Unrequited Love (2019)

A Rapid Descent into Mediocrity: A Review of a Disappointing Drama

This critique is not intended to denigrate this drama; on the contrary, I strive to be neutral, hence the rating of 5/10.

STORY

The beginning was promising, well-introduced, and I was really captivated (typical plot: an invisible girl likes the most popular boy). I really enjoyed the foundation of the story.

However, after 3, 4, 5 episodes, what happened? Absolutely everything and nothing. It's extremely messy... There are too many long and never-ending episodes, and in a single episode, a crucial plot twist can be introduced without ever having heard of it before!
There is also too much unnecessary dialogue: we learn nothing about the characters, whether they are secondary or main, and there are dialogue-less scenes that add nothing. The photography is not even particularly beautiful (the colors are dull, the framing is bad, and the final green screen scene is particularly ugly and poorly integrated).
The story doesn't progress, and you could watch the drama by only viewing 3 episodes out of 24. I'm very frustrated because I was forced to watch everything without skipping anything.

The characters are poorly developed. I really liked the secondary characters because they have more "human" scenes than the main characters, who have no past, family context, or clearly established personalities until episode 18. Waiting 18 episodes to get attached to the main characters is long, too long. We are more invested in the story of Jiang Bai Li and Luo Zhi's brother than in that of the main characters.

However, the interesting contrast between adult love life (Luo Zhi's brother) and Luo Zhi herself with her childhood love is nice, as it shows that lasting love is love that involves responsibilities, not just stars in your eyes.

There are characters we hate, don't understand, and who are not human: Ge Bi, Luo Zhi, and Sheng Huai Nan. They are literally lacking in feelings, expressions, and sense. You could put a rock in their place, and it would be the same... It was very difficult not to skip scenes with them; it was almost awkward.

For Sheng Huai Nan, there is real growth at the end, where we are finally presented with a human with feelings and a personality... however, his choices are incomprehensible, and his story with his family is terribly mishandled.


ACTING

Honestly, I think the biggest problem with this drama is the acting. It's terribly bad. Thanks to Jiang Bai Li (Rain Shen), Zhang Ming Rui (Zhang Yi Chi), and Xu Ri Qing (Yuan Bai Zi Hui) for being good actors to raise the level. The rest of the actors have NO apparent emotions, and it's difficult to understand their reactions to an event sometimes... I have many examples, but it's enough to take the important scenes to understand.

I don't have much else to say about the performance delivered.

It's a shame that 80% of the drama focuses on Luo Zhi, who shows no emotions. She is aggressive and dry with most of the people around her. The contrast between Luo Zhi's entourage and herself is striking: Luo Zhi's entourage are better actors than she is, which makes her even more unbearable.

MUSIC

The same music throughout the drama, it's nice but always poorly implemented.

Rewatch value:

None.

Lire davantage

Good story, boringly told, with the most patronizing FL ever!

Watch at your own risk. The story isnt bad but is tol in the most boring way possible like a ceiling fan going round and round and round on a hot summer day.. Every bit of excitement is killed by the dull FL, who is priggish and sanctimonious to the nth degree. Honestly , what was the necessity of showing her as so judgmental and smug about her own goodness? The character felt like it was written by an adult woman who has suffered from rejection writing a revenge saga. There was just not a single exchange between her and any other character where she didnt ram her own feelings of inadequacy , down their throats. If that is how the writer-director wanted the FL to appear, then they chose the right actor. Or was it the case of a really handicapped actor trying to play a role that should have shown some sympathy -empathy and some femininity?
The actor who played the FL didnt smile or have even a single light hearted moment.. Even when she kisses there is not a sense of being overwhelmed. She is always in control and showing down everyone by the badge of suffering she wears like a medal. One of the most uninspiring FLs ever seen in Cdramas, I might be in a minority here but honestly she doesnt have a main lead vibe at all.
The story is not bad, very strong in parts and the ML desperately tries to keep things rolling but the direction is so lackadaisical it just keeps missing all high points by sheer boring twists and turns. The stories of other couples is given prominence and I actually felt far more invested in the stories of all the other couples because the mean and women there at least sparkled with life. In the case of the main couple the woman was played by a dead fish as they say in England.
Fellow MDL ers watch this only if you wish to torture yourself or are being paid to watch it.

Lire davantage

As someone that has grown up watching a junkyard full of dramas, I'm definitely saying this was amazing. It may be because I'm getting older but I'm starting to appreciate more of the slow-burn, realistic and more mature dramas instead of the usual fluff pieces. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with a wholesome love story but I find they create a lot of unrealistic situations that don't make sense in the moment. I think when people are calling this a fluff piece and to instead watch "A love so beautiful", I think they're missing out on all the charming moments this drama has. The themes that play out in this drama are about cherishing every adolescent moment we have and not having any regrets on love. This show manages to show a lot of growth in each characters, even the supporting cast. And to the people saying this is a fluff piece, no way did we just watch the same drama. Yes, there were the cutesy moments but there were so many mature themes that most other dramas don't necessarily explore. Every scenario of events felt like they had a purpose in getting characters to grow and not remain stagnant. One of most fascinating things about the story is that it takes place in the mid-2000's where technology wasn't as crazy as it is now. I always wondered why this decision was made or if this was when the novel came out (the novel it's based on).

Main lead: There's a reason everyone is talking about how great a character she is. She has more emotional maturity and sensibility then most people I know. I and a lot of people love how her character doesn't fit the archetype of many female leads. She's strong, blunt but is able to comfort someone by always knowing what to say. She never chases or goes after anyone and lets fate run it's course. (sidenote- I love how the show made sure that her sensibility was a good quality trait but also bad which brought her a lot of heartache).The interesting thing is that even though she loves him, she never acts on her feelings, not only because she feels afraid but doesn't know how to. I think her character is so relatable in that the male lead has never noticed her until he the finds her later in life.

Male lead: I think he was a pretty average lead for a drama. He's handsome, smart and all the girls like him. But I think he stands out because the show does tell his flaws to his face, (literally, there's a scene where Lui Xhi tells him, directly to his face, everything he did wrong for her to be angry at him. We stan a blunt QUEEN). You can tell that as you keep watching, he becomes more normal and I love how the show expresses his fears of people discovering that he isn't as shiny and perfect as people think he is.

Story: This story may seem stalker-ish at first but the thing I love about this show is that it explains all her feelings and how she came to feel them. Some dramas don't that and it irks the hell out of me. And her actions are never immoral, she just has a diary. I can rest assure you that it is not a stalker story in the slightest.

Supporting cast + side stories: I love pretty much most of the side characters or friends that the main leads had. I know people have certain things to feel about certain characters but I pretty much loved all the friendships. One of the best things in this drama is the pure bromance between Sheng Huainan and Zhang Mingrui. Can I just point out that Mingrui is a true homeboi for never getting mad at him or at least irritated by him even with all the unrequited love scenarios. I also love all the side stories. But I want to point out the one story people are the most irritated by which is the love triangle with Ding ShuiJing. I understand why people don't like it but I think it was a good side-story just because of the themes it dealt with. It really added in something different. The whole plot-line is about how Luo Yang and Ding ShuiJing meet in a class and start spending time together. They seem like a good match at first, but it turns out he has a girlfriend of 8 years. It kind of explores deeper into emotional cheating because even if they were never intimate, you knew they liked each other. His girlfriend is also given a lot of character and you end up sympathizing with her a lot.

Cinematography: Can we just talk about some of the camera shots and angles. Like, dang, they really tried with this drama. Personally, I don't have a film major or understand it on an expert level, but the shots, in my opinion, have a wide range. I find that in a lot of chinese fluff dramas, that the camera shots are very basic. Shot on one person, shot on the other. But in this one, they try to incorporate a lot of the area around them and more dynamic movement. One of my favourite scenes is when we're kind of taken a tour of the dorm of Sheng Huainan and his roommates. I kind of love how the camera kept moving from one room to another, making the shots more lively with so many boys living in one room. Besides the couple of bad green screen moments, they really did well.

I actually created an account just so I could say how good this was and how more people need to watch it. I'm not saying this was absolutely perfect, but I honestly think nothing is perfect and deserving of a full 10/10. But seriously, WATCH THIS. I find that if you give a show a chance, no matter what anyone else thinks, you may find a hidden gem.

SPOILER ALERT BELOW: YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED





SIDENOTE:
I love when we got into the family arch, it wasn't all about the parents disapproving but something that brought more emotional turmoil. I still think that was a crazy thing to do for a plot-line but it wasn't the generic, your family is poor and therefore, I can't associate with them kind of thing. I also appreciate how they didn't make Sheng Huainan's mother blame Lui Xhi's mother for being in the lawsuit. She just felt disappointed in herself for causing so much pain.

Also, did not want to mention this in the beginning because it would definitely be a spoiler. But, can I just say how happy I was when he ended up staying. I mean it was obvious that they were going to end up together because they both seemed very regretful, but it still tugged at my heartstrings.

The entire decision of making Sheng Huainan cheat and get caught was NOT AT ALL something I thought they were going to do. Mainly because not many shows are willing to put out plots where the male lead goes through something but doesn't bounce back. I thought they were going to do something completely unrealisitic and make him find a way to get unexpelled but thank god, they didn't go that route. I think the ending really helps build the male lead into something more than what his archetype is. He went through something devastating and he understands how he was living a life of privilege which gave him a lot of advantages. And feels insecure about how he isn't at all perfect.

Lire davantage

[SPOILERS AHEAD]

The theme of this drama is sad. Imagine having to love someone for 10 years and nobody knows about it and you can't tell other people, its just an emotional torture.

Luo Zhi's Unrequited Love for Sheng Huinan was more than just a teenage first love. It was built with respect and adoration. She loved him unconditionally BUT without someone knowing. And she isn't that FL you will see that will go head over heels crazy over a guy she likes. She is mature. Although she love him since like forever, even when Sheng Hiunan confessed to her she did not let herself get drowned in it. She tell's him to think about it. Even when he ghosted her, she did not harbour any bad feelings instead she wished him the best. Along with wishing him the best, she waited and waited until he is ready.

The other cast did well too, Thats why i really loved this drama, Zhang Mingrui who deserves nothing but the best too. Im glad he got his own happy ending. Baili, my sweet sweet Baili, she was cheated twice but she stays that sweet girl that everybody love . She did not let them ruined her.

"Luo Zhi’s love was so humble, so careful, and yet, so proud. Her internal demons grew at such an alarming rate, there was no way she could easily and cleanly retract her love for him."

Lire davantage

Nostalgic but messy

I had my reservations going into this, thinking that the story itself was a little creepy. It was, but it wasn't as bad as I thought and I actually quite liked that the main characters had to really get to know each other slowly.

Ultimately though, my issue was with a lack of depth in the characters. This includes the mains, but also refers to the side characters; none of them felt likable, whether it was because they were constantly a doormat or because they acted like a SFL that the drama was trying to pass off as a good character. The only character I really loved was Zhang Ming-Rui, but it really felt like he got the short end of the stick.

Regardless, I actually enjoyed the relationship between the two leads and their backstory for the first part; unfortunately, like a lot of C-dramas, once the big conflict hit, it felt like everything just fell apart. Misunderstandings skyrocketed, there was the dreaded lack of communication time skip, etc. Things just got really messy and it felt like nothing in terms of family background was explored as much as it could have been.

Lire davantage

Uh

I knew there was show i was missing in my memory of the chinese shows i watched in 2021. It was this show, the fact that someone forgot about this show tells you all you need to know. It was easy to watch.
Another show were the girl follows the guy she likes to college. The movie was better.
Spend your time watching other shows in this genre.

Why does this show not have a lot of reviews, because it's hard to write 500 characters on this show.
............................................................................................................

Lire davantage

By far in all the drama's I have watched, this is the most relatable one.
That feeling of liking some, watching them from a far; appreciating them from a far; loving them from a far. Its not exactly a new theme but when done correctly, its one of the most amazing love stories out there.
Loving someone not because you get something from them or expect to be loved in return.
But because your heart tells you too.
I really admire the writers for not letting Lou Zhi become like any other Female leads out there.
When she said that Innocence is important my heart just bled for her. When they fought in the rain, when she told him that he had already decided even if she explains herself.

It kind of reminds me of Monsta X's new song "Someone's someone" (although my heart is still breaking) it said
"We all wanna be someone's Wanna be someone's someone With somebody we can't live without" and the lines "Perfect with no reasons Reasons are for people you meant to lose"

You don't need reasons to love someone, you just love them.

Lire davantage

I do want to put a disclaimer that you should probably watch the drama if you're that interested to form your own opinion. This is simply mine.

*I was upset with the lack of quality as I noticed many errors throughout the drama itself. However, I do think its reasonable since it wasn't an extremely funded project (at least to my knowledge).*

To begin with, the story revolves around a lonely girl named Luo Zhi. LZ isn't really the most popular, but she begins to form a mysterious bond with a boy from her grade. Insert our other main lead, Sheng Huainan. He's highly liked by his classmates and is intrigued when he unknowingly meets LZ. Through this encounter, their entangled story begins and continues onto their college days. The drama follows their story more as they're in college, but it does reference their interactions during high school a lot and it supports the somewhat okay plot. I can't completely say that this plot was the best, but I've surely seen worse. It was more of the story that kept me going on this drama. LZ, as a girl who has liked a guy for so long, continues to face the highs and lows of it. More than that, she grows as a person who becomes independent yet still attached to her roots. Her story was the more satisfying parts of this drama as it shows a development in her for sure, but I still felt that the ending could've been more realistic in some sense. I'll discuss that later on. SH, a boy who goes from having it all to finally realizing the one thing he never knew he had is a character that is certainly complex but also flat in a way for me. His development is more of a plateau but it does have its spikes throughout the drama. I'm using plot as the direction of whoever directed / wrote the drama and story as the actual character's experience as the two seem different in comparison. Plot wise, it was lacking and stretched at most points but it wasn't entirely boring either. I think if you get invested into the characters, the plot can be forgiven slightly.

I think the chemistry was cute once it got going. Overall, I think LZ was SH were portrayed nicely but I do think the acting itself could've been better at some points. These are mostly the scenes were the tension is being built but it falls through due to dialogue / other reasons. I do like the cast overall since they fit the college look much more than if this story was in high school. The kissing was awkward but I do commend them for having a decent one at least once throughout the drama.

Music was nice, nothing too boring. It was replayed a lot though I guess due to the lack of a big soundtrack since I started to memorize the progression of certain background music. I did like the opening song as it was definitely my style for Chinese dramas to have as an OST. As for re watching, I would only focus on the main episodes where main story points are included. I wouldn't watch the whole thing over.

The best point of this drama is the story of Luo Zhi to me. It showed vulnerability and strength in her story and I liked it the most out of the drama's key points.

This has been Unrequited Love.

Lire davantage

It's really beautiful story and cast

I completed watching the drama in Netflix in one day.i really loved it but when I searched about unrequited love 2019 so many people are criticizing the cast and acting but the drama is really beautiful and it shows the how people need to accept imperfections and move on with them I really loved it . It's a happy ending . It's really shows the youth mistake and their feelings really try to watch it.its beautiful drama
I really loved zhoshuran and I really searched whole Google and I could not find him his social networking but he is not bad looking an dither casts too

Lire davantage

I just recently finished watching this drama and I must say it didn't disappointment me.

Story: It is good. Very light and easy to watch. No too much twist and turns. No too much complications. No too many fillers. No dead episodes. No too much annoying antagonist second or supporting characters. I binged watch this for like 2 or 3 days since every episode only contains 38 minutes. Has a strong female character not the same as the other youth drama I watched that the female lead is like childish dumb or whatever. With this one, the female lead is strong, smart, calm and composed. Male lead is like the typical lead in other youth drama that is intelligent, outstanding and handsome. Supporting characters are good. Well written story I must say and I enjoyed watching every episode. I didn't skipped any minutes of episode. Ending is good also though it seems like it was a bit rushed. Like after misunderstanding, break from each other and avoiding each other, realizing everything, patching things up then getting back then suddenly marries then that's it. For me the ending wasn't too much enough but it's okay. At least it's a happy ending.

Acting/cast: They're all good. They delivered their characters well. Chemistry between leads are there and good. Chemistry between casts are also good. Nothing to complain about.

Music: Music wise it's okay. No too much background music. Songs are okay and nice but not to the point it'll make me remember it and makes me go have LSS.

Rewatch value: since I'm not fond of rewatching any dramas I already watched, and this drama didn't left too much mark and impact to me so I doubt I'll rewatch this one. Maybe if I won't have any dramas to watch then that's the time I'll rewatch this. Just maybe.

All in all, this drama is good and worth watching. I'll recommend this for everyone to watch.

Lire davantage

A very confusing story about unrequited love

Before saying anything, I will say that I have not watched any of the other adaptations.

I must say I didn't really love this drama.

First, the story is not that bad I think, but the storytelling is so confusing. It would just skip from one scene to another very abruptly. I was so lost at the beginning, I couldn't understand what was going on at all. On top of that, there were a few things that happened that I didn't like or thought were completely unnecessary (but I won't mention them as to not spoil it).

Second, the acting was quite emotionless in many scenes, their voices sounded monotone, almost robotic (I think they used voice actors). The way they talked was just so weird in my opinion, it didn't sound natural in the least.

Third, the music did not leave an impression. I cannot remember any song from this drama.

So, I wouldn't really recommend this drama, unless you are really bored or have nothing else to watch.

Lire davantage

OK, I was not 100% convince with the synopsis, picking this title up from Netflix. But I thought of giving a try as I was flipping through drama list.
You know it was a good drama when you continue watching pass episode 1. And this was what happened. The story line was progressing very pleasantly, wish I could also read the book before hand. The flow of the story was good and I did not feel there were any boring or dead spots. I particularly like the narration of the story.
The acting was good overall. Not sure I would consider any of the leads good looking (not my type).
The ending was kinda expected with a good result for both the leads.
In summary, I enjoyed watching it and good for a slow, raining weekend binge watch.

Lire davantage