Dazzling

Start Out So Brightly and Just Faded

From the first episode, my thoughts were, “What a beautiful drama this is going to be.” Don’t get me wrong it was beautiful. It dealt with what we all like…young love. Yes, those days in school with the boy you like and hoping one day that you will marry him. This drama led us down those wonderful days of senior year in high school. Getting ready for exams that will eventually get you into the college of your choice and then out into the real world. Yes, this is that story. A hidden gem of sorts that started off so well in those high school years but flounder when going to the adult years with a too swift wrap up. But don’t let me get ahead of myself.

The drama revolves around Qing Ye (Guan Xiao Tong) who was pulled out of high school during her senior year due to a family emergency, so she was taken back to her hometown. Talk about a change. This girl was used to the bustling city, her usual hangouts and friends, but when she found out she was leaving her thoughts were you’re taking me where? To a seaside town? To be with who? My aunt? To say she wasn’t shell shocked was putting it mildly after coming from her pampered lifestyle. She was devastated.

The room was not to her liking, no air conditioning, no decent bathroom, where was she to wash her clothes, the food needed to have less calories, I mean she was a hot mess! She knew she was not going to have the lifestyle she had back home, so she knew either deal with it or leave. So, she opted to leave and go to the hotel. Well, that didn’t go any better either. No air conditioning, the guy next door was always doing “live streams” so, she couldn’t sleep so she had no choice but to go back. After getting over her “prima donna” act, she realized she needed to make adjustments to this new way of life. Starting with trying to fit in.

After Qing Ye’s brief meeting with Xing Wu, she was realizing that she needed to get along with him because he was the glue that held everything together, from his mother to his grandmother, friends and the community, she saw he was the person everyone turned too.

Xing Wu was very likable and always did not “want to owe” anyone anything, especially money. He wanted to pay his own way no matter what. After a school altercation, not wanting to speak up for himself, he let the school expel him. Xing Wu had his own reasons for doing that, it was his father’s gambling debts and paying back all the money that was owed. His friend Shu Han (Jenny Zeng) knew of his situation and provided him with the necessary work to help him and his family. Qing Ye eventually learned about this and much more.

As Qing Ye became more immersed in the day-to-day with her aunt, grandmother, Xing Wu and friends she was realizing what a family was and true friends. She was growing to like Xing Wu. She saw how he had done so much to make her feel welcome knowing how her life was before she came there. He tried to make her as comfortable as possible. Fixing the bathroom, her room with air conditioning she saw the soft side of Xing Wu, her attitude began to change—they became closer.

Xing Wu found himself changing as well. He wanted to be better to be good enough to be with Qing Ye knowing her family background and her life. She was the influence that got him to go back to school. Opening up his trunk of hidden dreams and to once again make them a reality. Friendships grew. Old rivalries ended. New begins. Flourishing joys and love their senior year.

Yet, like all good things, they must come to an end. This was brought about by Qing Ye’s father. He had cleared up his situation, and he wanted to take her back. Qing Ye now had a mind of her own and was defensive against her father wishes of returning. Everything was said and done. She left the seaside town and all the friends, her aunt, grandmother but especially Xing Wu.

There was a lot of devastations that happen to the family with the burning down of the salon but, the death of the grandmother. She passed while Qing Ye had already left and Xing Wu did not tell her due to him wanting her not to feel obligated to come back. That was very sad. Xing Wu did not pass his exams either. Leading him to take them again, and he eventually pass.

Fast forward, to being adults. Yes, we skipped over those college years and went directly to working. Qing Ye was now working for a company outside of her father’s. She wanted to make her own way. This led her back to the seaside town she loved. But going back was not only for her company but for the two friends from school that were going to get married.

We, of course knew that they would miss each other due to Qing Ye needing to go back to her company to handle another project she had been working on. Xing Wu arrived late due to a flight delay. We see both her and Xing Wu as they pass each other in taxis. Hence let the "near misses" begin until we could not keep doing that, so it was now time to get these two to meet.

Xing Wu’s colleague wants him to meet his sister only to find out that Qing Ye would be there. At last. But it was a very lame first meeting after all those years apart. No excitement. No recognition of knowing each other. Just awkwardness for not only them but for the brother and sister who had to watch it.

They do finally become a couple. Qing Ye father was still in disagreement with them becoming a couple, but Xing Wu did pay him back and with interest for the money he gave them after Qing Ye left. I think he respected Xing Wu and he would eventually come around.

The sad part for me, we did not see them get married. Just Xing Wu giving a speech to a new class on behest of one of his teachers that helped him and asking him to do the same for his class. Too many repetitive flashbacks in the ending episodes.

For something that started out so strong and so well, while enjoyable in the beginning. overall, to me it was not dazzling but more of a shimmer….

Read More

One of the Most Must Watch!

It's been quite a while since I've felt this completely hooked on a modern slice-of-life drama. Honestly, I have really missed the warm, comforting vibes of series like Go Ahead and Go Go Squid. Those shows set the bar so high for modern storytelling, and for a long time, nothing quite hit that same sweet spot. But then, here you are, Dazzling.

At its core, this drama focuses on simple, daily stories, but the execution is just so incredibly good. It captures the essence of everyday life, friendship, and romance in a way that feels utterly refreshing and deeply relatable. The pacing allows you to actually connect with the characters instead of rushing from one dramatic plot point to the next.

I really have to say this: Chinese producers seriously need to produce more series exactly like this one! Don't get me wrong, I know the industry loves to focus heavily on Wu Xia and Xianxia epics with flying swords and massive CGI battles, but we desperately need more high-quality URBAN dramas. There is a huge global audience craving these heartfelt, modern stories that deal with real-world emotions, cozy aesthetics, and actual human situations.

And of course, we have to talk about the absolute standout: Li Yun Rui. His performance in this is just—no debate—so, so good. He brings so much natural charisma and depth to the screen, effortlessly stealing every single scene he is in. His acting feels incredibly grounded, making his character so easy to root for. The chemistry he shares with the rest of the cast feels completely organic, elevating the entire viewing experience. Even the cinematography and the soundtrack perfectly complement the cozy atmosphere of the show. It's the kind of series you can watch to unwind after a long, stressful day, knowing it will consistently leave you with a smile on your face.

If you are on the fence about starting a new series, consider this your ultimate sign. You guys absolutely have to watch this! It is the perfect blend of cozy, engaging, and beautifully acted. Don't miss out on this modern gem—highly, highly recommended!

Read More

don't expect a lot, you'll get disappointed

I had mixed feelings about the drama, one time I would smile at their sweet moments another time I would get frustrated, but in the end drama disappointed me.
1_it's another cliche cdrama where ML is a superman, hardworking_good at ANYTHING comes his way_cooks and cleans_ good in his studies. He is just PERFECT and FML except being a nerd is useless.
at one point FMLs father tells her by the way you talk , you know that you are dating down. I seriously wanted to tell the writer what is going on in your mind exactly?? the way you designed this ML both father and daughter should truly BE HONRED that they're gonna have a son in law like him.
2_ MLs mother: the writer at first wanted to show her as someone irresponsible and a total mess who doesn't even know how much money she has or earns considering that she would spent LOTS of money on gambling and shopping when she was already deep in debt and the mess she caused during the show, the reason was to first give FML a moment to show she is not that useless, second to add drama in MLs life. this is sooo unacceptable for me because MORE than 10 years someone like her took care of that family. we CAN NOT forget that ML only started working 2 years what about before that? it was all his mother.
this already shows that she is both hardworking and responsible.
3_ another horrible cliche in cdramas forgiving those who commit crime or do smt terrible to the leads,
first FML forgives her bully who among other things literally sends thugs in her way so she can just score higher in an exam. and then ML forgives a criminal who stabs him TWICE and after that he threatens him that when he is done with ML he is gonna go for his sister. REALLY?? for forgiving someone like that you are either STUPID or a saint.
I'm so upset that I wasted my time on this drama, big mistake. this is a fairytale.

Read More

perhaps not dazzling enough but it certainly “sparkle”, “glimmers” and “glows” … ?

I decided to watch this drama because a reviewer said that it was a “natural” drama that was very “slice of life” and not something over the top and overly dramatic and crazy. Well, I enjoyed this drama enough! ☺️ I think 8.5/10 is fair because I think it’s better than average.

What I Liked:
- FL was very natural in her acting. ML was very good too. They had chemistry.
- The supporting cast acted well too. The mothers and sons were cute. Their camaraderie seemed very believable and thus, very enviable.
- I liked that FL wasn’t a pushover. She had her own mind and she was practical. Once she understood her circumstances and her limitations, she adapted, she pivoted and she continued to try her utmost. I liked what she said about trying not to have regrets in life. However, if there are regrets, accept them and move forward as well as possible. She also talked about making her best possible decisions / moves within what was possible.
- I liked how they continued to lift each other up and to continue to live their best lives possible despite the many obstacles - both big and small setbacks. In life, we certainly face many trials and tribulations. And, we need to continue to push forward or perhaps, creep forward because time and tide wait for no one and the sun also rises. We need to keep on going albeit slowly and despite our pain.
- Ending was happy which I always like. I look forward to happy endings because they give me hope for real life happy endings.

What I Didn’t Like:
- I hated Cao Ping and his sister. Luckily, they “reformed”.
- The perverted man with no morals.
- Rather senseless fight scenes. (Luckily, the FL would usually appear to get them to stop fighting.)

Overall, I think it’s a modern drama which deserves a watch. It is very watchable. Some parts are motivational / inspirational. 💪🏼🫰🏼🙏🏼🤭

Read More

It's not where we're going...it's how we get there.

When a viewer is watching a 'youth' drama from China, they almost always know the outcome...the two main characters will be together at the end after some trials and tribulations. In that regard, Dazzling doesn't really hold many surprises.

However, I thought the story took an interesting approach when our hero, Xing Wu, was portrayed as someone who was so busy making money as he tried to keep his family going financially that he wasn't sure he wanted to finish high school. He had offers to make good money without a diploma. Was more education really necessary? I think a lot of people in his situation would ask that question, and for a lot of them, the answer would be to take the short term financial gain.

Enter our heroine, Qing Ye who was basically dumped on her aunt's doorstep in a tiny seaside town because her father was in legal trouble. After living a much more luxurious life in Beijing, she has many 'fish out of water' experiences before adapting to her new home.

The hero is the son of the aunt, so he can't avoid the girl, who comes across as spoiled, childish, and petty. Of course, they argue a lot and have several adventures until they come to some sort of understanding. As they get to know each other, they each nurture an unspoken attraction that blossoms into romantic love.

Eventually, she inspires the hero to return to high school, and she tutors him and a lot of his friends as they prepare for the end of high school exam.

This drama struck me as a bit different in some ways:
The whole 'do we need an education' aspect brought up a lot of discussion among the characters.
The heroine is no damsel in distress. She is able to think for herself and solve most of her own problems.
Life in the small town wasn't completely sanitized. The aunt's house had no indoor plumbing.
Almost all the characters experience personal growth in some fashion.
One of the 'bad' guys gets a redemption arc and becomes a successful adult.
The small town becomes like another character in the show.

The acting was very good from the main cast. I've seen some comments that the leads didn't have much chemistry, but I disagree. I could feel how much the main characters meant to each other, even if there wasn't any physical affection through the first 27 episodes. Both actors are able to use small nuances of expression to show what the characters are feeling . I think this is especially true for the male lead. His character was in an odd position. He cared tremendously for the heroine, but there were many obstacles in his way, and he had to control his feelings. The actor did very well in that regard.

The drama isn't perfect, of course. It's a slow paced drama, probably because life in a small town has a slower pace. There were a lot of flashbacks in the last few episodes, which can get annoying. I would've rather learned more about what our hero was doing during the time they were apart.

I grew up in a small town, so the slow pace of the story doesn't bother me. I found it to be very enjoyable, so I might watch it again.

Read More

Li Yun Rui Elevates a Familiar Story

At first glance, this drama feels familiar—your standard teen romance folded into a coming-of-age story, hitting the usual beats without much reinvention. But what elevates it beyond the ordinary is something quieter, more grounding: the deep, genuine sense of community that runs through its small-town setting.

Here, family, friends, and even neighbors aren’t just background—they care, fully and sincerely. The mother, flawed yet fiercely resilient, anchors the emotional core, while the friend group offers a refreshing kind of loyalty that feels real rather than performative. It’s this web of relationships that gives the story its weight, even when the central plot treads familiar ground.

The female lead’s journey, while serviceable, isn’t particularly striking. The real magnet is Xing Wu, brought to life with disarming authenticity by Li Yun Rui. His performance doesn’t feel acted—it feels lived in. There’s a seamless blend between actor and character, to the point where you stop noticing the performance at all. Xing Wu is sincere, perceptive, quietly brilliant, and endlessly hardworking. His love language—acts of service—becomes the emotional heartbeat of the story, expressed in small, consistent gestures rather than grand declarations.

What lingers long after the final episode is not the romance itself, but the resilience woven throughout—the idea of moving forward even when life repeatedly knocks you back just as things begin to improve. It’s a story about endurance: of love, of friendship, of family ties that hold steady through hardship.

Familiar, yes—but deeply felt. And thanks to Li Yun Rui’s quietly remarkable turn as Xing Wu, utterly worth the watch.

Read More

A warm and realistic small-town drama

Overall, liked it. It's easy to watch, starts with a fast-paced, bad-boy vibe, but by the middle it shifts into more of a slice-of-life, slow-burn romance (somewhere between Speed and Love and Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, if that makes sense 🫠)

Pros:
The village setting gives it a cozy feel, with a strong sense of community and neighbors helping each other. The characters felt realistic, including the villains, who were ordinary people rather than over-the-top evil characters.

Although poverty is a major theme, it's portrayed in a realistic way without making the drama too heavy. I appreciated that the story didn't pretend everything would magically get better. It shows that life can be unfair at times, even for people who work hard and do their best.

Nice soundtrack, beautiful village scenery, a good-looking cast and healthy relationships ✔️

Cons:
My only criticism is more about the production than the story itself, which I thought was very well written. Some scene transitions felt a bit abrupt, and I wish the series had shown a bit more emotion in some of the romantic and sadder moments.

Read More

Actors Too Old for Their Parts

Guan Xiao Tong, Gao Lu & Li Yun Rui are just really great actors. Their heartwarming way of interacting is what kept me in this SLOWWWWWW burn romance drama.

But despite this fact, let me lay out the reality:

No group of late 20s to mid-30s group will ever feel like true TEENAGERS at 17/18, PERIOD! Not even if you give the handsomest among them a bad dye job and razor his hair like rats ate his ends and made it porcupine spiky short like every other Chinese high school drama bad student haircut. And a woman 13 years older than you will never feel like she's old enough to be your mother.

In the end, the second half devolved into repetitive sob stories, play acting and a vast amount of repeated flashbacks that felt like 4 episodes of pure filler. By the time you got to the REWARD of romance...it felt more like taking a pin to a balloon--deflating. Don't get me wrong. They showed tacit acting understanding and portrayed yearning love extremely well. Their kisses were on point and there was no question about their acting showing all this... it was still too little to late.

I really, REALLY wanted to give this a better rating, but I just can't justify it.

Read More

he’s just way cooler than she is….

OK we wait for episode 29 for a little rom. Typically the fl stays bitchy till the last possible moment. ML character is stellar and almost non-existent in the real world—an absolute jewel. She kicks him to the curb pretty much all the time. He’s too good for her, period. He should be a big time CEO and at least she pushes him back to school which he probably doesn’t need as school doesnt give leadership and Common Sense and humility which he Already Has. I will follow this actor. He really grew on me. She can act but just miscast in this role. it’s a win for me because of Li Yun Rui.

Read More

Life in Zha Zha Ting is Never Flat

Truth to be told, I wasn't really interested in "Dazzling" when the promotional poster came up in MangoTV Conference 2025 or 2024 or whatever year it was, as the story gave off that kind of summer carefree vibes that I couldn't bother to discern. Moreover, the plot is quite simple - 2 high school teenagers meet in a coastal village, and their lives are turned upside down - that sort of set up has been recycled multiple times by other youth dramas and I perfectly know how this drama is going to fare with its predecessors. Nonetheless, I started watching because it is written by the same author who pens "Speed and Love", Shi Jiuyuan. Since y'all know I have a deep affinity for "Speed and Love", I can't possibly miss "Dazzling" despite being starred by the two leads that I particularly don't like at all. Let's rock, shall we?

The story revolves around two troubled youths, Qing Ye and Xing Wu. Qing Ye, a high-and-mighty pampered germaphobic little princess from Beijing, is sent away to Zha Zha Ting when her father's business empire crumbles and is particularly unhappy with this arrangement as she has been used to living like a grand princess in the city, not in a modest and unassuming small village with all of its obnoxious inhabitants, ranging from noisy neighbors, creepy perverts, and even her ostentatious aunt, Li Lanfang.

Meanwhile, Xing Wu is Qing Ye's cousin (they are not blood-related, as Li Lanfang was previously adopted by Qing Ye's grandparents before she ran away after being found pregnant with Xing Wu inside her belly). Having lived under torrents of piling debts scraping here and there to make ends meet, Xing Wu decides to suspend his studies and focuses on making money to help his mother put food on the table. Because of that too, Xing Wu develops an indifferent attitude towards other people and dislikes Qing Ye on their first encounter as her prickly personality often gets under his skin. However, beneath the hardened bad boy shell, he's actually good in the heart and often helps other neighbors in need, sometimes without charging money from them. Whenever Li Lanfang gambles the money away to play mahjong, Xing Wu will always look for more opportunities to earn more money. Aside from that, he's also deeply passionate about Qing Ye and wishes to stay by her side forever.

Meanwhile, Xing Wu is Qing Ye's cousin (they are not blood-related, as Li Lanfang was previously adopted by Qing Ye's grandparents before she ran away after being found pregnant with Xing Wu inside her belly). Having lived under torrents of piling debts scraping here and there to make ends meet, Xing Wu decides to suspend his studies and focuses on making money to help his mother put food on the table. Because of that too, Xing Wu develops an indifferent attitude towards other people and dislikes Qing Ye on their first encounter as her prickly personality often gets under his skin. However, beneath the hardened bad boy shell, he's actually good in the heart and often helps other neighbors in need, sometimes without charging money from them. Whenever Li Lanfang gambles the money away to play mahjong, Xing Wu will always look for more opportunities to earn more money. Aside from that, he's also deeply passionate about Qing Ye and wishes to stay by her side forever.

Heavily marketed as a summer drama, "Dazzling" does it job pretty well by showcasing the mundane life of the coastal villagers and how their interactions impact the whole society. Despite the fact that the leads always end up getting into multiple troubles, the screenwriter does a nice job in concocting the resolution and how they still persevere through sheer tenacity and nominal sum of money. The neighbors are surprisingly kind-hearted, jovial, amiable, and supportive of the mismatched family, often lending a hand when they are in dilemma (to the point of letting them staying at their houses in the arson case arc). I also like how the screenwriter portrays the leads to be sanguine in spite of their predicaments and the way they pull themselves together. Most families would've wallowed in grief, frustration, anger, or even a combination of those. They also have a healthy friendship bond with the teenagers there, ranging from the boisterous Hao Chenggong/Huang Mao, the loyal Fan Tong, the art enthusiast Shi Min, the 'bitchy' Cao Fan, and the lovesick straight-A student Ye Yingjian. Together, they establish a study group in preparation for Gaokao with Qing Ye becoming their tutor. Oh yeah, I also love grandma as she is one of the most crucial pillar in the family's little house as the moodmaker of the day.

I understand that this is a coming-of-age teen drama with tons of recycled cliche scenes to display the sizzling chemistry of the main leads amidst the hustle and bustle of the coastal village. I also have a perfectly-timed premonition when a cliche is to be applied and even make some mental notes to embrace myself in the repetitive cycle of rinse-and-repeat. Honestly, a simple high school drama's material isn't that much to begin with, so the screenwriter needs to rake his/her brain and find several feeble excuses to make the episode's counts longer than necessary, including the issues that the family must face in every single episode. From piling debts, salon's vandalism, the neighbor creep, the laptop robbery, arson case, Cao Ping's inability to redeem himself, and lastly dear daddy fetching her back to Beijing, the couple seems to be plagued with endless problems that come out of nowhere as if there were such coincidences in the world.

What is more, I've noticed that "Dazzling" has a myriad of similarities with "Speed and Love", in terms of characters, plots, and even their personalities. I'll list down everything below:
1. Qing Ye's high-and-mighty attitude VS Jiang Mu's spoiled princess act
2. Xing Wu's fondness of fixing miscellaneous stuffs VS Jin Zhao's omnipotence in repairing mechanical things
3. Hao Chenggong and Fan Tong's bond VS San Lai and Jin Fengzi's
4. Li Lanfang as an irresponsible and selfish parent VS Jin Qiang
5. Ye Yingjian's infatuation to Qing Ye VS Pan Kai's lovestruck mode towards Jiang Mu
6. Shu Han is Wan Qing 2.0, minus the brother
7. Qing Ye's daddy VS Chris (Jiang Mu's stepfather)
8. Arson case VS vandalism case
9. Both FLs have the same mindset to set the MLs' path to the bright side
10. Officer Xu VS Officer Lu

As for the acting, I guess I find several problematic points here. Firstly, I'm not fond of Li Yunrui since the catastrophic "Go Back Lover", and I feel that I'm not really liking his model student or even adult vibes - but, he conveys the emotion pretty well during the burnout scene plus his bleached hair is like an icing on top of a cake - he would make a good street punk in another time. Secondly, I feel awfully cringy with Gabriella Guan's acting because she attempts to create several histrionics which doesn't bode well with her character's personality, especially the salon's promotion in the marketplace and him taking her away from the cafeteria after her uniform is stained by food. Moreover, she seems to force her voice to be pitch-high and tries to enunciate every word in a very-slow-mo pace (oh my god, seriously?). Another thing is that Qing Ye is such a sweet talker, and I hate sweet talkers the most because their words often hide ulterior motives beneath and I'm not going to be fooled a second time. For other casts, I have no idea of who they are, except Bian Tianyang (always goes all-rounder playing sidekicks in every drama he stars in) and Wang Jiaxuan (the guy who plays Meng Ruihang, another lovestruck boy who falls in love with Qing Ye - previously, I had seen him in "Amidst a Snowstorm of Love" as Yin Guo's younger cousin, Meng Xiaotian and in "A Journey to Love" as Li Tongguang's attendant). Their acting is quite fine, I must say, because they really embody the village atmosphere so well that I feel I have been thrusted into the same society as well. I may not have grown in a village like them, but I settle down in a suburban area of my city, so we naturally cherish every precious moment in our lives, especially my friends in school.

The OSTs are meh if you compare them with "Speed and Love". Liu Yuning's is the best out of the 6 songs, but I still end up deleting it from my device because it disrupts the flow from "Sing Me to Sleep" by Alan Walker to "Easy Love" by Sigala. Liang Yongqi's is a tad of cringy, but it grows on me after multiple listens. Li Yunrui and Gabriella Guan's is a no-no to me and don't ask me why I say this. Duan Aojuan's is the most cringy song I've ever heard from this drama, as if the melodies were distorted, truncated, or whatsoever. Yao Chen's is too melancholic to my taste, as if I had been listening to a maudlin farewell song. Jeffrey Dong's is decent and has me singing it on loop.

Overall, a not-so-good experience of binging through "Dazzling". However, if you are into heartwarming family drama or realistic romantic relationship, then this drama may be designated for you. One more thing, you'll have to suspend your disbelief for a little while as things can get unrealistic (I mean the conflicts). For me myself, I won't be watching it for the second time since it's not that worth it. That's all for my review, good luck and happy watching!!!

Read More