First Love Again: The Campus Romance Opening on Three Platforms in Two Days

Why this one

Most Chinese dramas pick a platform and stay there. First Love Again (第二次初恋, Di Er Ci Chu Lian) did not. Tencent Video and iQIYI both announced it for noon on October 15, and Mango TV's official account followed with its own start on October 16 at noon. A viewer who wants a light, bright romance for the autumn can therefore pick whichever app they already pay for.

It is also a plain, comfortable genre piece. The leads are a high-cold basketball star and a cheerful literature student, both new to romance, and the promotional line from the platforms is that the two "study" love together while chasing their own goals. The show is still airing, so this guide covers only what the opening episodes set up.

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The setup

The two lead characters are Zhou Xiangxiang (周想想) and Gu Han (顾晗). Mango TV's synopsis describes them as childhood companions who have not seen each other for years and meet again after a misunderstanding. They start as huanxi yuanjia (欢喜冤家, "happy enemies"), the trope of two people who squabble in every scene and slowly turn into each other's support.

Zhou Xiangxiang is the energetic, ambitious one. According to the TMDB entry, she is a cheerful student with stage fright who dreams of becoming a host. Gu Han is the quiet, remote basketball player, described there as struggling with his past and a fear of separation. The official platform posts add that both are mutai solo (母胎solo, "solo since the womb", meaning they have never had a relationship) and that their story pairs a basketball court with a literature department.

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The structure follows from that: each lead has something to overcome, and the relationship is the way each gets there. Mango TV's episode titles show the rhythm: a comic misunderstanding in the first episode, a fake injury played for sympathy in the second, and the stage fear taken up by the fourth. The first ten episodes were available on Mango TV from its launch.

Cast and crew

• Huang Cancan (黄灿灿) as Zhou Xiangxiang

• Zhou Dawei (周大为) as Gu Han

• Sun Chenjun (孙晨竣) as Zhou Yunze (周云泽), special appearance

• Guo Yunqi (郭耘奇) as Fang Yu (方宇), special appearance

• He Yiman (何依蔓) as Le Xiaotao (乐小陶), special appearance

• Ao Ziyi (敖子逸) as Dr. Xiao Ao (小敖医生), special appearance

• Ge Zhao'en (葛兆恩) as Li Sirui (李思睿), special appearance

• Dong Xuan (董璇) as Lin Hong (林虹), special appearance

• Wang Miao (王苗) as Yu You (于悠); Tian Yuqing (田雨晴) as Wen Xinyi (闻心怡); Wu Zhixun (伍志勋) as Chen Yu (陈郁)

Ma Yingshou (马应寿) directs and Zhu Siyi (朱思溢) wrote the script. The producers listed are Pangpangxiong Production (胖胖熊制作), Lihong Technology (励弘科技), Reyi (热壹) and Xinjiemian (新界面). We found no published source novel; the show appears to be an original script.

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Two leads on their second pairing

Huang Cancan and Zhou Dawei worked together before, on Li Ren Xin Shang (离人心上), and First Love Again is their second outing as a pair. The platforms' own billing sets them apart from the rest of the cast: they are the "leading" actors, while the six names after them are credited as special appearances. The story therefore rests on the two leads, with the special-appearance names filling in friends, rivals and family around them.

Dong Xuan (董璇) plays Lin Hong, and Ao Ziyi (敖子逸) plays a doctor the cast list calls Dr. Xiao Ao. The platforms have said little about these characters beyond the roles, and this guide leaves them there.

Format: 24 long episodes

This is a conventional series, not a micro-drama: 24 episodes, each running roughly 32 to 38 minutes on Mango TV, with the first episode at about 37 minutes.

Where to watch

The show streams on Tencent Video and iQIYI, which opened on October 15 at noon China time, and on Mango TV, which opened on October 16 at noon. Mango TV marks the series as VIP, with members getting early access to later episodes. Availability outside mainland China varies by app and region, so check the international versions of each platform.