#Falling into You

[lurkingshan]

Hii, hope you're doing well!! I've been meaning to check out more c-dramas. I've never really watched any, but I keep seeing them on my dash and want to start giving some a shot since I watch every other type of drama (BL or otherwise lol). I saw you post often about c-dramas, so I wanted to ask if you had any other recs besides Tender Light (which I'm planning on watching when it's done)? I'm more curious about c-dramas in general rather than any specific genre, since I'm so new to them

Hello, thank you for the ask! I'm glad my obsessive Tender Light posting has got you curious about cdramas. Some of my all time favorite dramas are from Mainland China, and I would be happy to share some recs! Since you are looking for a general sense, I am just going to give you a sampling of some of my personal favs.

Tender Light

Obviously I will be taking this opportunity to talk up this drama some more, which will be ending its run this weekend. This is, hands down, my favorite drama of the year and easily going on my top 10 dramas of all time list. It's one of the most gorgeous and precise and unflinching pieces of media I have ever seen. This is definitely one for people who love smart mystery writing, dark themes (I mean this for real, if you have a lot of triggers ask for CWs), and explorations of the human condition. It will be staying with me for a long time.

Go Ahead

Another of my all time favs (and with cast crossover from Tender Light), this is a family drama that digs deep on the meaning of family, finding your people, and resilience through intergenerational trauma. I love it so so much (I am actually rewatching it right now).

Lighter & Princess

A fantastic romance and owner of a coveted spot on the ride or die drama couples list. In this story you get to watch these two fall in love twice, first in college and then as adults, and both times it's epic.

Reset

How about a time loop thriller? This is one of the best I have ever seen, and its relatively short run keeps it tight and tense all the way through. There's a romance in this one, too, but kissing is definitely secondary to finding their way out of this death trap.

The Rebel Princess

Let's dip our toe into historicals! Granted, I still have plenty of gaps in my historical cdrama watch list (there are just so many and they're so long, I am doing my best people!) but this remains my all time favorite to date. It's epic, it's shockingly well written and paced for its length, the characters are excellent and compelling all around, and it has one of my all time favorite male leads and drama couples (another from the ride or die list!). Don't let the episode number intimidate you, it will fly by much faster than you think.

The Untamed

You watch bl so I am assuming you already know about Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, but just in case I will also include this drama as a much watch. It's likely the best live action danmei we will ever get.

Love Between Fairy and Devil

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if a show put all your favorite fanfic tropes in a blender, cast beautiful people to act them out, and put them in lavish costumes? Well, here is your answer.

Love and Redemption

This one's for us angst with a happy ending girlies. An epic love story with lots of pining and struggle and strife, and it's so worth it.

Falling Into You

Back to the modern era, this is a classic sports drama with a noona romance. Very unassuming but full of charm and very well executed.

Fake It Till You Make It

An unusually mature take on adult romance from a cdrama, this one is about two career focused permasingle love skeptics who meet, realize they actually like each other, and try to figure out what the hell to do with that. I love it a lot.

That should be enough to get you started! There are many many more recs to be had, so once you give some of these a try and figure out what you like, feel free to hit me up for more!

[serendipitousqueens]

modern cdramas are so funny because you can never just have a romance show, most of the time, half of it is a work for the good of the country in *add your specific field here* PSA. One of my favorite contemporary romances which is You are my glory had so much of this but it was balanced with a lot of OTP goodness you could forgive them, it's taking the good with the bad, Hidden love also managed to do this in a very minimal way, Falling into you had Olympic sports and they were so intrinsically linked with the otp I loved it, Fake it till you make it also did a great job of this where their professions had such an impact on who they were and it didn't glamorize the grind mentality and also highlighted a lot of complex women in the FL's job. So it can work and be done very well, but imo it's the exception rather than the rule.

[dramasauce]

Cdramas I watched in 2024 List

(dramas with gifs are excellent/great and actually worth watching in my opinion. The others are not, watch at your own risk)

My Boss (2024)-There were a couple of turns in this drama that I wasn't crazy about. But they were cute when they were cute. The cases made no sense.

Fake It Till You Make It-realistic romance. Almost to the point where he's kind of unlikeable. But it's kind of hot too.

My Piggy Boss-cute mini. Loved it.

Have a Crush on You-another mini. fun

Secretary Bai Wants To Resign Everyday-a mini. He's so hot.

Admist a Snowstorm of Love-he had serial killer eyes. That's how much he loved her. FROM FIRST SIGHT. If you want a mature romance where Leo was all over her every CHANCE he got. Here's the show. Boring ass billards aside. The skinship was top tier.

My Special Girl-forgettable tbh but not bad.

Just Spoil You-mini kinda fun.

Golden House Hidden Love-that ending pmo. He's so fine though.

Love Me Love My Voice-high production quality. Cringey like love020 but easier to sit through. Better acting too.

Story of Kunning Palace-couldn't stand this female lead. She sucked. And I don't know what she saw in SML. She was stuck on him forever. When the ML was right there morally grey and HOT.

Love is Sweet-rewatch

Only 4 Love-she was big LIAR towards the end for no reason. And they gave Dylan no reason to be liked.

The Substitute Princess's Love-eh

The Legend of Shen Li-Made me cry in the first 6 episodes. He became a little annoying once they weren't on earth. But happy ending and still pretty good.

Born To Run-TEARJERKER but beautiful story. The mom on the right deserved a worse fate.

Blossoms in Adversity-Mature FL and flawed but strong quiet ML. Really strong storyline and comfortable romance.

I May Love You-he didn't like that girl. And when he did I didn't care. Love Miles though usually.

Falling Into You-although they ignore a GLARING mental illness moment. The skinship was PEAK. The romance was good when it happened and they remained strong. Anyu looks super young here but she doesn't look as old as people make it seem. I loved them both.

Men in Love-so bad I didn't finish. Most wishy washy FL ever. She really pmo bad.

Moon Love-mixed feelings. Because low budget but sweet and sad at the same time.

Meet Yourself-long winded and boring in a comfortable way. But that's the kind of dramas she does. Very slow slice of life. Sweet. Worth it.

Wonderland of Love-Mr. And Mrs Smith levels of insane chemistry but he loved her way more than she loved him and it was obvious to the point where it made it not fun. She was kind of self centered, he came second and usually third.

You are My Secret-I didn't like the way she took things that happened at work out on him.

The Unexpected Marriage-cute enough

Love Scenery-cute time passer.

Are You the One-chemistry was so good. I know people hate the lying aspect but I'm sorry it makes sense. These two deserved. One of the best of the year. Need them in another drama together.

Melody of Golden Age-I enjoyed this. Really made Ding appeal to me on another level. I think the ending was stumble-y but I enjoyed for the most part.

Fateful Love-it was okay for the first like 30 and then... eh not bad.

19th Floor-one of the top of the year. It's this year's Reset. It did get a little shakey towards the end but that because it had so many episodes. Still great.

Love Like the Galaxy-I DID NOT like this and Idk how anyone else did. But it has plenty of fans, it wont miss me. She "settled" for him and he loved her to the point of insanity. Idk what he saw, she kind of sucked. He had to watch her love someone else for waaay too long.

Forever and Ever- I didn't watch the prequel show because I didn't want to put myself through the sadness. This could be considered boring but it was a comfortable boring. I enjoyed it. She LAID THIS BOY DOWN EVERY CHANCE SHE GOT. lol

As Beautiful You-It was okay. The business parts are so long and boring. Xu Kai was so fine.

Miss J-Fun, quirky, and charming.

In Blossom-I enjoyed it. Idk why people complain about Fl's acting. It was fine.

A Journey to Love-sigh I gave in and watched it because of the chemistry that oozed off the gifsets and I wasn't disappointed. These two need another show together that ends HAPPY.

All in all a good year for my drama consumption. Let's see what next year brings!

[noonaenthusiast]

Falling Into You 1x01

[dangermousie]

When the drama focuses on the OTP, it is so so good. I love how fearless ML is, and some of it is fearlessness of youth and ignorance but a lot of it is just his personality - I mean he was for years pursuing a track people told him he was not suited for and he just went I am still gonna keep at it.

Finally!!!

I love tho that he has no reaction because he's bracing, not able to believe his good fortune.

I love her bravery as well because she has way more to lose.

Wang Anyu is SUCH a good, underrated actor! Just look at his face in this scene.

Melting...

He is so ridiculously young and I can see why she finds this sort of absolutism appealing.

Seriously, they are adorable!

[alloveydovey]

Hellooooo, dramas from this past month :) I had a lot of fun watching most of these, which hadn't been happening lately.

The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract, 2023 (kdrama) 7.5/8

A woman from the past travels to the future where she meets a man who resembles her deceased husband. In need of a wife, he strikes a contract with her, and blah blah blah, you know what happens next.

The chemistry was there 100%, the comedy too, but overall, I think it was just a mid watch for me. I was three episodes away from finishing but was struggling big time because I was getting bored.

The Romance of Tiger and Rose, 2020 (cdrama) 8

A scriptwriter ends up inside her own creation as a side character who dies early on in the drama and has a really bad reputation.

This was hilarious. Laughing out loud alone type of hilarious. It didn't make any sense at all, and it was extremely silly and sometimes even frustrating, but both actors were so great with the comedy (Zhao Lusi the actress that you are), so everything was just fun and romantic and cute... and weird enough, emotional af as well. I love these types of dramas where, after watching, you kinda feel empty inside lol. Comfort drama material? 100%

My Demon, 2023/24 (kdrama) 8

A demon becomes powerless after crossing paths with a cold heiress (who he obviously knew in their, guess what? Yes, past lives)

Kim Yoo Jung and Song Kang (his character is everything) were so cute in this! Their chemistry was definitely chemistring. I loved the concept and all, but for some reason, I couldn’t put my whole heart into this drama, which resulted in me being a bit disappointed. I’d get bored sometimes. I still don’t know if it’s my problem though. Maybe it wasn't the right time to watch it since I had been watching so many dramas with similar storylines. I’ll give them this, though, these two were truly a comedic duo™️

My Man is Cupid, 2023/24 (kdrama) 8

A love fairy accidentally shoots himself with an arrow and ends up in love with a human, condemning him and his group of cupids to 500 years on Earth. In modern day, he gets entangled with a veterinarian who might be connected to what happened in the past. Also! Murder mystery.

This one just goes to prove that liking a drama is all about vibes for me. Is this different from what I’ve been watching? Nope. It’s not better than the other ones above with similar premises. Yet somehow, unlike the others, it got my attention way more, and I totally binged it. Even when this particular one had some very confusing, probably so-so writing, moments. Granted, it has Nana in it. Nana makes everything worth it (Jang Dong Yoon was cute as well lol).

My Girlfriend is a Gumiho, 2010 (kdrama) (rewatch!) 7.5 ⭐️

A cute gumiho saves an irresponsible rich kid who wants to become an action star by giving him her bead. Both of them gotta stick together while he heals.

Like I said back when I first saw this, COMFORT!! And I was in the mood for something silly and sweet after the same themes over and over again. I can't get over how cute Shin Min A and Lee Seung Gi are in this.

Falling Into You, 2022 (cdrama) 9

A student-athlete wants to do high jump but doesn't have the required height for the sport, so a postgraduate student-coach decides to take him under her wing and train him. Noona love story ensues.

So... I have a lot of mixed feelings about it because, all in all, I think this is one of the best cdramas I've watched. It's beautifully shot, the music is incredible, and the pacing, story, characters, and acting are all impeccable. Aside from Meet Yourself (fav ever) it's truly one of the most naturally acted cdramas I've seen so far as well. Even outside the romance part, everything was really good.

Now, was it inappropriate? For me, at least, I think it was. This young student is supposed to be 20, and his coach is said to be about to turn 28. They are both consenting adults (let's put it that way), but the power dynamics thing is still there. Overall, it was a nice surprise, and I completely binged it.

Welcome to Samdal-ri, 2023/24 (kdrama) 9

After a scandal, a famous photographer runs back to her hometown. Her ex, with whom she had an intense fallout (childhood friends to lovers), is there, and it seems like neither of them has moved on. (Also about family, and grief)

From the moment I saw Shin Hye Sun and Ji Chang Wook's pictures next to one another on a tweet saying they were going to be in a new drama together, I knew this was going to be a 10/10 in my books. Maximized joint slay. Add the hometown cha cha cha vibes, and you have an amazing tear-jerker drama. The rest of the cast is a great complement as well; their acting and their stories just make everything really emotional (I cried a lot lol), but it is 100% worth the watch. I'll be honest about one thing, though. As much as I loved it, it took me a while to finish the last two episodes cause I feel like they dragged the story a bit.

Princess Hours/Goong, 2006 (kdrama) 8

In a reimagined modern SK, a girl from an ordinary family gets hitched to the crown prince because of a promise both of their grandparents made in the past. A Diana x Charles x Camilla drama ensues (but like, with a happy ending).

This is what I like to call DRAMA™️. The type you hate everyone's behaviors, and you laugh, and you hate the ML, but you also want him to get with the FL, and you start hate watching, and then you giggle when they share moments and completely forget ML is a really shitty person lol. I started this cause I got sick, and I got way into it. ML being a major asshole and the FL having no self-respect (like the good old dramas and telenovelas) aside, I enjoyed binging this, and I can see why it was so popular. Their romance, though deeply flawed and a product of the time the drama was made, had some great moments, slow burn and natural as well. I was lowkey hoping for a happier ending, tho, but it was cute enough. Also, music bro, that main song is never getting out of my head. Comfort drama material: 100%

Playful Kiss, 2010 (kdrama) 5

FL confesses to ML, and he rejects her harshly. When her house collapses, her father moves them in with an old friend, who ends up being ML's father.

So after Goong, I thought I'd probably be able to watch this. Wrong. Shin's got nothing wrong in comparison so Seung Jo. Seung Jo is probably my most disliked ML ever lol. I binged this, hoping it'd get better, or just like Shin in Goong, he'd change a bit after getting together with FL. But nope, he remained an asshole throughout the whole thing. Gotta love that consistency. Comfort drama material: 1% (I saw the comments on Viki, and I don't know how people rewatched this, lol.)

[chiveburger]

I'd hate to be such a broken record about this but man... you don't know good acting until you've seen wang anyu as duan yucheng in falling into you. I somehow always find myself coming back to this SPORTS DRAMA??? HELLO??? WHO AM I??? everything about his character here and all his actions based on who he's written to be is always so justified. I don't think the last immortal left a very lasting impression on me, no puns intended, but his character in this little drama about him being a high jumper falling in love with his coach DID! he did sooooo well here and there are scenes where he cries for seemingly menial things that are more emotionally driven than when he cried after killing ahyin in the last immortals... there's a really good scene where he walks away crying because his coach tells him that he's no longer as bright in her eyes compared to the first time she saw him. he's so sad, and rightfully so, but he tries to keep it all in as he's walking away but he can't and he's covering his mouth and tears are running down his face. broseph? that's an actor. I wish I could induct this scene into the hall of fame because I thought it was that impactful and telling of how good of a grasp anyu had at being duan yucheng. I talk about this scene very 6 months but I swear to god it's phenomenal. not just the acting wise, but the way it's placed in the script and how the scene is written and why it's written. the entire sequence basically ends with him apologizing to his coach and begging for her not to let him go. he goes on this long winded spiel about if she feels like he can no longer excel in high jump he can switch to sprinting, or running long distance or doing ANYTHING just so both her, and being an athlete can still be apart of his life. maybe I'm just a fucking insane person but I'm telling you... he ate here.

[chineseredcarpet]

Wang Anyu shares new snaps from Weibo TV & Internet Video Summit 2023 with The Last Immortal costar Zhao Lusi, Falling Into You costar Jin Chen, and Wang Xingyue

[kookingtae]

would you ever consider bringing back falling into you? it’s one of my favorite fics to date 💞

it never went anywhere, i’m just slow at updating and haven’t been writing as much recently 😭 but it’s the main fic of mine that i would love to keep working on! im so glad it’s still one of your favs, ty for giving it love 🫶

[meekmice]

You grab my face

with cupped hands,

look me in the eyes,

As if to say,

“You’re safe here with me.”

But you really say,

“You’re okay. You’re only human,

Don’t be too hard on yourself.

It’s okay.”

My eyes render

to your bold, candied words

As if to say,

“I’ve never felt more seen.”

& I stumble on the words

I’d like to say,

But won’t leave my lips.

Is this

what the beginning of a love story

looks like?

The flow of energy & emotion

over pours into a natural

phenomenon,

Where you feel like you’re on clouds,

But it’s really solid ground.

The start of beautiful foundation,

Something that only seems

feasible in books,

or movies that leave you

completely speechless

& dreaming of what happened after.

What if this time

I’m here to see it?

What if I get to live

what comes after those two words

In cursive..

“The end.”

On the screen?

What if the black & white

filmstrip bursts into color?

& what if…

Just if…

What if it stays

Absolutely beautiful?

-T.R.

[paintedcrows]

Did anyone tell Ford (bonus doodles: Family Movie Night, 70s Classics)

[noonaenthusiast]

Falling Into You 1x01

[dangermousie]

I still find this drama 90% meh (because it's 90% sports and a more boring topic I have yet yo discover) but this kiss was EPIC!

[dooffirmations]

H E L L O ????