The First Frost: A Slow Burn That Doesn't Fully Ignite
The First Frost has been a highly anticipated show that I’ve been waiting to release ever since I finished Hidden Love. At first, I was bummed that Victor Ma wasn’t playing Sang Yan, but I’m actually really glad Bai Jingting landed the role. This drama is definitely a slow burn between the leads, with their love rekindling ever so slowly as life pushes Sang Yan and Wen Yifan together.
The First Frost touches on sensitive themes that are typically not mentioned in Chinese media, and I think its representation was well done in the way the characters react to the world around them. The OSTs were beautifully crafted and purposefully included throughout the scenes. Bai Jingting absolutely nailed his role with his facial expressions—I honestly don’t think anyone could have done a better job. He truly embodies the character Sang Yan was meant to be. Zhang Ruonan was good for the most part, but I found her a bit bland, and I think her acting could have been better.
To be honest, I found the chemistry a bit forced, and their relationship lacked depth. There is absolutely no context as to why Sang Yan has obsessed over Wen Yifan for years, even to the point of traveling to another city just to catch a glimpse of her. That is weird, and Sang Yan doesn’t really have much of a personality besides "I love Wen Yifan." She has already pushed him away multiple times due to her trauma and circumstances, and I think Sang Yan should have packed his bags a long time ago.
I did enjoy the appearances of Yuan Ye as Mu Chengyun and Zhai Xiaowen as Xiang Liang—they were refreshing additions to the show. I also would have liked to see more of Duan Jiaxu and Sang Zhi. In Hidden Love, they seemed to have a very close relationship with Sang Yan, but they were only sparsely mentioned in The First Frost.
Overall, it’s a good show, and I rate it 7.5/10.
The First Frost touches on sensitive themes that are typically not mentioned in Chinese media, and I think its representation was well done in the way the characters react to the world around them. The OSTs were beautifully crafted and purposefully included throughout the scenes. Bai Jingting absolutely nailed his role with his facial expressions—I honestly don’t think anyone could have done a better job. He truly embodies the character Sang Yan was meant to be. Zhang Ruonan was good for the most part, but I found her a bit bland, and I think her acting could have been better.
To be honest, I found the chemistry a bit forced, and their relationship lacked depth. There is absolutely no context as to why Sang Yan has obsessed over Wen Yifan for years, even to the point of traveling to another city just to catch a glimpse of her. That is weird, and Sang Yan doesn’t really have much of a personality besides "I love Wen Yifan." She has already pushed him away multiple times due to her trauma and circumstances, and I think Sang Yan should have packed his bags a long time ago.
I did enjoy the appearances of Yuan Ye as Mu Chengyun and Zhai Xiaowen as Xiang Liang—they were refreshing additions to the show. I also would have liked to see more of Duan Jiaxu and Sang Zhi. In Hidden Love, they seemed to have a very close relationship with Sang Yan, but they were only sparsely mentioned in The First Frost.
Overall, it’s a good show, and I rate it 7.5/10.
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