No.10
Ren Jia Lun: Zhousheng Chen
Bai Lu: Shi Yi
The general reincarnates as a nerdy professor while the fair maiden reincarnates as a voice actress. Their love story was doomed in the past, but can they write their own happy ending in this lifetime?
I'm surprised this show made the Top 10 list, given how I disliked the 2D villain and the awkward pacing of the show. That said, the slow burn romance really appeals to me somewhat and Driver Lin totally carried the show a few positions up. Bai Lu was also stellar in this show. And of course, who can forget the blazing hot post-rain scene? Or the iconic line "I am ready".
I didn't watch One and Only, so I'm not sure how much my ratings would change with that, but I think F&E stands well on it's own, as long as you know the basic premise. I also want to highlight this lovely comment by Westerner that aptly sums up the intentions behind the script.
Watch this if you enjoy a slow burn romance, with blazing hot scenes and the cute interactions between the lovely Shi Yi and the nerdy and oblivious Zhousheng Chen. Be wary though, there are a lot of boring/annoying side characters that I don't really care for and the overall plot was kinda meh.
No. 9
Zhang Xin Cheng: Jiang Yi
Liang Jie: Yu Sheng Sheng
A mysterious body swap brings our female reporter and male celebrity closer together. Will this mysterious ability allow them to better understand each other or will it tear them apart?
Watching the first 20+ episodes of TDOBY, I would not have thought it would be so far down the list. Liang Jie did a great job as Yu Sheng Sheng, but Zhang Xin Cheng completely stole the show as Yu Sheng Sheng. Who can forget him checking out his own abs or the famous line "This is OUR Auntie".
The storyline itself was pretty interesting as well, and I loved how their romance slowly developed from a mutual understanding of each other. Unfortunately, the ending is a huge disappointment and it reminds me of primary school compositions, where you run out of time and so you just stop wherever you are and end off with "And he woke up. Turns out, it was all a dream...."
Watch this if you enjoy comedic body-swap humor and just humor in general (Mr 2 Boxes hahahaha). But don't be surprised with the sudden burst of romance. Ep 16 was a neat use of the body-swap to propel the drama forward and dump a whole load of touching romance in our laps. The two of them together, and together-together was so sweet. Don't watch this if the quality of the ending is very important to you.
No. 8
Chen He Yi: Lin Nan Yi
Ni Ke Xin: Tong Xi
She pretends to be a white swan while he pretends to be an average high schooler, but deep down, they are not so different after all. A simple, refreshing high school drama, just like the chinese title (Summer of Mint)
Summer again is a very light and fluffy drama, there is some pretense, but overall, the plot is uneventful and the conflict is minimal. Perhaps the best word to describe this drama is "Fresh". Just like the refreshing taste of mint, the drama is refreshing and light-hearted, a way to refresh yourself after dealing with the heavy realities of the real world. Just like how a glass of mint water can cleanse your palette after a heavy meal. The cast is also mostly fresh faces, which perhaps contributes to the magic of this drama, I came in with no expectations or previous baggage. Perhaps my biggest peeve is that they kept referring to each other as "friend" probably because they don't want to encourage kids to date in high school? But the undertones are clear enough...
Watch this for something simple and refreshing. Don't expect much plot, drama, jealousy or even skinship.
No. 7
Li Chun: Liu Jing
Zhang Han Yun: Fang Xin
Wang Ju: Xia Meng
A slice-of-life drama following 3 girls in their thirty as they try and navigate their lives, their romances, their careers, and everything in between.
Perhaps the most different drama in this list, Delicious Romance is neither heavy on romance nor on plot. But it would be wrong to call it light and fluffy either. It follows our three very different females leads as they navigate life in their thirties. There are laughs and there are tears, there is romance and there is friendship.
Lu Jing probably was meant as the central storyline, but Fang Xin's story was the highlight for me. Ranging from the surprise reveal of Mr Huang, the revenge butt-smacking and hand-sanitizing to my favorite scene of all, her sassy takedown of her ex-husband, her storyline was mostly predictable, but that didn't stop it from being so enjoyable to watch. For a more in-depth summary, you can also check out my comment here.
Watch this if you enjoy slice-of-life dramas with equal focus on friendship and romance. There isn't much of an overarching plot or big crisis/bad to overcome, but it's also not a light show. The show is also rich on subtle details (which I love) and hints. Don't watch this if you are looking for a romcom or need MLs to root for (two of the three girls oscillate between 2 guys).
No. 6
Wang Zi Qi: Yin Si Chen
Wang Yu Wen: Gu Xi Xi
A contract marriage between a CEO and an average girl who is anything but average. She wants to conquer the world, but all he wants to conquer is her.
Cyn is probably spot-on in her review: "You know who you are if the title and synopsis alone interests you." This is the typical clique CEO romcom with as much plot as snow in the middle of summer and too many villains. But what sets this show apart is the chemistry. Watching the main couple makes me grin like an idiot, first when they stupidly try to outsmart each other, to their reluctant co-operation and finally when they fight to propose to each other first. Yin Si Chen's message in a bottle to his future self also made me melt.
"If this was me from before, there probably isn't anything that I want to tell my future self. Because my life was already planned out perfectly, everything I ever wanted was within my grasp. But it's different now. I can't pinpoint exactly when I started to change, but now, I will panic when she gets lost, I will cry when she gets hurt... and I even dared to start dreaming (of a real marriage with her). I hope when I re-open this bottle, the person by my side would remain unchanged..."
Wan Yu Wen really shone here and I loved her acting as Gu Xi Xi, from the spunky girl who is able to fend for herself to the adorable cutie so in love with Yin Si Chen. I also like how the couple slowly navigates each of their problems together, instead of there being long angsty arcs building up to the big showdown.
Watch this if you love chemistry and the two leads. Don't watch this if you want a plot thicker than a sheet of paper or can't stand annoying villains.
No. 5
Su Xiao Tong: Chu Chu
Wang Zi Qi: Xiao Jin Yu
A smart and impartial judge works alongside with a brilliant coroner to unravel a deadly plot against the emperor. Will they be able to outsmart the enemies working right under their noses?
Where to start with this drama indeed? "It can't be explained in one or two lines" is perhaps the best way to sum it up. This is a detective drama through and through, there is romance, but the focus is on the overarching mystery surrounding Xiao Jin Yu's father's death and Chu Chu's birth. The drama is extremely rich in details and hints as it slowly unravels the mysteries and conspiracies. That is probably the greatest selling point of the drama. I loved the attention to details and watching the puzzle pieces fit together one by one. Perhaps my only criticism was that the ending was a tad too rushed for my taste. I understand the ramping up of the pace to portray the urgency but I would have appreciated more time to digest the details and not feel like I was in a packed guided tour just ticking off attractions.
Watch this if you enjoy a complicated plot being laid bare and detective dramas in general. Don't watch this if your head hurts from complexity or if you are looking for a charming romcom.
No. 4
Bai Jing Ting: Xing Ke Lei
Ma Si Chun: Mi Ka
He saved her life two years ago but she never saw her face. They butt heads again two years later and slowly grow to understand each other better. But how many crisis do they have to experience together to finally realize their love for each other?
One thing that stands out for You Are My Hero is how likeable all the characters are. Not only are the main CP so sweet and warm, our secondary CP (Shu Wen Bo and Ruan Qing Xia) is cute and lovely in their own way too. The third CP got less screentime, but their mature take on love is sweet and unique in their own way. There seems to be a little too many crisis strung together to push our leads together, but I can forgive that given the endless doses of sweetness that show delivers. Bai Jing Ting delivers a strong performance as the strict but caring SWAT officer who is helplessly in love with Mi Ka. Ma Si Chun shone as Mi Ka, a sweet and bubbly surgeon with one of the most contagious smiles. It's hard to pinpoint the exact bit of the show that I fell head over heels in love with, it's just a show brimming with sweetness even though it's 40 eps long.
Watch this if you enjoy a sweet and simple feel-good romcom. There's no big conflict and no big bad. Don't watch this if you have diabetes (I kid).
No. 3
Li Xi Rui: Lin Yang
He Yu: Lu Zheng An
They were matchmade by their parents even before their conception. Unfortunately, he arrives seven years too late. Now she's thirty-one, worn and weary from her daily struggles, and he is twenty-four, bright-eyed, fearless and ready to take on the world. Will they take a leap of faith together or will their age difference prove too insurmountable?
First off, special shout-out to FanFanX for recommending this drama. I previously watched the first episode but decided to give it a pass initially. However, after giving it a second chance and watching a few more episodes, I fell head over heels in love with this show. This is not a series that starts with a bang or grabs your attention immediately, but rather one that slowly grows its way into your heart, and before you know it, you are hopelessly in love with the drama.
Lu Zheng An appeared childish initially, but his unwavering devotion to his "wife" was both sweet and touching. He was also always ready to learn, to improve, and to become a better husband for her. Lin Yang was afraid to fall for him initially, but when she decided, she never looked back. She committed herself fully to the relationship and loved him just as much, if not more. Perhaps one of my favorite moments was after a fight, they both called to apologize to each other, rather than simply fuming and waiting for the other party to apologize first.
The romance is pretty sweet, especially carried by the twinkle in Lu Zheng An's eyes, but what really stood out to me was how relatable all the characters are and how they are all multi-faceted and growing in their own way. Ma Le and Li Tian are two of the best secondary characters I've seen in a long time. I also really enjoyed the juxtaposition of their childhood scenes with their adult lives. Honestly, there's just so much to love in this series. For my in-depth review of this series, you can read it here.
I wanted to continue a watch this paragraph, but really I feel like for the top 3, it's literally just watch this if you enjoy cdramas.
No. 2
Dilraba Dilmurat: Qiao Jing Jing
Yang Yang: Yu Tu
He's an idealistic dreamer beaten down by reality, she is a bright and cheery actress who can illuminate even the darkest nights. She was coldly rejected by him in high school, but a game of glory brings them back together. Will she be able to brighten up his battered soul and make up for her high school regret?
On the surface, this is a story about how our two leads reunited and rekindled their romance, and boy, does it do it well. Qiao Jing Jing is unashamed of her infatuation with Yu Tu and is forever proactive in pursuing him. Yu Tu, on the other hand, clearly likes her as well, but feels undeserving of her and so he withdraws everytime she approaches. When Qiao Jing Jing finally gives him up, only then does he realize the depths of his love for her and actively re-pursues her. After the initial rekindling, the romance gets hot and heavy, with some of the most suggestive lines ever uttered in a cdrama. Who can forget the steamy pillow scene or "Will you let my genes influence yours?" Perhaps the most apt explanation/description is this, "Gu Man (the writer) is horny." Their romance is both passionate, and yet also warm and slice-of-life. I am generally not a fan of time skips, but I think they used it well here, showing us the slow and steady growth of their relationship.
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| How do you like.... your pillow? (Sure.... pillow...) |
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| Will you let my genes influence yours? |
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| Who knew biology could be this sexy? |
At the same time, this is also a drama about two people who inspire and bring out the best in each other. When we first meet Yu Tu, he is at his lowest point. He tried to chase his dreams regardless of the cost, only to realize that not only him, but his parents, are also sacrificing for his noble dream. Unable to bear his parents' sacrifice, he chose to give up his dream career to work as a much better paying financial analyst. It's only through meeting Qiao Jing Jing again that rekindled the fire in him, that made him realize that some things are worth the sacrifice. We also gets peeks into their high school life and we see a different Yu Tu, a shining star who inspired Qiao Jing Jing. Later on, he becomes the same shining star, inspiring Qiao Jing Jing to focus seriously on her career and become the best version of herself.
I also really loved the symbolism behind their names. Jing (in Qiao Jing Jing's name) is made up of 3 suns, showing that she symbolizes the sun while Yu Tu is a homonym of Jade Rabbit, which symbolizes the moon. She embodies the sun, because she is the brightest star (coincidentally, also a reference to her career), and her bright career makes other celebrities (stars) pale in comparison, just like how the other stars disappear in the light of the sun. Yu Tu is the moon, which seems pale in comparison to the sun, and yet it is just as important, for the nights would be so much darker without it. The moon brightens up the darkness of the night, just like how Yu Tu is leading the chinese aerospace industry from the darkness into the light. At a deeper level of interaction and scientific nerdiness, the moon doesn't give off it's own light, the light of the moon that we see is merely a reflection of the sun. Similarly, Yu Tu was all dark and depressed without Qiao Jing Jing, but with her (both in high school and after they got together), we see her effect on her, allowing him to shine with the light that she gave him. Even further, the moon has phases of light and dark. Perhaps, that is the same phases encapsulated by Yu Tu's character. He was a full moon in high school, all bright and inspiring, but he slowly waned into a new moon, the weary Yu Tu we saw at the beginning. Slowly, through the light of the sun (Qiao Jing Jing), he grows into a new full moon.
No. 1
Chen Zhe Yuan: Zhou Si Yue
Xu Meng Jie: Ding Xian
He is her guiding light and she is his one and only truth. A sweet campus romance story that spans their high school and university days.
"Life is always smooth-sailing.... until it isn't." That is probably the most apt description of this drama. It starts off as a relatively simple and fluffy high school relationship as deskmates, with hints of something more as they aim to go to the top university in China together. It seems so straight-forward, a romantic relationship waiting to blossom as they enter university together. But alas, disaster strikes. She flunks her exams and has to repeat a year to chase after him while his dad gets slandered and has a heart attack, leaving him with the heavy burden of caring for his family while studying. When they reunite in university, their love remains unchanged, but they are no longer the same people. He doesn't want to burden her with his baggage while she has seemingly lost herself in her blind pursuit of him. But slowly, through time and interaction, they start to understand each other and reach out, rekindling the embers of their high school romance. Together, they learn to support and help each other as they prepare to step out into society.
It's hard to express what makes this drama worthy of the no. 1 spot simply, because every aspect about this drama shines on its own and they all come together perfectly. Plot-wise, this is a drama that appears light and simple, but the storytelling lays a firm and sweet foundation. The subtext in their high school days, our dazzling Zhou Si Yue pursuing the quiet and withdrawn Ding Xian makes for a sweet first layer. But wait, for everything flips in their university, their love is not longer subtle or merely subtext, it's being proclaimed outside dormitories and shouted across the internet, our daring Ding Xian is now pursuing the downtrodden and withdrawn Zhou Si Yue, adding a juicy and enjoyable twist to the middle layer of our foundation. But how it begins, should be how it ends. Just like how they began the drama as deskmates and ended as deskmates, drama ends with him realizing how much he loves her and wooing her back. Their love is now neither subtle nor loud, it's just the right volume, resonating between two hearts that beat as one, forming the sugary top of our foundation.
The characters are unique and layered, adding colour and flavor to the story's foundation. Zhou Si Yue appears to be the perfect genius, effortlessly cruising through school and all mature and responsible. But deep down, there is still a streak of immaturity and vulnerability. We see this in full view when his father collapses and he becomes depressed and withdrawn. It's only through Ding Xian's reappearance where he rediscovers himself and his passion, and turns back into the perfect Zhou Si Yue that we know and love. That's why Ding Xian is his truth, she shows him the strength and passion that he had inside him all along and tells it to him as it is. Ding Xian appears headstrong and stubborn, perhaps even reckless, but it is this bull-headedness that allowed her to fight her way into the same university as Zhou Si Yue, it is this determination that allowed her to bring Zhou Si Yue out of his funk and it is this drive that allowed her to blossom into the confident female lead who holds her own against the cruel outside world. Zhou Si Yue is her guiding light, illuminating the way ahead of her so that she can charge ahead fearlessly. Time and again, when she was feeling down, he will always be there, in one form or another to cheer her on. Even the Siyue robot that he gave her has a hidden light programmed to appear whenever she needed it. Coincidentally enough (or perhaps, intentionally by show), the only time Ding Xian gave up on what she really wanted (Zhou Si Yue), she had neither him nor the robot next to him. Our poor lilac was lost without her guiding light.
The icing on the cake, and what brings the entire show together, is how many parallels and reversals there are in this show. There's too many to count, so I'm just listing a few of my favourites.
His passion is science, and yet he tried to choose arts in high school for her.
Her passion is art, and yet she majored in computing in university for him.
Luckily, they both ended up doing what they love.
He saw her from his balcony when she moved back in the first episode.
She saw him from her balcony when he moved back in the penultimate episode.
He didn't want to cancel the wawaqing in the first episode.
She didn't want to cancel the wawaqing in the final episode.
She surprised him at the university (on her first day at university)
He surprised her at the university (on her graduation/final day at university)
Finally, the acting and the directing is the cherry (and decorations) on top of the cake. It highlights the intricacies of the show and makes it even more enjoyable. Who can forget the basketball scene? That sweet first kiss in the rain? The "self-discipline" book? Or the "stamp" on his cheek? It's tiny bits like this that make the show even more memorable and enjoyable.
I also had a fan theory about their name (given that both Ding and Xian are relatively weird characters for names). Si Yue sounds like 四月(April), and I suspect that Ding Xian is supposed to sound like ding xiang,丁香 (lilac), except they couldn't find words that sounded like ding xiang for chinese names, hence they just dropped the g to differentiate it. The flower language of lilacs are confidence, youthful innocence and first love, a perfect fit for this drama because Ding Xian grows into a confident woman, while maintaining her youthful innocence and ends up with her first love. Plus lilacs generally bloom in May, so only the earliest lilacs bloom in April, just like how Si Yue and Ding Xian's relationship blossomed earlier than most, back when they were in high school. Lilacs also come in a variety of colours, namely white, blue, purple and yellow... And that is actually the predominant color palette of Si Yue and Ding Xian's clothes! Lastly, they also make a reference to April in Ep 24 (and the episode title as well!), where both of them agreed that spring is their favourite season.
All in all, this is one drama that I recommend giving a watch, no matter what your experience or taste in cdrama is like. The first few episodes are a little drier, but stick with it, it's all worth it in the end! And really, I think the feeling that best encapsulates this drama is "You can never watch this drama too many times!".
Honorable Mentions
(aka Dramas that would easily make the list if they were broadcasted in 2021)
Go Ahead (probably my favourite cdrama of all time)
Put Your Head on My Shoulders
Go Go Squid
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