WOW...hard to come up with adequate words!
If you are a fan of incredible storytelling, complex characters, amazing acting and a beautiful OST, this is the drama for you. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!It's been several months since I finished watching for the first time. Absolutely blown away, I rewatched it immediately. Then I found the book online and read it -- twice. And then I rewatched The First Frost again. Since then, I've tried to get into other dramas but none have the pull of The First Frost. Seriously, I compare every story to this one, every character to those in this one, every soundtrack to this one.
This is the most beautiful story and best acted and cinematically shot drama I've seen (and I've seen a lot). It gets deep into your soul to give you something to think about and ponder when you're not watching. It's really that good.
My only complaint is that the writers got sidetracked by the 2nd couple's story and that part (and ONLY that part dragged for me. Compared to the main couple's story, how in the world could it compete???). On rewatch, I hate to admit I FF'd through any scenes with the grandparents in them. It in no way affects this beautiful story and probably shaved an hour or so off of rewatch time.
WenYiFang and Sang Yan live rent free in my head and I'm more than okay with that!
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The plot, dialogues, backstory, everything was perfect.
Both of them, especially Zhang Ruonan, carried this drama till the end. I’m still amazed by how talented she is at portraying Wen Yifan as both vulnerable and strong at the same time.
The sleepwalking scene was hard to watch, especially knowing what she went through behind closed door.
Her mother was cruel and selfish. After everything, she still expected WYF to accept her like nothing happened.
I also fell in love with BJT’s talent and his chemistry with the female lead. Sangyan is loyal and caring. He never forces her to open up until she’s ready.
However,
The grandpa subplot felt unnecessarily long and a bit annoying. I’m okay with the second couple though, they were cute.
I will definitely visit this drama again in the future.
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Worth the tears, bring the tissues- Sister to Hidden Love
It took me a while to start this drama, something told me to hold off. I binged and dropped many dramas of various genres before I came back to this title. I found out that this was the big sister to Hidden Love which I highly enjoyed and then began appreciating this drama even more. This drama is profound, not a casual watch. It is emotionally charged from the beginning and it brings you in, wanting to know more. The longing glances, the hurt expressions, the twinkling eyes, the subtle changes in the background music, or different lighting and camera angles... The whole crew did an amazing job. As my roommate said upon sitting for 5 minutes to watch it as tears streamed down my face "Man! This is freaking good. I'm getting emotional and I'm not even invested!"If you are looking for a drama without contrived drama, if you understand that not everyone loves the same, if you are okay with exploring heavy topics in an emotionally raw fashion, if you love to see justice served but not without the injury first, if you love to see two people find, grow and love each other through it all then this may be the drama for you.
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This review may contain spoilers
Green flags don't have to be boring. Here's proof.
This modern romance drama has my whole heart. There. That's the review.O, right...I need to add more to persuade you to watch this as well.
Let the men in your life know that this is what we mean when we say we need them to be a green flag. Carrying a torch for years and years, while never crossing he line, staying in her life (either seen or unseen) and making sure she is ok and protected. And when he finally meets her after a long time apart, he remains the calm, but strong force she needs. Giving her a shoulder, a home. Never pushing her boundaries, never expecting anything from her but to be herself.
All this while never really hiding his feelings, but in a way that is totally safe. He is passionate though, and we can see how he craves to be closer. But he never lays that on her. He cherishes her completely, supprting her in whatever she wants to do. Not one of us deserves such a man.
In the meantime, our girl is working through STUFF. Bad stuff. Traumatizing stuff. But she hides it all, to the point she leaves once again to not be a burden to him. Because that's how she has been treated all her life. As a burden. To her mother, her aunt and uncle, her teachers, her employers... No wonder she just wants to disappear. When she finally decides she will no longer be played or afraid, she takes the control back and has the courage to love our man like he deserves (As does she, btw!)
The best thing in this drama is that in all 32 episodes, it never gets boring. The pace varies, but even in the slow-paced parts it's still completely captivating. This is mostly thanks to the sub-plots and side characters, which are all equally well written and wonderful. The dialogues are chef's kiss, there's humor, drama, cuteness and passion. Nothing NC, but great kisses and a lot of them.
Go watch! Now!
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worth watching. a slow burn but story filled with so much love
this has to be one of my very loved dramas. the way sang yan yearned and wen yi fan who doesn't want to burden others and find ways to protect herself. can feel a bit slow and repetitive with the sleep walks but the built up of their love story was so well connected, that the ending was just perfect. so much emotions and love for the drama. I loved all the characters but tbh didn't give much thought to the support character's love line much.Was this review helpful to you?
Overhyped, hollow performances, plot in service of visuals
I know I'm in the minority here, but aside from a fantastic OST, this drama was an empty, paint-by-the-numbers affair, very one-dimensional. It honestly felt like a bunch of fan serviced slapped together with some trauma in between to glue everything together. The entire thing felt formulaic, like they took all the pieces that people fangirl about on tiktok - a gorgeous lead couple, a cute second lead couple, a FL with a tragic backstory, a ML who is a 100% green flag coded - and tossed it into a pot and said "ta da!".And the chemistry, or lack thereof: I know everyone thinks the chemistry was insane between the main leads but to me it all fell really flat. The FL is adorable. the ML is cute. There are lots of scenes that should have been chemistrying, but the screenwriters didn't do the work to build the ML up as a person beyond his long-time crush on the FL, so none of the yearning, the self-sacrifice, and the sweet scenes feel earned. And what's more, the way the scenes were constructed was so obvious and clumsily executed that there was no charm. No "movie magic". Just two very pretty people going through the paces.
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It got boring due to many filler content
First of all to start off, I didnt really like the main characters. The female lead was very weak and ran off elsewhere instead of communicating with the male lead for once. She had her reasons during the first time since she was very young, but wdym ur going away to protect the ML during the second time also?? Like ur the person who needs protection not the ML. I really hate this self-sacrificing nature of characters. Sometimes u need to be a bit selfish.And the ML, he was a stalker basically. In the last 2 episodes this hypothesis was cemented coz wdym he went around following her everywhere even in yihe when the FL clearly told she didnt want to see him?? Even during the school days he was relentlessly following her around everywhere even when she asked him to stop multiple times. STALKER PRO MAX. And some of the dialogue in this drama is so unrealistic but hey thats why its fiction lol. Anyway I was struggling to finish after like EP 21. WOuld not rewatch but the music in this drama is so so amazing, they are in my favourites.
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For a sequel to hidden love it was a lot harder. Watch.
I liked it, but I didn’t love it and I really wanted to.The cast is fantastic. The story is amazing as it’s essentially a sequel to my favourite hidden Love.. would’ve been nice if it was the same cast however I understand the reasons for the change.
Though it was good, it was excruciatingly slow moving.
At times I was frustrated by her lack of communication, even though I knew the reasons why it was like pulling teeth watching her squirm and not say anything.
I didn’t like her reasons for leaving and breaking the man she loves heart.
The FL mother was a total disgrace and I’m glad they didn’t try and do some weird redemption arc for her after she abandoned her when she was nearly raped by her sister-in-law‘s son. She would have to live with the guilt for the rest of her life and I felt a sense of satisfaction with that.
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A slow-burning healing tale of unconditional love—If that bores you, move on silently.
It unfolds quietly and thoughtfully, asking for patience—but those who stay are met with a deeply felt emotional resonance. Viewers drawn to gradual romance, inward journeys, and stories of healing will find it rewarding. Those seeking brisk storytelling or breezy entertainment, however, may find it dense and unhurried.Direction & production quality is another level. Director literally blended past and present & kept a leeway for the future. I read the novel, only shortcoming I felt is that, when it comes to the drama, the female lead become little bit more dependent on male lead.
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Slowburn at it's finest
I am a huge fan of the webtoon so obviously i wanted to watched the adaptation. I feel this was done beautifully. Although the webtoon is still ongoing i think i like how they took things in the drama. Sang Yan has been my crush since secret love webtoon. Yes we have Duan Jia Shu but Sang Yan was my bias. When i read the novel and got to know more about him. I was in love.The entire drama is just beautiful. I don't think my words can express how deep, beautiful and peaceful their love is. It's like this soft warm hug. I cried a lot but I'm happy everyone is happy. Do watch it don't miss out on this.
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To be loved is to be known
I loved this story.From the first meeting to his last breath ML craved FL's attention / time / love. He enjoys and supports her for who she is, accepts her rights and wrongs, never strays. Oh, to be loved like that is a dream. I wish there were more men like this one, with similar values.
FL is a hurt girl who gets better and stronger as the story progresses. I feel like all her hardships are rewarded with our ML. You lose some, you get some, that's life, yeah?
Great slow burn romance 💖
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I cried so much in the end
This drama touched my heart in the quietest, most beautiful way. It’s all about unspoken feelings, timing, and emotional maturity. The kind of love that never really disappears, even after years apart.The slow burn here is perfect. No rush, no forced drama — just two people slowly finding their way back to each other. The male lead’s quiet devotion and the emotional vulnerability of the female lead made the romance feel incredibly real.
It’s gentle, warm, and deeply comforting — the kind of drama that makes you feel calm and emotional at the same time.
Love Love love the ML
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