The Hidden Love Chinese drama manages to capture the essence of young people’s love journeys that explore beautiful romance and friendship. Here you will find several things that balance romantic moments, family moments, and also youth that leave a lasting impact on the audience. Read the complete Hidden Love review below!
Drama Details
Title: Hidden Love ( 偷偷藏不住 )
Episodes: 25
Release Date: June 20, 2023
Genres: Comedy, Romance, Youth
Country: China
Original Network: Youku
Available On: Netflix
Synopsis and Plot Summary
The storyline of the Chinese drama Hidden Love follows the story of Sang Zhi, a beautiful girl who falls in love with Duan Jia Xu, a man who often comes to her house to play games in her older brother’s room. Duan Jia Xu was five years older than him.
Sang Zhi had a crush on Duan Jia Xu when he was young, but then they lost touch with each other for some reason. After graduating from high school, Sang Zhi entered the university in the town where he lived.
He starts seeing Duan Jia Xu again who is also studying there. During their intimate and close daily interactions, they slowly start to fall in love.
Hidden Love Ending Explained
The Chinese drama Hidden Love has a happy ending. At the end of the episode, Duan Jia Xu sets up a large office for his new business in Nanwu.
Later when she has calmed down a bit due to her father’s death (episode 24), she asks Sang Yan to arrange for her to meet Sang Rong and Li Ping (Sang Zhi and Sang Yan’s parents) to discuss Duan Jia Xu’s relationship with Sang Zhi.
Duan Jia Xu was welcomed by Sang Zhi’s parents. They told him that they had no problems with his relationship with Sang Zhi. All they wanted was for Sang Zhi to continue living happily because they had spoiled him.
Two years have passed and Sang Zhi is currently graduating from university. Duan Jia Xu was there to celebrate the event with him and his school friends.
Sang Zhi, Wang Ruo Lan, and Yu Xin prepare a surprise romantic proposal for Ning Wei from her boyfriend. They had fun making sand hearts with rose petal borders.
Sang Zhi pulled Ning Wei who was shocked in the middle of the heart but then Ning Wei left the heart and made sure Sang Zhi stayed in the middle.
The show turned out to be for Sang Zhi all along. When he looked around, he saw his parents and Sang Yan arriving with Duan Jia Xu holding a bouquet heading towards him.
He knelt before her and asked her to marry him. Sang Zhi was very surprised but his parents understood how he felt. They gave him their blessing and encouraged him to accept. Sang Zhi naturally accepted it!
See Also: 10 Dramas Similar to Hidden Love
Hidden Love Review
Hidden Love is a drama adapted from a novel with the same title. It’s about a teenage romance revolving around Sang Zhi, and his secret admiration for Duan Jia Xu, his brother’s friend, and how it develops into a relationship.
Hidden Love is a charming and moving Chinese teen romance drama that explores the themes of love, friendship, and personal growth. For a drama adapted from a novel, Hidden Love is very closely attached to the novel and maintains dialogue between characters.
On top of that, it also manages to beautifully capture and translate the novel to life, capturing the nuances of character relationships while also interweaving comedy with poignant moments, romance, and more.
Although Hidden Love’s plot treads some of the familiar tropes of teen romance dramas, you’ll find things quite different here. Because this series has heartfelt storytelling, nuanced character development, and some freshness in an unhurried genre.
This C-drama also manages to balance romantic moments, family moments, and also youth leaving a lasting impact on its viewers.
The comedic timing of the talented cast is impeccable, delivering punchlines and physical comedy with finesse. Although this drama mainly focuses on youth and romance, it also touches on deeper emotional themes.
Moments of introspection and personal growth are woven into the narrative, allowing characters to overcome their pasts and discover new facets.
Those elements bring additional emotional depth to the story, ensuring a well-rounded viewing experience and that’s great.
The main character, Sang Zhi is a young girl who falls in love but doesn’t pursue it. She is completely different from female characters in other dramas who chase men indiscriminately, just because of love at first sight and so on.
Like any young girl, she begins to develop feelings gradually but prefers it quietly. Meanwhile, Duan Jia Xu’s character is also a very good male lead.
She truly looked up to Sang Zhi like a little sister, being kind to him, defending him, guiding him, and being there whenever he needed her.
Sang Zhi and Duan Jia Xu were two very perfect characters. Zhao Lu Si and Chen Zhe Yuan’s performance was very good, both of them were able to bring the main characters Sang Zhi and Duan Jia Xu to life.
Zhao Lusi was able to bring the innocent Sang Zhi to life, she brilliantly portrayed Sang Zhi from a young age to adulthood. Her cute little actions are so convincing that it makes people think that she is really a high school student.
On the other hand, Chen Zhe Yuan also did a brilliant job portraying the character Duan Jia Xu. He uses his micro-expressions and expressive eyes to act and communicate.
Their performances both carry and immerse the audience in the lives of their characters, making us feel their every emotion as if we were experiencing their ups and downs with them.
Their chemistry Chen Zhe Yuan and Zhao Lu Si was absolutely outstanding and they were perfect for the main roles. I will look forward to the drama with Chen Zhe Yuan and Zhao Lu Si in the future!
As for the supporting cast, they also add depth and charm to the narrative, presenting multiple personalities and subplots that enrich the overall storytelling experience.
For example, Sang Yan, Sang Zhi’s brother. Sang Zhi and Sang Yan’s witty on-screen banter and comedic timing add a genuine touch to the storyline. The banter between the two brothers looks so realistic, like any sibling fight; much of their action looks genuine and feels unscripted.
For its cinematography, Hidden Love manages to capture the innocence of youth, the sweetness, and pain of one-sided love, as well as intimate moments between the characters.
As for the soundtrack, the drama has a song that perfectly sums up the entire drama, enhancing the overall viewing experience. Comprised of enchanting melodies and emotionally charged ballads, it complements the narrative perfectly and adds an extra layer of depth to the series.
What I don’t like is the combination of filters in the first few episodes and in my opinion it makes this drama look a little boring. However, as the episodes go on, the filters get better!
There were also a few moments when the tempo felt a little off balance. Some scenes could have been trimmed to maintain a denser narrative flow.
However, these minor flaws don’t make up for the drama’s overall beautiful charm. Then is the Chinese drama Hidden Love worth watching? Well worth it, Hidden Love has a perfectly executed storyline, engaging performances, and heartwarming moments.
Hidden Love Chinese Drama Cast
Main Role
Zhao Lu Si as Sang Zhi
Chen Zhe Yuan as Duan Jia Xu
Support Role
Victor Ma as Sang Yan
Zeng Li as Li Ping
Qiu Xin Zhi as Sang Rong
Guan Zi Jing as Li Xun
Wang Yang as Jiang Si Yun
Zhang Hao Lun as Chen Jun Wen
Zhang Jiong Min as Fu Zheng Chu
Smile Wei as Ning Wei
Xu Shi Xin as Jiang Ying
Qi Tian Qing as Yu Xin
Wang Yi Lan as Wang Ruo Lan
Lu Dong Xu as Jiang Ming
Hu Yu Xuan as Qian Fei
Xu Shi Yue as Shi Xiao Yu
And more
My Verdict
Overall, the Chinese drama Hidden Love manages to capture the essence of young people’s journey of love. This is a fun concoction of a teen romance drama and I highly recommend it for you to watch.
With excellent actor and actress performances and an engaging story, it offers a fun new take on the teen romance genre. I’m sure you will find yourself smiling, laughing, and blushing while watching this. My rating for the Hidden Love Chinese drama review is 8,8/10.
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