Be Passionately in Love Wins Over Viewers Despite Controversy

Fans Praise “Be Passionately in Love” for Warm Nostalgia, Despite Stiff Acting Gripes

Aside from getting stick early on because Liu Haocun refused to do any kiss scenes, the youth romance drama Be Passionately in Love (《陷入我们的热恋》) is still managing to charm viewers. Starring Liu Haocun and Wang Anyu, the series is currently holding a decent 6.5 on Douban, just a smidge above The Prisoner of Beauty (《只此江湖梦》) with its 6.4 rating. Not too shabby for a drama that had everyone up in arms about its no-kiss rule.

A fair chunk of viewers have been swept up by the drama’s sweet, nostalgic vibe, praising it for capturing that hazy, heart-thumping rush of first love. What’s more, Be Passionately in Love seems to have stuck closely to the original novel by Er Dong Tuzi — fans reckon about 90% of the storyline made it to screen untouched, which is no mean feat in the adaptation world.

One viewer summed it up perfectly: “The chemistry between the leads is really sweet, and I love how faithful the drama is to the original novel. It feels like a warm nostalgic trip back to youth.”

Be Passionately in Love: Drama Ending Recap

Plenty have also found the female lead Xu Zhi a refreshing change from the usual girl-obsessed heroine trope. One fan pointed out, “Xu Zhi’s character is refreshing—not the usual love-struck girl but someone clear-headed and mature. The scenes with her grandmother add a lot of charm and humour.” That slice-of-life, homey element has clearly struck a chord with people missing the simpler days of their own teenage romances.

But, of course, it’s not all hearts and flowers. Some viewers have been less than impressed, calling out the acting as wooden and emotionless in parts. As one commenter rather bluntly put it: “The acting feels a bit stiff, especially from the leads. Sometimes it’s like they are just posing rather than really feeling the emotions.”

Others moaned about the plot pacing, labelling it predictable and sugar-coated: “The story is too slow and predictable. It’s like a sugar-coated version of youth with no real depth or challenges, which made me lose interest quickly.”

There were also a few gripes about the romance being too squeaky-clean, almost to the point of feeling unrealistic. “I felt the romance was overly sweetened to the point of being unrealistic. The characters seemed more like idealised versions rather than real people,” one viewer noted, clearly wanting a bit more grit in their love stories.

On top of that, some book fans thought the drama stayed faithful plot-wise but lacked the novel’s richer emotional layers. Awkward dialogue also cropped up as a sticking point, with a few saying it broke their immersion. “Some dialogues and interactions felt awkward and unnatural, which distracted me from the story,” complained another.

Even with those negatives, though, Be Passionately in Love is still managing to land with its target audience — those after a soft, comforting, pure-love youth romance that skips the heavy physical stuff. The production team’s focus on emotional connection over steamy scenes seems to have worked, helping the drama weather its early controversy and hold its place in the rankings.

So, despite a few bumps in the road, Be Passionately in Love is proving there’s still plenty of love out there for a good old-fashioned warm-hearted drama.