Hidden Love

I've been watching Asian dramas since 2013. Hidden Love shows just how far dramas have come since then. Gone is the era of corny, unrealistic, over-done dramatics and toxic bullying relationships. Nowadays, the reign of realistic, feel-good dramas with healthy adult relationships and no villains or cliffhangers is in. I haven't been this impressed with dramas since Hometown Cha Cha Cha and Reply 1988, both of which Hidden Love reminded me of in parts.

The male protagonist, Jiaxu, is realistically perfect, a great man, a walking green flag, who is caring and loving to everyone around him and especially fond of Sang Zhi and her family (HCCC vibes). The female protagonist, Sang Zhi, is not a dumb damsel in distress, she makes reasonable decisions for her life and falls in love due to relatable circumstances. Even as an innocent teen, she is relatable (a sweet, honest, reliable, and attentive friend of her brother treating her well as a girl). The actors that play them clearly have real-life chemistry as well... the looks that Jiaxu gives her are a little too loving.

This drama is so good because it's so simple, yet completely free of anything problematic, corny, or unrealistic. It's grounded in reality and what real love looks like! There are no ridiculous villains, no over-done dramatics, no cliff hangers needed to keep you watching. Instead, the focus is on the family and friends surrounding the main characters and the highs and lows of their very real life through different eras of adolescence and adulthood (R1988 vibes).

Here's some progressive themes that I was so happy to see brought attention to in this show: menstrual cycles (normalization), predatory relationships (inappropriate age gaps between adults and minors), consensual acts (asking, can I hold your hand? Do you want to..?), prioritization of family, health relationship dynamics (always putting the other person first, anticipating their needs and wants), supporting the other person's dreams and growth.

Yes, it may be slow, but it's totally worth it. I was actually impressed with how short the "will they, won't they" waiting period of the plot lasted; Jiaxu is such a good guy that we don't wait long until he makes his intentions known to now-adult Sang Zhi. Additionally, despite the kid-friendly rating... the couple got shockingly spicy and handsy for an Asian drama (mostly suggestive moments, but plenty of intimate on-screen kissing and hugging).

Hidden Love is complete and well-thought-out. Nothing was rushed, everything was given its time, and I felt rewarded for watching. The effort put into this was apparent, and it's clear that women directors and writers were behind it all. 10/10, easy. I recommend this to every lover of Asian dramas as a MUST watch.

The leads have played the roles of the characters to perfection! Anyone saying the female lead actress portraying the child SZ was bad definitely didn't know child SZ grew in an overly protective household where the good and bads of the world was still unknown to her that is why her character may come off as more innocent The portrayal of silent crush by the actress was extreme perfection The male lead went out of his was while portraying DJX I could not find a better DJX than Chen zheyuan I know some of the people will come here without seeing the drama or by hearing someone's unprofessional review cause they didn't watch the complete drama before saying it shows grooming For that let me explain there is not even a 0.1% of grooming here. The male lead always kept respectful boundaries within him n the underage SZ. He saw her as a lil sis only. Whenever he interacted with FL it was always in prescence of her brother n her parents. Once when he thought the female lead had a crush on him because he saw some drawings of him on her notebook he immediately cut off his contact with her There was even a reason why he always treated the female lead and her family respectfully n always willing to help them no matter what.

This drama makes my day better after a 9 to 5 job This drama can make you cry laugh blush all at the same time The portrayal of silent crush and bearing the weight of it and having doubts of never been see as an adult by your crush was done a very good job by Zhao Lusi Chen Zheyuan portrayed an amazing character of DJX who had to leave his youth early to tackle into grown up world because of his father accident and his mother death Not being able to be financially independent in your teenage years having to bear the weight of paying for expensive hospital bills , working multiple jobs at same time just to pay his college fees ,debt and his father's bill and not even getting enough time to grieve for his loss...getting surrounded by debt when you are not even an adult and having a crazy stalker who keeps on making his life more miserable made my heart ache for djx..it was so bad that sometime he felt suicidal even after getting multiple health scares he never felt the need to go and check up in hospital..he just kept on enduring his bitter life till a certain someone showed up once again in his life

I will end my review by saying DJX has always been respectful and careful towards underage SZ so don't twist it into something just because you don't like age gap dramas or heard from someone's review Watch it first before believing into someone's blind review.

I would say that my favorite thing about this drama is the outstanding actors. This power couple is just a 10z

I have followed these two young actors for a long time, and although I know they are young they are just extraordinary.

I love them both and Chen Zhe Yuan is just as great ( how great he was in our secret !!!) but I just have to highlight a few things about Zhao Lu Si acting. Because I think since I watched her in The long Ballad I just cant get over how good she is.

There's something in her acting that just transmits anything she wants to you. She has a true gift. You will truly believe she is 17 and she is dying of pain holding back tears, watching her first love with another woman.... Her performance in this is just amazing, every gesture, every word, every gaze, she nails her character, making us cry and making us fall in love at the same time she does.... Just awesome.

They have an amazing chemistry together and its really cool to see that kind of healthy and mature relationship displayed once in a while, although we all know is not really realistic at all in the world we live in and the matter with the age gap is more because the difference when they meet was extremely noticeable, 5 years when you are 14 is not the same as when you are 20. So it gets very tricky for them.

One to watch for sure, but I would have enjoyed it if it was longer! Loved this duo.

This drama is soo good,just speechless i watched it in 2 days first of all,i loved the acting...the chemistry between the main leads are great and their acting was super nice this is a kind of drama thats gonna melt your heart.

I think i am gonna watch it several times i really wish a second season ...although i think there aint gonna be one everything about the drama was a thumbs up🖤 Hope we can see dramas like this moree this drama is better than most other cdramas maybe cause of its realistic acting the male lead played the sad roles so good(its not a tragic drama though) and the female lead also was nice i hope to see more of them in the future🖤🖤🖤

The story line was very simple yet universal it touches across social & cultural boundaries lines. The actors & actresses were both attractive & talented. I liked the fact the respect the program showed towards the parents & Also liked the fact that main characters had to fight hard to preserve their love & to overcome their personal challenges. Their were no magic pills on this one...except a few things that was huh...really...oh...no...but besides that it was cleaned show, the whole family can enjoyed. It is for anyone who had a crush on their best friend sister...im joking..lol Love believe all things, conquer all things...True love never fails.