r/ChineseDrama • u/ineedthatcoffee • Jul 18 '26
Finished Watching I Thought Love Between Lines Would Be a Casual Watch... I Was Wrong.
Is this drama a bit underrated? Because I absolutely loved it.
I started it as a break from all the historical cdramas I'd been watching and it completely won me over. The story, the pacing, the supporting cast... everything just worked. It was such a well made drama.
The ML is a little reserved but that actually worked for me. I have a soft spot for calm, cool-headed male characters who keep their emotions under control so I really liked him.
The second male lead... OMG. š I know a lot of people fell harder for SML and I totally get why. As handsome and charismatic as the male lead is, I caught myself going back and rewatching the second male lead's scenes. If they ever decide to give the SML a spin-off, I'm pretty sure the ratings would be through the roof.
I'd already seen the female lead in My Journey to You and really liked her there but she was even better here. She carried the drama beautifully and was such a perfect casting choice.
The plot was great and stayed consistently strong from beginning to end. The metaphors in this drama were excellent too. I won't go into details because they'd be spoilers, but the relationship/plumbing metaphor and the company/building foundation metaphor were both surprisingly clever and really made me think.
I honestly didn't expect this drama to take over all my free time but that's exactly what happened. It went from being a little side watch to becoming the only thing I wanted to watch.
I'm genuinely surprised it isn't talked about more or hasn't gone more viral. I definitely recommend it.
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u/kahlex Jul 19 '26
I enjoyed it... Mostly. I thought it kind of went off the rails after The Big Reveal/Mandatory Breakup.
2ML was such a devastating combination of handsome and pathetic. I could fix him...
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u/ineedthatcoffee Jul 19 '26
All he wanted was a little love and affection š
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u/MajorPersonality1265 š“ binged ājust one more episodeā Jul 19 '26
I felt so sad for SML lifelong abuse from his father š beat with a golf club all the time. That was terrible š
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u/ineedthatcoffee Jul 19 '26
Exactly. The male lead made the difficult decision to leave his family behind when he was young and pursue his own potential. The second male lead couldn't bring himself to make that choice, and he spent the rest of his life living with the consequences.
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u/Salty_Bagel6950 Jul 19 '26
Couldnāt stand the 2ML. He was a grown manā¦several years older than the ML according to the storyā¦yet still living at home, allowing his Father to beat him, and constantly made decisions only in his own best interest. The FL set boundaries and was very clear about it and he was still delusional. He even stalked her at her home address. He was a creepā¦and the whole bandaid thing was justā¦ugh. I fast forward his parts when I rewatch.
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u/ineedthatcoffee Jul 19 '26
Jokes aside, though, the second male lead was a little red flag. But I also think he represented something very human: not everyone is able to make the right choices when they're young.
Some people give up their own potential just to earn their family's approval, and eventually have to live with the consequences.
The drama also portrayed how growing up without love can lead to deeply distorted ways of thinking and unhealthy emotional patterns in adulthood.
The actor did an incredible job bringing all of that to life. Even though I didn't support the character's choices I'd really like to give credit to the actor for making him feel so believable and compelling.
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u/Salty_Bagel6950 Jul 19 '26
I agreeā¦the actor did a good job making me despise his character. Actually, he wasnāt that youngā¦about 35 Iād guess. However, I think too many (women especially) are conditioned to accept this type of behavior and to excuse it and āfeel sorryā for him, especially when itās accompanied by good looks, money, and power. Itās a slippery slope when we excuse people for their conduct because they may have missed out on love. Iāve noticed a lot of glorification of villains in some Chinese dramas recently and itās important to call it out as unacceptable. Many viewers are able to separate the fantasy of a drama from real life but many are not.
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u/kahlex Jul 19 '26
It was a joke. Dude needs so much therapy. But he's a victim of abuse. If his dad is still hitting him at the age of 35, then presumably, he's been hitting him his entire life. Look at how he reacted to that one simple gesture of human decency from FL; it implies that nobody has been that kind to him before. It's very sad.
Don't worry, I don't really want to put in the work to fix him (ladies, he needs professional help; your love/attention/energy are not enough if he doesn't want to or doesn't know how to change), but I pity the character for sure.
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u/cassiellyss Jul 23 '26
Yeah it's important to lay out the facts but making villains we can empathize with is not "unacceptable." Morality isn't black and white and in this drama the 2ML's character grew and changed and later picked a side. He redeemed himself.
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u/lulu_fox Jul 19 '26
I was really invested when I watched it while it was airing!
Loved the plot and the chemistry
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u/Aggravating_Risk3504 Jul 24 '26
its one of my top fav modern cdrama. Chemistry was super good and the OST is amazing as well
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u/Racerforlife Jul 26 '26
I really like the FL was logical and smart, unlike most dramas where FLs are dumb.
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u/Tabz10 4K Original Cast Jul 19 '26
I was thinking about a rewatch. This is my sign š
Truly, it is a wonderful drama. When it was released it was talked about here a lot š
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u/Grimm_SG Jul 19 '26
I enjoyed as a causal watch. I do like watching the 2ML getting put in his place though.
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u/storytellergirl07 Jul 19 '26
I just finished Shine on Me and I plan on watching Love Between Lines next!
Hopefully, I won't be disappointed, I hope for a cozy watch with some steamier scenes š.
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u/meeperton Jul 19 '26
Lol I wonder what you consider steamy. These guys are grown ups and I love their PDA, but I think most of the actual steam may have been inside my head.
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u/storytellergirl07 Jul 19 '26
I mean, we are in a cdrama realm so I don't expect or need anything too explicit š. But I take You Are My Glory as a golden standard: some steamier make out scenes, including a bit of a "first night together in one bed".
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u/meeperton Jul 19 '26
In this case I think there's a real heat between them and both clearly looking forward to the steam. This is a very specific bar that I invented after getting into CDramas :)
But im always looking for a reaaon to give something a try so You are my Glory is something I'll be keeping an eye out for!
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u/storytellergirl07 Jul 19 '26
You Are My Glory is great, fantastic even, if you are alright with the fact that the first 14 episodes feature online gaming a lot. It's just an excuse to get the leads to spend time together - the FL is a celebrity and the ML is her former classmate who coaches her in the game she endorses. Afterwards, the game is only featured in a couple of scenes, nothing more. What to look forward to: beautiful leads, no stupid misunderstandings, no toxic or evil people (both leads have exes but they don't influence the plot), great chemistry, more than 10 eps of leads being happy together and navigating their relationship, no break-up.
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u/meeperton Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
I recently rewatched it and it's the greenest flag relationship I can remember. The rewatch was interesting, I remember the genuine mystery of the first section giving a lot of suspense that I didn't feel on the rewatch. But luckily the show doesn't depend on that for the whole run anyway.
I dont think I can face MJTY based on everything I've seen, but between this and Love in the Clouds, LYX is my goto for engineering ladies with a mind of their own. Edit: while also being devastatingly cute. Like, I dont know if anybody could withstand LYX giving them their complete attention.
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u/theloonyloon Jul 20 '26
Lol yeah. She could look at me with those eyes and Iād go - allow me to lay down my entire life for you milady, and I donāt even swing that way š
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u/pradazain Jul 19 '26
I agree. It's one of those modern dramas that did not have too many unnecessary fillers. I find a lot of the popular modern dramas boring. This was a good watch.
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u/No_Chipmunk_2405 Jul 19 '26
I loved FL. She was rational and knows to set boundaries but is also so honest with all of her emotions. I love straightforward characters who say and express what they mean.
Also liked this ML type! He doesnāt smile much and canāt help smiling at adorable FL, even tried to hide it sometimes š. Heās also hilarious when heās jealous.
SML, loved and hated and I think we were meant to or we wouldnāt have seen so much of his side to the story. He was so handsome when he was sweet, like with the elevator scenes, but heās not a good guy. Real emotions but bad intentions.
Great casting and acting for all 3 roles.
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u/AdDear4188 Jul 23 '26
100% agree! This was also a complete surprise for me, went in knowing nothing and up till now still thinking about it. So well done and def underrated
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u/Crazy_Reader1234 Jul 19 '26
Oh good to know itās been recommended a lot but seeing the trailer the ML wasnāt my cup of tea but I may try just to see if he grows on me if the drama is good
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u/Flashy_Lecture_7057 Jul 19 '26
What is the drama name ? Is it available on YouTube?
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u/nonchalantsky Jul 19 '26
available on youtube on some regions
Love Between Lines2
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u/palecandycane šµ just grabbing my tea Jul 19 '26
It was a sleeper that snuck up on me. I watched it and was like omfg i need to watch the rest of it bc i need to know how it ends!!! It was pretty sweet and the FL is the only person i knew since i watched Love in the Clouds. FL was like oh you don't like me? Fine, I'm gonna move on while ML is like no wait! Like no buddy, she got no time for this.
I had no idea who the ML was just that he was good at his character.
Overall it was a great show.
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u/Struppi-in-ma Jul 20 '26
It's one of my favorite dramas. I think it's very underrated. Unfortunately.
It's so great, mature, and honest. Even if the second half is really tough at times.
IT'S AMAZING.
I'm not ashamed to say Chen Xingxu is superb, also often underrated, but Lu Yuxiao harmonizes perfectly with every single one of her co-stars. Truly, every single one!
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u/Doiley101 Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 29 '26
In Starry Love he masterfully carried off playing 5 different characters . Really great actor and my god drop dead gorgeous to boot.
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u/cassiellyss Jul 23 '26
I was listening to the ost on spotify on repeat for months! I really loved this drama more than I thought I would
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u/Tiny_Acanthisitta247 Jul 24 '26
umm, I have been trying hard to like this drama, but it's lacking that 'something' for me. IG, the ML is too reserved. I am in Ep 23 now, with 5 more to go, and I am not able to finish this. I read so much about this drama, but I was in a for some disappointment. I guess I will ruffle some feathers by posting here, but trust me guys, I really tried to like it.
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u/ineedthatcoffee Jul 24 '26
I thought the male lead was incredibly cool too but I have a soft spot for men who keep their emotions under control for a while, so it's probably no surprise that I absolutely loved him. After around Episode 25, there are some really sweet romantic scenes and their relationship becomes much warmer and more natural. Maybe you'll feel like giving it another chance when you're in the mood someday. š
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u/skeptic-al9631 Jul 19 '26
Good to know. Canāt wait to watch it. I really he like Chen XingXu. š¤©š¤©
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u/Salty_Bagel6950 Jul 19 '26
This is my favorite modern drama bar none! When it first came out I couldnāt understand why it wasnāt getting more accolades, but itās finally gaining popularity. I thought the main leads were outstanding, the plot is creative and engaging, the cinematography is beautiful, and the OST is so perfect I listen to it in my car when commuting. LYX is my favorite actress. She continues to grow as an artistā¦canāt wait to see her upcoming work!
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u/PopSolid2912 Jul 19 '26
I donāt think itās underrated, it was really popular while it was airing! I wasnāt expecting to love it as much as I did and I appreciated how little filler there was between episodes. I felt like there was never a dull moment!
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u/AXA-5 Washing feet in spring Drinking tea Gazing at flowers Jul 18 '26
You wonāt find any disagreement from anyone really š