Not much news going on lately because of the coronavirus and filming has halted for most dramas and actors are resting at home. Stay safe everyone, protect yourself and be considerate of others when you don’t feel well!
This list is ranked by Douban users, so it’s Chinese-based. I do think it’s quite fair and there are a variety of series on the list. How many have you watched and loved?
The Pillow Book also now known as Eternal Love of Dream is adapted from the second book in the Three Lives, Three Worlds series. It follows the love story between a nine-tailed fox queen of Qing Qiu – Bai Feng Jiu, and the first ruler of Heaven – Dong Hua Di Jun, that spans over three different lives. I remember the OTP was really loved during the airing of Three Lives Three Worlds Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms but I can’t help but wonder whether they have missed the sweet spot to air this drama as it has been close to three years. You want to ride the high tides and feed the hungry fans, don’t ya? Anyway, I didn’t watch the prequel so chances of me watching this is slim. The visual of this couple is no joke though. Dilraba is ethereal and Vengo could be a chiseled AI in his next role. XD
Begins airing 1/22!
This looks mighty cute. First half of the trailer is all rom-com material, then the latter half turns melo. Our heroine is a cross-dressed doctor who is later transferred into Mansion Ji and gets assigned to work under the handsome general Ji Heng. The tricky part is….her family was all executed years ago and she eventually finds out it was on his order (while being entangled in a love triangle with his brother). Dun, dun, dun!
Took me a while to recognize where I have seen our male lead from, he debuted in Fox in the Screen as the white fox and then in The Big Boss! xD
Started airing today 1/18!
My first version of this story by Gu Long was the Taiwanese version with Jimmy Lin and Alec Su, followed by the TVB version with Tony Leung and Hugo Ng, then HK version with Dicky Cheung and Nicholas Tse. In all the versions, the mischievous brother (to be played by Chen Zhe Yuan) who was raised up by a group of villains is almost always the reason to continue watching. He’s unconventional, a prankster, and has tricks up his butt-hole. Lol. The newer version seems to favor the other twin more (played by Hu Yi Tian, he’s the more popular actor of the two), who was raised in a female-only palace, by a cold lady conspiring to see the brothers at each other’s throats. Why? Because their father rejected her and eloped with one of her slave girls! And this is her revenge plan.
The drama will air on CCTV, Qiyi, and Netflix, starting 1/16.
Getting a season 2 in Cdramaland is very difficult, almost impossible, much less keeping the cast changes to a minimum. Ever Night somehow did that, not without upset fans and sides, but here we are at the premiere of Season 2. Even though I didn’t finish season 1, certain scenes still linger in my mind, which is a sure sign that I will return to finish. Looking forward to see those awesome action sequences again; in the hands of a female director (Yang Yang) no less!
It’s actually crazy. When my coworkers said See You in 2020! It hit me that it’s just not the end of 2019, it’s the end of one hell of a decade, at least for me. A decade of my twenties (quite literally), perhaps the most important one of my life. So many things happened and so much growing up that needed to be done. A lot of things I thought I wouldn’t like doing when I was younger, I can bravely do and enjoy them. This is not to say I’m done with growing and developing as a person. Learning never stops and each person you meet will add another dimension and perspective to your life. So my web friends who are still in or entering their 20s, don’t be afraid to make mistakes and meet new people! Yes, you can cry and mope around when you make mistakes now, but I promise you in 5, 10 years, 15 years, the mistake(s) you made will become a lesson for you to reflect on and sometimes to smile about.
Two lessons I learned in my twenties. Loving myself and knowing that I deserve better. I was never a self-love person growing up. Sometimes we are our own harshest critic. Thoughts like I haven’t done enough, maybe it’s me, maybe if I lost five more pounds I could be like that Instagram model. STOP THEM! It’s unfortunate that social media has become quite a toxic platform nowadays. Your life is not dictated by one single standout moment. Don’t chase after that one glam moment and forget that life goes on beyond that point. It’s the little events strung together that tells the story of you.
Health! I cannot stress this enough. Without your health, you can’t do the things you want in life. After I took on exercising and healthy eating last year, I have been sticking to it and it’s been 2 years. I can’t believe it’s now a habit instead of a chore! And I’m not an intense health nut or anything. I still eat cookies and cakes, but in moderation. Moderation is key! When illnesses strike, you want to be in the best condition to win the fight. And also, learn a few things about stroke, heart attack, CPR, and etc because more often than not, it’s your loved ones who may need your keen eyes to save them.
I opted out of voting polls this year cause I honestly can’t keep up with the insane amount of dramas released. It keeps increasing at alarming rate and easily go over 100 dramas per year, including webdramas as well, which are becoming popular with stations fighting for viewers and securing the hottest actors at the moment. So instead of a robotic and mindless clicking of polls, I think a discussion post will be better.
I haven’t had much luck this year with dramas. Drought! I have been marathoning a lot of older series, touching base with my teenage self as I marvel over Charmaine in her TVB dramas. I just finished Witness To A Prosecution II where she starred alongside Bobby Au Yeung. Gotta say I didn’t buy their romance then and still don’t buy their romance now. Lol. Return of the Cuckoo is on the list next and I can already see myself heart-broken again for Chi Lam’s character. xD
So guys, what is your favorite dramas this year? Broke Out Stars? You can referred to my Cdramas Airing List for reference.
Our lead characters play two investigative bureaus during the Ming Dynasty. He serves for the imperial secret police group called the Embroidered Uniform Guards and she’s a female Constable from Liu Shan Men, a government branch responsible for safety of the capital. Our two leads meet when funds raised to repair a river went missing and her people are tasked to provide assistance to his people. She’s of course huffy puffy about working under him and he’s too proud (son of the leader). Motivated by self-interests, he doesn’t treat her kindly and things come to a climax when she finds out that the Embroidered Uniform Guards were involved in her parents’ deaths.
Premiered 12/28!