Last updated on at 11:11 am
Lost Romance is my number 1 favorite TV Series, my number 1 favorite Asian drama, and my number 1 favorite Taiwanese drama, all rolled into one. And that’s saying a lot considering I’ve watched so many dramas/TV series, Asian or Western. I just simply and absolutely adore this Taiwanese gem!
So what makes Lost Romance stand out in a vast ocean full of TV series and whatnots, and why do I suggest every romance fan should watch it? Below are some answers.
Story
Lost Romance is a romance and fantasy drama released in 2020. It has 20 hour-long episodes. It’s the story of He Tian Xing/Situ Ao Ran and Zheng Xiao En.
Tian Xing is a rich corporate CEO who ran into trouble with his half-siblings and became comatose as a result. Xiao En, on the other hand, is a romance book editor at a publishing company.
Xiao En has a huge crush on Tian Xing, who doesn’t know her and who she knows only from afar. Because, you see, she has this penchant for spying on unsuspecting Tian Xing through her drone camera, a hobby possible for her since their offices are in close proximity.
A chance encounter between them in the hospital where Tian Xing was lying resulted in Xiao En getting sick and going in a coma, too.
While they were both lying unconscious, their souls got magically transported into one of the romance novels Xiao En was in charge of editing. Tian Xing became the book’s main male character, while Xiao En, the villain in this fictional world. In order to win Tian Xing’s love, Xiao En finds herself employing all the knowledge on how to successfully snare a man she has accumulated all those years.
Side Stories
Of course, there are side stories in this drama such as those of Tian Xing’s half-siblings and his issues with his family, as well as that of the second male lead who had a mystery plot of his own going on.
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My Review
Lost Romance is a brilliant drama. The romance, especially, is exceptional.
What I Loved
Writing
Foremost, it’s a well-written drama.
I’m quite particular with a show’s writing and this drama has one of the best. The writing makes sense and is intelligent, smart, and deep. The dialogues are natural and moving, some even quotable. The writer was able to connect the scenes in the later episodes with those in the earlier ones, which I believe is a mark of good and well-thought-out writing.
Plot
The plot is unique. You don’t always come by stories where the main characters get transported into a fictional novel and one of them becomes a villain in it. This premise alone makes for one engaging drama, especially when executed competently, which this drama did.
I also liked that the plot moved along at a steady pace and didn’t drag. Each episode had something interesting going on that I was engrossed in it and didn’t get bored at any point.
Characters
All the characters were likable and acted true to their character, even the villains whose motivations you could understand.
Of course, I especially loved the main characters who had complex personalities, both in the real and fictional settings. They were good enough for you to love them, but flawed in ways that would make you relate and commiserate with them.
I especially loved how Xiao En was funny, strong and principled—a personality so relatable. I didn’t have any favorite female lead before watching Lost Romance, but Xiao En became that.
The second male lead’s personality was wonderful, too; he was kind and was a pillar of support to the female lead that you can’t help but feel sad that he was… just the male lead, heh.
Acting
The acting in Lost Romance was top-notch. The main leads, the second male lead, and all the secondary characters acted adeptly and credibly.
I especially loved the acting of the main leads. Actress Vivian Sung who played Xiao En was believable as an independent and strong, yet kind and compassionate, young lady who tried her best to win the love of a man but never lost sight of who she was. She was funny when she needed to be, and she would stir your emotions and make you cry with her during trying and sad times.
Actor Marcus Chang, who played two opposite personalities—Tian Xing in the real world, and Situ Ao Ran in the book setting—was credible in both. He was so good as the reserved and quiet, yet strong and a-force-to-be-reckoned-with, Tian Xing. He also delivered as the cold and arrogant Situ Ao Ran who eventually changed his ways when he fell in love.
I found both actors so talented that I began looking for more of their work.
Cinematography
The cinematography was good, beautiful for the most part. Generally, the camerawork helped tell the story, put emphasis on what the drama makers wanted to be emphasized, and helped heighten the emotional impact of some scenes.
As an example, this scene where Situ Ao Ran was beginning to try to get close to an unsuspecting Xiao En by asking that they take a picture together. Xiao En misunderstood when she thought he only wanted his picture to be taken. The camera movement in this scene helped show Ao Ran’s intent without so many words and intensified the swoon-worthiness of the moment.
Music
The music in this drama is lovely. They made scenes funnier, emotional, and moving.
I think I have all of its songs on my playlist. Singer and songwriter Ariel Tsai and male lead Marcus Chang sang most of the songs and they were all catchy and wonderful.
Comedy
This drama started out funny, and that’s owing to the good acting of the main leads and most of the secondary characters. Even if the later episodes became serious and emotional, still I had good laughs in the early episodes which I liked.
Ending
I love the ending, which was not only happy, but was also lengthy, quite thorough and satisfying. It was one of the best happy endings I’ve seen.
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Romance
And of course, last but definitely not least, I love the romance in this drama. It was one of the best I’ve seen.
Tian Xing/Ao Ran and Xiao En had so much chemistry that they fit to a T. Their interactions before they got together were oozing with so much tension that you can’t wait for them to be together.
And when they became a couple, they were just so perfect with each other—so sweet together, so natural in their actions, so heart-fluttering. They displayed this special closeness that you don’t often see between couples in dramas.
The way Tian Xing/Ao Ran would look at Xiao En was heart-melting, and how he never gave up and patiently waited for her to come around was that as well.
As to what I didn’t like in Lost Romance, there wasn’t really anything I could think of. Even though I didn’t particularly care about some of the side plots (like Tian Xing’s business concerns and his half siblings’ stories) and would just be skipping scenes related to them in my future rewatch, I do understand that they were necessary to flesh out Tian Xing’s character or make the drama well-rounded, so I have no complaints.
Final Thoughts
In summary, Lost Romance is an amazing show with a heart-melting romance that is totally worth every romance lover’s time. If you’re one, don’t miss it.
Remember to share or save this post if you find it helpful. Happy watching!
Thank you! I love romance and want to expand to other cultural movies. Thank you for the recommendation!
You’re so much welcome! I hope you’ll like it. It’s a really great romance drama–funny, yet heartfelt and heart-fluttering, as most Asian romance dramas are.