Unfamiliar Lover (2021)

Obsession and Possession

Enthralling. Intriguing. Mind-blowing

It is probably the perfect three words to describe this drama.

The whole drama narrates the story of Lou Qianyi and Hou Youze's relationship after an avalanche that renders Qianyi amnesic and how Qianyi tries to figure out her identity.

Initially, the plot of this drama is not straightforward and kinda complicated, which may leave your mind and train of thought all over the place. However, as the plot progresses, you will be able to gradually grasp the background and motivations of the various characters and understand the past incidents that shape current events.

The show is not draggy, you might get hooked unconsciously after watching a few episodes!! If I'm not mistaken, this drama was initially planned to have 40 episodes, and I am glad that they cut it down to 29 episodes. 29 episodes are the right number, it is not draggy and it is well-paced too. The pacing is well-paced and the drama also transitions seamlessly between suspense, tragedy and thriller with a few twists and reveals mixed in.

What makes this show spectacular is of course the male lead's acting. Ou Hao acted as Hou Youze, an obsessive yet pitiful person. His acting is spectacular!! He managed to bring Hou Youze role to life through his gaze and nuanced micro-expressions. I can't help but feel a bit scared while watching his acting. I watched a few of Ou Hao's dramas before, and he is really versatile, a quality which hopefully garners him more varied roles in his future projects!! Victoria Song's acting has also improved much!! She managed to play 2 different roles so well, she is getting better and better in each drama she stares in.

The background music and sound of this drama fits in perfectly with the whole ambience. The background music makes you feel the suspense and your adrenaline rushing. Though I feel like the background music was excessively used in some parts to the point that the background music is dictating you what you should feel. As for this scene, suspensive background music is used, therefore, you should feel suspense. But regardless of it, they still managed to make me feel the suspense and be on the edge of my seat while watching the drama.

As for the flaws, there are some scenes where it lacks logic and coherence. For instance, how can someone who just suffers a heavy accident and need to go through cosmetic surgery look so normal in just a month?! But if you don't really care about all the small details, you will love the drama!!

Another flaw is the CGI used during the avalanche, the CG looked so fake that I can't help but laugh a little, the cuts and CG used in the avalanche scene does not do justice to the quality of the storyline. But it is only a small part of it so don't mind too much!!

You might like or hate the ending. But for me personally, I think that ending is a perfect ending for this drama!!

Lover or Stranger is probably one of my favourite dramas of 2021!! It is rare to see a Chinese drama that takes on this genre, and in the future, I hope to see more kinds of Chinese dramas with this genre!! Give it a try, you might love it!!

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