The drama "The Prince Who Turns into a Frog" received rave reviews, with its Douban score breaking 9, becoming another classic Chinese production.
Everything about this show was good, except for its short run.
With a mere twenty episodes, it was incredibly brief compared to the seventy or eighty, even a hundred, episodes of dramas nowadays.
Viewers found themselves lamenting each episode that passed, taking to the internet to complain.
"This show is too short, not enough to watch! I hope they make another fifty or sixty episodes to be satisfied."
However, some viewers argued that conciseness is essence, and idol dramas should be made this way. Dragging things out with a lot of random filler content made people want to sleep.
The short episode count was one thing, but what viewers found most unacceptable was being brutally hit with a sad ending in the finale.
In the last episode, when Shan Junhao and Ye Tianyu got married, Tong Hao's memories had still not recovered.
Without memories, he was effectively nonexistent. Tong Hao had completely disappeared, and only Shan Junhao lived in this world.
After watching the finale, countless viewers who loved Tong Hao, who loved the puppy-like male lead, were reportedly weeping uncontrollably.
#GiveTongHaoBack#
#DamnProductionCrewIsNotHuman#
#GiveMyPuppyBack#
Many such hashtags were trending, posted by viewers left with lingering regrets.
"You murderous director, how could you write Tong Hao to death? Does anyone know Chen Mingzhang's home address? I'm going to mail him razor blades!"
"Tong Hao was so cute, how could you get rid of him? I don't accept it, I don't accept it, give me back Tong Hao!"
"I watched this show because of Jiang Ling. I've been hurt by the characters Jiang Ling played before, so I was on guard. I managed to guard against the female lead, but the male lead, Tong Hao, was killed off. I'm furious!"
"Wuwuwu, why? Why did it have to be like this? He only existed for 97 days, 97 days!"
"I'd rather Shan Junhao never recover his memories than lose Tong Hao."
"Oh my god, it's the final episode and you hit me with this blow? What a rip-off!"
Although Shan Junhao and Tong Hao were the same person and shared the same body, many viewers still wished for Tong Hao to remain.
In the hearts of many fans, they were two distinct characters.
While Shan Junhao loved Ye Tianyu, he had his own mission and responsibilities. He carried too much on his mind, including the family business, and Fan Yunxi, whom he cared for since childhood. He didn't even worry too much about the harm he caused Tianyu when Yunxi suffered from mental illness.
Tong Hao was different. His world revolved solely around Ye Tianyu. He was willing to give up everything for her. Even knowing he was wealthy and would have endless luxury and riches upon his return, he was willing to abandon it all.
No matter what happened, Tong Hao's first thought was always Ye Tianyu. Shan Junhao, however, couldn't be like him.
This purity of love, bordering on idealism, was undoubtedly what all young girls yearned for and hoped to receive.
Even if they couldn't have it in real life, seeing it in a drama was something.
Yet, the director and scriptwriters acted inhumanely, brutally destroying this beautiful ideal for all to see. How could this not leave the audience with lingering regrets?
This lingering regret also made fans of Jian Zhou curious about what kind of person their idol was in real life.
Was he a powerful CEO, as imposing and cold as Shan Junhao, or a gentle, considerate, kind, and adorable soft, cute puppy like Tong Hao?
Fans hoped for the latter.
Tong Hao was gone from the show; if he could live on in reality, that would be good.