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#cdrama starter
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Oh, tomorrow is the day I start rewatching/rewriting ep. 21...oh, tomorrow is gonna hurt me because I now know that this is the episode where I’m actively gonna have to start rewriting plot.  Wish me luck cuz my emotions are gonna be SHIT
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dreams-of-fate · 7 months
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Wiped the back of his hand over his blood covered chin.
"Sorry," he whispered, pushing himself up off the ground with his other hand.
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pctaldrunk · 7 months
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muse: bio page here open to : any random traveler?
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"It doesn't look like the rain's going to stop, for a little while." Cool, light tone cuts CRISPLY through pitter-patter, accompanied by the crackle of low fire and the aroma of sweet tea, perfusing through the scent of wet stone and greenery and ancient wood. She stands in the frame of the pavilion, a slight silhouette almost LOST to the blur of hanging mist. "...You should come in and sit, before it soaks you through. I don't mind the company. And there's a cup of tea to warm your hands, should you like it."
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purplehanfu · 2 months
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Let's say hypothetically you're giving a talk this Saturday about cdramas to a group of people who have never seen one- what do you recommend as a starter drama? I'm thinking Reset as a modern, A Journey to Love as wuxia and I'm struggling with xianxia. Any suggestions for any of these categories?
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tsuyoi-hikari · 3 months
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Forever and Ever: Script & Visual Storytelling Review 🏮
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As usual, during my yearly holiday, I always opt to watch dramas that I already watched (in an attempt not to get addicted 😂) so this time of the year, I chose Forever & Ever during my trip to London & Wales.
Now I'm back, I want to write a review why this drama is very special in my book. For a starter, I'm not really a big fan of romance dramas in general but when it is done right, like this drama for an example, it will be special in my heart and I will rewatch it often as my comfort watch.
WHY IT IS SPECIAL?
I love how this drama portray 'soulmate' kind of relationship between the couple. They have one mind & one soul mentality that are portray beautifully in the drama. So, normal romance troupes such as misunderstandings, miscommunications, petty love games, noble idiocy or breakup are non-existence in this drama. Its all about them working together hand in hand facing the adversities together which is very refreshing to see.
LOVABLE MAIN LEADS
Zhousheng Chen is by miles my most favorite romantic lead in any media. He is shy and awkward and its funny to watch his antics. But he has this big heart that is full of love and kindness. I love his silent love the best -- Shiyi didnt know what he did for her most of the times since it is purposely written to be that way but Shiyi can feel his love in every part of her bones. Whether it is big or small, his love is selfless and did not ask anything in return. And I love how he handle his toxic mother with such a grace -- never disrespecting her but also never allowed her to mistreat his wife as well.
Shiyi probably the most high EQ FLs in Cdramas. She is beautiful and graceful and her understanding and coping mechanism is on another level. Like if there are conflicts, you will notice she will do things to avoid the awkwardness by offering foods or change the subjects or topics. Or any misunderstanding, no need explanation since her trust in her husband will give her answer to that misunderstanding. Or some secrets are no need to be told since it wont change anything. She is one of my most favorite FLs in Cdramaland without a doubt. Plus, she did all the first moves, how awesome is that?
INTIMACY
I love how this drama portray intimacy between the couple. Its fulfilling and natural and wholesome in general. Like one of the scenes, Shiyi will casually tuck her hand under Zhousheng Chen's armpit while hugging him. 🤭 And I think I have ever seen a drama where a couple smile at each other as much as they did to each other. They really sold the feeling of couple who are actually in love and just enjoy being in each other's companies. And what I like best is that we have no idea who actually love more since they both give and take equally in the relationship.
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SPECIAL LOVE GESTURES
Love gestures is what I called for all special love behaviors between couples that are not kissing or hugging. These gestures are special to only 2 of them and must happen a lot of times in the drama. While I usually struggle to find this in other romance dramas, Forever & Ever has really a lot of these love gestures. Like a lot, some will be repeated like 6 to 7 times since it is the couple's signature love gestures towards each other.
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Caressing Nose
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Holding Face
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Hands on Shoulder
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Holding Handbag
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Hugging While Sleeping
SLEEPING MONTAGE
I have never seen a drama which show sleeping scenes as much as this drama. 😂 But I love every single one of them. I love how they are shown sleeping separately and ended up in each other arms slowly. Or for comedic effects. All are done tastefully and beautifully.
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I LOVE YOU
Yes, they are one of the few couples in Cdramas that actually use I Love You: Wo Ai Ni (我爱你) instead of I Like You: Wo Xihuan Ni (我喜欢你). And we got to see this 4 times in the drama -- all at different occasions and evoke different kind of emotion each time.
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BEAUTIFUL VISUAL DIRECTING & CINEMATOGRAPHY
I love how the Director using frames a lot in the drama to display characters' thoughts and distance and how when they are shot in the same frame, its to show how both is at the same state of mind. And I also notice the drama used a lot of earthly colors like yellow, white and brown for soothing and warm effects and that is why you will feel the drama is very relaxing and healing. Or using shadows when the couple had their first night together which is one of the best directing I've seen for this kind of love scenes.
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Visual Storytelling Using Reflection
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Visual Storytelling Using Mirror & Shadow
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Using of Frames to Portray Distance
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Using of Frame to Show the Same State of Mind
COSTUMES
I also love how this drama will be using characters' outfits to tell a story or their motivation. I like how Zhousheng Chen & Shiyi will always wear same color with different shades before their marriage while same color with same shade (coupling outfits) after their marriage. Or how the antagonists in the drama will always wear black, literally, black all the time lol. Or grey character like Weixing will always wear black & white except after she died where she finally appear in flowery and colorful outfit in Meixing's imagination.
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Before Marriage (same color with different shades)
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After Marriage (same color with same shades)
CHINESE ARTS
If you happen to love Chinese arts in general whether its poetry, painting, calligraphy or music, then this drama is a treat for you. I love the many poems they used in this drama whether to console, to express feelings or to break ice. Or I love how Zhousheng Chen communicate with his mother through painting as well since he is not really good with words. All are done effectively and get the point across and not just done as filler scenes. Since both of them are well verse in this area, it also part of the reasons why they connect to each other as they did in the drama.
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Zhousheng Chen imitates Shiyi's similar painting from before to send message to his mother.
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Shiyi wrote Shànglín Fù poem on the wall just like Shiyi in One & Only. And she left it unfinish too, for Zhousheng Chen to finish it later.
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Zhousheng Chen wrote Shiyi's favorite poem on the wedding lanterns along the corridor aside from the handwritten 3,000 wedding cards that he wrote one by one.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, this drama is great if you love to watch good love story with a lot of details and easter eggs from One & Only. They also did a lot of love message using numbers all throughout the drama like the 1 Yen coin from year 2011 (2011 means 'Love You Shi Yi', and the 1 Yen refers to how she's his one & only) love confession made by Zhousheng Chen to Shiyi or the message on their crocs.
And while watching the drama at London, I totally can imagine Zhousheng Chen will be holding Shiyi's handbag if they ever did their shopping at Notting Hill flea market. 😂
TDLR: The drama is a visual fest aside from the good script it possessed. It is also very healing and wholesome! ❤️
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bayleafpaprika · 5 months
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i tried watching scarlet heart (the original cdrama version) years ago and thought it was horrible but kept thinking it has to have some redeeming quality given its popularity
and yeah it's going down a little easier this time around because im trying not to judge it too hard
but jfc the doom starter relationship between Ruoxi and Yinsi annoys me so much. dude spends years pining after her older sister and then immediately turns around and hits on her the second she gets there? like wtf is wrong with him? if Yingsi had decided to try sticking his dick in anyone else, it would've been fine/whatever/who gives a shit given he's supposed to have multiple wives. but if he genuinely gives a fuck about the woman he claims to have fallen in love with he would not be trying to get into her baby sister's pants. what a fucking asshole
what's even more annoying is Rouxi somehow reciprocates his advances and does not seem to give a crap about how it affects her sister. yeah, Roulan hates him but imagine the husband you're forced to marry starting up an affair with your younger sister behind your back?? at best that's massively inconsiderate, at worst it's a fucking betrayal to your feelings when you made it very clear where you stand with him
and sure you can argue that Roulan isn't really her sister but as a viewer i honestly don't know which way i dislike more; 'Rouxi' thinking of her as a sister and still went ahead and got emotionally involved with Yingsi anyway, or 'Rouxi' never thought of Roulan as her sister in the first place
im still going to finish the drama because the premise is interesting enough but it sucks to watch something when you have zero respect for the main characters as people
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rigelmejo · 1 year
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A drama rec list (with some special mentions for beginner learners*):
Guardian (my favorite, if you like Torchwood or Xmen this will be your kinda thing, search for it as it's on bilibili right now instead of youtube, language is case fic/supernatural geared, which I found useful later, also i just love this show to pieces)
Detective L (good for learners, a very Sherlock style setup and cases are relatively simple, fairly straightforward language for case shows)
My Roommate is a Detective/Checkmate (if you liked Detective L, this is another sherlock like case setup, with somewhat more complex plot but fairly genre specific words so if you tend to watch/read this stuff you'll adjust well)
History 3 Trapped (gay, cop/mafia, also technically about solving a murder case so the combo of case genre words and slice of life romance make this approachable and fun if you like action in your romance)
Bromance (Baron Chen stars, gender fun, also slice of life romance meets mafia boss with kickass civilian getting involved with mafia boss trying to turn his company legit Baron Chen, mostly slice of life language which makes it an easier watch but also some fun action fights for people like me who like that)
Love is More Than A Word/Till Death Tear Us Apart (two connected dramas, find them on dramacool or elsewhere uncensored. Good for learners who like explicit queer marriage in their period dramas, republican era spy/business boss enemies to lovers With Happy ending in their dramas, and these shows are hard dual subtitled which is nice for learners I think, a fairly basic short plot in both shows which makes the period historical of limtaw and republican era tdtua genre words easier to figure out)
Granting You A Dreamlike Life (a hot mess of a show, GREAT for learners I learned to watch Chinese shows just steamrolling through 15 episodes of this with only chinese subs. Features zhu yilong, a lot of romance cute and angst galore, some gangster action to appease people like me ToT, and a just ridiculous soap opera style plot to keep you going. Also it's particular story style makes it easy enough to follow even if you're mainly relying on actions and visuals. It's not 'good' let's say, but if you do happen to like it, it's a great easier drama to learn from)
The Lost Tomb (the yang yang one. Very short, great intro cdrama. It's got the cheapest cgi/visuals of all daomubiji dramas so if you can handle this then quality only goes up by gratuitous proportions until you get to Tomb of The Sea, Reboot, and Ultimate Note which look movie level budget. It's fairly straightforward Indiana jones/the mummy/typical Tomb raider story plot, some easy genre related words could get picked up here, also often available with dual subtitles)
Love and Redemption (I know, you're wondering why I put this beautiful 59 episode show I adore on the learner recommendations. A big reason, is that LaR decides to often just call characters by given name. So Chu Xuanji is often just "Xuanji" when being talked to or talked about, often a character only has one name. For a xianxia, this very simple naming scheme means it's easier to learn all the character names and clans asap. It also reminded me a bit of English when I watched, just compared to shows like The Untamed which tend to use family and given name usually "Wei Wuxian" along with alternate names "Wei Ying" and nicknames "Yiling Laozi/A Xian" for many characters. So I feel if you're a learner going into xianxia, Love and Redemption is going to stick pretty straightforward in at least learning names and clans. Then also it's one of my favorite xianxia ever so the story is satisfying. Alternative "easier" starter xianxia: Eternal Love Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms - it's not my favorite but it uses straightforward tropes that are staples in this genre and it is quite solid to follow the plot, Ice Fantasy - not particularly typical, I enjoy the plot on this one, naming conventions are also fairly straightforward).
Hikaru No Go/Qi Hun (a phenomenal adaptation of the Japanese manga/anime of the same name, on iqiyi and currently free on youtube, just absolutely lovely. Slice of life/coming of age/competition story. Lots of everyday kinds of words, competition and school story type words, fast paced which I liked, ghost in the story to add a supernatural flair to the realism of the rest, very heartwarming)
Go Ahead (a serious drama about a family, very good story. Honorable mention to The Bond which I did not finish but is another serious drama about a family, starring Bai Yu).
ANY modern romance drama you can think of (seriously, modern fluffy romance is the EASIEST genre of show to watch in chinese first, language is very simple and that's why Granting You a Dreamlike Life was the first show I watched in chinese - even in republican era, its a romance so the words were easier. I personally liked My Mowgli Boy cause I love Ma Tianyu and it's both dramatic and very silly at times, Advance Bravely - has gong Jun but it's a hot mess so definitely try it and take or leave it lol, Bromance as mentioned is good with Baron Chen, Romance of Hua Rong is a good simple costume drama romance, there's also usually one or two starring your favorite actors if you just look these kinds of dramas up by actor, Plus + Minus bl looks potentially this genre as well)
We Are Not Human (webseries with 5 minute eps, on youtube and some other places. It's supernatural vampire with his zombie boyfriend and other associates, it's a comedy, and it's short comedy skit nature means all situations tend to be slice of life with some easy visual cues making it quite approachable for learners who like wwdits type stories)
Some dramas I love but think are not going to suit all beginners:
Goodbye My Princess (amazing fantasy romantic tragedy)
Rattan (amazing actors, my favorite premise of "alien/mutant" living among humans handled in a heavy way with a very old powerful mutant woman and very mortal human man both played by phenomenal actors)
Bureau of Transformer (on iqiyi, Olivia Wang stars, absolutely best written sci fi I've seen in ages world wide, please give it a shot if you like sci fi case of the week social issue allegory stories a la Star Trek, Black Mirror, Torchwood, etc. One of my top favorite shows ever).
Humans (cdrama adaptation of a show that's had 2 other versions before. It's a sci fi story about androids, stars Ma Tianyu. Incredibly well done, great acting, best sci fi looks/budget I've seen for a cdrama. I've only found it in chinese with chinese subs but it was enjoyable enough and straightforward enough I watched. Absolutely worth it if you enjoy sci fi and liked the other Humans adaptations).
The Secret of The Three Kingdoms (its like an au fanfiction take on The Three Kingdoms full of beautiful people like the best empress performance I've ever seen, Elvis Han, Ma Tianyu, Tan Jianci. One of the period dramas I've most enjoyed).
Love Between Fairy and Devil/cang lan jue (best xianxia I've seen this year, definitely worth watching)
Once Upon a Time In Lingjian Mountain (a very fun time, silly, still pulls heart strings)
Killer and Healer (I watched this with chinese subs so it's doable, but it's an involved republican era crime drama so the plots a fair bit more involved than Detective L)
Word of Honor (watched this in chinese subs then English later so its doable for a learner, but some chinese in this is very poetic or very wuxia genre specific so there's some challenging parts to this, very followable plot if you're familiar with the novel. GREAT wuxia and drama in general so it's worth the watch).
Ultimate Note (dmbj show, I loved it, effects almost as nice as Reboot but shorter and snappier pace which I enjoyed. Reboot and all other dmbj dramas recommended for dmbj fans or perusers.)
LORD Critical World (I know the cgi is bad but its a fun time, Zhang Mingen fans get constant eyecandy, this show is Xena meets Drakengard 3 with a very gay feeling main duo that to me screams Moshang from svsss vibes, fucked up at times and comedic as much as it is dark and just ridiculously bizarre, certainly A Time which I appreciate in shows)
Couple of Mirrors (republican era gl, well acted, you could try watching this as a learner like Killer and Healer, the drama is short so like The Lost Tomb it's not a big commitment, also there's a manhua!)
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nice2meetyouu · 2 years
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Opportunity cost
Kalat (scattered) 'yung energy / utak / oras ko sa iba't ibang bagay. Hindi ko pa natatapos 'yung coding dojo. Nag-eexplore nanaman ako ng mga freelancing tools. Kailangan ko pa palang irecord 'yung "review" videos. Ang natapos ko pa lang ay 'yung cdrama na pinapanood ko (Nothing But Thirty). Naging successful sila sa ending at the expense of something sa buhay nila.
Ngayong matatapos na kami (medical interns), laging starter ng small talk ang "anong gusto mong residency" at variations nito. Anong gagawin mo pagka-graduate? Saan ka mag-aapply? Mag-u-USMLE ka ba? Anong plans mo after board exam?
Iba-iba 'yung mga sagot dito. 'Yung iba, alam na kung anong gusto nilang gawin, 'yung iba, 'di ko alam kung 'di lang din talaga nila alam o ayaw lang nilang mag-share sa ngayon. Ang malinaw lang talaga ay palapit na nang palapit ang panahon para mag-decide.
Sabi ng isang kaibigan, recently, na-hire sya sa some company, at ire-refer niya raw ako. Sa isip ko naman, paano naman ako magkakaroon ng time para mag-work doon? Pero sabi ko lang salamat at congrats. At this point, mas profitable ituloy 'tong career sa med. Mas convenient din, lalo na pag 'yung contact person for a particular offer ay schoolmate.
Nag-contact na ako ng people para sa elective week, at parang the next time na may ikocontact ako, baka application na for pre-residency. Wala na yatang atrasan 'to. By choosing this path, kailangan ko nanamang mag-dedicate ng another X years of my youth sa field na 'to. Pero... ano naman? Pare-parehas lang din naman silang hindi mawawala. After ko rito pwede pa rin namang mag-pursue ng whatever I want: learning other skills na walang kinalaman sa med, "freelancing", rumaket, mag-business, at kung anu-ano pa. Youth lang naman ang nawala.
Sinabi ko lang nang pa-joke sa isang friend na mag-aapply akong manager (para mapakinabangan 'yung MBA) tapos parang nag-agree naman siya. Sana alam niyang nagbibiro lang ako.
Minsan nai-imagine ko 'yung sarili kong nasa malayong bundok, lumalanghap ng sariwang hangin, pumipitas lang ng dahon ng tsaa, at namumuhay nang simple at kuntento sa kung anong mayroon. Masarap din namang matulog at 'di mag-isip. Kailangan ko lang ng pera at opportunity.
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fangdoubing · 7 months
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what is your favourite cdrama of all time? 👀
This is actually such a hard question! There's a lot of cdramas that I personally enjoyed but wouldn't necessarily recommend, either because they're a bit silly or just not good starter dramas for people who haven't already been watching cdramas for a while.
I guess the one I always recommend and still has a lot of rewatch value for me is Qing Qing Zi Jin, which is totally underrated. Interesting story, great chemistry between leads, and managed to balance drama and comedy well in what is essentially a historical college drama.
Honourable mentions to Go, Princess, Go! which is absolutely hysterical and manages to perfectly nail the expression of realising you've walked into the wrong bathroom and to Goodby My Princess, which ripped my heart out and I will never be able to watch again despite listening to the soundtrack regularly.
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flowcrsoul · 4 years
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OPEN TO   :   Any God / Immortal / Demon / Etc. that might have accidentally stumbled into the borders of Qingqiu 
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━━  ❀ “Any other day, you’d be TRESPASSING.” Mutters the most beautiful man in the Realms as he brushes off the pink blossoms clinging to cold WHITE of robes. “But you’ve caught me in a good mood today. Very well - have a drink with me, and tell me your businiess around these parts.”
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legendwrote · 3 years
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⚍ 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 ⚎ 𝕃𝕒𝕟 𝕁𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕪𝕚
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storyblcd · 4 years
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»»———— “Oh my god - I am SO SORRY - here, let me get it - ” Snatches a napkin off the stack at the refreshment table, dabbing frantically at the SPREADING red stain on white fabric. “Just, um, my shoes are new and the heel snagged on the carpet, and - ” Though she had managed to stop herself from hurtling directly into the UNFORTUNATE person, her wine glass, freshly snatched off a refreshment tray, was now empty. “I’ll get the cleaning bill - um if we find a sink, I could see if I can’t get more of that out for you - ?”
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dreams-of-fate · 7 months
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"This? I got in the middle of a drunk as we tried to get him out." Gingerly touched where the bruise is on her cheekbone.
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volturialice · 2 years
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Hey G, what cdramas do you recommend? I'm in the middle of The Untamed right now and I'm interested in putting more cdramas on my watchlist.
oh boy, so ok lemme preface this by disclaiming: I haven't seen any of the (mlm) gay ones. my shipping preferences are exclusively het/femslash and that is reflected in my cdrama consumption! I also don't care for modern stuff, so it's period dramas and a lot of wuxia/xianxia (mostly xianxia, which is kind of my platonic ideal of a genre.) also it's a lot of yang mi dramas but that's a coincidence—she just takes roles in all the projects i'm interested in!
that said, I know the mlm shippy ones everyone else recs include Nirvana in Fire, Word of Honor, and Heaven Official's Blessing (idk if there's a live action version of this yet but there's definitely a novel/donghua.)
so with that out of the way, I'm gonna separate this into a) recent recs, b) classics and recent adaptations of classics, and b) other shows I've seen but did not Vibe with. note that I'm not including cws because there are just too many, but if you have questions about potentially triggering content in any of these, feel free to ask me for more info.
actual recs
1) Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms, aka Three Lives Three Worlds aka Eternal Love (I think that's the dumb genericized english title on netflix.) it’s extremely difficult to summarize this one due to its huge cast and elaborate plot but suffice to say: local immortal couple are so extremely star-crossed it takes them three lives to get it right and causes great collateral damage to international immortal politics.
fun fact: this is the single most watched tv show of all time. like, anywhere. possibly because it's so unhinged and eminently re-watchable. I think it's a great intro to the xianxia genre and I chalk its success up to the fact that it's fanfic trope overload. seriously, there are at least three "there was only one bed" scenes in this one show. I think the protagonists are fairly terrible people and yet I can't look away from their train wreck of a relationship.
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luckily it's a huge ensemble cast so there are plenty of other characters for me to enjoy (bi4bi king and queen zilan and yanzhi supremacy give me their spinoff right now.) there are also Supporting Character Gays who could not be more obviously homosexual if they tried and it’s very fun.
there's also an actual spinoff I couldn't get into because I Simply Do Not Care about those characters but hey maybe you guys will
in conclusion, TMOPB is a good Xianxia Starter Pack because it includes a lot of common tropes. I learned a lot just by googling which things were specific inventions of the show vs which things were actual mythology! this show is so popular that basically every other xianxia made post-2017 is a clone of it (seriously, if they don't STOP with these stoic emotionless love interests i’m gonna hurl myself into a magical abyss.)
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goofiest cgi character: the Four Beasts (no I’m still not over the sphincter-mouth.) honorable mention goes to yehua’s tiny offended snake form
2) Legend of Fuyao - sort of a rags-to-riches hero’s journey/jianghu story in which the heroine wanders through several different fantasy countries kicking ass and doing fun sidequests.
the first cdrama I ever watched (after seeing how epic the trailer looked) and still my favorite. notably the only time I have ever actually shipped the two leads. also notable in that the characters are more flawed and multidimensional than you'd typically see in a show like this—I particularly enjoy the concept of "fun Trickster King love interest but he's also kind of a pathological liar and that has actual consequences." has a rough start and drags in places but it's one of the most visually stunning shows on this list and has a fun ensemble cast, some of my favorite fight scenes, and a lot of good h/c moments.
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goofiest cgi character: gotta hand it to yuanbao. if I had a nickel for every time the entire plot hinged on the actions of a single cgi guinea pig
3) Story of Yanxi Palace - a backstabby court intrigue period drama that imagines the rise of real historical figure Consort Ling, who rose from obscurity to great power in the court of the qianlong emperor.
the single most googled show of all time. notable for its gorgeous, elaborate costumes and general attention to detail in design. one of two on this list that's pure period drama, no fantasy (though it certainly takes liberties with actual history.) also probably the most ~”western”-style~ show on the list in terms of pacing and plot structure. it fits right in with prestige period shows like The Tudors or The Borgias, (albeit with far less graphic violence and sex scenes.) a pretty interesting heroine who, again, has actual flaws (still too much candy:spinach ratio, but I'll take what I can get here.) 
I'm just gonna say it: yingluo and empress fuca were super gay for each other. just let them stay home and lez
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sadly devoid of goofy cgi characters
4) Princess Agents - another hero’s journey-style fantasy, this time about Becoming A Badass Spy. basically the cdrama Nikita. 
another of those ones everyone recs as a quintessential drama of the last decade. I actually haven't finished it, but the big chunk I've seen is solidly Good even if it's another stoic love interest I can't stand (the second lead is charming enough to make up for this.) has one of the sickest opening themes out there
and contains both princesses and agents but sadly none of them are the same people so I consider the title false advertising
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goofiest cgi character: I s2g if that parrot doesn’t sHUT UP
5) The Wolf - girl meets boy raised by wolves. Tiny Horse scene is reenacted. they meet again as adults but he’s since become a war criminal so that complicates things :D
if you like angst and betrayal, this is the show for you. a Stoic Love Interest I actually don’t mind for once + a fun arranged marriage slowburn arc and a likable second lead (Untamed stans have ensured that you will see zero gifs of the two actual leads when you search for this show.) has the other sickest opening theme out there
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goofiest cgi character: I mean, it’s right there in the title
6) Novoland: Pearl Eclipse - another fantasy about being trained as a badass secret agent, only this time involving mermaids and domestic abuse! hooray
watching this one right now and it’s interesting so far. I once again only care about the side characters but it’s possible that’s a Me Problem ([holding up zhuoying] I just think he’s neat!) has the single most unhinged opening scene I have ever experienced. I haven’t seen any of the other Novoland Cinematic Universe shows but I’ll probably look them up after this!
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goofiest cgi character: the sharknado
7) The Eternal Love (and The Eternal Love 3) - not to be confused with Eternal Love sans-“The,” this show was made on a budget of ten and is so weird and silly. it gets so much mileage out of its simple bodyswap/time travel/fish out of water concept (which is also RIPE for fic AUs imo) that it was a runaway hit and they made two more seasons (which are basically...AUs of the first season? it makes sense in context.) I skipped season 2 but season 3′s “lol role reversal it’s a MATRIARCHY” concept was also really fun.
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a few shows I haven’t seen but get recced all the time: Rise of Phoenixes, Story of Minglan, Novoland: Eagle Flag
some modern classics/adaptations of modern classics 
1) Princess Pearl, aka My Fair Princess/a bunch of other titles. a “Prince and the Pauper” -type story set during the rein of the qianlong emperor (but much lighter and fluffier than Yanxi Palace.)
made on a budget of half a shoestring (and it shows), this show was a crazy runaway hit that catapulted its unknown leads to megastardom so powerful that the government straight up erased zhao wei from the internet. 
maybe the real princess was the Gal Pals we made along the way
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2) The Return of the Condor Heroes (2006) - another “orphan becomes a badass and experiences star-crossed love” jianghu story. this seems to be the most well-liked adaptation of its extremely popular novel afaik. I haven’t seen that much of it, but I can definitely see why it’s popular!
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3) Handsome Siblings (netflix version) - two Very Opposite fraternal twins separated at birth are manipulated into becoming mortal enemies, and hijinks ensue. sort of a picaresque take on the jianghu with lots of comedic sidequests. also based on a super popular novel.
tbh I probably wouldn’t have gotten all the way through this one if I hadn’t been sick and couchbound when I watched it, but the third act is super fun! the non-netflix adaptations might be better, idk.
gotta love that title. the author said look at my OCs!! they’re a couple of real handsome boys!!!
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shows I Do Not Vibe With no tea no shade they just aren’t for me
Ancient Love Poetry - I tried really hard because the cast looks fun but it’s just. a much more soulless clone of TMOPB with none of the fun Weird Shit or compelling characters.
The Flame's Daughter - this plot was so complicated I could not tell you the first thing about it. kids are getting switched at birth, everyone is double-cast as their own dead mom, and I don’t care enough about the characters to try to parse out their bizarre motivations (ok, fine, I admit I liked the side characters.)
Maiden Holmes - a fun “woman dresses as man in order to be a detective” premise but I simply didn’t care about the characters.
Miss the Dragon - maybe the later episodes are good, but I couldn’t get past the complete lack of story in the first few.
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pctaldrunk · 2 years
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𝙋 𝘾 𝙏 𝘼 𝙇 𝘿 𝙍 𝙐 𝙉 𝙆,   independent, selective multimuse feat. canon and original muses based in cdrama & kdrama, loved deeply by your friendly neighborhood asian / scared smol bean, Ro .   established december 2021.   NOT SPOILER FREE AND DEEPLY CANON DIVERGENT (PROBABLY), IF IT’S NOT YOUR CUP OF TEA JUST PRETEND I DON’T EXIST, you’ve been warned! enjoy your stay, please come say hi, I’ll love you forever, & be prepared to be ambushed by copious amounts of bad puns and memery, muah.   disco available to mutuals on request !  MINORS AND PERSONALS, please please please DON’T INTERACT.
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angryteapott · 3 years
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"My Roommate is a Detective" was surprisingly enjoyable. For starters, I wouldn't exactly recc this cdrama- its pretty ableist, homophobic, and sexist, which I've grown to expect from tv shows, but its also openly antisemitic, which i admit was an unexpected blow. It's one of those almost homoerotic cdramas with a female lead which ends up diving straight into implied polyamory. The moral of the story is the REAL evil is the white christians we met along the way, which is a message I wholeheartedly approve of.
I loved the dynamic where our leads all fully admit to being morally questionable: we've got a corrupt gang member police officer who asks his boss before he arrests people, an amoral runaway rich kid trying to pawn off the evidence, and a blatantly lying mafia heiress journalist who condemns her father but namedrops him constantly, all using their respective roles to fondly screw each other over and threaten random people while nominally solving crime. It's a lot less self righteous than most cop shows or even sherlock shows. Mild spoilers ahead but I'm assuming anyone reading this has already watched n is just scrolling through the tag so-
Fully expected to hate the female lead given the discourse about her but she's amazing?? There's definitely some sexist abuse bits and weird homophobic bits from her but thats true of most tv shows worldwide. Her hitting the male lead came off as less abusive than usual cuz he hits her back they just both use pillows. The landlady stuff was sus but chusheng did it too, so they both suck i guess. And how can you not love her saying I'll defend u from your sister's three thousand soldiers if you agree to be my househusband???? That part where she's so down to play Russian roulette for lu yao?? Def implied that she DIDNT know the gun was unloaded lol- Also love that in canon shes really fucking bad at writing but lu yao is still down to quit his career for her
The ot3 was so funny too, with our resident "heterosexuals" constantly playfighting before turning to their stoic hot gang bodyguard to call the shots while admiring his abs and demanding money from him. There's never even a love triangle implied- just various romantic moments between all three of them and random others with little to 0 implied jealousy. They're definitely open to others is all I'm saying. Even youning was pretty chill about lu yaos ex girlfriend until he almost doesn't turn her in. She's way more jealous of chusheng's girlfriend loll. The part where youning and lu yao inform chusheng he's going to paris with them before simultaneously taking his hand and forcibly high fiving him is the cutest ot3 vibes ever, just two brats and their top nothing to see here
Honestly i think my favorite thing about the show is that according to tropes we expect her mafioso father to not approve and to force lu yao to prove his worth, but instead he instantly is like lu yao, my beloved son in law, can do whatever he wants and I'll support him but if his aristocratic family tries to take him against his will we WILL throw down, and bai youning has to take the classic role of suitor proving she can effectively protect her wealthy and spoiled damsel in distress. Its so cute
Anyway i enjoyed the watch but the problematic elements made me cringe out of my skin so I probably wouldn't rewatch
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