MadelineMaureen

Not Going To Be For Everyone

Although I enjoyed the show overall, there were a lot of aspects where production fell short.

I believe that this show originally was going to be 40 or more episodes long, but once they were done with editing and going through the censorship board it was cut down to 36 episodes. This was extremely noticeable for those who didn't even know the context of depleted episode count. There were many times it felt disjointed or unfinished. There were whole plots left dangling or completely unfinished. And though the actors worked their asses off, writing & editing stick out like a sore thumb on this one. As they failed the show don't tell rules of film making.

I think my biggest issue came a little past the halfway point with the climax of the 1st daughter and her husband's story. I was really enjoying their screentime and dynamic only for them to pull the rug out from under them completely, and never really put it to rights before moving on to the next storyline block.

4 of the 5(6 really but will touch on that later) Li sisters get to take on a leading role in their story with their husbands/future husbands for roughly 7-9 episodes each focused on a couple's love story. I wont be fully spoiling the finer details of storylines but some spoilers will occur simply because context is needed.

The show first kicks off with a short intro into 2nd daughter's dynamic with her husband of about 2 years, and setting up the Li family business and the personalities of the 6 sisters & mother. It then immediately goes into the 3rd daughters love story with her future husband, the cousin of 2nd sister's husband. The 2nd couple act as supporting characters mainly through this storyline as they are both related to the 3rd couple. I called the 2nd couple "The Double Agent Couple" because he was constantly asking/telling his wife about what goes on with the men & the husband was able to listen in on the sisters' conversations because he was already a member of the family. The 3rd couple I referred to as "The Scheming Couple" - the couple that schemes together, stays together.

The 3rd couple(Li Kang Ning & Chai An) have an Elizabeth & Mister Darcy chemistry with a healthy dose of Tom and Jerry thrown in for laughs. They can scheme against each other, but the second someone else tries to play with them the kid gloves are off. It's harmless pranks, pushing each other in business, and testing each other's limits. The chemistry between Lu Yu Xiao and Wang Xing Yue is great and continues to hold strong even when they take a backseat in the other sibling's storylines.

After 3rd get their happily ever after, the story shifts it's focus to the 1st daughter and her new husband(Li Shou Hua & Du Yang Xi). I call them the Scholarly Couple, because he places 3rd in the Imperial Exam & had she been a man she would have been the top scholar of a generation. All is well and good kicking off with a snub from the husband due to a misunderstanding prior to marriage. As they start to let their walls down and communicate it gets even better....and then the other shoe drops and the previous mature communication completely breaks down and the "self sacrifice" "I'll make you hate me so you can live." tropes come into play. This isn't the first case of abusive tactics used within the show, but it is the first time that draws blood from one of the siblings. In episode 17 to push her away he starts to act like a complete asshole and goes to whip their servant who the girls treat more like family. Shou Hua steps in front of the girl to protect her from the blow that Du Yang Xi is throwing down. He ends on striking his wife with a whip so hard it breaks open her layers of clothing and leaves a open bloody gash on her shoulder of about 6 to seven inches long. We NEVER get a full apology for this behavior. Shou Hua just all of a sudden "knows" that he is treating her like shit to "protect her". They divorce and eventually reconcile, but that scene is maybe 5 minutes and then no second wedding no show of what he did to win her back...nope...he just sort of knelt for a second and then all was forgiven...ick. I could never see him the same way after that. Because we didn't get to see him repent for hurting his wife both physically and emotionally I just never got over my ick.

Right at the tail end of 1st daughters story we get introduced to the future 4th brother-in-law. 4th couple(Li Hao De & Shen Hui Zhao) have the best storyline of all the siblings imo. Somewhat tied with 3rd couple. I refer to them as the "Justice/Truth Above All Else Couple" a Judge and his clerk fall in love. When given the opportunity to lie and be believed Hao De still tells the whole truth. Shen Hui Zhao goes from very strict black and white logic to letting emotions help guide him more. Hao De worms her way into everyone's heart and breaks down any emotional wall that someone puts in front of her. They can't help but love her, and her husband is no expectation. They have amazing chemistry together. It comes from trust, understanding, and faith in one another. When he goes to push her away he is honest about why he feels like he needs to protect her from his line of work. He doesn't ever strike her or fully leave her in the dark about his plans. The one time he does sort of leave her out of his plans it feels more like she's upset that he went off to play with others and left her out of the fun. Would really love to see the two actors Ke Ying and Liang Yong Qi get to play leading roles together in another drama in the future. They were natural and playful. Seriously some give him a leading role already.

The 5th daughter and her husband are a true enemies to lovers trope. Li Le Shan and Yang Xian hate each other on sight...they are the "Fire & Gasoline Couple" they only add to each other's flames, and violence is always the answer for these two. Yang Xian, played by Winwin, has the most character development of any other character in the entire show. He goes from a spoiled rich kid who wants to piss off his father by bringing a merchant woman home as a wife in episode 3 to a self-made hardworking and determined man ready to win his wife's love again in episode 35/36. He has the most complicated family dynamic that showcases the stark difference between a conniving noble household constantly seeking power and the more modest and loving merchant household the Li girls were raised in. You will love Le Shan the second she shows up on screen ready to castrate a man for daring to look at her sisters. She is the most like their mother. She will thrown hands first before trying to talk it out. She matures over time and knows when to use her words and patience over her club/rod. Even though Huangyang Tian Tian is the youngest member of the main cast she acts circles around almost everyone. Winwin, who is 10 years her senior in age,(the couple never kiss in their story as she was actually a minor during the filming so put your pitch forks down), holds his own. This is only his 3rd production, but he already has a good grasp on conveying subtle internal emotions of his character with his facial expressions. I think I thought that his character would be a secret martial arts/scholar just because Winwin himself is skilled in fight choreography due to his classical dance training. They have to repeatedly state he isn't a good fighter or a good scholar.

Major spoilers for last little bit...6th daughter is the adoptive daughter of the Li family and former betrothed of 3rd daughter's twin brother Pan'er. We were ROBBED, I tell you, of a deeper dive into Pan'er(Zhe Cong) and Qiong Nu's story. Because surprise bitches baby bro is alive and just a perfect blend of his mama & daddy. Seriously knight in shining armor should be his character description. They were my "A Very Long Engagement Couple". I don't believe their story was majorly cut down in post production editing so I wish the writers would have given us more of them in the script. They had a more interesting story than 2nd couple.

We were also robbed of the final boss 6 brother-in-law alliance team meeting. I found that whenever all the sisters or BiLs were together they had some of the better comedic/storytelling elements. As most of the guys have all worked together before their banter was seriously under utilized.

Overall I give it an 8.5-9 out of 10. If it was going just off of pure production critique I would be closer to a 5 or 6. The cast and chemistry brought up the score A LOT. I can't say with 100% certainty, but it feels like a lot of the budget went into the cast and not other elements of the show. There is more I have to say, but I've been writing for over an hour and need to start my day, so if you finish reading all of this, thank you for your time. If you have any questions feel free to ask in the comments below and I'll answer as best and as quickly as I can.

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I Refuse to Believe Beak Mi Kyung Wrote This

I can not stress this enough, quit while you're ahead. The story at first seems promising, but the added side quests, stupid character choices, and lack of having the ML & FL in the same room for more than 5 minutes doomed this to be the worst show I completed in 2023.
There is entire side quest with a homeless couple that goes nowhere. They dont stay close with any other member of the cast & break up after both receiving money from FL's mother for helping her.
The fake daughter had so much potential for storyline, but they fridged her in the end.
The FL had more screen time with the villain of the show as he was her boss and in closer proximity to the FL. Having her stay in the ML's apartment could have been a way to have them interact more, but he's almost never there when she is. They never take the time to flesh out the FL's feeling when it comes to her relationship to ANYONE. She has a long lost TWIN brother...has dinner with him 2 or 3 times.
I figured out who the "big bad" was during the first episode they appear.
If they wanted a story for 16 episodes instead of 20 like the previous series, they should have cut the fat. The uncle storyline wasnt necessary in the least. Why are we having multiple scenes with a doctor we never see again, and why do we need him to learn more about the secretary/anchor woman? Answer...we dont.
As a final note to end on...what senior detective, not just a cop but SENIOR DRUG DETECTIVE, touches an unknown substance that is known to KILL people with their bare hands and then proceed to stick the drug covered finger IN THEIR MOUTH! When the supposed smartest person in the room is too stupid to live I should have known to cut bait.

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Best of 2024

Y'all this one is for the romance girlies.
Can officially say with my whole chest that this was the best period drama of the 14 that I watched this year. Probably the best Cdrama of 2024, at least of the 23 that I watched.
From start to finish cinematography, lighting, direction, action, acting, musical score, story/writing were top tier. The added little extra bit of running comedy with the slaps will forever live rent free in my head. I promise you, if you are someone who enjoys period dramas and romance you wont regret starting this one. The only spoiler I will give in this is the answer to the most common question I get from binge watchers who wait until the end of show to start watching.
Sad Ending, Open Ending, Happy for Now, Happy Ending, or Happily Ever After?



Happily Ever After, Five year flashforward for Epilogue after satisfying conclusion to other storylines . Plus extra bonus scene at the end of the credits.

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Worth the heartache

Bittersweet ending, but still a solid 9 overall production. Highly recommend. Every guest star brought their A game. Postproduction did the damn thing with all the special FX and the practical stunt work. I'm glad even though it was a bit late that the team got to promote it as well. So grateful they aired this one and that Song ZuEr's name has been pretty much cleared as she is a great actress. It would have been a shame had this never aired.

I really hope that one day someone continues their story. I would love it if it were the same actors and team behind this production, but I just wish would could have stayed with them a bit longer. Maybe if it ever continues it will be her in his world. And now with her new life skills her character would be even better.

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Not Going to Be For Everyone, and That's Okay

If you enjoy cinematography, don't mind a slower paced/slow to unfold mystery, "pure" love(defined below) story you will enjoy this show.

ML is like a Christmas tree, green(evergreen tree), with spots of red(ornaments), but ultimately lights up the room & brings joy to those around it. I like that the lead character is almost fundamental flawed, but is aware of those flaws. They(production) do not shy away from the fact that the ML is, by definition, a stalker of the the FL. They use music, lighting, wardrobe, and hair and make-up to convey the narrative shift when the ML has the self awareness that is so very necessary for a story like this.

The cinematography is always thoughtful, and every scene is lit and framed with a purpose. The only critique for me is that there was a heavy use of previous scenes showing back up/repeated within the edit. This is a useful tool for recalling past events, but they were ever so slightly heavy handed. They probably only needed 8 or 9 episodes, but having it rounded out to 10 made 100% sure that it never felt rushed.

If you like shows like Tree of Heaven, or Spring Waltz you will like this one, and bonus it has a happy, if not slightly open, ending. It has the same slower melo vibes as those two shows from the mid 2000s. It leaves you with questions, and curious how their lives will be from now on...will there be more variables in the future? They don't know, but they are at peace with whatever comes their way. This show has an overall vibe of a mid 2000s kdrama, and a Japanese meloromance. If you don't like those types of shows, this one just isn't going to be for you, and that's okay.


"pure" love: when characters have feelings for one another, but the medium(book, show, movie,film) never depicts the love in a sexual/sexualized manner. A love not seeking to gain anything from the other party, just simply loving without expectation.

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Just not for me

If you just want to watch this show for the romance go on and enjoy, but I can't really say that the romance was worth it for me when the production was lacking as much as it was.

If you are or have enjoyed the show don't read this just continue enjoying it for what it is to you. But I just needed to rant a bit and just speak my peace on this and move on.

Okay, so as a production girlie...this one just doesn't quite meet my expectations. The editing is all over the place and almost like they didn't get the shots they needed and didn't realize until they were editing the episodes together. A lot of scenes just end out of nowhere, not in a suspenseful way but in a...did they forget about the other people in the scene, kind of way.

It feels very unfinished/unpolished. The crimes are really only there to bring the main couple together or tear them apart....it wasn't even a serial killer...I'm also a true crime girlie, so words matter. He's a killer, but doesn't fall under the definition of a serial killer, and with a whole plot dedicated to a professor of criminal psychology....it becomes a bit eyebrow raising with how lazy the writing is with regards to the actual crimes. There were whole episodes that could have been boiled down to about 5 - 10 minutes and then combined instead of showing the same shot over and over again. Also the bg music when they are showing a cop take down or whatever seriously gave me heavy blinks

I watch too many shows to not catch on who the bad guy was once her nurse friend is murdered. I thought it would get better, but it never felt like anything or anyone was actually developed as a character outside of like the bad guy and even he was so lazily written it felt like a checklist of personality traits rather than a real person. Also, can we stop with the crazed laughter when the character is shown repeatedly to mask his emotions? Like why are we going full comic book villain in the 11th hour?
Pretty much everything would have been solved within 2 hours had people actually communicated with one another. If the whole plot hinges on one character just not speaking to the people around them...what was the point? Seriously, lets not tell our mother's that we are the targets of a stalker who has used people to kill our friends. Maybe don't try and met up with him or accept rides from him. I seriously hate when smart characters do stupid things just to make the plot move in a direction the writer wants it to.
Also, in what world would he be allowed to stay on the investigation of his step-brother without having a briefing with his chief? because once you are the target/victim you don't really get to pursue that suspect anymore.

I wanted to like this show, but no amount of liking an actor(s) will let me see past lazy writing and production to this degree. If it was just a straight forward romance I think I would have been more forgiving. But there were multiple character choices that just didn't make sense for their shown personality nor their actual profession. It's just like a Dick Wolf show in the USA with kind of pumping up the cops and the profession of a cop. As some would say, copaganda. China really is just the USA of Asia.

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Sisterhood and Brotherhood above all else

This show is very much a life drama about a family of young lords and the woman that go on to shape who they are as men. Every single female character is a whole human, with her own feelings, emotions, ambitions, thoughts, and plans. They aren't all the same nor do they want to be. They all help and uplift each other throughout the story. There are both male and female villains, some that get redemption and some that don't. There are gray characters that float between. Each personal feels like an actual person. The responses to conflict and misunderstandings feel real and earned. The love stories sprinkled in are strong and healthy depictions of what a balanced and mutually respectful relationship should look like. They also show you the bad side of toxic and one-sided relationships, and how just because you got yourself into a bad place doesn't mean you can't also get yourself out. Everyone deserves respect from their spouse.
Just the sisterhood alone with all of the young lords' wives and concubines is worth the watch. Very progressive in their storytelling in a fictionalized country. When 7th's wife feels nervous and unsure about herself because she is slower to do things, every single one of the women around her validates her and complements her on her care and attention. When the 2nd Crown Lord shows his true colors the women band together to help their friend Hao Jia. His wife even plays one of the largest roles in getting Hao Jia and herself out of a horrible situation. And with that storyline Yin Zheng(6th) gets closer to his own mother after realizing she was struggling with a similar situation as Hao Jia was.
But the best relationship is that of the 6th Lord's wife(Yuan Ying-Jin State's Princess) and side wife(Li Wei- FL). There are like true sisters. The Jin Princess immediately takes Li Wei under her wing and trains her to become the lady of a royal household and partner to Yin Zheng(6th lord). Yuan Ying becomes like a sister to both Yin Zheng and Li Wei, and they all share a bond that could never be broken. She becomes one of their fiercest allies.
The understanding and refusal of Yuan Ying to cause any misunderstandings between Li Wei and Yin Zheng is peak supporting female character energy.
We have a simple girl who has the protentional and drive to make great change.
A warrior princesses trying to find her happiness.
A woman who doesn't want to follow in her mother's footsteps. And though she miscalculates finds her feet again.
A princesses who is smarter than all the men and knows it.
A group of women who band together against their trying husband, and protect and care for each other as they fight for there individual wants and needs.
A kind and quiet girl, who just would rather be left alone, if that's okay, who finds her other half.

I could go on and on, because the characters are all great fully fleshed out. But just know that it's worth the watch. Even though it's 40episodes there are enough smaller story arcs that start and end every few episodes that keeps the momentum of the story going. You will laugh, cry. and kick your feet from this slow-burn romantic life drama.

PS: We don't see him much, but I have a soft spot for the 9th little lord as his is just like his sisters-in-law...and that punch in ep40....bravo.

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Flash Over Substance

I was originally just going to write a comment but it got out of hand so...full review it is.

The show started off somewhat interesting, but they didn't really bring anything new to the table. We've seen this done multiple times already in Korea, as well as in other international Netflix properties...and better.

Having multiple actors who were in SKYCastle made it all the more obvious how bad the pacing and writing was in this show. I can see what they wanted to do, and I'm okay with watching shows with similar plots and tropes, but not when the writing is lackluster and the acting is...missing something.

Lee Chae Min(Kang Ha) and Lee Won Jung(Lee Woo Jin) were the only actors amongst the younger cast that I believed and saw the subtle emotions they tried to get across. Chae Min studied acting and it shows. Even though he's only been active since 2020 he has a confidence in front of the camera that is important for a lead actor. The was an insecurity showing from Kim Jae Won that I didn't really understand.

TBH the reason I wanted to see this show in the first place was because of the lead actress Roh Jeong Eui and after watching her performance...I have some questions. Where the hell did her extremely prominent dimples go? Why do actresses keep get tweakments RIGHT BEFORE shooting a drama where they need to be able to emote? Her smiles seemed forced and unnatural for most of her scenes with Kim Ra In. There was no connection between their characters. And I don't know what it is about Kim Jae Won's eyes, but it's giving 'no thoughts, head empty'. She's been acting for over a decade, and I really want to know what happened here...was it her...was it the director? Other than what I've already said I'm not sure what went wrong with this performance. It feels like they said "your character has no personality so just stand there and don't smile, don't show any emotion"

Okay, let me put this in a way that you can understand why I'm a bit harsh with the emoting and chemistry. If you've seen the show Maxton Hall recently you might have seen the lead actor talking about how he'll go over a script and see what lines could be omitted and just be expressed through a look instead. The LOOKS that the entire cast give in that show...you can practically hear their internal thoughts/struggles.

There is a way to express cold and standoffish without giving statue and dead eyes. The reason I was drawn more to Kang Ha as a character was because he had those looks down. He had his mask side, and his true self. He had emotions that spanned more than just happy and disinterested. There were thoughts in his head that the audience could interpret. Same with Woo Jin, best example, when he realizes what he's done in bringing about the unhappiness of the girl he likes and his best friend.

I'll give it to the make-up/wardrobe department for doing the work towards the end to soften the characters. The different make-up techniques on the girls were noticed.
Using Prada for the FL is smart in that it is extremely structured and angled, but simple, classic and understated. *snaps*
I just wish we could have gotten a few more "relaxed" versions of the characters. There was a lot of what I like to call "over produced" scenes that should have been more intimate. We really didn't need the Michael Bay level break up scene...I swear I was waiting for an explosion to go off as she walked away. A lot of the cinematography was flash over substance imo. It's one of the things I notice the most in any production. A lot of the show felt more like an ott music video(which is how Michael Bay got his start as a director) than an actual human story.

We also never got to really see Kang Ha's personal space. Everyone else's rooms were over the top or cold and impersonal. It just all felt so...fake. I know that that was the intent for some of the set design, but there was little to no contrast and it all just felt the same person decorated multiple locations. The only space that sort of showed the personality of any of the characters was Woo Jin's studio.
We should have been shown a home at some point, what we got were show rooms.

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Expectations Verse Reality

First let me preface this review by saying that I liked and enjoyed this drama. There were many things that I love(d) about watching this adaptation. Frist and foremost, the performances by Bai Jing Ting and Shang Ruo Nan as Sang Yan and Wen Yi Fan(Wen Shuang Jiang) respectively were amazing and should be praised. Not only did their physical appearance, wardrobe, and over all styling match the characters, but the emotions that they conveyed matched that of Sang Yan and Wen Yi Fan. The only time it didn't match were when the writer-director deviated from the source material for in my opinion, fan service. More on this later in my review.

I liked the balance that was kept throughout the show of both mains' perspectives being shown. There were certain aspects to Sang Yan's character that were sprinkled in early on that would pay off much later in the drama, just like it did in the novel. There were even a few things that they held off on revealing until a bit later in the drama than in the original source material which I feel worked better.

Shang Ruo Nan really understood Wen Yi Fan's shyness, curiosity, hesitance…and her innocence down. A thing that a lot of people seem to forget is that Yi Fan had to grow up very fast, very suddenly. But with that speed run to adulthood she skipped over a lot of other milestones someone in their late teens and early twenties would experience. She only ever got to experience unconditional love from two people, and both left her early. The one left remaining who was supposed to love her unconditionally then made her feel unlovable/unworthy of unconditional love and care. So the slower pace of the drama lent to the slow progression of Yi Fan coming out of her shell.
Only critique I have is that they didn't hire someone who knows ballet to get Shang Ruo Nan's posture down. So imo it doesn't so much fall on the actress, but production. They could have easily used a foot double for close ups and done medium shots with Shang Ruo Nan...which there were many, but she never held her chest or arms correctly for someone trained in en pointe ballet. A real missed opportunity, imo, for showing Wen Yi Fan's inner world would have been showing her breaking in her pointe shoes, showing her mending the last few pairs she was able to get before her mother cut her off. An example of this filming technique can be found in the movie 'Center Stage' if you are a dancer, chances are you know exactly which scene I'm referring to. I don't think you realized how many and and how expensive pointe ballet shoes are. They come in many sizes and variations and it is extremely important to have pairs that fit you. A professional dancer can go through a pair within less than a week. Also one does not simple jump back into en pointe after 6 years of zero dancing...good way to never walk again. her shoes should have looked more worn and shown her personal touch. They felt sterile and like they just came out of a box.

The director is good at filming the darker in mood scenes. So most of the sleepwalking and trauma related flashbacks. The use of light within the apartment was well done. Using softer practical lights to show warmth and a sense of comfort. He also excels at young love/innocent crush type of casual scenes. Their high school flashback scenes were some of the best shot of the entire series. The color grading was ever so slightly different and I preferred his use of water/reflections during these scenes.

Okay…now to the things that I had some issues with. Leave now if you either already watched the show and don't want anything to pop that bliss bubble, or if you haven't watched the show and have never read the source material/seen Hidden Love. Go watch the drama and form your own opinion. If you start feeling a certain kind of way, by all means revisit this review. I don't want to yuck someone's yum, but a review/critique can sometimes feel like an attack if you aren't ready to hear a different POV.

My expectations were too high for this one, and I was left feeling somewhat disappointed in production(the team that adapts the material aka the bts people). I have a deep love for this story and these characters, and have an eye for production quality that will affect my overall viewing of a drama. I have a background in photography and my special interest is film & television. I'm harsher on this project because it was an extremely sought after IP with a pretty high budget behind it, as well as a great cast.

The story changes made throughout the drama were sometimes strange and other times outright nonsensical. To their credit, some of the changes were well executed and performed, leaving a lasting impression on the viewer.
But, to choose to add more depressing/traumatic things was a strange choice. The side stories they chose to include in a drama that already had a very heavy subject matter at its core tipped what was once a well-balanced melo-romance too far into the melo side of things.

If they wanted to expand the runtime they could have shown more of Sang Yan's inner world outside of Wen Yi Fan. Instead what we got were their friends dealing with a dementia grandpa and a dead dog. We didn't need parallels drawn for us with characters that didn't exist in the source material, that only slowed down the story. Sang Yan and Yi Fan's story was enough for the drama. We did not need a rich orphan with a dead dog and grandparents losing their mind and their love for each other to cut into character development happening with the lead couple/characters. Any other show I would have eaten it up and said thank you, but not in The First Frost.

I don't think this director really understands romantic romance, which is odd, considering he directed the Taiwanese version of It Started With a Kiss/They Kiss Again. He can do suspense and melodrama, but the tension and lightness that comes with love/attraction was lacking in the camera language used. He could do the sadness, but the happiness felt...surface level. (Other than that amazing scene where they used in camera practical projection of images on Wen Yi Fan in her bedroom.)

There were a lot of missed opportunities when it came to filming/editing detail shots. If you've ever watched a slow burn before it's all in the small hand movements, breath, slight dilation of the eyes/nose, getting an intentional medium to close shot of those moments ad weight to a scene that gives anticipation/tension. When those shots did exists some of them were cut short. Messing with the frame rate could have helped as well.

Some of the better moments were them in high school....which would make since with the whole It Started With a Kiss background. When Wen Yi Fan is pursuing Sang Yan very little of her fumbling attempts at flirting were shown. It's a good chunk of the novel and was glazed over in favor of dementia grandpa troubles.

Once they are together in the novel Yi Fan is a very physically affectionate person. She doesn't like it when he carries everything for her because it means he doesn't have a free hand for her to hold onto. THIS was a side of Yi Fan that was missing from this director's screenplay. We only see her like this when she's drunk after the wedding. She will get a look of frustration when she isn't able to express her affection well that Sang Yan finds adorable. We see a little of this in the drama, but they didn't lean into it as I feel they could have.

Major changes to source material that changes the characterizations of Sang Yan and Wen Yi Fan as people….

I mentioned this in the comment section when it happened the first time, but it needs to be said again. I don’t know why they chose to do this, and have only come to the conclusion that they wanted to give fan service to Hidden Love fans, which is weird because it's different actors so no one would honestly care if they do or do not show up on screen. But to include Duan Jia Xu into present day Sang Yan's life prior to the summer Sang Yan visits his sister is…wild for multiple reasons the glaringly obvious one is having him be half naked in Wen Yi Fan's apartment without permission.
Sang Yan was the one to make the house rules so that Wen Yi Fan could feel safe and comfortable. There is no way on god's green earth that Sang Yan, protector of Wen Yi Fan would let a MAN into their shared apartment WITHOUT HER KNOWLEDGE. All production had to do to rectify this is to show that Sang Yan texted her that his friend was coming over, she could have been busy at work and forgot that she had agreed and THEN run into Duan Jai Xu outside the bathroom. Wen Yi Fan did not need to be surprised multiple times by a strange half-dressed wet man in her private space. She also never would have allowed the intern into her apartment. And the flasher when she met the intern never existed…why are we adding more unwanted interactions with strange men? It became gratuitous.

Another issue with the changes were that of Che Xing De. Instead of him being a drunk brother of her aunt that moved in with them because he couldn't hold down a job, in the drama the apartment became HIS. Instead of being the drunk driver that she reports on late one night, he's just a passenger in the car and then later becomes the security guard for her TV station's building....I'm sorry...what was the reason? It was like the director needed him to be more than just a deadbeat man. The whole point was that even a deadbeat drunk had more power than a helpless teenage girl whose mother abandoned her. They gave the villain more power at the expense of taking agency from the female lead. Instead of being a drunk, loitering outside her office building extort money and then robbing her, he became employed by her company with access to the building she works in late at night....do yall see why this logic does not work?....He had access to the building that she works in, alone, and never acted on it.....she had knowledge of is past behavior and is a reporter and said NOTHING to her co-workers or bosses about the predator "protecting" the building. Wen Yi Fan would NEVER. She might have been a private person, but if he wasn't just a bum harassing her 100% would have told someone else.

And for the largest change to the source material, we come to episode 24-27. In the novel Sang Yan and Yi Fan get into an argument, a small one, right before he leaves for the airport to visit Zhi Zhi in Yihe, leaving his luggage in the car and leaving the car behind for Yi Fan to use. Two days later...a whole 48 hours...Yi Fan has taken 3 days of leave from work and shows up at the airport in Yihe. Sang Yan runs into her at the airport after getting worried when she doesn't answer his call and having decided to fly back early to check on her. SHE GOES TO HIM IN LESS THAN 48 HOURS. She doesn't respond to his texts for a few hours and he gets worried enough to head home from across the country. They NEVER stop communicating once they are together.

So tell me, dear reader, why oh, why did the director decide to change this to Wen Yi Fan ghosting not only Sang Yan, but her friends, colleagues, and CAT, to go off to Hong Kong for 6 MONTHs? And the ONLY reason it wasn't MORE than 6 months was because she gets spotted by her childhood friend and then gets hunted down by her best friend's rich boyfriend....again...WTF?

They made Wen Yi Fan way more passive than she is in the source material to uplift other male characters…it was a strange choice for a show centered on a woman's struggles and journey to self-love and being able to accept other's love.


I just feel like the director was trying to do a lot of things filming technique wise, but didn't really execute them well. Certain filming techniques were like watching a first year film student test out their camera equipment for the first time and over doing it. I know that sounds very harsh, but to film so many scenes in the exact same manner i.e. through a pane of glass, a mirror, having a lens flare or object out of focus in the foreground while focusing on the background repeatedly when trying to portray different moods was imo a bad use of film language. (please look at Film 'Making Basics: Everything you need to know in 8 minutes' by Alfie Vaughan) It will give you the basics of what I've been looking at when watching shows and may help you understand why I am the way I am. It's not very in depth but yeah.

Anyway, to finish off this very long review. I did have an overall positive viewing experience, but it just didn't meet my expectations for an adaptation of a slow burn romance with it's budget behind it.

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Exceeds Expectations

First time writing a review before finishing a show. I will hopefully remember to come back and update this once I've finished it. But I had left the below in the comment section and someone requested I add it to the review section. The star scores are NOT my final thoughts I just had to put something to submit the review...They will most likely change later on.

Okay, so I've given the show a shot, and am pleasantly surprised. I had mentioned the other day in the comments that this genre wasn't really my favorite for various reasons, but I've finished episode 5 and so far none of my major issues with XianXia(shout out to Nina for helping me understand the different genres) productions has come up.

The color grading is natural and people have individual skin tones that don't look overblown(whitewashed by lighting/post production editing). The sets are mostly practical and feel grounded in a real world rather than a floating space rock in rainbow nothingness. The skies have depth and texture to them; properly conveying tension within action scenes. They also utilize atmosphere(light smoke to give depth within a camera. Trust that without it shots feel "off".)
The make-up isn't too over the top for the main leads & the hair is dynamic and changes from time to time.

There was a lot of exposition to get through in that first episode but they kept it interesting. Their use of montage to show her growing up in the village was top tier. The animation to live-action intro was interesting and well done.

The cinematography is thoughtful, but not overdone. Sometimes this genre has very over exaggerated zoom ins on characters as they squint at something. This one doesn't do that. Because they are using the same studio that everyone and their mother uses I can say with certainty that the set dressers have done amazing work. The places feel lived in and cared for. There are no large empty rooms that cheapen the look. There is practical use of sunlight for a lot of scenes, so snaps for that. They are following action film rules which is nice. Pretty much, when they cut from one shot to another during a fight, the action is taking place in the same point within the frame and not jumping around. They linger on expressions/moments to convey internal emotions. The camera angles make moments feel intimate instead of making it feel like two actors on a large set.

Overall I'm enjoying the show. The production has done an amazing job grounding the fantastical elements with real world objects and practical effects. The visual effects aren't the very best I've ever seen, but for a tv show...they are some of the best.

I think I'll continue watching.

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