're supposed to be top students.

4. Huainan's family situation didn't involve an outdated family revenge trope. The writers decided to get rid of that, and it flows a lot better in that aspect. Huainan was more mature in the situation, though I still believed he could have given Luo Zhi a better closure. There was less drama involved after Huainan left school, and that was much appreciated after all that has happened in the drama.

WHAT I DISLIKED - Some of the following things made the drama feel less serious and more like an idol drama. These new additions/changes feel even more like most of the other typical modern-day young adult dramas out there.

1. I'm not too fond of the daydream parts that keep getting thrown in. It makes it less serious. I would much rather prefer a voiceover of Luo Zhi saying what she should have done/her self-conflicting thoughts. This didn't last long, as it was more towards the first half of the drama/before she got acquainted with him. Those long gazes with the theme song getting played make me skip them. It's probably because her gaze doesn't read longing to me. It looks like she's just staring off into the distance.

2. I liked that the aunt only showed up to help Huainan because Luo Zhi begged her to in the 2019 ver. In this version, the aunt felt bad for Luo Zhi's puppy love and came to explain to Huainan. She even acted as a middleman between the two. This is fine, but I think little moments like the 2019 version made it feel a lot more impactful.

3. MOST IMPORTANT! The impactful windowpane scene was relatively lackluster in the 2021 version. They had one conversation, and that was it. While in the 2019 version, it was a build-up of conversations that led to Huainan feeling a connection to Luo Zhi.

4. So, in episode 30, they are still at a point of having misunderstandings. This was one of the things I disliked the most about this version. Sure, more episodes allow more depth in other aspects, but in the wrong area at the same time. I enjoyed seeing an expansion of the supporting character's stories and their character progression, but seeing the main characters not progress in their relationship is so hard to sit through. With this many episodes, it didn't have a better closure either.

5. Luo Zhi in the 2021 ver came off quite selfish to me. While she knew that Gu Zhi Ye was not a good guy, she didn't try to stop Baili or Gu Zhi Ye. In the other ver, she confronted him after she confirmed that Gu Zhi Ye was up to no good. In this version, she knew right from the beginning that Gu Zhi Ye was sleazy and fishy, but she didn't help Baili.

6. Luo Zhi's "restart" from Huainan was lackluster in this one. She cuts her hair and then ignored Huainan… meh. It felt like any other time they had a misunderstanding. Then she was purposely ignoring him to tease him as suggested by the guy who looks like their professor. Does anyone remember from the 2019 ver where she allowed the security to take Huainan away as the thief? That was memorable.

7. The supporting characters that are pursuing Huainan are more aggressive in this one. Probably for more drama, but I don't enjoy that aspect of it. That means the drama will get dragged out/shifts the attention away from the main issue. For example, Zheng Wenrui was really obnoxious in this version. She threw herself onto Huainan and was LOUD. I didn't understand why they made her character like this in this version.

WHAT I MISSED FROM 2019 VER
1. I enjoyed Baili's character in the 2019 version. I thought I would like the Baili in this version more, but so far, I don't. I actually disliked how much she clung to Ge Bi even though he straight up told her to back off. It didn't make me feel hurt for her; it made me feel quite annoyed since it was him continually telling her that it was over. In the 2019 ver, Baili had a bit more self-respect. She knew when to back off when she wasn't needed, which made us feel the pain of her unrequited love story. Like Luo Zhi, the 2019 Baili, silently did things for Ge Bi. The 2019 version did justice to Baili by really trying to make her move away from Ge Bi.

2. The moods of these two dramas are REALLY different. The 2019 version was about a girl who would silently do everything for a boy. She silently loves him and silently decided to let go of him until they fatefully met again. We felt her pain of him not knowing who she is because they showed us all the things she did for him... SILENTLY. And she continues to do things for him in college. That is why we understood why she felt hurt when she was so close to him yet so far. It was easy to empathize with her.

This version of Luo Zhi felt a bit more immature and lacked the same feeling that I enjoyed from the 2019 version. While this is probably truer to how a young adult would act, we didn't feel the same pain from this Luo Zhi. Without seeing what she has done for Huainan, it didn't feel as genuine? (not sure if that's the right word to use) It felt like it lacked why she was so hurt on why he should know/remember her. Like she cried right on the spot after reading Huainan's text and other times as well. This Luo Zhi would be upset and couldn't mask herself well in front of Ming Rui. So far, we're trying to build their love story on the fact that he was a boy from her childhood.

In the 2019 version, we know that they somehow know each other from their childhood, even though it wasn't well written. But the main part was during high school, where the bulk of Luo Zhi's unrequited love started and it was so well done as we get flashbacks to all of the things that she has done for him. So, we understand why Luo Zhi is so hurt/upset at Huainan. The 2019 Luo Zhi has already been disappointed so many times before that she could just back up silently again.

For the 2019 version, we were able to see a glimpse of characters moving on or doing things, mainly through leads and especially through Luo Zhi's interaction with them. For me, that was all it needed to get the right closure for most of the characters and see how Luo Zhi grows as a person. Luo Zhi seems like a love expert to everyone except for her situation. Her aloof character and personality were felt through her interaction with the supporting characters. Even though she came off as aloof, we know that she has a warm heart because she is always helping someone else out. She usually speaks her mind and never hesitates. Her aura felt a lot more mature than her actual age.

3. Another thing I missed was the roommate bond they had in the 2019 ver. It felt more genuine and real than this one. Huainan came off as this god that was on a pedestal and his roommates were literally using him as a study tool in the 2021 version. Also, I missed the silly Ming Rui and his friendship with Luo Zhi. Apart from Ming Rui falling for Luo Zhi later, they were good friends who confided in each other. This one lacked the interactions between Ming Rui and Luo Zhi. Like, we barely see scenes of them together. :'( Ming Rui even told Luo Zhi that he did everything for her because of Huainan. It made me sad that their friendship didn't seem genuine/as close.

4. Gu Zhi Ye came across as someone more genuine in the 2019 ver, even though we found out that he was using her.

5. The beauty of Luo Zhi writing, "Luo Zhi loves Shen Huainan and no one knows about it" was that it was her little secret before college. She wrote it before going to college as a last reminder. It was her finally being able to show it to the world without really telling anyone. Luo Zhi wrote it in college in this version, and Huainan discovered her engraving (coincidently right by his favorite spot). She even attempted to hide it behind the bushes.

6. One nice touch to the 2019 ver was their dorm walls and how it had pictures and posters of what each character likes. Luo Zhi had anime, Huainan had basketball, and Baili had popular stars on hers. This version was just super bright and pink in the girl's dorm.

If you made it to the end, thank you for reading! If you watched both versions, let me know what you thought of each one! I know comparing both may sound negative but I actually enjoyed it enough to watch to the end!