Want to get into c-dramas, but don’t know what to watch? This blog post’s for you!
Following up on my guide to watching c-dramas, I decided to rate all the (modern) c-dramas I’ve finished since I started in spring during spring break of last year. Here’s the first half of the (still-growing) list!
Love 020 (微微一笑很倾城) – 7.5/10
Love o2o is a college drama, but it’s not just your typical one love at first sight style ones. Plot twist: Xiao Nai falls for Weiwei’s gaming skills! The drama features the sole female Top 10 PK player “Luwei Weiwei” and #1 PK player “Yixiao Naihe”, who meet over the video game “A Chinese Ghost Story” (who needs Tinder when you have video games?) and get married to complete quests. Coincidentally, they actually go to the same college: “Weiwei” is actually the CS goddess Bei WeiWei and “Naihe” is actually the senior star student, Xiao Nai. This drama, although stereotypical at times and not perfect (worst kissing!), is a refreshing change to the miscommunication found in typical dramas. The side characters also add so much depth and emphasize the importance of friendship, while adding much-needed humor + roasts, both offline and online. Besides the drama, but the OSTs in the Love o2o are all amazing and fit the drama so well, especially the ending song. Yang Yang’s (actor playing Xiao Nai) voice is just so soothing and the song is so adorable. I could listen on repeat.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiiN4rDwa8g
Put Your Head on My Shoulder (致我们暖暖的小时光)- 9.5/10
The most wholesome college drama ever! PYHOMS lowkey has a Doraemon theme which I love, but basically everything about the drama is too adorable, I’m just so obsessed. Even the sound effects and music/OSTs are just too cute and it adds so much to the c-drama’s humor and adorableness. Like A Love So Beautiful (psst! they are both drama adaptations from different books of the same author), it’s a coming of age drama, featuring a confused accounting but aspiring advertising student, Si Tu Mo, that accidentally rooms with a genius (painfully socially awkward) physics student, Gu Wei Yi, helping her get her life together for after graduation. This drama’s definitely more of a lighthearted rom-com/sitcom as there’s not a whole lot of plot, but it makes up that through its relatability + hilarious awkward moments (especially Gu Wei Yi’s dating struggles) + adorable relationship goals.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERY3SqKoL68
A Love So Beautiful (致我们单纯的小美好)- 9.5/10
Tired of your typical guy-chases-girl type shows? This one’s for you. Here’s THE high school drama that definitely won’t disappoint! This refreshing coming-of-age drama starts off with an adorably short student, Chen Xiaoxi, chasing a super tall model student (who rejects her, kind of rudely at times) all throughout high school as they grow up and mature into young adults. But don’t worry, Xiaoxi isn’t discouraged, she’s going to keep chasing him until he likes her back. I love especially love this drama because it’s so relatable to high school students, has the purest moments, and teaches important life lessons. Besides, Xiaoxi’s happiness and smile are so infectious and you just won’t be able to stop yourself smiling and laughing along with her as she learns to conquer the gaokao and obstacles in life.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvuM-M6IrRE
Before We Get Married (我們不能是朋友)- 8.5/10
Not a c-drama, but a t-drama (Taiwanese drama, still in Chinese so close enough)! First of all, this drama was more mature and intense than any of c-dramas previously watched (esp. the first 2 episodes which are overly aggressive/almost rape-like, but definitely goes up from there). Essentially, this drama is about Zhou Weiwei and Chu Kehuan, who essentially cheat on their significant other with each other. Although cheating is obviously bad, this drama brings an interesting take and a somewhat more realistic light to unhappy/unhealthy relationships, the importance of self-love/dignity, and a different side of cheating, all of which I applaud the producers for. I also do have to say, the leads Puff Kuo and Jasper Liu have AMAZING chemistry (tbh modern c-drama chemistry just can’t beat) and they just sell the drama so well. Although the drama is definitely more on the short side with only 13 episodes, the fact that each episode is super intense, addicting, and a rollercoaster of emotions makes this worth watching.
Trailers: https://www.viki.com/videos/
Pleasantly Suprised/Love Myself or You (喜歡·一個人)- 9.0/10
(Pleasantly) Surprise(d)! Another t-drama! This one actually came out in 2014 but has the same leads from Before We Get Married + some more (hint: Boss lady Jessica in BWGM = Bao Zhu Jie, the waitress). Since I watched Before We Get Married as it was being released 1 ep/week, I picked this cooking drama up as I was waiting for new episodes. This is probably the cheesiest drama I’ve ever watched, but it’s so wholesome and hilarious, complete with the overly dramatic Mozart + cooking/food + sound effects. Like Before We Get Married, this t-drama is pretty unconventional, featuring an independent female protagonist with an abusive father while being basically a single mom taking care of her dead sister’s son and your boy-next-door protagonist with an overly controlling brother, working at Figaro Cuisine as chefs. It can be slightly over the top at times, but it’s such a lighthearted comedy and honestly much watch after an intense BWGM binge to relax, or even if you just want some laughs.
Trailers: https://www.viki.com/videos/1039560v-trailer-1, https://www.viki.com/videos/1040360v-trailer-2
Viewing
I double-checked and made sure that all of these c/t-dramas are available to watch for free on Viki with completed english subtitles. So pick a drama, and get watching!
Hey Kelly, thanks for sharing! I have been trying to branch out when it comes to TV shows, as I have really only ever watched American TV. I really appreciated your brief synopsis of each show, and am pretty sure I’m going to start A Love So Beautiful first. Thanks for writing, this has definitely given me the push I need to expand my horizons.
Hey Isabella! Thanks for reading my blog post! I’m so happy to have inspired you to start watching c-dramas and hope that you enjoy watching A Love So Beautiful. I look forward to hearing your thoughts about it!
This is a very timely post, as I just finished watching my first c-drama!! I stumbled upon Put Your Head On My Shoulder on Netflix, and it was so fun!! Unfortunately, some quick forays into the c-drama world showed me that I just happened to get lucky–many of the others I tested out were unbearable. My main criteria are that a) the girl is bearable (not too ditsy/cute/characterized, but actually normal or close to normal); b) the acting is decent (I can only take so much); c) the main characters are attractive, and d) there’s nothing overly crazy or *dramatic*. As it turns out, these are exceptionally high standards and I am very particular. Anyhow, thanks for the recs!! I definitely will check out a few the next chance I get 🙂
Hi Helenna! Put Your Head On My Shoulder is one of my favorite c-dramas and I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed watching it! I just want to say, your c-drama standards are spot on and mine are basically the same, so hopefully with these recs (and more in my next post), you’ll find some worthy c-dramas. Personally, I’d suggest watching A Love So Beautiful next since PYHOMS and ALSB have a somewhat similar style, with both being adaptations of books by the same author. Maybe give it a try and tell me your thoughts!
Kelly! Thank you for enlightening me with this amazing post about Cdramas. As a fellow Chinese American I feel that my chinese is taking a bad turn and this is the perfect way for me to not only have a new hobby but also to get better at Chinese. I will definitely start watching and keep you updated on my journey!!