A DRAMA TO BE WATCHED DURING WINTER, IF YOU MAY
Sang Yan. Sang Yan. Sang Yan. And I’m going to say it again: Sang Yan!!
I went into The First Frost expecting to like it, but I did not expect to feel THIS much. I absolutely loved the story, loved the writing, and honestly, I love the writer for giving us a story filled with so much yearning, emotional complexity, and characters that actually feel like people.
And of course, Bai Jingting and Zhang Ruonan were phenomenal. I already love Bai Jingting, but Sang Yan?? The man that you are!! The way he carried that character—the longing, the restraint, the tenderness, the things left unsaid—was just incredible. His acting made Sang Yan's yearning feel almost tangible.
And Ruonan was equally amazing. She was phenomenal in her role. You could feel Wen Yifan's pain through her acting, even in moments where she didn't say much. Her expressions and little changes in emotion did so much of the storytelling. Bai Jingting and Zhang Ruonan had such a strong emotional connection that their scenes could absolutely destroy me.
Miaoyi and Edward were great in their roles too, but honestly, so was everyone else. The supporting cast really added to the story rather than just existing around the leads. Each character felt like they had their own personality and purpose.
And I HAVE to talk about Yifan.
I actually really liked how her character was written. I know some people dislike her, but honestly, I think anyone who hates her simply because she isn't an effortlessly cute, cheerful, perfectly agreeable female lead is missing the point of her character. Female characters don't always have to be cute or easy to like. Yifan is complicated. She's flawed, emotionally guarded, sometimes frustrating, and carrying a lot of pain—and that's exactly what makes her interesting.
I appreciate that the writer allowed her to be a complex female character instead of forcing her into a stereotypical lovable heroine mold. Her characterization made sense to me, and Ruonan's performance made it even better.
But let's be serious.
SANG YAN.
The yearning.
THE YEARNING.
This man spent so much time carrying feelings that he couldn't simply put into words, and Bai Jingting somehow managed to communicate all of that through his acting. There were moments where I genuinely wanted to reach through the screen and comfor him.
Sang Yan, the man that you are.
And somehow this drama decided that making me emotionally devastated wasn't enough—it had to make me cry repeatedly while I was in the middle of my exams. I was supposed to be studying. Instead, I was sitting there emotionally destroyed over fictional people. (I still got 95%, so it was very worth it!!)
So yes, I loved the story. I loved the writing. I loved the characters. I loved the acting. I loved the emotional depth.
And most importantly:
SANG YAN.
10/10 for the yearning.
10/10 for Bai Jingting.
10/10 for Zhang Ruonan.
10/10 for making me cry during exams.
Sang Yan, you will never not be the norm.
I went into The First Frost expecting to like it, but I did not expect to feel THIS much. I absolutely loved the story, loved the writing, and honestly, I love the writer for giving us a story filled with so much yearning, emotional complexity, and characters that actually feel like people.
And of course, Bai Jingting and Zhang Ruonan were phenomenal. I already love Bai Jingting, but Sang Yan?? The man that you are!! The way he carried that character—the longing, the restraint, the tenderness, the things left unsaid—was just incredible. His acting made Sang Yan's yearning feel almost tangible.
And Ruonan was equally amazing. She was phenomenal in her role. You could feel Wen Yifan's pain through her acting, even in moments where she didn't say much. Her expressions and little changes in emotion did so much of the storytelling. Bai Jingting and Zhang Ruonan had such a strong emotional connection that their scenes could absolutely destroy me.
Miaoyi and Edward were great in their roles too, but honestly, so was everyone else. The supporting cast really added to the story rather than just existing around the leads. Each character felt like they had their own personality and purpose.
And I HAVE to talk about Yifan.
I actually really liked how her character was written. I know some people dislike her, but honestly, I think anyone who hates her simply because she isn't an effortlessly cute, cheerful, perfectly agreeable female lead is missing the point of her character. Female characters don't always have to be cute or easy to like. Yifan is complicated. She's flawed, emotionally guarded, sometimes frustrating, and carrying a lot of pain—and that's exactly what makes her interesting.
I appreciate that the writer allowed her to be a complex female character instead of forcing her into a stereotypical lovable heroine mold. Her characterization made sense to me, and Ruonan's performance made it even better.
But let's be serious.
SANG YAN.
The yearning.
THE YEARNING.
This man spent so much time carrying feelings that he couldn't simply put into words, and Bai Jingting somehow managed to communicate all of that through his acting. There were moments where I genuinely wanted to reach through the screen and comfor him.
Sang Yan, the man that you are.
And somehow this drama decided that making me emotionally devastated wasn't enough—it had to make me cry repeatedly while I was in the middle of my exams. I was supposed to be studying. Instead, I was sitting there emotionally destroyed over fictional people. (I still got 95%, so it was very worth it!!)
So yes, I loved the story. I loved the writing. I loved the characters. I loved the acting. I loved the emotional depth.
And most importantly:
SANG YAN.
10/10 for the yearning.
10/10 for Bai Jingting.
10/10 for Zhang Ruonan.
10/10 for making me cry during exams.
Sang Yan, you will never not be the norm.
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