A Masterpiece.
This drama can be described beyond the meanings of beautiful, masterpiece, and perfect.The first drama that I'll ever rewatch without getting tired of. A must-watch.
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Honestly, that's all that I want to write, but mydramalist doesn't accept this much length.
I'm not good in writing reviews, and I can't write things the way it is actually in my mind. But when I say this is a beautiful and must-watch drama, trust me, it is. I have been a long time drama and film lover. I've watched romance genre ever since, and believe me when I say that a certain drama is a good drama. I have high expectations when watching dramas, and I would immediately drop it if it's cliché. And this one isn't. It's a masterpiece. Noticing that the names of the characters are quite the same with Hidden Love, I searched it up. And to be honest, it's way way way way way better than Hidden Love. It doesn't convey "love" as any other cliché drama— where it all happens fast. Although the guy had a love at first sight, this drama still showed deep love all throughout. It showed what really love must be like. Though it's quite unrealistic to see a guy to be in love with the same person for years, and maybe forever.
I don't know why I was quite let down by the first episode's cinematography and production, but I'm glad I continued watching it all the way. I was not disappointed, but rather pulled in to witness such a heart touching love story.
Everything about this is just IT. The actors are perfect, the production, ost, and storyline. This is now my most favourite out of all.
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And then… somehow… I stayed.
This drama is slow. Very slow. But the slowness is not empty — it is intentional. Every pause, every silence between Sang Yan (Bai Jing Ting)and Wen Yifan(Zhang Ruo Nan) carries emotional meaning. This is not a romance that feeds you constant excitement. It makes you sit, think, process, and feel.
Sang Yan starts off frustrating — acting cool, teasing with arrogance, flirting without fully reading Wen Yifan’s emotional boundaries. And Wen Yifan’s distance is not coldness — it’s fear. Fear of offending him, fear of making him uncomfortable, fear shaped by personal issues and past experiences. What makes this drama good is that both reactions make sense. Their misunderstandings feel human, not forced.
As the story progresses, Sang Yan evolves into one of the greenest green flags ever written. Patient, emotionally aware, gentle, and deeply respectful. Not the heart-pounding type like Duan Jiaxu (Hidden Love), but the kind of man that makes you feel safe. Almost unrealistically safe — the kind that raises expectations to dangerous levels.
One of the strongest points of this drama is its friendship and side storylines.
The storyline between Zhong Siqiao and Su Hao An is surprisingly good. Their emotional timing, separation, and progression feel logical and earned. It’s not filler romance — it adds depth and warmth to the story. Even He Chen (the doctor friend) is so likable that I genuinely wished he had his own storyline.
Visually, this drama is beautiful. Bright, clean, soft, and emotionally supportive. Zhang Ruo Nan looks absolutely stunning here — vulnerable, lost, and radiant in a way I’ve never felt in her other dramas. Bai Jing Ting’s tall presence, deep voice, and restrained emotional delivery justify every heartthrob label given to him.
The Hidden Love references — familiar characters and music — feel like a warm blessing rather than fan service. Even if the faces are different, the emotional continuity works, and I accepted it naturally.
This drama won’t make your heart race.
It makes you feel, soften, and quietly heal.
If there is a wedding scene, this is an instant 10/10.
Until then, it’s a solid 9.5/10 — slow, gentle, emotionally intelligent, and deeply immersiv
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Precious and beloved
First of all, their acting is amazing. I don't know why, but when WYF cries or holds it in, I feel like I'm going through the same pain as her. It feels like my heart is about to pop anytime soon. And the story is so beautiful. Some dramas only have romance or war. But this one had everything so perfectly. San yan seemed like a tough guy and WYF seems like a soft girl. But their appearance is so different than their personalities. Directors did an amazing job of finding the perfect face for WYF's character. Sometimes I couldn't hold that heartbreak. So I just stopped watching it for a few minutes to calm down.Once again their acting was superb. It's been so long since I last watched a drama like this. The last drama I watched and can compare to this one is I think Hidden Love. Both of these are amazing. Different stories. But the feelings and qualities are the same. So lucky to watch dramas like this. While I watch this, I always thought, someday my kids will not like our generation's dramas. But maybe they'll find hidden gems like this one day.
Once he told, we are the most precious gifts we have - WYF (My favourite line of this drama)
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MY MOST FAVORITE SERIES IN THE ENTIRE DRAMA LAND!
My absolute favorite series in the entire drama world! The cinematography (huge credit to the director for the brilliant use of lights and mirrors that enhanced the beauty of every shot!), the storyline—everything was just incredible! BAI JINGTING and ZHANG RUONAN absolutely deserve all the recognition for their outstanding performances.Not to mention, the OST album is perfection—I love every track, no skips! (Special shoutout to SILENCE WANG's OST!!)
Honestly, my review can't even do justice to how amazing The First Frost is. Please watch it now!
And now that it's over, I don't know what to do with myself. Maybe I'll rewatch it and play the OST on repeat... or fall back into my drama slump.
This series is now THE STANDARD!
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Firstly, if you're in the mood for a heartfelt journey that tugs at your emotions, "The First Frost" is the cdrama to watch. This drama reunites high school classmates Wen Yifan and Sang Yan after years apart, leading to a complex and intimate cohabitation.
Bai Jingting and Zhang Ruonan deliver compelling performances, capturing the nuances of rekindled connections and unresolved feelings. The show's melancholic visuals and masterful storytelling delve deep into the complexities of young love and the lingering impact of past experiences.
While it may not offer the giddy excitement of typical romances, "The First Frost" stands out for its intentional pacing and atmospheric depth, making it a must-watch for those seeking a profound and introspective romantic drama.
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"More Than Just a Sequel — The First Frost Stands on Its Own"
I first came across this drama through Instagram reels, and when I was in the right mood, I finally decided to watch it. One of the comments mentioned that it was available on YouTube, so I searched for it and found a 10-episode drama titled The First Frost. I watched it till the end, only to realize that it wasn’t actually the one I had been looking for. Instead, I had just finished Reset—which, to my surprise, turned out to be an incredible drama as well. That was the moment I started to take notice of Bai Jingting. Intrigued by his performance, I searched for more of his dramas and eventually found the real The First Frost that I had initially wanted to watch.What can I say? This drama was absolutely worth it. Despite being a slow-burn romance, I found myself completely hooked, episode after episode. The storytelling and character development were beautifully executed, drawing me into their world effortlessly. The actors delivered outstanding performances, making every moment feel authentic and emotionally resonant.
After watching, I explored other reviews and noticed a mix of opinions. Some viewers felt the drama was overhyped, possibly because it’s a sequel to HL, while others were disappointed with the change in cast. However, from my point of view, The First Frost stands strong on its own. While it shares a similar coming-of-age setting—depicting high school life and its aftermath—its storyline remains unique and engaging. Interestingly, I didn’t even realize at first that it was connected to HL. Yet, even after knowing that, I still believe that this drama holds its own value and is not solely dependent on the popularity of HL.
As for the cast change, I personally didn’t find it to be a major issue. The actors in The First Frost portrayed their characters remarkably well, bringing depth and sincerity to their roles. Overall, I genuinely believe this drama is worth watching, whether or not you’ve seen HL. It’s an emotionally rich and well-crafted story that leaves a lasting impression.
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I’m a Kdrama lover, but TFF is one of the top 10 list in my most dramas i love.
Overall is the best drama for 2025 for me. It’s just so addictive to watch, usually i don’t like ongoing dramas because I’m impatience to wait every weekends, but this every day they give episodes daily but feels like waiting every weekends. Love is not always give butterflies to your stomach , it also encounter hard ship.Was this review helpful to you?
Wish I Had Dropped This Sooner
Let me start by saying that I absolutely loved Hidden Love, so I was really excited to watch this. But honestly, it was such a letdown. I kept hoping it would get better, which is why I stuck with it until the end, but I seriously should’ve dropped it earlier. It just didn’t live up to my expectations.Was this review helpful to you?
The fire of the frost, the soul of the sun
A news reporter reunites with her first love when they accidentally share an apartment and their sunny present and rainy past mash into a prismatic love story.What I liked:
• Marvelous performance. I absolutely loved Bai Jing Ting and Zhang Ruonan's performance. It was enthralling to see them act.
• Good cinematography. The shots with mirrored sequences were good and explorative to the story.
• I particularly like the episode titles and how they give the essence of the episode and a little bit of epilogue scenes to boot.
• Excellent music, conveying their story.
What I disliked:
• The secondary characters and their stories felt out of place with the main story. It could have been minimized because it felt like the creators just used it in their story to increase the episode length.
• Certain plotlines could have been handled better without exaggerated scenes in earlier episodes.
• Some character arcs felt out of place and disturbed the flow of the story.
Overall, a good watch. Recommended if you like angsty love stories, and watch out for the trigger warnings.
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Not my cup of tea
My expectations were too high with this drama. The leads are gorgeous but the plot was too depressing compared with Hidden Love. Chinese dramas these days focus more on being visually appealing than have a strong story. There were many gifable moments but that's it. The story was really slow and dark. The plot about the dead dog and the senile grandpa was unnecessary. It took so much time from the main story or even the 2nd leads. The moment the uncle appeared I decided to drop this drama. This is not something I would watch as entertainment.Was this review helpful to you?
Disappointed
Firstly I just don’t understand y ppl think they r good looking visual couples 🙄🙄🙄🙄….. they look average. Secondly they’re just mid in terms of acting. They don’t have an appealing expressions that catch u in seconds. They even can’t give compelling smiles.Lastly chemistry. It was dead n forced. Their emotions r bland n no interesting side characters. Overall two garden gnomes acting
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Some love endures. Some love fights. And some… refuse to die.
The First Frost is, without question, one of the finest modern Chinese dramas today. The cinematography is a quiet masterpiece — with breathtaking shots that perfectly capture the changing seasons and emotional nuances of the story, every frame a portrait, every landscape a poem.The storyline is highly charged and emotionally relentless, a beautifully painful exploration of destiny, sacrifice, and devotion. But what truly sets The First Frost apart is the love story at its core — a love that refuses to be a victim of circumstance. The emotional weight of the story is heavy, a narrative that doesn’t ask for your heart, but takes it completely. It’s a tale of love that refuses to die, no matter how cruel time and circumstance become.
The chemistry between the leads is exceptional — effortless, natural, and achingly real. Together, they paint a portrait of a love that suffers, survives, and ultimately triumphs, not through luck or destiny, but through sheer human will.
A standout element is the male lead’s (Bai Jing Ting) performance. In my opinion, this is easily his best work to date. He delivers a performance so nuanced and breathtaking, it feels less like acting and more like living. His micro-expressions are flawless, capturing every flicker of emotion with raw honesty: a twitch of the brow, a flicker of longing, the quiet breaking of a heart held too long in silence Yet what makes his portrayal unforgettable is the soul he lends to the story’s most profound truth — he did not leave their love to fate. He didn’t leave his character’s fate to chance — he willed it, embodying every moment with quiet strength and heartbreaking vulnerability. His presence alone elevates the entire drama.
He did not leave their love to chance.
He endured.
He bled for it.
He gave.
He waited through winters of loneliness.
He gave everything, piece by piece, until all that remained was a heart that still whispered her name with unwavering and unyielding purpose. Every moment, every sacrifice, every quiet agony was a declaration of love that needed no words
This is a love that survived because one man willed it to exist when fate had long since turned away. A performance, a story, and a bond you’ll feel long after the final frost falls.
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