A Strong Romance That Takes Its Time
I’ll start by saying that First Frost is a great drama overall, even if it occasionally goes in circles. The story sometimes lingers too long on repeated emotional beats, which can slow the pacing, but it still manages to deliver plenty of heartfelt moments.Both leads have rather cold personalities, which can be frustrating at times, yet also surprisingly heartwarming once their vulnerabilities start to show. Their reserved nature adds tension to the romance, and the shy, softer moments between them are some of the most enjoyable parts of the show.
One of my biggest issues lies with the male lead. For much of the drama, he feels more like an accessory to the female lead rather than a fully realized character. His personal arcs are barely explored, making him feel somewhat shallow. The classic “cold, rich prince who can do everything” trope is pushed a bit too far here. While the story does attempt to give him more depth toward the end, it feels like it comes too late. I would have appreciated more focus on his life outside of the romance ~ especially his relationships with family and friends, where his behavior often comes across as unnecessarily harsh.
On the other hand, the supporting cast is a pleasant surprise. Many of them receive stronger and more complete character arcs, and in some cases, they are more compelling than the male lead. Their stories add variety and emotional depth to the overall narrative. They built a world and it does show.
There are also some lighter elements sprinkled throughout fun moments, romantic tension, and shy interactions that balance the heavier themes. However, the pushy rival character feels unnecessary and mostly serves as an annoyance rather than adding meaningful conflict.
It’s also worth noting that the drama touches on some darker themes, including sexual assault and other heavy themes. These elements add emotional weight to the story but may be difficult for some viewers.
Overall, First Frost delivers a strong romantic drama with memorable moments, even if certain characters ~ especially the male lead ~ could have been explored more deeply.
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Found my next comfort drama!
Yet another to be added to my 'comfort drama' list! Yet another masterpiece by Zhu Yi. The moment this drama started, I knew it couldn't go below 8 or 8.5. It did not disappoint me at all. Can't wait to read the book!Ok, let's be honest - Sang Yan is way too good to belong to this world. He makes this drama so..comforting. It's the feeling of security as a viewer that no matter what truth, what twist comes up or whatever anybody says about Wen Yifan, his image of her would never change. If it did, it just gets better, never worse. And that keeps us grounded. He keeps Wen Yifan and all of us anchored. Making him feel that she isn't the best person he has ever met is as hard as making the Sun rise from the west, period. And realistically speaking, that makes him way more otherworldly than earthly 😂 And I know you're going to say it's the most basic way treating a girl - your girl - but let's be real. To indefinitely wait for someone for all these years and revolving your whole life around a single person takes a lot more than you think. And the vast majority of us can neither be it nor experience it. But I feel that's what makes stories like these divine. It's paradise. Loved that human, Sang Yan. I have officially become a Bai Jingting fan!
Wen Yifan, one of the bravest characters I've seen. Not in a 'warrior of the ancient times' sense but the real world version without an armour or sword. They called Sang Yan the knight and her the princess. But honestly, she is the knight herself. I usually don't like the idea of running away or escaping, leaving everything and everyone behind (as much as I wish I could myself ㅠㅠ). Maybe because it's not always possible. But she made me realise that maybe, running off isn't cowardice. It's a way of survival. And anything you do for survival is valid. She could have given up on her life entirely. But she didn't. That makes her a really brave person. She deserves every happiness in the world. Even at the end, their wedding wishes were filled with 'Sang Yan take care of her', 'Sang Yan protect her' as if it wasn't his wedding too. But it didn't feel out of place or overly highlighting Wen Yifan. It just FELT right! Again Zhang Ruonan fan here! The night when the incident happened was so well done by her, I was crying.
The two of them? One of the best onscreen couple. They look like real life couples tbh. Their acting was phenomenal! So natural; tears fell like it was happening to them, smiles came as if they had waited for this moment in real life. All the while making us feel the myriad of emotions. The way he called her name - Wen Shuangjiang..uhh! I was lovestruck 😫😫😭😭😭
Also liked Qiaoqiao and Haoan. They made a very cute couple. Love Zhang Miaoyi from WIFTY. It took me sometime to adjust to her new character 😫😂 I didn't realise Edward Chen is the one from 'Your Name engraved herein'. That movie's been on my watchlist for a long time. Have to watch that now for sure! Another notable character was Wen Yifan's mother. One of the most ridiculous people I've seen. EVER! Just cannot justify her in any way. Uh!
The OSTs grow on you. I liked 任性(Willful), 倔强(Stubborn) and 看着我(Look at me). But my favorites would be 像晴天像雨天 (Like sunny days, like rainy days) by Silence Wang and 雨滴中有你 (There is you amidst raindrops) by Crispy Band. Loved those!
This drama is not without problems though. First and foremost, Sang Yan's character as person was a bit far fetched. I mean, we're talking about a 16, 17 year old flying or taking train whatever so many times and his parents don't seem to care. Where did he get all the money from? Why aren't his parents the least concerned? Again, the level of freedom he had was a bit too much for an Asian family 😂 And if he didn't have a heart of gold, I swear he's one of the brattiest people I've seen 😂 Sang Zhi is right, he is very proud and arrogant 😶 So the green flag is for 'the way he treats her' than him as an individual. Then the storyline of the second couple felt a bit incomplete. I wish there was more. More interaction, more lovely moments and a more decisive ending. It felt loose. And the grandparents story as well. It felt like there wasn't a need for it. They were on track in the beginning, the entire memory loss and all. But they didn't use the room they had. All of a sudden it just wrapped up and became background stuff. Also, I thought there'll be more bits that parallelled with Hidden Love timeline but that disappointed me too. Finally, somewhere in the middle I did feel the drama dragged a bit. Not in a way that makes you want to fast forward the episode. But in a way that doesn't give you the urge to watch the next episode soon after, ya.
So the conclusion? This drama shows you what it is like to be loved unconditionally without any strings attached. What it is like to have someone to rely on- quoting "Trusting you in weakness, chosen by you firmly". This drama is not for binge watching over the weekend. It exists for you to watch an episode per day over an entire month! ❄️🍃
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THE SEQUEL TO HIDDEN LOVE
I honestly really enjoyed this. it was kind of slow paced so at times I was really bored but it ended up pulling through. the chemistry between the main leads was everything, their emotional connection was the sweetest thing ever. and don't get me wrong as much as I love sang Yan I saw someone mention the point that he kind of stalked her I have to agree 😭 because if it was someone other than him it would've been really weird and creepy. I still love all the characters and the story was amazing.Was this review helpful to you?
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TRAUMA and TEARS. Literal painful to rewatch I just cant-. LIKE the story is so beautiful and the script and lines are just beautiful. Gave such complex feelings and emotions and also depicts that real world problems. Personally cannot rewatch this without absolutely making a wreck out of me. its so mundane.. like her problems are so real and their journey on healing is so powerful. Was this review helpful to you?
Great but too many flashbacks
I like that this drama showed that life isnt a fairytale,but they did get their happily ever after. But for me the male actor carried the show, female was beautiful but was very cringe and awkward to watch on some scenes but it could have been the writers vision and he told her to act like that idk. Another negative besides the cringe moments from the FL is how many FLASHBACKS they put in the show. I swear 40% of the show is flashbacks. They even do a flashback of something that just happened in that very episode...like its not like we forgot what happened 15 minutes ago writers... if you add all the flashbacks it would equal atleast 8 episodes 🤣. I know a lot of shows do the flashback thing but this show is way too excessive in that aspect. Also did anyone actually care about the grandpa sideplot? Because i found it boring and fast forwarded and it seems most other people did the same. Not sure why the writers felt the need to add that in and it really took up a lot of scenes too so its not like it was a small side plot. Anyway ive already rewatched 3 times and i dont really re-watch shows,i did fast forward all the flashbacks and grandpa scenes though 🤣 This show did make me cry of happiness and fullfilled what a love story should really be like though i will give it that! Now if only real life could be like the way he loved her :(Was this review helpful to you?
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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Worth to wait a year!!
I have checked this page probably every day for the last 3 months, but I have been waiting at least a year for it to come out. Absolutely worth it! I love a good slow burn, and this delivered more than a slow burn! It has a great story, amazing acting, amazing visuals and amazing stories. Even with my favorite show, I am known to skip forward a lot and I never start a show before it is finished. I have never skipped one scene, not even the old grandparents, more than that I watched many scened a few times. This was so warm and heartwarming.Sang Yan is one of the greenest flags I have ever seen, and Wen Yifan has one of the best character developments ever. At first, I was skeptical about Bai JinTing. I love the man in comedies, he delivers so well, even with his eyes... However, he played the cold-faceted yet golden-hearted, silly goose in love so well! His looks made it even better. I am so glad he was chosen to act as Sang Yan.
FL has displayed the scared and scarred little teenager to the brim. She reflected the emotions and love so well. I was about to get annoyed with the character right around the ending but, no, quick saves!!! And as characters, they were both super understanding and willing to grow out of it. Although I believe he needs the comfort of having her trust and safe harbor, he was there for her without judgment.
I appreciate this drama so much. I think it will go down as my all time favorite show in the history.
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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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Slow burn
I’m really impressed about how the movie teaches a lot and explains how love can be so patient and understanding all at once. I just wish the movie didn’t have to end and probably end where the married and grew old together. I love the movie and would want to watch something again from this director 🥺❤️ thank youWas this review helpful to you?
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Beautiful and captivating drama
This is just a beautiful drama.There are not so many dramas in recent years that have me smiling , giggling and excited for the couple. This is one of the few. I loved this so much, I gave a review after the 10th episode and the review stayed consistent till the end.
The chemistry was through the roof and the acting was superb. Very big kudos to the actress for portraying her character so well. I felt the depression, trauma , tears through the smiles. She really did a very good job.
Now the ML has caught my attention in previous dramas like reset and you are my hero (both amazing dramas). He is such a natural and didn’t disappoint at all. His character here is the greenest flag I have ever watched in a ML. His love and gestures towards the FL is very reminiscent of the kind of love in older k dramas. I can’t even explain it but I was hooked lol .
The OST/ music wow….., let me just say my Shazam was working overtime. The music captured the emotions in the scenes and made them more impactful. I don’t remember liking any Chinese drama ost but this one , every song was perfect.
The Side characters were also very good. I loved the bromance and the friendships. The toxic Family dynamics were portrayed well. I felt bad for the FL mum until I didn’t feel bad for her anymore lol. I am glad there was no unnecessary redemption arc.
What I didn’t care too much for:
- Grandpa and grandmas story , it was cute at first then they started getting more screen time, I had to skip a lot of their scenes.
- The second ghosting arc was unnecessary and the reunion after that was also too forgiving and quick.
- The flash backs became redundant at some point towards the end.
Overall
Highly recommend this drama, especially if you are in a drama slump. It’s just a great watch. I wish I didn’t watch it yet so I could watch it for the first time again 😅
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Best modern Drama of 2025 so far
I went into this drama a little scared cos I knew how heavy it was going to be,and I was scared of how it would turn out bcs not many actors know how to potray grief,depression etc but ruonan literally devoured like she’s amazing. the way she potrays her pain is so beautiful,and let’s not even talk about BJT he never disappoints and he definitely wouldn’t start now,Sang Yan is on my top 3 characters played by him. He embodies this role so well. BJT and Rounan’s chemistry are really of the charts,they make me giggle and blush so hard. So far out of the modern drama’s of 2025 this is the best.Was this review helpful to you?
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A Good Mix of Romance and Drama
I would not keep this review long. Imagine Sang Yan going to Yihe frequently just to see her. That's the true meaning of "If he wants to, he would". His love did not end after they ended their communication. I also love how Sang Yan waited for her all these years even though he was hurt that she left. He yearned for her for so many years, and when she finally said the reason for her departure, I love how Sang Yan tried to console her and fight for her to give her justice. Overall, this is such a good series to watch and I can definitely see myself watching it over again.Was this review helpful to you?
