#cdrama rec

[drunkinourtears]

crown prince: would you be willing to marry me?

xi he: I don't love you, I can only offer a mutually beneficial relationship

crown prince (with the most yearning/pleading eyes ever seen on a man): I am very easy to please. Even if it's a lie, I'm willing to believe it.

god, he was so insane for that, my guy will survive on crumbs and be happy about it 😭

[evilbunnyking]

I finished 'love game in eastern fantasy' this week, and yes it's silly and fun and the acting isn't exactly so stellar, but it was put together with such love and the characters were wonderful, and as a story it was so wonderfully complete? Each element and theme tied together so well into the ending. And that ending!! (spoilers beneath the cut)

When the author/character talked to the younger versions of himself...! Oh, I felt that so much. As a writer; as the woman/little girl. What leads us to write, what it helps us deal with.

(My characters are seeded with parts of myself, what I am, what I'd want to be. The gentle abstraction to dig into the human - I know why I write what I write and what I'm exploring with intimacy, haha). That conversation between that part of himself and the young selves, ahhhh!!!

It made me feel, this ending,for a silly show that I was watching to indulge my romanticism was just ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ what a lil gem.

[kdramacrybaby]

The Double (2024)

Genre: Historical, Revenge, Romance

Synopsis: Xue Fang Fei is killed by her husband - or so everyone thinks. Left for dead, Fang Fei is saved by Jiang Li and her maid Tong'er. When Jiang Li is then killed, Fang Fei sees the chance to take on her identity in an attempt to avenge them both for the injustices they've suffered. With the help of Tong'er, Fang Fei makes a return to society with a new name and a new life. But getting justice will not be as easy as first hoped, as the players she is up against are far stronger than she realizes. At least the powerful Duke Xiao Heng on her side.

Episode info: 40 episodes / Runtime around 50 minutes

Lead cast: Wu Jin Yan (Xue Fang Fei), Wang Xing Yue (Duke Xiao Heng), Liang Yong Qi (Shen Yu Rong), Li Meng (Princess Wan Ning), Ai Mi (Tong'er), Chen Xin Hai (Ye Shi Jie), He Feng Tian (Jiang Jing Rui), Zhao Jia Min (Liu Xu)

Link to watch: You can watch on Netflix, Viki and Youku

Drama rec masterlist | Drama rant thread (beware of spoilers)

This had been showing up on my Netflix constantly, and was then recommended to me, so I decided to give it a go - and I'm so glad I did!

I will be the first to admit that Chinese dramas (specifically historical ones) usually lose me at some point, as I have trouble following all the political intrigue and the way they use conversation more than action at times. It's a genre style that is not for me, and that's okay. I can still usually enjoy the drama despite not understanding everything 100%.

And while this drama did have that, since it's a large part of the historical genre overall, I enjoyed watching this so much. Were there parts I didn't fully understand? Of course, but I would watch this again in the future for sure.

I loved Xue Fangfei so so much - she's intelligent, kind and strong, and not afraid to do what needs to be done, though never at the cost of someone other than herself. Even with all this, she is not perfect, and that makes me love her even more. She makes mistakes, admits when she was wrong, and is not afraid to ask for help when she knows she is not strong enough on her own.

Her story is so heartbreaking that I found myself crying several times throughout the drama. She endures so much and yet still remains kind and compassionate.

The plot is amazing, the romance is even better, and the characters are all so nuanced that they even make you sympathize with the bad guys. I loved it!

[abyssal-ali]

Hii, so I just found the kdrama rec list that you made in like 2023, and I'm in ✨desperate✨ need of a calm, comforting rom com drama, like Hidden Love or Falling into your smile. (Especially the latter, I'm in love)

I've been really into the soft love stories lol and I'm busy watching Tale of the Nine Tailed, on the second last episode and I am definetly going to need something lighthearted after this. I've already watched Business Proposal and Love 020, so I think I'm still relatively new.

Please do ignore this if you don't have any new ones!! 😇

Hi! I'm so glad you've enjoyed my recs 😊

I have watched several more dramas since I made that list (okay like 40) I just haven't updated this since 😂 I actually made a side blog just for more in-depth recs that I can DM you if you'd like 🤗

Looking for soft, fluffy romcom recs? Look no further!

C | Exclusive Fairytale | Romance, Youth, Family | 2023 | This is a super cute, fluffy, lowstakes childhood friends to lovers story that progresses from high school days to college and beyond. Plus, it has Jun from Seventeen | 10/10

K | Welcome to Samdalri | Comedy, Drama, Life, Romance | 2023 | Similar to Hometown Cha Cha Cha, this is a slow, small town lowstakes drama where a girl comes from a big city and falls in love with a green flag boy (played by Ji Chang Wook, of course) The side stories are adorable as well as the main leads'. | 8/10

K | King the Land | Comedy, Romance, Workplace | 2023 | An absolutely lovely green flag couple and their chaotic, fun friend group who all work for a chaebol hospitality group (which the ML is heir to). Just recalling it makes me want to rewatch it, honestly. | 9/10

K | Doctor Slump | Life, Romance | 2024 | A supportive family, realistic depiction of depression, a cute, mature, green flag couple, and lowstakes but interesting plot make for a very comforting drama. | 9/10

C | Love Between Fairy and Devil | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance, Wuxia | 2022 | This drama is e v e r y t h i n g. E2L leads, all the tropes, great side characters, plot, set/wardrobe/etc, with a happy ending but makes you go through all the feels. 1000% planning on rewatching. here begins my obsession with Wang Hedi (CW: a lil darker, more plot-heavy and angstier than the previous recs on here but still hilarious and cute!)| 30/10

K | Lovely Runner | Comedy, Fantasy, Music, Romance | 2024 | This drama had a hilarious, adorable lead couple, a hooking plot, a long happy ending, and great acting; what more could you want? The drama accurately depicts fangirl life in a respectful way, has what I've heard from disabled fans is pretty good disability rep, and handles darker themes decently but still keeps the drama light overall. | 9.5/10

K | My Demon | Action, Comedy, Fantasy, Romance | 2023 | This is funny, fluffy, and a bit angsty (don't worry it's still HEA!) Forced proximity x supernatural x star-crossed lovers x arranged relationship x...well, it's got a ton of my favourite tropes + one of the best theme songs and opening credits scenes. | 10/10

Hope one of these tickles your fancy and you enjoy it♡

[kdramacrybaby]

Everyone Loves Me (2024)

Genre: Romance, Youth, Comedy

Synopsis: Yue Qianling has had a crush on Gu Xun for a long time, and finally gathers courage to confess to him. Gu Xun, however, already has someone he likes too - an online gaming friend he's never met - and so he turns down Qianling rather harshly. Now humiliated and hurt, Qianling wovs to never think about Gu Xun again - but it won't be that easy, when they work at the same place. And just who is Gu Xun's online crush? Perhaps, someone closer to him than he thinks...

Episode info: 24 episodes / Runtime around 45 minutes

Lead cast: Zhou Ye (Yue Qianling), Lin Yi (Gu Xun) - and I feel like all other characters from here has the same amount of screen time, and I'm not gonna put 15 people on this list...

Link to watch: You can watch on Netflix and Dramacool

Drama rec masterlist | Drama rant thread (beware of spoilers)

This was recommended to me because I was disappointed by Put Your Head on My Shoulder (they have the same male lead) - and I did like this one more, though it was still not really my style.

The couple was cute, and I felt like there was decent chemistry between the characters - something I lacked in the other drama. They also had more in common and worked better together as a team - though they sometimes didn't communicate all that well, it still felt like they were doing their best for each other, and that's the most important.

Like other dramas of this style, we see young people growing up, trying to find themselves in a new world of work outside of school. They have to think about what they want their lives to be, and how to get there - all while juggling their private lives with friendships and love.

I've already touched on this in a post here, but this type of drama just isn't my style. I find it too boring, nothing ever really happens. I get that some people like that, especially because it's a very low-stakes kind of drama, and I do agree that sometimes filler is great for building up the characters. With these two, however, I was just bored watching. It's not a bad drama - and as previously stated I did like it more than PYHOMS - it's just not for me.

All in all, it's a decently cute watch.

If you want a low-stakes / feel-good drama, this could be a choice.

[kdramacrybaby]

Put Your Head on My Shoulder (2019)

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Youth

Synopsis: During university, Situ Mo moves into the apartment of her mother's friend, to make it easier for her to get to her new job. Unfortunately, the son of said friend, Gu Weiyi, had the same idea, and decides to move home. Her spontaneous and somewhat messy enthusiasm clashes with his calm and cool analytical approach to life, but in the end, they both agree that they can make it work. And once Situ Mo realizes that her crush on her childhood friend Fu Pei is not what she truly wants, is there maybe room for someone new?

Episode info: 24 episodes / Runtime 45 minutes

Lead cast: Xing Fei (Situ Mo), Lin Yi, (Gu Weiyi), Tang Xiaotian (Fu Pei), Zheng Ying Chen (Wang Shan)

Link to watch: You can watch on Netflix, Viki, BiliBili, Dramacool

Drama rec masterlist |

This is another typical rom-com - very much like When I Fly Towards You (which is actually a lot better than this one, if you ask me).

It's about two university students coming together and falling in love as they help each other navigate their new lives as adults. It's cute, cliché and all that. If you're looking for an easy-to-watch drama that doesn't expect much of you, this is definitely a choice. It does what it sets out to do, being a rom-com and all, nothing more and nothing less.

Personally, I don't really buy into the main couple (or the second couple either, actually) all that much. The chemistry between either couple was not that great tbh, and I don't think either of them were a good match for each other.

While opposites can definitely work together, I just didn't feel like either part actually worked that hard to understand the other? They just go along with it all and somehow happens to fall into a relationship. Half the time, Situ Mo doesn't even seem like she actually wants to be there, it's so weird to me.

It started out pretty cute, but as we went along, I just didn't really love it all that much. But my expectations weren't like super high, I was just looking for something to try and get me out of my drama slump... which didn't really work, so yeah.

Not a bad drama at all, just not for me.

[kdramacrybaby]

Falling Into Your Smile (2021)

Genre: Romance, Comedy

Synopsis: Tong Yao is one of the best casual players of OPL in China. When a position opens up on the professional E-sporst team ZDGX, she takes a chance and takes the leap into the spotlight as the first pro female player. But earning her spot on a team who never wanted a new member in the first place is tough, and she has to work hard to prove that she is just as good as any of the boys.

Episode info: 31 episodes / Runtime around 45 minutes

Lead cast: Chen Xiao (Tong Yao), Xu Kai /Lu Sicheng), Merxat Yalkun (Yu Ming), Xiao Kaizhong (Lao Mao), Gao Han (Lao K), Sun Kai (Xiao Pang), Yao Chi (Lu Yue), Cui Shaoyang (Xiao Rui)

Link to watch: You can watch on Netflix and Dramacool

Drama rec masterlist | Drama rant thread (beware of spoilers)

So, I watched this without doing any rants, as it was a drama where I just wanted to turn off my head and not think too much about what was happening. I have actually tried watching it once before and gave up on it, but then it started showing up all over my YouTube shorts, so I decided to give it another chance.

I've seen both a lot of good and a lot of bad things about this drama - it seems you either absolutely love it or hate it. I'm somewhere in the middle, I guess.

It's cute and fluffy overall. Gives some decent commentary about being a girl in a male dominated sports, and also some pretty good comments on the relationship between fans and idols - and the boundaries that often end up being broken. There is a line that should never be crossed, and they do a good job showing how it can affect the idols when they are crossed anyway. Nothing groundbreaking, but not every drama has to be.

The graphics for the game scenes are really cool, and I liked watching that a lot. Wish they had done that just a tiny bit more, but I bet it was expensive.

I do have to say - I don't know if it's the actual lines or the Netflix subtitles, but a lot of the drama felt stiff and impersonal. Zero emotion at all, and sometimes it didn't even make sense. The subtitles also used the word r*tard a lot... which, is that not a slur? It felt very iffy to me.

The couples don't really seem to communicate that much, and I have to admit that the chemistry wasn't really all there for any of them. They had their cute moments, sure, but it's not the kind of relationship I would want.

So yeah, I don't hate this at all - I was certainly entertained and once I got started again, I did watch it all pretty fast. But it's not a fave drama of mine either, and I probably won't rewatch.

[kdramacrybaby]

When I Fly Towards You (2023)

Genre: Romance, Youth

Synopsis: Su Zaizai sees Zhang Lurang briefly at a convenience store, and falls in love at first sight. With luck on her side, she ends up in the same school as him, and she does her very best to make him notice her. As time passes, Zaizai and her best friend, Jiang Jia, ends up forming a close-knit friend group with Lurang and his friends Gu Ran and Guan Fang. We watch them all learn and grow together, going through life as they all try to figure out what their future holds in store for them.

Episode info: 24 episodes / Runtime around 35 minutes

Lead cast: Zhang Miao Yi (Su Zaizai), Zhou Yiran (Zhang Lurang), Bian Tianyang (Gu Ran), Jiang Zhinan (Jiang Jia), Gou Zhe (Guan Fang)

Link to watch: You can watch on Netflix or Dramacool

Drama rec masterlist | Drama rant thread (beware of spoilers)

Sometimes I like to watch a drama without having to think about posting any rants and stuff, so that's why there's nothing from this drama.

I needed a nice, chill drama to change the pace from the last couple of dramas I've watched, and this was just absolutely perfect for the job.

It's adorable and wholesome, no big twists or turns, no overdramatic scenes. Perfect for when you just need some good fluffy romance. It really is just all about teenagers being teenagers, going through school, getting new friends and falling in love. Nothing more and nothing less, and I loved it.

There really isn't much more to say about this, tbh. The actors all have great chemistry with each other, and their little group of friends made me nostalgic for when I was in school myself, having a friend group much like this one (without the romance though, sadly I did not get to marry any childhood love).

If you need a feel-good drama without any big surprises, this is definitely for you!