Zhao Jinmai’s New Drama Is Slammed for Outdated Styling

(Above) Described as being out of touch with current aesthetics, viewers could not believe the use goldfish and fireworks close-ups as transition scenes.

Rising to fame for her natural performances in Amidst a Snowstorm of Love <在暴雪時分> and The Princess Royal <度華年> in recent years, actress Zhao Jinmai (趙今麥) recently wrappedher latest project — the romance drama Shine On Me <驕陽似我>, where she pairs with Go Ahead‘s <以家人之名> Song Weilong (宋威龍)!

Drama Faces Harsh Criticism

Despite the drama’s teaser chalking up 1.22 million views, many netizens have critiqued the production’s cinematography, retro-style filters, and styling as outdated and comparable to that of “Korean dramas from a decade ago”.

Previously paired with Leo Wu Lei (吳磊) in Amidst a Snowstorm of Love, which was filmed in Finland, Zhao Jinmai’s onscreen styling and the drama’s beautiful cinematography won viewers’ approval. With many believing the actress’s suitability for modern dramas, she quickly nabbed two major IP adaptations – Our Generation <櫻桃琥珀> and Shine On Me.

Styling Mismatched with Character

Taking 122 days to film, Shine On Me‘s production team recently released a behind-the-scenes teaser where Zhao Jinmai’s overall styling is far less photogenic than in Amidst a Snowstorm of Love.

Described as “painfully unflattering”, many of her looks featured sweaters with short skirts, paired with knee-high socks and chunky platform shoes—which netizens said had been trendy five years back. Despite playing a wealthy heiress, Zhao’s styling was seen as lacking taste, while her hairstyles, ranging from messy buns to large curls, added to her unpolished appearance.

An adaptation of the novel Blazing Sunlight, Shine On Me follows the story of Zhao Jinmai’s character Nie Xiguang, a wealthy yet low-key young woman who enters the workforce after graduation and encounters the difficult boss Lin Yusen (Song Weilong). Eventually, tensions ease, and Nie begins to see a different side of Lin—witty, caring, perceptive, with a commanding charisma. When Lin’s hidden secret is unexpectedly revealed, the two discover a major misunderstanding between them all along, which brings them closer.

Not only so, while wide shots of the two leads standing and gazing at each other also did not sit well with viewers, who pointed to the lack of a visible spark in the leads’ eyes and zero emotional chemistry. The retro-style filters also lacked warmth and brightness, which heightened the perception of the drama’s outdated look.

Source: 1