No other show has left me bawling
In a way, Wen Yi Fan models every single girl out there. Every woman has anxieties about losing her family, not being loved by her loved ones, being harrassed, ending up lonely, and so on. In her case, all of the above happened. Through all these horrible things that will leave any regular woman in shambles, Wen Yi Fan fights her way back. While she has many difficulties along the way, she makes it out to be the best version of herself. At least the best to her limits. But it is a fact that everyone needs another beautiful person to complete them.Sang Yan. Sang Yan was heaven's gift to Wen Yi Fan. In the beautiful city of Chongqing, through teh cold and rainy days, this show brings out teh story of two vulnerable people lost in this world without a direction. I know Sang Yan may seem very privileged, but sometimes, many feel lost despite having everything. Happiness is relative; hence, there is no formula to it. With Sang Yan, money and familial harmony just could not provide him enough to keep living as it did to protect and love Wen Yi Fan. Many say Sang Yan is too perfect to be real, the type to only exist on TV screens. However, what we do not understand is that every one of us. Yes, every single one of us. Deserves a Sang Yan.
I am not going to gaze Sang Yan here because he is perfect. However, there is one detail I want to point out about him. This is not something we see in today's guys, but Sang Yan is vulnerable. He shares every single emotion with his partner and is not afraid of exposing his thoughts and concerns. He always jokes to YiFan about "don't treat me like a flower"; however, that is exactly what we humans are. Fragile flowers with limited time. Now, let's talk about how Wen Yi Fan became Wen Shuang Jiang. WIF was very comfortable with this nickname in high school when her dad was still alive. However, during her dark period, she lost her identity. She lost her family, her dreams, and almost the most precious possession of women. Dignity. Yet she fought back. She protected herself very well to finally become teh Wen Yi Fan Sang Yan met many years later. She never asked for anything more than simple happiness and was satisfied with literally anything. She has "zero temper" and never really wishes for anything in life. It is when u silently do good things without expecting anything in return that you will get the best rewards. Wen Yi Fan inspired me to be a good person. Her natural beauty and grace, along with her simple and kind nature, is exactly what got an exceptional guy like Sang Yan hooked. But ironically, being like her is the simplest thing in the universe.
As a teenager, I am scared of having nothing in my life. Failing in academics, disappointing my parents, not finding a good husband, and so on. But there is one fundamental that I must never forget and was reminded of by this drama: good things will follow good people. As long as u drive to become teh best version of yourself and bring others along the way, you will meet your Sang Yan. I will meet my Sang Yan. And so will you.
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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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GO WATCH THIS!
If you’re trying to decide whether to watch The First Frost, let me make it easy for you - yes, you absolutely should. This might just be the chinese drama of 2025, and the year has barely even started. But fair warning: if you’re looking for something light and easy, this ain’t it. This show is packed with some heavy themes like SA, abandonment, and emotional trauma. It’s intense, it’s raw, and it will hit you in the feels. But the way it handles these topics? Absolutely brilliant.Every episode has you hooked, making you desperate for more. And the characters? So well-written and insanely well-acted. BJT and ZHR killed it as SangYan and WiFan, their performances were on another level. And the chemistry between them? Unreal. Some scenes were so intense I legit felt like I was intruding on them.
That said, the show isn’t just heavy drama. There are moments that’ll have you laughing, and the way BJT and ZRN play off each other makes everything feel so natural. The second couple is cute too, though I won’t lie, the grandfather’s storyline dragged a little. But honestly? Who cares, because the main couple alone makes this show worth it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen two actors have this much chemistry before.
Now let’s talk about the OST that is an absolute perfection. Every song fits their vibe so well, making all those emotional scenes hit even harder. You know those soundtracks that stay with you long after the show ends? Yeah, this is one of them. And don’t even get me started on the cinematography. The visuals in this show? Stunning. Every frame feels carefully crafted, from the lighting to the color grading, it all adds to the atmosphere and emotion of the story.
The First Frost isn’t just another drama, it’s a whole experience. The acting, the storytelling, the OST, the visuals - it’s all top-tier. Good luck finding something that even comes close after this. Now go watch it. A happy ending is guaranteed.
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Starts as captivating tristesse, shows us the healing power of love
I binged the 10 first available episodes on Netflix, and then I was eagerly awaiting and watching as the next episodes became available. I have now finished all episodes, and have added to my initial review.These are my first thoughts and impressions from the ten first episodes:
…wow…this just captivated me straight away. The whole feel of it is so complete; the acting, the dialogues, the music, the lighting and videography … it sets this melancholic, tristesse feeling.
The story is (so far) also very well written, slowly, bit by bit, uncovering the causes of the FL’s emotional wounds.
Up to ep. 20:
Glimmers of light in the grey.
The character of Wen Yi Fan is very well written, and to follow her development and how she gradually, tiny stone by stone, takes down the wall she has built around herself, is creating a strong connection to her.
As for Sang Yan, he is just such a sweetheart. How he, without knowing exactly the underlying reasons, seems to understand she is carrying some sort of emotional burden, and manages to gently push through her barricades with care and patience.
The rest of the episode/ total series:
I absolutely loved this as a whole; it is very well-made, and especially FL’s character development is so beautifully portrayed. This must be one of her strongest performances so far.
ML is also very suitable for this role, but his character didn’t give him as much room to show diversity in his acting I think. He was a bit more “two-dimensional”; loving or stone-faced.
The supporting couple’s side story didn’t add that much to the story, besides showing another kind of healing love. If that sidetrack was removed, I don’t think I would feel anything missing.
Her change of mindset (Hong Kong) felt a little abrupt; I think maybe the “trigger” could have been a bit stronger or clearer.
I think this hit me stronger than Hidden Love, especially the first episodes.
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literally a shining stry of love and life ?
okay ! first of all bai jinting is my adulthood crush ! he is awesome and fabulous, his acting skills is amazing, U feel so real whenever U saw him portraying any character! he just made the character alive . such a green flag 💚.. In this drama , the man he portrayed is the dream man and hero of all girl wish for ! the stry is so relatable,makes me emotional sometimes! I can't explain in a word , a girl's strength to live in a trauma and after so much mental struggle finally came out from past and shining in present was so wonderful 😊! I wish every girl in real life can let go her traumatic past ! so as I ! overall this stry so sweet and lovely with a lots of lovely scenes! it never bore U , I swear U will enjoy this 💓... wish best of luck to the First frost team and cast ..they have done so well !!Was this review helpful to you?
The show portrayed act of service on another level.
This show was written beautifully and the actors despite the controversy were perfectly cast. Victor Ma is excellent as a brother in Hidden love but could not have perfectly played Sang Yan like this actor did.When I first started watching this drama, I never knew I'd become so attached to a TV show to such an extent. All the time I've spent watching this show has been worth it.
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This review may contain spoilers
BEST POTRAYAL OF LOVE
This drama broke me, healed me. every character had depth and a story no character felt empty. I don't give many 10/10 review but this...one of the best part was yeifan not forgiving her mom, because believe it takes a lot to hate your parents. There will always be someone telling you, "at the end they are your parents", no matter how bad you've suffered.
I love when sang yang calls yifan's name. The way he was not like other leads where to make it funny they potray the lead as someone who can't control himself. He waited so long still was very respectful with yifan. I love them
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This review may contain spoilers
Another masterpiece
Zhu Yi doesn’t disappoint. If you love Hidden Love, you’d love this. I dare say I like First Frost better. It’s not a competition don’t get me wrong but this drama, I’m telling you, is near perfection.The journey in both dramas are completely different even though they are a spin off each other. I’ve been watching a lot of content on Tik Tok about this drama (even the algorithm knows how obsessed I am with the drama), there were many comments about the Sang siblings have healed Wang Yi Fan and Duan Jia Xu which is completely spot on. Just like Sang Zhi, you see Sang Yan quietly supporting and loving Wang Yi Fan from afar. Two very different characters but giving the same energy.
We often see “domineering CEO” plots which display the male lead as arrogant and powerful but turns mush when they meet the female lead. It’s rare to see a character like Sang Yan, this arrogant, rich and smart guy whose character remain consistent, be it in front of the person he loves so deeply, his friends or his family. Of course, there are moments when you’ll see his vulnerability in front of Yi Fan but it doesn’t feel completely out of character. That to me, is very interesting to see. For once, a pure love drama that doesn’t necessarily thrive on triangle love or jealousy - just one that shows a couple going through struggles and traumas in this journey called life together.
I have to say, considering the amount of details put into Hidden Love, I had the same expectations for First Frost. After watching HL, you can help but observe the timeline and similarities in terms of events in both dramas and I do see some disparities. However, that doesn’t really matter because they are meant to be spin offs and standalone dramas.
One major ick I had about the drama is the amount of screen time invested in the second leads’ story which 80% of the time I would hit the skip button. I wish they spend more time building the story between Yi Fan and Sang Yan.
Overall, this drama is surely topping the list of best dramas in 2025 so far. The chemistry between the leads are amazing and the visuals of the drama are so well done. Gonna watch this on repeat for sure.
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Smoothest way the love can be flowing between two hearts
Sang yan was the greatest green flag💚 ever. The way he slowly composed the love between them was lovely. He was always supportive, always there for her. He let her overcome her own struggles while standing next her without interfering. That’s the best love you can ever give to someone. Plus I love the way how both of them realised their value on their own ways and keep their feelings steady. Acting was top notch and FML and ML chemistry unimaginable. The story line flow smoothly. No boring or skip scenes.Was this review helpful to you?
A LOVE THAT I WANT!!!
The First Frost – My Solace C-Drama of 2025The First Frost quietly captured my heart in a way few dramas ever have. Beneath its slow, atmospheric pace lies a rich emotional tapestry of healing, love, and rediscovery. It doesn’t rely on dramatic twists or loud declarations, it embraces stillness, silence, and the small moments that leave lasting marks.
At the heart of the story is Yi Fan, whose quiet strength and vulnerability mirror the weight of the trauma she carries. Her journey isn’t rushed or romanticized. Instead, it’s portrayed with empathy and realism, making her growth all the more powerful. Opposite her is Sang Yan, a character whose gentle presence becomes a safe harbor. He is patient, grounded, and deeply human a rarity in modern dramas.
What sets The First Frost apart is its atmosphere. The cinematography is poetic, filled with soft lighting, symbolic use of space, and intimate silences. There’s a sincerity in how the story unfolds how it allows its characters to breathe, stumble, and slowly find warmth in each other after the long winter of their individual pasts.
There are no grand villains or chaotic arcs just people navigating grief, connection, and memory. Even the supporting characters serve subtle yet meaningful roles. The emotional payoff feels earned, and by the end, I didn’t just watch a romance, I witnessed healing.
As my solace drama of 2025, The First Frost gave me quiet comfort. It’s the kind of series you carry with you after it ends, like a lingering song or a familiar scent. I’ll remember the longing in their eyes, the weight of unspoken words, and how, even after everything, love found its way back.
Sometimes, it’s not the loudest stories that stay with us it’s the softest ones. And The First Frost is exactly that.
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This review may contain spoilers
Loved it. We get a little perspective on Sang Zhi's brother, Sang Yan's love life after all. Bai Jingting and Zhang Ruonan have really good chemistry, the visuals are serving and the whole way along where Sang Yan and Wen Yifan finally give in to each other and realize they love each other is really sweet. The secondary couple Su Haoan (Edward Cheng) and Zhong Siqiao (Zhang Miaoyi) their story is also quite sweet. We get to understand the hardships Wen Yifan went through being sexually targeted by her uncle, having a difficult life and only Sang Yan being able to bring light in her life. Her family being not the best to say the least, and the decision in leaving her mother behind was 100% deserved in my perspective. The ending wrapped up satisfyingly with a much-needed proposal and the criminals Che Xing De and Che Yan Qin getting what they deserved. Overall, must watch. (Ignore my rating for music, unless it's really good I just put a two for everything) Was this review helpful to you?
