Snowfall

I approached "Snowfall" with a fair amount of skepticism. The vampire-inspired premise gave me pause, especially since my past experiences with similar dramas were far from enjoyable. Vampire themes tend to be hit or miss, often leaning into clichés that can feel tiresome. However, I decided to stick with this one for a simple reason: Gao Wei Guang. His involvement in the drama was enough to make me curious, and in the end, I’m so glad I gave it a chance because "Snowfall" turned out to be a compelling and enjoyable watch—though not without its flaws.

Gao Wei Guang delivered an exceptional performance as Shen Zhi Heng, a character who is both complex and layered. Shen Zhi Heng is a century-old vampire with a mysterious past, marked by a relentless search for his brother and a cure for his condition. What sets him apart from typical vampire characters is his mix of intelligence, ruthlessness, and a cold demeanor, which makes him a formidable figure. Yet, what makes Shen Zhi Heng truly captivating is the contrast in his character when he's around the female lead, Mi Lan.

Mi Lan, played well by the Ouyang Nana, is not your typical damsel in distress. Despite being blind, she is incredibly headstrong, smart, and resourceful. She’s far from a Mary Sue character; instead, she’s someone who holds her own and refuses to be defined by her disability. Her dynamic with Shen Zhi Heng is what truly elevates the drama. The way Shen Zhi Heng, who is usually so calculating and distant, becomes soft and almost puppy-like when he's with Mi Lan adds a beautiful layer to the story. Their romance is cute and heartwarming, even more so because of the considerable age gap between them. The way their relationship develops—slowly, with an undercurrent of respect and mutual understanding—makes it all the more believable and engaging. My first drama with Ouyang Nana and she did surprisingly well.

However, the plot, which started out strong, took a turn for the worse with the introduction of the Li Ying Liang arc. His character was so annoying and irritating, and he had way too much screen time. Li Ying Liang was hell-bent on revenge for someone he barely knew, all because his expectations of this stranger fell through. His motivations felt flimsy, and I had no pity for him as he continuously made one stupid decision after another. This arc dragged down the pace of the drama, making it feel unnecessarily drawn out. Even with his redemption arc, I felt nothing.

Honorable mention to Situ Wei Lian who was so adorable. I love his cute little friendship with Mi lan, wish we could've gotten more of them on the screen.

While the overall plot was intriguing, the Li Ying Liang filler arc seriously detracted from the show's momentum. It’s a relief that "Snowfall" was only 24 episodes long, but honestly, it could’ve been trimmed down to 16 episodes like many Korean dramas. Cutting out the filler would have made for a tighter, more compelling story.

In the end, "Snowfall" exceeded my initial expectations but was held back by some frustrating elements. It’s a drama that managed to breathe new life into the vampire genre, thanks to its strong performances, especially from Gao Wei Guang, and its well-rounded characters. The romance between Shen Zhi Heng and Mi Lan was a highlight, offering a touching and believable love story despite their vast differences. If you’re on the fence about watching a vampire drama, I’d recommend giving "Snowfall" a try—you might just find yourself pleasantly surprised, as I was, but be prepared for some patience-testing moments along the way.

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When Loners Meet

Shen Zhiheng is a renowned media tycoon cum vampire in Haidong during the republicans era, while Mi Lan is a blind heiress of the Mi Family who had been her mom’s punching bag for 18years. Sick and tired of life, Mi Lan decided to escape the mansion to end it all in an abandoned temple when she stumbled into the gravely injured Shen Zhiheng. Unable to move due to being run over by a car multiple times and shot by pistols and machine guns all over the body after being ambushed by Mr Li, the right hand of Supt Chi of the Haidong military troop, ML implored the blind girl to postpone her suicide and help to get his best friend, Dr Situ Weilian. She agreed, went back to the mansion and endured another beating by her enraged mother before sneaking out again the next morning to find the doctor at the hospital. Amazed by FL’s resourcefulness and tenacity in carrying out his plea despite her blindness, ML decided to look out for her and stop the abuse. Thus starts the bond between century-old vampire bearing a target on his forehead after offending the Haidong military figure, with a young girl seeking warmth and love that she never had since her birth.

It’s a fresh take to see vampire theme in cdrama. I commend the idea of meteor stones granting powers to the wielder which explains why Shen would possess such power. The back-story is back in ancient times, a meteor crashed on earth and its stone shards fell into the hands of 3 families which grants them mysterious powers but with downsides. The Mo family holds the hibiscus tree that has the ability to harness the power of the three stones, the Mu Family holds the Illusion stone which grants them the power to lure people into illusions of their own crafts but suffer short life of 30years, while the Wei Family holds the blood stone that gives them supernatural strength and speed at the expense of needing to drink blood to sustain themselves. Wei Qin, Shen’s step mother, was the wielder of the Blood stone 100years ago. Fast forward to current time in the drama, the Mus had stolen the Mos tree and is in search for the blood stone from the Weis as they believed it would lift their family’s blood curse of living only up to 30years. And as Shen Zhiheng was dabbling between handling the threat of Supt Chi who had joined hands with the Mu, finding his long-lost brother who holds the reason for his transformation and saving FL from the abusive household and protecting her from harm for being around him, he found himself being drawn to Mi Lan who was desperately clinging to him.

Kudos to the screenwriter who managed to make the bond between 18y-age-gap actors look so innocent and beautiful. Although Mi Lan was obviously falling head over heels for Shen Zhiheng as he was doing all he could to protect her from all harm, it was amazing that Shen Zhiheng remained courteous and never crossed any boundaries. When they hug, although Mi Lan was acting like she was hugging a lover, Shen looked like he was hugging a younger sister. There was no french kisses like the typical romance drama except for that only one initiated by Mi Lan when Shen was wrongfully detained in jail, purely to let Shen drink her blood for sustenance. That trick was amazing cuz it happened in front of a crowd as Mi Lan was trying to cover the fact that Shen was drinking her blood. Out of this world.

Whenever Shen and Mi had a conversation about their bond, Shen’s dialogue always revolved around family bond instead of lovers. Although he saw Mi Lan as a kin after being alone for 100years and he won’t stop at anything in order to protect her, it never looked like he was rejecting Mi Lan’s shower of love and devotion either. Gao Weiguang was perfect for this role, and he did it amazingly well. I always get turned off when the age gap between an onscreen couple is too wide, and was disappointed to know that Vengo’s co-star was 18 years his junior, but i was left astonished by both the screenwriter and actors because they were so brilliant to showcase this love to be so beautifully mesmerizing.

And my standing ovation to Ouyang Nana for executing Mi Lan’s role to perfection. This is the first time that I saw her, and she left me in awe. It looked like she was doing method acting, which was outstanding for actresses her age. Her depiction of a blind was flawless. Her devotion to Shen also never look cringy (depite the real life age gap). She managed to make it look innocent and heartfelt. Basically she is a very promising actress, it’s a wonder I havent seen her more in other series.

I had to applaud the one who played Mr Li Yingliang a.k.a Xiao Liang too. He was so irritatingly annoying when he kept coming after ML, but also managed to get my sympathy when the motivation for his relentless pursue was revealed. And then had me hate him again when he reverted to being the villain again (after supposedly repenting and begging for Shen’s forgiveness) and then got me feeling sorry again when he was left with no way out. And the way he went was damnnn too unexpectedly heroic. Mr Screenwriter, you did again! Although i dont understand why he was listed as guest role when his scenes had been as much as Situ Weilian’s (or maybe more).

The one who played Situ Weilian is also very talented. From a carefree and innocent character he turned cunning and ruthless, and then innocent again.

OMG the screenwriter was amazing but these actors had definitely given their top notch performance. It’s a wonder why this drama had such a low rating. Even the plot was really not too bad. The actions were well choreographed and the songs, although they were slow and doesnt meet my standard to be added to my running playlist, they were actually great love songs and kinda get stuck in my head. This production is definitely a well done job. I think im gonna find the novel.

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Torn

This show had a really good premise and really good subplots occurring throughout the entire series, but I feel that maybe around halfway it started to become a little bit lackluster. On all fronts, a lot of storylines were cut short quickly or toss around and I think overall the chemistry Between Mi Lan and Zhiheng was Not there. There were some points where you saw something blossoming, but it was very small and it never developed the actress portrays the character In a very useful way that’s very childlike, which makes me wonder why the ML. I understand if she’s like a breath of fresh air and brings like a joy you told us to his life that he didn’t have before, but she’s very childlike and he also treats her that way too. Also, the end was very rushed.

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A Beautiful Yet Underrated Fantasy Gem

Despite the negative comments and relatively low rating, I still decided to watch this drama, and I have absolutely no regrets. I had seen its poster so many times while browsing Youku dramas that my curiosity kept growing. Knowing it was directed by one of my favorite directors made it impossible for me to skip. I went in with an open mind, and I’m so glad I did.

Unlike many viewers, I genuinely liked every character in this drama. The acting was impressive across the board, especially considering most of the cast were new to me, except for Ryan Ren. Each actor brought sincerity and depth to their role, making the characters feel alive and emotionally real. The three main actors alone made this drama worth watching. They were captivating and held my attention throughout.

I agree that the ending felt rushed, and some parts, especially the backstory of the stones, were not explained clearly enough. However, I had already prepared myself for that, and personally, I don’t mind rushed or even sad endings if the journey itself is meaningful. What I appreciated most was the relationship dynamic between the leads. Instead of forcing a romantic relationship, the male lead remained more of a guardian figure in her life. This made their bond feel pure, meaningful, and never uncomfortable or cringeworthy. In real life, not every deep connection turns into romance, and this drama portrayed that beautifully.

Ouyang Nana as Milan was truly outstanding. She had such an angelic aura, and her portrayal of a blind character was incredibly convincing. Her expressions, posture, and emotional delivery were so natural and heartfelt. Watching her reminded me of a blind college friend I once had. We eventually lost contact, but she had the most beautiful eyes. Milan’s close-up scenes brought back those memories and made the experience even more emotional for me. Her character was smart, charming, and full of quiet strength.

Winwin’s portrayal of Situ Weilian was equally memorable. His character was mysterious, morally grey, witty, and incredibly charming. Whenever his vampire side appeared, he completely owned the screen. I only wish the drama had explored his character even more, because he had so much depth and potential.

Ryan Ren’s character, Li Yingliang, was complex. At times he was frustrating and annoying, but his character development toward the end was noticeable. His motivations came from survival, resentment, and pain, which made him feel more human than purely villainous. While the antagonist writing itself could feel weak and one-dimensional, the actor’s performance helped elevate the role.

The relationship between Shen and Milan was also incredibly touching. Their bond was subtle, warm, and emotional, and I found myself wishing for more scenes between them. The drama excelled at portraying emotional connections without relying heavily on romance.

Visually, this drama was absolutely stunning. The cinematography, costumes, set design, and overall aesthetic were beautifully crafted. Every frame felt immersive and artistic. The historical setting combined with fantasy and vampire elements created a unique atmosphere that felt almost like watching a live-action webtoon or manga.

The story itself was refreshing and unique, blending fantasy, suspense, emotional drama, and historical themes. Despite censorship limitations, it remained engaging, emotional, and thought-provoking. The symbolism, character journeys, and emotional depth made it stand out from typical dramas.

Yes, the final episode felt rushed and heartbreaking, and it may leave some viewers feeling unsatisfied. But the emotional journey, strong performances, beautiful visuals, and unforgettable characters made it completely worth watching.

I originally would have rated it 9.5, but the incredible acting, especially from Ouyang Nana, and the emotional impact it left on me made it a full 10. This drama is truly a must-watch for anyone looking for something unique, emotional, and visually beautiful.


Who Should Watch

Viewers who enjoy fantasy and vampire themed historical dramas with emotional depth.
Fans of character driven stories and strong acting, especially Ouyang Nana, Winwin, and Ryan Ren.
Those who appreciate beautiful cinematography, aesthetics, and atmospheric storytelling.
People who like guardian type relationships, subtle emotional bonds, and meaningful connections beyond romance.
Anyone looking for something unique, emotional, and different from typical trope heavy dramas.


Who Should Avoid

Viewers who prefer fully explained plots with no unanswered questions, especially regarding fantasy elements.
Those who dislike rushed or bittersweet endings.
People expecting heavy romance or a clear romantic payoff between the leads.
Viewers who need fast paced storytelling with perfect character development and strong villains.
Anyone who dislikes slow burn emotional dramas focused more on atmosphere than action.

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Outstanding Drama

This is an amazing Drama.

Not your usual soft, superficial story.

Vango was stunning. A Superb preformance . His female lead was exceptional.

The settings and atmoshere were truly outstanding and wonderful.

This was a 'one out of the box'.

To be honest I was too scared to watch the last 2 Episodes. Will wait until my nervouse system recovers and hopefully there will be a sequel. It is a trully remarkabe Drama. The level of darkness was intense. The acting was briliant.

The setting and time frame was superb and magical

Vango is my new favourite actor. Magnificent.

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Promising beginning, falters in the middle and took a nosedive at the end

For the first few episodes, I was so happy that I have found a unique drama. The premise is interesting, music i s good, actors and actresses are amazing (except one), costumes are intricate and beautiful and finally short enough for me to watch and not get bored (that's what I thought). And suddenly when it reaches into it's teen episodes, I was bored and start watching with 2x speed. The plot get repetitive and the villain get so much screen time and our main couple just appear for a few minutes just to remind us that they are the main couple of the story. In one episode, I've watched the villain and his lady story and flash back for almost the whole episode. The director have an amazing story and actors to work with and still manage to mess it up.

The following are the things I wished the director have put more focus on:
1. Brotherly love and playful banter between SZH and SWL. SZH could teach SWL about human emotions and SWL could help his big brother to let go of some of the burdens. It's a shame that we couldn't see more of the handsome siblings.

2. Love story between Mi Lan and SZH. It's not passionate love but very serene and quiet affection between them. Because of the age difference, I wasn't expecting passionate scenes between the couple but those subtle affections are more than enough to root for them. Kudos to both actors for an amazing job. It would be interesting to watch Mi Lan adapted to her new life, taught by SZH about moral values and how to control her fiery temper. She could taught our cold looking warm hearted SZH how to show his love ardently.

3. More about the back story about those 3 stones. Their powers, who can wield them and what is their limitations.

Also those excessive screentime of the villain really destroy the story.

That being said there are also good things about this drama although it is fewer. Some of the scenes of our main couple are so beautifully shot and music is amazing. I didn't read the novel before watching the drama. So I wasn't expecting a happy ending from the start. C dramas with fantasy elements tends to opt for open endings in my opinion. But the way the director messed up the ending is beyond words. It's like a curse for C dramas recently to start amazing and crash at the end. Still I might just watch it again for Gao Weiguang and Ouyang NaNa.

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New, exciting, great everything!

First off, let's talk about the cast! Amazing! I literally started watching this just because of Vengo Gao but knew a few others as well. Big bonus: Ryan Ren, in what is, in my opinion, the greatest acting role I've ever seen him in. He blew me away in this character; the tough but scared soldier and the borderline insanity he is portraying in these later episodes is a delight to watch!

I am a huge fan of the supernatural genre and this plot just dazzled me. From the vampire element to the stones with "magical" properties to the psycho female villian who really doesn't seem to give any care to her own life eventhough that's what she's fighting for.
Multiple villians, that make you wonder from episode to episode which one took hate the most today, and some characters you just can't really get a handle on; are they really allies or are they going to turn out to be villians in the end?

I'm watching it day by day as the episodes air but so far I haven't found a single one that's let me down in any way. This is a real treat! Enjoy!!

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Not a Romance!

Excellent casting and superb acting in a deeply allegorical story descriptive of the simmering political upheaval and unrest characteristic of the 1930s, the era in which this drama is set. Contemporary music juxtaposed with stunning sets and costumes make viewing a real treat. The plot and character development give hints of Wuthering Heights for symmetrical storylines, Crime and Punishment for the creation of a mental prison, and… a hint of Mayor Jean Valjean in Vengo’s character. No idea why this only has 7.5 on the MDL site; perhaps people thought it would be a typical trope-y C-drama. But no!!! So glad I watched this.

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It's a Hmm Moment...

Ah so here we go.. first off I want to make known to those who will read this. If you are reading my review to have an in depth description of the pros and cons about this drama you will not find that here. I'm simply here to give MY overall opinion on the drama and how I felt about its ride through the story to the ending. Keep in mind that I rarely do reviews on here but for this one I really wanted to give kinda my own experience on it.

Starting off this drama really had my attention cause of the Era and all around genre built around it. This Era in Chinese history was one of my most favorites and sadly I haven't found MANY dramas that fall in this Era so I came into this one really excited. Now I don't want to say I disliked this Drama and I don't but honestly not as a whole it just fell a little. Would I still recommend it yes, however I would warn based off my own experience if you are someone that loves a drama with a strong start but dislikes when it starts to shift at the middle and kinda fall into a muddled slow pace than you won't like it. Honestly just watch clips of the first half of the drama cause anything after it just falls short of what you would expect.

Now that's my opinion someone else's might differ. If you are a true fan through and through that's good, it means you found something in it you liked and no one should tell you how to feel, however humans all differ in different styles and what we enjoy, that's how it should be. But back to the point, the whole story did keep me kinda strung in even though it was a little muddled at the middle and end for me. I do love Shen and MiLan so I wanted to stay and see how they developed and grew together. I mean Shen was kinda like Chinese version of Van helsing (the anime version) for me cause his personality when he would bring down the human veil became more nonchalant in a way. Also his brother is a badass, a little crazy perhaps but who doesn't love a good old fashion psycho with a love string for a pretty girl. Some other characters I was fond of was Liang, a little bit of a rat but compared to a lot of characters you see like him he wasnt terrible and then the mysterious Mo character. He confused me a little but you don't get the see much of him either sadly. Still an interesting man he was.

How the ending happened though was a real kicker for me... I didn't like it cause it left to many questions and I've come to a conclusion through watching many historical or old date Chinese shows that it will end in one of two ways. The female lead Sacrificing herself for the solution or the man they love dying to end the problem. I still have yet to find a old style Chinese show where the lead couple just get to live in happiness together and it's always very sad. As I said still have yet to find, maybe one day I will or someone will suggest one.

My all over opinion on this show is really that it is good, it's just the ending is where I would have liked to see some more background or more clear actions, maybe even a happy walk in their new life together instead of the muddled mess it became. Maybe there will be a second part that starts off in a better light who knows. It could very well happen with how open the ending ended. Only time will tell.

But as stated please keep in mind that this is thoroughly just my views on some things I wanted to talk about and I'm always open to comments that want to talk about it but if your commenting to pick a knot at my opinion and to fight my way of thinking I will not acknowledge or comment back. In exact terms comment with the intent to talk not fight ❤

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A great vampire, a good start, but a very messy storyline

PLOT: meeting between a century-old "vampire" (the ML, who does not want to become bloodthirsty) and a young girl (the FL) who is blind and mistreated by her mother. The ML is pursued by a group of gangsters, subordinate to a military leader corrupt to the core, because, running a newspaper, he denounced their crimes. This soldier is supported by one of the 3 families having obtained superpowers, led by Mu Lihua (the Great Villain).

+++ Vengo is exceptional in this vampire role, which fits him perfectly. Even Ouyang Nana, who I don't like very much, plays a convincing blind FL.
+++ Lots of very good actors.
+++ Stressful, dark, heavy atmosphere, accompanied by suitable OSTs.
+++ A big budget for the sets, even if the costumes sometimes seem anachronistic.

BUT :
### The storyline is incoherent, even for a fantasy drama (where do the ninjas with super powers come from? Why are the ML and his brother going to throw themselves into the wolf's den ? The brother, also a hundred years old, behaves like a teenager; The great villain wants to kill the protagonists, even when she gets what she wants, etc.). Moving on because there are too many ლ(ಠ益ಠ)ლ
### Why dress the FL, a young girl, as if she were 12 years old? To accentuate the age gap with the ML, to make their relationship seem like father-daughter? Ridiculous !
### The 2nd part becomes heavy, with its inconsistencies and illogical twists.

=> Good cast, good plot, ruined by bad writing.

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PLOT : rencontre entre un "vampire" centenaire (qui ne veut pas devenir sanguinaire) et une jeune fille (la FL) aveugle et maltraitée par sa mère. Le ML est poursuivi par un groupe de gangsters, subordonnés à un chef militaire corrompu jusqu'à la moelle, car, dirigeant un journal, il dénonce leurs crimes. Ce militaire est soutenu par une des 3 familles ayant obtenu des super pouvoirs, dirigée par Mu Lihua (la Great Villain).

+++ Vengo est exceptionnel dans ce rôle de vampire, qui lui va comme un gant. Même Ouyang Nana que je n'aime pas beaucoup, interprète une FL aveugle convaincante.
+++ Beaucoup de très bons acteurs.
+++ Atmosphère stressante, noire, pesante, accompagnée des OST adaptés.
+++ Un gros budget pour les décors, même si les costumes semblent parfois anachroniques.

MAIS :
### La storyline est incohérente, même pour un drama fantastique (d'où sortent les ninjas avec super pouvoirs ? Pourquoi le ML et son frère vont se jeter dans la gueule du loup ? Le frère, centenaire lui aussi, se comporte comme un ado; La great villain veut tuer les protagonistes, même lorsqu'elle obtient ce qu'elle veut, etc.). J'en passe, il y en a trop ლ(ಠ益ಠ)ლ
### Pourquoi habiller la FL, jeune fille, comme si elle avait 12 ans ? Pour accentuer le age-gap avec le ML, faire passer leur relation pour père-fille ? Ridicule !
### La 2e partie devient pesante, avec ses inconsistances et ses retournements illogiques.

=> Bon cast, bon plot, gâché par une mauvaise écriture.

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Worth the Watch

This was worth the watch for just the three main actors alone. They were just so amazing to watch they should be able to keep your focus if nothing else does. If your also a fan of Ryan Ren his character is all the way through this to I thought he did his character very well but I did start finding him rather annoying toward the end the start to focus on him quite a bit. Mi Lan and Wei Lian have become to of my favorite characters after watching this I just really loved them. Ouyang Nana did an incredible job playing a blind girl and I didn't mind that they kept her little girlish since they didn't focus on the romance but instead just a family relationship between her and the ML. Love Wei Lian and also wish they would of done a little more with his character cause when he did show his vampire side he was amazing.

The one place where this drama lacks is the backstory for the stones they didn't go into explaining hardly anything about them so when you get to the end it does leave you wondering well how does that work. The last episode you can tell was definitely rushed and they should of done more with it so it doesn't leave so many people confused but with that I still thought this drama was a really great watch. The actors deserve love for this even if the story is a little lacking.

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