Filter

Gotta say this is probably the funniest drama that I've ever watched. The story is fast and there's not many boring scenes for me to skip around except whenever they are in the office talking about work. There's lots of interesting scenes and when you think it can't get any funnier, it does. When the characters are dealing with situations that are terrible, it gets more terrible.

The acting and cast was quite literally awesome, couldn't have asked for a better cast. Li Landi and Tan Jianci did a phenomenal job playing their parts, I've seen some of their other roles and glad that they aren't always playing the same role over and over! Every character is unique and cute in their own way. Loved seeing Su Miao on screen, and Quan Shengtang was way too hilarious.

The music is a little strange but overall not bad.

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A story of you and the world you live in

Filter was such a pleasant surprise. It wasn’t flashy or dramatic; it felt real. From the first episode, I was drawn in by how grounded everything was: the makeup, the conversations, even the conflicts. There weren’t any over-the-top villains or forced twists, just people trying to figure themselves out and learn to love without losing who they were.

Both main couples had amazing chemistry. Their relationships grew so naturally that nothing felt scripted, just honest and warm. What I loved most was how the show handled each character’s growth. Tang Qi’s clumsiness, Su Chengcheng’s insecurities, Lin Yuan’s quiet pain, and Gu Yu’s brave front all felt like reflections of real emotions people hide or grow through.

The writing and production weren’t loud, but that’s what made Filter stand out. It didn’t try to impress; it just told a story with heart. For me, it became one of those dramas that stayed with me long after it ended gentle, genuine, and full of feeling.

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a hilarious modern romance with a splash of sci-fi + commentary on beauty standards

This drama starts out kind of like a typical romantic comedy, but around episodes 6-8, it becomes so goofy and silly that it transform into one of the funniest modern drama I've seen in a long time. And yet, that goofy element doesn't take away from the deeper messages of this drama!

Su Cheng Cheng, an ordinary-looking woman (by China's harsh beauty standards and beauty industry, where Su Cheng Cheng is trying to work at), gains a magic-like, high-tech bracelet that lets her change her appearance. While she was still learning how it all works, she accidentally changes her appearance right before she ran into Tang Qi. Thus begins the misunderstanding between the two...and it's absolutely hilarious as Su Cheng Cheng tries to balance her real life and the filter appearances' lives while dealing with Tang Qi.

Tang Qi is a bit pitiful in the beginning since he's being deceived, but it's too funny to be too mad about it. Also! Because he's quite a logical man who has a healthy dose of skepticism, each new iteration of filter that Su Cheng Cheng uses starts to lead Tang Qi closer to the truth. As Su Cheng Cheng starts to struggle with her filters, Tang Qi becomes more suspicious and starts uncovering the truth.

This silly storyline is such a fun and refreshing way to talk about beauty. Each iteration of the filters is a mini-arc that addresses beauty standards in different ways. (I especially love the arc with Fang Jin!) I really appreciated the deeper and nuanced message in this drama. It doesn't sway extreme one way (never wear makeup!) or the other (add a filter to every photo to look perfect!). Tackling this important and timely topic in this way was really well handled. I really appreciate it.

The supporting characters, Lin Yuan and Gu Yu, were also really great. They were fun, cute, and hilarious. I enjoyed their dynamic and--no spoilers here, but just wanted to say--I really loved how the scriptwriter solved their issue at the ending. It was well done.

Overall: Definitely check this out for a hilarious and sweet time! (Enjoy the Alpaca scene, lmao. IYKYK) The storyline, I gave a 9.5 because I felt like if it wasn't for censorship, we would've gotten a bit more with Quan Shengtang's character, lol. But my enjoyment overall is a 10/10. I haven't finished a modern romance drama in a long time. This is definitely one of my favorite modern Chinese dramas of all time now.

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Difficult to review

Things I adored

1 The 2FL. Such a beautiful actress and so talented. I wish she played the main role. I also loved her story with the 2ML. It was funny and touching and although I dislike the baby thing in any drama here it didn't bother me that much.

Things I loved

1 The premise. It was original and it had potential to be funny, interesting and moving. I think it failed more than it succeeded.

2 The 2ML. I would never imagine saying that after Love is Sweet where I hated his character more than anything. On top of that I don't find him attractive at all, but here he did a great job and I went as far as looking for his other dramas.

Things I liked

1 The sister. She was something. I liked hat she knew about the secret and that she helped the girls. I thought I'd hate her but it turned out I was wrong. I enjoyed her performance. The only thing that bothered me is the constant reminder that she is gorgeous. She's not.

2 The ML. This is my first drama with him and while at firs I didn't like him at all, little by little I found his acting fine and started to like him. I'm looking forward to watch another drama with him so I can find out if I really like his acting. I think he's also much more handsome than what he looks like here. So I give an 8 for the premise and the second couple and a little for him, otherwise it would be a 5.

Things I disliked

1 The serious aspects of the story. They weren't done well so I didn't feel much. I think the director and the screenwriter messed things up. Some things were cringe and I wanted to skip them.

2 The characters she used. I didn't care for any of them and that was the biggest flaw of the series. None of these characters was interesting or funny and none moved me.

Things I hated

1 The ML. She never made me care about her. I have felt more things in romantic comedies about characters who just have an argument. Here we are supposed to feel her pain but what I feel is indifference. I'm not familiar with the actress, apparently she is well-known and people love her but I found her bland and boring. Her delivery reminded me of school plays. Something was definitely missing. Maybe she was well cast for the supposedly less beautiful than her sister girl and I agree sometimes I found her totally unattractive but let's be real, she wasn't ugly either so it's not that the issue. It's her acting.

2 The death thing for the first character. Ridiculous is the best word I can find to avoid indult that part and the way it unraveled.

3 The abused woman. It was too dark and not well done. I didn't like the actress either so to me it was a NO again.

4 The third character was a bit better but again I don't think it was such a smart addition. I could come up with dozens more interesting characters and I could turn the story in a way that could make sense and at the same time move me and make me laugh.

5 The chemistry between the leads was nonexistent to me. I didn't see any.

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A well-executed refreshing and fun premise!

I really loved this one. The second leads especially were particularly adorable to me, but once all the miscommunication got cleared up, I definitely grew to enjoy the main leads and they were charming and had a really sweet chemistry with each other.

There were some really good comedic moments in this one (the Alpaca comes to mind and a lot of the filter mishaps have funny elements to it - for example, the invisibility stuff had it's funny moments, and the VFX for that added to the comedy of those moments.)

The VFX and cinematography were all really well done, they definitely had a decent budget for the filter stuff! I also enjoyed the OST! Some drama's the OST is overdone to the point it gets a bit annoying and repetitive but this one was enjoyably catchy and didn't get overplayed too much with a few different versions of the OST in parts.

It was so nice to see the development of Chengcheng's confidence throughout the series and the contrast between Chengcheng at the beginning of the show to the end, feeling happy and fulfilled in her relationships, friendships and career, and finally seen, surrounded by her loved ones was areally lovely to see.

The friendships and dynamics between the characters were so fun and refreshing, Lin Yuan and Chengcheng's friendship comes to mind, but also Gu Yu and Tang Qi's too. The underlying women-supporting-women theme throughout was executed really well imo, esp w the Fang Jin storyline and Chengcheng's friendship with her coworker.

Overall, it was a really fun premise and message that had a pretty satsifying ending. I have very minor complaints but I don't really like to dwell too much on the negatives because this was such a comforting watch and I had a lot of fun with this one!

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Alpaca steals the show!

Went into Filter with very little expectation and only watched it because of Tian Jianci and Li Landi…. Didn’t expect to laugh so much that my sides hurt!

Filter makes some important points about beauty (skin deep or otherwise) and perceptions of it. Did Tang Qi fall in love with Su Miao (Su Cheng Cheng’s alter ego) only because she’s beautiful or because she’s fundamentally a beautiful person? Won’t go into the plot as other reviews have already done so but let’s just say the alpaca ‘twist’ in ep. 8 was so funny, it deserves an award for acting！

What really surprised me was what great comic actors both FL and ML were. Jianci dancing to coax a smile and try to relax Su Miao at a photo shoot was another super funny scene.

Did not expect a C-drama to be this hilarious!

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Didn't work on me...

The storyline is interesting and even unique if i may say.
It is also funny.

Somehow the chemistry between the leads is missing. And i seriously dislike the make lead up to this point.

It is a pity i couldn't manage to finish this drama, but i was forcing myself after episode 8, and the moment i started doing it i knew the time had come for me to drop it.

I hope i will a catch a decent watch this year, seems like a very difficult task for me ahahha, nonetheless 7.5/10. If you are not interested on the romantic part and if you are focused on the message the drama is trying to pass on, this drama may be for you! Although i like the original script , i was also looking for something romantic.

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