Saffire

Loved the novel...but definitely not this drama. Huge Letdown :(

I came in with lots of high expectations because I love Sang Yan & I read the novels of both Hidden Love and First Frost...so imagine my surprise that I would dislike this drama this much. I may prefer Hidden Love's drama & novel more because of the sweetness, but I also loved the First Frost novel for its own charms-- none of which met my expectations, to be honest. I went in not comparing Hidden Love with First Frost because I really wanted to love this drama for what it was, Sang Yan & Wen Yifan's story (which I also adore). I know that First Frost is from Wen YiFan & Sang Yan's point of view, so he isn't going to be as silly as he was in his big brother role, but in First Frost, he is still supposed to have a realistic goofy side to him besides his fake nonchalant/charmingly narcissistic persona. I have lots of respect for Bai Jingting's other works, but I didn't feel like he suited Sang Yan, nor could he connect with this character enough for it to feel genuine. As for Zhang Ruonan, I don't usually enjoy her dramas, but I love her in real life. However, I do think that this was the first drama of hers that I liked the best out of the rest.

First Frost is supposed to be more serious because the themes involving the FL are traumatic to her directly, so obviously, she would be more guarded against opening up...but dang, they really made her look flighty with that Hong Kong plot. She never did this in the novel but instead followed Sang Yan to Yihe when he discovered Sang Zhi dating Duan Jiaxu. It was more romantic because it wasn't just Sang Yan doing all the chasing, but her finally taking steps to join him in the fight for their love. The drama's version of their reunion in Hong Kong was also...stale. They really dulled down the love in the drama adaptation to make it seem like Sang Yan loves her so one-sidedly that his whole life decisions creepily revolve around Wen Yifan because of how he constantly follows her without her knowing over the years, & they never really portrayed why he fell for Wen Yifan well either. It makes his feelings look shallow, like puppy love for her appearance at first sight, which became obsessive. Wen Yifan didn't really do much to show how much she loves Sang Yan in return besides standing up for him a few times & since she was in a vulnerable state in their youth, she never showed much interest in Sang Yan (understandably), so I can't understand how Sang Yan fell that deeply with how they made it seem in the drama. Many of the men in the drama were either creeps or obsessed with Wen Yifan, and as hard as it was, she really should have opened up about her problems to her friends/Sang Yan to avoid so many unnecessary misunderstandings. One of the best things about Hidden Love was how open the main couple communicated despite having misunderstandings as well, but their misunderstandings were never big because the second one of them had doubts, they talked it out clearly.

I also couldn't feel any chemistry between the main couple in this drama. The acting felt very robotic, like they were simply going through the motions rather than the micro-movements that make all the difference. It felt like Sang Yan did all the heavy lifting in the relationship, but even with him, I couldn't see much emotion beyond just through his actions (like I felt there was a disconnect with how much he did for her vs how much emotion he showed in his eyes/face, but that may just be the acting). Sang Yan is more emotional than the drama gives him credit for & so is Wen Yifan. Her love is supposed to be more cautious but warm, not silent/non-existent. I initially tried to watch this drama but didn't like what I saw from skimming it while it was airing, so I dropped it...I felt like I should at least get through it once fully, just so I could give a proper review. Thus, I finally watched it fully this time. And my oh gosh, it was torture. They added things that made the story boring, like the 2nd couple's story & the grandpa...like what was the point. This drama needed to cut out lots of scenes or replace them to show more relationship buildup, but even then, no more than 25 episodes. Some stories need a longer run, but this drama didn't, so it didn't feel like a slow-burn-- it was a letdown.

It honestly felt like every slow-burn ever, but without any refreshing elements to help it be even remotely engaging. I typically love slow-burn dramas, but this drama made it look painfully one-sided till the very end so the slow pace & long episodes didn't feel worth it. In conclusion, I will say that this may be for people who like dramatic darker stories with a ML who is obsessively in love with the FL (ML falls first and harder), but for those who like more of a balanced relationship, Hidden Love may be more your cup of tea (FL falls first, but ML falls harder) even if the first 8 episodes are a bit boring since it's about FL's innocent teen crush on ML before they meet as adults which is when he finally falls for her. Just because I didn't like the drama version of First Frost doesn't mean it's still not good for other people since we all have different opinions/preferences. :)

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Fluffy, sweet and definitely a comfort drama for those who need a break from daily life

Loved every single thing about this drama (I am originally a fan of the novel and manhua, but I love this story in every version/format). They made ML a bit softer & FL a bit more mature compared to the novel, but I didn't mind it since the core of their characters stayed the same, as well as their deep love for each other. The first 8 episodes are a bit boring to get through since it's just showing FL's innocent teen crush on ML when she was young (just wish they used an older child actress to portray 14-year-old FL), so there wasn't anything beyond a precious found family bond between them, obviously. But once she becomes an adult (mid-ep 8), the pace of the story finally picks up & takes you on a sweet but deep ride of first love between 2 people who are each other's first, last, and only everything. Some people might think that this type of love is unrealistic, but I would say that it's just rarer in real life, which makes it more precious (I have been fortunate enough to witness some genuinely pure couples like this). Sang Yan and DJX were both called the Twin Dogs of Nanwu University since they always stuck together (Ep 1). To be precise, SY's symbol is a dog (even in First Frost's novel) because of his loyalty & overprotection (SZ even compares him to the black dog when she was 17 & has his contacts saved as "silly dog"), while DJX is a fox because of his sly, intelligent, flirty/nice facade (he is smart and hides his true self behind flirty jokes), but they are both technically "dogs aka canines." These 2 dogs are SZ's loyal protectors: her bio brother & her "brother"/boyfriend/husband.

ML feels inferior & has lots of self-doubt, so he never pursues bonding with anyone outside of his friends in any other way (even if his boss tried to set him up on blind dates, he remained distantly polite/formal). He preferred to be a workaholic & studious person since no one could accept his dad's crime/family tragedy/debts, thus he also never felt brave enough to even be with anyone in any way until FL's encouraging & unyielding love warmed his self-doubt. That's why it could only ever be Sang Zhi for Duan Jiaxu, no matter what. Friendship gave him support, but only Sang Zhi's pure love could fully open up a pure-hearted person like Duan Jiaxu and unleash his true, romantically clingy, shameless self, who no longer feels scared to be who he is with her by his side. He is a bit more emotionally reclusive/moodier in the novel (but I kinda love how mean he is to his stalker and anyone who tries to come between Sang Zhi & him if you read the extra chapters, you already know what I am talking about) but in both versions, his love is so apparently clear-- he always feels like he wanted to marry her since the moment they got together because he already knew Sang Zhi is the one he wanted to spend every life event with forever. The drama version showed a more emotional Duan Jiaxu who always cried openly with Sang Zhi, but both versions had clear communication once they were adults, so I think their relationship is healthy & cute since they both strive to talk through potential misunderstandings almost immediately. As someone who hates love rivals/love triangles along with long, unnecessary misunderstandings, this drama checked all the right boxes for me-- each other's first/only everything without others interfering & healthy fast communication to leave plenty of room for sugary fluff. Even after watching it 5 times, I never get sick of it & find myself coming back to this drama every couple of months, so it has solidified its place as one of my top comfort dramas.

Additionally, I want to sincerely thank Zhao Lusi, who took the lead in making this drama happen even after the original director gave up on it for styling the characters herself (huge upgrade from what it was), inviting her real friends as cast, singing the OSTs & for being the perfect Sang Zhi. Chen Zheyuan also did a great job as Duan Jiaxu & I don't think anyone else could have done better in that role (the man's eyes can ACT). The entire cast was amazing (Sang Yan aka Victor Ma in Hidden Love will always have my heart).

For the things people have issues with:
FL may have fallen first a bit too early, but ML definitely fell when it was the right time for both of them, which made their age gap appropriately portrayed. FL's crush on him was innocent and relatable to everyone who had a crush in their teens. Some people have a hard time with how he knew her when she was young, but they only occasionally saw each other and were separated for many years till she became an adult, so I don't really see an issue since he saw her as his "found-family," like he saw Sang Yan (FL's big bro/ML's best friend). As a found-family member, I didn't find it odd that he had her picture from his graduation next to his mom's & college friends' pictures. Also, some people may find ML's flirty lines a bit too much but my impression from reading the novel 4 times is that he does so only jokingly (which is why he flirts with his male friends too) and another reason is so that he is not be seen by others as a bad person like his dad if he portrays himself as a kind/helpful/nice to everyone persona even though he does still keep a emotional polite distance from everyone (since he feel inferior due to his family's debt/dad's crime which people fault him for just because he is the son). It's like he purposely plays "nice guy" as an emotional shield so that people don't see him as a bad guy like his dad, but by not showing his true feelings (Ch 50: the scene in the novel when his teacher criticizes his bad character when he fights with Jiang Ying after she pushes him down the stairs in school & then he thinks to himself that he should always be smiling/good to everyone/non-threatening to not be compared to his father), he keeps people at a distance. It's only in those moments when he shows his coldness/unhappiness that he is his true self. He was always looking for a life-long partner (his dating intentions are always only with marriage in mind due to his strong sense of responsibility. He even always hints at marriage to SZ - Ex. "This might be the only relationship you will ever have." + Ch 81, he even signs property over to SZ), so until he was able to meet someone who could accept his true self, he wouldn't be with anyone/willing to be alone his whole life (which is why when SZ comforted DJX after Jiang Ying splashed him with water, he fell for SZ or at least realized his feelings). I believe that it wasn't until the hospital scenes that he even saw her as an adult who was capable of taking the lead & caring for him which eventually grew his feelings till the realization after the water splash scene.

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