It’s the c-drama (Chinese show) recommendation thread, by popular demand.
Love Blossoms in Adversity
We begin with Love Blossoms in Adversity, also listed as Blossoms in Adversity, which makes a lot less sense. It is really difficult to summarize the plot without spoilers.
Setting: Historical China
Main leads: Hu Yi Tian, Zhang Jing Yi
Platform: Viki, some on Youtube
Synopsis
Hua Zhi is the oldest granddaughter of a minister, a court official who is known for his honesty and ethics. Ever since she could remember, her grandfather took her everywhere when he travelled. She has a good head for business, likes to tinker with gadgets, and isn’t afraid of adventure, none of which are appropriate for a noble lady of that period.
Hua family is large: there is the grandfather and grandmother, three sons, each with their own concubines and wives, and a score of grandchildren. Two of the uncles are ministers just like Zhi’s grandfather. The family is rich and respected, the future looks bright, and Zhi is engaged to the son of another prominent family … and then it all comes crashing down.
Suddenly the family is in trouble and she has to step up to the plate.
Thoughts
Normally I would include a trailer, but everything I’ve seen is spoilery. Just trust me on this and watch the first episode. It’s on Viki and on Youtube.
The hero is great. I hesitate to explain too much, because again, it would ruin the emotional punch, but he is a chivalrous warrior in the best sense of that word who is put into an impossible situation. He does the best he can, but sometimes there are no good choices.
The fight scenes are very well done and you get the sense that he could actually kick someone’s ass in a fight, which doesn’t always happen in Chinese costume dramas. A lot of times they put emphasis on pretty rather than forceful.
The conflict is great. The costumes are amazing. The sets are gorgeous. But besides all of that, this drama stands out because of the familial relationships. Both the hero and heroine are constrained by their family ties. The heroine’s family, in particular, is very interesting. There is a real sense of what it’s like to be a part of big messy clan, whose members have the best intentions. None of her relatives are villains, but things don’t always work out because everyone is human and flawed. It deals with being a woman, and it is empowering without being preachy or beating you over the head with it.
It’s still airing, but I’m told it is a happy ending. Even if there wasn’t, I would still recommend it. If you enjoyed the Legend of Ming Lan and Love Like the Galaxy, you might like this one.
The Legend of Shen Li
Setting: Fantasy
Main leads: Zhao Li Ying, Lin Geng Xin
Platform: Viki, some on Youtube.
Synopsis
The world is divided into three realms: Immortal Heaven, Demon Realm, and the Human World. Immortal Heaven and Demon Realm exist in an uneasy but peaceful alliance. Long ago, a fourth realm existed, the Sky Above Heaven, where ancient gods dwelled, wielding unbelievable power. One by one, the ancient gods passed. Only one is left now, Xing Zhi.
Some years ago, the monarch of the Demon Realm went mad with lust for power and created an army of monsters. He meant for them to conquer Immortal Heaven, but instead the swarm of monsters broke free and unleashed great suffering on the Demon Realm.
The last ancient god, Xing Zhi, went into the Demon Realm and created a pocket realm, the Ruined Abyss. He banished the monsters into the Abyss and sealed the entrance. Years passed, and the seals securing the Abyss grew weaker. Sometimes monsters escape. To contain their rampage, the Demon Realm must maintain and train an elite army.
Born in the Demon Realm, Shen Li is a general in the demon army. She is their best warrior and the adopted heir of the Demon Lord, the female monarch. Shen Li has the power of a phenix and values her freedom above all and when she is forced into a marriage for the sake of the alliance between the Immortals and Demons, she fights her way out. Unfortunately, she is injured. She turns into a phenix and falls into the human realm, and her feather are damaged… a chicken. She looks like a chicken and she is stuck in that form. The mighty, indeed, had fallen.
She meets a kind, but sickly human man, who feels sorry for the sad, bedraggled chicken, and takes her in. And so begins a great love story.
Thoughts
Once upon a time there was a very over the top C-drama called Princess Agents. It was all that and a bag of chips, but the story ended with the season half finished. The second season did not happen. However! The two people who played main leads are reunited in The Legend of Shen Li.
There is no hope for me, because I didn’t have to look this fact up. I saw the first episode and I was like, “Oh!” In my defense, Zhao li Ying is one of my favorite actresses, so I will watch whatever she is in.
The Legend of Shen Li is a great example of a xianxia. It deals with gods, immortals, and heavenly demons, and unlike many of the recent offerings in that genre, it is not annoying. The heroine isn’t going to die twenty times. The hero doesn’t take a surprise turn to the dark side. It’s just excellent from beginning to end. All the tropes are there, but what they did with them worked really well. It would be cliche, if it wasn’t done so well. Instead, it’s a classic. I watched the whole thing, and I didn’t fast-forward any of it.
Shen Li is a warrior heroine, and she acts like a warrior. She has a lot of responsibility, and she sacrifices her happiness and her freedom to keep her people safe, both on and off the battlefield.
The hero is everything you would expect from the fantasy drama, but he is also got that amused yet frustrating quality to him. He is wry. There is humor in their interactions. There is kind of, sort of love triangle, but not really. You know who the couple is. And the fights are spectacular.
The drama overall has a lot of funny moments. The grandson of the Heavenly Emperor is a hoot.
None of the trailers do this justice. And none of them show the opening song, which is awesome all by itself. But here we go.
Thanks – these look awesome!
looks interesting!
So
Glad you love these ! I’m addicted.
My first find was Ashes of Love 🧡 which has ALL the tropes but I don’t care! 🤷
I loved Legend of Shen Li. Definitely a fun drama. I am wating for Joy of Life season 2 at the momen 😄
I was just thinking what I’ll watch next and that I would love some wuxia. You just always deliver!!
Are we allowed to add to this thread?
Please disregard if not, but if I’m allowed: I always have to recommend my two favorites (available on Netflix)!
Word of Honor and The Untamed. They are the opposite of obscure but their fame is well deserved. If you haven’t watched it yet, do try.
Both are fantasy in magical historic China and are both hero’s journeys about a good guy, bad PR for their significant other and redemption.
If you love bromances, you’re right here. Those are both romances between the male leads that officially of course aren’t. Great chemistry.
Wonderful recommendations, thank you
I’ve been watching the Legend of Shen Li, then I got tired of waiting for the next episode, so I out it on pause. I’ll go back to it cause I like both the main leads.
I’ve always liked Zhang Jing Hi, her acting is so natural. So I’ll give that a go also.
I know you’re into c-dramas based on your blog over the years and in your work but omg!!!! I squealed when I read “Love Like the Galaxy.” I adore Zhao Lu Si!!!!! If you like her and don’t mind modern, try “Hidden Love.” It’s the kind of show to watch in one sitting, wrapped in a blanket with a cup of tea or cocoa.
Does anyone like k-dramas?
I like k-dramas as well, but lately the selection on Viki has been disappointing. After the success of Hotel de Luna, they seem to be going through dead people and sad stories phase. They are pushing Lovely Runner hard right now. I watched the first episode, and I don’t know, it doesn’t seem to be hitting.
Queen of Tears!! A must- watch. For an older one, Flower of Evil.
I’m watching Lovely Runner now. I’m loving it! I wasn’t sure about it until the end of episode 2. The mystery gets deeper and you see more from the ML’s perspective at that point. I like all the twists and I’m excited to see the new eps. At first, I thought it was just another high school drama but it definitely is not.
If you liked Come and Hug Me, you probably will like Lovely Runner. Similar vibe.
Come and Hug Me is fantastic!! The ML is wonderful. Loved him in WWW too. Lovely Runner should be amazing, from the snippets I’ve seen. I’m holding off on watching till it’s over so that I can make sure the ending is happy, then I can binge-watch.
Lovely Runner is my favorite kdrama airing right now, though Midnight Studio (dead people and sad stories) just ended. I had to go back and binge Kim Hye Yoon’s/Im Sol earlier drama Extraordinary You which is less of a mystery but also manages to make the happy-go-lucky FL so much fun to watch.
CDrama bromance horror fantasy The Spirealm has a tighter mystery plot than some other CDramas. I enjoyed the variety of sets, too. Still a dead people and sad stories kind of vibe, though.
Lovely Runner gets better, but I nearly ditched it based on the first episode too.
Missing Crown Prince is good so far, but my all time fav historical Kdrama on Viki has to be Forbidden Marriage, closely followed by The Matchmakers.
I enjoy a bit of humour in my drama otherwise I get too depressed.
My brother got me into K-dramas. It’s OK to Not Be OK is my hands down favorite. Goblin is another good one, though they do too much recapping, in my opinion. Alchemy of Souls was an enjoyable historical fantasy type. There are more if you like these. I’m sharing this post with him as these C-dramas sound great.
Same!!! Love Lusi! Watched Love Like the Galaxy, loved it and got into an argument with my best friend because she only thought it mid. I loved how they depicted the relationship between the FMC, FMC’s mother, and the Empress.
Oh the parents on both sides were like the highlight of that show. So long-suffering.
Oooooh the way I wanted to slap the FL’s mom through my screen in Love Like the Galaxy!!!! Oddly enough, she also plays Lusi’s mom in Hidden Love-where I adored her character. I can’t remember her name, but she’s a terrific actress.
Loved Love Like the Galaxy so much I watched it through twice. Caught so much more little stuff. I have only recently gotten into costume drama and I can’t say enough good stuff about Love You Seven Times. Same main characters undergo several very different tribulations. Some are hilarious- beware the mushrooms are some are heartbreaking- I still hear her yelling Chu Kong in my head! One more recommendation would be Who Rules the World. One of the best parts for me is that leads were always equal, Before and after secrets were revealed. With all c dramas I am always blown away by the wirework being done. Nothing like it coming out of Hollywood imo!!
I love who rules the world. there is a translation out there for the book. its so much better and focuses less on the hero and his family (which is what the drama does) and more on the hero and heroine. the ending is better too.
You have to try Marry My Husband (kdrama). had me totally addicted. There is a bit of domestic violence so please do be aware it could be a trigger for some. But the revenge & love story are just so sweet.It’s on Netflix here in Ireland but not sure if that’s the same for everywhere.
I’ve soooooo many c&k dramas to go through.
I loved The Long Ballad with Dilraba & Leo. Also The Romance of Tiger & Rose is excellent if you like Lusi.
All of the songs from Legend of Shen Li are amazing! I’ve just been rotating between this c-drama’s songs and IA audiobooks in the car.
I’d also recommend The Legends, which shares the same author as Shen Li’s original novel. It has a similar vibe with a kickass FMC.
Love your reviews. I am a huge fan of Chinese and Korean period Dramas /comedies/ whatever. I so agree about the production values of both Adversity and Shen Li. Zhao li Ying is also one of my favorites. Most all the productions she’s in that I’ve seen have been better than average to excellent so I will always look for her. Costumes, decor, landscapes, in these series whether residential or wilderness are breathtaking. I’ve learned so much about the history of China which has inspired me to read up on what’s Poetic license and what are the facts( I use the term loosely due to what we are told about the victors writing history) consequently I know more now about particularly, Chinese history than my own country. The Chinese have such a long documented history, it never gets boring. Thanks again for the reviews. .
I’ve grown mildly obsessed with Tang Dynasty and know a surprising amount of random facts about it.
I’ve been mildly obsessed with the Tang Dynasty since I ran across Robert Gulick’s Judge Dee mysteries when I was in my 20s.
Yes, I love those mysteries. I thought I was the only one who read those. They are so satisfying for the justice and a highly fascinating look into the culture!
Adding to my watch list. Have you seen Moving or Flex x Cop on hulu? Both are very good. I’m currently watching Will Love in Spring which is much better than the synopsis would imply.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/bdn8Gwdhqss
shows how the actress trains for the fight scenes
if you haven’t seen it yet, you should watch the movie Curse of the Golden Flower. It has plot twists and turns and who you think is the non evil person may turn out to be evil. Just a movie where I was flabbergasted at the end, and it is great just for the visuals.
Like another commenter, I squealed when I saw Love Like The Galaxy being mentioned! I adore Zhao Lu Si, I loved her in LLTG and even in Who Rules The World which a lot of people don’t like. I’m slowly working through Nirvana In Fire now, though I don’t have much time to watch so it’s slow going. Thank you so much for the recs!
My favourite author(s) is blogging about my favourite tv dramas, I love this!
Zanilla Zhao is so watchable, whether in Legend of Shen Li, Legend of Ming Lan, or Princess Agents.
A Dream of Splendour and Lost You Forever Season 1 on Viki are also really good, both with famous female leads. Actress Bai Lu is also very watchable now.
I usually only watch historical c-dramas (not Republican era, not modern era), but I’d recommend Reset on Viki – it’s a modern time-loop sci fi c-drama, fairly short.
+1 on Reset! Very tight plot, great acting.
I’m an avid fan of c/k dramas but nothing has appealed to me lately. I’ve only watched one c/k drama this year and it was Queen of Tears. These two were on my TBW list and now they’re getting bumped up to TBW this week :).
I am also one of those who watched Princess Agents and have been waiting for the sequel that will never happen so I have a lot of expectations from The Legend of Shen Li.
Thanks for this post (^_^). I enjoy reading your thoughts on C-drama.
Both shows are based on books that I’ve read. When I first saw Blossoms in Adversity trailer, I was so surprised by the loving tenderness between the two leads that I did not get from the book — maybe because I read a translated work, or maybe the two leads just have incredible chemistry. Anyway, it’s on my to-watch list now.
As for Legend of Shenli, I didn’t even realize I’d read the book already until the series came out and I thought I should read the book before going into the drama adaptation (helps me with following the story). This has been the pattern of my relationship with Jiu Lu Fei Xiang’s works (-_-“) — I mostly enjoyed reading her book, but retained none of the story once it’s ended.
If you haven’t watched it already, please check out The Mysterious Lotus Casebook. It’s a Wuxia story about a top martial artist who disappeared after a big duel, then reappeared years later under a new identity as a traveling physician, with an ancient version of an RV as his home (very cool piece set). It has awesome fight scenes and lots of humor. And even though I’m not a fan of how the story ended, it’s still in my top drama list from last year.
I love Mysterious Lotus Casebook. Wish more dramas were like this. Acting was on point, with good pacing and an engaging storyline. The way the plot was revealed bit by bit was amazing. Also… Nirvana in Fire 1 was seriously amazing. It just keeps going. I think I slept an average of 2 hours bing watching it.
For C dramas I adore Eternal Love of a Dream aka three lives three worlds the pillow book, The Starry Love, the journey of chong zi, and my sassy princess.
I will absolutely be trying these two now. Thank you!
I love k-dramas! Most of the ones I’ve watched are on Netflix. One of my favorites is The Eternal King. I’ll look up these 2…they look /sound good.
Both Chinese dramas are wonderful representations of their genres. I absolutely adored The Legend of Shen Li and it was a beautiful adaptation of a web novel, Accompanying the Phoenix. The main characters of both series are also amazing in whichever roles they play!
Some of my faves, in no particular order:
*Only for love (China, modern, romance, comedy, business, a bit cinderella-tropy)
* Hidden love (China, modern, coming-of-age, crush, family dynamics, heartwarming)
* Dating in the Kitchen (China, modern, hysterically funny)
* Eternal Love 2017 AKA “Three Lives Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms” (China, historical, magic, xianxia)
*Best Choice Ever (China, modern, romance, business, family dynamics)
*You Are My Glory (China, modern, crush, second-chance-ish romance)
*Flower of Evil (Korea, modern, thriller/suspense/mystery, romance, have tissues ready)
*Destined With You (Korea, modern, romance, past-life/reincarnation, mystery)
*Perfect Marriage Revenge (Korea, modern, romance, reincarnation-ish, revenge, Cinderella-ish)
*Remarriage and Desires (Korea, modern, romance, revenge, mystery)
Yes, I am a drama addict. No, I will not seek a cure :)) Also, the website “My drama list” is great for finding new dramas as well as keeping a trackable watchlist.
Seconding a lot of these!
Knight Flower was a delight of a historical action/comedy K-drama, starring the talented Honey Lee and a lovely romance that manages to preserve female freedom. It’s also not super long.
Thanks for the recs!
Oooh, I’ve been on the fence about Blossoms in Adversity, but now I shall have to check it out.
Not super-recent, but a recent-to-me favorite:
The Imperial Coroner: A female coroner, a male prince in charge of justice, and a whole lot of mysteries to solve. Both the leads and the secondary leads are charming and fun. Available on Viki and also probably on YouTube.
I love the Imperial Coroner. Great casts 🥰
+1 on The Imperial Coroner. It’s like CSI + romance in ancient times.
Love between Fairy and Devil on Netflix (cdrama) – push through the first couple episodes which seem pretty silly. More depth to the story after that. Melodrama and humor, plus great costumes.
Love 020 also Netflix (cdrama – the movie) Great if you like gaming and rpgs. There is also a series, but it gets really weirdly sexist. The movie was fun.
Story of Minglan. 10/10. Amazing to have both a FL and ML who are witty, clever and devious.
Only tragedy their styling is kinda bad for the first half but then gets better later
Nothing But You.
Viki, C-drama.
I adore it.
Ok, I just binged the first 10 episodes of Love Blossoms in Adversity straight through. Thanks for sharing your joys with us 🙂
Can’t talk now, going back in ;D
A very long applause and a hooray for finishing everything! Wow!
Thank you for sharing! I’ve been worried about you and the flooding. Hope you and your family are ok.
House Andrews are ok, they are in a higher area with no danger of flooding.
Oh wow! Now I’m convinced to try out C-dramas. I’m Asian but haven’t really been interested in them before.
I was still hesitant about the Blossoms in Adversity, but if it has similar feel to Minglan & Galaxy, I’m in!
Oooh had seen Princess Agents, so yeah, Legend of Shen Li did have a tad bit of nice nostalgia to see them co-act again.
However, even without it, Shen Li is thoroughly awesome on it’s own. Was way more fun than expected.
Our FL & ML were great on their own and even better when together.
The plot for once was well done, CGI, directing, cinematography spectacular and bloody hell, the soundtrack is phenomenal!!!
Seen them both I totally agree that they both are a must see if you like great dramas.
And as a back norr, it is all Ilona Andrews fault that I am now a Big fan of C-dramas..🫣🤣
Thank you❣️
Lol these are the exact two dramas that I recently finished watching!
☺️☺️❤️❤️❤️❤️yet another reason to ADORE House Andrews- C Dramas!!! I’m obsessed with them. My very 1st one was the Sword & the Brocade❤️Wallace Chung!! LLTG is wonderful, Princess Silver, Who Rules TheWorld, Under the Power, Judge Dee, Princess Agent, Imperial Coroner,Autumn Cicada, Forever & Ever/ One & Only. Allen Ren, Yang Yang, Dylan Wang , Aarif Rahman Bai Lu, Liao Lusi, Dilraba are just a few of my favourite actors.
I could keep going. Thanks Everyone for any recs.
This made my day! I watched this on Youku because I couldn’t wait for Viki. Love the uplifting themes and music!
Does Youku have subtitles?
Yes!! And surprisingly the tv app loads really fast.
Yes, youku has subtitles. But a lot of their productions are very low budget. IQiyi gives you the option of commenting like Viki. Tencent is good, too.
Both of these are on my to-watch list!
My absolute favorite cdrama is Mysterious Lotus Casebook. It’s a wuxia mystery show with a lot of humor, as well as a great example of my favorite “my rival and I tried to kill each other ten years ago but now we’re BFFs” trope. The first few episodes are on YouTube if you want to try it out without paying for Iqiyi.
For historical mysteries, Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty is really good. The trio of characters at the heart of the show are excellent.
I’ve also been enjoying some silly period drama romcoms… Wrong Carriage Right Groom and Substitute Princess’s Love.
+1 on Word of Honor. I could watch Wen Kexing wander around creating chaos all day long. Untamed is a good story, but it has a long period of misery in the middle, so your mileage may vary.
How is the subtitling?
I ask because we’re rewatching “Checkmate” for our International Agatha Christie film project. That C-drama (starring Hu Yi Tian!) converts 7 Agatha novels and a couple of short stories into one 24-episode arc and the subtitles are MADDENING.
Too fast, too short, too incomplete, leave questions behind. They stay onscreen for 1 second — I’m not kidding — and we’re constantly having to stop the DVD, go back, and freeze frame.
On Viki, subtitles are pretty good. They are not word for word. For example, the subtitle says something like Lord Gu! Lord Gu! But the character is not saying “Gu Tare (sorry spelling by ear here),” she is just yelling “gē ge” over and over.
Or the character says Bù kěnéng de, and it maybe translated as “impossible” or “that will never happen” or in rare cases as “no.” They try to preserve the meaning while also creating a coherent English narrative.
Likewise, in the costume dramas, they will swap third person for the first person, so when a servant named Bao Xia says something like “Bao Xia made a mistake. Bao Xia never meant to hurt anyone” it will become “I made a mistake. I never hurt anyone.”
I personally prefer the changes. So not exact translation, but overall, they are miles better than IQIYI.
Thank you! I don’t expect exact subtitles but I do want the sense of the story.
We got “Checkmate” on DVD via IQIYI, explaining the horrible subtitles.
Whoever subtitled Ms. Ma: Nemesis (a Korean reworking of several Miss Marple novels) did an infinitely better job.
I can’t believe one of my favorite authors watches cdramas too. I got some webtoon and book recommendations before from you guys also. I remember being shocked finding out that you read webtoon back then haha. I am Asian and I only knew a few people who shares the same hobby of watching cdramas, reading novels, manhwa, manga, manhua, and lightnovels. A lot watch kdramas though. Cdramas has started to gain traction but not by much.
I’d also like to add that Zhao Liying is one of my fave actresses too. In fact she’s my OG fave cdrama actress lol.
I agree with the first recommendation! It was all in all a lovely drama. I adore Zhao Liying
No and one of my all time favorite drama is The Story of Minglan. She is so smart as is her husband. Truly the best drama. They set the bar high with it. Have you seen it? Highly recommend
Thank you so much for the recommendations!
Have a wonderful May week 🙂
Have you ever seen a Chinese opera? It is much like these kind of stories, but of course sung. Many of them are like Wagnerian opera, epic tales of gods or the virtuous woman defending her village from bad guys (with obviously, traditional Chinese music).
Oh yay! I’ve been looking forward to this C-Drama recommendation from you guys. I started watching dramas because of the recs here, and haven’t stopped since. I’m going to add Legend of Shen Li to my to-watch list. The one I’m currently watching and highly recommend is A Journey to Love (feat. Liu Shi Shi and Liu Yi Ning). It is a female centric drama, with a kickass female lead and an awesome male lead. There is character growth! No simpering, crying females, hurrah! Seriously, highly recommend.
Another great C-drama is Who Rules the World at Netflix. Great cast and script. 40 eps. Has Yang Yang and Zhao Lusi. You can also find it on 10 Cent YouTube channel.
Shen li was good and it gave those of us the closure that we needed from the Princess Agents. Loved the bunny easter eggs.
Is there a k-drama thread, too?
There are a few previous posts if you search the blog- like https://ilona-andrews.com/blog/moonlight-drawn-by-clouds/ 🙂
Totally agree. Shen Li is amazing and really well done.
I fell in love with “Love me Love my voice” over christmas – a bit sappy but watching it just makes me happy. I am currently watching a slightly older one – New life begins – which is a lot of fun.
Love like the Galaxy and Who Rules the World are the two that got me into Chinese drama (I am a late comer!) but I should add – and a bit older but it is the same actor (Zhao Li Ying) – Legend of Fei. The classic growth of a hero story but a lot of fun getting there.
Doom at your Service and My Demon I enjoyed, along with the older While you were sleeping and My Lovey Liar (all K dramas) – and if you get netflix, then Alchemy of Souls is a must, loved it more than Hotel de Luna (even with the change of lead actress).
if you haven’t seen it, Alchemy of souls gives similar vibes to the Blossoms. it was available on Netflix. I have watched it recently as I was looking for something with magic and HEA and some humor and all the English TV is terribly depressing. loved it. going to look up how to watch your recs😊
I love everything about this thread! 😍
I’ld live to see it revisited every year or so.
Many years ago, when I was a blond haired, blue-eyed little girl of about 6 or 7, I lived in San Francisco’s Chinatown. On weekends, I would take the bus down the street to the Chinese language theater and watch the kung fu movies like previous generations would watch “Flash Gordon.” Even the ones that weren’t subtitled were easily deciphered by a small white child… The line “Come on, let’s fight!” woke so many feelings – such a common line in all these movies!!
Note: this was LONG before Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan were a thing in the US. I shall have to make time to see these – especially the Legend of Shen Li, which reminds me of so many of those wonderful films.
I absolutely love Blossoms in Adversity (I think of Roland calling Kate Blossom 🙂 )
It can be a little difficult to wait for the next episode. I will check out Shen Li
Thank you for sharing these :). I’ve been looking to start watching shows in this genre, but I was a bit confused on where to start. And it’s great to see some of the things that inspire my favorite authors.
Recent kdramas haven’t been that great imo but two that come to mind that I enjoyed a lot were Moving & Twinkling Watermelon. I usually watch historical Cdramas as well but Reset was the first modern cdrama that sucked me in and I binged it overnight lol All episodes are subbed on Youtube and it’s a really good time loop thriller type of drama.
Both are great shows! Loved „Worst of Evil“ if you’re into noir undercover. Ji Chang Wook had the best performance in years – great plot and writing.
„Behind your touch“ was a hoot, if you haven’t seen it yet, maybe give it a try.
A vet can see into the future when she touches people’s butt/ hip region. And a detective teams up with her (all quite hostile at the start) to solve murders. The lengths they go to, just to create an opportunity for her to touch people’s behind.. hilarious.
The murders / search for the murderer is a big part of the show and the romance is there, of course vet/ detective, but not the driving force. The village is full of quirky characters well fleshed out. This drama is still in my top 5 last year.
Cool
This is sort of an add-on comment.
I started checking out cm dramas after this blog and today, Facebook suddenly attached a post about the 2023 C fantasy Love Is An Accident on my page
Has anyone watched it?
I am following it now and I have to say that it is funny as neck and the Male lead is gorgeous.
Had to post this just in case no one has seen it yet and they would like a chance to try it out.
Backtracked this Blog to make sure I posted on the right page.
Thank you!
Just finished binge watching Legend of Shen Li, all the episodes were on YouTube! Amazingly great, although I teared up throughout. Thanks so much for the recommendation-you take such good care of us😁
These are the latest drama I’ve finished watching. The legend of Shen Li is really good.
I was instantly reminded of this quote…
“Does Han Min die of poison in episode sixty-three?”
Finished Love Blossoms in Adversity! Very feel-good. Thank you for the recommendation! I loved how brutal they made YanXi’s fighting style. A favorite moment: “Here ShaoYao, let me show you a trick.”
Thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed Blossoms in Adversity. Shipping Bao Xia and Chen Qing so much!
Thank you for recommending The Legend of Shen Li. I watched it and loved it!
It’s a great Chinese fantasy show, the chemistry was there in spades – and it’s not a teen show. 😃🥰
Have you guys watched Story of Kunning Palace? Came out in 2023 but storyline, acting and pacing is pretty good. That was the one that started me back into the world of Wuxi’s dramas. I grew up on these in the Hong Kong productions in 80s/90s. Previously chinese dramas were overlong draggy and bad but these days the dramas and productions are seriously good.
Also… +1 to Word of Honour – some inconsistencies in areas but overall a good BL show.
For silliness Romance on the Farm is pretty hilarious.
Luoyang is a pretty good wuxia drama if a little darker.
Blood of Youth is also pretty decent (Netflix).
These are older but seriously good:
– Joy of Life (season 1 is avail on YouTube, season 2 is on Disney+)
– Sword Snow Stride (avail on YouTube)
– Ever Night (YouTube)
If anyone else has recommendations like these I’d be happy to add them to my addiction list.