Crush 2021 C Drama Review

Crush (原来我很爱你) seems like a drama that has escaped many people’s attention as it is being aired around the same time as You Are My Glory. With the star power of the latter, it is only natural it will attract more viewers. So, Crush is kind of flying under the radar to me. However, for those who have watched it, they seem to have given it a thumbs up. There are many positive reviews among the international audience for this drama and it is indeed a surprise. Hence, it got me interested and I started watching it as well. My Crush 2021 review is as per below.

My rating: 7.5/10
Episodes: 24
Type: Romance
Aired: August 2021
Images Credit: iQIYI

The Cast Of Crush 2021

• Evan Lin Yan Jun as Su Nian Qin / Yi Jin
• Wan Peng as Sang Wu Yan
• Li Jia Hao as Wei Hao
• Yu Kun Niu as Xu Qian
• Mei Yi Chen as Cheng Yin
• Li Jia Qi as Yu Xiao Lu
• Zhao Xin as Yu Wei Lan
• Wang Ce as Su Huai Shan
• Mary Ma as Wu Yan’s mother
• Cai Gang as Sang Jing De / Wu Yan’s father
• Zeng Yi Xuan as Nie Xi

Main Characters

Su Nian Qin / Yi Jin

Nian Qin is a talented songwriter who goes by the stage name Yi Jin. He is visually impaired and shuns the limelight. Few know his real identity and how he looks like. Nian Qin is a very reserved person with a lot of bitterness and resentment in him.

Sang Wu Yan

Wu Yan is a psychology student at university. She is graduating soon and slated to do her internship at a special needs school. Wu Yan has a cheerful personality and is a daddy’s girl. Her dream is to be a radio broadcaster. She is also a big fan of Yi Jin.

Supporting Characters

Wei Hao

Wei Hao is Wu Yan’s old friend. They grew up together as they come from the same neighborhood. They think of themselves as a pair but “broke up” when Wu Yan caught him kissing Xu Qian. Wei Hao is a music guy and band member.

Xu Qian

Xu Qian is Wu Yan’s ex-classmate in high school. They used to be best friends until Wu Yan saw her and Wei Hao kissing. Xu Qian is a quiet girl with an unhappy family background. She is also the lead singer for Wei Hao’s band and has interest in broadcasting.

Cheng Yin

Cheng Yin is Wu Yan’s course mate, best friend, and confidant at university. They share the same dorm and subsequently become flat mates.

Yu Xiao Lu

Xiao Lu is Nian Qin’s assistant. She is connected to him through their families. Xiao Lu is patient with Nian Qin and will try to accommodate him as much as she can.

Yu Wei Lan

Wei Lan is Xiao Lu’s elder sister.

Su Huai Shan / Nian Qin’s Father

Nian Qin’s father is a very rich businessman and runs a conglomerate. He has a very strained relationship with his son who hates him.

Wu Yan’s mother

Wu Yan’s mother is a very strict parent who wants her daughter to listen to her. She has good intentions as she doesn’t want her daughter to make a mistake and regret her actions.

Sang Jing De / Wu Yan’s Father

Wu Yan’s father is an academician. He loves his daughter a lot and likes to spoil her. He is the more indulging parent compared to his wife.

Nie Xi

Nie Xi is a broadcaster and Wu Yan’s superior as well as mentor at the station. She is also Nian Qin’s admirer.

Synopsis

Nian Qin is a visually impaired songwriter. But he is a very moody man who likes being alone. He was placed in a welfare home at one time when he was a kid and felt abandoned by his father. Hence, he has a lot of bitterness and resentment in him. Then, he met Wu Yan who is a psychology student and works part time at a broadcasting station. Wu Yan was attracted to him at first sight but didn’t know that he is her favorite songwriter.

Then, Wu Yan was sent to a special needs school to do her internship. She was happy to meet Nian Qin there again as he was working as a temporary teacher for the blind kids. She pursued him and gradually, she made him a happier person as he spent more time with her. But his past was still haunting him and he never shared his family background with her. Everything was going smoothly until Wu Yan’s mother objected to their relationship which made Nian Qin felt inadequate and insecure due to his disability.

Crush Ending (Spoilers Alert!)

Crush has a happy ending. Nian Qin proposes to Wu Yan in Episode 22 and their wedding is shown in Episode 23. The last 2 episodes are mainly fillers to me. There are snippets of the couple’s married life with Nian Qin being clingy and needing a ritual of a kiss and a hug everyday from Wu Yan when he returns home from work. In the last scene, the couple already have a daughter and they are seen strolling in a park.

As for the second couple, Xu Qian got back together with Wei Hao after 3 years. She has had enough of her corporate job and quits to return to her hometown. Wei Hao proposes to her in Episode 17 and they got married.

Why Nian Qin Felt Abandoned

Nian Qin’s mother sent him to the welfare home when the family was facing a financial crisis. When she left, she was hit by a vehicle in an accident and died. Nian Qin felt his father left him there because of his visual impairment. So, he grew up hating him and refusing treatment for his eyes to get back at his father who got richer and richer over time.

His hatred intensified when his father remarried a few times. His father’s current wife is Wei Lan who used to be Nian Qin’s friend. As a result, Nian Qin also ends up hating Wei Lan.

Did Nian Qin Regain His Eyesight?

Yes, Nian Qin decided to go for cornea transplant surgery despite the risks in Episode 16. He changed his attitude towards treatment because he wanted to prove himself to Wu Yan’s mother that he can take care of her daughter. After he regained his eyesight, he took over the family business from his father who transferred all his shares to him.

Their father-son relationship improved somewhat after his father had a near death experience due to his illness. The experience of almost losing his father jolted Nian Qin into being more forgiving towards him.

Is There Any Breakup?

Yes, Nian Qin and Wu Yan broke up in Episode 15. Wu Yan was already unhappy that Nian Qin hid from her his wealthy family background. Then, she found out that her father had brain hemorrhage and had to rush back to her hometown. They quarreled over it. At the same time, Nian Qin’s father was gravely ill and almost lost his life and had to undergo emergency surgery. With all these pressures, Nian Qin refused to eat and fainted.

Xiao Lu pleaded with Wu Yan to return to advise Nian Qin. Wu Yan’s heart softened and she left her sick father to see Nian Qin. But when she arrived she overheard him telling Wei Lan that Wu Yan’s mother only see him as a burden. He was cold towards her and made her heartbroken. To make matters worse, while she was away, her father died. The life changing event caused her to break up with Nian Qin.

The couple meet again 3 years later in Episode 17. Nian Qin has regained his eyesight and is the big boss of his family business by then. Wu Yan is doing her post-graduate studies and working at the local radio station in her hometown. Nian Qin goes to see her when he finds out that she has been going on blind dates. After getting re-acquainted, they reconcile in Episode 21.

What Happened To Cheng Yin?

Viewers will learn that Cheng Yin had died 3 years earlier when Wei Hao tells Nian Qin about it in Episode 22. She died while being trapped in a lift with Wu Yan. She was claustrophobic and had a heart problem. Wu Yan is unable to accept her best friend’s death and will imagine that Cheng Yin is still alive every now and then. It is her way of coping and she will be talking to an imaginary friend.

Nian Qin quietly consulted the doctors about Wu Yan’s mental condition. He took up their advice to spend more time with her so that she has less reason to imagine talking to Cheng Yin. When Wu Yan was pregnant and had to be hospitalized due to abdominal pains, she dreamt of Cheng Yin saying goodbye to her before she woke up to see Nian Qin by her side.

Crush 2021 Review – A Different Kind Of Romance

This Chinese drama certainly offers a very different kind of romance compared to the usual cold CEO rom-coms such as Unforgettable Love and youthful romance stories like Falling Into Your Smile. It is like a melodrama with a male lead who is visually impaired and full of bitterness and resentment. Hence, the drama has a dark undertone to it although it is not emphasized to the extent that you will feel depressed watching it. His dark world has to be there as a contrast to the sunlight that the female lead gradually brought to his life.

Therefore, if you are bored of the typical romance dramas on offer and want something totally different, Crush would fit the bill. The male lead alone is already very different from the usual with his disability and low self-esteem. His struggles will make you feel for him and you will be drawn to the romance because the female lead is there to make him grow as a person.

Commendable Acting

Evan Lin is actually a singer with little acting experience. But you will be surprised by his performance as a visually impaired man in Crush. I think Nian Qin is a difficult role to play as he is not only almost blind, he is also a very negative person. Somehow, Evan Lin managed to nail it with his controlled eye movement and mannerisms to give viewers a very convincing performance as a visually impaired man. His expressions are on point to reflect a man with darkness within him.

Wan Peng is also great as a cheerful and mischievous girl. Her role is not as challenging as Evan Lin’s but they shine together as a couple. She has this funny expressions when she is making fun of Nian Qin and they make a compatible couple on-screen. The chemistry is there which naturally helps viewers to get attracted to their story. There are kisses but nothing steamy like what you would get in Love Scenery and My Little Happiness.

Plot With Character Growth

The plot does follow the predictable path of wooing, dating, breaking up, and reconciling. However, it is the overall feel of the drama with a disabled male character that makes it unique. As the story progresses, you can see how the female lead slowly affects the male lead and draws him out of his shell. Basically, this is what you will be watching for the most part of the drama.

So, there is character growth where Nian Qin is concerned. He becomes a happier and better person by the end of the drama as he successfully puts his past behind him because of Wu Yan.

Where It Is Lacking

The last 2 to 3 episodes are not really necessary to me. Some scenes are put in just to lengthen the drama. You might like it if you want to know what their married life is like. But it gives me the feeling that they have overdone it with the length.

Cheng Yin’s story is also bizarre. But since the screenwriters have decided to include it, then they should have addressed the issue properly. Instead it is shown as automatically resolved out of the blue in the last episode. On top of that, the story of the second couple is also uninspiring. I don’t think they will hold anybody’s interest and it is a bore watching them. It reminds me of Love Designer whereby the main couple stole all the attention and the second couple becomes a waste of viewers’ time.

Finally, the Nian Qin in the last third of the drama seems like a different man from the beginning. I find that he has turned into the typical domineering CEO personality we often see in romance dramas. I suppose there is a reason to it and circumstances have changed. But I do wonder if they could have written him a bit differently to maintain more of his initial character for better consistency.

My Verdict – Try It!

To be fair, Crush 2021 is a pretty decent drama. It is highly watchable which offers viewers something different from the usual. However, having said that, it is also not my cup of tea. I find the first half of the drama to be boring. The male lead is always sulking for one reason or another and that negativity doesn’t resonate with me. While I understand why he has that kind of attitude, watching it over and over again gets jaded for me.

If you don’t mind that kind of darkness in a lead character, then you will definitely enjoy Crush better than me. It is not a bad drama at all. It is just whether you are able to identify with the character and feel touched by his emotional struggles. I could do that partially and then got bored with his constant self-entitlement that he could behave negatively towards others.

I would definitely give it marks for originality and acting. So, for this Crush 2021 review, I would rate it 7.5/10. Do give it a try and you might end up loving it. It is not a tearjerker like Go Ahead but there are touching and emotional scenes in the romance and family relationships. Watch it for the unconventional male lead and the couple’s great partnership. Just be warned that it is not a rom-com. It feels melancholic at times especially with the moody background music.