#sji: recs

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2020 Romcom Drama Recs

We all know what we’ve been through in 2020. As 2021 picks up, what better time to enjoy cute and light-hearted dramas? Here are some of our recommended romance comedies of 2020: 

1. Be With You 好想和你在一起 recommended by Admin JY 

GIF by shoujoinvestigation  

It had been a while since my heart felt uwu in 2020, and I’m glad that this drama was the one who helped me relive that feeling again!

A light but reasonably balanced romcom, Be With You features Ji Xiao Bing as a lovely nuanced stoic male lead, paired with a straightforward, responsible and fairly independent female lead. 

While the drama is fairly simple in its premise, the drama does a decent job in making sure that the characters are relatively more nuanced than predictable stereotypes - leading to a slightly unusual vibe for a romcom in the first four as the character dynamics first start off.

Soon after, the healthy relationship development takes off (along with a bit of my heart). Although the leads have seemingly opposite personalities, it was lovely to see how both of them communicate with and respect each other even as they are both inexperienced in romance and navigate their relationship in comedic (and ofc some tropey) ways. 

While the show’s pacing and main focus shifts towards the end of the drama towards the supporting characters, I still do hope that more people can join me in appreciating the cute dynamics of this show’s main pairing! 

2.  The Romance of Tiger and Rose 传闻中的陈芊芊 recommended by Admin JY   

One of the popular and well-raved shows of 2020, there is definitely good reason for this drama’s positive reviews!

As a rare original scripted Chinese drama, the story is about a female lead who finds herself living in her own drama script’s female-dominated society as she navigates her “character’s” fate - between romance and the intrinsic conflicts between the male lead’s motivations and her kingdom’s interests.

Through fast-paced developments, the story takes us in unexpected directions with both great fun comedy and its fair share of serious and emotional moments. With an empowered and likably genuine female lead and a sweet yet scheming male lead, there were plenty of cute moments and great chemistry in the show. Supporting characters were also likable and did well to complement the show’s comedic dynamics.

While there were definitely still some flaws and plotholes, the enjoyment that the show delivers and its interesting reflection of gender roles in society is more than enough for this drama to deserve its rave.

3. Dating in the Kitchen 我, 喜欢你 recommended by Admin JL  

Having first gained traction last October on cnet with its scenes of crack-ish, fun humour (aka: Lu Jin the human bubble machine scene), it's pretty much emblematic of the quirky and comedic beats of this romcom which seems to be rare. I had so much fun, and was so happy to be able to experience a romcom like this!

With exceptional comedy nailed, of course, we can’t go without romance for a good romcom. While admitting that the writing takes some crazy liberties to make twists to the most melodramatic tropes, the romance was made truly ~yummy!!~ (like the delicacies featured in the show!) by Lin Yu Shen and Zhao Lu Si’s electrifying performance, individually and together. (With this, I fell deeply for Lin Yu Shen as an actor too~) This drama’s romance simply can’t be missed if you’re into age gap romances like me, because this drama really understands the moe of it and goes all the way! All flaws become negligible. :p

Considering that a movie adaptation preceded it - one which I also enjoyed, it’s amazing how the drama managed to offer a fresh experience and, for me, an even better one! It defined my October of 2020.

Don’t watch this on an empty stomach though!

Watch the official episodes, subbed, on Youtube.

4. Koi wa Tsuzuku yo Doko Made mo   recommended by Admin JY        

If cute bubbly female lead x cold handsome male lead is your kind of romcom jam, look no further than KoiTsudu!

This drama brings together all the familiar elements of such a romcom dynamic in a light-hearted and engaging way, taking place in a medical/hospital setting (which seems very reminiscent of Itazura na Kiss in its later half too).

While the female lead is innocent, inexperienced and sometimes clumsy, she is also hardworking and dedicated to her patients. As the female lead learns from her experiences on the job, she becomes stronger and more confident in herself - in her own journey of growth. In this process, we see the male lead showcase different sides of himself as their relationship develops.

Amidst the cute moments of unexpected romantic interactions, this was also well-balanced with levels of sensibility as the characters’ personalities do not drastically get lost even after they fall in love, and their relationship is gradually developed rather than suddenly.

With a generally simple and episodic-based narrative, this drama is definitely an easily accessible, light and fun drama that anyone can enjoy.

Bonus:

Twogether (2020) recommended by Admin JY

Not a drama recommendation, but with such light-hearted and fun interactions, this Netflix variety show could well deliver all the feels of watching a romcom!

Even as someone who does not identify as a fangirl of either Lee Seunggi or Jasper Liu, this was still a lovely and enjoyable show to watch for its cute and wholesome interactions by both members.

With Seunggi’s playful and proactive energy balanced by Jasper’s cute and adaptive chill personality, their multilingual interactions were nothing short of wholesome yet amusing and entertaining, especially as they began to warm up to each other over time.

With a simple premise of accomplishing tasks to meet overseas fans, this show was also perfect in its timing (amidst pandemic banning international travel) to showcase the beautiful and scenic locations to add to your to-visit list in Southeast Asia! But the best part was definitely watching the fans' genuinely heartwarming reactions and how all of them really felt so happy seeing their idol that the audience would also feel happy for them!

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What are your favourite romcoms of 2020?

Written by Admin JY and Admin JL. GIF via Tumblr, by original posters linked. 

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Our 2020 Drama Recs

What a year 2020 has been - a time of tumultuous change, anxiety and reflection. During this time, dramas have certainly become a safe space for comfort and entertainment. Fortunately, we’ve also seen more and more quality dramas released in 2020!

As we head into 2021, here are our top 2020 dramas picks:

1. Winter Begonia 鬓边不是海棠红 recommended by Admin JY

The story of two seemingly polar opposite characters in 1930s China - a feisty traditionally-trained Beijing opera star and a wealthy Western-educated businessman in a setting where Western influence meets Chinese traditions. Yet when they finally cross paths, their parallels in fact draw them closer to each other. The main characters shine and sparkle both as independent characters with their own depth, flaws and quirks and with their ever-so-natural chemistry interacting with each other, in what could be the most healthy and balanced relationship dynamic I have ever seen between leads.

Winter Begonia presents brilliantly written three-dimensional, human yet relatable characters growing with each other through a time in history of change and uncertainty, in addition to great acting, beautiful costume design, production value and showcase of Beijing opera. If you are looking for a show with drama, history/culture, comedy, family, action (and tragedy), look no further than Winter Begonia for an entertaining yet reflective story of growth filled with all the *feels*.

2. A Murderous Affair in Horizon Tower 摩天大楼 recommended by Admin JL  

What’s your idea of a feminist drama? An ensemble of badass, confident female cast kicking ass and bonding with each other? For Horizon Tower, it is to be concealed in a mystery. Two detectives take us through the life of an attractive cafe owner after her death, retracing it through the eyes of people new to her and old ones who had known her well. They all have various things to say about her - each have a different piece of the full picture. What part of the truth do we trust? How do we, or can we judge her? While women are often expected to be the “perfect victim”, Horizon Tower says, the simple truth is, a victim is a victim, and a crime is a crime, regardless the conduct of the victim.

Horizon Tower is a sophisticated, brilliantly written and directed story. It’s fast-paced, compelling as it plays with multiple facets of the truth. There is no simple dichotomy - of black vs white, of women vs men. Instead, it fundamentally embraces the complexity of human nature - which is what makes it feminist. For me, this drama will stay in my heart as one of the most powerful and brilliant feminist stories to exist. In a time of feminist movements, it feels extra important and meaningful for China to have produced such a drama this year. Thank you for being the voice we all needed, Horizon Tower!

Watch the official episodes, subbed, on Youtube.

3. Hyena recommended by Admin JY

Not quite simply a law drama, nor a “badass” law drama turned into a sweet romance drama - Hyena is great for its culmination of confident writing featuring strong and unique characters that break stereotypes, balanced with a refreshing focus on morally ambiguous law cases.

Just as much as the focus was placed on the well-paced and exciting stakes in  the legal cases featured, the drama always gave space for the characters’ legit explosive chemistry to shine through and be developed further. While KDramas have been attempting to write “badass” female leads, Jang Geum Ja always stayed true to her anti-hero and morally grey character, with her gaudy, loud masculine style, unscrupulousness and shameless ambition to the end - a truly strong and admirable female lead who may not be fully likable. Yoon Hee Jae as the male lead also deserves praise as a more sensitive and softer portrayal of a privileged and powerful male lead, without ever overshadowing others or overstepping his boundaries.

Even as someone who struggles to watch purely-law/detective dramas, there was much to appreciate and enjoy from this drama, with its quality acting, writing and even memorable OST that can only be fully appreciated by watching.

4. The Bad Kids 隐秘的角落 recommended by Admin JL 

This is China’s year of high quality, sophisticated suspense dramas! Alongside Horizon Tower, The Bad Kids is certainly the one which had first carved out that status. Before it was named one of the Best International TV Series of 2020 by Variety, it had already achieved a phenomenal status in China with plenty of good fun memes and incisive meta created.

The success of The Bad Kids, in my opinion, represents creativity and the heart for storytelling triumphing over rigid, spartan censorship. It’s a testament that witty and thoughtful writing is what you need to tell a good story - and even censorship can’t get in the way of this (sometimes). It told a compelling and introspective story threading into moral fallibility while opening up questions to audience about what we perceive and know. This is a rare accomplishment when so many other recent cdrama stories are increasingly sanitised. The auteur-level of directing was vital in shaping the experience as well, down to the quirky selection of music.

So, do you believe in fairytales or reality? :)

5.  Brutally Young 十八年後的終極告白 recommended by Admin JY

How far would you go to hide the secrets from your past to protect your present? - that was the simple but solid foundation that this HK Drama delivered.

A group of high school friends are forced to reunite after 18 years to unravel the mystery of a recently discovered corpse, related to their shared pasts. Through this premise, mystery and suspense unfolds as the characters’ complex motivations and hidden pasts are revealed.

Despite the wide ranging cast, many characters are given good depth and personal arcs for development, and even decent romance feels. The pace of the story is also kept tight and remains consistent and realistic throughout.  Definitely an unexpected dark horse from TVB’s 2020 lineup, worth checking out!

6.  Candle in the Tomb: The Lost Caverns 鬼吹灯之龙岭迷窟 recommended by Admin JL

Okay, after two heavy suspense dramas from me, is there anything more lighthearted to watch? I’m usually not an action/adventure fan, but I’ve been a fan of the remakes of Candle in the Tomb directed by Fei Zhenxiang along with his team, following after the prequel adaptation last year, The Wrath of Time. 

This time, we have Pan Yueming as Hu Bayi, forming the Iron Triangle with Pangzi and Shirley, embarking on a tomb-raiding treasure-hunting adventure. Director Fei makes action digestible and fun to watch, on top of the witty script, great character-writing and performance - true to canon (as far as possible). As far as old fans of the franchise and new ones of the drama know, this is the best remake so far. I’m looking forward to the next instalment, The Worm Valley, likely out early 2021!

Watch the official episodes, subbed, on Youtube.

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Let us know what your picks for 2020 are!

Written and gifs by Admin JY and Admin JL, unless stated otherwise.

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Our 2019 Drama Recs

Yes, we’re writing our 2019 drama rec post in 2021...! We didn’t have one earlier simply because we didn’t get to watch enough rec-worthy 2019 dramas in time. But here we are, having caught up with some great 2019 dramas back in 2020. It’s better late than never - and the same goes for you if you haven’t watched any of these. :)

1. Royal Nirvana 鹤唳华亭 (2019) + 别云间 the special (2020) recommended by Admin JL  

I just couldn’t go without ever expressing my ocean-deep love for Royal Nirvana. Life-changing. Monumental. Instantly an all-time favourite of mine after I binged it in emotional devastation. Honestly, it is not the easiest show to watch - it requires mental and emotional effort for its highly nuanced and poetic writing. But it’s also the surest way to etch a story into your heart.

It’s also a tremendously rewarding and cathartic story for me. It’s not everyday that we see such a strongly thematic and meaningful story, which means a hell lot to me with its exploration of father/child relationship, loss, obligations and morality - among many. Xiao Dingquan will forever be one of the most important, well-loved protagonists in my heart. We’re the choices we make more so than what we become in the end.

2. The World Between Us 我們與惡的距離 recommended by Admin JY

There are so many things that this show gets right that its critical acclaim is more than well-deserved. From mental health representation, influence of media, the concept of fairness, and showing the other side of a common dichotomous narrative, this show packs this all in a balanced, objective yet emotional portrayal within a mere 10 episodes.

Showing the aftermath of an unfortunate mass shooting, this drama explores the emotional perspectives of all those involved. It gives proper acknowledgement to the victims of tragedies yet balances out with very fair and accurate portrayals of the perpetrators' families and their own victimhood. At the same time, the show includes some of the most accurate and fair representation of mental illness that I have ever seen!!! Not only are mental health patients’ struggled deftly portrayed, but also the professionals’ perspectives and struggles are clearly represented.

The World Between Us is the wake-up call we all need to see beyond the biases we easily assume to see the the bigger picture, of the world not just between us but that brings us together. 

3. Hello Debate Opponent 你好对方辩友  recommended by Admin JL

This is a pleasant little surprise of a coming-of-age story! Quite rare for a cdrama. Centred around a university debate club, the story goes hard on competitive debate representation which comes hand in hand with its sensible character writing and development. It’s a feel-good and quirky drama about growth and friendship - and can provide comfort and nuggets of wisdom to youths and anyone else alike. If anything, you’ll learn a thing or two about competitive debate with this drama’s involvement of numerous professional debaters in its production. :)

Watch the official episodes, subbed, on Youtube.

4. When the Camellia Blooms recommended by Admin JY

No handsome or rich chaebol to save the day, no dreams come true of getting rich or living in a luxurious home in the city, no flashy glamourous fashion-show-like clothes - When the Camellia Blooms is instead quite truly a down-to-earth breath of fresh air KDrama.

For a slice-of-life drama, it includes many elements subtly yet skilfully woven together with important themes of family, community bonds and self-confidence. Even amidst the realistic struggles of societal biases and single parenthood, the show never fails to inject positivity into the situation, and more so by emphasizing the value of kindness.

With a strong cast and diverse characters, a subtle but solid OST and beautiful sceneries, this is definitely a lovely and heartwarming drama that breaks the stereotype of what it means to have a strong female lead and even what it means to write a romcom kdrama.

5. Please Love Me 拜托请你爱我 recommended by Admin JL

If you’re a steadfast fake marriage trope junkie like me, look no further. This is a drama I wasn’t expecting to enjoy - many romcom webdramas have been more misses than hits - but very glad I did. Straight off the bat, it was already pleasing for its sensible character writing - and eventually continues to prove that it fundamentally understands how two very different people come together in a relationship. It even provided me with little surprises of the usual trope - it’s one of the few romance stories which has its leads’ relationship held up after a mutual confirmation of feelings. Youyou and Yi Han are so wholesome. <3

Watch the official episodes, subbed, on Youtube.

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Have you watched these 2019 shows before? Tell us what you think!

~ Admin JY and Admin JL

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Hi, I was wondering if you guys would recommend Crash Landing on You as my first kDrama. Also, I would highly recommend Battle of Changsha ^-^

Hi Anon,

Crash Landing on You does sound like a good place to start!

Whether you end up loving it or not so much, starting with a well-hyped kdrama filled with classic tropes like CLOY would still be useful to understand what parts or types of kdrama you’d be interested in the future.

If not you can always just enjoy watching for Hyun Bin’s good looks ;)

P.S. Admin JL loved Battle of Changsha too!

Thanks for the ask!

~ Admin JY

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Hello! I wondered if you have watched Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu? And if you did, what are your thoughts about it?

Hi there,

Thanks for the ask :) I have watched Nigehaji and enjoyed it a lot! If I were to describe the show, it would be that it is a big fluffy and adorably cuddly toy bear plushie - light, sometimes unbelievably sweet and innocent in a precious way.

It’s definitely a show that I would recommend even to those less familiar with jdramas (like myself). It’s a very light-hearted and easy to watch drama, not to mention comedic!

I also remember enjoying the characters quite well, with the strong supporting cast and of course, Hiramasa the show’s unusually ordinary male lead!

~ Admin JY

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i just finished ep 12 of uncontrollably fond and it is very melodramatic! i watch a lot of filipino dramas on tv with my fam so i'm used to overdramatic plots but i've come to like the second male lead, even though the suzy and kim woobin are only ehh?? anyway, i'll be looking through your mydramalists to see if anything there interests me :) woo

Do add us on MyDramaList if you have an account there! And feel free to let us know if you want any recommendations too~ ;) - Admin JY

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what did you guys think? i was so surprised that ji (in the novel) was way more pursuing his snail which i loved. in the drama he was (for my taste) a teeny weeny bit too mean in the first few episodes. but my biggest concern right now is in your review you said that yao meng plays an important part for the overall arc. which frightens me a bit because she isn't the nicest person (where i am now in the novel) :(

(cont’d)

so glad you loved it too!!!

i think the novel and drama each had their own beauty. i know ji bai was a lot more proactive; he was the one pursuing after xu xu more actively in the book - i admit that it was one thing i wasn’t as satisfied with the drama’s change - because xu xu is supposed to be the snail. but i still love the drama’s xu xu and ji bai so much!!!!!! so yeah!!!!! it was great enough for me that they are able to retain the balanced and supportive dynamics of their relationship. uwu

yao meng’s character really became a lot more likable in the drama. don’t expect to like her much in the book as you would have in the drama - i was quite detached from her even though she’s a pitiful character iirc.

~ Admin JL

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gosh - i finished when a snail falls in love. kudos (again) to you guys! this was such an amazing experience. it was so good that i started reading the novel (well, a translation) and now i'm kind of sad that xu/ji's romance was such a slow burn. which pisses me off because after finishing the drama i was INCREDIBLE happy with the slow burn. but now, reading what i could have watched, i'm a bit mad. (all will be forgiven when there is a 2nd season)

(cont’d)

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*happy dance choreography* you answered! thanks so much your the offer - i'm gladly accepting :) you recommended when a snail falls in love and you know i like... really have so much free time and am not at all a procrastinator writing my thesis so of course i started this drama and it's so so so so good. you guys can expect a ton of questions when i'm through :) thanks again for answering! *moonwalking out of your ask*

ahhhh great that you’re watching when a snail falls in love!!! it’s one of my favourite dramas ever! :)

of course, sure! you’re the most welcome :)

~ Admin JL