Reviews

A Tender Drama That Leaves a Lasting Impression

A historical Chinese romance that blends palace intrigue, revenge, political strategy, and a slow-burn love story.
✅What works well
◍Strong female lead: Ye Li is intelligent, calm, and resourceful rather than relying on luck or clichés. Her quest for revenge is balanced by emotional depth, making her one of the drama's biggest strengths.
◍Complex romance: The relationship begins as a political marriage between two wounded people who slowly learn to love each other. Their romance feels earned through shared hardships rather than instant attraction.
◍Political intrigue: Court conspiracies, succession struggles, and strategic maneuvering give the story substance beyond romance. The revenge plot unfolds through intelligence and planning rather than constant action.
◍High production quality: The costumes, sets, and cinematography create an elegant historical atmosphere that suits the story.
◍Music/OSTs: The music in **The First Jasmine** is elegant, emotional, and perfectly complements the historical setting. The orchestral score and traditional Chinese instruments enhance both the romantic and dramatic moments without overpowering the story. Overall, the soundtrack is memorable and helps deepen the emotional impact of the series.
❎Weaknesses
◍I feel like they didn't fully utilize some of the characters. They had the potential to play much more important roles in the story, but their characters ended up being wasted.
◍Towards the ending episodes, it felt like they had cut a lot of scenes. For example, in the last episode, just when Ye Li was about to kiss Mo Xiu Yao, the scene was cut. The fight between Mo Xiu Yao and Mo Jingli also felt heavily edited, as if several parts were removed.
👩🏻Actresses👨🏻Actors/ Characters
◍Bai Lu was incredible in this drama. I was already a big fan of hers, but this drama made me appreciate her acting on a much deeper level. Her character, Ye Li, was so complex and beautifully portrayed.Through Ye Li, I laughed, cried, celebrated her victories, and even felt satisfied when she got her revenge. And when she finally got her happy ending, I was genuinely happy for her. It really felt like I experienced all of her emotions and pain alongside her. 🥹💖
◍Ryan Cheng also did an incredible job. I'd already watched some of his previous dramas, so I was really happy to see him paired with Bai Lu. Their chemistry was amazing. 🥹✨His character was incredibly intense and carried so much grief on his shoulders. I loved watching him slowly let go of the pain, melt the ice around his heart, and gradually open up to and accept Ye Li. Their relationship developed so naturally, and it was one of my favorite parts of the drama. ❤️
◍Cai Zhengjie also did a great job. I'd seen him in a few mini-dramas before, so I was happy to see him in this role. However, I personally feel that they didn't make full use of his character, Mo Jingli. He had so much more potential, but the drama never fully explored it. At first, I really didn't like Mo Jingli, but as the story progressed, I actually started feeling sorry for him. He deserved so much more. Yes, he was a calculated person from childhood, but I believe his circumstances shaped him into that person. He wasn't born a villain—the situations he went through turned him into one. He lost his father, his position, the woman he loved, and in the end, even his life. And all of it happened because of one power-hungry Empress Dowager. Yes, he was wrong for killing innocent people and wasn't worthy of becoming emperor, but I still believe he at least deserved the chance to kill the Empress Dowager with his own hands.
◍I also feel like they wasted Han Mingxi's character. I was really looking forward to Lin Muran's performance because I'd seen him in *POJ*, where I absolutely loved his acting. Unfortunately, his character didn't get enough screen time or a meaningful storyline, which was quite disappointing.
◍Well, at first I didn't really like the emperor. I thought he wasn't worthy of the throne and even hoped someone else would become emperor. I also felt that he couldn't rule without relying on the Empress Dowager. But towards the end, he completely proved me wrong. He showed that he truly was worthy of the throne and had the qualities of a wise and capable emperor.
◍One thing I really didn't like was how they handled the Empress Dowager's ending. I wanted Ye Li to take her final revenge herself, but instead, they let the Empress Dowager die peacefully while feeling guilty. I really didn't understand why Ye Li suddenly became soft-hearted when it was finally time to kill her and complete her revenge. That part made no sense to me because almost everything that happened in the story was caused by that power-hungry Empress Dowager. After everything Ye Li had suffered because of her, I honestly felt the Empress Dowager deserved to face the consequences of her actions directly at Ye Li's hands.

💜Final verdict
The First Jasmine is best suited for viewers who enjoy intelligent protagonists, court politics, emotional character development, and romances built on trust and less misunderstandings. If you're expecting constant action, it may feel slow, but if you appreciate layered storytelling and character-driven historical dramas, it's one of the stronger Chinese costume dramas released this year.

Read More

When I started The First Jasmine, I expected a beautiful historical romance with a slow-burn relationship and plenty of emotional moments. While the drama certainly delivers all of that, what surprised me the most was how much depth it gave its characters. The biggest strength of the drama is undoubtedly A'Li. She is one of the strongest female leads I've watched this year—not because she is fearless or invincible, but because she feels incredibly human. Her past has left deep emotional scars, and the drama never tries to "fix" her overnight. Instead, it allows her healing to happen gradually, making every small step forward feel earned. Watching her slowly regain confidence, learn to trust again, and refuse to let her trauma define her was one of the most rewarding parts of the series.
A'Yao complements her perfectly. I really appreciated that his role wasn't simply to become her love interest. Yes, A'Li helps heal his injured leg, but in many ways, he is the one who helps heal her heart. He never tries to force her to move on or push her beyond her limits. Instead, he stays by her side with endless patience, quiet understanding, and unwavering support. Their relationship is built on trust rather than dramatic declarations of love, and I found that much more meaningful than many romances that rely on constant misunderstandings or exaggerated emotional scenes.

The chemistry between Bai Lu and Cheng Lei is simply wonderful. They don't need grand romantic gestures to convince you that these two characters belong together. A simple glance, a quiet conversation, or a shared moment of silence says more than pages of dialogue ever could. Their performances make the relationship feel natural, mature, and deeply comforting.

The supporting cast also deserves a lot of praise. While not every storyline received the ending I was hoping for, each character brought something meaningful to the overall narrative.
A'Ying, in particular, broke my heart. More than anything, I wished the drama had allowed her to find happiness through her own independence instead of tying so much of her journey to Mo Jingli. She had all the qualities needed to become an incredibly strong woman in her own right, which makes her story feel bittersweet.
Then there's Mo Jingli... probably one of the most frustrating yet fascinating characters in the drama. Mo Jingli never felt completely irredeemable. His obsession with Ye Li after marrying Ye Ying was undeniably unfair and often difficult to watch, but the drama also gives him enough emotional complexity to understand why he became the person he is. I didn't agree with many of his choices, but I could never bring myself to hate him completely. If I had to point out one weakness, it would be the final battle. After all the build-up leading to Mo Jingli's arrival in the capital, I expected a much larger and more impactful confrontation. Instead, the fighting sequences were surprisingly short, lasting less than a full episode. Considering how much tension had been built throughout the story, I would have loved to see more large-scale battle scenes and military strategy before the conflict was resolved. It felt like a missed opportunity, especially because the drama had done such a great job raising the stakes beforehand.

What I appreciated most, however, is that the drama never forgets its emotional core. Yes, there are political conspiracies, revenge plots, and palace intrigue, but at its heart, this is a story about healing. It reminds us that surviving trauma doesn't mean forgetting the past. Healing isn't about becoming the person you were before—it is about learning how to move forward while carrying your scars with you.
In conclusion , The First Jasmine is much more than a historical romance. It is a beautifully acted, emotionally rich drama filled with memorable characters, meaningful relationships, and one of the most mature love stories I've seen in a long time.

Read More

YOO WHATS THIS KINKY SHIT ON MY SCREEN

Watched this drama like years ago so my memory is like hazy but the only thing I remember is like them being insanely annoying and the ML kinda rubbing off as obnoxious maybe cause I found the acting abit stiff but still the romantic scenes for some reason always came off as quite kinky like these 2 could js be making eye contact and it felt wrong to look like that was deffo an intimate moment. Also I hate that they make ML like this untouchable dude like cmon now he's like 22 bro does not know anything, he's barely an adult and this is actually a trend in many Cdramas - I need this trend to die like no uni student is that way les be honest with ourselves for a second. I know its just a drama but that's abit too unorthodox
Back to the main drama; they freaky like too freaky call me a prude idgaf it was always too intimate for a romcom Cdrama

Read More

Very cute Kdrama but some people need to be shot in the face

The whole plot is q basic Kdrama like FL gets cheated on by her bf with her bsf, goes through major transformation and falls in love with the guy who helped her along the way... ok like that's fine its a cute tried and tested plot that works well BUT WHY THE FK IS THERE AN ARC FOR THE BESTFRIEND AND THE EX BF like I actually dont care if you were fat and bullied and sad like I dont give an actual fk that's not a reason to seduce your best friends boyfriend of 10 years and like the boyfriend how the fk are you going to cheat on your girlfriend of 10 yrs that has been by your side for genuinely everything you ugly sack piece of shit and IM SUPPOSED TO FEEL EMPATHY FOR THEM ?????? these 2 could get into a plane crash then a car crash back to back and Id still not give a fk abt them. Im not feeling any empathy for cheaters and traitors especially when they are the closest people to the person hurt. ruined the other than sweet ending for me

Read More

ABSOLUTE BL NO NOTES

this is the best fluffy no angst sweetest BL I've watched in my life. its actually everything good in life wrapped in one cute adorable bl. Omg the ML is genuinely the cutest person ever I love how expressive he is in his face like it's perfect for every scene and emotion. The whole mix-up to me was actually so cute as well like I love how the mix-up was not dragged out for too long and that FL and ML ended up being really supportive of each other. The actual best drama to watch for only happy vibes like if I was on the verge of a breakdown im watching this to get my mood back up. AMAZING CINEMA 10/10 KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK

Read More

mixed feelings ...

It didn't turn out to be as what I expected , I thought this was going to be this fast paced strong revenge drama , yet what they gave us was a rather slow paced drama which tried to tackle many ideas at once and somehow each one turned out to be a bit unsatisfying for me .
so first of all the acting was superb , but the plot didn't serve the drama that much , this drama focused on many plot lines at once which was annoying at sometimes given the fact that I was mainly interested in mo xiuyao and ye li story and with all those storylines it felt dragged for me , ye li knowing medicine , martial arts and basically everything to get the ML out of trouble was quite annoying it felt like a loophole to fix any obstacle they faced .
I hated the whole mo jingli arc like he was so annoying and he wanted it all he wanted the throne and ye li even after he betrayed lishan academy, ye li was married and he himself was married to her step sister , he just got on my nerves .

cangbei princess was killed and they forgot about her ?? like they gave no explanation to the other nation or anything and her maid what was she trying to seek revenge from mo xiuyao for ? how would he have saved her when he himself needed saving ?? why would she call him her enemy like he wasn't the one to cause her to became a slave.

empress dowager after all she had done she got the easiest way out .
that has been said this drama definitely had its moments , from mo xiuyao getting closure for his brother and killed army and the emotional moments we got to know what happened at lishan academy.

this wasn't perfect but it desrves to give it a go.

Read More

great but I wish they stuck more to the webtoon

As a standalone drama it's actually q good and I really enjoyed the way they wrote the sister relationship like that was actually quite good and moved me a lil.
But I dislike that they changed the way she revealed her identity like the book and Seo-ha discovering is such a crucial/significant part of their whole relationship and they full on just ignored it :(
Also I think the casting was bit off for seoha like no shade to the actor but like that big ahh dude is not seoha les be honest rn
This dramas flaw is that it strayed away from its original work in a bad way and the casting could have been done better I genuinely think that if this was a standalone drama it would be much better received and appreciated

Read More

Unpopular opinion: A masterpiece of healing that easily outshines the hype of WIFTY

While everyone seems to be head over heels for When I Fly Towards You, I’m going to say it out loud: You Are Desire is on a completely different level.

What makes this drama superior is the incredible maturity of its narrative and the stellar chemistry between Zhou Yi Ran and Sabrina Zhuang. They don't just play a cute couple; they beautifully portray two deeply wounded individuals dealing with heavy trauma and severe family issues. The way their characters peel back their layers, confront their vulnerabilities, and slowly build an unshakeable, mutual trust is one of the most rewarding journeys I’ve ever watched in a youth drama. It’s raw, realistic, and deeply comforting.

Their dynamic was so electric and natural that I’m already experiencing withdrawal. I honestly cannot wait to see them reunite on screen in Destiny of Life (生命缘)—they have proven they can handle complex emotional depth together, and a medical setting will be the perfect playground for their talent!

Read More

When A Generation Born Into a dying Era

This is definitely one of the best things I’ve watched in my life, it’s so beautifully written and executed.
The way The drama started was enough for me to pick it up until the end

The drama has wars, battles, politics, world building etc

but what makes it so great is the overwhelming feeling that every character is living in a world that gets into chaos slowly each day

and it’s not your typical story where the hero will change the world one day and sets the order of things.., nah , it’s a story where a generation of people played their own part in a chaos world and chasing their dreams and aspirations while unknowingly moving closer to their own destruction

it’s epic and melancholic

The world is ancient and large which makes the story has constant a sense of uncertainty and danger

The political game in the story is an imitation of The late eastern Han dynasty and the beginning of the three kingdoms

where the empire is dying and all the warlords are trying to save it in their own way


there are many themes like ambition, desire, destiny, identity, cruelty

these shapes the characters and develop them each day

the idea that “youth and friendship is getting destroy over time” is so sad

The ending is controversial of course or to be exact it’s the last 10 episodes from 45-56
was rushed somehow and left me disappointed a little bit but that disappointment goes away when I learned that the drama finale is similar to the novel finale




“I missed it”

Read More