Editor's note: This column focuses on promoting good-looking skits, lovable actors, fun-to-eat CPs, as well as reliable directors and conscientious screenwriters.
【New Arrivals】
"Rain Love Qianjin"
This is the third collaboration between Chen Fangtong and Dai Gaozheng, following "The Maid of a Rich Girl" and "The Blind Heart of a Rich Girl".
The "Thousand Gold Trilogy" of the two partners
Six years ago, she ran away without saying a word. Six years later, she came to the house with a marriage notice to propose marriage. Bu Yan (played by Chen Fangtong), a rich girl who was kicked out of her home, took the initiative to pursue love but had another secret. The down-and-out rough boxing champion He Yuchen (played by Dai Gaozheng) seemed calm but had already been moved.
The characters of the male and female protagonists are both strong, in every sense of the word. Several key scenes between Chen Fangtong and Dai Gaozheng are full of tension and shot beautifully by the director. Chen Fangtong’s acting is delicate and her crying scenes can make people empathize; on the contrary, Dai Gaozheng’s expressions are the same over and over again, which makes it easy to fall into a routine.
It’s a pity that the plot setting is rather melodramatic, and the advancement and connection of the story are a bit inexplicable and not so smooth. If some of the supporting scenes involving family matters were reduced, it would be worth watching.
Possessing Jiang Xi
A light comedy from the Republic of China starring Wang Xuan and Tan Yanyan, about the love-hate relationship between a naughty nephew's female teacher and his second uncle. This is one of my favorite short dramas that has been aired recently.
The play tells the story of Min Jiangxi (played by Tan Yanyan), who is determined to become the "No. 1 female teacher in Shencheng", and meets Qin Zhan (played by Wang Xuan), the "chief evildoer in Shencheng". The two went from being wary of each other to falling in love with each other, and finally joined forces to eradicate the huge evil in the business world. While growing and healing each other, they also staged a love story between two evenly matched wealthy families.
Stills from Possessing Jiang Xi
The story is well-structured and fast-paced, Jiang Xi has good chemistry with the "Shencheng Twins", and his interactions with his students/nephew are quite entertaining.
Wang Xuan looks like a combination of Xu Kai and Xu Haiqiao, while Tan Yanyan looks a bit like the heroine of "Running with Shan Zai". The combination of handsome men and beautiful women is very pleasing to the eyes, and their acting skills are also evenly matched.
In addition, the director was clever in his choice of composition and filters, capturing the atmosphere of an ambiguous period.
The Misplaced Lover
A modern drama starring Chen Xinyu, Zhang Xinyao, Sun Yinghao and Jiang Shen.
"The Misplaced Lover" is adapted from the popular novel "I Heard You Have a Dog Outside?" by Himalaya Miracle Literature. divorce! ", tells the story of Yan Lidong (played by Zhang Xinyao), the behind-the-scenes boss of Xitu Entertainment, and his wife, actress Mu Chenxi (played by Chen Xinyu), who ended up getting divorced due to accumulated misunderstandings and conflicts after they got married. Before the divorce, Yan Lidong was injured and lost his memory while trying to save Mu Chenxi. His memory briefly went back to when he was 19 years old, and he inexplicably transformed from a domineering president into the heroine's assistant.
Poster of "The Misplaced Lover"
Plots of the type of amnesia followed by love reboot are quite common in short dramas. After the male protagonist lost his memory, he drastically changed the setting of the little milk dog, which brought a turning point to the marriage of the male and female protagonists, which had already become strangers.
The female lead Chen Xinyu has played supporting roles in many long dramas, such as "Protecting the Heart" and "Yu Gu Yao". The most popular role is the female version of Xiangliu who left a stunning glimpse when she made a guest appearance in "Chang Xiang Si". With her well-known royal sister image, she can easily play the role of an actress. Zhang Xinyao, Sun Yinghao, and Jiang Shen all came from talent shows or idol groups, so it's fitting for them to be acting in scripts related to the entertainment industry.
【Re-watch】
Forget Dust Moon
A costume rebirth drama starring Chen Fangtong and Chen Minghao.
Shen Jiayue (played by Chen Fangtong) was reborn after being killed by her husband Chu Jingyan (played by Chen Minghao) and Wu Liuli (played by Yuan Yuhan). She decided to take revenge on the Wu family and rewrite her destiny. Shen Jiayue discovered that the Wu family coveted the Chu family's secret treasure and killed Chu Jingyan's entire family. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Shen Jiayue decided to put aside past grudges and join forces with Chu Jingyan. After some negotiation, Chu Jingyan finally agreed to form an alliance with Shen Jiayue. As a last resort, two sedan chairs were carried into Chu Jingyan's mansion. However, Wu Liuli was not easy to deal with. She not only had her own tactics among the people, but also won over her sister who had just moved into the East Palace. She was also an old acquaintance of the guard Chu Yi (played by Li Muyu). More importantly, Wu Liuli really fell in love with Chu Jingyan, so she had to get rid of Shen Jiayue no matter what. Unexpectedly, all this was carefully arranged by Chu Jingyan.
Stills from "Forget Dust Moon"
The narrative is a bit confusing at the beginning, with many mixed cuts that disrupt the timeline. Coupled with the overall dark tone of the series, it is difficult to get into the plot, but it gradually gets better in the middle and late stages.
The highlight of the play is the heroine who tries to make a comeback after her rebirth, and Chen Fangtong's acting skills hold up. While waiting for the update of "Rain Love Daughter", you can watch this one. In addition, Wu Liuli, played by Yuan Yuhan, also performed well in the later stages.
"The Blade"
There have been a lot of rebirth dramas recently, and the rebirth ancient idol drama "Fu Blade" starring Sun Chenjun and Hu Yiyao is one of them.
In the past two years, the "female general" track has become a new hot spot in Hengdian, and even the short drama industry has come to get a piece of the pie. In fact, due to the short production and broadcasting cycle, some of them are broadcast earlier than some long dramas that are favored by the outside world, thus seizing the initiative.
Stills from "The Blade"
Song Dianxin (played by Hu Yiyao), a female general of the Haiyin Kingdom, was sentenced to death for the crime of treason. Before her death, she learned that she was framed by her fiancé Shen Musi (played by Sun Chenjun). Song Dianxin was reborn, and she decisively broke off the engagement. She started by beating up the scumbag and killing her enemy. Unexpectedly, Chen Musi was also harmed by a villain. After his rebirth, he pursued love while investigating the truth, and started an extremely sadomasochistic relationship with Song Dianxin.
Hu Yiyao has always played the role of a tough-on-the-outside-and-gentle-on-the-inside character, such as in "The Legend of Chaos" and "Bright Moon and Flowing Fire". The female general Song Dianxin she plays this time is no exception. The Xipi feeling with Sun Chenjun is acceptable, not too bad. Friends who are interested in this type of female protagonist can follow this drama.
"See Your Heart"
During the years of endless war, Su Fengzhi (Fang Jin), the daughter of a general of the Tiansheng State, came from a prominent family. However, overnight, her father was falsely accused of treason, her sister who married into the Ninth Prince's mansion and was pregnant died unexpectedly, and the entire Su family was executed.
Su Fengzhi escapes by chance, and later disguises herself as Su Jin, a "blind female" zither player. She is introduced by Princess Chaoyu (played by Yu Yile) to the Ninth Prince's Mansion, and approaches her former brother-in-law Jian Shiliu (played by Li Daikun), wanting to find out the truth about her sister's death and her father's treason. Her gentle and kind "brother" Su Linfeng (played by Wang Zihe) also seems to be hiding a huge secret.
Poster of "See Your Heart"
I was originally quite optimistic about the combination of Li Daikun and Fang Jin. The blind female musician and the cold-blooded prince are slowly attracted to each other on the premise of revenge. Fang Jin’s previous performance in " We Embrace Each Other in the Dark " was amazing; "Scorpion" Li Daikun has also been a frequent guest in the short drama world in recent years.
It’s a pity that neither of them seems to have surpassed their previous works in terms of makeup or acting. The plot setting is also clichéd and lacks freshness. It seems that not every "transfer love" can achieve the effect of 1+1>2.
Dangerous Fishing
A modern idol performance by Wang Zuyi and Xu Zhenzhen .
The series is adapted from the novel "Dangerous Fishing" by Qi Lin Jiugui, who reads a story every day. It tells the story of Cheng Yu (played by Xu Zhenzhen), a canary who is rebellious and tries hard to break free from the shackles of Zhou Jin (played by Zeng Xilang). In a deliberately created "cuckold incident", she met the "male model" Pei Zheng (played by Wang Zuyi). Cheng Yu teases Pei Zheng many times, giving him the opportunity to be a hero and save the beauty. Pei Zheng goes from "remaining calm" to "counterattacking". The two use each other, but gradually fall in love with each other.
Dangerous Fishing poster
Xu Zhenzhen, who transformed from an idol, is one of the actresses who has gradually squeezed into the "quality assurance" group of short dramas. The previous more outstanding dramas were all ancient idol dramas, and now this modern idol drama is also performed very excitingly.
Although the love triangle in this drama is rather melodramatic, the atmosphere is still very strong and can attract some vertical audiences to watch.
【database】
According to Yunhe data, the top three short dramas in terms of effective broadcast market share on the entire network in February 2025 are: "Turning Stone into Gold", "The Bride", and "Original Sin (2024)".
Data source: Yunhe Data
