2018 Chinese Dramas I've Watched

LOVED.

Nirvana in Fire  is my favorite drama of all time, so of course I had to watch Nirvana in Fire 2. This follows is set around 50 years after NIF so you could watch it without having seen NIF (but why would you do that???). Thankfully, Nirvana in Fire 2  was an excellent drama, perhaps losing steam at the end, but the acting was excellent, the characters were memorable, and there were many moments that moved me (and wrecked me).

SKIP IT.

Manipulative, controlling  male leads. Awful pacing, especially towards the end. Solid cast and OST. (I really, really wanted to like this because I was a big fan of the 2010 Taiwanese version.)

DROPPED. (But may pick up again.)

Abandoned at 28 episodes. I actually really enjoyed this drama, but just happened to lose momentum since it has 52 episodes. Vic Zhou's character surprised me with how cheery he is, and  I loved both  Zhang Bin Bin and Liu Ruilin's characters.

Watch if you like the genre or Luo Jin.

I couldn't stop watching Love's Lies but it's primarily a crime/police/mafia drama.  Also, disregard the plot holes and irrational actions.

Just  OK.

Surprisingly entertaining (although that introduction bit got annoying quick) with an interesting premise and back story. Totally fell apart at the end  and the writer apologized for it, so be prepared. (Only 25 episodes! A rarity.)

Highly recommend skipping 20 episodes.

The first ~28 (out of 46) episodes are excruciating, but  the rest was very enjoyable, so either suffer through the first half or skip directly to the good stuff.  Too much of the main leads not communicating. The highlight of the drama for me was Jing Chao as Linlu.

DROPPED.

Abandoned at 5 episodes. I just couldn't get into the main characters - I like both William Chan and Bai Baihe and the premise was different, but their characters both seemed awkward to me and I didn't sense any chemistry. Perhaps I will skip a few episodes and try this again at some point.

This isn't the best drama in this genre, but I loved the main couple so much.

After you get past some initial cringeyness, this is sweet and laugh-out-loud funny - for the first two-thirds. Then things  get repetitive and the plot loses logical sense, and the final episode is awful.

I was surprised to find that Mark Chao is so charming and funny in this drama. He was the highlight of a looong drama that just had too many storylines, many of which I just never felt that interested in.

The first 30 episodes would probably be my favorites - if I ever felt compelled to rewatch this, I'd probably stop there.

Watch this!

A fantastic strong female lead. Not a fan of the male lead's acting, and the story gets convoluted towards the end, but overall very enjoyable!

Dropped.

I like Luhan and Guan Xiaotong and since they're dating IRL, they should have good chemistry. I liked that he was the poor, kind-hearted, hard-working one and she was the rich, cold one, but regrettably this drama just bored me.

Now on Netflix! Light, cute, and funny, except I hated the story arc in episodes 25-29.  

LOVED. 100% recommend.

I generally avoid palace dramas, especially 70-episode ones but this was highly recommended. Wu Jin  Yan is SO great as Wei Ying Luo and I was constantly laughing out loud - in between the vicious scheming and heartbreaking moments, that is. If you're waiting for English subs, Viki has licensed this!

Funny and heartfelt, maybe a tad slow-paced, but a decent modern drama is hard to find.  It IS ridiculous that all these guys fall in love with the female lead. -_- The plot really unraveled towards the end, with the "big reveal" not feeling that impactful.  I still enjoyed it overall though.

The 2001 Taiwanese version is my favorite, and the story will always have a  special place in my heart. At 49 episodes, this version is lengthy. I liked that fuller storylines and personalities of F4, and their strong friendship. Shancai was a weaker character in this version (Barbie Hsu had so many powerful moments that Shen Yue's portrayal felt underwhelming).  Also, became too repetitive and eventually just plain ridiculous.  But I would still re-watch certain parts.

I'm only on episode 15 but so far I'm really enjoying it! Visually, soooo dreamy. But I fell for the second male lead. Oops. That never ends well.

I was looking for something light to pass time so I tried this comedy drama, but comedy dramas are just not my thing so I doubt I'll finish it. And I'm over all these female main characters transporting from modern to historical times.

Dropped after episode 28.

Wasn't a fan of the male lead's acting and wasn't sold on the leads'  chemistry. They have a sweet, drama-free relationship but their actions soon became over the top (around ep 27-28). Also, a lot of  corporate rivalry and sabotage in the plot and the business rival gets so much screen time but I did not find anything about him redemptive.

Stay away!!

The male lead is very manipulative and the female lead is too naive, questionable actions all around, weak plot.

Aesthetically stunning! The first half was captivating, but then the plot fell apart and 70 episodes was too much. Chen Kun and Ni Ni are both fantastic though. Bai Jing Ting also caught my eye here.