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Masterpiece
The leads chemistry is perfect.. This story is not your basic cliche kisses and hugs romantic story. It covers some really serious topics like workplace abuse, domestic violence, toxic parenting and S.A. It's a story of courage healing confidence and trust. It's a slow burn romance.OST theme is true to the intense mature understand relationship between the ML & FL.
Casting is epic. Both the artists are true to their skills, professional and talented. They got the depth of the character. Overall I'm highly impressed.
Definitely one of my fav c-dramas.
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I LOVE THIS DRAMA SO MUCHHHHYY
This drama gave me a mix of emotions, sometimes I wanted to cry, and other times it was funny. Bai Jingting really nailed the role of Sang Yan. From Wen Yifan’s perspective, he seems nonchalant, but deep inside, he’s like a loyal puppy following its owner. Zhang Ruonan did an amazing job portraying Wen Yifan; her story really made me cry. This drama is a 10/10 for me. I highly recommend it!..
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THE BEST DRAMA I'VE EVER WATCHED!!!!
There's not even one thing that I dislike about it.IT'S LITERALLY THAT PERFECT 😭♥️
Anybody reading this, I swear you're gonna love it 😭
And honestly, I think it was better than Hidden Love. Athough I stopped watching it long time back (because it wasn't that addicting or eye catching) but yeah The First Frost was definitely A MASTERPIECE!!!!!!!!!!! 😭😭🥹🥹♥️♥️
If we say according to MDL, then it at least deserves a 9.2 rating!!!
The actors were FANTASTIC, the script was mind-blowing, and the way of filming was just wowww and and and not forgetting the BEST OST IN HISTORY oh my god 😭😭🙇🏻♀️🙇🏻♀️♥️♥️
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If it doesn't speak to you, you won't like this
Objective rating 7/10, subjective rating 8.5/10This story is:
- a vibe (atmospheric)
- heartbreaking
- slow-paced and drawing you in slowly
- glorifying romantic relationships
- not about healthy relationships either
- delivering on all your dramaland fantasies
Storytelling:
We get thrown right into the very confusing relationship between both, no explanations given. Heartbreaking music wants to convince us that every single scene is utterly dramatic, yet what we see looks like a random dramaland breakup scene. Skipping between past, present and trauma, we only get to know each character painfully slowly. What do they like, what is their life like - all we get is melancholic slow-motion with heartwrenching music while watching the characters live their life. Something clearly is off, but what is it?
Tiny pieces of Wen Yifan's past - the only thing that initiates and drives the plot - are thrown out to make up your own mind about it. For me, it was too little too late, but the atmosphere still had me hooked. Until these scenes became too repetitive as we never saw any of them from a different angle or adding a different detail - nothing changes. While at first that felt realistic, it later felt like buying screen time. As we saw Wen Yifan grow in character, so should have her interpretation of her past.
The plot:
There isn't much plot apart from the relationships forming. I really liked how they showed the couple do the most mundane daily tasks together and although it was slow-paced, the build up was made very well.
The family drama was realistic, its closure very anticlimactic. Wen Yifan's story ended up feeling a bit rushed, over the top and lost its relatability when they tried to make it even more dramatic later on. I wish they would have stayed closer to reality instead of one-upping it unneccessarily. For me, that sent the wrong message and the topic could have been handled with a bit more sensitivity, especially after they dealt well with it for the most of it.
Certain archs were understandable, but I still strongly disliked them and wish the drama had explored their neccessity for the characters in a bit more depth. And of course, nobody ever goes to therapy.
The couples:
This story should have centered entirely around the main couple or at least have portrayed the friendships they had a bit stronger. Instead, we got a second couple thrown in that I personally fully could have done without. Their story lacked depth, and as individual characters they got so few screentime that it was almost impossible for me to root for them. They barely had any relevance to the story and seemed to barely impact the main couple's life. It felt like they were meant to include some story about the true meaning of life and love without considering if that was actually the atmosphere this show was going for.
The second couple felt like that one person hitting the light switch after you've gotten cozy in a dark room. You get sucked into the pretty yet cruel world of the main couple, heartwrenching music, warm colours and soft imagery everywhere, just to then get thrown into bright, crystal clear images with standard music, standard bickering and standard "cute petite happy-go-lucky woman". Others might have found that relieving, I almost skipped their parts as I found them too disruptive.
Characters:
Wen Yifan was the star of the show and actually the only one with clear characterisation and character development. She had things she loved doing, a work life, a past and clear issues to resolve. Sang Yan revolved so much around her, he seemed to not have a life of his own. I don't mind romantic dedication, carrying the damsel in distress to her happy end, but he barely had any personality to him. Instead, we had a green flag guy with a big red flag called stalking. No hobbies, no work life, no past aside from her, no issue beside trying to win her over. The side characters in Wen Yifans life all worked towards giving us an impression of her life, adding outside perspectives of her, while everyone else seemed like an NPC without a real purpose.
Acting:
Zhang Ruo Nan did an amazing job at portraing that strong-willed yet always wary character, trying to be stronger than the past that kept haunting her. Her story spoke to me on more levels than it should. Bai Jing Ting did a great job at portraying his character with the few personality traits he was given. His facial expressions were the only reason he didn't come off as the guy with no personality who doesn't really care about the FL either. At least he visibly cared. Apart from that, I am very convinced they tried to pull the face-card with their cast to enhance the atmosphere they were trying to create.
OST:
The music was beautiful, but as mentioned above, seemed a bit over the top not knowing all that had happened. Slowly increasing its intensity through the course of the episodes instead of throwing it at the viewers right away could have helped build and maintain suspense even with the slow pace. The repetitiveness left an impression too, but I wish they used it more selectively. And sometimes, silence can create a lot more tension than any soundtrack could. 10/10 for the music, 6/10 for its use.
Final conclusion: This drama lived from the atmosphere it created, the mysterious depressing aura around Wen Yifan and the viewer's despair to see her have her well-deserved happy end. If you look behind its incredibly beautiful facade, you will find that this drama actually leaves a lot to be desired. But then again, a beautiful fairytale from time to time won't hurt. As I slowly grew to like the silent and calm beauty of it all, Wen Yifan's story deeply spoke to me. I never knew I could fall in love with heartache like this.
PS: I still can't get over the clock in the background of the living room always showing the exact same time.
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Humorous and Melancholic All in One
Updated 18/03/2025 (10 to 8): I came into this drama without any expectations as I was just looking for something new to watch. Little did I know I was going to binge watch the first 6 episodes that came out. It’s the characters that make it so endearing and their dialogues make it fun. You will often see them carry a “sharp tongue but a soft heart”.Mind you, the FL is not your typical Cdrama fluffy or fun lead. She is a melancholic yet silently strong character that has dealt with a lot of trauma in her past, which slowly reveals itself as the drama moves along. ZRN is perfect for this role in every way - her looks, her acting, just brilliant. She is a mixture of melancholic and adorable that you just want to eat her up.
The ML is consistent with his character in Hidden Love (from a loving family, confident, “soft but I will never let you see that” vibes) and it hits different when you see it in a romantic setting. It makes him so appealing, and BJT brings this to life superbly. His micro expressions are top notch.
PRODUCTION (10): The overall production is amazing - I must say these actors look so good in this drama than when compared to their other appearances. This can't happen if it weren't for the whole team - lighting, stylists, makeup artists, etc. From the details in clothing choices (e.g. baggy clothes for the trauma ridden FL) to the chosen actors/actresses for the roles, you can see the attentiveness given to this series. The director uses music to its max to sensationalise your feelings, which I thought was very effective.
ATMOSPHERE & PACING (9): The drama excels in creating a palpable atmosphere. There's a subtle tension that permeates each scene, hinting at deeper secrets and emotional scar, without losing its sweetness. The pacing is deliberate, allowing the characters to breathe and the audience to truly connect with their inner turmoil. It's not a fast-paced, action-packed drama; instead, it's a slow burn that builds anticipation and emotional investment. The cinematography is stunning, capturing the nuances of the characters' expressions and the beauty of the setting, which adds to the overall melancholic yet beautiful tone.
STORY (8): This is where I dock points, from what would have been legendary to an excellent watch. Throughout the drama, there were small details that nagged at me and I couldn't help wondering, could there have been a better way? And the answer for me is yes. Where the screenwriter could have opted for a powerful, logical narrative of the FL reclaiming her agency, he instead chose the more sensationalistic approach. It does bring out the emotions, but makes it a missed opportunity to showcase her survivor spirit more prominently.
Spoilers below.
These are the little nags that bothered me. Its a lot, and its a fight between my logic and my emotions. I think my rating is very high for all these little nuances, but I chose it because the characters are so loveable, the overall story has more depth than typical romances (thank the source material), the atmosphere and vibe is so beautiful, the buzz it created among the audience and I did enjoy it. A good emotional ride is still a good story, even if some things don't make sense. I did not read the novel btw, but have read up on the differences by commenters, which makes me wish that the drama had follow the novel more.
****SPOILERS****:
Harassment arc: There were so many instances that the FL was harassed. I think it would have been more impactful if they just showed one. In a short space of time, she is shown to be harassed so many times by DIFFERENT people which I felt was gratuitous. "80-90% of sexual assaults are by people you know. According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), on average, there are 463,634 victims (age 12 or older) of rape and sexual assault each year in the United States, out of a population of roughly 169 million women (2023 stats)." I'm just giving these stats just to give an idea of how unnecessary it was to show so many instances in this timeline. And the source material did not have so many instances.
CXD arc: Her perpetrator gets a job at her place of work, and she still allows herself to be the last person to leave the office at night. This is very contradictory to her character to me. They could have followed the novel here which makes more logical sense, or dealt with it in a way that didn't 'assume the characters or audience are dumb'.
Yihe arc: ML goes to her university plenty of times to see how she is after she explicitly said she does not want him around her anymore. It sounds sweet, but if someone did that to me, even if its someone I like, I'd be scared of how his mind works. I totally understand people who call him a stalker, although I'd prefer not to think that way because we've seen what a beautiful soul SY has. Once again, the novel does this more logically. He goes once to see how she's doing.
MCY arc: He just randomly shows up at the downstairs of her place of living, unannounced, strong-arming her to show him her apartment? Like the screenwriter wants to make every male creepy in her wake? Come on.
HK arc: The arc that caused the most controversy. It wasn't badly done but it changes the narrative. It uses the well-trodden trope of self-sacrifice for the person you love, instead of one which could have been about agency and power of a survivor. This is the missed opportunity I'm talking about that could have really transcended the novel version.
2nd Couple: They were initially fun but it did get a tad bit boring with the focus on the grandparents.
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Heart-touching (in a very beautiful way)
l absolutely love how deep, mature and realistic this show was. The characters were so beautifully written and portrayed. The chemistry between Sang Yan and Wen Yifan was spectacular. Bai Jingting and Zang Ruonan really did a great job. The cinematography was also one of the things I really liked. And the OSTs... They were so good and match the vibe of the drama so well.Was this review helpful to you?
MUST WATCH DRAMA
Absolutely amazing! I’m at a loss for words, but here’s my best shot: This drama will make you feel the depth of love in every possible way from the moment it begins to its final seconds. The chemistry between the leads is so genuine, and the entire cast, from the young Sang Yan to Grandpa Su, delivers outstanding performances. Even the supporting characters shine, highlighting the true strength of friendship and how vital it is to have someone to lean on in life. Truly a captivating journey from start to finish!Was this review helpful to you?
Certainly the best modern C-Drama I've ever watched :)
I don't normally write reviews, and if I'm being honest, this is only my second review ever. Now after watching The First Frost, for some reason I felt very much obliged to write this review (definitely due to how much I enjoyed this drama and how powerful I think the drama is). I'm not really a review writer so I'll hopefully keep this short!First off, I can hands down say that this was the best modern C-Drama I've ever watched, and maybe THE best C-Drama I've watched in general. The story was amazing, emotional, and impactful - a true masterpiece. I'm a simple person. I don't ever give my opinion about a drama publicly - usually I just give each drama I've watched on my watchlist a rating and move on (no matter how good or bad) - but The First Frost stirred something inside me. Dare I say that the realistic nature of the show had some sort of grip on my emotions. It had everything; it was comforting, captivating, compelling, and let's not forget about the romance. I think the mature nature and the slow-burn love story really shone through.
Now, massive massive credit to both Zhang Ruonan and Bai Jingting. Absolutely incredible acting, and I can see why they were chosen as the main leads. The way they portrayed the drama's love story was powerful, raw, and passionate. Fantastic chemistry between the two. They made the drama feel so personal and immersive, and I felt like I was there experiencing everything with them. I understand why The First Frost went so viral on Chinese social media now, and why it was trending every single day. The acting + storyline was and is certainly at the peak of modern C-Dramas.
I think the two main things that stood out to me were both the cinematography and the soundtrack. I've watched plenty of modern C-Dramas in the past, and from the moment I laid eyes upon episode 1, I knew The First Frost was going to be one of, if not, the best Chinese show I've ever watched (and it was!). Everything was beautifully shot, from the choice of lighting, the transitional flashbacks, and the story's pacing. - absolutely flawless. The way everything was laid out felt so different to other C-Dramas I've watched and for some reason felt more professional in a sense? I hope other dramas in the future take note of this type of production level.
Of course, a work of art drama requires a work of art soundtrack, and boy did The First Frost deliver! I'm never one to listen to a show's soundtrack, nor do I ever go out of my way to search up certain music pieces in a drama, but once again, The First Frost changed that. The way the drama intertwined the background music to fit with each respective scene was perfect and very much highlighted the impactful nature of every single scene. Do make sure to read the lyrics of the intro song - those lyrics represent the lead couple's love story so accurately and so intensely that it really does make you feel sentimental once you fully understand it. Absolutely incredible choice of music and was without a doubt the best I've ever heard.
Definitely recommend watching The First Frost. I don't think I'll watch such a powerful and impactful C-Drama for a while now as I have doubts that a new modern C-Drama will be able to surpass the level that The First Frost showcased for a long time. Will 100% rewatch :)
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This review may contain spoilers
He was her safe haven......
A drama that I cannot ever move on from . I love how wen yifan's heartbreaking yet beautiful love story was depicted. All I could say is that he was her safe haven .The cast were perfect in their roles , i don't think that anyone could play sangyan and wenyifan better than BJT and ZRN . They practically lived in their roles. I really liked the pacing of the drama . From the first 10 or 12 eps there's nothing much happening if u go back and think about it but it never felt boring , it was like I was watching their life go on standing on the side.
In most of the rare happy moments that wenyifan had in her life sangyan was there or were influenced by him in some way . And everything that sangyan had done has traces of wenyifan in them. If you think back she really had no one and by that i mean NO ONE in her life to take care or support her. Only he was the one beside her and truly cared about her . I loved her courage to chase sangyan , she wasn't embarrassed about it and just straight up admitted that she was the one pursuing sangyan. She comes off as a soft and weak girl but she is the strongest and most courageous girl ever . People in her situation would straight up take their lives, to keep on living is the most bravest thing that she could do in her position and I RESPECT her for that . I really liked the decision that she took about her mom , for a second i thought she was about to forgive her mom which i didn't like . But I'm glad that she didn't and she cut off all the connections with her. Realising their mistakes and coming back to take care of their child doesn't wipe off all their mistakes that they did in the past just because they gave life to you. If i were in her place i would do the exact same thing , the mom is non forgivable . The amount of times that she called and asked her mom to take her away with her , the way she was crying and begging , my heart broke . No matter how much the mom begged her , the ignorance that she showed to yifan is non negotiable.
The moment that broke me the most was when she was harassed but the asshole uncle and aunt was gaslighting by saying he was drunk and entered the wrong room and her mom couldn't even take the time to stay with her daughter after literally being 🍇ed and went off just like that . The look in her eyes .............. i just couldn't anymore.
And if we have to talk about sangyan 😭😭😭 that guy is the GREENEST flag ever . I couldn't understand why people were saying that he was the greenest flag ever but after watching the series i do. He is the non existent type of greeflagyness. I wonder would a man truly ever love like sangyan loved wenyifan . I loved the moments that he teased her and they didn't skip out on the steamy scenes ( which I'm glad for ) .
The side characters were cute to watch too . Loved edward chen to see working again with the same director for your name engraved herein ( a movie which broke me apart , but that's for a another day ) . The Ost's were a cherry on the top. I loved the cinematography of the drama , a lot of reflective angles were taken which made the screen dreamy to look at . I could definitely sense some taiwanese directing for this drama , which I loved.
An absolute 10/10 for me <3.
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The First Frost — Zhang Ruonan & Bai Jingting
It’s been weeks since I finished The First Frost, but I didn't give a rating cause I don’t know anything about MDL. I got to know about this app through some fan of this drama. I am here to give this drama a rating and opinion, and also I’m now going to review all the dramas I like. Yet the emotions it stirred are still lingering with me. Few dramas manage to capture both heartache and tenderness so flawlessly, but this one truly did.Zhang Ruonan made Wen Yifan feel so real — her pain, her strength, and her quiet vulnerability were all portrayed beautifully. And Bai Jingting as Sang Yan was such a refreshing male lead — steady, warm, and full of quiet devotion instead of big dramatic gestures.
Their chemistry is soft but powerful, full of longing and warmth that makes you root for them from beginning to end.
The music and visuals add such a dreamy vibe that fits the story perfectly.
If you like slow-burn romance with heart and depth, this drama is absolutely worth watching. Wen Yifan and Sang Yan will stay with me for a long time. 💙
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Definitely a must-watch for people who has not believed in love for a long time.
Nothing's perfect in the world but their love outweighs all the imperfections and makes them perfectly fit for each other.Love isn't scary if it's between Wen Yifan and Sang Yan. Nothing is more powerful than their will to be with each other.
Definitely a must-watch for people who has not believed in love for a long time.
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Incredibly dreamy & beautiful ❄️and
Never thought that I would be loving a spin off of Hidden love more than Hidden Love but here we are. The leads are INCREDIBLE and Extremely good while portraying complex characters of Sang Yan & Wen Yifan - A beautifully melancholic story of pain, trauma & endless wait to say it what they feel about each other & life.He literally drew stars over her scars & she became a warrior beating her traumas. The use of lights, mirrors, glass and reflections & transparent umbrellas in this drama is CINEMA.
Cool tonned & hazy frames until episode 16 & warm tonned and glossy frames from Episode 18 hinting at the thawing frost ❄️ by the ☀️ was so beautifully done.
It's an adaptation for decades to love. Definitely worth a rewatch every season when the first frost descends. Sang Yan is the Amazon Forest of mankind & deserves to be loved by every living being.
My pet peeve would be the plot change but it's understandable for adaptations sake. The scene of her opening up about SA trauma to Sang Yan was followed by a bed scene which is a little inappropriate but maybe comforting for their story but still, I'd rate is equal to Hidden love & Lighter and Princess - My roman Empire trio of Cdramas.
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