by Sly, September 1, 2021
108

Sometimes, you just want to watch a drama that's all about that youthful life. You know the young love that forms in school? Or the friendships that form in your early years and strengthen over time? There are times when you want to enjoy feeling young again, and why not do that by watching some of these amazing youthful dramas!


A Little Thing Called First Love

Tells the story of an ordinary girl who falls head over heels for the most popular guy in school. Xia Miao Miao is a shy, artistic student who develops a crush on a handsome, talented classmate and embarks on a journey of self-discovery through college. Because of Liang You Nian, Xia Miao Miao decides to make a change. Through the help of her friends, she starts to learn about fashion, join school clubs, and studies hard to raise her grades. Her ordinary life is becoming more colorful by the day. 

Cast: Edward Lai as Liang You Nian & Angel Zhao as Xia Miao Miao

This drama is a good choice if you like: 1. Multiple couples, 2. some love triangle moments, 3. bromance. 

It mainly focuses on the school romance rather than anything else, just so you know. What stands out the most about this drama is how the female lead matures. Honestly, my overall opinion on this drama is that I really liked it as a newbie drama watcher. I would not rewatch it because seeing the female lead end up with the male lead and not the second male lead kind of disappointed me. 

But this is a good drama if you like a first love that starts off in school years!


All I Want For Love Is You

A story full of laughs follows sanda fighter Gu Xiao Man and school genius Zuo An as they chase after love. Graduation is fast approaching for 3rd year high school student Gu Xiao Man. Unlike your average school girl, she is a sanda fighter who wins medals at the sport but not in class. Because she wants to continue to be schoolmates with her idol Zuo An, she decides to give the same effort to academics as she does to sanda. Her hard work combined with Zuo An's efforts to be her personal teacher pays off and they get into the same university. There's nothing sweeter than to have your crush crushing on you, and their story continues on.

Cast: Liu Yu Han as Zuo An & Lu Zhao Hua as Gu Xiao Man

This drama is a good choice if you like: 1. Multiple couples, 2. a heartfelt love triangle, 3. female falls in love first, 4. trauma.

This drama starts off with the leads' encounter and how they slowly form a friendship. What I like the most about this drama is how everything is well balanced. Truthfully, the ending wasn't very pleasing for me. It was too quick and just too haste. I have rewatched this drama a couple of times and really liked the confession scene. It made my heart melt with all the emotions in that scene.

This drama is a really good choice if you like watching a drama that isn't fully centered on the leads but more of a mix of them and their lives.


The Love Equations 

Adorable and bubbly, Zhou Xiao is a favorite among her peers. A university literature student with a penchant for detective novels, she spends her days lost in the pages of her favorite mysteries, always eager to find out what happens next. With such a devoted love of such stories, it comes as no surprise when she finds herself falling for one of the university’s forensic science majors. A seriously dedicated student in the forensic science department, Zhao Fan Zhou has little time for anyone or anything, other than his studies. Cold and detached, he is the last person anyone would ever expect to fall in love with.

Cast: Simon Gong as Zhao Fan Zhou & Liu Ren Yu as Zhou Xiao

This drama is a good choice if you like: 1. Multiple couples, 2. friendship, 3. cute love triangle, 4. dormitories.
 
I really like the leads' first encounter in this drama. It feels so realistic. Like the whole drama doesn't feel unrealistic. It feels very nice and overwhelmingly good as each episode goes by.

I have rewatched this drama multiple times and have never gotten tired of it. I really enjoyed the side couples' hate to love relationship, too. Also, the friendship between the female lead and her dorm mates was *chef's kiss*.

Honestly, the drama is my go-to drama whenever I want to go back and watch a few youth dramas or, in general, just want to watch a drama. It's very wholesome with some cute intimate scenes!


The Best Of You In My Mind   

Lin Xi Chi is a college student majoring in veterinary medicine. She is well-liked and known for being bright and cheerful, although, on the inside, she is more insecure than she would like to let on. Also attending the same university is her childhood friend, avid archer and national defense student, Xu Fang. He has had a crush on Lin XI Chi since they were both at school but has never plucked up enough courage to let her know. Although he can be quick-tempered with others, he always treats Lin Xi Chi with great tenderness. When she loses a bet connected to an arm-wrestling bout, Lin Xi Chi has to forfeit a month’s living costs – a twist of fate that brings the two ex-school friends closer together than ever. And one evening, their friendship is turned upside down when Xi Chi gets drunk, and long-suppressed emotions suddenly come to the shore.

Cast: Zhang Yao as Xu Fang & Ireine Song as Lin Xi Chi

This drama is a good choice if you like: 1. Multiple couples, 2. childhood friends/friends to lovers, 3. college life, 4. rom-coms.

This drama really got my attention from the start. I liked how the relationship between the leads was very open and just fun to watch before they even became a couple. A foodie FL and a caring ML. Also, I feel like the cast portrayed each character well in this drama, and I liked how emotional it was towards the end.

If you want to watch a drama full of cute and funny moments, this is it! If you want to see an unbreakable and strong bond between the leads, then go for it.


Meeting You

Born smart, Nan Xi never struggled with academics in school, but his time there wasn’t easy. Living with social anxiety, he struggled to find his place in a world that always felt too big. Often overwhelmed by life swirling around him, he would be forced to retreat into himself. He wanted friends, but found that reaching out and connecting with others was all too daunting. Xia Rui, an exuberant, talkative girl, is a true social butterfly. Surrounded by friends, she was often the center of attention, resulting in a school experience vastly different from Nan Xi’s. They existed in what seemed like two different worlds, where their paths were unlikely to cross. That is, until fate intervened! Once strangers, now the best of friends, this unlikely pair has only drawn closer over the years, their friendship slowly blossoming into love. Can they continue to enjoy a lifetime of happiness together, despite them being total opposites?

Cast: Fiction Guo as Nan Xi & Wan Peng as Xia Rui

This drama is a good choice if you like: 1. Friends to lovers, 2. healthy relationships, 3. multiple couples, 4. childhood connection.

I waited a long time for this drama to finish airing and to be subbed because I was very intrigued about the male lead. It's a normal 24-episode light drama. I love how the male lead opens up to the female lead, and that's how their journey begins. Oh, and also, the female lead's younger sibling scenes are just so cute.
 
If you want to watch a short, school life type of drama with not too much drama and not too many problems, this is it!


Make My Heart Smile

The story of a group of young college students meeting, forming new friendships, and falling in love while maturing and realizing their youth dreams under the encouragement of each other's company.

Cast: Luo Zheng as Gu Yan Luo & Ji Mei Han as Ye Wei Mian | Ye Zheng Han

This drama is a good choice if you like: 1. Multiple couples, 2. twins, 3. identity swap, 4. college life, 5. hate to love.

Just like Meeting You, I decided to watch it right after all the episodes are released and subbed. To my surprise, this drama turned out very good.

If you want to watch a drama with a lot of positivity, then this drama is the perfect pick. It has a lot of positive vibes, which mainly come from the female lead and the fluffy romance between the leads. <3


Forever Love

A story that follows two people's brave pursuit of love from their campus days to their humble beginnings as they enter the workplace to chase after their dreams together. Xia Lin Xi's senior year is full of radiance while Jiang Zheng Han's is in peril. Jiang Zheng Han is doing everything he can to earn money and ends up becoming the tutor of a very unwilling Xia Lin Xi, who still hasn't forgotten their terrible first meeting. When the two felt love for the first time, it was sweet and pure. It's the kind of love that you want to profess to the world but it wasn't until after their exams that their feelings became more clear. Just as they wished, Xia Lin Xi and Jiang Zheng Han are admitted to the same university. From their youth to adulthood, from the school to the workplace, from a school uniform to a wedding dress, they have each other as a lifelong companion, while maturing and realizing their youth dreams under the encouragement of each other's company.

Cast: Wang An Yu as Jiang Zheng Han & Xiang Han Zhi as Xia Lin Xi

This drama is a good choice if you like: 1. Multiple couples, 2. smart FL, 3. strong/healthy relationship.

I really was skeptical if this drama would be good or not for a while before actually watching it. However, I decided to give it a go after seeing a lot of positive comments.

What I really liked was how the leads were very understanding of each other. Also, the school life to adult life transition was really nice. I enjoyed every bit of this drama. 


Thank you for checking out my recs. There are a lot more school/youth dramas to recommend, but these are just the ones that I enjoyed a lot. 

Share your own recommendations below!

Edited by: devitto (1st editor), YW (2nd editor)

romance school youth friendship bromance young