Ok, friends.. after some comments on my WWW, the time has come:

What are some really good Cdramas or Tw dramas?

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    A note: I’m really not a fan of the over the top aegyo prevalent in some cdrama FL. Some examples of shows I liked:

    MARS
    Love me if you Dare
    Beneath the Skin
    Murphy’s Law of Love (one of the few romcoms I’ve been able to finish and enjoyed throughout)
    General and I

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      Someday or one day is my most favourite T-drama till date.
      Lost romance is quite fun. Oh no here comes trouble had rave reviews but I haven’t personally watched that.

      If you are in mood of historical slice of life – Story of Ming lan is a great choice.
      For fluffy historical piece of woman solidarity – New life begins and for fantasy (xianxia) Ten miles of peach blossom and Love between fairy and devil.
      Apart from the ending A journey to love is good drama in adventure fantasy/ wuxia genre.

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        Thanks! I really enjoyed the Korean remake of someday or one day, and I’ve heard the original is just like 10xs better.

        And I’ve added Lodt Romance to MDL as well. Thanks!

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        Here Comes Trouble is really good but also a bit weird. I regularly didn’t know what was going on but I nonetheless enjoyed it thoroughly and hope that it gets a second season.

        Someday or One Day almost doesn’t really count since it’s one of the best shows ever from anywhere. Having said that, I think only Taiwan could have made it (insert implied criticism of anybody trying to remake it).

        A lot of people also enjoyed Rainless Love in a Godless Land, although it wasn’t for me.

        If you’re up for it, there are the old-school Taiwanese Idol dramas. They’re a genre in their own right, completely mad and often lots of fun. But they’re kind of a mix between a Korean romcom, a Makjang and a weekender and are not to be attempted lightly.

        It’s a shame they don’t really make them anymore. But if you want to try one, a good one to start with is Just You, starring Puff Guo and Aaron Yan.

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      I agree New life begins is great the palace politics is minimal and because it’s got distinct, approx six episode, storylines so you can by pass one section if it is not to your liking without losing the flow of the main story. The OTP are so cute too.

      Ten miles of peach blossom always holds a special place because it was my first Chinese epic fantasy drama.

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      My number one non-kdrama in 2023 is TW’s Wave Makers which is still available at Netflix.

      A behind the scene take of life as election workers – how they strategise, fall into despair and grow. The 8-episode story is tight with great pacing. No romance but a great tale about people – good and bad.

      Two noteworthy developments out of Wave Makers. Firstly and amazingly, it triggered the Me Too Movement in Taiwan like a fire out of nowhere across politics, the entertainment industry and other sectors, resulting in a lot of shames and downfall of many well known figures. Secondly, an actress playing a politician in the drama became a politician herself.

      On C drama, I echo the suggestion of The Story of Mulan. I FF the drama a few years ago when it first came out largely because Chinese period drama is not my thing. However, I’m now rewatching it like almost everyday as lots of bite size anatomy of characters and arcs flood across social media. It’s really through those slices and dices that enhance my appreciation of this story of so many intertwining figures and relationships. Quite a masterpiece in its own right that you can look at the story, its characters, historical and social settings from so many different angles.

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        Just to add how delighted I was in watching Wave Makers after the huge disappointment in Queenmaker which failed considerably despite the huge Netflix budget and the two biggest Korean actresses (Kim Hee-ae and Moon So-ri).

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        Fascinating! Wave makers added 🙂 I tend to like stories that get into a profession and look at it from all angles

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    Go ahead was my favourite until Meet yourself but then I found out it was the same team who made both so that makes sense.

    Go ahead has the best dad character in all the C dramas I have watched. It has Reply series vibes as the three children live in the same apartment block and go to the same school, we watch them grow up.

    Meet yourself is a slow paced drama romance set in a gorgeous village with cultural elements they want to preserve but the need to make a viable living means young people flock to the towns and villages. It has the best male lead character in any drama.

    Remembrance of things past 12 episodes. The story is based around a friendship group from a small town who all moved to the city and you see how the group members are coping or not coping with living in the ruthless world of city life. It has some really sad elements, romance, friendship, and work place issues.

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      Mwet Yourself looks really good! Added hehe this I’d great 🙂 getting lots of good recs 🙂

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    I watch few Cdrama, I have issue with dubbing voices.

    But I liked When I Fly Towards You. The FL was cute but not too much ( I don’t like when it’s too much) and there was a good balance in the couple.

    I think recent TW dramas are less good than before. Copycat Killer was interesting.

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      Copycat Killer definitely added hehe

      I also struggle with the dubbing a bit haha

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    A film I would recommend is “Marry My Dead Body” – it is a lot more cute and funny than it sounds.

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    If you’re looking for contemporary shows, definitely Someday or One Day and Reset is quite good as well. Most of my favorite Cdramas are period/historical/fantasy ones – if that’s something that interests you, I’d recommend The Untamed, Love Between Fairy and Devil, The Imperial Coroner, Scarlet Heart, and A Dream of Splendor. I’m also currently watching A Journey to Love and it’s great so far, but I know a lot of folks have complaints about the ending.

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      Ooh Reset looks right up my alley. I have to be in the right mood for historical dramas, but I’ll come back here when I want one to start with your recommendations!

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    If you like Wuxia, A Journey to Love is fantastic.

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      The poster certainly catches my eye, and the plot also looks like I’d enjoy it- thanks!! I do have to be in the right mood for wuxia, but this one looks like I’d really like it. I’ll check it out!

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    C-dramas:
    – The Untamed
    – Lost You Forever, season 1 (season 2 hasn’t been released)
    – New Life Begins
    – The Imperial Coroner
    – Road Home
    – One and Only
    – Forever and Ever (same cast & crew from “One and Only”)
    – Sunshine by My Side
    – The Longest Promise
    – Meet Yourself
    – Mysterious Lotus Casebook
    – The Oath of Love
    – Under the Skin
    – Unforgettable Love

    TW dramas:
    – Autumn’s Concerto
    – Love Me If You Dare
    – The Way We Were

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    My recommendations are:

    Someday or One Day (Taiwan).
    Fake it till you make it (China).
    Reset (China).
    Meet Yourself (China).
    Shining for one thing (China).
    New Life Begins (China).
    The first part of Go Ahead (China). Of course you can watch the whole show, but what’s truly a gem is the first part.

    I have watched a few more, but these are my favorite series so far.

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    This is an article on the most anticipated C-dramas in 2024.

    https://mydramalist.com/article/top-10-most-anticipated-chinese-dramas

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