Fans of Hidden Love anticipated a lighthearted romance with the announcement of its spin-off, The First Frost. However, the series turned out to be a mature exploration of love and longing, tackling complex themes such as trauma, sexual assault, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The Chinese drama, starring Bai Jingting and Zhao Ruonan, is currently streaming on Netflix and Youku, with 12 episodes released since its premiere.
Based on the novel by Zho Yi, whose work was previously adapted into the hit C-drama Hidden Love, The First Frost has garnered attention from fans worldwide. While director Chu Yu Ning has largely succeeded in adapting the novel, some fans of the book and Hidden Love have expressed disappointment, criticizing the perceived 'victimisation' of the female lead, Wen Yifan, portrayed by Zhao Ruonan. Following the backlash, some controversial scenes from the C-drama have been deleted.
The First Frost tells the story of Sang Yan (Bai Jingting) and Wen Yifan, who initially meet in high school, only to be separated when Yifan abruptly bids Yan a tearful farewell. The two had previously promised each other to attend college together after being prohibited from pursuing an early romance. Years later, they reunite under unexpected circumstances and are forced to share a house together.
Sang Yan, still grappling with the aftermath of his unrequited love, finds ways to comfort Yifan, who he knows has been through traumatic events and continues to struggle with her inner demons due to the same. Yifan, meanwhile, puts her feelings on the back burner, prioritizing her work and often finding herself unable to express her true feelings.
The C-drama is a poignant exploration of love and longing and how trauma can make one undermine their self. It's a story of modern romance, but beyond that, it's also a stark reminder that love alone isn't enough to heal deep-seated trauma.
Fans of Hidden Love and the Chinese novel have expressed their disappointment with the makers of the new C-drama, alleging that too many changes have been made to the original story, highlighting how Yifan is a strong-willed woman in the novel, but in the C-drama she is portrayed as a victim.
A Chinese creator recently took to Instagram to share a video about the same, sharing how the makers have been deleting some controversial scenes after the backlash. The backlash reportedly stems from the perceived victimisation of the female character, who the creator says go through an 'unreasonable amount of harassment' from her relatives, roommates, and random people on the street, a plot that didn't exist in the novel. As per the book, she is supposed to be a 'strong, calm, smart, independent' woman, given that she is a reporter.
The creator further argued that the makers do not need to show a character going through harassment in every episode to prove that she is deserving of love, alleging that the focus has become too 'tilted'.
The post added that it was due to the strong and independent female lead the novel gained popularity in China among young girls; however, as the drama takes creative liberity from the original body of work, which has concerned fans. After the backlash, the makers have reportedly removed the objectionable scenes.
The backlash sparked a debate in the comments section, with some viewers defending the director's creative choices. They argued that not every character needs to be portrayed as a ray of sunshine and that the deviation from the original work allowed for a thought-provoking exploration of sensitive topics like trauma and harassment.
What are your thoughts on The First Frost makers taking creative liberties to highlight pressing issues like trauma and harassment? Do you think it enhances the story or deviates too much from the original? Share your opinions!
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