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Lost You Forever is a historical Chinese drama based on a novel written by Tong Hua starring Yang Zi, Deng Wei, Zhang Wan Yi, Tan Jian Ci, and Wang Hong Yi.
Lost You Forever Synopsis
When she was young, the female lead, Xiao Yao got separated from her family and Cang Xuan. As someone with the magical ability to morph her face, she becomes a male doctor called Wen Xiao Liu for 300 hundred and lives in Qing Shui Town.
Xiao Yao’s story mostly involves three men. Tu Shan Jing is the person she saves from the brink of death and nicknames him Ye Shi Qi. She gets entangled with Xiang Liu since her blood has healing capabilities. Then, there’s Cang Xuan, her long-lost ‘brother.’
Lost You Forever Main Characters
Xiao Yao/Wen Xiao Liu
Xiao Yao is a complicated character because she is not the typical good girl. She has abandonment issues and was traumatized in the past. Throughout all these years, she has had to learn how to survive on her own. She is a morally grey character and not worried about saving all realms like the plots in The Starry Love and Beauty of Resilience.
The perfect example is when she first encounters Tu Shan Jing. In another Chinese drama, the female lead might be eager to help him because that is the right thing to do. What Xiao Yao does instead is turn and walk away.
In other dramas, the female lead might start innocent and gradually undergo a massive transformation due to life events like Immortal Samsara.
But Xiao Yao has done that from the start already so that makes her stand out.
Tu Shan Jing/Ye Shi Qi
Tu Shan Jing is severely bullied by his brother and ends up on the streets. Xiao Yao saves him and renames him Ye Shi Qi.
TuShan Jing is soft, shy, gentle, good-tempered, and dedicated to the female lead but he is more on the passive side.
For example, his grandmother arranged him to marry someone else. He is against it and spoke to her several times about not wanting to marry anyone but Xiao Yao. This is the only action he takes. He didn’t do much else to stand up against his grandmother.
In a typical romance drama, he would be the sensitive and artistic boy the female lead meets and falls for due to his kindness towards others.
Cang Xuan
Cang Xuan and Xiao Yao grew up together (they are not actually blood siblings) so they have a history that cannot be replicated.
He is a part of the royal family but does not live a happy life. His parents died when he was young while his remaining relatives want to eliminate him.
Not only does he live a lonely life, he has to be cunning and strategic to survive in the royal household.
The one that truly understands him is Xiao Yao. She’s the only one by his side through thick and thin. His affection for Xiao Yao turned romantic but she had no idea because she always saw him as family.
He was also the last of the three men to find out she was a lady. It’s kind of symbolic too because he doesn’t stand a chance against the other two guys romantically.
Xiang Liu/Fang Feng Bei
Xiang Liu is a nine-headed demon with white hair from the Chen Rong kingdom. He is a killer and burdened by the debt he owes his benefactor.
If this was a typical drama, he would be the typical bad boy. He is stoic and does not easily share his affections as he has been hardened in life. Yet he loves her from a distance and always helps her.
Xiang Liu has another identity, Fang Feng Bei. Fang Fei Bei is the more lighthearted role. He teaches her archery and keeps her company when she’s feeling down.
Chi Shui Feng Long
He’s the silliest male character of the four men in the reverse harem world in Lost You Forever.
Feng Long is the fourth male character acting alongside Yang Zi. He’s the least talked about because there isn’t much of a romantic connection between him and Xiao Yao. If anything, they are more like friends.
Feng Long might be attracted to Xiao Yao on a surface level but does not feel for her deeply as a romantic partner. Instead, he is practical with her. He enjoys her company. Her status as the Princess of Hao Ling will also be beneficial to him. That’s why he wants to form a marriage alliance.
Male Lead Fandom War
Lost You Forever is a romance drama where there are strong opinions on who should have the female lead’s heart. There is an intense battle fan war between Tu Shan Jing and Xiang Liu.
(Sorry Cang Xuan fans. You’re in the minority.)
Most of the time, who the female lead ends up in dramas is evident from the start but not this one unless you’ve read the novel.
People seem to like Jing because he always puts her first. The other two leads do as well but Jing does it in a way that Xiao Yao knows while the other two do things for her secretly.
There is a heated discussion among fans that if Xiang Liu was willing to confess and be with Xiao Yao, she would have picked him over Tu Shan Jing. Unfortunately, his tragic background prevents them from having a happy ending.
Personally, I am rooting for Cang Xuan. Xiao Yao and Cang Xuan grew up together and have an unbreakable bond. The history they share can never be replicated. It’s too bad that he took action too late. He had the most opportunities to end up with Xiao Yao.
Although he loves her deeply, he’s in a sticky situation where he must gain power to protect the person he loves.
Even if this means giving her up romantically and watching her be with another guy.
The drama depicted these four male leads so most girls will like at least one of them. There’s the soft and gentle Jing, the bright boy Feng Long, childhood sweetheart Cang Xuan, and the bully Xiang Liu.
Lost You Forever Memorable Scenes
1) Cang Xuan and Xiao Yao Reunite
The episode goes from Cang Xuan recognizing her and her admitting her true identity. It was an emotional reunion and one of the best episodes in the drama.
2) Xiao Yao Forest Attack
When Xiao Yao gets attacked in the forest, all three male leads have different reactions and ways of coping.
3) Xiao Yao Takes a Stand
Cang Xuan and Xiao Yao arrive in XiYan. Cang Xuan’s family stops him from going with Xiao Yao but she takes a firm stance. She takes him by the hand and marches right in. Her aura in that scene was fantastic.
4) TuShan Jing Playing Gu Qin
Xiao Yao encourages Jing to pick up gu qin again. Jing refused to play this musical instrument after being scarred all over his body. Watching Xiao Yao encourage him and him plucking the courage was an incredibly touching scene.
Lost You Forever Main Characters
Yang Zi
Although Xiao Yao is different than the good girl characters Yang Zi plays in The Oath of Love, she still feels the same.
At first, I thought it was only me. I browsed online communities and it seems like others agree as well.
I can’t help but think if I’m tired of her acting. An actor’s newness can wear off quickly and for veteran actors, they must be worried about overexposure.
She’s a child actress and has been in the industry for dozens of years.
She shows great acting skills here but since I’ve watched at least 7 of her dramas already, I feel like I already know what to expect from her.
Nevertheless, no one can deny her acting skills.
There are some heavy emotional scenes in this drama. Without good acting skills to back it up, the audience can quickly lose interest in the character.
Other than her superb acting skills, she has good chemistry with many of her costars. No wonder she’s one of the top female actresses in China!
Zhang Wan Yi
Out of the male actors in Lost You Forever, Zhang Wan Yi ranks top in terms of acting ability, although it can be a tossup between him and Tan Jian Ci.
Cang Xuan is a complicated character with many layers to him. He has to be ruthless and scheming to secure the crown but loving and kind towards Xiao Yao. She is his exception, always. Choosing an actor to play Cang Xuan means the casting team must select an actor that has top-tier acting ability.
Zhang Wan Yi is the perfect casting choice.
Cang Xuan is a demanding role to play and not just anyone can pull off this character. Zhang Wan Yi’s microexpressions toward Xiao Yao are exceptional. The casting team did the right thing going with him.
As someone who tends to watch idol dramas, Zhang Wan Yi is new to me. This is his first project breaking into the idol drama field.
Zhang Wan Yi doesn’t have the typical handsome guy face like actors such as Chen Zhe Yuan and Dylan Wang. However, he can carry a royal aura and he does look good in a historical costume, despite fans being uncertain he would.
He made the right choice playing Cang Xuan because he has a solid first impression in many people’s hearts now.
Deng Wei
Deng Wei has certainly gained a fair share of popularity through the drama, Lost You Forever. He probably gained the most fans compared to the other male leads.
To be honest, I’m not sure why he gained so much love from the public. His acting is a bit wooden. This is especially obvious next to Zhang Wan Yi and Tan Jian Ci.
But Deng Wei is tall and a model. He gained fans probably based on his appearance and how his character was written in the script.
On the other hand, Deng Wei deserves credit for not caring about his image. Since he’s a newcomer to the industry, he hasn’t filmed many dramas.
At the beginning of Lost You Forever, there were scenes with bandages all around him. He looked like a zombie. It’s hard to imagine a more established actor playing this type of role especially since idol actors care a lot of about their image and looks, even if it’s acting.
Tan Jian Ci
Tan Jian Ci is another actor that is branching into idol dramas. He gained fame from the drama, Under My Skin and now he’s in a few romance-type shows.
His character as Fang Feng Bei is a hedonist but Xiang Liu is someone who secretly makes sacrifices for Xiao Yao. Like Zhang Wan Yi, he had a tough role to pull off. Tu Shan Jing is the only one that can love her openly.
Tan Jian Ci is a regular cast member on the Chinese reality TV show Hello Saturday. He can amaze the audience during short acting and singing segments on that show. Seeing him in this drama, it’s no surprise why he’s praised for his acting.
He is someone with a bright future and I look forward to watching more of his projects in the future.
Lost You Forever Pros
1) The cinematography was breathtaking. Lost You Forever is an S+ drama which is the highest level of investment poured into a drama. Investors must have a lot of confidence in Yang Zi. With this kind of high budget, the costumes are beautiful and the sets elaborate.
2) Brilliant Acting
Yang Zi, Tan Jian Ci, and Zhang Wan Yi really showcased their acting skills here. Deng Wei does lack compared to the others but he has the least experience out of everyone. Gotta give him some more time to refine his acting skills.
3) This drama is an acquired taste. It’s a reverse harem show where one female lead has several men surrounding her.
Lost You Forever is an anomaly compared to current Chinese dramas.
There’s Yang Zi who is the female lead. Technically, the male lead is Cang Xuan but other male characters like Tu Shan Jing and Xiang Liu are so vital to the storyline that they also feel like the male lead.
Lost You Forever Cons
1) Lost You Forever is split into two parts. Other dramas like Love Like the Galaxy and The Blue Whisper also had two parts. Both aired quickly but online internet rumours say that it’s going to take longer for season 2 of Lost You Forever to come out.
Many people like to binge shows during their night routine but Lost You Forever will leave you hanging since there’s more to the story.
2) There are quite a lot of characters so the storyline can be quite complicated. Even the main characters have two names like Tu Shan Jing/Ye Shi Qi, Xiao Liu/Xiao Yao, and Xiang Liu/Fang Feng Bei. The drama needs more episodes to flesh out the story and characters.
How Long Is Lost You Forever?
This drama is split into two parts – Season 1 and Season 2 because each season is not allowed to be over 40 episodes due to China’s regulations. Season 1 aired in July 2023. There is no official statement yet as to when season 2 will air. There are a lot of rumours floating around that the wait can be up to a year.
Season 1 doesn’t end with a climax but the later episodes will show more dramatic scenes as shown in the trailer.
You might be thinking why I decided to write a drama review on season 1 when the drama hasn’t even fully finished yet. The drama is unique compared to the ones I usually watch so I couldn’t wait to write about it.
Fans are eagerly waiting for season 2. I hope the broadcasting channels won’t make us wait too long. When too much time has passed, the audience can lose attention and might focus on other shows they can watch in one go.
Final Thoughts – Lost You Forever
Lost You Forever is an emotionally turbulent drama unlike some of the other dramas that aired in 2023 such as Hidden Love and When I Fly Towards You.
Be prepared to be invested in the characters and be torn on who should Xiao Yao end up with.
Even if historical dramas aren’t your type of thing, Lost You Forever does not follow the typical format. Give it a shot and see why everyone is buzzing about this drama!
Now to You – Lost You Forever
I hope you find this review helpful.
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Xoxo,
Nicole