Highlights of 2020
rules:
list your top 10 shows (bl or not) you watched in 2020 (doesn’t necessarily have to be shows that came out in 2020 though!)
tag at least 10 people you appreciated this year
tag 10 more people to continue the tag
I was tagged by the lovely @gunsatthaphan 💙 thank you for always remembering me, Doreen 😘
This is gonna be hard cos I watched SO MANY DRAMAS during this hellscape of a year. I’ve decided to limit it to shows that I’ve completed cos there are some that I adore that are still airing and it already feels like 84 years since the beginning of the year and all the shows that came with it!
In no particular order, here’s my top 10 of 2020! ✨
1. Winter Begonia
This show took me completely by surprise and stole my whole heart. The cinematography and the use of Chinese opera in the story was out of this world. I also love love LOVED the chemistry between Xi Rui and Feng Tai. It was so powerful not even censorship could hold it down!
2. 2gether (and by extension, Still 2gether)
This show was so pretty and cute and exactly what I needed when it came out... until the dreaded high five heard around the world. Thank heaven for redemption in the form of Still 2gether cos we can all pretend that ending never happened jksjskjs. I will always adore Sarawat and Tine for all the laughs and unnecessary angst they gave me. 2020 would not have been the same without them!
3. Love and Redemption
If ever there was a story about epic love and what we would do for it, it’s this drama. I found it so compelling that I can re-watch it countless times and still feel the same passion for the characters. I’ve never shipped a straight couple so hard like I did Yu Sifeng and Chu Xuanji. They really deserved the entire world and all the cuddles but all they kept getting were struggles left, right and center. If you love beautiful scenery, gorgeous actors and a plot that will leave you in twists and knots until the end, then this is for you!
4. Gaya Sa Pelikula (Like in the Movies)
This tale of finding yourself and loving who you are was wonderfully and beautifully made and presented to us this year. It was more than the beauty though, the dialogue often left you thinking and feeling deeper than you could imagine. I really hope we get to see more of Vlad and Karl some time in the future, cos I miss them already.
5. Cherry Magic (or 30 Years of Virginity Can Make You A Wizard)
With a title like that (never having heard of the manga before), I wasn’t sure what to expect from this show. I started it late because I didn’t want to be disappointed but once I did, I was hooked! It’s light and funny and dramatic, sometimes even a little ridiculous. It was also always entertaining and heartwarming. I quickly adopted Adachi and Kurosawa even though they’re grown men, and I was so happy to follow along on their wild ride to love. I miss this show so much already and I know I will watch it again just to see Adachi going crazy over the tiniest things.
6. Flower of Evil
Now this was a show I was certain I would love as soon as I read the synopsis. A possible serial killer living a double life with his wife who happens to be a crack detective? Sign me all the way up! This thriller was exactly what it promised and I enjoyed all of it. Everyone on the show was shady AF and it all added to the mystery of it all. The fact that there was also a compelling love story in there was a bonus!
7. Where Your Eyes Linger & Mr. Heart
These are two completely different shows but I’m putting them together cos they’re so short and they scratch the same itch - the need for good Korean LGBTQ content. WYEL is a darker story of young, ‘forbidden’ love and its impediments, while Mr. Heart is an absolute fluffball of cuteness that follows two young athletes who find love while trying to work out a competitive rhythm together.
Both shows were cute in their own way and my year was so much richer for seeing them.
8. Gameboys
2020 was the year for Pinoy bl shows and Gameboys was no exception! It was a tale of love in quarantine that was so wholesome and adorable, it felt like a sugar overload some of the time! Cairo and Gavreel will always have a special place in my heart.
9. Your Name Engraved Herein
This is a cheat (kind of) because it’s a movie and not a series. However, I can’t talk about my faves of 2020 without this film. It’s a snapshot of a tumultuous time in the lives of two teenage boys who happen to be living in a society that is unfriendly to anyone who feels ‘other’. It is very beautifully shot and the performances are powerful and captivating.
10. I Told Sunset About You
This is hands down my favourite bl show of the year and I still don’t know how to move on from Teh and Oh-aew completely. The cinematography and production quality were cinema-level, the story was tight and amazingly played out and every single performance was just breathtakingly good. You could feel the love that went into making this show as you watched it and that made every emotion ten times stronger for me. It was only 5 episodes long but each episode delivered a high impact story that about adolescent love that left me speechless.
Honourable mentions to these shows that I’m still watching:
1. Ingredients (so much heart in such a little package)
2. Mr. Queen (hilarious, hilarious, hilarious)
3. Friend Zone 2 (the messy show we all love to love and hate)
4. Meet Me Outside (totally unexpected scene stealer)
5. The Uncanny Counter (fantasy with heart and amazing visuals)
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
For people I’ve appreciated this year: @musicdramalove 💖 @gunsatthaphan 💖 @maddiesup 💖 @heymeowmao 💖 @teh-ohaew 💖 @toptaps 💖 @0ffgun 💖 @salaleo 💖 @zaintseeme 💖 @ohsehuns 💖 @wordsablaze
You all added a lil something to make the year special for me even when you didn’t know it and I appreciate every single one of you. I hope 2021 treats you amazingly well because it’s what you deserve!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I’m sorry, I don’t know who to tag but if you see this and you want to do it, pls do and tag me so I can see your list too! Have a lovely holiday 💓
