Our Secret (2021)

IT’S NO SECRET THAT THIS IS TOO GOOD!!!

I won’t write a long review because I can’t explain with words how much I loved it but I have one thing to say

I JUST FINISHED WATCHING THIS LIKE 3 DAYS AGO AND I ALREADY WANT TO REWATCH IT!!!

Honestly the couples were all so cute and the way they supported each other through their life journeys was the sweetest thing ever. And the friendship they all had especially the boys was soo satisfying to watch. I’m a sucker from bromances and in particular episode 23/24 (wont spoil anything) the boys friendship really showed. It really showed how much they meant to each other. And I loved seeing it.

If I have to be a pain I would say I wished they showed more of Jiang Chen (I think thats his name) and Keke’s relationship. I know its a minor thing since they were not major characters but I wished we could have got a bit more screen time for them.

But Overall….

I LOVE THIS DRAMA AND YES I WILL REWATCH AFTER I HAVE FINISHED THE DRAMA I AM CURRENTLY WATCHING! Can’t wait to watch the special episode tonight!!!! Just found out there is one and I’m so excited!!!!

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The most relatable school drama

I found this drama by accident after buying an IQIYI membership, this drama had just finished and was in the top 1. Finally, I tried watching Chinese dramas, at that time I hadn't watched many Chinese dramas and watched Korean dramas more often.

The first impression that I felt while watching this drama was studying. Yep, this drama has 50% of the scene when the main character is studying. The two main actors in this drama are always studying, and that's quite relatable in my opinion because when I was at school studying was the activity we did most often. Even though I don't have a deskmate like Si Yue :'D

And yeah, because of this drama, I also like Chen Zhe Yuan and Rainbow Xu. And because of this drama, I watched the drama Twenty Your Life On Season 2 because I wanted to see Rainbow Xu. I like the acting of both of them which feels flowing. And, I feel the character development of the main character is very good. We can feel that we are growing together with the two main characters. Especially for Ding Xian's character, she is one of my favorite female characters in dramas.

Ding Xian was not born beautiful, smart, or rich. We can really relate to Ding Xian because she is like an ordinary student. She is very ordinary, not very good, but not bad. Ding Xian wasn't quiet, but she wasn't chatty either. Ding Xian wasn't friendly, but not too fierce either. Actually, everything in him is average. That's what made Ding Xian's character easily agitated at the start, apart from being from a small town, she was also insecure with himself which was very ordinary when she moved to a big city. When she was in his city she was a smart student, but when she moved she immediately became an ordinary person and even she was left behind.

Ding Xian's character really shows that hard work can be done by anyone. Whereas Si Yue's character shows Ding Xian that hard work is good, but we also have to work smart, that way all the time and effort we have put in is more effective and efficient. Actually, we must have met someone like Si Yue in the real world. A born intelligent person, he didn't need to study as hard as Ding Xian to reach his position. But I think that's where it's interesting, Ding Xian's jealous of Si Yue is a natural thing, but Ding Xian has a wide heart, the envy she has doesn't make him fall instead it makes him even more excited.

In my opinion, even though it looks like Ding Xian is totally obsessed with Si Yue to the point of following the major Si Yue wants. In fact, I think that if Ding Xian doesn't meet Si Yue, she won't be able to find his own way. Ding Xian doesn't follow Si Yue but tries to find her way while following Si Yue, the person she admires. It was interesting because Ding Xian's character development was really very good. Girls who only know to study, do not understand social life and withdraw. When she grew up Ding Xian developed into a much better human being. Ding Xian who always tries to be there for Si Yue. It was Ding Xian who became strong, so when she was in college it was Ding Xian who reached out her hand to help Si Yue. Of all things, nothing could beat Ding Xian's tenacity.

Si Yue is not a character I like, he has poor emotional control and likes to keep things to herself. But I like it when this story presents a problem for the 'perfect Si Yue', and that problem is related to financial problems which are very related to everyday life. We are mature by circumstances, maybe that is the right sentence to describe this drama.

While watching this drama I feel happy and also sad. I am sad to see Ding Xian has to repeat her third grade to reach her dream university. But I'm happy because, in the end, everything will be beautiful in its time. Ding Xian and Si Yue's struggles finally coincide with each other. They are both warrior characters.

Maybe this drama isn't the best Chinese drama I've ever watched, but this drama is a Chinese drama with a school theme that I like the most.

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Subtitle question

Since I do not speak Chinese I missed out on the parts that were hand written… the channel didn't provide the subtitles to their written notes. Where can I find these episodes so I know what the text said. It seems like some of those texts were important information to the drama story. Why do I ask for this…. because I still don't know their secrets even after watching all the episodes. The last episode had something he wrote in the textbook. The written text was shown to the viewer… but no English subtitles. It was a secret… no I’m not asking you to spoil the drama… I just want to know where to find the answer… you can contact me on FB under AuntPittyPats…. My initials are MM. If you want to share with me the secrets they shared… thank you so much for you consideration.

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Adjust your expectations, some of you clearly don't pay attention to details

I went in with zero expectations - I don't know any of the cast and merely jumped in due to it being featured in a Cdrama List of 2021. As a preface: I usually watch dramas on 1.5x speed and adjust accordingly depending on the plot. For this, I started at 1.25x and changed to 1x speed till the last episode. It was light-hearted yet flowery enough to hook me from the start - such that I found myself pressing 'next episode' without fully realising it. The relationship between FL and ML was gradually built on with subtle touches of noticing each other, there was no sudden jumps in the journey. It simply started as an old family friend relationship blossomed from growing up together as kids, and then deskmates (bearing in mind he isn't your typical cold af ML). In short, it's a "everyone knows they like each other except them" kinda thing. Some reviews mentioned it's a one-sided obsessed FL going miles for him but y'all can't see that the ML does all these gentlemanly gestures too (i.e. saving her butt multiple times), so it's supported both ways. Some reviews also mentioned the unrealistic notions in the plot: 1) spotlight on science > arts 2) toxic mother 3) obsessed FL quick to drop ML after a 'tiny' mishap.

1) bear in mind the subtitles literally states "2010s" - while it's not set in 1200s, this stereotype of STEM favourism is prevalent even during NOW. And literally it's a Sci guy x Arts girl trope, while it's selfish to write the FL having to sacrifice her interests she did so in romantic pursuit, remember that ML also tried to get into Arts for her. So she's just a hopeless romantic kinda person forcing her way into Sci just for him, only realising her true talents after studying that Sci degree through the art projects - and it simply shows the rash nature of young love with a resolution at the end: you can be lost and misled in direction but still find your way in the end, be it arising from common sense knocked into you or not. Some of y'all quick as Usain Bolt to scorn and expect super intentional clear-headed intelligence when in reality lol.
2) Again toxic parenting - helicopter parenting in fact, is a typical trait in Asian households and it's these characters that simply what makes this drama, this drama. Toxic parenting -> kid finds solace elsewhere, which happens to be ML. It simply is what it is - don't know why y'all saying portrayal of her mom is unrealistic, perhaps you have not lived in such households?
3) Mentioned in first para: FL painted as obsessive yandere - sacrifices her interests, gives ML items of love etc.: she does this for 4 years - she'd obviously be tired and there would be an instance being the last straw for her. Some of y'all also scorn at how quick she gives up: I'd like to see you pursue someone for 4 years straight, some years alone, and maintain iron strength esp. when the male counterpart keeps pushing you away. Conversely, the ML is not cold but I completely empathise why he chose to push her away. True, y'all push the fact he lives in a big luxurious apartment but it's not entirely about the money here. It's about the emotional troubles - his dad dealing with the accusation, being hospitalised. a) I'm sure the stakeholders involved (e.g. lawyers) are not free b) I've not seen his mother go work, seems like a stay-home mom iirc c) he's hospitalised not just for a few days, imagine the accumulated expenses and MAIN POINT d) with these familial issues how does he put his heart into FL without subconsciously venting his stress on her? Obviously he chose to be the bigger person here.

I've only read the first few pages of reviews, don't get me started on the rest...

-ve points I agree on: Focus on MLs were too much - side couples could be more developed, it was sudden why 2nd Leads argued and he had to seek shelter from ML & Senior Su feelings could be more in depth, wasn't obvious he liked her more than a childhood friend. Feel like 24 ep too short, could be better developed as the last 5 episodes were rushed and squeezed. Though, I admit the suspense built-up was decent, it gave relish to see MLs finally kiss. But could've been more, as the issues in last 5 eps felt rushed to be dealt with.

special mention: OST/music score is beautiful. Not aplenty, but enough for the scenes. Although I'm salty I still can't find that one english song during the fireworks scene.

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I usually stay away from these types of dramas, like from high school to working life. Because the storyline usually is the same but you know I found it a interesting one., and in the end really enjoyed it and everything that happens throughout it!

I spotted a clip of this on Facebook, and started watching this only because I really liked the actor, Chen Zhe Yuan who I saw from watching Handsome Siblings who plays Zhou Si Yue, so I decided I'll give it a goo. - I thought it was a really cute drama, of like sweetheart school to working world. Definitely prefer this to a little thing called first love! I think they are both a little similar, but I think this storyline is a lot better laid out.

And I really ended up like the actor Xu Meng Jie, who plays Ding Xian! She has such a pretty face, and her facial expressions were soo good, like just watching her facial expressions you can tell she's sad, or embarrassed or really happy! - I thought she was such a good actor. But I do wish her hair wasn't always up in a ponytail, she looked so much nicer with her hair in a half! I understand it made her look younger, but it I think she looked prettier with it down.

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Promising premise that falters a bit on the message it chooses to send

I couldn't finish the show, so perhaps I lost some of the context, however here are the reasons I got so far (and why I couldn't go further)

The good: acting was excellent, particularly on the part of the girl, who is an actress well into her 20s but managed to portray an adolescent girl growing into herself in a very convincing way. The script also portrays the frustrations of a teenager who is trying to establish self-authority and identity conflicting with parents who don't always know how to interact or guide an offspring going through a transitional period of development. I particularly like how the girl, who is not unusually talented, is not intimidated by hardship or previous failures and is willing and capable of putting in the work to excel. She isn't afraid to ask for help, isn't afraid to admit her weaknesses, and isn't afraid to face her own character flaws consciously and deliberately in order to improve herself as a person. This is a well-written character whose personality would be laudable in real life, and this is what earns her the respect of her genius male friend; a lot of shows have a girl who is measurably dumber than the guy, and it's hard for me to accept why he would respect her when she's inferior to him in every way. I fully believe that in this show, the male lead genuinely admires the female lead for her resilience and character.

Their relationship in the beginning is very beautiful and very warm, with both clearly caring about each other. It almost runs a little saccharine, and I'm sure it does for some, but I personally wasn't looking for a show that depicts the sharp edges of our world, so I'm actually fine with this.

The bad:
SPOILER

In a way, the title gives it away. This is a show about secrets, and there are subtle secrets tucked into the foundation of this show. However, I'd argue that there isn't anything particularly good about the fact that these are secrets, nor the way the show addresses them. One of the main conflicts, as stated above, is the girl's relationship with her parents. Her mother, particularly, is a well-intentioned but thick-headed woman who isn't entirely able to see past her own assumptions, however while the method of communication is often a problem between teenagers and their parents and I'm totally fine with this, I don't like how the show seems to imply that the female lead is right to keep certain secrets. The fact is, teenagers are rash, inexperienced, and shortsighted. Yes, they should be allowed to make their own decisions, but this should be done with guidance. The problem is not that they make their own decisions, it's how. Even adults need counsel on choices in life. Heeding advice does not mean you allowed someone else to make the decision for you; you are allowing yourself to make a decision with context that happens to include that advice. This show celebrates how the girl defies her parents to make her own decisions in major, stands up for herself by never discussing her thought processes leading up to these decisions because they are her "secrets", and winds up revising an extra year just to get into the same university as her love interest, and goes as far as choosing a major she's not interested in nor particularly good at just because the male lead is in it. This has worked in real life precisely NEVER. It's one thing when she persevered in subjects she was weak at when she was in high school and these were necessary milestones shared by everyone at her stage; it's another when this is supposed to direct her future career. She even cries in one scene because she feels so exhausted trying to be a good match for the male lead, and instead of having him reassure her that he would love and respect her even if she chose her own career path, they could make it work and utilize each other's different talents to make a synergistic whole, the show has him try to move away from her to lessen the pressure on her, and then has her fight to win him back by proving that she can still excel in something she doesn't like as long as she puts her mind to it…and also devotes more hours and effort. Perhaps later in the show she might realize how dumb she is being and come to her senses, but given that all of her poor decisions have been rewarded for so many episodes already, I highly doubt it. I don't even care that she does luck out and her poor choices wind up being fruitful, because that happens, but the show seems bizarrely lacking in self-awareness in this case. There is also nothing healthy about her keeping her secrets, nor is there a healthy resolution to those secrets, and yet the show treats this like it is a beautiful, praiseworthy attribute.

The adults are a little more clueless than I'm used to. Early on, the show is set in a rather prestigious high school. I also went to a selective high school that required passing an entrance exam, though not in China, and from my recollection, the teachers in the school were much less suspicious of students compared to the teachers in this show. In the show, the teachers are always scolding students for slacking, falling asleep in class, reprimanding them for not taking their exams seriously. In my high school, the students were generally diligent and the teachers knew. Prestigious schools tend to have a culture among the student body, and students are usually well-behaved and studious at baseline, so teachers adjust accordingly. In this show, everyone is constantly concluding that the students are being lazy. It seems like the show was written by someone who has only been to a normal high school with delinquents and mediocre students and has no idea that such a model doesn't fit the school this show is supposed to be in. The show also doesn't seem to think highly of the adults; at one point the male lead sneaks out after curfew at the high school dorm (which is confusing to me because this isn't a boarding school as far as I know, but I don't know how it works in China) and when he comes back, he refuses to tell his supervising teacher where he went and what he did. He got punished, and the show depicts this like the teacher is judgmental and unfair; how is this judgmental and unfair? The teacher is responsible for all these teenage brats; what if the student were killed after he snuck out? Of course he should be punished. I realize a teenager might complain about this treatment, but the show should know better. It's weird how this show lacks insight when it otherwise seems pretty aware of other aspects of the teenage condition.

The love in this show starts off wholesome and sweet and I had true admiration for the characters for many episodes. It just a shame that the message becomes harmful in the middle. There is nothing to celebrate about losing yourself to love. That's how disasters happen in real life. Truly beautiful love should be the kind that nurtures and improves the kind of person you would have become on your own, and inspires you to make life decisions that make you happier and healthier than you would have
made without that love. By its nature, a romantic relationship requires sacrifice, so the benefits you reap need to be greater than what you give up in order for it to be worthwhile. If your relationship inspires you to do something that will exhaust you all the time in order to keep up, or makes you feel like you need to do something you don't like in order to make yourself worthy of your partner, that's not right. To be fair, the male lead does nothing to force or even encourage the female lead to do these airheaded stunts, but still, she's not doing this right and the show has had no acknowledgment of that. 8/10, being generous because I didn't finish, but I can't. Sorry, show. You had something great going at first.

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Female lead chases male lead!

For a school romance drama it wasnt the best but wasnt the worse! It a decent watch until towards the end! Starts off pretty similar in the sense. that the male lead is an intelligent guy. His family and female lead family are neighbors. Female lead is not as smart as male lead, but she is talented in the arts, She is desk mates with the male lead. She is constantly chasing after him in studies and interest. The development of their relationship is quite cute. Even though they didnt get together until the very end. I liked their everyday interactions between them and that made them not being together more bearable, I can't stand slow burning romances!

It was towards the end where i got kinda bored, It started of with the female leading chasing the male lead to the college campus. Even her major is science. ( thats the male lead's major. She chose this major to be close to him. The male lead doesnt want her to waste her talent in the arts! She discovers herself and pursues her true passion. Towards the last few episodes,i thought they were together like after their kiss but they werent.

It was strange for her senior brother from college to re-enter the story, that just created unnecessary drama.

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A ray of sunshine vibes, with fluffy romance & important life lessons.

I started watching this for Chen Zhe Yuan and it has become one of my top favourite modern cdrama. Every episode I watched I kept thinking "wow I'm really loving this", and this feeling never went away until the end. This drama really touched my heart.

The drama is about the FL who moves to a new high school and becomes a desk mate with the ML. Their parents are long term friends and funnily enough have even betrothed them since childhood. At first FL and ML don't like each other but with time become friends and then lovers. It's their life story from high school (first 15 episodes) to university years (rest of the episodes).

STORY:
The plot was interesting from the start until the end, even though it is more of a slow pace, it never feels draggy or boring. The characters are well-developed, with realistic real life struggles that anyone can relate with. I loved how it was about "our secret" of loving each other secretly but at the same time about their individual life journeys. The focus of the drama was about romance but at the same time about career paths. Especially I loved how the drama showed the importance of not forgetting your identity when you are in love and to not give up on your career dreams because of love. And the most important lesson of never giving up no matter how hard the journey is. There is also drama with the strict parents of FL and parents issues of ML.

CHARACTERS:
ML is top of the class student, kind and protective and FL is shy at first, sweet and hard-working. I absolutely love all of their interactions together as they are seriously adorable. During their university years, there is SFL who tries to get with ML and SML who is in love with FL for years but they are not too annoying and don't create too much drama. There is one big, intentional miscommunication but other than that the main leads sort out their issues quickly and communicate in a healthy way. The side characters are also fun to see.

OVERALL:
Without spoiling it, I absolutely loved the ending, it wrapped up the story so well and it kind of has a full circle moment where we are shown additional scenes that totally warm your heart. I'd highly, highly recommend this drama especially if you love Chen Zhe Yuan. It has fluffy romance, realistic and logical plot, lovely soundtrack and portrays great lessons for the younger generation. 10/10.

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A Very Good Youth Drama

To start, I'm not a huge fan of youth drama because for me they usually feel a bit draggy. To be honest, this felt draggy too in the beginning BUT that's because they are laying a ton of groundwork. It really picks up the pace half way through and keeps right on trucking from there.

This is not to say that the time watching the first half was a waste. There were definitely some great moments and those moments pushed me to keep going.

**Small Spoilers Ahead**

Some things I really enjoyed about this drama:
- The matching outfits are too cute. They are done in a way where the viewer knows there's a connection between the two leads but it's not so obvious (in the beginning) that the other characters see it or point it out. In a later episode, the writers used pieces of Ding Xian's outfit to represent Zhou Si Yue (ML) and Su Bo Cong (2ML). (**SPOILER**The tan shoes she changes into match ML's tan suit. The necklace with the blue diamond matches the 2ML's suit.)
- Ding Xian grows and finds her own voice. From this timid student to her yelling at the tree and talking trash to the trash cans. I was cracking up.
- I feel like the star that will never fade is a metaphor for Ding Xian. She is always working so hard and exhausting herself over and over to achieve her goals but she nevers gives up or burns out.

Some things I didn't like:
- The beginning half is a bit slow for my taste. Not that I wasn't enjoying bits here and there but it felt sluggish to me. I was waiting for them to pick up the pace. Luckily the 2nd half really gets going and all that groundwork in the 1st half is worth it.
- His reason for not accepting her in that first scene at university was kinda lame. He could have just explained what was going on with him but of course this is a drama & people don't know how to communicate right? (lol)

I would have LOVED to see a scene where Zhou Si Yue is calling out Ding Xian's name at their university like she did for him. She was so open and upfront about her feelings and I wanted to see that sort of public display from him even if it wasn't completely inline with his character.

Would Recommend to fans of youth dramas

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The kind of romance EVERY GIRL wanted in their youth

I dived into this show without any expectation. I was pleasantly surprised by how wonderful and heartwarming it was. I have never seen any of the two main leads' works before, but I was impressed by their acting. They portrayed the two adolescents learning about first loves quite perfectly.

Anyway, the story isn't really that fresh. But everything just came together from the actor's portrayal, the directing, cinematography, and writing created this harmony that ultimately made the show special.

Verdict is, I loved it. And will rewatch it. Again. And again.

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The best youth drama which captures all emotions

This is one of the kind which gives us butterflies with the very cute and subtle moments between the leads... This drama is the best one because its simple yet intense. The drama has perfectly succeeded in delivering the intense feelings of friends, Love and parents. It doesn't sugarcoat the hard reality instead shows how by each step they overcome it by taking perfect decisions. The part from 15 to 19 seems a bit sad for the leads, but those moments are covered by the next remaining episodes. I personally felt 24 episode is quite short for this drama. What I loved the most is the initial episodes where the FL is very much determined and ML is as always the school s famous and intelligent guy. The way he takes care of her is beyond anything!!!! I can watch this a thousand times, I wish they had more episodes.. I specially love the leads and the their pair !!!!!

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this is the best youth drama

this is the first drama that give me butterflies .... must watch ..... and i love this drama because of story because of acting and the support leads story also is so nice .... it has comedy , love , hate , care , thrill everything .... one word no drama give me butterflies in my stomach more than this drama ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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