I’m not going to lie - I adore skinship. I love the hand holding, the sweet and/or steamy kisses, and the all encompassing hugs. When I looked up the best Asian dramas to find the most skinship, Lost Romance was the first on everyone’s list. It does indeed have it all, including a sensual and explicit love scene between the leads. He Tianxing/Situ Aoran and Zheng Xiao'en, as played by Marcus Chung and Vivian Sung, were on fire from the moment they met. Their witty banter, comedic timing, and instant chemistry made it easy to root for them in both the fictional and real world. Their fictionalized selves were over the top and exaggerated, which made for a nice contrast to their more reserved and introspective real world selves. The gradual connection they developed over the course of the show felt natural and genuine.

While I adored the main leads so much, it was hard to not to fall in love with second lead Duanmu Qingfeng. He very much encompasses the archetypal “nice guy to his egotistical best friend” role, but he truly made for a memorable and swoony second lead. The other supporting fictional characters in the novel, whether friend or foe to the main leads, made for a fun and memorable ride. The only characters and story that fell flat for me was the real world dramedy occurring with He Tianxing’s family. The tone and plot of this story felt too tonally different and disconnected from the breezy, if somewhat silly, fictional world.

The story is very much a spoof on the romantic comedy genre. It excels at making fun of popular romantic tropes in the beginning and ending of the series, but it does fall into its own trap during the middle section. I didn’t mind this digression too much. Considering I love the romance genre, I enjoyed the two leads become a part of the tapestry of the novel rather than remaining outside of it. However, I could see some viewers enjoying these parts less than the rest of the series. I also appreciated that the story attempted to tie together the real and fictionalized worlds. Several of these “story within story” shows* do a poor job of giving a proper ending to both storylines, but this show did both in an interesting and unique way.

The OST and directing were outstanding. I could watch this show and listen to the soundtrack over and over again. However, my biggest issue is Zheng Xiao'en wardrobe. I didn’t mind the muted tones or cozy look, but the shape and style of the clothes looked terrible on her. It was even more noticeable compared to the rest of the female cast, especially He Tianxing’s sister. Was this design choice to illustrate her as more chaste? To show her roots in romance? Who knows. I was also extremely sad the cute promos they played between scenes were not in the actual show. I wanted to see the two acting cutesy with cupcakes!

** I’m looking at you, The Romance Between Tiger and Rose