The First Frost (2025)

The most Anticipated drama, BUT also the most Disappointing drama...

I'm really looking forward to this drama because it's a spin off of "Hidden Love", and people who have read the novel say that this series is better than hidden love. While waiting for the drama , I finally started reading the novel "The First Frost" (the story is good, although I think "Hidden Love" is still better)

After a long wait... The wait turned into DISAPPOINTMENT!

The main reason is the Film DIRECTOR who also turned out to be the Screenwriter.
Although he did not change the main core of the story, he almost changed all the important details of the main story, such as changing Wen Yi Fan's life to be more miserable, changing the story of Zhong Si Qiao and Xiang Lang, making Wen Yi Fan cry from the beginning of her sleepwalking, and many more.

The second reason is the overall ACTING of the cast.
Almost all of their acting is just so-so like the actors of short duration chinese dramas, even Zhang Ruo Nan & Bai Jing Ting who are already experienced, for some reason both main lead seem unable to play their characters well, especially the one who plays Sang Yan.

The last reason is CHEMISTRY & CINEMATOGRAPHY.
Honestly, I didn't feel any chemistry between Shuang Jiang & Sang Yan, their romantic and touching scenes didn't make me blush, smile or warm my heart, very different from the novel where I could feel the strong feelings between the two characters who have liked each other since high school.
Almost throughout the drama we are presented with a very gloomy & dark background, making the drama seem like a low-cost production.

I was very surprised by the number of people who gave reviews with a rating of 9 and above, even a perfect score of 10.
I don't know where their ratings came from, maybe just by looking at the visuals of the main characters? or maybe just blinded by the popularity of the drama hidden love? (What is clear is that this drama cannot be compared to "Hidden Love" which is perfect in all aspects.)

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It had its positives and negatives

I was never more surprised to see so many 10s, so I wanted to add a counteropinion. There were good parts to this show; however, I wouldn’t have kept going if it wasn’t for my love of Hidden Love. It just didn’t start out well. The acting was stiff and San Yang (my favoritest of brothers) was an a**hole.

I was disappointed in their characterization of San Yang. They made him an emotionally immature, manipulative, lying man at the beginning. And I'm sure they made the excuse that “he was that way because of her.” But that is victim-blaming. It doesn't make him an appealing male lead or a green flag male lead when he acted that way towards her, no matter how devoted and sweet he was in the flashbacks. Yes, he was a beautiful, understanding, supportive boyfriend - a green-flag male lead throughout their relationship, but that doesn't excuse his behavior beforehand. He even had to make false excuses just to be nice to her. Prideful. That’s a good word. He hid when he helped her and he lied about what she did when she slept walked – and made her feel really bad about it too. I was hoping we were transitioning away from the mean, low EQ male leads, so I was really disappointed by this.

Also, their acting was bad in the beginning (or they were just playing wooden characters). I honestly only kept up with it because I loved Hidden Love so much. I did feel like their acting improved, their chemistry improved, and their characterizations overall improved. But I still can't get over his original toxic character and my original impression of their bad acting.

HOWEVER, I will say that they handled the abuse and harassment storyline very well, never victimizing her, with San Yang

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Not Bad, But Could Have Been Better

I’d rate this drama a 5/10 because, despite some strong moments, the flaws stood out more than the positives.

The second couple’s storyline, especially the grandparent plot, felt dull and unnecessary. The emotional payoff for Su Hao An’s character didn’t land, making those scenes feel empty. Sang Yan’s character lacked depth beyond his love for Wen Yi Fan, which came across as obsessive rather than romantic. The Hong Kong arc was another major issue it erased previous character growth and made Sang Yan look weak.

I also wish Duan Jiaxu and Sang Zhi had a bigger presence, as their interactions could have helped develop Sang Yan’s character further.

But this drama isn’t completely bad there were some scenes I genuinely liked. Maybe if I rewatch it in the future, I’ll end up appreciating it more.

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The story of Sang Yan, the brother from Hidden Love, played by Bai Jing Ting… Of course I need to watch this. Haha…

Story about Wen Yi Fan (YF) & Sang Yan (SY), high school friends that had feelings for each other but part ways because YF decided she wanted a clean slate for whatever reason.

Now 8 years later, YF who works as a reporter, went to a bar called Overtime to meet with her best friend, Zhong Si Qiao (SQ). While she was at the bar, she met SY again. SY now is a department manager and one of the owners of Overtime. As the two bump into each other, they just pretend that they don’t know each other.

Since then, they’re been bumping into each other more often. One day some problems occur, and the two accidentally & forcely become housemates. It’s like the universe starts giving them 2nd chances to get to know each other again & close the deal for their relationship. So, will YF & SY take the chance that the universe has given them to take their relationship to the next step…? What exactly was the reason that made YF want to leave at that time?

That's pretty much the story without giving the spoiler. Now what I like and don't.

What I like:
+ Bai Jing Ting & Zhang Ruo Nan are good matches. I quite like their chemistry
+ Zhang Ruo Nan played YF beautifully. I can feel all her pain
+ I fell more in love with SY. His dedication to YF. Ugh… Love him…
+ SQ is a wonderful friend & I’m happy she got together with her partner.
+ It’s really funny to have an inside joke about SY & Duan Jia Xu relationship at one point. You need to watch to understand what scene I mean.
+ I really love how SY announced his relationship with YF to his group at their friend's wedding….

What I don’t like:
- They changed the actor who played Sang Yan…. I still don’t like this fact. Cause for me, unlike Go Go Squid 2, I really like the actor who played Sang Yan. It just feels perfect for the character. But yeah once again, I quite understand why they changed the actor…. That doesn't mean I don’t like Bai Jing Ting here…
- The story is kinda draggy and boring.

Overall I love watching Sang Yan & Yi Fan story, but nothing really a miss if their story never on the screen....

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The First Frost made me cry, dream… and rant !!!

To be honest, this is one of the most beautiful Chinese dramas I’ve ever watched. You get completely immersed in the story — it’s touching, with so many emotionally moving moments that really got to me. I binged it all in one go. It’s romantic and full of hope. The male lead is simply outstanding — very promising, with a natural acting style, and what’s especially refreshing is that he doesn’t have that "celebrity ego" that you often see in other Chinese actors. The actress is beautiful
Now, about the plot and storytelling: just like Hidden Love, I really enjoyed this drama. You can instantly feel it’s from the same author — with all their strengths and weaknesses. This story has more dark elements, and I love that (since The First Frost is actually part of the same book series as Hidden Love — it’s a prequel). But honestly, it's better not to know that going in, because it can interfere with how you experience The First Frost.

As in Hidden Love, there were also things that emotionally bothered me here. I absolutely love the male lead’s unconditional love, but again, there’s a clear imbalance — the female lead doesn’t show the same level of emotional commitment. Everything the boy did in his life somehow revolved around her… but what has she done for him? Not even a proper “I love you.” Yes, I get it — trauma, emotional wounds… but in that case, the story should’ve leaned more toward a dramatic tone.
I would’ve emphasized this emotional imbalance if the drama had been tonally dramatic. But here, everything remains soft and romantic, and that imbalance is treated like it’s normal — as if it’s supposed to be that way.
Please don’t tell me this coldness is a cultural thing — it gets in the way of true emotional resonance. I wish there had been at least one small gesture, a little sacrifice from her side, or some sharp, heartfelt dialogue. (By the way, the dialogues often felt childish — for example, in episode 27, this was sorely lacking, especially if we’re supposed to treat this as a “literary” work.)

I really liked the second couple. As for the male lead — he’s completely different from his character in Hidden Love. Maybe a slightly “bad boy” persona like the one in Hidden Love would’ve fit better here, given the context. That said, I have nothing against the actor — he’s amazing, very expressive, and makes the character feel soft, sensitive, stylish, and so on. They made a casting that is very very close to Lusi and Chen Zheyuan instead of differentiating

And one more thing — sometimes I couldn’t tell if certain scenes or actions were unnecessary because of how the story was written, or just because they had to stretch it out to 32 episodes.
Ahhh… if only this same story had been told in just 8 episodes — it could’ve been a masterpiece.

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Borderline Stalker Ml

Honestly not to be that guy but I have a different perspective on this drama . Sang yan got away with a lot of behavior because he’s good looking .

Now I understand that the drama is mainly focused on the fl and how the ml is/has always been there for her but it gets to a point …
The fact that even after she rejected him , he still flew to her school city every month to catch glimpses of her and buy newspapers that she contributed to was weird in my opinion.

I feel him attending her graduation should’ve been enough . I let it go when he constantly followed her around during their high school days but in college too and after college ? That’s too much .

It would’ve been way better if the story was written that after the graduation he continued with his life then they met again and his feelings rekindled . Something along those lines would’ve been way better .

People are only letting it go because he’s good looking and she liked him . But if it was real life , that would be very scary and almost look like obsession . So good thing it’s a fictional story .

I hated how much the second leads story was so deeply intertwined with the grandparents. I honestly ended up skipping through all their scenes and didn’t even care about whatever they were discussing.

Asides these points I’ve listed out , I think it’s a lovely story and it’s nice to see a story that focuses on the fl and her life struggles .
The main couple had great chemistry .

Overall I think 24 episodes would’ve been enough if they had cut out all the unnecessary scenes from other characters.

It’s a memorable drama but I don’t think it’s something I’d like to rewatch but maybe if a cut version that shows only the main couple is released, I’d rewatch it .

Bye guys and thank you for reading to the end .
I’m glad I watched it while it aired as I got to connect with others online and see new edits with new episodes ❤️

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First love, separation, trauma and undying devotion

Let me just start by saying that this drama absolutely bingeworthy and addictive. I liked A LOT better than hidden love which seemed like it was made for teens. This one is more mature than that. Is it funny and light? Yes! Its mostly light depsite heavy themes.

Plot - The plot is about two individuals and their journey from school to being working professionals. Its also about class differences, social deprivation, orphaned children and frienship but most importantly, its about the OLD SCHOOL ROMANCE and EVERLASTING LOVE

My only complaint is, the ML is a fantasy. His objectives aren't convincing enough realistically. However, he is perfectly enjoyable if you see it as a fairytale.

Romantic chemistry- I can see BJT doing heavylifting for the first 14 episodes at least. So, its Slowburn but still very watchable because of the angst. The ML is like the sun 🌞 in a dark and cold forest for her...

Direction and editing - the Style of direction is the highlight of this drama. The colors used gives you a feeling of a cozy blanket on a cold night. The darkness in dingy rooms is used well to describe the horrors and darkness in the character's life. Still, the overall vibe is deliberately kept warm and light. There are certain scenes where violence is not explicitly shown but the director has cleverly used blood and aftermath for impact.
The placement of the past SCHOOL memories is also excellent.

Acting- BJT is good as usual. However, I have seen him performing better in other dramas. The ML is slightly one dimensional for him to fully shine. Will you fall in love with him all over again? Absolutely! He made his character VERY DIFFERENT FROM SANG YAN FROM HIDDEN LOVE but still close to the novel lead. After 16 eps, I can't imagine any other actor doing it. The Female lead is pretty but needs improvement in the acting department. She is perfectly watchable but her character had IMMENSE scope for a good actor. There's so much she could have done. The co actors are all decent but the ones that particularly shine in the acting department are the mom of the FL and the little sister of ML. The LITTLE GIRL has done a fantastic job.

The second lead couple is also cute and enough time has been given for their story to grow properly. I liked that.

Interestingly, i end up dropping many dramas that are slow paced or have 32 episodes, but I KEEP COMING BACK TO THIS ONE. It has that x factor

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Promising Start, Disappointing Execution

The First Frost is a beautifully crafted drama with strong emotions and a heartfelt portrayal of Sang Yan, who was a well-written and devoted character. His love for FL was touching, though at times, her emotional detachment made it hard to connect with her. Her sudden decision to leave for Hong Kong, which wasn’t in the novel, felt unnecessary and frustrating. Another aspect that didn’t work for me was the focus on the grandpa, SL, and the second male lead. Their storylines felt unnecessary and took away valuable screen time that could have been used to further develop ML and FL’s relationship. The drama excelled in exploring family struggles, and the leads had great chemistry, but a stronger focus on their journey instead of secondary plots would have made it even more impactful.

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Unfortunately, very flat...

DISCLAIMER: I have read Zhu Yi's original novel in Mandarin and understand many of the story's flaws are directly copied from there.

With that being said, I think this drama is pretty overhyped. It's not bad by any means, but I'd compare it to a less "gritty" and "real" Lighter & Princess (which comparatively, I prefer), where the male and female roles are flipped (and the trauma comes from something besides SA).

Some good things about it:
1. Acting was pretty good. For what the script offers, Bai Jingting portrays a nuanced Sang Yan, and Zhang Ruonan absolutely fits the mold of how I imagined Wen Yifan. Zhang Miaoyi is always wonderful, as is Edward Chen.
2. A LOT of different OSTs. I enjoyed many of them a lot.
3. Sang Yan's deadpans are always comedic relief. I have never seen somebody actually existing with that level of confidence.
4. Explores a lot of themes that tend to go ignored in Chinese society. I appreciate the attempt at depth which really isn't that present in Zhu Yi's other novel to drama adaptations.

Anyhow, I did find myself (someone who typically isn't too bothered by plot holes) seeing a lot of problems with this drama.
1. I don't think the characters themselves and their interactions had a lot of depth. I understand that Sang Yan is written in the novel as the character he is here, but there's no real explanation (besides the fact that she's beautiful) for why Sang Yan has such unrequited love for Wen Yifan for so long. The "angelic" BGM for whenever he sees Wen Yifan is pretty overused and corny too, in a way. Additionally— for two supposedly incredibly intelligent characters— Sang Yan and Wen Yifan do not have very many intelligent/interesting interactions that aren't corny or sweet (I actually think that Hidden Love had more reasonable development, in this respect. I understood how Duan Jiaxu started liking Sang Zhi a little better, and the characters just felt more consistent).
2. The pacing felt a little messy to me. I think a lot of scenes could be cut short, especially since so many are just focused on Sang Yan obsessing over Wen Yifan. Additionally, the Su Hao'an and Zhong Siqiao side couple seemed to divert focus from the main leads... I think the amount of ideas that the directing/producing team tried to put into this were great though not incredibly well-executed.
3. The script felt awkward. I think a lot of it is immediately adapted from Zhu Yi's novel, though. I didn't have this problem with "When I Fly Towards You" (which I think is still the best Zhu Yi novel to drama adaptation to date).
4. Some of the plots just don't make enough sense for me to believe them. When Wen Yifan escapes for 1.5 years in Hong Kong just to avoid hurting the people she loves, the way she gets back together with her friends and Sang Yan one miraculous day (after ~400 more with NO change of mind) felt rushed. There was no arc or development to the story here, which made the character feel shallow and "unalive."
4. I love Zhang Ruonan's acting... But, I think they could've gotten a dancer to do the dancing scenes (which were a little awkward, especially for a professional ballerina). This really broke some of the immersion and believability in the storytelling.

I know many people really appreciated this drama, so if you're into this sort of thing, I'd give it a try. But considering how long I waited for this (after Hidden Love and WIFTY I was expecting something exceptional), I felt a little underwhelmed : _ )

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Imagination is indeed better than reality- Third time is not always the charm.

I remember eagerly awaiting this drama, checking and rechecking when it will be released week after week. Back then, this drama was perfect in my mind. Back then, I was better off.

The drama can eb easily divided in 2 parts-:
Part 1. Before The HK arc
-> A few flaws but I will ignore/forgive them, close to perfection

Part 2. HK arc and after
-> Absolute shitshow, all those bearable flaws are now glaring issues I can't look past

While I have a *lot* to say about all that happened, all that went wrong and all that should've been shown all I will say here is this- I am happy this came out last so I watched HL and WIFTY with all the love in my heart and I will go back to that perfect world where this didn't exist yet <3

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The story is monotonous, only focusing on Yan chasing Wen Yifan. The plot is not too slow but it makes you sleepy. Moreover, we are not told anything about Yan, how she is and why she likes Yifan.Maybe because of Wen Yifan's POV but she doesn't even have enough dialogues to describe herself. Just silent and speaks a little, and it doesn't mean anything special. Some of the plots are a bit confusing, didn't Wen Yifan chase after Sang Yan when Sang Zhi and Duan were already dating. But why did Sang Yan announce their relationship during Qin Fei's wedding? Which in the novel happened when Duan Jiaxu had just chased Sang Zhi. This is a disability that not many people know about. That's why this back and forth flow is too messy, it's better to put it in its place and And it starts with something to differentiate. The impression of the story is not there because of the annoying music, only a few scenes are appropriate.

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