Reborn

Not a school drama or a romance story

Plot: Contrary to the pictures and preview, this drama is about generational drama. It is about how terrible family members can be. Basically, every adult in this movie is toxic and don't deserve to be raising kids. They run through life with hypocrisy and hurting everyone around them. The parents absolutely suck and there is no redemption arc for them. The extended family is absolute bonkers. FL just needs to cut them all out of her life and never look back, which she doesn't which teaches you to accept toxic people in your life.

Romance: I can't say there was any romance in this. The ML was just playing the role of white knight saving the damsel in distress. While the FL was running around saying hurtful things to him. He needs to move on and never look back as well.

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It had the potential to be perfect...

I'm a huge fan of Zhang Jing Yi and I'll admit that this was probably the first time I have ever seen her playing a character who was so plain and dowdy, but having the ever adorable Zhou Yi Ran sharing the screen with her made it a lot easier to watch.
The beauty of both of these actors is that they have such versatility and seem to really throw themselves into their roles which helps their fans appreciate each distinct character they portray.
This drama was heavy, but it reminded me of why I switched to C-dramas from K-dramas. The conversations that these types of C-dramas are bringing forward are the conversations that I wish more dramas would be willing to have. The drama grappled with gender roles and abuse, but as daring as it was to bring that to the forefront, it didn't have the courage to fully push it to the type of resolution that many women need to see today.

Qingyu's journey from misunderstanding her older sister's existence before choosing to correct the injustice she faced was remarkable, yet the fact that it fell onto her young shoulders to do it was unacceptable. As a Southeast Asian woman, I know all too well the weight that daughters carry in our families, yet the level of failure by Qingyu and Beiyu' parents was outrageous to me.
There is no redemption for parents like this. The father was a complete coward who could not protect his wife or daughters from the misery of his own family. His inability to utter the word no was not only shocking, but repulsive. His choice then to just go along with what his family decided and even celebrate the impending wedding of the man who ruined his oldest daughter was beyond disgusting. This man never once did anything right. As bad as he was, the person who is even more unforgivable to me is their mother. Some people may have sympathized with this woman, but I could not. You married into this horrid family and knew what they were like, yet you did not do enough to protect your daughters from them. I blame her for Beiyu's fate. At any point in time you could have saved her, but you turned your back on her again and again. Choosing death after Beiyu's suicide was a completely selfish act. She could not bear the guilt of her failure as a mother and wanted to follow Beiyu into the afterlife, but all I kept thinking was wow you have two other kids but I guess you could care less right? It was infuriating to watch this woman fail repeatedly. She was not supportive of Qingyu's quest of justice for Beiyu and more than once told her to let it go. I agreed, you should be the one fighting this battle, not your teenage daughter!

When Qingyu gets dragged back to the patriarch home and is forced to apologize, her mother comes barreling in to "protect" her daughter, yet once they return to their home Qingyu is turned into a prisoner with her mother basically smothering Qingyu's spirit to death. This girl was broken because of her own parents, yet this continued to the end until the mother's depression played such a pivotal role in causing Qingyu to return to her obedient ways. To me this was just pure classic manipulation and control. The mother was a mess, but Qingyu had to be the one to bend. Explain to me why her mother in the deepest throes of depression could still tell Qingyu that she was too young to be with Ming Sheng, even after Qingyu explained that he was the only one who was consistently there for her? I guess she was still lucid enough to control her daughter's life.
Qingyu's decision to follow the path they laid out for her was incredibly disappointing to me, but I was really happy with the final episode where she chose to study psychology for grad school. I was also thrilled when she and Ming Sheng found each other again. They truly were the champions of this drama, overcoming their own trauma by helping each other and reminding us that they might have been young when they met, but their love is probably purer than what most people would ever experience.
Reborn is a good watch, but it could have been better. This drama had the ability to really address parental failure, yet that conversation dis not develop fully enough to leave an impact that most daughters need to see represented. Our parents aren't always correct and they don't always know what's best for us. That's a conversation that needs to happen more.

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good story.....misleading genres

I liked the story of the show.... it was well written and the actors acted perfectly. There were many things I didn't like about the show :
1. my first and foremost complaint is the genres the MDL is showing for this show...... it is not a romance series, not even slow burn. There is just some forced romance at the end of the show that too for just 3 to 4 minutes. This is not a romance genre, not even close....... even some action dramas have more romance than this. So who ever is expecting this show to be a romance....you will be disappointed.
2. I didn't get why the ml fell in love with the fl..... what did the fl even do for him that made him fight with the bad guys. It was annoying that the ml was doing so much for the fl only for the fl to just ignore him and forget him like nothing happened ( only when the ml's friend Sayed to the fl then she tried to contact........ although after that too she tried to ignore him didn't want to meet him)
3. the story started of good but till the end it all felt like rushed. The show didn't show what happed to the fl family or the ml family.

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Quite good overall, watched this for Zhang Jingyi and Zhour Yiran ofc: the chemistry hit. I expected this to be a romance oriented drama. but what I got was completely different. The sheer amount of emotions packed into this was uncalled for. There was a kiss at the end that all of us were waiting for, but other than that there was no other intimacy - and in my opinion, nothing else was necessary to confirm their relationship. They belonged together and you can see it. I hated Qiao Qingyu's family though, even though they changed for the better, her mom and dad were no help to Qiao Beiyu at all. The only reason she was avenged was because Ming Sheng helped Qingyu reveal the truth. There was a little rift where Qingyu tried breaking Ming Sheng's heart to get him to stay away from her, but thankfully that didn't work fully. Overall, a really deep emotional drama. Recommend! (Ignore my rating for music, unless it's really good I just put a two for everything)

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The scars of a dark past that lead to a brighter future forged in compassion and courage

At first, I was unsure whether to start this drama. The way it was advertised, especially by viewers, made it seem like yet another dramatic high school romance packed with trauma for shock value. But once I began watching, I was genuinely surprised to find something entirely different from what I had expected.

One of the most refreshing aspects was how the romance between the main leads was handled. It never overly dominated the story. Instead, it supported their individual growth in a way that felt genuine. Had the drama leaned more heavily into their romantic arc, the audience would’ve likely focused only on that (unfortunately a lot of viewers still did that).

What stood out was the characters growth: they inevitably change, sometimes slowly, painfully but realistically.They were constantly evolving, reshaped by their experiences. That’s rare in dramas, where characters often remain emotionally unchanged, despite the passage of time and major events.

This story explored how people grow, falter, and eventually move forward. It showed how pain transforms us, how choices divide people’s paths, and how growth, though never easy, is ultimately inevitable.

The story doesn’t excuse anyone but it explores how empathy and accountability can coexist, even in deeply flawed relationships. Grief and loss aren’t resolved through vengeance or resentment but through processing pain and using it to shape a brighter future.

If I have one structural critique, it would be the excessive use of montage sequences in the final episodes. While intended to quickly show transformation and emotional closure, they ended up feeling overused which diluted the emotional impact.

This wasn’t a perfect show, but it was an honest one. It didn’t shy away from discomfort or moral complexity. It was a story of transformation, of rebirth.

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A drama with almost everything perfect for me!

There are few characters I like on this project: FL's mother, FL, ML, and then FL's lead father. It's the chronological way of liking the characters. A mother who has lost her child and hides the truth of her daughter's death and faces the backlash of the society is bound to face depression, yet the way she manages the family and saves her daughter (FL) shows how mothers are the strongest. Every scene I feel the mother's pain, and I feel my mother and how strong she is inside to make me feel safe every day. Then the female character, who played the main role in this drama. A sister who hated her sister for lagging her life, but sister bonding is something that will always make you feel bounded by love and care. Even after her sister died, she found out the truth of how her sister died. In this way of finding the truth, she showed bravery, and she always stayed strong thanks to ML. There is nothing to add for the ML; he was the shadow-like tree that made the first encounter for them. He kept her safe and supported her unconditionally.
Now, why I liked the FL's father was quite simple. To me he was the representation of almost most of the dads in the world. Quite silently he keeps everything in himself. There might be some point you would hate him, but until you face the situation he was in, you can't judge his character. He never abandoned anyone but kept every pain to himself.


This drama is the example of the execution of the right-length project; there are few projects that unnecessarily carry extra story with extra length. This drama makes every scene and every plot the right length, and I like it.


There are a lot of things to take from this project, and I think I will note down some points to make a list for myself to better understand myself and my family and for everyone.

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Rather than a love story, it was a story of findings truth.

I was waiting for this drama for a long and thus i had a high expectation form it. So it didn't disappoint me at all. It was a really good drama.
Start was a bit okay but tge story kept getting better and better. Happy to see that this wasn't a story where the FL is always so pitiful and weak, but actually spoke for herself and made her point, also thought practically but also faced the consequences bravely and not blaming herself for her actions. She did made mistakes but that's more realistic and there are proper reasons for her every action.
Also the mother was so good. Rare to see such mothers in cdrama. She was over protective at first but later it we can see that all her actions had a reason and the way she stood up for FL is so good.
Hated the dad's family so much. But created a good plot so it was satisfying to watch.
FL was perfect for this role and her acting was very very good. But i appreciate her mother's acting more.
Both the mother and daughter were perfect.
ML's role was limited and i think that was the right decision as he wasn't the tipical ML who pitted FL instade loved her and respected her decision which he rightly mentioned ' I will always have your back' .
Also gald to see that this drama included various issues, like different types of family problem, the preference for boy child over girl child, bullying (social media and physical), HIV, socitial pressure. Great how they connect all these.

Drama broke many such FL-ML stereotype and i was very happy so see it. Truly enjoyed the show👍👍

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Is family more important than anything ?

I put this title because I sensed while watching this drama that the writer wanted to try, try is the best word for this, to tell us to forgive our parents whatever they do, for that they put 3 differents family drama focusing on one particularly.

The most important one : Qiao Qingyu and her awful family. All of her family members are awful. From her grand-father to her little brother. I personally hated, HATED, her mom. And listen carefully to me, no... read me carefully, it's not based on the famous thought that "mom should love her kids so if there are some conflicts she's at fault", no no no nothing like that. I hated her because she knew from the beginning that her in-laws were crazy, she understood how much of a coward her husband was when they took her daughter and he said nothing but she stayed. She stayed and added kids until she had a boy to satisty her monstruous in-laws, but when the story begins she's making the whole story about her, her feelings, and what she can bare for that moment : nothing. She's an awful mom, i don't even have an atom of empathy for her, i really hated all her shmilbliks about how her daughters were wronging her or whatever. I'm most probably too harsh but all the scenes when she's on the rooftop looking down at the street i was hoping she jumps so we could be relieved from her presence. The moment my hate for her went through the roof was when she offered money to the guy responsible for her daughter's misery, i was appalled. If you read this after watching it you'll think i'm wrongly directing my anger on her instead of directing it on the dad or his family, but i have to tell you you can't and don't have to engage with crazy people, but if you choose to and let them walk all over you and let them bully someone you care for because of you, you are to blame. We can't change crazy people but we can distance ourselves from them. The mom should've divorced a while ago and took her daughter back but she chose not to for what ? Nothing but tragedy. The scene when the little bro blamed his sister for their parents possible divorce is when i decided that poor Qingyu had no one on her side except her friends Ming Sheng and Mumu. I'm letting all out i hope it's readable at least, but i had to say that the mom is more certainly a victim of a system she put herself in but she's the bully of her daughters, so i can't empathise with her, she deserve every bit of guilt she's feeling. I'm just sad they didn't divorce finally because why have enemies when you have this husband.

The second one : Ming Sheng and his full misunderstanding family. I have to admit i skipped most of his scenes with his mom, but this family was the only one which was redeemable. He hated his dad all his life thinking he was the cause of his mom's departure so we watch him navigate through his feelings of care for his dad while hating him, because his dad never wanted to explain the situation to him, until his mom (who abandoned him) told him what really happened. It's the only acceptable family, both parents love Sheng and it shows.

The last one : Mumu and her Stockholm addicted family. Her alcoholic dad hits her and her mom everynight, but one day it's gone too far and Mumu is sent to hospital and miraculously her dad decided to stop drinking. However, to our shock --', he's diagnosed with last stage of liver cancer. he apologised and Mumu decides that enough for her to forgive him and try to pay for a surgery.

My take on these pov and the ending of all family dramas is the writer wanted so bad to pass a message of "whatever your parents did you have to forgive them and between family members too" we see it between Qingyu and her parents, her dad ans his parents, Ming Sheng and his dad and Mumu and her dad. However the only understandable one is Ming Sheng and his dad cuz his dad never did anything bad to him. You don't know how much frustration i felt watching Qingyu being held responsible for adults' faults, and how much i hate this kind of messages because that's not true we don't have to forgive our parents if they're awful, they chose to be awful no-one is forcing them. That's also why the writer chose that era of china to write his story so they can force the parents of Qingyu to stay together even if they should've split up long before the beginning of the story.

The only tearful moments i had were the teacher and the earthquake and Qiao Beiyu's video. Oh that poor girl ! She's the only one i pitied and empathised with. I was so sad for her. I don't have the words to describe how much i felt her pain and her distress.

BUT ! I can't say the acting wasn't on point ! Qingyu's Mom is an incredible actress same for the dad and Beiyu, the leads were rightly chosen nothing felt wrong in the story acting wise.
Romance wise i think they should've introduced it earlier slowly instead of puting it in the end like when you forgot to put salt in your meal so you add it at the end, but the taste isn't right.

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A Gripping Family Drama

I initially watched this drama for Zhou Yiran after seeing him in Twelve Letters, but was disappointed that, despite being billed as the male lead, his role felt more like a supporting character. The story centers on the female lead, Qiao Qingyu (played by Zhang Jing Yi), and tackles dark themes such as bullying, suicide, depression, abandonment, abuse, misogyny, family pressure, conformity, trauma, and grief. This is more of a family and coming-of-age drama than a romance or youth series with characters that you either love or hate. The plot follows Qingyu as her family uproots to escape rumors about her older sister Qiao Baiyu’s mysterious death, and she becomes determined to uncover the truth behind it.

The first half is engaging as Qingyu investigates her sister's past which reveals her family dynamics. However, the second half drags, especially with the brief arc about Mumu's family issues, which felt unnecessary. The drama’s characters are polarizing; for instance, I found Qingyu’s portrayal frustrating and unrelatable. At times, her younger brother seemed more mature than she was. She’s often standoffish, withdrawn, and acts on her own misunderstandings, especially toward Ming Sheng (Zhou Yiran) and her parents. She doesn’t show much appreciation towards people who support her like Ming Sheng, Mumu, or even the male teacher who offered to help her. Although complex and flawed, her character didn’t resonate with me due to a rather flat performance by Zhang Jing Yi. Throughout many scenes with Ming Sheng coming to her aid, she often looks at him with a blank, emotionless expression. After admitting that he's always there for her whenever she needs help, Ming Sheng asks "Are you touched by this?", she responds with icy detachment, "I don't want to be indebted to you. It’s not until episode 21 that viewers finally see her genuinely smile, laugh, and express real emotion while spending a full day with Ming Sheng. However, the moment is short-lived as the focus shifts to her vacant expression after he leaves. While some actors can convey deep emotion with just their eyes, Zhang Jing Yi unfortunately falls short in this regard. The storyline where Qingyu learns to dance in a short time and is able to perform on stage, despite having much less experience than her older sister, felt unrealistic.

I felt more empathy for the older sister, Qiao Baiyu, who endured bullying, abandonment issues and trauma but ultimately realized her parents’ quiet love for her. Her tragic ending highlights how suicide transfers pain to loved ones. However, the mother, Li Fanghao (Liu Dan), stands out as the most compelling character—a strict, tormented woman shaped by guilt, grief and patriarchal family pressures. Despite her harshness, she loves her children deeply and tries to protect Qingyu from repeating past mistakes, making her both tragic and relatable.

Ming Sheng’s resentment toward his father seemed unclear, as both parents share responsibility in a divorce and his mother was the one who left him to pursue her career ambitions. Although Ming Sheng harbors resentment toward his father, the two share striking similarities—they are both reserved, dependable, and prefer to demonstrate their feelings through actions rather than words. Ming Sheng’s personal growth is rooted in coming to terms with his father, all while he steadfastly supports Qingyu in the background. While his role is less prominent than the female lead’s, Zhou Yiran manages to convey impressive emotional depth, especially in the poignant scene at the Qiao family’s noodle restaurant where he breaks down in tears.

Overall, the drama is a decent watch with strong ensemble acting, effectively portraying themes of overcoming struggles, healing from loss, and resilience.

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“The moon is beautiful tonight.”

A series written and scripted by women. It deals with the problems and judgments they face. All in a melancholic atmosphere. Zhang Jingyi plays an ordinary, courageous teenager who carries the weight of the world on her shoulders, following her role as an agile and assertive warrior princess in Legend of Zang Hai. She and Zhou Yiran bring great strength to their characters, who are determined in their own way without being exuberant. Their actions speak for themselves. Overall, this is not a hypocritical series that raises issues without really addressing them.

It is clear how devastating it can be to hide the truth from your children. And how essential education about sexual and emotional health is. This should not be up for debate. Lives are at stake.

The two main characters come from different backgrounds and repeatedly give the adults the opportunity to explain themselves, to make amends for their mistakes and their silence, but to no avail. They consider themselves untouchable and well-meaning. It is not a question of means. The parents do not consider their children to be fully-fledged human beings with needs and rights. Sadly commonplace. With their backs against the wall, forced to reveal the truth, the two protagonists are told that the violence comes from them. Family comes first. Suffer in silence.

Bullying, people distancing themselves, unfair rumors... these are difficult moments to deal with. When you've been through it, it's always a challenge. In the world we live in, there is only one solution : to collectively take responsibility for saying stop. Individual courage doesn't make a difference ; it has to be collective. But the thing is, most people see no point in taking action when they're not directly affected. And so the cycle continues. The series shows this very clearly : there is no excuse for people who saw and knew but said nothing. And if the victim rebels against the injustice they suffer, they are punished. Even our death doesn't satisfy our tormentors ; the harassment continues.

Xiao Beiyu went through so many things that could have been avoided. And there's nothing we can do for her ; we can only watch helplessly as her life is pieced together by her little sister. Some parents have children because they can't have dogs, as they say. Beiyu's video testimony does not excuse them for their behavior and how they treated her while she was alive and killed her a second time by hiding the reasons for her death. Being kind for three days does not make up for a lifetime.

Qingyu's father appears unassuming at first, but the more we get to know him, the more we realize his malicious position as the good family man. Always there to maintain the patriarchal order without taking responsibility for it, hiding behind his wife and family decisions. His honor as patriarch takes precedence over the well-being and dignity of his daughters. You can present it however you want, but that's what remains in the end.
And then, when he tries to confide in his daughter, he talks about himself and himself alone. And we're supposed to offer him redemption because he understands that his daughter is dancing in secret and he doesn't say anything instead of forbidding it... Doing nothing is a small price to pay. The men in this series, my God, they make you want to resort to violence... especially cousin Jinrui.
As for the mother, we're in gray territory. It's hard to forgive her, and yet she does what she can to survive. The actress delivers a phenomenal performance.

The little brother and friends, together, supporting each other, helping each other, and listening to each other, they are the light that this world needs and undoubtedly does not deserve. Ming Sheng, always there, ready to do anything for others without expecting anything in return, he has a kind heart.

In short, exceptional character writing.

Ps : The surgeon father is in a relationship with a nurse who is barely ten years older than his son. Let's talk about that.
Ps2 : All those men waiting for Qingyu outside her high school are embarrassing. Do they think they're Jerry Seinfeld ?
Ps3 : Justice for Mumu !
Ps4 : Thanks to this series, I finally understand why Chinese productions associate couples with the moon.

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Reborn is a heartfelt and gripping drama that really stayed with me. It follows 16-year-old Qiao Qing Yu, played beautifully by Zhang Jingyi, as she searches for the truth behind her sister’s mysterious death. The story is full of quiet strength, deep emotion, and a powerful sense of justice.

Zhou Yiran brings real warmth and depth as Ming Sheng, Qing Yu’s classmate and quiet supporter — their chemistry adds so much heart to the show.

What I loved most is how personal and real it all feels. It’s not just a mystery — it’s about grief, love, and the courage to face the past. Reborn doesn’t try too hard, it just tells a powerful story, and tells it well.

Definitely worth watching if you love character-driven dramas with emotional weight.

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