2024
Top 10s
| ♛ |
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 Blossom |
| 2 | 4 |
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 |
 |
 |
| 5 | 6 |
7 |
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 |
 |
| 8 | 9 |
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Summary
Top Dramas
Total Dramas = 136 (= 36 + 100 in the last section)
Max ✩ = 864 (= 3 × 288 voters)
→ Blossom is the uncontested Drama of the Year, ranking highest in every category.
→ Possible recency bias. Most of the dramas are in reverse order of its premiere.
→ 2nd place tie (though Love Game has more votes in other categories).
→ All are romance dramas.
→ 7/10 are costume dramas with palace settings.
→ The year of rebirth/transmigration (and it's only the beginning?)
→ Actors with multiple appearances: Ding Yu Xi, Wang Xing Yue, and Zhao Jin Mai.
→ iQIYI shutout. Top dog last year; dead dog this year
↓ See expanded results for more details.
Drama Comments
→ Very few! Under 20 submissions (including suggested "relationships"), but amusing short reads nonetheless. Thank you for the submissions!
Amidst a Snowstorm of Love
Weird chemistry bw ML and FL. ML looks at her like a big,bad wolf who always wants to eat her up, and the FL stays a scared bunny who always runs away/cries/shyly avoids kissing (which kills the momentum and feels like an emotional cockblock lmao) for 30+ episodes but magically gets pregnant lol. I had high hopes and the beginning starts out strong w the "pure romance" vibes I was going for, but the FL characterization never improves and she never reciprocates or initiates relationship progression It's the same author as Love Me, Love my Voice and the FL is similar there with the dainty shyness, but there is improvement in their relationship progression/intimacy/initiation.
Weird chemistry bw ML and FL. ML looks at her like a big,bad wolf who always wants to eat her up, and the FL stays a scared bunny who always runs away/cries/shyly avoids kissing (which kills the momentum and feels like an emotional cockblock lmao) for 30+ episodes but magically gets pregnant lol. I had high hopes and the beginning starts out strong w the "pure romance" vibes I was going for, but the FL characterization never improves and she never reciprocates or initiates relationship progression It's the same author as Love Me, Love my Voice and the FL is similar there with the dainty shyness, but there is improvement in their relationship progression/intimacy/initiation.
Are You the One
Good plotline and progression, no gaping plotholes or unnecessary conflict. I think I liked the main CP romance the least, especially compared to the 3rd CP. The FL spent way too long as an amnesiac (15+eps) which was weird for their romantic progression and not enough time w dramatic buildup for when she regained her memories and did her badass thing and conflicted feelings w ML where he still thinks she doesn't know yet. This was an 8.5/10 where the plot progressed nicely, but the emotional component didn't quite hit; but in a sea of dramas that manage to somehow jump the shark and lead to me dropping it, this one was solidly good, not great.
Blossom
A breakout drama for a reason. Great romance to angst ratio (in the romance favor). A more lighthearted version of the Double. Great smart and effective FL who curbs the ML's more impetuous decisions. Awesome romantic progression before and after marriage, and after watching some BTS you can tell how much the Director really prioritizes this, including their iconic horseback kiss scene remniscent of the WW2 soldier nurse pic. Grey haired Song Mo looks great. Great decision making by director in regards to picture quality/filters, and great dubbing for the characters that was always in sync and perfectly matched the ML and FL. Apparently it was a mid-budget drama and he really did make the best use out of everything. A couple subplots were mid but otherwise great drama, and Li Yunrui is great. 9/10
Blossoms in Adversity
Uncle emperor is such a memorable character~
The Double
Great revenge drama that nails the plot it was going for with satisfaction for ML and FL. Good plot progression, no gaping plotholes, good chemistry bw CP, great styling of ML (love the eyeliner and fans) and FL.
Definitely one of the best of the year.
Only con is the fake out candlelight shadow nonkiss and the last 30 min meaningless rebel fight, which they only savaged with a 5sec open ending + last minute happy ending extra filmed.
Everyone Loves Me
1st cdrama I watched after many years, and it absolutely crushed. Most romcoms use dumb/childish/ clutzy FL antics as the butt of the joke to pull laughs, but this one doesn't. It's the same internet friends/gamers to real-life enemies to lovers, but it does it better than the rest of its competitors (again due to higher comedic content that genuinely made me LOL). Others have complained about some similarities to falling into your smile, love me love my voice, love scenery etc but IMO this drama has better chemistry + comedy than the others (especially FIYS w their dead fish chem). Did 1 rewatch and still funny and sweet.
The Princess Royal
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Overall very good, my first historical cdrama (which led to my ongoing historical cdrama bingefest). Good storyline and plot progression which makes sense (w no gaping plotholes) and utilizes our smart CP. However romantic progression was odd, where even after the carriage rain scene in ep 10? And then confessing, somehow they're back to square 1 the next ep with no real progress. I understand the FL aloofness, but the romantic storyline could've been better. I heard they missed several key scenes from the novel that I didn't read, but otherwise great and love the 2nd chance romance.
The Rise of Ning
Logical plot progression and no gaping plot holes, but the whole thing was lowkey an exercise in frustration with all of the cons of Story of Minglan and none of the pros. Ren Min's choice of high pitched baby voice for this character was annoying, and I can still hear her constantly calling her grandmother/zuumo in my head. The ML and FL were just siblings for 30 eps w/ only the ML finding out they weren't, but bc she only found out in the last 10 eps there was barely any romantic progression and that switching from siblings to lovers was awkward and still felt wrong. Since they decided to keep the romance, she def should've found out earlier (at least by ep 20) so they would have time to get to know each other and more chemistry buildup. At least the ML in TRON was better than Minglan, but I got distracted by the ML's not great plastic surgery and excessive filler (which probably isn't an issue for most ppl but it kept distracting me - chin, lip filler, outer eyes, lip corner lift, obv double eyelids but that's normal)
Will Love in Spring
So hard to rate the CP since I ended up not liking the FL! But I do think she had chemistry with all her supporting actors.
Good plotline and progression, no gaping plotholes or unnecessary conflict. I think I liked the main CP romance the least, especially compared to the 3rd CP. The FL spent way too long as an amnesiac (15+eps) which was weird for their romantic progression and not enough time w dramatic buildup for when she regained her memories and did her badass thing and conflicted feelings w ML where he still thinks she doesn't know yet. This was an 8.5/10 where the plot progressed nicely, but the emotional component didn't quite hit; but in a sea of dramas that manage to somehow jump the shark and lead to me dropping it, this one was solidly good, not great.
Blossom
A breakout drama for a reason. Great romance to angst ratio (in the romance favor). A more lighthearted version of the Double. Great smart and effective FL who curbs the ML's more impetuous decisions. Awesome romantic progression before and after marriage, and after watching some BTS you can tell how much the Director really prioritizes this, including their iconic horseback kiss scene remniscent of the WW2 soldier nurse pic. Grey haired Song Mo looks great. Great decision making by director in regards to picture quality/filters, and great dubbing for the characters that was always in sync and perfectly matched the ML and FL. Apparently it was a mid-budget drama and he really did make the best use out of everything. A couple subplots were mid but otherwise great drama, and Li Yunrui is great. 9/10
Blossoms in Adversity
Uncle emperor is such a memorable character~
The Double
Great revenge drama that nails the plot it was going for with satisfaction for ML and FL. Good plot progression, no gaping plotholes, good chemistry bw CP, great styling of ML (love the eyeliner and fans) and FL.
Definitely one of the best of the year.
Only con is the fake out candlelight shadow nonkiss and the last 30 min meaningless rebel fight, which they only savaged with a 5sec open ending + last minute happy ending extra filmed.
Everyone Loves Me
1st cdrama I watched after many years, and it absolutely crushed. Most romcoms use dumb/childish/ clutzy FL antics as the butt of the joke to pull laughs, but this one doesn't. It's the same internet friends/gamers to real-life enemies to lovers, but it does it better than the rest of its competitors (again due to higher comedic content that genuinely made me LOL). Others have complained about some similarities to falling into your smile, love me love my voice, love scenery etc but IMO this drama has better chemistry + comedy than the others (especially FIYS w their dead fish chem). Did 1 rewatch and still funny and sweet.
Fangs of Fortune
I appreciate you adding Ying Lei to the 6. They don't deserve him.
The First Shot
I love the sibling relationship too! Yes they were the bad guys but they looked out for each other and had each other’s back! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
The Legend of Shen Li
Great xianxia which is lighthearted, more slice of life, and character driven than the genre AND gave us a FULL HAPPY ENDING (which almost never happens for this genre lol). I liked their chemistry, romantic tension buildup and release, progression; and there wasn't too much angst that constantly tore them apart (although her almost dying did significantly speed up the ML). That cave scene was also chef's kiss. And no separated for 500 years with a 5sec open/ barely ending crammed at the end. Bless up. I also liked that the ML looked more manly/bulky than the typical flower boys.
Love Game in Eastern Fantasy
Best drama of 2024!! Literally worth the wait for this wonderful reunion. 🥰🥰
Melody of Golden Age
Not great production/camera quality and extremely poor dubbing not matching with mouth movements of most of the main characters, even to the extent I couldn't ignore despite trying several times and constantly pulling me out of the drama. These are the production decisions that impact the viewers the most. I don't think this drama was that low budget, and if Blossom could pull off their quality w mid-budget, a Ding Yuxi drama could as well as this director's other works were fine.
I appreciate you adding Ying Lei to the 6. They don't deserve him.
The First Shot
I love the sibling relationship too! Yes they were the bad guys but they looked out for each other and had each other’s back! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
The Legend of Shen Li
Great xianxia which is lighthearted, more slice of life, and character driven than the genre AND gave us a FULL HAPPY ENDING (which almost never happens for this genre lol). I liked their chemistry, romantic tension buildup and release, progression; and there wasn't too much angst that constantly tore them apart (although her almost dying did significantly speed up the ML). That cave scene was also chef's kiss. And no separated for 500 years with a 5sec open/ barely ending crammed at the end. Bless up. I also liked that the ML looked more manly/bulky than the typical flower boys.
Love Game in Eastern Fantasy
Best drama of 2024!! Literally worth the wait for this wonderful reunion. 🥰🥰
Melody of Golden Age
Not great production/camera quality and extremely poor dubbing not matching with mouth movements of most of the main characters, even to the extent I couldn't ignore despite trying several times and constantly pulling me out of the drama. These are the production decisions that impact the viewers the most. I don't think this drama was that low budget, and if Blossom could pull off their quality w mid-budget, a Ding Yuxi drama could as well as this director's other works were fine.
The Princess Royal
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Overall very good, my first historical cdrama (which led to my ongoing historical cdrama bingefest). Good storyline and plot progression which makes sense (w no gaping plotholes) and utilizes our smart CP. However romantic progression was odd, where even after the carriage rain scene in ep 10? And then confessing, somehow they're back to square 1 the next ep with no real progress. I understand the FL aloofness, but the romantic storyline could've been better. I heard they missed several key scenes from the novel that I didn't read, but otherwise great and love the 2nd chance romance.
The Rise of Ning
Logical plot progression and no gaping plot holes, but the whole thing was lowkey an exercise in frustration with all of the cons of Story of Minglan and none of the pros. Ren Min's choice of high pitched baby voice for this character was annoying, and I can still hear her constantly calling her grandmother/zuumo in my head. The ML and FL were just siblings for 30 eps w/ only the ML finding out they weren't, but bc she only found out in the last 10 eps there was barely any romantic progression and that switching from siblings to lovers was awkward and still felt wrong. Since they decided to keep the romance, she def should've found out earlier (at least by ep 20) so they would have time to get to know each other and more chemistry buildup. At least the ML in TRON was better than Minglan, but I got distracted by the ML's not great plastic surgery and excessive filler (which probably isn't an issue for most ppl but it kept distracting me - chin, lip filler, outer eyes, lip corner lift, obv double eyelids but that's normal)
Will Love in Spring
So hard to rate the CP since I ended up not liking the FL! But I do think she had chemistry with all her supporting actors.
Summary
Top (╯°□°)╯
Total Dramas = 136 (= 36 + 100 in the last section)
Max (╯°□°)╯ = 288 (= 1 × 288 voters)
→ Actually, 12 dramas due to ties (1, 6, 8, 9).
→ Amidst a Snowstorm of Love (#1 in this category) is also in the Top 10 overall.
→ ⚠️ Low vote count. Only 39 votes (max = 288) were enough for Snowstorm and FSM to take 1st place. Skip option may have also reduced participation.
→ Actors with multiple appearances:
Chen Xing Xu =💩💩💩Liu Xue Yi = 💩💩Xu Kai =💩💩
→ Liu Xue Yi had an interesting year – gaining popularity despite starring in poorly received dramas.
→ A Beautiful Lie (#4), My Boss (#4), Our Interpreter (#6), and Derailment (#8) are voted into the "Top10" despite not being the "36 dramas" that were more accessible. Seriously, congratz....
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| 1 | |
| Blossom Song Mo + Dou Zhao  |
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| 2 |
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| Love Game in Eastern Fantasy Zi Qi + Ling Miao Miao  |
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| 3 |
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| The Double Xiao Heng + Xue Fang Fei  |
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| 4 |
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| Love Game in Eastern Fantasy The Four Heroes of the Bamboo Forest  + 🎋 |
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| 5 |
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| The Princess Royal Pei Wen Xuan + Li Rong  |
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| 6 |
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| Blossoms in Adversity Gu Yan Xi + Hua Zhi  |
Summary
Top Relationships
Total Relationships = 137
Max ♥ = 1440 (5 × 288 voters)
→ Expanded to 12 entries due to possible mutually inclusive votes (e.g. if someone voted for the main couple/lead in Blossoms in Adversity or Love Game in Eastern Fantasy, they were also very likely to vote for the larger feel-good group that included them – namely #4 and #7). It’s up to you how you interpret the true Top 10! But it does highlight that these were well-loved ensemble dramas.
→ Notable mention: #8 is the only 2CP to make the list.
→ Relationships added in the comments that yours truly forgot to:
Blossom‣ Dou Zhao + Dou Ming [Sismance]First Shot‣ Jiang Xiao Hai + Jiang Ying Zi [Deadly Siblings]Guardians of the Dafeng‣ Xu Qi An + Li Yu Chun [Brotherhood]‣ Yang Qian Huan + his ego 😅‣ Cai Wei + Any Fruit 😅The Legend of Shenli‣ Liu Yu + Feng Lai [Parents]The Princess Royal‣ Li Rong + Shuangguan Ya [Sismance]She and Her Girls‣ Gu Yu + Cai Gui Zhi [Rivals to Friends]
↓ See expanded results for more details.
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| 1 |
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| Li Yun Rui | Song Mo |
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| 2 |
|
| Meng Zi Yi | Dou Zhao |
 Ding Yu Xi  |
 Mu Sheng / Zi Qi  |
| 4 |
|
| Yu Shu Xin |
Ling Miao Miao |
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| 5 |
|
| Wang Xing Yue | Xiao Heng / Duke of Su |
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| 6 | 7 | 8 |
| Zhang Jing Yi Hua Zhi |
Zhang Ling He Pei Wen Xuan |
Zhao Jin Mai Li Rong |
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| 9 | 10 | |
| Wu Jin Yan Xue Fang Fei |
Hu Yi Tian Gu Yan Xi |
Wang He Di Xu Qi An |
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Summary
Top Characters
Total Characters = 134
Max ♥ = 1395 (= 5 × 279 voters)
→ 2nd place tie: Dou Zhao and Zi Qi
→ All period drama characters (1st contemporary character to make Top20 is Wang Xing Yue’s 2ML in Amidst a Snowstorm of Love).
→ Everyone's S.O. is here, except for Xu Qi An's.
↓ See expanded results for Top 10 Females, Top 10 Males and the Top Supporting Characters.
Overall
Romance, romance, romance!
Dramas: Blossom, Love Game in Eastern Fantasy, The Double
Couples: Blossom, Love Game in Eastern Fantasy, The Double
Males: Blossom's Song Mo and Love Game in Eastern Fantasy's Zi Qi,
Females: Blossom's Dou Zhao and Love Game in Eastern Fantasy's Miao Miao
Grrrrrr: Amidst a Snowstorm of Love, Fox Spirit Matchmaker, Kill Me Love Me
Actors with multiple appearances per list: Ding Yu Xi, Wang Xing Yue, Zhao Jin Mai.
In Emojis:
👑 Blossom🤴 Li Yun Rui
👸 Meng Zi Yi
🥈 Love Game in Eastern Fantasy
🥉 The Double
✅ Hurrah, the Top 3 words found in 2024 drama titles are collected: Blossom, Love (always), Double.
🏃 Remaining Top 5 Finishers: Blossoms in Adversity and The Princess Royal