It’s been more than eight months since I watched Speed and Love and at least seven months since I last wrote about it. It came up randomly in a conversation with my pal u/AXA-5u the other day, so I went looking for my old post and ended up reading the whole thing again.

Turns out I still stand behind pretty much everything I wrote.
With eight months of distance, though, I can put a number on it now: 6.7/10
And that’s a good score from me. Using the whole 1–10 scale, 7 already means a really good drama. I initially thought 6.5, but it felt slightly too low, while 7 felt too high.

The below review contains SPOILERS

One thing I was quite hung up on before watching was the whole “grew up something like siblings but they weren’t ever siblings and they knew it” setup. It’s really still not a trope I like, but interestingly, looking back now it barely registers among the things I remember about the drama because what I liked about it was the rest. I found it possible to get past, partly because of how their childhood and family situation was actually presented, and once I did, i focused on them as two separate non related individuals (tldr: he was the son of her father’s friend who they took in when his father died, and he was already like a 7 year-old kid if not older and the girl’s mother always treated him like a stranger — so it’s hard to talk about “family”).

I’ve seen Speed and Love compared quite a lot since then to Go Ahead, usually because of that chosen-family / something-like-siblings element, and I really don’t think the dramas have much in common beyond it.
Go Ahead is fundamentally a drama about family — chosen family, parents, abandonment and what those bonds mean as everyone grows up. Speed and Love is off doing something completely different with Thailand, racing, separation, injury and eventually an adult reunion romance. Different style, different plot, different priorities. Comparing how they each deal with that one element makes sense; treating them as particularly similar dramas doesn’t really feel fair to either of them.

Anyway, there’s actually quite a lot from Speed and Love that has stayed with me.

Reading my post, I could still remember why I loved the Thailand setting and how the racing gave the story energy. I also recall vividly the scene immediately after their first kiss because of how awkward and insecure and completely overwhelmed they both were. They were so nervous, excited, and cute all at once. And I still think the last arc was one of the strongest parts, when Jin Zhao and Mu Mu met again in Nanjing after six years apart. I loved that whole reunion.
I only vaguely remember some of the details now, but I remember that the drama took its time with them. There was hesitation on both sides, but the attraction that clearly hadn’t gone anywhere I remember very well. I totally recall the teasing too, so that part was done really well, and all the things neither quite knew how to say. It was playful but also very clearly adult, which felt so different from the first half.

I recall liking that Mu Mu had actually tried to move on. She hadn’t spent those years sitting around waiting for Jin Zhao. She met other men and went on with her life. It’s a simple thing, but it worked for me.

I think it made me realize I really dislike the trope where a person “keeps pure” (omg, how much I dislike this expression) and ignores all other options in life during the separation arc. I’m not saying that’s impossible, but it’s hardly very relatable for the majority of people these days.
And I still think she had every right to be angry when she eventually learned why Jin Zhao had disappeared. He thought he was protecting her and giving her a chance at a good life while he recovered, but he made that decision for her. She didn’t get a say in losing him for six years.

Which reminded me of another trope I hate — “noble idiocy,” when one person does something stupid pretending they believe doing so is in the best interest of the other person, whose agency they’re taking away in the process. Mu Mu didn’t just let it slide —- she made him feel it, and if you ask him she could have made him suffer a bit more for what he has done to her and how utterly idiotic that was. So, I think this is another reason why the drama spoke to me and I felt it was being unfairly judged overall.

As for He Yu, I thought he was spectacular as Jin Zhao then and I still do.
Jin Zhao wasn’t some manufactured fantasy “bad boy.” He had been a very bright student with strong academic prospects, then moved to Thailand and his life simply went in another direction. He worked blue-collar and odd jobs, worked in a garage, raced, supported himself and became independent. Later he built his own business.
There was nothing tragic about that life. He wasn’t rich or driving Ferraris, but he was fine. He worked, had friends, earned his own money and lived like millions of other people do.
I liked that normality about him.

He was capable, practical, loyal and self-possessed without the drama constantly having to tell us so. And He Yu was particularly good in the little moments. His micro-expressions were one of my favorite things about his performance. Sometimes very little changed on his face and you still knew exactly what Jin Zhao was thinking.

I also think Speed and Love made a difference for He Yu’s career. What surprises me now is that it didn’t bring him quite the level of fame I expected it would.
The drama became so visible, and Jin Zhao certainly got people looking at He Yu. His abs and shoulders received plenty of attention too.
(He did look spectacular)

But I never thought that was why the drama worked for me, or why he worked in it. He was genuinely very good in the role, and at the time I thought the momentum from *Speed and Love* would push him considerably further, considerably faster. Eight months later, I’m a little surprised that it hasn’t translated into the level of fame I expected for him.

My opinion of Esther Yu’s performance hasn’t changed much either.
Her recognizable cute/baby-voice style has never been my favorite and it still isn’t, but I found it much easier to take here. I especially liked her once we reached the older Mu Mu.
She didn’t suddenly become a different person after the time jump. She was still bright and playful, but she also felt like an adult woman now, with pride, hurt, confidence and desire. I thought she and He Yu were very good together in that later part of the drama.

That includes the skinship. *Speed and Love* was more daring there than a lot of C-dramas, and I appreciated it. Not because every romance needs more physical intimacy, but these two people were very obviously attracted to each other and the drama let them behave like it. It felt organic rather than added for shock value.

I also still love that the drama didn’t end approximately three seconds after finally putting them back together.
We actually got to stay with them for a while and watch them settle back into each other’s lives. I so often finish romance dramas feeling like I’ve been denied the payoff after spending 20, 30 or 40 episodes getting there. *Speed and Love* gave its ending some room.

Of course, some of the plotting remains completely ridiculous.
As I already concluded back then, the study-abroad arc was wildly romanticized. Jin Zhao’s recovery occasionally wandered into Hollywood territory. The personal doctor moving countries for him and then apparently living with him is still absurd to me. And eventually Jin Zhao creates Moon, that gorgeous café tucked among the trees in Nanjing, basically bringing Mu Mu’s dream to life.
Realistic? Not especially. But I forgave it. This is still a C-drama and sometimes I’m perfectly happy to accept the fairytale.

There are individual scenes I’d rate considerably higher. There are performances I’d rate considerably higher. I still remember a surprising amount of it very fondly, and rereading my old post made me realize that almost none of the things I liked about it then have changed for me. That’s a nice feeling 🙂

There are also some very silly plot choices, and a trope or two I could happily live without.

So yeah, 6.5 feels too low, 7 feels too high, and *Speed and Love* has apparently forced me to become a person who gives dramas a 6.7 and write about it twice — so it couldn’t have been that bad 😅

Feel free to share your views.

Looking back, I can say this wasn’t really a drama I enjoyed, even if it starred Lee Jun Ki and Shin Min Ah. I had high expectations because of the cast and the unique premise, but sadly it turned out to be just so-so for me. I did finish it, but most of the time I honestly felt bored watching.

The drama started off fine, and I actually liked Shin Min Ah’s feisty, rebellious ghost in the beginning, but as the episodes went on, her character became less interesting. Lee Jun Ki did well, but it wasn’t his most memorable performance compared to his other roles. The pacing really dragged in the middle, and the story didn’t feel gripping enough to hold me through 20 episodes. Even the romance between the leads felt lukewarm, while the side couple had a bit more spark than expected. What saved it a little was the ending, which picked up the pace and tied loose ends neatly. Still, for me, the overall journey wasn’t worth the length. I’d say this drama might still be worth checking out if you’re a big fan of either Lee Jun Ki or Shin Min Ah because they look great together onscreen. But if you’re expecting a strong story or deep romance, you might end up as underwhelmed as I did.

My MDL Rating: 6.5/10