A Familiar Stranger

A FAMILIAR SURPRISE!

Rated a 10 entirely based on the way this made me feel, and it was unexpectedly a pleasant surprise! I didn’t expect too much from it but also wondered why it had such a high rating of 9+ on Viki. Thought I’d get it over with watching it in one go with only 8 episodes. To my surprise, I loved it! Although, it was so short, it was cleverly written to tell the story and executed quite well. Most of the time I wonder why these C-dramas are so long, I feel like they have so many clips of reminiscing that become dragged out many times. THIS show was quite simple, to the point, had enough humor added, a tender romance between the leads, even the little kid was adorable, and of course, it had a pretty cool twist the viewer probably wouldn’t think of (that’s what made the ending so good). Kudos to the writers/creators! This was a little gem that made my Top 10 Faves, and made me watch it a second time already (I’m sure it won’t be the last time). Enjoy! 👍🏼👍🏼

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Wholesome.

If you are seeking to watch something quick and short, yet with a clear plot and a convincing cast, this one is for you.

After getting her face swapped and identity stolen from her by Shen Qin, the cunning daughter of the Prime Minister, Shi Qi, a painter must wade through dangerous waters in order to get her identity back. This includes deceiving her new husband whom she had married in Shen Qin's stead, as well as looping around the shady Prince Ning, Shen Qin's lover.

The plot is straightforward and doesn't mince words, neither does it become too illogical.
I am glad that this was not a full length drama as the shorter duration made it an easy viewing experience for me as well as the story was conveyed in a succinct manner.

The handful of characters were excellently portrayed by the cast. I was impressed by everyone's performance. Even the Military General.

There were some unexpectedly comedic moments amongst the overall ominous tone of the drama, and the romance seemed almost like a breathe of fresh air for Shi Qi, who for most of the drama, goes through emotional and mental stress.

Overall, it's a wholesome, yet serious and entertaining drama worthy of a quick watch.

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Short & Sweet

A FAMILIAR STRANGER (2022) is a well-made yet very short Chinese mini-drama (only 8 episodes short). I was very glad to have stumbled upon this little gem of a series. While it is very short (especially compared to the usual 50+ episodes that Cdrama's usually consist off) thie series was very engaging and watchable. The plot was very focused and fast-paced, rather than following the usual meandering pace.

This drama was surprisingly engaging. I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. It was really well-made and well acted. The visuals, sets and costumes were all very stunning.

Overall, this Chinese mini drama was a great find! Short, thrilling and very intriguing but underneath it all, a sweet romance. I hope there will be more short series like this, if only to give more variety to the genre. Definitely worth the watch!

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Unique storyline, mid execution

I was drawn to this mini series because of the glowing reviews and people talking about how great the couple is, as well as how there are no breakups/misunderstandings, but low key lost interest halfway through. I think the story had a lot of potential but low key wasn't a big fan of how everything went. I would even say the story bit off more than it could chew. Your mileage may vary though since the rest of the reviews are pretty positive.

PROS
❀ Mini drama energy
I'm a fan of these short yet satisfying mini dramas, and this one fits the bill. It's pretty fast-paced, focuses *mostly* on the main couple, and has a happy ending. At 10 min x 18 ep (with ep 18 being 20 min), you're looking at a commitment time of just over 3 hours.

❀ Nice skinship, sweet romance
Another mini drama pattern I see is making sure viewers are satisfied with skinship, LOL, and again this one delivers. Outside of the smouldering kisses, the couple's romance is very secure and steadfast. The ML saved the FL from bandits a while back, then she saves him from wolves after he passes out. Apparently after the whole scenario, they lost each other and now they reconnected - although the FL has a different face.
A large testimony to their romance is the ML having a suspicion, early on, that the FL was the woman who saved him. He confirms it very later on, but his "instinct" allows him to open his heart to the FL and trusts her even though the face didn't match the woman in his memories. (Her body and mole did though, lol)
Even though the FL doesn't reveal anything, the ML finds out himself. And even though she's technically working for the other side (they're not exactly enemies per se, I don't think?), she still finds ways to circumnavigate their plans and stay on the ML's side. So all in all, they're quite supportive of one another.

❀ Cute ML
Honestly, even though the ML's character is a general, he gives cutesy vibes. His face lights up when he finds out the FL likes him, he's very cute and sweet to both his adoptive daughter and the FL, and most of the light-hearted moments of the drama stem from his character. Did I wish we saw more general aura? Yeah, kinda. But his cute side is nice too I guess.

CONS
✕ Storyline bit off more than it could chew
There's a lot of potential with the foundation of the story but literally unanswered questions scattered everywhere. I don't think it costs too much time/energy to literally give a one sentence explanation of why something happened.
Do I consider this a major fault of the drama? Not really, considering mini series are short to begin with and this one planned to fit a bunch of elements in it.
Do I think a short explanation would have added to the depth and my overall enjoyment of the show? Honestly, yes. It's honestly quite frustrating to follow these characters and get onboard with their decisions without understanding *why*. It makes me care less about what is currently happening because I have no attachment to what is going on. And once you don't have that attachment, well, the viewing experience starts going downhill.
Random plot points that, with a bit of explanation, would have made me more sympathetic to the characters:
- Literally why the FL was so loyal to her older sister and how they got separated/their backstory because most of the plot was contingent on this and I was never convinced on it
- How the older sister got into face-swapping magic because otherwise it was just used as a random plot device despite it being the biggest issue in the show
- Why Prince Ning (2ML) started getting obsessed with ShiQi-with-ShenQin-face because all she did after the face swap was reject him from time and time again
I mean, even Shen Qin (2FLish role) being obsessed with Prince Ning made sense because she had ONE scene that talked about how he saved her when she was young. The show leaves room for a LOT more questions but these were the biggest ones that made me skeptical of the story.

✕ FL was super passive
I would say, hmm, yeah she helped out the ML a few times. But something about her mild-mannered, innocent, pure demeanor got me annoyed (LOL). I didn't understand why she had to hide her identity so bad to the ML. Like yeah, Shen Qin was using her older sister as blackmail. But did she not think she could tell the ML so he could help her solve the problems?? Until like literally the very end? I guess this was to add angst, but I was more annoyed than anything. She's lucky the ML trusted her from beginning to end. Also idk why she wanted to hide her pregnancy from the ML too. Again, an unanswered + unnecessary plot point that miffed me (unless they answered and I just didn't understand from the broken subs). For most of the drama she just acted nervous and guilty (that she was hiding her identity). Also she kept getting targeted and that annoyed me too.

✕ Palace drama was ???
I didn't understand the Crown Prince death side plot nor did I care. Did the janky subtitles play a role? For sure. But most of all, I didn't feel like the stakes were high because I didn't care about the side characters. Literally I still don't understand why Prince Ning married off his woman to the general in order to get the general "on his side" and then try to kill him after. Like at this point y'all just writing this stuff in to get the plot moving I s2g.

✕ That unnecessary "redemption" for the second couple (Prince Ning x Shen Qin)
Idk why they showed a happy-ish ending for them via a lookalike in the end because Ning was obsessed with the FL until his death and didn't care jack sh*t about Shen Qin. It's not satisfying because you KNOW he didn't want to be with her like... He literally pushed a pregnant realbody!Shenqin away. I know the show was trying to wrap everything up with a pretty bow but this couple was an ick and imo it wasn't necessary to give them a happy ending...

✕ Misunderstanding level: 1/10
Hard to rate because the FL's identity is "hidden" for the majority of the show (Spoiler: ML discovers her identity / she confirms it around ep 15 out of 18). Otherwise, the ML trusts the FL 100% of the way. I know there's probably some messaging in the show about loving someone no matter what they look like, but I feel like the identity thing is too ambiguous for me to accept. It's fine if her face looks different and you still love her, but can you still say the same if you don't know who she *is*???? Imo, I don't think the show should have dragged its feet in terms of the ML figuring out who she was. Like, he's had the suspicion since their first encounters, so idk why it took him so long to uncover everything. Or rather, I guess his "instinct" knew the identity which is why the romance was able to progress. Idk, I don't buy it.

OVERALL
Ehh if the things I mentioned in the cons don't bother you, then I'd say go for this series. Otherwise, despite the happy ending I'm kinda left scratching my head. I was intrigued by the premise of the drama but I just feel like I'm missing out on a lot of details for important tidbits that the show introduces. Obviously as a mini series the storyline can only be surface level, but I definitely think they could have used the same premise and navigated certain plot points differently to make the overall watching experience more enjoyable. I also feel like just because it's a mini series, doesn't mean I can turn my brain cells completely off. I'm not even trying to overthink any of this, I just feel like the promise of a cool storyline fell flat when it came to actual execution.

Well - onto the next!

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Best short drama!! A male lead who falls for the female lead's heart and personality, not her looks.

"Her looks aren’t imprinted in my eyes but in my heart". If you want a male lead who falls for the female lead's heart and personality, not her looks, this drama is for you.

The story is about a female painter who wakes up to find that another girl has swapped her face with hers in order to escape her arranged marriage. To her even bigger surprise, the husband is a man she met years ago.

POSITIVE:
- Cinematography is top-notch.
- Main leads are super likeable. Their romance is the main focus of the story and I enjoyed everything about it.
- The second leads add a good angsty vibe.
- Well developed plot and engaging story.
- Kiss scenes are great.
- No fillers, no stupid or annoying characters.

NEGATIVE:
Nothing!!! I absolutely loved everything in this drama.

Basically the drama has everything you need. Cute romantic scenes, intrigue, sensual scenes, scheming, mystery, light comedy. So if you are still reading this just go and watch the drama right now!

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Fun

This was so much fun, short, to the point without fillers, overly annoying characters (okay one slightly annoying)... It offers us a bunch of interesting characters some more or less predictable twists, and moments of surprise not so much twists more of that is not how this trope usually goes type of deal making this a highly enjoyable watch.

The male lead is the cutest guy ever, the way he expresses his lust and feelings is outstanding and very gifworthy.
The female lead is pretty cool, she has some moments of "oh come on", but she is lovable and interesting.
The villains are surprisingly well written and have more depth than one can expect in shuch a short drama. The kid in this drama is a great shipper, the friends and other supporting characters do not steal the show and assist the story just right.

Short as this drama is, it left me satisfied, not that I would mind more episodes, I felt like what was needed to be said was said wrapping the story up well. It is not high quality, nor is it some kind of low budget masterpiece... But it is definitely a drama I recommend to most romance lovers out there.

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Intrigue, Romance, and a Twist You Didn’t See Coming!

To confirm the theory that this director always gives the main couple a happy ending and a daughter, I decided to watch his hit short drama as well.

Admittedly, the premise doesn't make much sense—face-swapping in what seems to be a Tang Dynasty setting? Really? But if you can overlook that, the story flows beautifully. The buildup of conflict, the plot twists, and the unwavering bond between the main couple are top-notch. They say it's a "green flag" when your partner believes in you (as if that's not the bare minimum in a relationship 🙃), and that's exactly the defining trait of the male lead.

Like many short dramas, this one isn't shy about showing intimacy—perhaps because censorship isn't as strict? And with its high production value, the sets and actors deliver an impressive experience.

I enjoyed watching it, especially since each episode is only 10 minutes long, and there are just 18 episodes available on YouTube.

Oh, and yes—the theory is confirmed!
So, the story flows well with strong characters and high production value, but the slightly unrealistic premise and niche appeal might not work for everyone.

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