Drama recommendations from 2020-2021

Starting off this new blog not with the usual translations, but with some recommendations of dramas from the past year. I finish maybe 20% of the dramas I actually begin. (Will usually drop after the first 2 or 3 episodes if the storyline isn't compelling enough to keep my attention.) That said, there were a couple of gems that I discovered this past year (aka June 2020 and later) that I would highly recommend to all readers.

1. Nothing But Thirty (aired July 2020)

The plot had both high points and low points, but the acting of all three leads surpassed my expectations, and Tong Yao (who played the role of Gu Jia) was truly the breakout star of the drama. Her career also received somewhat of a revival, as her storyline captivated viewers with its many twists and turns. Gu Jia's arc involved her attempts to fit in with the upper echelons of Shanghai society to secure a good future for her family and her son, the infamous Hermès bag vs Chanel bag scene, her focus on establishing a career for herself and a financial source outside of her husband's fireworks startup, and her cheating husband and an unrelenting youthful third party. 

In contrast, Wang Manni and Zhong Xiaoqin's storylines were definitely not as exciting, but still entertaining all the same, and Jiang Shuying and Mao Xiaotong fit the roles pretty well (Mao Xiaotong in particular; her portrayal was perfect for the bubbly and kind Xiaoqin). The first half felt stronger than the second half (as is the case with many Cdramas), but overall, I felt like this drama is one of the better female-centric dramas that have been released. 

2. Dear Missy (aired December 2020)

How did I not really discover Jin Chen until last year? She's been in the industry for a decade, and I've even watched one of her previous dramas (The Imperial Doctress, though granted, I was mainly focusing on Liu Shishi and Wallace Huo). But Jin Chen blew me away in Dear Missy. Part of it was the visual factor--her entire aura, the way she carried herself, even the way she stared at the rest of the characters--made her the perfect Shen Siyi. I was actually expecting to be more wow-ed by Lu Ke, since Li Yitong is fairly well-regarded as a good actress and she's impressed me in other projects (Bloody Romance in particular). But Shen Siyi's storyline was what drew me in more. 

Like Nothing But Thirty, Dear Missy is also a female-centric drama. But the friendship between Lu Ke and Shen Siyi seems definitely more fleshed out than the friendship between the three women in Nothing But Thirty (especially with all the flashback sequences to their past friendship during their school days), and there are hints of a GL component. I remember reading in some Weibo posts/Douban forums that Shen Siyi might have originally been drawn up to be a bi character (alas, there are restrictions on what can and cannot be shown on screen).

I loved the career focus of this drama as well, since much of the plot revolves around the two characters' work at a sleek international magazine. I wasn't too much a fan of the relationships in the drama. Lu Ke's first boyfriend is disgusting--watch to find out why, and Shen Siyi's relationship with Zhang Chao's character (whose name I can't remember right now) felt super repetitive and the ending (in which they basically got back together) almost felt like it came out of nowhere. But overall, very entertaining drama, and I highly recommend you give it a watch.

3. Word of Honor (aired February 2021)

I'm not even done with this drama yet, but I feel no qualms about recommending it. And I haven't finished, not because I don't have the time, but because I'm not ready to part with this drama just yet. Because seriously, there's something very special about watching a drama for the first time that you just can't replicate with subsequent viewing experiences. Most of you who frequent Twitter and Cdrama discussion forums have probably heard of this BL drama (or its Chinese title, Shan He Ling) by now. Not much to add here that hasn't already been said: the chemistry between Wenzhou (Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu) is amazing, and this is pretty much as close to the actual L of BL that you'll get for a Chinese drama. The hug scene? The sucking blood from the shoulder blades scene? All of Wen Kexing's flirty lines? Yeah, you can tell that not much attention was paid to this from the censorship front, which makes sense, considering this was supposed to be a mediocre Youku project that no one expected to blow up. But blow up it did, and I'm so glad, because I can't wait to continue following Gong Jun and Zhang Zhehan's careers. 

Gong Jun in particular--his past projects really haven't been much to boast about (especially in terms of his acting), but he surprised me so much with this drama, and I can't wait to continue watching his works. I'm also excited to follow Zhou Ye's future works as well. I first saw her in Better Days (as the character who bullies Zhou Dongyu's character), and I was amazed at how well she was able to play the bully role (to the point where every time afterwards I saw photos of her at an event or something, I would automatically think about her bully character lol). But she was so lovable and charming in Word of Honor, and I feel like she really is good at slipping between different roles given the next script. Can't wait to watch her next project!