My Favourite Chinese Dramas of 2020
This drama has just ended timely for the year for me to pick as my favorite C Drama of 2020. Everything I love in a drama is here; touching human situations, unforgettable music score (a sucker for that), interesting story developments, great looking casts and stunningly beautiful prop and cinematography. The story and filming location is based in Dali, Yunnan which is my favorite province in China (I'm a Chinese Malaysian). You may notice the high quality setting and gorgeous interior design which I treasure a lot in the drama.The first few episodes may be a bit slow for some people especially with the dreamy location of Dali's lake district and laid back, vacation vibe of Erhai lakeside town. I was soon drawn into the series when I noticed the dual perspectives, that go on until episode 14., have been cleverly done . The whole drama wins me over with its non-predictable plots and three dimensional characters; there is no totally evil main villain here.
The two male leads are very handsome and act brilliantly while the female lead is beautiful in a mature and graceful way. All the supporting casts also give excellent performance. Zhan Yu's character is empathetic and you will be happy to rewatch his scenes in the finale. This is one drama you will not think 40 episodes are too long because many characters are given enough screen time to make an impression including the adorable interaction of Zhao Ting Hui's (2nd Male Lead) subordinate cop in the last few episodes.
I hope other Chinese directors take note of this drama by not showing spoilers in the intro song and use original voice which make the watching experience so much better. In one of the climatic scenes involving a bomb, you could hear the music score changes from poignant to heart throbbing to heroic. The brilliant music scores move me many times to tears throughout the series and the few songs featured are also very melodic.
The last 15 minutes of the finale could have been rearranged to please more people but since this drama has been quite different from others, I guess the director wants it this way.
Thank you director for the fantastic series! I will remember the leads fondly and look out for Li Qing's (Zhan Yu in the character) future work. I was pleasantly surprised to see extra scenes of him!
PS: This has been a strange year for C Drama where my favorites are all modern dramas; this drama, Ordinary Glory, Hikaru No Go and 安家 as I gave up many period dramas with childish leads and ridiculous cross dressing FL.
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This Drama Is a Fever Dream and I’m Weirdly Into It
This drama eases you in just enough to make you think you know what you’re getting into—and then promptly proves you wrong.The plot and setting actually had me invested, so I was not prepared for the absolute clownery that followed. The comedy is loud, goofy, borderline cringe, and wildly unserious, yet somehow it still works. Everyone is acting like shame was never invented, and honestly? I laughed more than I expected. You will cringe. You will laugh. You may do both at the same time.
Visually, it’s thriving. The cast is ridiculously good-looking, the aesthetics are clean, and there is no shortage of eye candy. This drama knows its strengths and flexes them regularly.
That said, nine episodes in, the story is juggling a lot. Multiple plotlines, constant tonal shifts, comedy fighting for dominance with actual story progression—it sometimes feels like the show is doing parkour without a helmet. I’m choosing to believe this chaos is intentional and that everything will eventually click into place. Also… why is this full-length? That realization hit me like a jump scare.
The leads are solid. The ML continues his streak of choosing unconventional projects that somehow work, and I have faith. The FL gives strong My Uncanny Destiny vibes, which I loved, so no complaints there.
Overall, I’m having a genuinely good time—laughing, vibing, and enjoying the lightness while it lasts. Because let’s be honest… the angst is warming up in the wings.
Will update once I'm done with the rest of the episodes ✨
✨Update / Final Thoughts✨
Okay… wow. What a ride.
Overall, this turned out to be a genuinely unusual drama. The humor definitely won’t land for everyone, but if you look past the silliness, there’s a surprising amount of depth here. It tackles heavy questions, quiet contemplations, and some truly tragic backstories that hit heavier than expected. The Princess Consorts’ storyline, in particular, might be the most devastating of them all—easily one of the most tragic arcs in the entire drama.
And yes, I absolutely bawled my eyes out over the leads’ story. Especially the ML. A painfully pure soul. Emotionally unsafe levels of purity, honestly.
The cinematography is beautiful, the characters are deeply lovable, and the ending—while technically a happy one—leans bittersweet. It took several tear-detox sessions for me to fully accept that happiness was, in fact, achieved. Even though the background music occasionally goes a little too hard for no reason, it doesn’t take away from how memorable and distinct this drama ends up being.
Also—special shoutout because this deserves to be mentioned—the drama actually references My Uncanny Destiny in a clever, self-aware way that ties in perfectly. Did not expect that lol.
Do I still think it didn’t need such lengthy episodes? Absolutely. But despite that, this is a hidden gem—quirky, emotional, and unexpectedly moving. Definitely recommended.
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An emotional roller coaster ride!
It's a heartwarming story that revolves around real life struggles, emotions, relations, family and friendship. It's one the most realistic dramas I have ever seen, there wasn't anything exaggerated. You can feel every emotion and every sentiment. It's just not only entertain but also teaches a lot. It does not have heavy romance but there are many cute and heart fluttering moments. No one is perfect, everyone has flaws and everyone can make mistakes and make wrong decisions sometimes but even if we cannot change them but we can improve ourselves to not make same choice again.I liked the fact that there were no silly misunderstandings, unnecessary breakups and some typical cliches in it. The story was well written and well executed. There were many heartwarming scenes that you'll feel flooded by emotions, I cried a lot not just in one or two scenes but many times I felt their pain, emotions. I love the relationship between father and daughter, the bromance, their trio, there friends. Even if you won't like some character in the beginning but eventually you won't hate them even there decisions were wrong but they had there reasons. I felt the ending was rush but it's only fact I don't like it overall it was a great experience. It is a cute drama that definitely bring a smile on your face.
It's one the best dramas I've seen so far so I totally recommend it to you, you'll definitely enjoy and love it as I did.
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Disappointing
I watched this to see if it would get better. Even paid for express. Nothing got resolved. No one was made accountable. The female lead and male lead allowed themselves to be trampled and used by others throughout the whole show. They deserved each other. Their son deserved a lot better. There was no climax in this show at all. It ended on the same sour note as it started. What a shame. If there was any backbone from either of the 2 leads it may have had some potential. FL spoke in whisper like voice entire program.This is the only show I’ve ever written a bad review. Don’t waste your time starting it only thinking it will get better. It doesn’t.
What a shame. I actually paid for express to watch the last few episodes hoping it would get better. I fast forwarded the bulk of it.
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Queen of Reversals is one of the best melodramas I've watched. It tells the mature story of a marriage between two people who are struggling to make it work or having to decide to let go. The cast of actors all do a wonderful job. Kim Nam Joo and Park Shi Hoo are stand outs. Kim Nam Joo is wonderful as Hwang Tae Hee. The evolution of her character is a lot fun to watch. Park Shi Hoo is such a scene stealer. He has a great quality and screen presence.
The supporting cast was also well chosen. This was a melodrama but I loved that there were no birth secrets, no one had a deadly disease, no one loved someone they thought might be their sister. It was actually a pretty nice and refreshing change to watch something more real. The plot unfolded very nicely for 31 episodes and there were some real surprises along the way. This also has the funniest bromance between Goo Yong Shik and his secretary...Hilarious.
I ended up loving this show and giving it a 9. A few months later I stand by that rating. If you are looking for a great story about a woman really finding her strength you'll love Queen of Reversals.
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Positive Family dynamics portrayed well
The suggested score MDL gives me for this is 9. But I choose to give it 10. I do that because the show has the beautiful element of NO TOXIC CHARACTERS.If you enjoy drama brought on by crazy exes and horrible mothers-in-law and power hungry individuals…you would hate this one.
This is a simple story about enjoying life in the moment.
About how family is not only through bloodlines.
About how parents are not always right and children are not always right either
A story about familial forgiveness and acceptance but also responsibilities. But we still get enough romance and a ML who is just wonderful. There are many other characters to love though.
The cast has a lot of experienced actors and that shows In the quality of their delivery.
The ended as they started. A chaotic family that loves each other but always has some drama going in their life.
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The ending ruined it.
All in all the production is very simple. I have watched many very thrilling bl's this year so I appreciated the change of pace. It was slow and progressed meaningfully. I was able to understand the characters, not necessarily their backstories, but their motivations.I don't write long reviews but what I will say is that I am disappointed. After completing all the episodes I can say that the story is incomplete in many ways.
There is an aggressive scene in the last episode that, is slightly problematic and I did not like it. More importantly, they abandoned the stories of other characters in the end. Yes, the main characters are the focus but they introduced and developed stories of other characters and just left them in the end. I was not sure if it was the actually ending or perhaps setting up for a season two, but it definitely doesn't seem complete.
The acting was acceptable, no complaints there. Music and SFX was a bit off at times but not enough to ruin the viewing experience.
Ultimately, is it worth the watch? This may seem contradictory but yes. I enjoyed it, all but the last episode. The story is actually good.
Would I watch it again? Absolutely not. Once is more than enough.
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Entourage isn't your average kdrama, it has none of the usual tropes, love triangles, crazy 2nd leads, misunderstandings, absurd coinsidences, scheming, melodrama ect. It actually feels a lot like a western tv show -which shouldn't come as a surprise since it is a remake of an american tv show, and i am happy they didn't try to korean-ize it too much. For all these reasons entourage is a breath of fresh air in the dramaland for me, but it is not a drama for everyone for the exact same reasons.
Story
Welcome to the entertainment industry. The main lead of the drama is an up and coming fictional actor who just had his first movie breakthrough, got mixed reviews but also got immensely popular and we watch him as he tries to find his next project, balancing his personal life and work life in the best (or worst) way he can. At the same time we see his 3 best friends as well as his agency's CEO. All of his friends have something to do with the entertainment industry; the drama's exploring different sides of it through them.
The show focuses on the hardships of the industry, putting it in the spotlight in a rather realistic and even negative -if i may say- way. It targets issues about the entertainment industry like: how difficult it is to find a potential hit movie/drama project, how actors are placed in the public eye and have little to no privacy, the way the agencies try to control them work-wise and personal life-wise, how difficult it is to actually get casted and breakthrough in this industry, the severe importance of appearance ect. Simultaneously, the relationships between actors, actor-manager, actor-agency, actor-significant other ect. Moreover, it puts the actors and agencies on the spot as well, showing both negative and positive aspects of their life and the way they act, as well as very realistic repercussions of their actions (this was probably the most interesting thing this drama had to offer for me).
All that being said, i think it is very obvious that this drama is not the average rom-com one would expect. There is no romance here. There is a love-line plot, but there is no actual romance, this plot line serves a purpose to explain how difficult it is to maintain a relationship being a celebrity and nothing else. The comedy is present, but i would safely dub it as elitist. It's not your usual slapstip kdrama comedy, it is heavily based on sexual comments, and a lot of the jokes involve other idols or actors and i am not sure if they can get across to an average kdrama watcher. What's more, there is no melodrama at all, or overdramatic situations evolving emotional conversations, stares ect.
Lastly, i would like to stress how i totally understand why someone would find this boring. If you're looking for a sweet romance story with comedy, you won't like this. If you're into heavy melodramatic situations this isn't your cup of it either. The drama is a light comedy about the entertainment industry, everything revolves around that. Concluding, the drama is told completely from a male perspective, so there will be a lot of pants dropping, creepy sex jokes, men desperate to have sex, clubs, silly, immature situations ect. If the drama lacked something was a proper female touch, but then again, this is why this drama was fresh and different.
Acting
The acting left a lot to be desired, but it wasn't a problem.
Seo Kang Joon was great, but not really memorable; Lee Dong Hwi, the same. Lee Kwang Soo was adorable and hilarious and performed impeccably as expected, however none of those 3 characters were well-enough written to leave a strong impression.
On the contrary, the most memorable actors were Jo Jin Woong, who portrayed a caring ceo -almost a father figure- with anger management and attitude issues immaculately and also my personal favourite Park Jung Min who might not have been the best acting wise, but the role was a perfect fit and was completely relateable and absolutely delightful!
I would like to emphasise how i wouldn't -not in any way- stick with this drama because of the good cast or because of the countless guests.
As for the supporting cast, amber had the most promiment role of the females, and i loved her. The role was a perfect fit. Ahn So hee needs to work on her acting more and i would like to see Kim Hye In more in the future. However, none of the supporting actresses had the time to build up as characters or show something of substance.
The guests were there for a split second, said a line, waved and that was it. Don't expect much.
Rewatch/Recommend
This drama is an elitist drama, but it's not bad; it's just different. If you are into classic kdramas, ignore this one, you aren't missing out. If you want to watch something different, and have an interest in the korean acting industry, then do try it. I also believe this drama is adressed to male viewers because of the nature of the comments and issues it depicts. I wouldn't rewatch this though.
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A wasted premise
[UPDATED] As a Jang Seung-jo fan, I was desperate for "Strangers Again" to work. I ignored all the misfires and the lapses in logic and stayed with it until the 12th episode. But when the ending rolled in, I realized that there was a basic flaw in the character development of the leads.I don't mind flawed characters. I especially love flawed characters who grow stronger in the broken places. The male lead started out well enough as a divorced divorce lawyer whose life is a mess. His ex-wife is also a divorce lawyer who seems to have come out feistier and richer. All the ironies were in place.
But no, after laying a solid foundation for what could have been a smart commentary on life, love and career, "Strangers Again" proceeds to self-destruct.
Jang Seung-jo's Eun-beom is so badly drawn, I suspect he was written as a plot device for Ha-ra's journey. His characterization is utterly illogical: a formidable intellect in court, he doesn't make sense in everyday life. He loves Ha-ra but concocts a hare-brained scheme to break-up his marriage, sets up his ex with his best friend so he stops paying alimony, never told her about his childhood traumas while she was his wife, and turns out to be a serial relationship killer. His redemption is a short footnote in the last episode via a Google search and a trip to the therapist's office. The writer was not interested in his evolution – only the havoc he creates.
Kang So-ra's character Ha-ra is better fleshed-out and is obviously the real center of the series: she may be cut-throat in court but she's not unscrupulous, she genuinely wants to help her clients, and in turn learns life's valuable lessons from them. She not only gets the best lines in terms of self-discovery, she also gets the best meltdowns.
The second leads' story trajectory is hands down the better romance in this series. From irritating characters, the liberated noona and the political conservative blossom into relatable characters as they learn to own up to their mistakes, communicate, and compromise.
Hyperrealism is no excuse for bad storytelling. I want characters with depth whose motivations are well-established. I want a plot that makes sense, even if it is imitating life.
Law practice, love, and divorce are potent ingredients that could've given us an unforgettable series – that's the wasted premise. I was expecting a Matryoshka doll with layers of meanings. Instead I got Barbie and Ken in power suits who are trapped in their own drama.
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What a disappointment....
Can a good actor save a bad script? NO.But can a good actor make the drama bearable to watch? YES.
But does this drama have good actors? HELL NO.
Before starting the review, I just wanna say it’s more like a rant than a review.
Let’s start with the title first. It’s “Now, We Are Breaking Up,” but more like “Fate”? I’ve been watching K-dramas for a long time now—literally, every drama has the fate/destiny aspect in it, which is not exactly my problem. But for this drama, the plot is built on fate/destiny/coincidences. Everything is so connected, which feels like nothing but forced.
This is supposedly a “Melodrama” (Melodrama: A genre that focuses on a dramatic plot, which is typically sensational and designed to appeal strongly to emotions). Is the plot dramatic? YES. But can I feel the emotions of the main characters (HYE & JK)? Freaking NO. They have no expressions throughout the whole drama. They just had cold, wooden faces and robotic dialogue deliveries. It felt so boring to even look at them that I genuinely fell asleep.
They are the main characters, so they have the largest screen time, but imagine their story being the most boring of all? Can you possibly sit through it? At least I couldn’t. I’m gonna be really honest—I watched this at 2x speed because the pace of the show is as slow as a snail. As I said, the plot was dramatic but also somewhat problematic. The writer screwed up the main leads’ story, and their bland expressions made it even worse.
Since this was Song Hye Kyo’s comeback and Jang Ki Yong’s last drama before his military enlistment, I gave it a shot. But I’m utterly disappointed with both of them. There was literally no heart-fluttering chemistry between them; they just endlessly kept staring at each other.
I mainly watched this for the SL couple, and yeah, they could act, so they had more chemistry than the lead couple. Some supporting characters are unreasonably crazy and wicked. My only favorite supporting character was Jeon Mi Seok.
As a fashion-based drama, neither the FL’s clothes nor the ones she designed impressed me. Hotel Del Luna or It’s Okay to Not Be Okay had way better-styled clothes, and those dramas aren’t even about fashion. :/
The OST doesn’t suit the vibe of the drama. It’s something sophisticated, which the drama is definitely not.
Re-watch: Never in my whole life am I gonna re-watch this show. I had to give a rating of 1 because there’s no option for 0.
The drama is basically a dud—no chemistry, bad acting, and problematic af main leads. I personally recommend skipping this one. The premise of the story was interesting, but the execution and main characters failed to portray emotions badly, which made this show really shallow.
END
Thank you for reading my review ^^
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1The chemistry between the leads is really there though and the story didn't get unnecessarily draggy at different parts
Like some side characters make me angry but they don't cause 5-episode-long misunderstandings if that makes sense?
so I would highly recommend anyone who is looking to consume some high-sugar drama XD
The two side couples' stories weren't as interested in my opinion but, you know, the main couple is enough to keep you watching.
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*Spoilers are only in the last paragraph, regarding the ending*I enjoyed I Hear You up until episode 17, as a lighthearted drama without any elements that made me angry or annoyed (which feels pretty rare with Chinese modern dramas). I personally enjoy the 'pretend couple becomes real' trope. From episode 17 onward, I felt like the plot lost momentum and then finally, several elements of the final two episodes really bothered me.
Ye Shu Wei (Riley Wang) is a successful and talented violin maker who doesn't like other people, and he grows a lot throughout the show as he begins to care about Bei Er Duo (Zhao Lusi). Bei Er Duo is kind and determined; she has a dream of becoming a voice actress and her goal is to study abroad in Japan. I loved that she was always studying, working hard to improve herself, and wanted to rely on her talent not connections. Ye Shu Wei and Bei Er Duo slowly grow to care for each other, and since they are both inexperienced in love, they feel like an even-leveled match despite him being rich and successful. But to be honest, their relationship is pretty boring. There were some cute moments and some cringey moments but nothing memorable. I actually felt like Shu Wei put much more effort and heart into their relationship, in trying to understand her, encourage her, and prepare surprises for her. (But Riley Wang's stony-faced acting bored me.)
Shu Wei and Er Duo agreeing to be on a couples competition show seemed like a far-fetched premise but the characters Yu Sheng and Tang Li help make it a little believable since they are the producers(?) for the show. Tang Li's character arc is fantastic and is the one great thing in this show. I loved that she faced her feelings head on, stuck to her principles, and worked hard to find her own happiness. Her storyline wasn't what I expected, but she articulated it well when she explained her decisions to Er Duo. The maturity of her character was such a sharp contrast to Er Duo's childish behavior.
*SPOILERS BELOW*
As for the last two episodes... I hated the two phone calls that Er Duo receives. Why did other people feel like they had the right to blame Er Duo for Shu Wei's choices? I liked that Er Duo sat down with him at the beach and talked about it honestly but why did Shu Wei not respond? Even though Er Duo returned the ring, it felt so inconclusive. (Also, if he really wanted to give up violin making/didn't care about that major violin order, I can respect his choice.) The last straw for me was how Er Duo chose to separate from Shu Wei. They had checked in their luggage and he was being paged for the flight so it just made no sense on so many levels. At the very least she could have sent him a text message after clearing security. The last scene was so strange and inconclusive. I wish that instead she had said at the beach, hey don't come to Japan with me, don't give up your work and let's date long distance for now and see how it goes...
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The characters, at first may seem a bit tiresome, but they have this uncanny knack of growing on you, until you genuinely care for them and wish to see them happy, successful or in some cases burn in hell. It will make you laugh and cry, which is what all good dramas should invoke. Throw into the mix a nice, non annoying soundtrack and some pretty good cinematography and you get a seriously a good watch. Strong recommended, not just for viewing but repeated viewings as well.
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It's like a car crash...
... painful to watch but hard to look away.You should watch this show if you like:
- Plot holes
- Questions that get answered by even more questions.
- Dialogue that doesn't make sense.
- A supposedly steamy couple without any chemistry.
- A mafia boss whose entire self is an insult to every mafia person ever.
Sadly enough, there is a lot wrong with this show.
From actors who don't seem very into their role to questionable directing and simply strange editing/use of music. "Unforgotten night" seems to have it all.
They could have done so much more with KamolKim yet every episode is packed with stuff that you might get a whiplash from the quick changing between scenes. Events that should have been cleared up, explained or maybe just talked about get forgotten and in my opinion this doesn't do the plot any justice.
Still I find myself looking forward to the next episode every week. Be it because of interest in the story or just hope that the next episode will be better. And of course it isn't all bad. Don't get me wrong, there are some good things to see as well. I just expected a lot more from this show. If you are going to watch it, I suggest not to take it very seriously. Sit back, relax and enjoy yourself.
EDIT: The last episode was by far the best and made a lot better.
My Wednesday evening will surely be a little more empty after the last episode but I fear that, despite it's title, "Unforgotten Night" will be quickly forgotten.
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To be honest I only started watching it because I read that the story would revolve a lot around the eldest son, who is in a gay relationship. I found this fascinating, seeing as it's a korean drama. The writers did a great job on that part, depicting the family's perspective and the couples perspective and how they each deal with this issue.
It was also interesting to see the interactions between the different generations of this huge family who all live together in one house.
What kept me watching was the great acting (especially song chang ui who plays the eldest son and kim hae sook who plays his stepmom)the amazing story, and also the amazing surroundings (jeju island).
Because it's quite a long drama you get to know each of the family members very well and you really feel the amazing bond that's between them.
I cried a lot, but I laughed too and watching it was an overall heartwarming experience!
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