#admin: jl

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delicious romance 爱很美味 (2021) dir. leste chen, hsu chao jen

starring li chun, naomi wang, kristy zhang

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Ratee Luang รตีลวง | Love and Deception (2022) starring Chippy Sirin + Puen Khanin

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2020 Romcom Drama Recs

We all know what we’ve been through in 2020. As 2021 picks up, what better time to enjoy cute and light-hearted dramas? Here are some of our recommended romance comedies of 2020: 

1. Be With You 好想和你在一起 recommended by Admin JY 

GIF by shoujoinvestigation  

It had been a while since my heart felt uwu in 2020, and I’m glad that this drama was the one who helped me relive that feeling again!

A light but reasonably balanced romcom, Be With You features Ji Xiao Bing as a lovely nuanced stoic male lead, paired with a straightforward, responsible and fairly independent female lead. 

While the drama is fairly simple in its premise, the drama does a decent job in making sure that the characters are relatively more nuanced than predictable stereotypes - leading to a slightly unusual vibe for a romcom in the first four as the character dynamics first start off.

Soon after, the healthy relationship development takes off (along with a bit of my heart). Although the leads have seemingly opposite personalities, it was lovely to see how both of them communicate with and respect each other even as they are both inexperienced in romance and navigate their relationship in comedic (and ofc some tropey) ways. 

While the show’s pacing and main focus shifts towards the end of the drama towards the supporting characters, I still do hope that more people can join me in appreciating the cute dynamics of this show’s main pairing! 

2.  The Romance of Tiger and Rose 传闻中的陈芊芊 recommended by Admin JY   

One of the popular and well-raved shows of 2020, there is definitely good reason for this drama’s positive reviews!

As a rare original scripted Chinese drama, the story is about a female lead who finds herself living in her own drama script’s female-dominated society as she navigates her “character’s” fate - between romance and the intrinsic conflicts between the male lead’s motivations and her kingdom’s interests.

Through fast-paced developments, the story takes us in unexpected directions with both great fun comedy and its fair share of serious and emotional moments. With an empowered and likably genuine female lead and a sweet yet scheming male lead, there were plenty of cute moments and great chemistry in the show. Supporting characters were also likable and did well to complement the show’s comedic dynamics.

While there were definitely still some flaws and plotholes, the enjoyment that the show delivers and its interesting reflection of gender roles in society is more than enough for this drama to deserve its rave.

3. Dating in the Kitchen 我, 喜欢你 recommended by Admin JL  

Having first gained traction last October on cnet with its scenes of crack-ish, fun humour (aka: Lu Jin the human bubble machine scene), it's pretty much emblematic of the quirky and comedic beats of this romcom which seems to be rare. I had so much fun, and was so happy to be able to experience a romcom like this!

With exceptional comedy nailed, of course, we can’t go without romance for a good romcom. While admitting that the writing takes some crazy liberties to make twists to the most melodramatic tropes, the romance was made truly ~yummy!!~ (like the delicacies featured in the show!) by Lin Yu Shen and Zhao Lu Si’s electrifying performance, individually and together. (With this, I fell deeply for Lin Yu Shen as an actor too~) This drama’s romance simply can’t be missed if you’re into age gap romances like me, because this drama really understands the moe of it and goes all the way! All flaws become negligible. :p

Considering that a movie adaptation preceded it - one which I also enjoyed, it’s amazing how the drama managed to offer a fresh experience and, for me, an even better one! It defined my October of 2020.

Don’t watch this on an empty stomach though!

Watch the official episodes, subbed, on Youtube.

4. Koi wa Tsuzuku yo Doko Made mo   recommended by Admin JY        

If cute bubbly female lead x cold handsome male lead is your kind of romcom jam, look no further than KoiTsudu!

This drama brings together all the familiar elements of such a romcom dynamic in a light-hearted and engaging way, taking place in a medical/hospital setting (which seems very reminiscent of Itazura na Kiss in its later half too).

While the female lead is innocent, inexperienced and sometimes clumsy, she is also hardworking and dedicated to her patients. As the female lead learns from her experiences on the job, she becomes stronger and more confident in herself - in her own journey of growth. In this process, we see the male lead showcase different sides of himself as their relationship develops.

Amidst the cute moments of unexpected romantic interactions, this was also well-balanced with levels of sensibility as the characters’ personalities do not drastically get lost even after they fall in love, and their relationship is gradually developed rather than suddenly.

With a generally simple and episodic-based narrative, this drama is definitely an easily accessible, light and fun drama that anyone can enjoy.

Bonus:

Twogether (2020) recommended by Admin JY

Not a drama recommendation, but with such light-hearted and fun interactions, this Netflix variety show could well deliver all the feels of watching a romcom!

Even as someone who does not identify as a fangirl of either Lee Seunggi or Jasper Liu, this was still a lovely and enjoyable show to watch for its cute and wholesome interactions by both members.

With Seunggi’s playful and proactive energy balanced by Jasper’s cute and adaptive chill personality, their multilingual interactions were nothing short of wholesome yet amusing and entertaining, especially as they began to warm up to each other over time.

With a simple premise of accomplishing tasks to meet overseas fans, this show was also perfect in its timing (amidst pandemic banning international travel) to showcase the beautiful and scenic locations to add to your to-visit list in Southeast Asia! But the best part was definitely watching the fans' genuinely heartwarming reactions and how all of them really felt so happy seeing their idol that the audience would also feel happy for them!

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What are your favourite romcoms of 2020?

Written by Admin JY and Admin JL. GIF via Tumblr, by original posters linked. 

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Our 2019 Drama Recs

Yes, we’re writing our 2019 drama rec post in 2021...! We didn’t have one earlier simply because we didn’t get to watch enough rec-worthy 2019 dramas in time. But here we are, having caught up with some great 2019 dramas back in 2020. It’s better late than never - and the same goes for you if you haven’t watched any of these. :)

1. Royal Nirvana 鹤唳华亭 (2019) + 别云间 the special (2020) recommended by Admin JL  

I just couldn’t go without ever expressing my ocean-deep love for Royal Nirvana. Life-changing. Monumental. Instantly an all-time favourite of mine after I binged it in emotional devastation. Honestly, it is not the easiest show to watch - it requires mental and emotional effort for its highly nuanced and poetic writing. But it’s also the surest way to etch a story into your heart.

It’s also a tremendously rewarding and cathartic story for me. It’s not everyday that we see such a strongly thematic and meaningful story, which means a hell lot to me with its exploration of father/child relationship, loss, obligations and morality - among many. Xiao Dingquan will forever be one of the most important, well-loved protagonists in my heart. We’re the choices we make more so than what we become in the end.

2. The World Between Us 我們與惡的距離 recommended by Admin JY

There are so many things that this show gets right that its critical acclaim is more than well-deserved. From mental health representation, influence of media, the concept of fairness, and showing the other side of a common dichotomous narrative, this show packs this all in a balanced, objective yet emotional portrayal within a mere 10 episodes.

Showing the aftermath of an unfortunate mass shooting, this drama explores the emotional perspectives of all those involved. It gives proper acknowledgement to the victims of tragedies yet balances out with very fair and accurate portrayals of the perpetrators' families and their own victimhood. At the same time, the show includes some of the most accurate and fair representation of mental illness that I have ever seen!!! Not only are mental health patients’ struggled deftly portrayed, but also the professionals’ perspectives and struggles are clearly represented.

The World Between Us is the wake-up call we all need to see beyond the biases we easily assume to see the the bigger picture, of the world not just between us but that brings us together. 

3. Hello Debate Opponent 你好对方辩友  recommended by Admin JL

This is a pleasant little surprise of a coming-of-age story! Quite rare for a cdrama. Centred around a university debate club, the story goes hard on competitive debate representation which comes hand in hand with its sensible character writing and development. It’s a feel-good and quirky drama about growth and friendship - and can provide comfort and nuggets of wisdom to youths and anyone else alike. If anything, you’ll learn a thing or two about competitive debate with this drama’s involvement of numerous professional debaters in its production. :)

Watch the official episodes, subbed, on Youtube.

4. When the Camellia Blooms recommended by Admin JY

No handsome or rich chaebol to save the day, no dreams come true of getting rich or living in a luxurious home in the city, no flashy glamourous fashion-show-like clothes - When the Camellia Blooms is instead quite truly a down-to-earth breath of fresh air KDrama.

For a slice-of-life drama, it includes many elements subtly yet skilfully woven together with important themes of family, community bonds and self-confidence. Even amidst the realistic struggles of societal biases and single parenthood, the show never fails to inject positivity into the situation, and more so by emphasizing the value of kindness.

With a strong cast and diverse characters, a subtle but solid OST and beautiful sceneries, this is definitely a lovely and heartwarming drama that breaks the stereotype of what it means to have a strong female lead and even what it means to write a romcom kdrama.

5. Please Love Me 拜托请你爱我 recommended by Admin JL

If you’re a steadfast fake marriage trope junkie like me, look no further. This is a drama I wasn’t expecting to enjoy - many romcom webdramas have been more misses than hits - but very glad I did. Straight off the bat, it was already pleasing for its sensible character writing - and eventually continues to prove that it fundamentally understands how two very different people come together in a relationship. It even provided me with little surprises of the usual trope - it’s one of the few romance stories which has its leads’ relationship held up after a mutual confirmation of feelings. Youyou and Yi Han are so wholesome. <3

Watch the official episodes, subbed, on Youtube.

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Have you watched these 2019 shows before? Tell us what you think!

~ Admin JY and Admin JL

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小风暴之时间的玫瑰 You Complete Me (2020) starring Hu Yi Tian + Qiao Xin

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Thanks @dramasauce for tagging us! Since we have two (active) admins, we’ll do a 2-in-1 post :)

top 10 favorite actors/actresses and see if i have a type

Admin JY @jcanvas:

Jang Hyuk

Linda Chung

Park So Dam

Nam Goong Min

Austin Lin

Sophie Zhang

Bai Lu

Sisley Choi

Kim Sae Ron

Mandy Wong

Admin JL @seventh-fantasy

Zhu Yi Long

Bai Yu

Vengo Gao

Lin Yu Shen

Pan Yue Ming

Pope Thanawat

Zheng Ye Cheng

Kitagawa Keiko

Chris Wu

Bella Ranee

So do we have types???

tagging if you’re interested!

@cuppyhands @sloonstarius @kitstantin @dudeireallylovedramas @gooseras, @sowontyoutakeabreath @travelingstrawberry

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Suddenly This Summer 忽而今夏 Ep. 13

“So sweet...” “It’s mint-flavoured lip balm.”

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《花间提壶方大厨》 Chef Fang Ep. 08 // 16