A purposely cliche-ridden show! Such a fun watch.
The only reason this show isn't a 10 is because the "real world" was so drawn out, everyone in the real world was toxic, and the heroine became kind of spineless at the end. That said, I still highly recommend this drama, because it is just so much fun!STORY - I'm not going to repeat the synopsis, but let me just say, if you have been a fan of Asian dramas for awhile, you will love this show. I think it has pretty much every cliche we've learned to love/hate. There are multiple Hyun Bin references, homages to Goblin, DOTS, Kill Me Heal Me, and a couple of others that I didn't recognize. You've got the scrappy heroine/female lead that, once she goes into the novel, realizes that she's not the lead, which makes for very entertaining dilemmas. Overbearing CEO (yes, he's actually called that), second male lead which caused me serious second lead syndrome, the arm grabs, the shower scenes (they really played these up!) the comas, the evil family, the childhood traumas, etc. I loved all the lines relating to the FL in the novel "why does she trip every time she gets near the CEO? Doesn't this company make you pass a physical?" The writer did an excellent job of making fun of all these things, saying exactly what I'm sure all of us have said at one time or another. I did feel that the writing was more stilted at the end in the real world, it was bordering on cliche, unfortunately. I absolutely hated the FL in the novel - so vapid, with a whispery voice, wide eyes, and I was surprised she was able to breathe on her own without assistance. I didn't get why Xiao En was in love with the CEO/Ao Ran, other than that's what the FL is supposed to do. It made sense once they got to know each other, but it felt backward to me - just being in love with a pretty face, I guess. I loved the FL and her best friend - the kind of friendship that we all want to have in our lives.
CAST - Vivian Sung was good as Xiao En, though her hair hanging in her face was about to drive me crazy - give that girl a barrette, for heaven's sake! Marcus Chang as He Tian Hang/Ao Ran - let's be honest, this guy is serious eye candy. I think his acting tends to be a little flat and one note, which was perfect for this show. He did an admirable job of playing two different sides to the same person. Simon Lian as Qing Feng - he was my favorite person in the show. The strong, silent type, he really took the time to get to know Xiao En - I was shipping them for the longest time, even though I knew it could never be. I loved his relationship with Ao Ran as well. I was actually very sad that He Tian Hang didn't have his counterpart in the real world.
COSTUMING - Why they put the FL in huge, hanging, oversized, blousy, not attractive outfits through the whole thing, I have no idea. The clothes that the men wore were nice.
OST - beautiful. Marcus Chang did a few of the songs.
So, even though I felt like there was a lot of boring stuff, it was so fun to watch a show give voice to questions that I always have while watching these shows. Kissing first thing in the morning? Don't they need to brush their teeth?
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This is how a romance involving an alternate world should be!
I suppose many people when reading Lost Romance's synopsis will immediately connect it to the KDrama "W" or even last year's high school comic book romance drama "Extraordinary you" (which was very ordinary in my opinion). I admit to being quite skeptical at first when I read LR's synopsis. I went "Not again! Another W!" You see, I was very very disappointed with W. It was a total wreck in my opinion. Hence, that influenced my perception of any romance drama with an alternate world setting. Having said that, I have a soft spot for TDramas even though most of them performed terribly; there were times when you get gems of legendary status such as Autumn's Concerto, Meteor Garden, It Started With a Kiss, Prince turns into a frog, Fated to Love You etc etc that got adapted many times over into CDramas, KDramas, JDoramas, Thai lakorn, Filipino drama etc. So, I have some hope left for the TDrama industry. Hence, I went into Lost Romance with caution and I am glad I did!Lost Romance is by far the best example of how a romance drama involving an alternate world should be! I know so far it has received mixed reviews. Those who disliked it mostly could not wrap their heads around the alternate world setting. Why did they go into the novel world? How did that happen? If you are one of those who can get caught up with the scientific explanation of the hows and whys in order to enjoy a drama, you might not like this drama. Lost Romance does not offer to fully explain why and how they traveled into the novel world. The leads did try to discuss why and how it happened but in the end they too had to dismiss it. The ML, in the final episode, reflected and said that perhaps it was due to his desperation and lost of hope that drew him into the novel world. The jury is out on that but again, the hows and whys are not important in this drama. If you had watched Someday or One Day - which coincidentally is also one of my recent favourites - you'll also notice the they did not fully explain the whys and hows - simply the ML & FL time traveled when listening to Wu Bai's song and hence the events/story started.
Another popular reason given by those who disliked LR is because they could not comprehend or stand the FL's hesitations. This I have to disagree. I think the hesitations are valid. After all, the ML in the novel and in the real world are two entirely different people in character and personality, and the FL had promised the ML in the novel world that she will love only him. So, immediately jumping on to the ML in the real world will be equivalent to cheating. In this, I agree with the FL's actions to stay firm and loyal to one man only (aka the man in the novel world whom she gave her promise to).
The pacing of this drama is just right for me. I am after all, a person used to watching CDramas with over 30+ episodes. This sort of pacing in LR is just perfect -neither too fast nor too slow. I find myself wanting to watch episode after episode without fast forwarding any parts.
The chemistry between the ML and FL is perfect. And while we are at the topic of chemistry, I would like to announce a good news to all those drama lovers out there who are seeking for romance dramas with lots of kissing, skinship and bed scenes....you will be pleased to know that Lost Romance will fulfill them for you!
Where story goes - it is a pretty simple romance story. Lost Romance does not pretend to make things complicated with multiple plots or try to explain every single thing. It is simply a love story. There are some business and family-related skirmish but it's just on the side and do not distract from the main couple's love story. There are love-able and dislike-able characters, some comedy and adequate push-pull factor in the romance to keep the viewers interested in the OTPs relationship. It also has a perfect and unhurried ending. With only 20 episodes and lots of lovey-dovey scenes in every episode, LR has a high re-watchability value. So, what's stopping you? Now that it has ended, it's the perfect drama for you to binge watch! Overall, I give Lost Romance a 9/10. Happy watching!
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the most romantic drama of 2020!
Always a big fan of Korean and Chinese Drama.But this Taiwan drama definitely come and make itself the most memorable,
romantic drama of the year!
I've been spoiled with so many good ones this year.
Crash Landing on you (then something in the rain and one spring night)
Romance of Tiger and Rose
Love by Hypnotic
Maiden Holmes
and now,
Lost romance.
the story is unique.
the script is awesome
love all the quotes, the banters, the conversations.
Both of the lead is amazing! How they portray the characters.
The romance is out of this world.
The kiss, lets not talk about how hot it is!
all is very passionate.
if you live for chick-lit, the romance novel that satisfy the audience,
than you will breath for this one, as if it is made to our pleasure! all-in-one!
wishing for season 2!!
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Cette critique peut contenir des spoilers
Time will never stop so love your life happily and cherish the moments with no regrets
After having this show on my watch list for ages, it was the show's OST, specifically Marcus Chang's 輸給你 (Lose To You) that compelled me to watch it finally, and I am glad that I did.This series touched my heart on multiple levels, and the interesting thing is that I felt the emotions even more when it was over. It is by no means perfect, and some parts left me questioning, but it is at heart an incredibly watchable and endearing show. It has memorable characters, music and songs that I am still enjoying, and scenes that I keep replaying. Plus, the comedy is on-point. I love how meta the show is and how it makes fun of itself by leveraging all the romance novel tropes and story personalities imaginable.
It is not all about romance, though. From the get-go, Lost Romance sets up expectations of a dramatic corporate power struggle between family in the real world juxtaposed against Xiao En's romantic adventures in the modern romance novel world.
In a way, trying to fit the corporate family drama and the romantic novel world into a 20-episode long series may be the show's main flaw. The real-world link to the novel world is never really explained. Some sub-plots feel poorly developed, like encounters that seem to lead somewhere but end up nowhere. Certain character development appears half-baked like Tian Jian's and Ming Li's sudden personality changes.
Still, what the show lacks in logic, it makes up for with enjoyable cheesiness, warmth, and charm. The show's strengths are the unique premise, attractive leads, and a funny, witty script. Plots about characters cross-traveling from reality into a fantasy world are nothing new. However, Lost Romance is the first one I watched that has the female character starting off as a malicious supporting character in the story and changing her destiny to become the female lead. So it felt fresh to me.
The two drool-worthy male leads, Marcus Chang and Simon Lian were major draws for me, but it was really Vivian Sung who kept me binge-watching. Her Zheng Xiao En was funny, happy-go-lucky, spunky, and adorable, and I found her very relatable. Being an editor of chick-lit romance novels, Xiao En had many funny reactions to the twists and turns of her storyland situation. I enjoyed watching how she determinedly and unapologetically attempted to change her fate by disrupting the cliché romance plot and its characters. Ever so handsome, Marcus Chang probably had the easier role as the good-looking CEO. Still, he was good in his dual roles as the domineering and arrogant Situ Aoran and He Tian Xing, who was more composed, sophisticated, and intelligent. He emoted well, showing character differences subtly but clearly enough for one to see his transition from the flatness of Aoran, the story character, to real-world Tian Xing, someone with more emotional depth.
The chemistry between Vivian Sung and Marcus Chang was easily the best element of this drama. Both of them had some crackling dialogue, and their love scenes were the most convincing of any couple that I have seen recently. I loved their banter, and the skinship and kissing felt so natural and real that I felt like I was intruding into their intimate moments. While I did not get how Xiao En can fall for Aoran so deeply and completely when he was more of a strategic target at first, but I can appreciate how much he lifted her up and vice versa. They showed each other how much they deserved love, even the parts that they wanted to hide. As that mutual understanding developed, the progression of their relationship felt organic
As the charming, sweet, and companionable Qing Feng, Simon Lian gave me second lead syndrome. Unlike other shows, though, I did not end up pining and wishing for more for his character. Qing Feng got his own lovely happy ending that felt just right. I was glad that the show did not spin up a female character just for him at the end, or even worse, pairing him up with Chu-chu, the initial female lead turned second lead. Speaking of Chu-chu, Snowbaby portrayed the annoyingly delicate, soft, and innocent "white lotus" so consistently that I have to give her kudos for it.
The OST is fantastic, and the show has done very well in combining background music with poignant moments. The music certainly elevated the scenes and moods for me.
Ultimately, all I can say is that if you have not watched Lost Romance, you should definitely consider giving it a try. I cannot recommend it enough.
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Cette critique peut contenir des spoilers
a marvelous drama !
okay okay, after a whole 3 months finally FINALLY lost romance came to an end, not in a negative way tho because I was eager to finish this drama and to watch more scenes as the days went by .. one ep a week it was pure torture!i really loved how this drama started.. it attracted me and kept me waiting for next Sundays, si tu aron brought me so many butterflies as the overbearing CEO with his cheetah looks, and bossy attitude!
marcus chang did a marvellous job tbh he acted 2 different characters but they were 1 at the end .. i won't spoil how good the KISSES WERE THO.. (oups)
as the story went by, i found myself classing lost romance as the best Taiwanese drama that i've watched ever! a well-done storyline, perfect osts and visuals .
i downloaded all of this dramas ost. especially the ones that are by Marcus chang they hit an emotional chord right in your heart.
I really loved how Xiao En despite being hurt and rejected she didn't portray the typical, pity character of the dramas she was smart and fought till she got what she wanted.
i felt bad for the second lead as ALWAYS ..
sad because we didn't have the second couple story ...
and i got annoyed when they got back to the real world .. but they made me happy at the end
eeh bittersweet feelings as I'm writing this review ... i will miss this drama a lot, the lead had a great chemistry ..
you won't regret watching it.
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This is definitely a must watch!
This is my fourth story about written characters coming to life outside of the author's pages and I must say, I'm a huge fan of this genre (W, Extraordinary You, Romance of Tiger and Rose being the others). While Marcus Chang always brings his "A" game to acting and definitely did in this one, Simon Lian is also riveting in his role as his best friend. There were several moments when I laughed out loud when they were in the "book" and I think comedic accolades have to go to the female lead played by Vivian Sung. This is funny, poignant and an interesting take on the tropes seen in the drama-world.Cet avis était-il utile?
A love story or a melodrama...
Pick one.This was a cute enough story but the back and forth between the real world and the novel makes the whole thing draggy. Like many have mentioned, the real world story is just not compelling enough to stay focused and it was a relief whenever the story was redirected to the novel parts.
I do not believe they tied the two stories together to make them blend in smoothly.
Okay.
The acting was just alright in my honest opinion, but that could be because the melodrama parts seemed overdramatic, it played out like a soap opera.
There was an unbelievable scene, something miraculous happened to our main lead and I don't think they've executed the scenario enough to make the audience understand how something like that could happen without permanent consequences.
The main lead's brother and sister ending seemed rushed and not planned out; although who cared about their parts anyway?
Overall, this deserves a 7 from me, which is high enough to recommend watching it, for the novel parts alone...but there is no re-watch value here at all.
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The humour and bonding between the main leads is highly entertaining to watch. Zheng Xiao En (FL) was especially witty, endearing and self-aware. As others have said, the plot is a romance novel within a romance novel - neither really takes place in the 'real world.' Plus, the evil siblings/corporate infighting storylines were a good lesson in destructive personality disorders but otherwise a huge waste of time.
All the main characters created distinctive personalities for themselves and interacted 'naturalistically' with growing physical and emotional ease over the episodes. I much much prefer this to dramas where the characters still act stilted and uncomfortable with each other.
The music was modern and well-suited to the themes of the show, much of the tension is around how the romance will survive one world to the next, so no real reason to re-watch.
I grade based on other criteria:
Complex themes: 5.0
There is a strong secondary theme about how narcissistic traits will destroy you and everyone around you. The main couple, however, just go from plot point to plot point.
Character growth/development: 6.5
Zheng Xiao En grows a sense of responsibility and starts seeing how her actions effect others. He Tian Huang learns how to integrate the different parts of his persona/identiy and his inner self.
Strong/complex relationships between women: 6.5
There are strong female friendships featured. They are , however, all of the same generation, roughly same power, and they spend most of their time fixated on the male leads. Zheng Xiao En while smart and self-aware seems to have no particular hobbies, interests and concerns beyond romance and the male leads.
Production/Cinematography: 7.0
Everything is competently shot, and enough thought and money was put into the designs, costuming etc. that it never distracts from the plot. I also liked how the costuming and shooting made the whole show feel a bit like it was in a romance novel. There was a bit of hazy filter, and distinct clothing and makeup types for the different characters.
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Read under “spoilers” below for my theory about why they went to the alternate world
If you’ve had to live your entire life suppressing your true self and instead having to work towards other people’s goals, what is the purpose of your existence? Can you truly be happy? And how do you go about changing your situation? This drama addresses these issues in a very touching way that really draws you in.The female lead is an orphan that works for a small publishing firm and often refers to herself as a “corporate slave.” She has to bottle up everything inside and smile and say yes to her bosses ridiculous demands. She faces numerous setbacks in life every day. But when she spies on the handsome CEO nearby, he becomes like an oasis in the desert and a comfort in a hard and bitter life. His advice in an interview on how to face adversity really impacts her. Knowing that even a rich powerful CEO like him also faces lots of setbacks comforts her. And seeing how he fights so hard to stay strong inspires her.
The male lead is an illegitimate child whose mother dies while he’s quite young. He’s then surrounded by mean, jealous step siblings and a tough father. In order to have value in his fathers eyes he has to be perfect and stay at the top. He has spent his whole life working towards other peoples goals and not for himself. He constantly has to suppress his true feelings and desires.
So when the male lead is in a coma and the female lead is unconscious and hospitalized, the alternate world they enter is very enticing to them. In the real world they are both forced by their circumstances to suppress themselves and live for others. But in the alternate world they are able to break free of their subservient personas and behave as they were never allowed to before. He gets to be the childish overbearing CEO and she gets to be outrageous and do whatever she pleases regardless of the outcome. So we see two very different people in the alternate world which has confused some viewers. But if you take into consideration their circumstances, it’s completely understandable and makes for comedic gold. Their behavior in the alternate world had me laughing all of the time.
This drama opens up with an amazing shower scene so you know right away it’s going to be a really sexy drama. The romance is quite steamy with lots of real kisses, hugs, cuddling, and some racy bedroom scenes. Their chemistry is one of the best I’ve seen. And you don’t have to wait till the last couple of episodes to see it all. If you’re into really romantic dramas then you’ll love this one.
That being said, there were a few things I didn’t like. The female lead is dressed in baggy frumpy clothes and always has unkempt hair that’s pulled up into a half ponytail or mini bun that sticks out. Meanwhile her romantic rival is dressed in close fitting clothes with short skirts and beautifully styled smooth silky hair. I really dislike dramas that purposely make the beautiful female lead look frumpy while her rival is made up perfectly. Also, since the alternate worlds setting is a romantic novel the only storyline there is the romance. So they keep the main leads apart with minor issues continually popping up for far too long. It’s also frustrating that they never give a clear explanation as to what caused them to go to an alternate world. The main leads discuss it at length and the drama gives us some hints but no definitive answer is given. But I’ve always been a super analytical person and love solving mysteries. So I’ve included my theory on what I think caused that to happen. I’ve put it below under “spoilers.”
Overall I have to give this drama really high marks for an original storyline, amazing chemistry, perfect romance, great comedy, and excellent acting. There’s character growth for everyone and some important life lessons are taught along the way. The positives in this drama far outweigh the negatives. You should definitely watch this drama it’s really good.
Slight Spoilers ahead:
We know that after seeing someone attempt to murder the male lead (which puts him into a coma), the female lead is afraid to report what she saw for fear that no one would believe her and there would be retaliation. So she goes to a temple and prays to a very powerful god named Mazu. She asks Mazu to help the male lead without revealing her identity or that she was illegally spying on him. Shortly afterwards, both the female and male lead are transported to an alternate world where books come to life. They suddenly find themselves living in a world where they are the characters in the romance novel the female lead is working on. She remembers everything and knows who she is but he doesn’t remember anything about himself. And when they leave the alternate world she still remembers everything yet he, again, remembers nothing. So her prayer that the male lead is helped without her identity being revealed comes true. It is my belief that Mazu answered her prayers by sending them both to the alternate world where she would learn a lesson and realize what she needed to do to help the male lead. The female lead learns that bottling things up inside and hesitating to speak up out of fear only makes the situation worse. She realizes that you can’t procrastinate, you have to boldly speak up without hesitation. So when she comes back to the real world she has learned her lesson and does what she should have done in the first place. She boldly goes to the authorities and tells them what she witnessed. The drama kind of hints that Mazu may have sent them on their journey but it doesn’t come right out and say it. The leads discuss it and throw around a lot of other theories but there’s no real conclusion as to what really happened. But after a lot of analysis I think my theory makes the best sense. I hope it helps gives closure to a few of you guys as it did me.
Oh and another little spoiler...., you’re gonna love episode 12. It has a scene that’s like a mild version of “50 Shades Of Gray.”
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Cette critique peut contenir des spoilers
Quality Content
This drama has not left my mind since I finished watching it. This drama to me was a dream drama. They are inside a book, they make fun of cliches while also having a few good cliches, great chemistry with all the leads, epic inheritance battle. I could go on. This drama was so good. I was also basically shipping everyone with Xiao'en. And don't even get me started on that sex scene! I mean, what?! One of the best sex scenes I have seen so far. I mean that shit went on for 4 minutes. The acting also got especially good at the end when they leave the book and wake up from the coma and Xiao'en is sad because he doesn't remember. I loved how it seemed almost like a different drama. We got to see He Tianxian and Xiao'en get close and how he tried to woo her. The only bad thing I can say about this show is that I didn't like the ending, but only because I wanted more, so much more.Cet avis était-il utile?
Lost Romance is well paced with good acting, diverse plotlines, and enough comedic satire to balance out the initially cheesy romance. While this is full of fluff and sweet moments, it is by no means your normal, trope laden, romance drama. It gave off a mix of Romance of the Tiger and the Rose and W: Two worlds vibes, with some pointed jokes at the drama "formula" that so many dramas fall victim to.
This drama takes its time to set up the background and steer our characters onto their future path. It didn't feel rushed, and the chemistry between the casts was great and made the story flow smoothly. This is not all fluff and laughs though as the real world holds danger and trickery at every turn it seems. The two main leads had amazing chemistry together and were highly shippable. Character development is pretty abundant here (for the most part) and there are even hidden gems of advice within. Lost Romance has a great balance of suspense/seriousness, romance, humor, and angst.
The OST in this is AMAZING. The songs are always used well, and each of them was beautiful to listen to.
All in all, I would recommend if you're looking for a romance/comedy with a touch of seriousness in the plot. This was an enjoyable watch for sure, and one I'm sure I'll come back to.
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The female lead......wow
Finally finally finally.......what a pleasure to see this smart, chirpy, fantastically emotive female lead. And whoever created her wardrobe and hair and makeup deserves an award!! So underplayed yet stand out.I've been struggling to rate female actors and this one absolutely tops the list right now.
I tried looking up her rating on MDL - however not many people have voted for her. So I hope this review piques everyone's interest.
Interesting story, the chemistry is sizzling and the intimate scenes are off the charts!
The intimate scenes are so classically done - heart fluttering.
Go Taiwanese dramas!!!
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