44
171
8
1
1
1
6
1
5
6
2
6
1
1
1
1
1
1
5
5
7
Comfort watch of small town life and Leads with good chemistry
Subjective Gut Rating: 8.25
“Dazzling” is a feel-good drama set in a beautiful and friendly seaside town. The drama is easy to watch, and won’t really raise your blood pressure much. The story is actually quite simple. High school student, Qing Ye, was forced to leave Beijing and moved to a rural town due a family emergency. She needs to get used to living a simple life and say goodbye to her spoiled, comfortable life in Beijing. There, she met the greenest of the green flags, Xing Wu, who has his own struggles.
Plot:
The plot is simple and quite predictable. This could be a comfort watch for you, or it could be a boring one because you can guess what’s going to happen next from a mile away. The pacing is OK, but it was a little slower in the middle. My biggest problem with the plot is that the debt problem seems to disappear abruptly, to make way for a happier life. Given how they struggled early on, I didn’t think the business could pay off all that debt with ML going back to school. But we gotta move on to go back to high school, so I guess the loan sharks need to step back. I also don’t think this drama really needs 30 episodes. Additionally, it could have been executed better if they had reduced the high school days episodes, and given the present-day timeline more time. “Dazzling” seems like a healing/feel-good slice-of-life drama, instead of a romantic comedy.
Romance
Guan Xiao Tong and Li Yun Rui have really good chemistry. I enjoyed their scenes together from beginning to the end. This is a slow-burn romance, even though you know they have feelings for each other. But drama veterans know Chinese dramas don’t let high school kids really date during high school days. That’s why, I was not surprised we have to wait till they become adults to see some action. Having said that, there are plenty of longing looks and shy sneaky glances throughout the drama, especially from our green flag male lead, Xing Wu. They have a lot of fun and quiet moments. Their conversations are filled with high school banter, yet mature words to deal with life's struggles. Xing Wu is quiet with his love but his actions speak VERY loudly. I quite enjoy the progression of their relationship from strangers not liking each other, to family, friends, and lovers. I do wish I could see their happy, dating moments sooner and witness more of those delicious and passionate kisses.
Characters
The strength of this drama is the characters in this small town. They women are strong and lovely! The whole cast is such a lovely bunch and they make me want to spend a week of vacation there. I love Aunty Li Lan Fang. She has a dead beat husband, but she lives her life in such open optimism. Grandma is also a national treasure. It’s no wonder Xing Qu grew up to be such a great guy, being showered with love by these two women in his life. The friendship between the 3 aunties is also lovely to see. They are so fun and I love them teasing each other. As for our leads, Xing Wu is a little too perfect and dreamy. How can a guy who has gone through such hardships be still so upstanding, loyal, protective, rational, mature, caring and just an all-around great guy? Luckily, I don’t find him to be boring. Li Yun Rui did a fantastic job, but I do have to say there’s no way he looks like a high school student. Guan Xiao Tong also was great as Qing Ye. Qing Ye was so insufferable in the first few episodes as this spoiled princess. But it’s understandable given the circumstances. She has also grown to be a very lovely independent woman. It is a little sad to see how both main leads have to grow up so fast and be so mature at such a young age. The friend group is supportive and fun.
Production
I was going to complain about the music in this drama, because there was a scene early on where the leads were arguing and happy music started playing loudly. But after that moment, I started to like the songs and found the lyrics to be quite appropriate in subsequent scenes. Now I have several songs on my Spotify playlist. They do have a few songs that they play quite often, even though I like them. I love the scenery of the sea, the beach, the light tower and the rural town. Even the simple house that the leads live in feels so homey and comfortable. I can imagine life in that small house.
“Dazzling” is a comfort watch and an easy binge for me. It does slow down a little bit in the middle but not slow enough for me to feel bored. I love all the characters in this drama and I root for all of them. It’s lovely to take a peek into this small town life. The leads have great chemistry and the acting is good. It might not surprise you with twists and turns, but there are enough moments to cheer you up and make you smile.
Drama Completed: 6/19/2026 Review #695
“Dazzling” is a feel-good drama set in a beautiful and friendly seaside town. The drama is easy to watch, and won’t really raise your blood pressure much. The story is actually quite simple. High school student, Qing Ye, was forced to leave Beijing and moved to a rural town due a family emergency. She needs to get used to living a simple life and say goodbye to her spoiled, comfortable life in Beijing. There, she met the greenest of the green flags, Xing Wu, who has his own struggles.
Plot:
The plot is simple and quite predictable. This could be a comfort watch for you, or it could be a boring one because you can guess what’s going to happen next from a mile away. The pacing is OK, but it was a little slower in the middle. My biggest problem with the plot is that the debt problem seems to disappear abruptly, to make way for a happier life. Given how they struggled early on, I didn’t think the business could pay off all that debt with ML going back to school. But we gotta move on to go back to high school, so I guess the loan sharks need to step back. I also don’t think this drama really needs 30 episodes. Additionally, it could have been executed better if they had reduced the high school days episodes, and given the present-day timeline more time. “Dazzling” seems like a healing/feel-good slice-of-life drama, instead of a romantic comedy.
Romance
Guan Xiao Tong and Li Yun Rui have really good chemistry. I enjoyed their scenes together from beginning to the end. This is a slow-burn romance, even though you know they have feelings for each other. But drama veterans know Chinese dramas don’t let high school kids really date during high school days. That’s why, I was not surprised we have to wait till they become adults to see some action. Having said that, there are plenty of longing looks and shy sneaky glances throughout the drama, especially from our green flag male lead, Xing Wu. They have a lot of fun and quiet moments. Their conversations are filled with high school banter, yet mature words to deal with life's struggles. Xing Wu is quiet with his love but his actions speak VERY loudly. I quite enjoy the progression of their relationship from strangers not liking each other, to family, friends, and lovers. I do wish I could see their happy, dating moments sooner and witness more of those delicious and passionate kisses.
Characters
The strength of this drama is the characters in this small town. They women are strong and lovely! The whole cast is such a lovely bunch and they make me want to spend a week of vacation there. I love Aunty Li Lan Fang. She has a dead beat husband, but she lives her life in such open optimism. Grandma is also a national treasure. It’s no wonder Xing Qu grew up to be such a great guy, being showered with love by these two women in his life. The friendship between the 3 aunties is also lovely to see. They are so fun and I love them teasing each other. As for our leads, Xing Wu is a little too perfect and dreamy. How can a guy who has gone through such hardships be still so upstanding, loyal, protective, rational, mature, caring and just an all-around great guy? Luckily, I don’t find him to be boring. Li Yun Rui did a fantastic job, but I do have to say there’s no way he looks like a high school student. Guan Xiao Tong also was great as Qing Ye. Qing Ye was so insufferable in the first few episodes as this spoiled princess. But it’s understandable given the circumstances. She has also grown to be a very lovely independent woman. It is a little sad to see how both main leads have to grow up so fast and be so mature at such a young age. The friend group is supportive and fun.
Production
I was going to complain about the music in this drama, because there was a scene early on where the leads were arguing and happy music started playing loudly. But after that moment, I started to like the songs and found the lyrics to be quite appropriate in subsequent scenes. Now I have several songs on my Spotify playlist. They do have a few songs that they play quite often, even though I like them. I love the scenery of the sea, the beach, the light tower and the rural town. Even the simple house that the leads live in feels so homey and comfortable. I can imagine life in that small house.
“Dazzling” is a comfort watch and an easy binge for me. It does slow down a little bit in the middle but not slow enough for me to feel bored. I love all the characters in this drama and I root for all of them. It’s lovely to take a peek into this small town life. The leads have great chemistry and the acting is good. It might not surprise you with twists and turns, but there are enough moments to cheer you up and make you smile.
Drama Completed: 6/19/2026 Review #695
Was this review helpful to you?
