The First Frost

Story is good, but i feel no chemistry ?

The story is actually good, the conflict is kinda heavy and complicated yet it is wrapped in a very unique and interesting story. The plot & scene is somewhat unique, flashbacking & fast forwarding as well as surprise scene at the end of each episode

however why i dont feel any chemistry between the main lead ( sang yan & wen yi fam) 😖 idk if its a bad act or smth but the feel is not theree ( compared to both zhuyi’s drama; hidden love and wifty) the couple doesnt really seem to ‘deeply fall in love’. Early episode is kinda boring ( fell asleep while watching 😭), gloomy mood, whispering convo, had to dropped but forcing myself to watchh.

in conclu : story’s good but sorry to say i dont like the act of both main leads :(

[EDIT] : It keeps getting better!! early episode is too boring for me, it is a very SLOW BURN drama, i started to enjoy more of the episode from ep 17/18 i guess. the chemistry is getting better towards the end. well afterall, the storyline is what’s keeping me watching till the end.

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Heartwarming love story that got shadowed with poor story telling~~

So basically I am in a kind of slump where I want to enjoy the dramas but have lost patience for it. When I started this drama I got invested in it so it means this was good stuff. But (as always there is a but) everything stopped making sense after 16-17 episodes. My issues were pretty similar to the pea size audience who had mixed feelings amongst the seas that rated it 10.

1. The number of episodes- They were too long as the story had limited content. This was entirely one woman's story and didn't require 32 episodes. The storytelling through a book is different from that through television. You can write lengthy words and be repetitive which you can't do on TV. The attention span of the audience is much lower with the TV. To cover that all sorts of plots got screentime which added 0 to the theme of production/story like the intern actor or best friend couple and the grandpa story. The mixing of all the plots didn't go well and i ff a lot (ngl pretty much entire section).

2. Sang Yan's character- Pretty bland. The actor is hot and made it look good but there's so much he can do. SY didn't have any solid writing apart from being a romantic interest. I would have taken it had the drama been for superficial masala consumption. Giving so much depth to FL with a flat ML was disappointing. Funny I had this complaint for years about naive FLs, i guess times have changed now. >_<

3. The good part- FL was written brilliantly and the actress did a good job. I was invested in her story. I loved how she worked hard to overcome her circumstances and glad didn't give second chances to people who betrayed her. The romance was so good.

Conclusion- I feel they didn't speak enough of her trauma instead used it to move the romance forward for which i was not satisfied. I lost interest after the second time she left him. It didn't make much sense. That was the breaking point for me and i pretty much skipped scenes thereon. The union was literally the most disappointing with no real explanation.

All in all I won't be so hard on recommending this but if someone wants to watch casual one time dramas then sure go for it. Skipping scenes is always a way out.

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Expectations Verse Reality

First let me preface this review by saying that I liked and enjoyed this drama. There were many things that I love(d) about watching this adaptation. Frist and foremost, the performances by Bai Jing Ting and Shang Ruo Nan as Sang Yan and Wen Yi Fan(Wen Shuang Jiang) respectively were amazing and should be praised. Not only did their physical appearance, wardrobe, and over all styling match the characters, but the emotions that they conveyed matched that of Sang Yan and Wen Yi Fan. The only time it didn't match were when the writer-director deviated from the source material for in my opinion, fan service. More on this later in my review.

I liked the balance that was kept throughout the show of both mains' perspectives being shown. There were certain aspects to Sang Yan's character that were sprinkled in early on that would pay off much later in the drama, just like it did in the novel. There were even a few things that they held off on revealing until a bit later in the drama than in the original source material which I feel worked better.

Shang Ruo Nan really understood Wen Yi Fan's shyness, curiosity, hesitance…and her innocence down. A thing that a lot of people seem to forget is that Yi Fan had to grow up very fast, very suddenly. But with that speed run to adulthood she skipped over a lot of other milestones someone in their late teens and early twenties would experience. She only ever got to experience unconditional love from two people, and both left her early. The one left remaining who was supposed to love her unconditionally then made her feel unlovable/unworthy of unconditional love and care. So the slower pace of the drama lent to the slow progression of Yi Fan coming out of her shell.
Only critique I have is that they didn't hire someone who knows ballet to get Shang Ruo Nan's posture down. So imo it doesn't so much fall on the actress, but production. They could have easily used a foot double for close ups and done medium shots with Shang Ruo Nan...which there were many, but she never held her chest or arms correctly for someone trained in en pointe ballet. A real missed opportunity, imo, for showing Wen Yi Fan's inner world would have been showing her breaking in her pointe shoes, showing her mending the last few pairs she was able to get before her mother cut her off. An example of this filming technique can be found in the movie 'Center Stage' if you are a dancer, chances are you know exactly which scene I'm referring to. I don't think you realized how many and and how expensive pointe ballet shoes are. They come in many sizes and variations and it is extremely important to have pairs that fit you. A professional dancer can go through a pair within less than a week. Also one does not simple jump back into en pointe after 6 years of zero dancing...good way to never walk again. her shoes should have looked more worn and shown her personal touch. They felt sterile and like they just came out of a box.

The director is good at filming the darker in mood scenes. So most of the sleepwalking and trauma related flashbacks. The use of light within the apartment was well done. Using softer practical lights to show warmth and a sense of comfort. He also excels at young love/innocent crush type of casual scenes. Their high school flashback scenes were some of the best shot of the entire series. The color grading was ever so slightly different and I preferred his use of water/reflections during these scenes.

Okay…now to the things that I had some issues with. Leave now if you either already watched the show and don't want anything to pop that bliss bubble, or if you haven't watched the show and have never read the source material/seen Hidden Love. Go watch the drama and form your own opinion. If you start feeling a certain kind of way, by all means revisit this review. I don't want to yuck someone's yum, but a review/critique can sometimes feel like an attack if you aren't ready to hear a different POV.

My expectations were too high for this one, and I was left feeling somewhat disappointed in production(the team that adapts the material aka the bts people). I have a deep love for this story and these characters, and have an eye for production quality that will affect my overall viewing of a drama. I have a background in photography and my special interest is film & television. I'm harsher on this project because it was an extremely sought after IP with a pretty high budget behind it, as well as a great cast.

The story changes made throughout the drama were sometimes strange and other times outright nonsensical. To their credit, some of the changes were well executed and performed, leaving a lasting impression on the viewer.
But, to choose to add more depressing/traumatic things was a strange choice. The side stories they chose to include in a drama that already had a very heavy subject matter at its core tipped what was once a well-balanced melo-romance too far into the melo side of things.

If they wanted to expand the runtime they could have shown more of Sang Yan's inner world outside of Wen Yi Fan. Instead what we got were their friends dealing with a dementia grandpa and a dead dog. We didn't need parallels drawn for us with characters that didn't exist in the source material, that only slowed down the story. Sang Yan and Yi Fan's story was enough for the drama. We did not need a rich orphan with a dead dog and grandparents losing their mind and their love for each other to cut into character development happening with the lead couple/characters. Any other show I would have eaten it up and said thank you, but not in The First Frost.

I don't think this director really understands romantic romance, which is odd, considering he directed the Taiwanese version of It Started With a Kiss/They Kiss Again. He can do suspense and melodrama, but the tension and lightness that comes with love/attraction was lacking in the camera language used. He could do the sadness, but the happiness felt...surface level. (Other than that amazing scene where they used in camera practical projection of images on Wen Yi Fan in her bedroom.)

There were a lot of missed opportunities when it came to filming/editing detail shots. If you've ever watched a slow burn before it's all in the small hand movements, breath, slight dilation of the eyes/nose, getting an intentional medium to close shot of those moments ad weight to a scene that gives anticipation/tension. When those shots did exists some of them were cut short. Messing with the frame rate could have helped as well.

Some of the better moments were them in high school....which would make since with the whole It Started With a Kiss background. When Wen Yi Fan is pursuing Sang Yan very little of her fumbling attempts at flirting were shown. It's a good chunk of the novel and was glazed over in favor of dementia grandpa troubles.

Once they are together in the novel Yi Fan is a very physically affectionate person. She doesn't like it when he carries everything for her because it means he doesn't have a free hand for her to hold onto. THIS was a side of Yi Fan that was missing from this director's screenplay. We only see her like this when she's drunk after the wedding. She will get a look of frustration when she isn't able to express her affection well that Sang Yan finds adorable. We see a little of this in the drama, but they didn't lean into it as I feel they could have.

Major changes to source material that changes the characterizations of Sang Yan and Wen Yi Fan as people….

I mentioned this in the comment section when it happened the first time, but it needs to be said again. I don’t know why they chose to do this, and have only come to the conclusion that they wanted to give fan service to Hidden Love fans, which is weird because it's different actors so no one would honestly care if they do or do not show up on screen. But to include Duan Jia Xu into present day Sang Yan's life prior to the summer Sang Yan visits his sister is…wild for multiple reasons the glaringly obvious one is having him be half naked in Wen Yi Fan's apartment without permission.
Sang Yan was the one to make the house rules so that Wen Yi Fan could feel safe and comfortable. There is no way on god's green earth that Sang Yan, protector of Wen Yi Fan would let a MAN into their shared apartment WITHOUT HER KNOWLEDGE. All production had to do to rectify this is to show that Sang Yan texted her that his friend was coming over, she could have been busy at work and forgot that she had agreed and THEN run into Duan Jai Xu outside the bathroom. Wen Yi Fan did not need to be surprised multiple times by a strange half-dressed wet man in her private space. She also never would have allowed the intern into her apartment. And the flasher when she met the intern never existed…why are we adding more unwanted interactions with strange men? It became gratuitous.

Another issue with the changes were that of Che Xing De. Instead of him being a drunk brother of her aunt that moved in with them because he couldn't hold down a job, in the drama the apartment became HIS. Instead of being the drunk driver that she reports on late one night, he's just a passenger in the car and then later becomes the security guard for her TV station's building....I'm sorry...what was the reason? It was like the director needed him to be more than just a deadbeat man. The whole point was that even a deadbeat drunk had more power than a helpless teenage girl whose mother abandoned her. They gave the villain more power at the expense of taking agency from the female lead. Instead of being a drunk, loitering outside her office building extort money and then robbing her, he became employed by her company with access to the building she works in late at night....do yall see why this logic does not work?....He had access to the building that she works in, alone, and never acted on it.....she had knowledge of is past behavior and is a reporter and said NOTHING to her co-workers or bosses about the predator "protecting" the building. Wen Yi Fan would NEVER. She might have been a private person, but if he wasn't just a bum harassing her 100% would have told someone else.

And for the largest change to the source material, we come to episode 24-27. In the novel Sang Yan and Yi Fan get into an argument, a small one, right before he leaves for the airport to visit Zhi Zhi in Yihe, leaving his luggage in the car and leaving the car behind for Yi Fan to use. Two days later...a whole 48 hours...Yi Fan has taken 3 days of leave from work and shows up at the airport in Yihe. Sang Yan runs into her at the airport after getting worried when she doesn't answer his call and having decided to fly back early to check on her. SHE GOES TO HIM IN LESS THAN 48 HOURS. She doesn't respond to his texts for a few hours and he gets worried enough to head home from across the country. They NEVER stop communicating once they are together.

So tell me, dear reader, why oh, why did the director decide to change this to Wen Yi Fan ghosting not only Sang Yan, but her friends, colleagues, and CAT, to go off to Hong Kong for 6 MONTHs? And the ONLY reason it wasn't MORE than 6 months was because she gets spotted by her childhood friend and then gets hunted down by her best friend's rich boyfriend....again...WTF?

They made Wen Yi Fan way more passive than she is in the source material to uplift other male characters…it was a strange choice for a show centered on a woman's struggles and journey to self-love and being able to accept other's love.


I just feel like the director was trying to do a lot of things filming technique wise, but didn't really execute them well. Certain filming techniques were like watching a first year film student test out their camera equipment for the first time and over doing it. I know that sounds very harsh, but to film so many scenes in the exact same manner i.e. through a pane of glass, a mirror, having a lens flare or object out of focus in the foreground while focusing on the background repeatedly when trying to portray different moods was imo a bad use of film language. (please look at Film 'Making Basics: Everything you need to know in 8 minutes' by Alfie Vaughan) It will give you the basics of what I've been looking at when watching shows and may help you understand why I am the way I am. It's not very in depth but yeah.

Anyway, to finish off this very long review. I did have an overall positive viewing experience, but it just didn't meet my expectations for an adaptation of a slow burn romance with it's budget behind it.

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Too less and Too much

Too less of angst, and too much slow-paced. Starting of the story actually made me feel so much confusion especially that it didn't explain much about how they actually knew each other from the start, it felt complicated. And so, it made me feel pause-stop-rewatch situation during the first few episodes of the show. However, ending it also made me feel like it lacked something - more moments of them together.

Story-wise, it is quite boring at the first few episodes, and it only got me hooked by around the 5th one. Ever since then, I slowly kept up with the story - until the separation arc. To be honest, it felt quite good that there's a part of the show that they inserted it, but then, it also didn't move me much. As for Sang Yan, I can see how his character yearned so much. Yi Fan, however, it made me felt too cold since there is not much really showing how she yearned for him during their separation, or how much she tried to check him out or something - unlike Sang Yan who would literally scavenge the whole world for her. I believe that it's one of the downsides of the story, and it made me feel that the scriptwriter only added that for the sake of the viewers to miss them being together. Yi Fan clearly has an avoidant attachment issue, but they also missed out of her actually reassuring Sang Yan that she won't do it again. She did tell Sang Yan to never disappear again when they dated, but it happened for the second time, what's the possibility of actually her not doing it for the third time? I hope they would've added a scene where another issue arise and she did not leave again, that at least would be a very good reassurance. I felt kind of bad for Sang Yan at that point, 'cause it honestly felt that he is only there whenever it's convenient for Yi Fan, and I don't think anyone is as patient as Sang Yan regarding that. Yi Fan may have been some traumas regarding her past, but her realization during the separation, did not once even come to her mind how she can show a strong reassurance towards Sang Yan to never ever leave again, especially that he is her only family other than her best friend? Which is why, it felt off for me on this part. Another lacking part of the story is the less justice towards women like Yi Fan, I think they deserve more limelight, like at least a little revenge for what generally happen, so it gives the viewers a little satisfaction too. For instance, how that uncle suffered after, and such.

Character-wise, Sang Yan is not a very complicated one, he loves Yi Fan - that is very straightforward right at the beginning. He has some moment where he felt confused and a bit impatient of his feelings towards her, but it somehow is understandable knowing he has always felt that way ever since before. However, I see Sang Yan as somewhat of a static character, other than knowing Yi Fan's past, I don't really see no major changes about him. He has always been caring towards her, soft, gentle, and a lover boy - which what everybody wants as a male lead, but it would have been nice to see him being vulnerable too (except for the separation arc ofc). But then, it is also understandable if there's not really showing off much story about him as a person since the show is basically not his to tell, but Yi Fan's - as the show's title is the meaning of her name. It would have been much better if we can see a different side of Sang Yan though, other than his good ones. On the other hand, Yi Fan as a character is actually very well rounded and dynamic, she slowly changed from being a silent one who loves to keep her feelings to herself, into someone who is brave enough to make changes for her future. And I think, this is part of the reason why both Sang Yan and Yi Fan worked good together, since one person is changing the other one for goodness.

As per the acting, both actors do actually have the chemistry, and are pretty good at showing empathetic emotion, especially Zhang Rou Nan. This is the first drama of her that I've ever watched, and this is convincing me to try her other dramas in the future as well. As per the OSTs, it did not really give much impression towards me, so I can't really say that it's good or bad, it just depends on the preference of who listens to it.

Overall, this drama is pretty good if you are into light dark romances. It too less angst, since I think the villains could've gotten more karma for what they did, but also too much of a slow-paced that there's some plot holes that could've added more to the story. Both the actor's chemistry is undeniable, and the supporting characters story are pretty much interesting as well and didn't bore me out unlike the other dramas. This drama is not generally one of my top modern ones, but it could work out for some.

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greatest love that heals wounds and puts the happiness of the loved one first

Sang yan's love is a love defined by quiet devotion- a love that persists despite rejection, distance and time without expecting anything in return. A love that help him to grow brightly. It's that kind of love where he silently cherishes and supports her,even from afar, never forcing his feelings but always be present. He respects her boundaries, and waits, believing one day, when she is ready, she will find her way to him, open her heart to him. This is a love that stands the test of time- SILENT YET UNWAVERING, DISTANT YET EVER-PRESENT. It's a love that doesn't fade but instead waits in silent hope. She didn't confess before but her untold words, were enough for him to heard and wait. Maybe there are Sang yans out there but all cannot hear those untold words for they leave.
Sang yan is too much fictional even for fictional world.

I’m not obsessed with Bai Jing Ting, but I can’t imagine anyone else playing this role better than him. He made me fall in love with Sang Yan—his arrogance and deep love were just perfect.

Ruonan was really incredible in portraying Yi Fan’s suffering till i'm crying along with her.

Also for Qiao and Hao’an really brought the story to life. Their journey, especially alongside An’s grandparents, was so touching. Their playful, cheerful, yet sharp personalities were such a joy to watch. i guess we should also thank Wang Lin Lin for the rental house and Xiang Lang for mentioned Hong Kong, right?
And of course, Zhi and Sang Yan’s parents, who were full of love. Mu Cheng Yun and A Sen also deserve a mention—some of their words really helped Yi Fan realize her next steps.

Yi Fan is incredibly strong, going through life with a calm exterior. And Sang Yan’s overwhelming love had the biggest impact on her—it gave her strength and made him willing to change so much just to be with her. Even though Sang Yan feels almost too good to be true in this world, I still hope… may this kind of love find me.

The First Frost was my first cdrama in 2025, waited bcs Hidden Love and it was really worth to wait💞

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Good Drama

Very good drama. I liked the ending especially since this drama was 32 episodes, viewers may of forgotten key events and the flashback of it in the end was very nice. Haven't really seen a drama do this in a while.

Romance and execution of it was nice as the plot wasn't smooth sailing the whole time. There were ups and downs along the way, especially FL suffering trauma from family issues. Personally it was a very slow start to the ep so I don't think 32 eps is needed and it would be better if it was shortened. The grandpa plot was quite boring and they shouldn't be focused as much. I didn't mind Si Qiao and Hao An being together and having their own part. Just the grandparents mainly.

I think that episode 24 was when it started to get interesting. Very good as there was some sort of action in the drama when it's 24 episodes in, otherwise it would get very boring if it was constantly just romance. I think that was the moment where I wanted to find out more of what happens in the next ep. Very good acting from Xing De.

What I don't like is the FL fleeing for the second times to Hong Kong. 6 months too. That is a very long time and it doesn't make sense to me why she fled the second time. Did she not learn from the first time? Where was the personal development in this - can't be realistic I know since it is a drama after all so I will let it slide. Also wished they added a scene when FL found out that the ML was the one he was talking to in the game they were playing (his username was cool also as it was 败将 with the second character being Wen ShuangJiang and the overall word meaning to lose/being defeated so the metaphor is 'lost to Wen Shuang Jiang').

At the start was childhood times and then at the end was a more detailed version of a scene that had occured not long ago
Beginning of the episode had a few words with elipsis. Then end of the episode it completes the sentence. This was unique


For the below, don't think you will understand if you aren't Chinese.

What was the odds of FL teaching dance speaking Mandarin in Hong Kong. Majority speak Cantonese but can speak Mandarin but the clubs are usually Cantonese. I have never really seen clubs that speak Mandarin mainly. When FL was working in HKG and the owner of the restaurant scolded her in Cantonese, that was funny because in reality it is the same 'harshness'. Atleast they had an actual Hong Kong person be in charge of the dance (could tell from his accent that he wasn't a native speaker - making it more HK authentic).
In Episode 31, on the blackboard there was a love heart with a bunch of text in it. This was very interesting as it was like a poem with the use of lots of metaphors foreshadowing things that will happen to a human being.
The last line of Episode 32 using the word '哄' is quite nice as the title is translated 'hard to comfort. Don't really know how to explain this to be honest.
Good reference to the Chinese Calendar 'Shuang Jiang' along with the snowflakes - I kinda forgot what date this was when I first got introduced to it in the drama (haven't seen this term in a while).

Overall, in my opinion on the drama, I think that this had funny moments as there were some inside joke that was played that did make me laugh on some of them. Some people didn't like this drama as they said 'the 2 of them don't have chemistry'. In my opinion they do as I rate it based off how playful they are and their personality.

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Fluffy yet angsty

March 19, 2025

WAW. This is probably the first drama that I finished and did not drop for this year.

First Frost is a heavy drama I must say, given the FL background and how she deals with her mental health. This drama for sure is not like Hidden Love although they are part of the same universe.

I understand why this show has gained a traction in popularity with the viewers and I think it is pretty well deserved. The plot was pretty decent, I did think that some subplots for the second leads or other characters could have been slimmed down. There are instances where I feel like they took over a whole episodes and that could have been given to the leads.

I think that the chemistry we have here is through the roof. Sang Yan's is the greenest, a whole forest type of man. FOR SURE HE ONLY EXISTS IN FAIRYTALE FICTIONAL LAND BUT I HOPE HE EXISTS. A MAN CAN DREAM AM I RIGHT

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This drama was the perfect balance between emotional depth, humor, and constant support from both partners. Trust me, there were definitely hard traumatic parts to watch, like Wen Yifan's back-story. But, I loved seeing their journey from childhood at school all the way to adulthood. Sang Yan is the ideal partner in a relationship. Throughout everything they went through together, he never stopped loving her and always protected her through everything. I genuinely have no criticisms for this drama. Also, I have like this whole drama's OST soundtrack on my playlist so...another plus!

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WOW...hard to come up with adequate words!

If you are a fan of incredible storytelling, complex characters, amazing acting and a beautiful OST, this is the drama for you. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

It's been several months since I finished watching for the first time. Absolutely blown away, I rewatched it immediately. Then I found the book online and read it -- twice. And then I rewatched The First Frost again. Since then, I've tried to get into other dramas but none have the pull of The First Frost. Seriously, I compare every story to this one, every character to those in this one, every soundtrack to this one.

This is the most beautiful story and best acted and cinematically shot drama I've seen (and I've seen a lot). It gets deep into your soul to give you something to think about and ponder when you're not watching. It's really that good.

My only complaint is that the writers got sidetracked by the 2nd couple's story and that part (and ONLY that part dragged for me. Compared to the main couple's story, how in the world could it compete???). On rewatch, I hate to admit I FF'd through any scenes with the grandparents in them. It in no way affects this beautiful story and probably shaved an hour or so off of rewatch time.

WenYiFang and Sang Yan live rent free in my head and I'm more than okay with that!

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Worth the tears, bring the tissues- Sister to Hidden Love

It took me a while to start this drama, something told me to hold off. I binged and dropped many dramas of various genres before I came back to this title. I found out that this was the big sister to Hidden Love which I highly enjoyed and then began appreciating this drama even more. This drama is profound, not a casual watch. It is emotionally charged from the beginning and it brings you in, wanting to know more. The longing glances, the hurt expressions, the twinkling eyes, the subtle changes in the background music, or different lighting and camera angles... The whole crew did an amazing job. As my roommate said upon sitting for 5 minutes to watch it as tears streamed down my face "Man! This is freaking good. I'm getting emotional and I'm not even invested!"

If you are looking for a drama without contrived drama, if you understand that not everyone loves the same, if you are okay with exploring heavy topics in an emotionally raw fashion, if you love to see justice served but not without the injury first, if you love to see two people find, grow and love each other through it all then this may be the drama for you.

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