Love Song in Winter (2024)

Nice mix of romance and mystery

I really enjoyed this drama, even though this drama has some angst, I think the romance was really well done, and the mix of mystery added an extra layer that kept me engaged. Watch out for some spoilers.

Romance: It's not a really angsty romance, even though there was a breakup or technically a break as they weren't official yet midway though, thus there was some angst, you always knew they would eventually make up. You know from the beginning no one else has a chance. And once they are together from 20 onwards, they are as solid as a rock. Some might say their romance is boring, but I enjoy romances that are peaceful and supportive, and that's exactly what they had. I really enjoyed their romance and think it was maturely done, with lots of support and cute/hot moments when they became official. Some say the FL has communication problems at the beginning, and yes I do agree, but I also understand why it was hard for her. Her experiences were definitely traumatic and hard for her to communicate with the ML. But once they were together, there communicated well and never kept secrets. If you enjoy supportive and mature romance I think this is the one for you, just wait till they are together, its a great relationship.

Mystery: The mystery added an extra element that keeps you guessing almost the whole way through. I think this balanced the peaceful romance from ep 20 onwards, as the focuses shifted more to the mystery. Some reviews said they did not see a lot of police work done at the beginning. That is true, but it takes maybe around 8-10 episodes for the mystery to really begin and that's when the police work starts coming into focus. In the end the "bad guy" was a predictable but the many layers of the mystery did keep it engaging. Finding out who's involved, what really happened and the motives, is what keeps this mystery engaging. But it does take time to really kick in so give it some time.

Overall, I really liked this drama and think it was a good blend of romance and mystery. It may not be for everyone and the start can be a bit slow, but if you stick with it I think it's quite engaging and the romance is endearing. It's not action packed or hot and sexy (although there are some hot scenes, one in particular) but if you're looking for a nice mix of romance and mystery, this is an enjoyable watch.

Read More

It was such a drag.

The story had too many twists and it just dragged on for too long that it made the ML along with the whole police force look incompetent. There were too many useless characters and scenes that could have been excluded. There were also too many unnecessary flashbacks. There were some funny scenes but it became too painful to watch as it became dull and repetitive. The only character developed here was the main antagonist who did a good job btw in his role. I wanted to drop this drama but opted to watch it on maximum speed just to finish it. I like Johnny Huang but he keeps on playing the same roles that it's making it difficult to watch his performance. The female lead's messy hair all throughout the show also bothered me. I mean, why would a doctor have unkempt hair?

Read More

Waste of time

wen peng screwed thats useless captain whole family and even kidnaps his lady from hospital and in this whole season the useless captain running like mouse here and there from cat, and that useless mouse even not able to protect his girl

i never seen such crying useless hero in a season . like his girl mom was in icu and he starts complaining oh i am useless like girls. go boy sit in your mama lap hahahaha

i wana write an essay on this useless season, a single guy made whole city police on the dance and the whole city police not able to captured a mad pig with such hifi advanced technology

in the last few episodes wen peng made useless hero 1000 times fool , i guess by birth that useless captain is fool
useless season

Read More

An unconvincing Winter tale

I decided to write my review about this Drama after my several efforts to convince myself to keep watching.

"Love Song in Winter" promised to be a thrilling mix of romance, mystery, and suspense, starring Johnny Huang(ML) and Sun Qian(FL). However, the drama falls flat in several areas, leaving viewers with more of a winter of discontent than the warm, engaging story it aimed for.

Plot and Pacing:

. The series starts with an intriguing premise; with a detective and an anesthesiologist reuniting after 8 years of breakup, they were entangled in a serial murder investigation and a past love story.
. However, the plot quickly becomes its own worst enemy.

.The pacing is off-kilter, with too much time spent on the rekindling romance which feels clichéd and lacks spark.
.The mystery aspect, which should have been a compelling backbone, is introduced with potential but then resolved in a manner that feels rushed and underwhelming.
.The narrative often meanders, losing focus on the central investigation, which leads to a disjointed viewing experience .

Character Development:

.The characters are perhaps the most disappointing element.
.Jiang Chengyi (ML) is supposed to embody the archetype of a dedicated detective, yet his portrayal is very incompetent and often lacks depth, with his professional life overshadowed by his pursuit and simp of Lu Yan(FL) who wants to be left alone.

.Lu Yan (FL), on the other hand, is an intriguing character with the best emotions, but the series fails to delve into her psychological or emotional journey caused by her dead friend.
. The supporting cast, including characters like Deng Man, are thinly written, serving more as plot devices than as individuals with their own narratives or growth arcs.

Romantic Elements:

. The central romance, meant to be the heart of "Love Song in Winter," is where the drama particularly stumbles.
. The chemistry between the leads feels forced, with their interactions often falling into predictable patterns.

. The drama falls in the trap of this tired "tropes" such as; constant coincidental meetings and misunderstandings, which do little to advance character relationships or emotional depth.
. The ML's incessant shadowing of the female lead who constantly disrespect and trashed him, comes off as implausible and detracts from the story's authenticity.

Production Quality:

. While visually "Love Song in Winter" has moments of beauty, capturing the essence of winter, the overall execution lacks the intensity needed for both the romantic and suspenseful elements.
. The direction sometimes fails to build suspense, and the background score or "love song" of the drama is forgettable, not enhancing the emotional or dramatic moments as it should.

Conclusion:

"Love Song in Winter" is a missed opportunity. It could have been a gripping tale of love, loss, and redemption against the backdrop of a chilling mystery. Instead, it's bogged down by predictable storytelling and lackluster character development with annoying ML who keep stalking and invading the privacy of the heroine who have rejected him multiple times.

For those seeking a nuanced drama where love and mystery intertwine effectively, this series might leave you feeling as cold as its titular season, and believe me, you will be pissed off with the incompetent and lover-boy ML.

Read More

A Love song of Mediocrity

I dropped this drama at ep. 28 for the following reasons:
1. Nothing was done right in this drama. The love story was bland, forced and awkward the murder mystery and its investigation was very sloppy. The thriller aspect was zero
2. ML and FL were were very strangely written characters. I question whether they should really be together. The FL has definitely psychological issues. She is like.a zombie. The ML comes across s being ambivalent towards the relationship. So there is no epic love story or strong bond here
3. The murder mystery is nothing bu mediocre. The cops investigating it do a half assed job. Somehow they can take their GFs to these investigative missions. And the GF aka FL can do things illegally like stalking and threatening people. There are other characters who can get away with anything and the cops are clueless
5. The FL has this ‘privilege’ wherein she does not need to explain any of her actions to anyone no matter what she does and oh yes god forbid if people get pissed off with her for that. Her character is just very self serving and she has this wall around herself that no one can penetrate. And she has her head in the sand- she does not know who is who around her, does not know anything about her so called best friends or who her real friends are. She never questions why the SML is trying to get close to her or what his motive is. Her character does not make any sense. And I don’t know how the ML could like her- no wonder he always had this puzzled, bewildered look on his face.
6. The ML was wrong when he moved next to her in the name of protection but the FL definitely encouraged a lot of his behavior. Why did she run all the way to the airport and make up with him just to dump him at the next given chance? He was quite respectful given everything I should say. It was almost like he was walking on eggshells around her . It is not very easy to live like that. The FL was the worst coward on earth as far as facing their relationship. She did not deserve that chance to get together with him before everything got sorted out. In real life this relationship would never sustain because there is a wall between them.
4. I have never watched such a mediocre show which is an insult to the romantic thriller genre
I blame the writers for giving us this half baked BS and wasting our time

Read More

Your generic cliched watch, dragged in the middle.

I am a sucker for police dramas and wanted to see Johnny Huang which is why I picked this up. However, the plot didn't plot, the romance was lukewarm, the continued angst got annoying and finally, the FL's acting was the final nail in the coffin. A big struggle to complete it.

The Police Work-
ML started off good at his job, I liked he was mostly rational and not just throwing hands like the typical macho police characters. But more rationality over emotions, mr detective, please! The process of unravelling the web was well done, and I was glad the other supporting police cast had their moments and were actually intelligent and contributed actively other than just sucking up to the main character. The lady professor was an interesting addition, she was smart, had good insights but little sort-of-romance tangent was completely unnecessary and just bogged her character down.

The Evil-
The final villain was predicatable, so the big reveal lost its steam. I was just about to appreciate his way of doing things as a master manipulator and his meticulous planning, but somehow he had a complete meltdown and towards the end, became stupid af. I get good > evil, but honestly if he had really tried, he may not have been caught at all. The scars of childhood abuse can manifest in horrific ways, and this was a good example of that. Though there's no excuse for the crimes, it added some depth. No sympathies for the mother either, you "searched" and "texted" after running away and laughing away with your new family was immensely selfish.

The Romance-
The little flashbacks were cute, but overall both looked awkaward with each other. Both the ML's and FL's line delivery fell flat at crucial moments. And in additional, the FL's one dimensional expressions did nothing for her character. They probably wanted to depict a growth arc with her overcoming her trauma, but it was abandoned midway and when picked up later, felt half assed.
All the damsel in distress situations at every turn got annoying quick, and the little I pine for you looks were blah.

P.S.- As far as supporting characters go, the BFF couple were the best, as both friends and a couple. Definitely added a little light to the story.

Read More

Not so Much Love but Winter

This was a decent Thriller, Mystery , Drama not so much Romance but decent couples and a buch of obsessed psychopaths here and there.

Our villains are okay portrayed one being a combination of Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone meets Saw with a dash of Him... The other just our everyday obsessed bully.

Our leads are of course purer than pure, sweeter than sweet okay they may have some imoure thoughts here and there but they do cater to the one and only deal and ignore all others no matter how much time passes etc. All done in a pretty playfull manor with some really good kisses and decent all round chemistry.

The female lead is actually pretty smart, not when it comes to emotions but other stuff and so are the resto fo the women in this which is kind of refreshing for a C.

The other couples are okay, some better than others and while some of the side characters have moments that make me wonder what happened to their brain. Most of the time tey do thir jobs well and that is good enough.

The level of Protect our heros, Chinese propaganda is also kept under control, and the pacing is also better than a lot of other cs. Mmaking it an okay watch that could have gotten an 8,5-9 but there is just a little bit to much cringe and immature men in this to make it all the way up there.

Read More

Its broke my stereotype about chinese drama

Listen, iam usually watch chinese drama for the fluffy and soft plot, i never watched the hardcore one because sometimes the story doesnt make sense. BUT THIS this drama broke my stereotype, at first i thought this would be fluffy warm drama, but then going to up 15 eps i guess the plot started interesting, soooo many plot twist this drama get me and it doesnt fail at all. The acting range of each actor are incredible, oh nah i would give standing applause for the one who play wen pen bcs he did a very good job acting as villain and sometimes give me a goosebumps.
And yeah as per first i judge chinese drama, some scene are just off, its my first time seeing police captain useless haha idk maybe the writer want to add yu professor so bad so they makes the police captain look useless

Read More

Love song in winter can be considered a great modern cdrama that came out this year. It has a mix of both romance and mystery which tbh is nicely executed. The story in my opinion has good pacing. No character seemed irrevelant in the drama. You know when there are just random side couples. Let's discuss the character's of Love Song in Winter.

Lu Yan is an anesthesiologist and Jiang Chengyi is a detective. They both reunite 8 years after their breakup. I found their relationship mature. They did have communication problems but still in later episodes they talked through it. They really went through too much. Lu Yan felt guilty for so many years for thinking she pushed her best friend to death while JC was hurt from their sudden breakup. Lu Yan is courageous for going through the death of her close friends 2 times, having to stay away from your loved one. You could say even if the circumstances were not peaceful, their relationship was; once they got together again.
Wen Peng was suspicious from the start. Many secrets about him was unexpected though. Him being beaten by his dad and thinking his mom abandoned him turned him to the worst. THE ABUSED BECOMES THE NEXT ABUSER. This quote came to my mind watching him. He could have taken a different path when he turned adult but him killing Deng Man, Ding Jing, trying to hurt close people around Lu Yan is not forgivable. He hated his mother even when she tried to reconcile but could never stand up to his father. Lu Yan showed up when he was about to end his life and he held onto her. He did not love Lu Yan he wanted someone to love him. He was a manipulator who destroyed too many lives.
Deng Man was very naive. Believing Wen Peng and shooting a video which basically solidified her suicide. She mistaked Zou Zhi Cheng's goodwill towards her to be intimate affection. ZC did not intend to do so at first but he did cheat on his paralysed wife with DM. He says he is a human being and he indulged himself just once but that does not justify his cheating. He stood by watching DM being bullied when he could have come forward and stopped it. He was the adult. He should not have such a relationship with a student. Deng Man did not reveal their relationship till the end but that lead to Lu Yan thinking she killed herself because of her. She may not have deserved her death but she was an accomplice in harrassing Lu Yan.
Ding Jing is another character who could not accept rejection. To get Jiang Chengyi she bullied DM into breaking them up. Again, she did not want DM to get killed but her maliciousness towards Lu Yan surfaced later. Her hiring pervert to take pictures of LY and saying that persong could do whatever he want with her. This made me hate her to the core. There was no excuse for this.
What I liked about this drama was that every criminal was punished in the end by law. And they did not push the climax till the last episode. There was proper closure. It may have been boring to many viewers however I liked the drama's setting.

Read More

Why You Should Watch

Johnny Huang shines in his role as Jiang Cheng Yi. His ability to portray a wide range of emotions—from anger and frustration over their breakup to his unyielding love and protectiveness toward Lu Yan—is remarkable. His chemistry with Sun Qian is palpable, making every interaction between them heartfelt and genuine.

What makes Johnny's performance even more impressive is his dedication to action scenes. As a police officer, Jiang Cheng Yi is often in the middle of dangerous situations, and Johnny brings an authentic intensity to these moments. Whether he's chasing criminals, defusing bombs, or rescuing Lu Yan from danger, Johnny makes it all look believable and thrilling.

Highlights of the Drama

1. The Love Story: The romance between Jiang Cheng Yi and Lu Yan is the heart of the drama. Their unresolved past adds depth to their relationship, and watching them navigate their feelings while dealing with external challenges is truly captivating. The moments where Jiang Cheng Yi silently shows his care—like arranging lights in a dark alley or reminiscing about their college days—are especially touching.

2. The Mystery: The show’s crime element is well-executed, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats. From bomb scares to stalking incidents, the drama keeps raising the stakes, making it much more than a typical love story.

3. Supporting Characters: The supporting cast, including Lu Yan's friends and Wen Peng, adds layers to the story. Wen Peng's unspoken love for Lu Yan and his own struggles make him a compelling character, creating subtle tension and complexity in the narrative.

4. Beautifully Written Scenes: The show excels in creating moments that stay with you—whether it's Jiang Cheng Yi rescuing Lu Yan in a dark alley, the nostalgic spicy hotpot scenes, or the heartbreaking reveal of Lu Yan’s past trauma that caused their breakup.

"Love Song in Winter" is not just a drama. It's an emotional journey. Johnny Huang's portrayal of Jiang Cheng Yi brings strength and vulnerability to the character, making you root for him at every turn. The story is engaging, with its mix of heartwarming romance and adrenaline-pumping action. The mysteries of the past and the dangers of the present keep the plot exciting, while the chemistry between the leads makes you emotionally invested in their story.

If you're a fan of crime dramas with a romantic twist, this series is a must-watch. Johnny Huang’s performance, the captivating storyline, and the well-developed characters make it an unforgettable drama experience. Prepare to laugh, cry, and hold your breath as you follow Jiang Cheng Yi and Lu Yan’s journey of love and redemption.

Read More