i... did not finish this drama 😭 i only watched this because my mom was watching it and we were stuck in quarantine together, so. it was fun i guess but ultimately mid
蒼蘭決 love between fairy and devil
loved it, the ending was a little too abrupt for me but it still ended well! lived for the villain romance, had so much fun booing changheng (sorry), had even more fun staring at dylan wang's cheekbones. also i love how ride or die the main couple is for each other, it's absolutely not one-sided in that regard which <3 yes. and also episodes 30(?) to 36 i cried nonstop it was so cathartic. episode 35 specifically....... aha
琉璃 love and redemption
STUPIDLY long and rather cringe at times im not even gonna lie but the main characters had me by the THROAT i could not stop watching. yu sifeng is so so so unfairly pretty with bangs and chu xuanji in god of war mode,,,, i lvoe her sm. i loved how the gender roles of a typical cdrama relationship was more or less flipped, with sifeng always being the damsel in distress (not even joking or exaggerating about this one) and xuanji being the badass hero. i feel like a lot of cdramas tend to say their female mc is the hero and stuff but then in execution its ALWAYS the male lead saving the mc from danger and its just,,, idk i'm a little tired of it so i like that chu xuanji exists <3
and fuck haochen
傳聞中的陳芊芊 the romance of tiger and rose
REALLY REALLY GOOD one of the most perfect dramas ive ever watched. cinematography really high quality, an mc that i never got annoyed at and is so lovable, a petty murder cat love interest who is unfairly handsome at every angle. i was smiling and giggling with every episode. it's the true definition of a happy pill.
i only wish Those 2 Specific Scenes did not exist
星落凝成糖 the starry love
i did not finish this 😭 i onyl watched it because it was the only thing i had downloaded on my phone. i don't recommend it tbh, sorry, the concept was interesting but the execution didn't do it for me. it was also really obvious how low budget it was and the acting & writing didn't really make up for it enough so,,,
今夕何夕 twisted fate of love
THIS IS THE BEST CDRAMA IVE EVER WATCHED I KNOW IM BEING SUBJECTIVE BUT LET ME BE SUBJECTIVE THIS IS MY BLOG okay okay so general travels back eight years to stop a great war but unfortunately she lands smack dab into feng xi's residence, who is an ally of the Bad Guy and very morally grey politician who will not hesitate to kill people for his goals. she keeps trying to assassinate feng xi's ally (the Bad Guy) meanwhile feng xi is just trying to put a ring on it. they are SO so funny and you KNOW i love villain(ish) romance so i ADORED this cdrama even though it was objectively mid and even though the last episode was trash. I DONT CARE i will defend this one with my life JUST WATCH IT im very incoherent ik but in my defense it's kinda hard to explain just trust me
星漢燦爛 love like the galaxy
currently watching!! it has zhao lusi who i trust with any drama, and the cinematography is great! some of ling buyi's dialogue i dont like but im still on board the main ship,,, i think i wouldve liked lou yao but i keep remembering he's daole from twisted fate of love and it jars me so bad.... also i have this thing where i automatically boo the second/third leads so really lou yao had no chance im sorry 😔 i find it really funny how obviously down bad ling buyi is
update: i dropped this drama :(( i got all the way to episode 20 something and then i just couldn't be bothered to continue, i was honestly bored :((((
雲之羽 my journey to you
my sister rec'd this drama to me and oh man i tried. i was so ready to be hooked. but i just couldn't. like, it had gorgeous cinematography and beautiful costuming and i was happily surprised to realize the leads were clj's changheng and xiaolanhua, but omfg gong ziyu (changheng) pisses me off so bad he's like omg guys im an underdog they all hate me im struggling so bad i'm being oppressed etc etc AND THEN HE'S BEING OPPRESSED FOR BEING A RICH BABAERO NA PALAGING NAGBABAR LIKE BE SO FOR REALLL also shangguan qian and gong yuanzhi's scenes are infinitely more interesting than anyone else's, their one battle of wits already had me more interested than the entirety of the previous 5 episodes... and then when it switches back to include shangjue or gong ziyu or yun weishan i immediately feel all my energy get sapped. like they're so boring it hurts fgksjhg and the way yun weishan and gong ziyu speak don't help at all it's like 有時候……我也……睡不着…… DO NOT WASTE MY TIME LIKE THIS AND ALSO PLEASE SPEAK NORMALLY so yeah i got fed up by episode 6 and dropped it despite my sister's urging
天盛長歌 the rise of phoenixes
started watching this right after i dropped my journey to you BECAUSE FUCK YOU i swear that cdrama made me see cdramas as a chore again. anyways im loving it. ning yi looked so miserable in the first episode which is a great portend for things to come, and feng zhiwei is great i love her already and the cinematography is not bad as well, i'm just worried i'll get lost on the machinations and everything but i'm still having fun so far anyways hehe
update from episode 19 or something!! i'm really enjoying it this is so good!!!! a little slower paced so if that's not your thing be warned but i am really liking it hehe
Note: This list only includes dramas that finished airing in 2023. Rankings reflect my personal enjoyment of the drama, while ratings reflect how I perceived the drama’s overall quality. I consider anything above 5/10 to be a decent drama!
(1) The Bionic Life 仿生人间
- my rating: 8.5/10
- a criminally underrated sci-fi drama that lets you forget you're watching sci-fi
- link to my review: (here)
(2) My Journey to You 云之羽
- my rating: 7.5/10
- a picturesque wuxia drama with slow-burn romance and explosive chemistry
- link to my review: (here)
(3) Unchained Love 浮图缘
- my rating: 7.5/10
- a hilarious historical romance with an unexpected premise
- link to my review: (here)
(4) The Blood of Youth 少年歌行
- my rating: 7/10
- a fun wuxia drama that follows the adventures of a loveable group of characters
- link to my review: (here)
(5) Where Dreams Begin 梦中的那片海
- my rating: 7.5/10
- a sweet and idealistic story of a group of friends living through change in the late 20th century
- link to my mini-review: (here)
Other 2023 dramas that I finished:
Under the Microscope 显微镜下的大明 - (6/10)
The Legend of Anle 安乐传 - (5/10)
An Ancient Love Song 古相思曲 - (5.5/10)
Story of Kunning Palace 宁安如梦 - (5.5/10) (review here)
Dramas that I started but didn't finish:
The Three-Body Problem (三体), A League of Nobleman (君子盟), Never Give Up (今日宜加油), The Forbidden Flower (夏花), Warm on a Cold Night (九霄寒夜暖), Royal Rumours (花琉璃轶闻), 101 Marriages (101次抢婚), Romance of a Twin Flower (春闺梦里人), Pledge of Allegiance (山河之影), Nothing But You (爱情而已), Falling Before Fireworks (最食人间烟火色), The Ingenious One (云襄传), Warm and Sweet (温暖的甜蜜的), The Birth of the Drama King (少年江湖), In Later Years (熟年), Destined (长风渡), Mysterious Lotus Casebook (莲花楼), All the Way to the Sun (一路朝阳), Only for Love (以爱为营), A Journey to Love (一念关山)