Will Love In Spring Review

When I was checking out Will Love In Spring (春色寄情人), I was surprised that it is a short drama at 21 episodes in total. This is not really the norm for mainland productions. But I’m glad that this did not go on for too long because the story is too simple to drag it out. In fact, I feel that the drama is overhyped to a certain extent, perhaps due to the popularity of the actors. Don’t get me wrong though as it is an okay watch overall. My review of Will Love In Spring below will take you through the cast, synopsis, and my views on this romance drama.

My rating: 7.5/10
Episodes: 21
Type: Romance
Aired: April 2024
Images Credit: WeTV Official Facebook

The Cast Of Will Love In Spring

• Li Xian as Chen Mai Dong
• Zhou Yu Tong as Zhuang Jie
• Wu Jun Ting as Zhuang Yan
• Zhang Xi Wei as He Niao Niao
• Liu Lin as Liao Tao
• Zhang Zheng Yang as He Zhang Yue / Uncle He
• Fang Fang as Grandma Chen
• Xu Xing as Grandma Lin
• Wan Peng as Wang Xi Xia
• Zhang Chi as Cui Ge
• Xiang Xia as Feng Xi Lun
• Tian Ling as Wu Xue Hua / Madam Wu
• Baby Zhang Bo Jia as Song Yi
• Han Li as Ji Tong

Main Characters

Chen Mai Dong

Mai Dong is an embalmer at the town’s funeral parlor in Nanping. He rarely smiles and appears aloof and serious. He is respected in his field and does his job professionally to ensure the departed can be sent off in a dignified way. Mai Dong is single and shows little interest to date and marry after breaking off with his previous girlfriend.

Zhuang Jie

Zhuang Jie is a technical salesperson in the medical device industry in Shanghai. She is doing well in her job and likes the possibilities that the big city can offer. She is a cripple with part of her right leg having been amputated due to an accident when she was a schoolgirl. However, Zhuang Jie is an extrovert and chatty person. She appears to have a frivolous attitude when it comes to men with a live in the moment philosophy.

Supporting Characters

Zhuang Yan

Zhuang Yan is Zhuang Jie’s younger brother. He is a college student but has a passion for art and painting. Zhuang Yan is a good kid albeit a little eccentric.

He Niao Niao

Niao Niao is Zhuang Jie and Zhuang Yan’s younger stepsister. She is a young schoolgirl who is always being nagged by her mother regarding her schoolwork. However, Niao Niao is a pretty bright and mischievous girl. She is also close to her half-siblings.

Liao Tao

Liao Tao is Zhuang Jie, Zhuang Yan, and Niao Niao’s mother. She is a typical mother who is strict with her kids because she wants them to do well. She is traditional in her thinking and wants her kids to listen to her. Liao Tao remarried after her first husband passed away in an accident. She also runs a store selling cooked chickens in Nanping.

He Zhang Yue / Uncle He

Uncle He is Liao Tao’s current husband and Zhuang Jie and Zhuang Yan’s stepfather. Niao Niao is his biological daughter with Liao Tao. Uncle He is a nice and kind man who is also loved by his stepchildren.

Grandma Chen

Grandma Chen is Mai Dong’s grandmother. She brought him up after his parents’ divorce. Grandma Chen can be loud and pushy. She is also anxious over Mai Dong’s single status and desperately wants to find him a girlfriend.

Grandma Lin

Grandma Lin is Grandma Chen’s best friend in Nanping. She will listen to Grandma Chen’s grumblings about his grandson and offer advice accordingly.

Wang Xi Xia

Xi Xia is Zhuang Jie’s bestie and flatmate. They also work in the same company and used to be schoolmates in Nanping.

Cui Ge

Cui Ge is a TCM doctor in Shanghai. He was Xi Xia’s blind date but she finds him to be a turn off. He is a good man but a little blur in his behavior.

Feng Xi Lun

Xi Lun is Mai Dong’s student and subordinate at the funeral parlor.

Wu Xue Hua / Madam Wu

Madam Wu is a town official in Nanping. She is the Women’s Director and her responsibilities include matchmaking to help pair up eligible men and women in the town.

Song Yi

Song Yi is Mai Dong’s ex-girlfriend. They were together for 7 years before breaking up. Song Yi has since married another and moved away.

Ji Tong

Ji Tong is Zhuang Jie’s ambiguous boyfriend. He is also Zhuang Jie and Xi Xia’s superior at work. Ji Tong sees himself as a sophisticated and successful man but Xi Xia thinks he is utterly selfish and finds him contemptible.

Synopsis

Zhuang Jie is medical device salesperson who wants to achieve success in Shanghai. But a minor surgery and a failed attempt at a relationship made her decide to take a short break from work back in her hometown of Nanping. She meets Mai Dong who is her ex-schoolmate many years ago. When they knew each other back then, both were struggling to cope with changes to their lives. She had just lost her father and had part of her right leg amputated due to an accident while his parents were divorcing and he became rebellious with all the gossips surrounding them. They weren’t the best of friends and their time together was short but they left a deep impression on each other.

When they meet again, Zhuang Jie has changed from a depressed teen to a carefree and confident woman. Mai Dong is now a corpse embalmer and still has a cold and aloof demeanor. But Zhuang Jie is flirty with him which generates a spark between them given their past history. As their feelings deepen, something is still holding Zhuang Jie back. Her devil-may-care attitude to romance is merely a facade that she puts on to hide her vulnerability. She also wants to return to Shanghai to fulfill her goals and prove her worth. This creates tension in their relationship as the serious Mai Dong is left confused at times. As they struggle to understand each other, they need to open up and communicate to heal their lonely souls.

Will Love In Spring Review Ending & Recap (Spoilers Alert!)

Will Love In Spring has a happy ending after a scare. Mai Dong and Zhuang Jie reconcile after a breakup that lasted 6 months after she returns to Nanping for a project. Zhuang Jie is worried that Mai Dong will break up with her but he explains that he wasn’t angry with her for leaving him to return to Shanghai when they reconcile. He was angry that she never treated him as a partner and discussed her plans with him. They embark on a long distance relationship after she returned to Shanghai for her work.

A month later, Mai Dong decides to give Zhuang Jie a surprise when he goes to the city to judge a competition. When a dead body is wheeled past him, he gets a scare momentarily because he thought it is Zhuang Jie due to a familiar looking ring on the corpse’s finger. At the same time, Zhuang Jie experiences a close call with death when the taxi she is in was almost hit by a truck. The experiences leave the both of them feeling overwhelmed by the thought of being separated forever. They are happy and relieved when they see each other again. Mai Dong learns that they should live in the moment while Zhuang Jie realizes home is where Mai Dong is.

When Did The Leads Get Together?

Zhuang Jie impulsively kisses Mai Dong in Episode 5 when she is leaving to return to Shanghai. Although she likes him, she thinks that there is no possibility between them in Episode 6. This is because she loves Shanghai too much to go back and settle down in Nanping. Mai Dong also thinks the same. However, Zhuang Jie is forced to go back to Nanping when her stepfather suddenly dies due to a factory accident. Mai Dong consoles her in Episode 7.

Zhuang Jie takes leave to keep her family company for a period of time in Episode 8. Mai Dong gets jealous when her ex comes to visit her in Episode 10. He questions Zhuang Jie about the status of their relationship in Episode 11. He gets angry when she seems non-committal about it. When Mai Dong sees Zhuang Jie sending her ex back to Shanghai, he gets jealous again and drags her away. He forcefully kisses her. She resists him initially but subsequently gives in to him. Although they are starting to date, Zhuang Jie admits that she likes him but she likes Shanghai more and that is the reality between them.

They quarrel in Episode 12 over Zhuang Jie’s frivolous attitude towards relationship. They make up after Mai Dong apologizes. In Episode 12, Mai Dong agrees that he would not force Zhuang Jie to change and understands that she would not stay in Nanping. He supports her decision in Episode 14 when she explains that she doesn’t want to end up hating him in the future for giving up her goals because of him. She takes the initiative to sleep with him in Episode 17 after they reconciled following a breakup and quarrel. They then got engaged in Episode 20.

Is There Any Breakup?

Zhuang Jie quarrels with her mother in Episode 15 as the latter is against her relationship with Mai Dong. Her mother is not comfortable with his family background and is worried that Zhuang Jie will end up being taken advantage of with her liberal attitude towards relationships. When Zhuang Jie meets Mai Dong after the quarrel, she is not her usual self. She takes the initiative to sleep with Mai Dong but stops halfway when he tries to take off her prosthesis. The quarrel with her mother flashes across her mind.

As a result, Zhuang Jie ends up quarreling with Mai Dong. He asks for a breakup as he couldn’t understand her and feels that he won’t be able to match her attitude of living in the moment where their romance is concerned. Zhuang Jie apologizes to Mai Dong in Episode 16. But he is still angry and they get into a row again until she faints from her flu. They reconcile after he went to see her again as he is concerned about her health. She sincerely apologizes to him and explains that she hasn’t get used to taking off her prosthesis in front of a man.

When they go on a date again, Zhuang Jie opens up to Mai Dong that she has never been intimate with anyone despite appearing flirty and easy. This is because she is still traumatized by her past experience when her first love in college was repulsed by her amputated leg when they tried to be intimate. Their relationship deepens after they slept together in Episode 17 but breaks up again after their engagement in Episode 20. This is because Mai Dong feels that Zhuang Jie is being impulsive with marriage and didn’t tell him that she has already made plans to return to Shanghai until she is about to leave. They reconcile 6 months later when she returns to Nanping for a project.

Is There Any Love Triangle?

There is no love triangle. Zhuang Jie’s ex, Ji Tong, contacts her again while she is in her hometown in Episode 10. She ignores him. They break up because Ji Tong is unwilling to acknowledge their relationship and seems to be stringing her along. This forces Ji Tong to look for Zhuang Jie in Nanping. Ji Tong tells her that he is just paving the way for them to be accepted by his family which takes time and effort. But Zhuang Jie doesn’t buy his explanation and rejects his request to restart their relationship. She rejects him again when she sends his off at the train station in Episode 11.

Mai Dong’s ex is Song Yi but they have already broken up for a few years and she has since married another man. When Zhuang Jie meets Song Yi in Episode 13, the latter is with her husband and is already pregnant.

Mai Dong’s Past

When Mai Dong consoles Zhuang Jie on her stepfather’s death in Episode 7, he relates to her that his best friend, Song Ran, died when he was 17. Song Ran called him but he didn’t answer the call. Subsequently, Song Ran died in a fight with some thugs. Mai Dong went ballistic and was calmed down by the embalmer who gave him some advice. He entered the profession because of the embalmer who became his master. Mai Dong returned to Nanping to work from Beijing when his master died.

When Zhuang Jie meets Mai Dong’s ex, Song Yi, the latter reveals her past with Mai Dong in Episode 14. Song Yi was attracted to Mai Dong when she was young but he only regarded her as a younger sister. Song Yi’s elder brother, Song Ran, was Mai Dong’s best friend. On that fateful day, Song Yi was harassed by thugs. She called Mai Dong because it was another opportunity for her to get his attention. But Mai Dong didn’t go to help her out but called Song Ran instead. So, Song Ran went to help his sister but was beaten to death instead.

Both Mai Dong and Song Yi were suffering from guilt over Song Ran’s death and they felt that only they could understand what the other was going through. The line between sympathy and love blurred when Mai Dong took over Song Ran’s responsibility to look after Song Yi. She then selfishly hung on to him until the relationship ran out of steam after 7 years before breaking up.

Side Couple

Cui Ge was Xi Xia’s blind date but she has no interest in him. However, Zhuang Jie thinks otherwise. So, she sets them up by asking Xi Xia to get her some medicinal patches from Cui Ge’s clinic in Episode 11. In Episode 12, Cui Ge takes it upon himself to deliver the order and ends up having lunch for her as she wants to avoid Ji Tong. Cui Ge tells Xi Xia that she is the first woman he is attracted to ever since his wife died 4 years ago but she isn’t particularly impressed with him.

In Episode 15, Cui Ge is again delivering medicinal patches to Xi Xia. He helps her to reprimand a man who is not being civic-minded. This earns him an invitation to go up to her place for tea followed by a meal date. They already got together by Episode 17 when Xi Xia updates Zhuang Jie about her relationship status. Cui Ge has plans to propose to Xi Xia when he asks Zhuang Jie for her views on a wedding ring in Episode 19. Xi Xia moves in with Cui Ge in Episode 21. They are presumably married and Xi Xia is already planning to have kids then.

Will Love In Spring Review – Heavy Topic Of Life & Death

Will Love In Spring is not your typical romance drama. Yes, it has a good amount of skinship and the intimate scenes are done well for a matured romance. So, no fish kisses there to spoil the atmosphere. But the relationship happens amidst scenes of deaths and the discussions surrounding the topic. Personally, I find it hard to reconcile the 2 opposing themes. A romance gives an anticipation of happiness while death is sombre and sad. When both are combined together in a drama, that contradiction makes it hard for me to truly get into the story. It is difficult for me to explain but suffice to say, I just couldn’t find it in me to really enjoy the drama.

Perhaps all the discussions and preachings about life and death in the dialogues just take away the romantic vibes for me. It is a heavy topic which I suppose is a given since the male lead works as an embalmer in a funeral parlor. Thus, there are a lot of such sombre scenes that talk about how the living should view death and cope when someone close departs this world. If you are into this kind of topic, the whole drama will be touching, meaningful and might even give you food for thought. There is indeed wisdom in some of the conversations.

However, if you are not into this kind of heaviness, you will find it hard to relate. Hence, the drama will seem monotonous. For me, it becomes a little slow paced with such heavy dialogues. The disinterest is exacerbated by the quarrels between the leads and the similarity with Meet Yourself.

Story In A Nutshell

Will Love In Spring is basically about a career-minded woman who wants to achieve her goals in a big city but fell in love with a man in her hometown during a break. She gets into a relationship with him with the knowledge that she will have to leave for the city further down the road. This has similarity to Meet Yourself but the 2 dramas have totally different vibes. Will Love In Spring has more negativity and gloom with more complicated protagonists given their past experiences. Thus, they carry a lot of emotional baggage within them.

Both the protagonists have different coping mechanisms. The woman hides her vulnerabilities through a cheerful and flippant attitude towards relationships while the guy is aloof and serious. This creates conflicts between them and the words are harsh in their quarrels. It is a realistic depiction of a troubled relationship between 2 lovers which may be why the romance is heartfelt for many viewers. The female lead’s insecurities are also understandable and will be revealed later on in the story.

However, I got tired with the number of quarrels that the couple has for such a short drama. I don’t see the quarrels as toxic as they are used to flesh out the issues in their relationship but I don’t appreciate the way the problems are handled. The characters in the drama are also highly flawed which adds another layer of complexity to the story.

Flawed Characters

There is nothing wrong with having imperfect characters. It is what makes a drama more realistic and moving. In Will Love In Spring, the female lead is insecure given her disability while the male also has its own abandonment issues from his parents’ divorce years ago. These are characters with a lot of unresolved inner conflicts which is fine.

What is not is their behavior which is sometimes baffling. Some may even view it as toxic especially for the female protagonist. At best, she is ambitious and simply wants the best of both worlds – him and her career. At worst, she is stringing him along and her career in the city will always come first. It will depend very much on how you view her behavior and each viewer will have their own judgement. Even her mother shows shades of toxicity which reminds me of the one in Best Choice Ever. Luckily, the plot doesn’t develop too far in that direction.

Spoilers Alert: At the end of the day, the couple does love each other. But the crux of the issue is actually not properly discussed in any way. From the beginning, the issue in the romance has always been whether the female lead will return to her hometown to live with the male lead because her life goal is in a big city. There is no confirmed resolution to that issue or a discussion on their future life plans. What we have is just a wishy-washy feel good ending to make viewers happy that they are together no matter what. Hence, something seems to be missing in the romance to me when the drama comes to an end.

Acting & Chemistry

What makes Will Love In Spring watchable to me is the chemistry between Li Xian and Zhou Yu Tong. They made me stay to the very end. Just like Amidst A Snowstorm of Love, the story may not be the best but the leads’ chemistry compensates for the weakness. Their banter, flirting, dating, and intimacy are just like a pair of lovers. I do prefer Zhou Yu Tong’s partnership with Li Xian than with Leo Wu in Nothing But You.

In terms of acting, both did their part well too. Li Xian is suitable for the role with his unsmiling face that immediately gives the feel of loneliness. It also fits the work that the character does in relation to the dead. Zhou Yu Tong’s character is more cheerful and easy-going, and she manages to display that playful vibe that the character uses to as a facade to hide her insecurities. But she could also emote for the crying and more serious scenes to show a different side of the character.

My Verdict – A Very Different Romance Drama

One thing I do appreciate about Will Love In Spring is the short length. I don’t think I can continue watching this if it goes any longer. The death theme in a romance drama is indeed something new but there is only so much about this topic that I could take. I suppose if you don’t mind the theme and the lessons it is trying to impart to the living about life and death, then it may not bother you much. But if you don’t know how to appreciate the somberness and lessons of such occasions, those scenes can be pretty boring.

As for the romance, this is where the attraction lies for the viewers. The chemistry between the leads makes the romance more heartfelt and satisfying overall. Of course, the female lead’s disability is another fresh aspect that is not often seen in a romance drama. Hence, the whole story does not feel recycled like most rom-coms. Personally though, I would have preferred if the romance is more wholesome rather than be littered with quarrels. A more positive and sweeter romance would perhaps balance out the darker theme of death so that the whole drama doesn’t appear so forlorn.

For this review of Will Love In Spring, I would give it a score of 7.5/10. It is not my cup of tea but I’m sure there will be many who would be touched by this story. I have deducted some marks for the ending which I feel didn’t address the couple’s problem all along in a comprehensive way. Nevertheless, it is a good story if you are in the mood for something emotionally heavy and serious.