Two Youth Romance Novels From Writer Zhu Yi Adapted to C-dramas in Summer 2023 Has When I Fly Towards You the Unexpected Better Reviewed Surprise Hit Over Hidden Love
So the first time I heard of When I Fly Towards You were from viewers commenting here about how it’s so much better than Hidden Love and the two are being compared because (1) it’s from the same writer Zhu Yi, and (2) both C-dramas aired at the same time this June 2023. Hidden Love was the “bigger” drama because it had bigger name leads in Chen Zhe Yuan and Zhao Lu Si whereas it was just a bunch of young rising stars led by leads Zhou Yi Ran and Zhang Miao Yi in Fly Towards You. The Douban ratings are out and Fly Towards You has a 7.6 and Hidden Love an unexpectedly low 6.7. I thought Hidden Love got solid reviews (with some criticism early on) but later on the only negative was nothing much happened in the story so I thought it’s Douban ratings would at least cross 7.
Turns out the early criticisms did linger including the age gap in the story being uncomfortable with Chen Zhe Yuan playing against an actual 13 year old in the early scenes, Zhao Lu Si doing an aegyo (cutesy) voice that some viewers found annoying, that Chen Zhe Yuan’s character was too slick and flirty at times (Chinese called it too oily), and that the second male lead was nothing like the character in the novel. Conversely the reviews for Fly Towards You are genuinely glowing centered on how the male lead is not too arrogant and perfect, the female lead not too dim and doormat, that the teen friends group has great chemistry, and the story lines are not overly manufactured for conflict and delivers a true coming of age story in a satisfying way. I know what drama I’m binging next lol.
I started watching Hidden Love, and then while waiting for new episodes, I decided to watch When I Fly Towards You. I ended up getting engulfed in WIFTY and was chasing that instead, and dropped HL until all the episodes were out. WIFTY doesn’t have a lot of “plot” either, but they show the relationships among all the characters so well. There were minimal toxic characters, and all the relationships (minus ML’s mom) were so healthy. It was refreshing. The way the drama was filmed, I really felt all the warmth and love amongst the friends and family. I also appreciate how in both dramas the FLs are not doormats and they were great catches too (I’m really tired of the perfect ML and his bumbling but bubbly FL). I personally just liked the ensemble cast and the more broad focus beyond just relationship love better in WIFTY.
I have to agree with Chinese netizen. I went in not expecting much, but I like Zhao Lusi so i gave it a try. The moment she started talking, I had to stop watching. I couldn’t do it. That cutesy voice was just too much. The kid who played her younger self in the show, had a more normal teenage voice then she did. Zhao Lusi sounded like she was channeling a todler. It was very unconfortable for me to watch. I hope she never speaks like this again in future tv shows. Ever.
Agree 100%. I cannot stand her pretentious voice !! I don’t think the drama is as good as stated. But she has a strong fanbase.
I think both stories have their charms. I read the novel (HL) before watching the drama, and CZY’s character was way more slick in the book (at least how he was written: a tiny bit jaded and sort of more mature somehow since the age gap is 7yrs while in the drama it’s 5).
And as for Victor Ma portraying the SML (ZLS’s brother Sang Yan), he pulled off being the big bro/best bud well enough. The book character seemed more dreamy (he has his own novel too & I heard Song Wei Long might be cast as him) & is known to be the ‘twin’ visually with CZY’s character. Of course in the drama, he has to be different lol but he was solid enough.
I stayed for HL mostly for the chemistry of the main leads. CZY can swallow u whole with that stare of his & ZLS just has this screen presence (minus the aegyo voice lmao) when she acts. Rounding out is Victor Ma was good enough for me. At least it’s 25 eps. If it was more, I would have dipped.
cual es nombre del libro de Sang Yang? quiero leerlo!!
I went to when I fly towards you with 0 expectations due to didn’t know who the actors are but I got hook and finished all episodes in 2 days.it just fun,touching,no noble idiotic antics,ML just awesome,but Fl really just great overall because she’s not damsel in cave or too candy type.
I loved When I Fly Towards You so much! It’s nothing new with the other teen/coming of age dramas but it was really well produced and acted. The ML and the FL’s relationship was really well balanced. THe group of friends was really nice and they had development too.
In Hidden Love, my issue wasn’t the childhood scenes because the ML never showed any love interest. It was more the FL didn’t experiment other things before and fell in love with someone else. I didn’t really understand why the ML fell in love with her neither. Everything was way too much focused on the couple, with too many close-up.
He fell in love with her because she protected him. It was something he never got from anybody before as he lost both his parents. Like how she would defend him from the stalker. That was why he saw him in a new light. I find to be justified as he is someone who is vulnerable. After all, he was only a young boy when all the tragedies in his life happened. Sang Zhi gave him the love that he never experienced before so that alone will touched him.
I didn’t find the age gap as a problem. He always treated as a sister when he was young and never did ne made wrong gestures. It was pure puppy love on her part and we all can relate to that.
ZLS and CYZ’s acting was what made Hidden Love good. It’s nothing new but they really made the characters came to life. CYZ nailed very scene. When the audience can feel the character’s emotions then you know how good the actor is. I definitely became a fan after this drama.
Except the protection plot was very weak. It was pretty sudden and the fact the actress acted with a baby voice didn’t help. The FL was a little princess and lost the spark she had when she was younger for me.
@Alyssia, second! It’s the amazing chemistry between the OTP of HL drawing me to the drama. There’s nothing special about the storyline of HL. I believe many girls experiencing similar crush as the FL in the drama. But the acting of these pair is really convincing, romantic yet not cringe worthy.
CYZ is convincing as a young man who had an unfortunate youth life with strong and vulnerable personality at the same time. The development of romance between him and his bestie’s younger sis is also convincing to me. Given the amazing performances of CYZ and ZLS, I would give HL a much better review than WIFTY. I dropped the latter soon after ep2. I personally can’t stand the storyline nor do I like the acting styles of the OTP in WIFTY.
I agree that When I Fly Towards You is better overall and I enjoyed it more too but I had no problems with Hidden Love also. I understand people’s criticisms for HL, however I enjoyed the healthy relationship between the main leads and they had quite a good chemistry too so that was enough for me to keep going.
The writer for both dramas must have been in one beautiful relationship to have written these two dramas. If not he/she has got one hell of an imagination on how a relationship should work. No conflicts, useless misunderstandings or the common ridiculous love triangles often seen in the drama world, just 2 people in love and shutting out every negative influence to their relationships. Kudos to the writer.
I meant the novel writer actually.
I read something (not sure if it’s 100% true) that said the author had experienced something similar to HL, but she didn’t get a happy ending in real life, so she wanted to create a happy ending in her fictional story.
I truly thk the Douban rating is justified. When I fly towards to you was the one I click to watch as soon as it aired. The story itself was better and it was directed very well. We had 2 leads that was very balanced and the whole buildup of their relationship was very positive, sweet and just right. The secondary leads were not props, they have their stories to tell. And the grandma-grandson story was so touching and beautiful too. Its the best C drama for me this year.
I think it’s unfair to compare the two dramas as I find them both strong in their own right. The romance in When I Fly To You starts much later in the story. Much of the drama focuses on just growing up and the bonds and relationships we develop as we do so the secondary characters are given space to shine as well. Whereas Hidden Love is very much about Sang Zhi and Duan Jia Xu from the beginning and their relationship remains the focus of the drama. I personally enjoyed both dramas veey much.
I personally liked both dramas, WIFTY for a more engaging plot (the scenes with the antagonist, difficult family relationship, false accusation, sexual harassment ) really ratcheted up the plot without disturbing the dynamic of the couple, but led to more immersion by the viewer; compared to this plot, in HL, nothing much happens, other than FL misunderstanding, growing up, falling in love & dating. With a segue into ML’s family issues (less captivating to the viewer). I liked Hidden Love for the nuanced performance by the leads that amped up the romantic intensity. I thought the second ML was good, and the sibling dynamic wholesome and real. Viewers have legitimate reasons for their like/dislike for one drama over the other. But one factor to consider is that ZL and CYZ are the more popular actors, hence they bring baggage into their performances through no fault of their own. It’s easier to judge an actor you’ve seen for the first time solely on the merit of their performance, but actors you’ve seen in so many works, you’re more inclined to judge their acting over several of their works, some you’ve loved, others you’ve disliked, the expectations are higher; and they have more fans and more antis. All these would come into play whenever they have a new work that is produced. And their work would be rated accordingly.
I haven’t watched Fly; and I would never watch a show with HL’s plot if it weren’t for Lusi. Generally speaking, I enjoyed it alright but I still think that it is inappropriate for young teenagers (girls,there’s a big chance the older man you have a crush on is not as decent as Duan Jiaxu, don’t do anything stupid). The aegyo I think was done so that there would be a visible difference between Zhizhi aged 17 and Zhizhi aged 20. It was objectionable, but I am a fan, so I rolled with it.
Aw I found my taste very often deviating from main stream favor. I dropped Fly Towards You very early on. Not a fan of the OTP’s acting styles. I’m not the one for youth drama anyway. Lighter and Princess is one exception that I watched from the beginning to the end and really like it. HL is the 2nd one I haven’t fast forwarded yet since L&P. I quit HL for now bcz I’m totally invested in The Longest Promises. Nonetheless, I plan to move HL from the back burner to the front once I take a break from TLP. Zhao Lusi is so cute as a school girl. Her acting is convincing as someone having a crush on bro’s bestie. I’m not familiar with the ML of HL. But I personally think his acting very natural and balanced, not stiff nor overkill.
Like most youth romance dramas, there is no depth in the plots of these two by the same author. I dropped WIFTY bcuz I was turned off by the OTP and I stayed with HL bcuz I enjoyed the chemistry between the OTP. That’s very simple.
I liked HL better lol but the second half could have been better. Both dramas where easy to watch.
ZL is so thin nowdays. Her voice was suitable for the character.
I tried WIFTY bc of the good reviews but for some reason I couldn’t get into it. I think bc I don’t find the ml charming at all. I don’t know if I should continue to see if it gets better.
As for HL, there’s not much to the story but I love the chemistry between the leads and eventhough CZY may not be the cutest but he’s a charming actor that just captivates you when he’s onscreen. Also gotta say ZLS looks so pretty in this drama too.
I love both dramas but i loved WIFTY more. but both OTP had an amazing chemistry with each other.
The courtship part of HL I felt was stronger (from her college days), but it kind of lost me in the latter half after they got together. WIFTY started out weaker, but you really start to fall in love with each and every character as the show goes on.
I found Duan jiaxu was more charming because he was outgoing, flirty, and very sweet/considerate. Zhang Lurang’s character has low self-esteem and is introverted, so I get why people don’t take to him right away. He showed love in very subtle ways because he wasn’t used to it. He probably had the most character development, as he changed over time because of Su Zaizai. Both pairs were honestly great. I love the healthy and supportive relationship both couples had. I love that there wasn’t any noble idiocy and there were little to no misunderstandings.
I’ve been silently reading you for 2 years now but never had a chance to comment! Just wanted to say while sometimes I disagree with you, I find your candidates refreshing. I will say that I dropped I Will Fly Towards You on Episode 3, because for some reason it was really boring to me? It just seemed like I’d seen it all before. I was going to watch Hidden Love (as a fan of Zhao Lusi) but I’m kind of annoyed because on MDL the show reviews are an echo chamber and filled with people that tend to overpraise. I’m scared to pick these dramas up just ti be let down. I usually hate romance and find it cringey, but King the Land is choking me to death haha.
I read both novels a lot earlier and they are both my faves.I even re-read them at times when I cant find a good novel to binge on it!
When I heard both of them were getting remakes I was so excited also scared cause they mostly ruin important details on characters and stories.For example maybe drama remakes of Jiu Lu Fei Xiang’s novels…
Watching Hidden Love’s first half made me feel awkward, cringe & uncomfortable because they made lead guy act look gaze flirty towards her when she was just a child… I like both casting esp Lusi but the way she played both child parts with that edited voice and grown up version while CZY looking same all along felt off.He doesnt even look like what his character described so many tımes ın novel. He looks like a bunny ınstead let alone A FOX.
I also couldnt feel the chemistry I felt from novel while watching the serie even tho there were enough cuddly & kiss scenes T_T
For WIFTY, they smooth the female lead way too much for my liking while add way too much side characters to fill up the drama. They could have give lead characters & their story with family more scenes and progress instead of adding many couples to the story… Novel was a lot better focusing on right characters.
In the end I end up feeling disappointed in both remakes cause of my love for both novels & the way novels were written.I have to re-read sometime..
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I LOVED this drama and my fave thing is Zhang Lu Rang. I really really love how this boy wears he’s feelings on his sleeve. I find myself watching again their interactions and love his reactions to everything she does and says. He liked her from the first moment their eyes crossed under the store outside roof. I also enjoyed the friendship of this lovely group of kids and didn’t want the drama to end as it really captures the happiness and angst of being around the one for who you woke up everyday hoping to see him at school. If you like It Started with a Kiss, Playful Kiss and those kind of dramas, you’ll enjoy this one.
I feel you…so true.
I’ve watched both HL and WIFTY. Both series are well done and engrossing. I have watched them more than once and I still enjoy each very much.