Hidden Love: A Review
My first ever Chinese drama...
Starring: Zhao Lusi, Chen Zhe Yuan, Victor Ma
Episodes: 25
Duration: 45 mins
Where to watch: Netflix, Youku app
Rating: 8.7/10 (IMDb) 9.1/10 (MDL)
Genre: Contemporary, Romantic-Comedy, Coming-of-Age
Back in June, Netflix released a Chinese drama called Hidden Love. Since then, the show has gained popularity, trending in several countries and topping search results in the US.
The show has three kinds of viewers. Some hate it, some watch it and quickly move past it, and then there are those like me who are too hung up on it to move on.
So, what makes Hidden Love worth watching for some viewers and off-putting for others? Should you watch it or drop it?
P.S.: This article may contain spoilers. Reader discretion is advised.
Synopsis
The drama depicts the story of a young girl called Sang Zhi (Zhao Lusi) who has a secret crush on her brother’s friend Duan Jiaxu (Chen Zhe Yuan) 5 years her senior.
The story opens with fourteen-year-old middle schooler Sang Zhi meeting Duan Jiaxu for the first time. Years pass by and she meets him again when she is seventeen. However, due to a misunderstanding she stops contacting him.
Two years later, she is a university student studying in Jiaxu’s hometown. Fate conspires to bring them together, and romance blossoms between them.
OST Album
Let us talk about the Ost album first.
The Ost consists of seven tracks, all equally beautiful and sure to stick with you.
Zhao Lusi has lent her voice to I Just Want to Secretly Hide You and I Have Somebody I Like, while Victor Ma has taken the stage with Be Your Light.
I particularly enjoy Forever Star, I Have Somebody I Like and Be Your Light. Listening and vibing to the songs on repeat these days, even though I do not understand Chinese.
It has been a while since I liked the Ost of any show so much. The last time was after I watched the Kdrama Business Proposal over a year ago.
Months after its conclusion, I found myself revisiting Business Proposal’s Ost (I still do btw and no I do not understand Korean either 🤣). Now I can feel the same happening with Hidden Love 😅
Check out the link below for Hidden Love’s Ost if you wish to give it a listen.
To Love or To Hate: The Story and Misconceptions About It
Adapted from a novel by Zhu Yi, Hidden Love is a simple story of youthful romance and the power of love to heal. The lack of conflict, drama, and toxicity is among the reasons it has attracted many viewers. Light-hearted and heart-warming, Hidden Love is your classic she-fell-first-but-he-fell-harder trope drama.
The actors have done a wonderful job bringing the story and characters to life. From the comical sibling dynamic of Sang Zhi and Sang Yan (Victor Ma) to the swoon-worthy chemistry of the lead couple, the show radiates positivity and feel-good vibes.
It is a slow-burn story and takes a few episodes to grow on you. It was not until the eighth episode that I got into it. Then I reached episode twelve and could not wait to know more, so found it on YouTube and completed it there first. As of writing this post I have already watched it four times.
Despite the positivity, however, the show has received criticism. Much of it is due to the age gap. I do not believe five years is a major difference, yet some viewers find it creepy.
The early interactions of Sang Zhi and Jiaxu make some think the show is subtly endorsing paedophilia and child grooming.
And it does not help that the young girl chosen to play the fourteen-year-old Sang Zhi looks 11 years old although she was thirteen during filming.
But this thinking is quite literally judging a book by its cover. At fourteen, Sang Zhi admires Jiaxu because she feels he is nicer to her than her brother, while he treats her like a child.
At seventeen, Sang Zhi develops an unreciprocated crush on Jiaxu. To him, she is his friend’s little sister, and he calls her little girl.
It is not until he crosses paths with her again when she is nineteen that Jiaxu begins to see her in a romantic light. At no point does he act inappropriately with her.
The drama depicts a 5-year gap while the novel it draws inspiration from has a 7-year difference between the leads. Interestingly, the novel is based on a real-life encounter of the author.
Zhu Yi penned this novel to give a happy outcome to her characters since her own crush on someone older than her was unreciprocated.
The reason I mentioned this is because of the controversy surrounding the age gap of the protagonists. Nothing happens until the girl is a fully grown adult aware of the rights and wrongs and in real life too there are couples with much bigger age gaps than five years.
Why I Loved It
Apart from the fairy-tale-like romance, several reasons contributed to my enjoyment of the series.
The sibling dynamic: the Sang siblings’ relationship is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the drama. The constant bickering between the brother and sister will keep you in stitches.
The support system: Sang Zhi and Jiaxu benefit from a robust support system. I especially like the open and honest relationship Sang Zhi has with her parents.
The female lead is no damsel in distress: Sang Zhi is a girl of resolute. She is ambitious, savage and perfectly capable of standing up for herself and the man she loves.
Duan Jiaxu is the gentlest, sweetest boyfriend. Sang Zhi is a strong, admirable character, and a special shoutout to Sang Yan for being the best big brother and a wonderful friend.
Weaknesses
Of course, the drama does have its weaknesses.
Sang Zhi’s mannerisms: the babyish voice in which she speaks is jarring and irritating. The use of the immature voice for female characters is popular in Chinese dramas but is less favoured by the global audience.
Also, the childish mannerisms of seventeen-year-old Sang Zhi contrast with her younger self. At fourteen, she is bolder, more manipulative and talks in a normal voice.
The rushed arcs: I believe Jiaxu’s change of heart for Sang Zhi happened too fast. It might have been better had he been shown to experience some inner turmoil before giving in to his feelings.
The story of his stalker is also written off too abruptly after he gives her a legal warning upon learning she tried to intimidate Sang Zhi.
Maybe including a scene where they sit down for a heartfelt conversation, helping her see how her actions were causing him pain, could have improved the storyline.
Conclusion
Nevertheless, Hidden Love is a great show. With beautiful cinematography, catchy Ost, perfect casting and brilliant acting, the show is worth binging on multiple times.
Hidden Love is my first ever Cdrama. I normally do not watch Chinese dramas because of my bias against them. I was sceptical about this show too until a friend’s suggestion convinced me to try it out and it helped to remove my bias.
If you enjoy fluffy romances and have not watched Hidden Love yet, grab your popcorn and get binging. If you have come across negative reviews and are hesitant about it, I would suggest you give yourself and the show a chance.
Read also:
I had meant to post about Destined With You this week, but because I was unable to complete the article, I decided to post this piece first.
Next time, I shall post my review of Destined With You so stay tuned.
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