The First Frost

drama that will make it hard for me to move on❣️

Honestly, this drama will be hard to move on, be it in terms of storyline, OST, cinematography and also for the casting.

Honestly, at first, for the cast as Sang Yan (Bai Jinting), I personally didn't fit in and for this role I initially hoped for Victor Ma but after I searched, it turned out that Bai Jinting was more than suitable for Sang Yan. And it took almost 2 years for this drama to air. But it's hard to forget the feeling of not being able to be apart from them😭😭😭❣️❣️❣️.

Even though you can't sail in the real world, I hope you two won't become strangers and can be in the same drama project again in the future 🥹🥰☺️.

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First Frost

“First Frost” tries to be a poetic, slow-burn romance, but unfortunately it ends up feeling more like a slow freeze. The drama is visually beautiful, but almost everything beneath the surface struggles.
1. Pacing That Moves at Glacial Speed
The biggest problem is the pacing. Scenes drag on long after their emotional point has been made, and side plots stretch thin just to fill episodes. Rather than atmospheric, the slow pacing often becomes boring and repetitive.
2. Chemistry That Never Quite Melts the Ice
Despite the story hinging on the romantic tension between the leads, the chemistry often feels forced and inconsistent. Their emotional beats don’t land, and intense moments don’t build on each other. The romance lacks sparks—ironically for a show named First Frost, everything feels lukewarm.
3. Plotlines That Start Strong… Then Vanish
The show introduces intriguing mysteries and conflicts early on, but many either get resolved too conveniently or fade away entirely. Secondary characters disappear for episodes at a time, only to reappear with abrupt shifts in motivation.
4. Overly Dramatic Dialogues
The script leans heavily into flowery monologues that sound deep but don’t actually say much. Instead of delivering emotional weight, the dialogue often comes across as self-indulgent and melodramatic.
5. Gorgeous Production, Wasted Potential
The cinematography, costumes, and setting are undeniably stunning, which makes it all the more frustrating that the narrative can’t keep up. The drama feels like it relies on visuals to compensate for weaker writing.
⭐ Overall Verdict
“First Frost” is visually captivating but narratively hollow. If you enjoy atmospheric dramas and don’t mind extremely slow pacing, it may still appeal to you. But if you’re looking for strong storytelling or compelling emotional arcs, this drama may leave you out in the cold.

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Best feel-good drama there is

This is one of those dramas where you press play, sit back and enjoy. Every minute of it.

It might feel slow at times, but the scenery, music and acting are so good that you do not want to miss anything. Chemistry between leads is palpable through the screen, and I especially enjoyed the little banters they had and the teasings.

May be an unpopular opinion but I enjoyed this one far more than Hidden love, and would recommend everyone to watch it, even if you are not a fan of C/Kdrama.

The only downside worth mentioning is the FL coming home every day and NOT saying hello to her cat first!

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Genuine Lead Chemistry Shines in a Slow-Burn Romance, but Repetitive Storytelling Holds It Back

If you enjoy heartfelt performances and a romance that takes its time, this drama might be worth a try for you.

What really stood out to me in “The First Frost” was just how sincere and emotional the lead actors were. Their chemistry felt so real that I actually found myself getting a little interested in their relationship, it was genuinely touching to watch. I also liked that the pacing didn’t rush things. The fact that there were episodes after the main conflict made the ending feel more complete, which I really appreciated.

But I have to be honest, some episodes did feel a bit slow and repetitive, especially with all the flashbacks. There were moments where I wished the story would just move forward instead of circling back to the same memories. I also wanted more from the secondary couple and the side plots as they had potential but just weren’t developed enough for me.

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"First Frost" vs. "Hidden Love" – A Tale of Two Love Stories

Both First Frost and Hidden Love are romantic dramas that explore deep emotions and relationships, but they offer vastly different viewing experiences. While First Frost is a beautifully crafted story about enduring love, Hidden Love stands out as something refreshingly unique. Here’s why:

*Story & Themes"

The First Frost follows a more traditional romance arc—childhood friends, separation, reunion, and emotional struggles. It’s well-executed, with strong acting and heartfelt moments, but it doesn’t deviate much from the classic tropes we’ve seen before......Hidden Love, on the other hand, breaks away from the usual formula. It focuses on a slow-burn, secret crush that evolves into a mature relationship. The storytelling feels more intimate, capturing the nervous excitement of unspoken feelings in a way that’s rare in dramas.

"Chemistry & Characters"

First Frost has solid chemistry between the leads, portraying deep emotional bonds and sacrifices. However, their dynamic follows a somewhat predictable path......Hidden Love thrives on its realistic and tender interactions. The way the male lead gradually realizes the female lead’s feelings—and how she navigates her hidden emotions—makes their relationship incredibly engaging.

"Emotional Impact"

First Frost delivers heavy emotions—longing, heartbreak, and reconciliation—which are moving but somewhat expected in melodramas......Hidden Love tugs at the heart differently. It’s lighter yet deeply affecting because it captures the small, quiet moments of love—the stolen glances, the hesitation before a confession, and the thrill of being seen by someone you adore.

"Final Thoughts"


First Frost is a well-made drama with strong performances, but Hidden Love stands out as something special. It’s not just about love—it’s about the anticipation of love, the fear and excitement of confessing, and the sweetness of mutual pining. If you’ve seen many traditional romances, Hidden Love will feel like a breath of fresh air.
First Frost (Great, but familiar) but Hidden Love (Unique, addictive, and unforgettable)

If you want deep, dramatic love, First Frost is a good pick. But if you crave a love story that feels real, tender, and different, Hidden Love is the one to watch. ❤️......lastly this is what I feel and my POV.

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I didn’t expect this drama to grip me like this, but it did.

THE FIRST FROST – DRAMA REVIEW

If I were to describe The First Frost in one sentence, it would be: A hauntingly beautiful tale of rekindled love, quiet trauma, and tender second chances wrapped in subtle storytelling and poetic cinematography.

I’ll say this first – this is not your average romance drama. It feels different. The atmosphere, the soundtrack, the characters – everything is designed to immerse you into a world of unspoken regrets, lingering pain, and love that never really went away.

WHAT I LOVED

1. The Vibe – Melancholic, Consistent, Beautiful.
From the opening episode with "Goodbye, Sang Yan" to the slow burning tension in their shared apartment, the tone is masterfully held throughout. The drama starts with a bittersweet re-encounter and continues to bleed nostalgic hues all over its plot. The rainy nights, dim lighting, quiet bus rides, stolen glances – it’s all so soft yet heavy. The soundtrack? Always on point. It swells with the emotion of each scene and lingers long after the screen fades to black.

2. The Character Depth.
Wen Yifan is one of the most complex female leads I’ve seen in a while. She’s not outspoken. She doesn’t yell. She doesn’t explain herself often. And yet, you feel her pain, her guilt, her hesitation in every single expression. The sleepwalking? A literal manifestation of her past trauma and emotional suppression. And then there’s Sang Yan – the quietly wounded, lovesick boy turned man who’s been carrying the weight of a heartbreak he never truly understood. His affection is consistent, almost annoyingly so – from protecting her silently to setting up safety precautions in the house because she sleepwalks. And don’t even get me started on how he remembers her birthday, her perfume, and her university switch even after years of silence.

3. The Acting – Micro-Expressions Carry the Whole Show.
There are moments where no words are exchanged, but the tension is louder than anything. Their chemistry is aching. So real.

4. The Flashbacks – Piecing the Puzzle.
The drama beautifully balances past and present, slowly peeling back the layers of what went wrong.

WHAT I DIDN’T LOVE

1. Mu Chengyun. Just… No.
Persistent in a way that wasn’t charming but invasive. He doesn’t understand boundaries. Keeps popping up where he’s not wanted. Even after being told no, he keeps pressing. I get that he represents a parallel love interest, but he didn’t need to be this annoying.

2. Wen Yifan's Reluctance Sometimes Feels Drawn Out.
I understand her trauma. Truly, I do. But there were times where her refusal to acknowledge Sang Yan’s obvious affection, or her own feelings, felt a little too prolonged. Girl, how much more do you need? Maybe it was meant to mirror her fear of loss, but a part of me wanted her to at least apologise sooner or make a bold move without hiding.

3. Su Haoan's Tragic Backstory – Felt Forced.
This is going to be controversial but… I didn’t feel much when he talked about his trauma story. It felt inserted to give him depth, but it didn’t land for me. Compared to the emotional realism of Sang Yan and Wen Yifan’s arc, his came off more as a plot device.

All in all, it's a beautiful story of how healing can come in the form of one person who never gives up on you. Someone who shows up, and patiently waits for you to come around – again.

Rating: 9/10.
Would’ve been a 10 if not for Mu Chengyun and the mid-season drag. But this one will stay with me for a while.

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Good drama, but had the potential to be much better.

What I liked:
I feel like there are very few romance dramas I’ve watched that actually explore the FML’s trauma in great detail, as it’s done here. In Hidden Love and WIFTY, we get a glimpse of the ML’s trauma but the FML’s issues are rarely discussed, if ever at all. It was nice seeing the reverse for the change. As with every ML that Zhu Yi has written, Sang Yan is such a green flag and I really liked how protective and supportive he was of the FML despite how frustrating she was at times. The FML, despite her issues, was a very interesting character and I think the show did a good job of depicting how she didn’t let her childhood trauma affect her ability to become successful in life.

What I disliked:
Given the premise, I expected this story to be darker compared to Hidden Love, with the FML’s trauma serving as a central plot point in moving the narrative forward. While this drama does a good job of illustrating how Yifan’s trauma has shaped her personality and career, it falls short in portraying her character growth, and how she was able to heal and move past her fears despite her past experiences. Throughout the story, we saw some signs of growth, such as her standing up for Sang Yan and going to her mother’s house after her uncle appeared to frame Sang Yan’s restaurant for food poisoning. Also her choosing not to forgive her mother for not taking care of her after her father died. Aside from that though, I feel like it could’ve been executed a lot better. Yifan never opened up to anyone about her issues, which is understandable to an extent given the negative circumstances she was in. Although I was getting increasingly annoyed in the later half of the story when she and Sang Yan were already in a relationship, and not only did she lie to him about what happened but she completely up and left him and her entire life in Nanwu without any warning. I understand that in certain situations, people with PTSD have a tendency to make irrational decisions. But I really wish she had at the very least, told her friends and Sang Yan the reason behind why she left. Their reunion felt extremely underwhelming too. I feel like Sang Yan and Yifan needed to have a more serious conversation about her issues. I was also hoping she’d finally open up to her best friend about her past trauma after they reunited, but that never happened. I feel like this show had more opportunities to delve into her communication issues and family trauma but instead half of its runtime was spent on the 2nd lead couple (which btw, barely contributed anything to the main leads’ story) and grandparent’s relationship, which I did not care for at all. Speaking of which, I thought the 2nd leads’ relationship had a lot of potential in the beginning, but fell short because much of their relationship revolved around Su Hao’an’s grandpa, rather than them actually getting to know each other as people. Another complaint I have about the ML and FML’s romance is the development of their relationship felt a little shallow for my liking. Aside from being conventionally attractive, I’m not entirely sure what it was about the FML that captivated the ML so much. Don’t get me wrong I loved seeing Sang Yan display his unconditional love for Yifan but some of his actions felt a little over exaggerated. For example, him following the FML home without her knowing, flying to Yihe for her graduation, following her around the airport. I also felt like it was obvious that his devotion to the FML was also probably the only reason she even noticed him to begin with. As a result, Sang Yan’s character felt a little bit one dimensional for me and I wish the story could’ve explored his struggles separate from Yifan’s.

Despite the glaring issues I had with this drama, it was still enough of an enjoyable experience for me to recommend watching it. Although if you’re like me, and get frustrated with a lack of communication, slow pacing, and too much screen time spent on the secondary couple, then you might be left somewhat disappointed.

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In my opinion this cdrama was well overrated

So I think that this cdrama is pretty good the actors are cute. I wouldn’t say that they had THE best chemistry but it was good enough. To me this drama is overrated because I kept on seeing on social media that the story was insane, however it was pretty basic to me. They were friends for a long time and always loved each other. It is a good and cute story that I enjoyed but there are lots of drama having the same scenario. Even though I think that it is overrated, I liked it, it just didn’t match my expectations. If you love chill and cute romance you will definitely like it.

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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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Why The First Frost Touched Me So Deeply

The First Frost (2025)
Cast:

Zhang Ruonan as WEN YIFAN (FL)

Bai Jingting as SANG YAN (ML)

Zhang Miaoyi as ZHONG SIQIAO (FL’s childhood friend)

Edward Chen as SU HAOAN Sang yan's childhood friend


Why did I watch this ?

I decided to watch The First Frost because it had been on my watchlist ever since its release in February of this year, and I was eagerly waiting to hear good reviews. It took me some time, but I’m glad I finally watched this masterpiece.

From start to finish I felt this drama deeply it was exceptional storytelling almost like watching poetry beautifully unfold in the form of a series. The strong performances from the cast left me speechless, especially the female lead, whose character felt so relatable.

Plot Summary:
The First Frost follows Zhao Yiran, a spirited yet fragile girl, and Xu Zhirui, a quiet but determined young man, whose fate intertwines one winter. As they navigate love, pain, and unspoken truths, their bond becomes a journey of healing, resilience, and hope in the midst of life’s coldest season
.
My Thoughts on the Characters:

I personally loved the female lead. Zhang Ruonan’s acting was surreal and heartfelt, making Zhao Yiran’s struggles and emotions feel real. Her character carried layers of pain abandoned by many, she grew into an introverted soul who never wanted anyone else to suffer because of her. Despite her dream of becoming a dancer never coming true, she found strength and purpose in her job as a reporter. Watching her journey was both heartbreaking and inspiring.

The male lead, Xu Zhirui, was another standout for me. Bai Jingting portrayed him as confident yet reserved, a caring and innocent soul who never gave up on his girl. His love for Zhao Yiran was quiet but truly noticeable he secretly cherished her from the beginning to the very end. I was touched by how much emotional growth his character had throughout the series.
And let’s be honest
his collection of black outfits gave him this mysterious, almost magnetic charm.


The supporting characters also added depth to the story. Zhao Miaoyi was portrayed as a bubbly on the surface, but her character revealed layers of care and loyalty toward those around
Her character was especially so perfectly crafted that I loved her too . She brought a different kind of warmth to the narrative, making her role more than just a side character.

Final Words:

Overall, The First Frost was more than just a drama for me
it was an emotional rollercoaster...
With its poetic storytelling, beautifully written characters, and heartfelt performances,
it’s a series that stays long after the final episode.
.
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