Crush (2021)

Because love has no disability

The first thing I noticed while watching is the great production value. Because the male lead is partially blind, the cinematography did a great job using lights, sounds, and angles for us viewers to see the details of what our male lead may go through.

The story is heartwarming and simple, a girl who fell in love at first sight with a blind man who doesn't believe he deserves love. With her dream to become a radio host, and his occupation as a songwriter, their encounter doesn't feel forced. The storyline itself is enjoyable to watch because their progress in falling in love is also in line with their character development.

Sang Wu Yan (female lead) is your typical likable and full of spirit character who can be a bit dense when it comes to herself, you can't help but like her. Su Nian Qin (male lead) is that perfect male character that doesn't want to be bothered... well, at first. When you started to know his warmth and vulnerable side, even the smallest smiles become way precious. As someone who is not familiar with Evan Lin, I must say I was impressed by him a lot throughout his scenes. The two actors really make a great pair.

Too bad, all these good things started to turn the other way around when the writer tries to go dark with the plots but keeps bringing your cliches storyline into it (misunderstandings, breakups, CEO male lead, jealousy). So I do admit I lost interest for the last few episodes and skip most through it, especially the second couple who I think has no value to the actual plot.

But I do admit it's still enjoyable to watch. You rarely get drama plots with a character who has a disability, and if you're used to cliches, the last half of the drama is pretty bearable and kinda cute in a way, plus the OSTs are also good. So do I recommend this drama? Yup

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This drama is an absolute 10!

I watched this with iQIYI-VIP. Paying for VIP for this 24-episode drama alone is worth it!

There will be spoilers in my review, and I think no one should see spoilers about this drama prior to watching it, so read at your own risk. I have many thoughts, so bullet points w/ explanations are probably the easiest way to get all of my thoughts out.

Things I don't like:
--The fact that you can see spoilers in the opening credits
--The second lead couple
--Wu Yan's toxic mother
--The way every episode just kinda stopped.
--The lack of communication

Things I do like:
--Knowing there was a happy ending coming due to spoilers in the opening credits
--The second lead couple (They got better)
--Wu Yan's toxic mother's character growth
--The fact that I binged this, so the episodes coming to a sudden stop didn't affect me too much.
--The resolution of the lack of communication

Things I love:
--The OST. All of it, but especially "Forever Shine For Me."
--Nian Qin. I don't like to judge people based on looks, but Evan Lin's visuals are perfect in my opinion, and I was happy to see him on screen. And I thought his acting was on point with the character. His distance from others, his loneliness, his enmity towards his family, his empathy towards children, his desperation towards Wu Yan, his romantic and protective attitude...they were all manifested in Nian Qin's face, eyes, and actions.
--Wu Yan. She was annoying at first, but not too much. She was stubborn, but thankfully not as stubborn as Nian Qin. She knew her mind and was willing to stand up for herself against her mother. Although she was a student of Psychology, she wasn't a perfect person and, in my opinion, intentionally kept Cheng Yin around to help herself deal with things. She also allowed herself to rely on her friends, and especially Xiao Lu, for help with understanding Nian Qin.
--Xiao Lu--best, most devoted aunt/friend/helper ever.
--Wu Yan's father. Best. Father. Ever.
--The reality of life, death, relationships, personal growth, families, friendships
--The fantasy of being able to save yourself but having a rich and devoted boyfriend/husband to protect you. Lets's face it, money doesn't solve all problems, but it does eliminate some of the bigger ones.
--The production and visual effects
--The forced kiss in the alley. Although many people will hate this, and hate me for saying it, it was a dose of reality. It proved Nian Qin's desperation. I don't condone anything being non-con, but without that scene and others (such as dragging Wu Yan to the cocktail party with him) Wu Yan would not have been forced to face her own feelings towards him.

I could go on and on. I really loved this drama, and I'm still going back and rewatching scenes. I don't usually rewatch dramas, even when I say I'm going to, but there is a good chance that I will rewatch this in it's entirety.

I hope everyone can enjoy this as much as I did.

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Privet flower

I really loved this drama. At first, I was excited for all the episodes to come out but now I hope that it will not come to an end. It is the most heartfelt and pure dramatization of a novel. The story was indeed great and thanks to the author Mu Fusheng. I fell in love with Sang Wuyan and Su Nianqin's characters. I felt like I'm Mr. Su who will always stay in the same place waiting for Ms. Sang to come. It was a success because of all the people who's been part of this drama. I hope for Wan Peng and Lin Yanjun to collaborate again on another project. Thumbs up to the actors and actresses who give justice to their characters and to the story. And without the Director, the author, and all the people behind this great drama it will not be this successful and significant.???

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CRUSH, a drama that will touch your heart.

CRUSH is undeniably a masterpiece! A classic and a timeless drama. 2021’s best and finest!!!! Superb execution of pure love, beautiful cinematography, intense actors chemistry, well written story and great music played in perfect sync for every special moment.

You play the pilot episode - and its a make or break for a drama series. And this drama will get you hooked on the get go. It’s so addictive, its only gonna wet your appetite for more. Thanks to the pacing of the story which is neither dragged nor rushed for each episode.

At times, in many episodes you’ll find pleasant surprises of sweet moments that will definitely get you screaming like - “where did that come from?” and you can’t help but end up twitterpatted. It’s not cliché, it’s nothing you have ever seen in a Cdrama. Though this is a novel adaptation , the storyline and script were beautiful written and equally beautifully executed.

The actors’ chemistry is KEY. OMG. Good job on the casting!!! Give them another drama together please!!!! The way they act around each other in simple ways of kisses, hugs, looks - is so natural. Evan Lin’s looks will melt you!!! And their acting was so on point. I was first hesitant because the EvanLin is newbie actor but he did play his role very well as a blind man and as a man in love. ♥️ Wan Peng fits these kind of roles. ‘a girl in love’. She doesnt over act, perfect. She’s soooo pretty too.

Their characters love for each other is totally fresh! A sincere love from beginning to end. it need not involve a 3rd party to break em up but rather it dealt with their own inner struggles, character flaws, families issues - which are relatable and legit concerns in a real-life relationship. Unlike other dramas, their characters were not dumb at all.

The scenes and cinematic shots are so artistic, captured in nice angles. And the MUSIC, oh the music - they are now on my playlist!!!! It’s so nice! And it comes up at the right time. ♥️ brings everything to a whole ‘notha level!!!
Like a cherry on top - in this beautiful cdrama.

So thankful for CRUSH.
This drama has truly touched my heart. <3

10/10

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The best drama in 2021

A glass of wine in a cold lonely night, this is how this drama means to me. It's the perfect companion when you miss that warm fuzzy feeling of being in love, the giddy sensation you feel when those tiny little butterflies start to play in your stomach and when you want to get a glimpse of that same innocent feeling you felt when you fell in love for the first time.
This might be just another rom-com for some, but what sets it apart from the rest is how it is able to give us memories we never had.
The acting is top-notch but of course, we expect nothing less from Wan Peng. She's a always a delight to watch!
What surprised me is how Evan Lin justified the character of a blind man who went through a lot. His eyes were like the ocean; serene, deep, vast yet it shows no emotions just like how blind eyes should. His micro-reactions, the simple movements of his face, his jaws were very captivating. You don't have to second guess what kind of emotions he's trying to deliver as they were very apparent.
I love how the development of each character is slow at the beginning and started to gain speed as the story progressed.
The quality of the production's color palette is also something worthy of appreciation as it heightened the vibe of the entire show.
This drama might not be the best, but the fact that it gave me that post-drama feels that I seldom get and tortured me for over a week makes it really special

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There’s hope in the ending

Enjoyed the first couple of episodes, went downhill in the middle, salvaged by the ending, although it still felt a built rushed.

I wish they could have had more airtime regarding Chen Yi. It was important in Wu Yan’s character development, on how she came to be what she is at present. The few sentences from the male bestfriend and the doctor didn’t give much justification when she was more essential than the side couple which the drama could have done without because they didn’t really add strength and context to the plot. Where they too pressed for time?

I was a bit thrown off with the stepmom issue in the beginning. My imagination went wild because of the angst and animosity, plus the hazy view from Nian Qin’s memory, but I eventually got my answer. Haha!

The acting and chemistry of the main leads were really good. The rest of the cast, not so much. They were like dry stale, dry bread.

I enjoyed the drama overall. Loved the OST! However, I’m not going to watch it again. It’s not as engaging or exciting as I pictured out to be.

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TEMPLATE CLASSIC DRAMA WITH SUPERB ACTING

Yes if you searching for a good drama that easy to be watched, you can give this drama a chance.

This drama indeed a very cliche drama that easy to be predicted where the story will goes on (esp if you alr watched a lot of dramas)
If it's a typical drama like others then what makes me continue to watching it?
Their ACTING are outstanding! I'm sure if this drama performed by other person, I won't finish this drama, moreover write a review about this drama.

Surely, this drama will give you a lil smile on your face while watching it. Just give it a try!



I seldom write a review but I also gladly write a review for this drama and give the ML two thumbs up!
Ps: the ML is a newcomer in this industry but alr give an awesome acting

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Surprisingly good

Didn't think that I will watch this at first cause it doesn't seems so interesting to me but I was quite wrong thus, the title surprisingly good. I watched some short clips on youtube but can't help it and ended up watched the whole show.

It started off pretty solid. I like how Wuyan chase after Nianqin, cute and not too much (I really dislike watching too embarrassing stroyline) and Nianqin slowly opens up to Wuyan. They did not drag too long to be together and their scenes are quite sweet, sometimes funny. A lot of times Nianqin taking care of Wuyan is so heartwarming taking into account that he is visually impaired. Most of the characters including leads and sub leads are quite real and their actions are understandable. The "crisis" between the leads does make sense too. Story development is going great until the second half and this is where I will start off complaining. The last few episodes are a bit disappointing. They try to include too many stuff and problem in that short amount of time and none of it are really solve.

*Spoilers*
1) Wuyan imagination of Cheng en.
I feel like this story arc could be properly written and develop to show us a proper closure of how Wuyan let go of her guilt or loneliness with Cheng en and slowly recovers from it especially with the help of Nianqin. It can be an interesting plot but all we get is a goodbye word in the last moment and I didn't even realize it is from Cheng en until I see the comment (I thought it was from the baby lol)
2) The stomachache part in the last episode.
It was a bit unnecessary? I mean if it is in the 23rd episode then I understand but it was like the last 10 minutes? Just to show the goodbye part from Cheng en?? Then the baby is safe and the dreamy few years later scene is shown. If this has a season 2 then it can continue with the baby gone and the last 5 minutes comes from Wuyan dream/imagination lol
3) The reveal of Yi Jin real identity.
Also a bit random. They just show it in the almost last scene and it doesn't affect much too cause too last minute. The sudden increase of problems in the last episode is a bit useless and most of it just randomly so called as solve makes me feel like it did not have a proper closure/ending.

Besides the last few episodes weird pacing and plot, overall it does have a sweet and heartwarming story. Tbh, Wuyan as a psychology student fails terribly hahaha
Her action and words are not like someone who study psychology before even if she doesn't t likes it. But this is just character problem i guess. Meanwhile I would like to applaud Evan as Nianqin considering this is his first main lead, sometimes a tiny bit awkward but still manage to do well as a visually impaired person. Both lead has great chemistry too.

OST is superb. Evan as a singer has a great voice. The songs are so nice and matches well with the story and scenes. The first thing i do after finish the drama is to find the OSTs and I like every song. Even the lyrics are meaningful.

Conclusion is I didn't regret watching this and will continue to listen to the OSTs for a while. See ya.

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A MASTERPIECE

A masterpiece! I cant get over! A simple word title
Crush but with a deeper meaning & story. If the
viewers are meticulous & scrutinizing every scene.
You will see & know what are the feelings of writer & director. Shown the struggle of a person with disability, autism & psychological problem. Family problems, friendship & reality of dreams. Every scenes
were executed very well! The ending for me was
ended in 2 sides, maybe a happy ending if you see it a real scene ending with them having a daughter. Or maybe not if you will see or find that it was only a new
hallucination of the FL because the tragedy always
happened in the elevator then the hospital scenario, just a hint to those real viewer & movie/drama jury! You are so witty if we are in the same view or perspective!
Looking forward for S2 or new drama with EVAN LIN & WAN PENG their love team was so rockin amazing & electrifying!

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Its different

This isn't my usual type of Cdrama, and I saw some comments and stuff and decided not to watch anyways. But my favourite blogger for recaps the review was pretty good and was rated 4/5 so i decided to give this a chance.

I liked it, I liked that they talked about different things that affect people in society right now. Some stuff like disability, social class, psychological health, I don't think I've personally watched any Cdrama about that. For this reason I did not mind all the other cliche in this.

There were funny moments, and some really sad ones as well, but i liked how this show was pretty realistic, its the first time i actually agree with there separated, i think it was needed for some time until things settle down or change a bit.

This may not be for everyone, but i do hope my review would help anyone still considering whether to watch this or not. I would have given a 9, but I think the writers should have change a few things, it would have made this a lot better.

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Overrated.

I kept dodging this show, despite it being recommended to me all the time. My concerns were about the toxic things that happen in this drama & that it's the usual break + 3 year timeskip formula that I've never liked made me extremely weary. Now here we are, in a sort of drama drought I steeled myself & got through this over the course of 3 days.

First and foremost this is an extremely unique cdrama, the likes of which I have not really seen before. Disability romance made for Chinese audiences & it's -at least for a while- good too. I can totally see why it has gotten so much praise. Based on just the first 12 episodes I would have rated this at a 9. Sure there are some toxic things, but those did not really faze me in the first half. The acting is really strong too, Wan Peng especially blew my mind, having seen her only in stereotypical comedienne roles before It's incredible how much more authentic she is here. Of course the first part already has some problems. The second couple is quite flavorless & they lacked chemistry, plus their plot was uninteresting during the entire drama. What is bigger for me though is that the production team just couldn't commit to Su Nian Qin's blindness. To me it seems like the script had been revised multiple times in strange ways & the end result, specifically ML's eye condition makes no sense what so ever. He can see shapes & movement, but need to use a stick and needs explained why opening the blinds is a good thing, the sun etc.. Let's just say that his condition & the dialog related to it is extremely inconsistent and this is blatantly obvious while binge watching.

Unfortunately after the first half there are a few absolutely horrible episodes involving rather bad writing, momsters and some crazy makjang-ish stuff leading to a breakup & a 3 year timeskip. This is business as usual in cdramaland, at least compared to kdramas usually they don't do this before a 5 minute long rushed happy ending.

Even more unfortunately what follows after the timeskip is just mediocrity. In fact the last 5-6 episodes can only be described as boring. In Chinese society people with inborn disabilities are barely considered human, so of course Su Nian Qin HAD TO BE cured. So basically the last third of the drama is the most generic cdrama happy ending you will ever see, but worse, because there is a lot of weird toxicity that is difficult to digest for western audiences and there is nothing much happening in general. I like slow burn cdrama romances, but this is really far more boring than usual, there is barely any comedy to be found and the way they go through the motions(pursue>get approval>ring>wedding>kid) is really super bland, especially considering that they already lived together before the timeskip.

The drama has one "big" twist. I did not see this coming in advance, but in retrospect I should've, I may have underestimated the writer a little, so I did not even consider something like this happening. Still the reveal was underwhelming & made no impact to the plot, which is a shame because I really liked the character involved..

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Triangle haters can safely watch this. The secondary love interests are fleeting..

The OST is out of this world good, but after the timeskip the best parts are not used anymore, instead they keep repeating the same track that is kind of like elevator music, but more mysterious.
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As I said this is an extremely unique drama, but the closest one I can think of, especially in terms of vibe is Forever and Ever. That drama however is consistently good, it has some makjang-ish craziness as well -perhaps even more overall than here-, but things are dealt with more sensibly & it managed to keep me interested up to the closing credits. The dialog is just very good, nose to nose interactions are not the driving force of every second scene.
People that liked this drama should check Forever and Ever out, it does not have too many viewers on MDL..

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