The Forbidden Flower is a Chinese drama that has a great balance of all the things I love in a drama and is a great example of how simple storylines can be done right.
Such a beautiful romance with smoking-hot chemistry between the leads, beautiful scenery, and surreal visuals. Check out the full The Forbidden Flower review below!
Details Drama
Title: The Forbidden Flower (夏花)
Episodes: 24
Release Date: February 13, 2023
Genres: Romance, Melodrama
Country: China
Original Network: Tencent Video
Available On: Viki
Synopsis and Plot Summary
This drama tells the story of He Ran who learns about the outside world, romance, and personal growth at a crucial point in her life.
By chance, she meets an excellent horticulturist, Xiao Han, who has a difficult past and is content with his solo life.
He Ran and Xiao Han found the most important part that each other was missing. Together, they regain the confidence and hope that life has to offer.
The Forbidden Flower Review
I started this out of curiosity, this is a drama about a girl who suffers from an illness and has been restricted by it.
She yearns to explore and through that exploration, she meets a man who also seems distant and hurt together they get to know each other in a whirlwind romance and heal each other of all their pain.
The plot of this story seems normal with the disease and everything is perfectly arranged in such a way that the writers remain consistent with what they want to convey to the viewers.
The script is not one of many words, but many emotions. It’s in the details. He Ran fell in love with life again and for him Xiao Han was life. The sound he heard gave him strength again.
I read several comments early on criticizing her infatuation with him and it made me realize how this drama targets an audience that knows how hard life can be, and how a small spark of hope can be that breath of fresh air you crave. desperately.
For actors, and actresses, the supporting cast, and chemistry are pretty good. Xiao Han portrayed by Jerry Yan is also very well done apart from being hot.
He really knows how to act with his eyes and his micro-expressions can help you understand exactly how he’s feeling. He’s not your typical cold guy character he’s a mature, caring, and understanding man in my opinion.
The supporting cast also did a great job, including the mother of the female lead, Zhang Yi Quan, and more. Han Yu, played by Kido Ma, is also a fun character in this series with his innocence and clumsy nature.
The chemistry in this drama is pretty good, they have that spark that gives me butterflies whenever they hold hands, hug, kiss, or even just stares at each other.
As for the cinematography, this drama gave me enjoyable scenery and shooting. The view is very healing and beautiful at the same time, it gives me that rural beach vibe which I love so much.
But even so, this drama isn’t for everyone, no offense but if you’re going to make a big deal about the age gap then it’s going to hinder your view of the series.
The pacing is a kind of normal life pacing where the tempo of the drama might seem slow to some people but not to me.
The Forbidden Flower Ending Explained
Forbidden Flower has a shaky ending, which throws the timeline into disarray and creates unnecessary slack. I can’t say it’s a happy or sad ending because He Ran and Xiao Han got married. But in the end, He Ran also didn’t have much time with Xiao Han and ended up dying after some time had passed from the wedding ceremony.
In episode 24 of The Forbidden Flower, He Ran and Xiao Han’s love story begins to move forward, and as time goes by, they start to fall in love with each other.
Every scene from the last episode carries emotion as He Ran’s final days draw near, and Xiao Han tries to fulfill all of his wishes that he dreamed of being with her.
When Xiao Han, who couldn’t bear to meet his beautiful girlfriend, waited for her near his house. Meanwhile, He Ran’s best friend informs her that her boyfriend is waiting outside.
He Ran then rushed to Xiao Han and told him that he hadn’t even brushed his teeth yet. Then he asked her why she had come to see him so early in the morning.
Xiao Han told He Ran that he brought a present for her, which he wanted to give her. He Ran was shocked, happy, and grateful to have Xiao Han as his girlfriend.
Throughout the last episode, Xiao Han planned many surprises for He Ran. He takes He Ran on a date at the beach where they discuss how they first met at the barber shop, and exchange glances.
Also how they traveled far together to finally spend the most amazing time of their lives.
Xiao Han and He Ran then arrived at a house by sea after spending a romantic whole day by the beach at that time, Xiao Han was planning to do something big that He Ran was not aware of.
Xiao Han quickly ran to the owner of the house to get the key and brought He Ran inside. While sitting on the bench outside at night, Xiao Han and He Ran saw the beautiful stars and Xia Han said that He Ran was even more beautiful than the stars.
Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Xiao Han then put a ring on He Ran’s hand and proposed to her. He Ran of course accepted and said “yes”, and the preparations for their wedding began.
The couple had decided on a location for their wedding ceremony and it was a stunning venue. However, before leaving, He Ran went to see Han Yu to tell him that she was going to marry Xiao Han.
At that time, Han Yu felt heartbroken and tried to persuade He Ran not to marry Xiao Han. He Ran told him that she loved Xiao Han, and happily, she looked forward to spending her life with him. Han Yu then asked He Ran for one last hug and wished her all the best in the future.
The scene shifts, He Ran and Xiao Han fulfill the traditional wedding ceremony to finally become husband and wife. However, things started to get even more difficult for them when they realized that He Ran would die at any moment.
He Ran asked for one promise from Xiao Han that he would not fall in love with another girl when he told her that he would stay in her heart forever. He also asked Xiao Han to cry after his death and live his life to the fullest happily.
The Forbidden Flower Chinese Drama Cast
Main Role
Jerry Yan as Xiao Han
Xu Ruo Han as He Ran
Support Role
Yu Xiang as Zhang Yuan Qi
Huang Yi as Chou Jia Rong
Wu Ya Heng as Pang Zi
Kido Ma as Han Yu
Zhao Yuan Yuan as Qin Zao
Candy Yang as A Man
Yu Xin He as Zhang Xiao Li
Ada Wong as Zhang Yi Min
Rebecca Jin as Jing Jing
Wang Xin Yue as Shi Zhu
Ella Liu as Xiao Tong
Zheng Wen Xin as Xiao Ya
Likely Lai as Xiao Jia
Jia Shu Yi as Mother Zhang
My Verdict
Overall, it’s a good show and worth watching. It has good acting from the leads, but the ending is so-so for me. The director also deserves credit for the artistry and feeling that is translated into the medium of film. Top-tier scoring music. Lastly, a big salute to all the actors.
I also recommend this for you to watch, at least once. My rating for The Forbidden Flower review is 8.5/10.
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