Why You Should Watch: Back to Field (Mainland Chinese Variety Show)
I got the inspiration for this article while I was playing drama bingos on Twitter during this weird stay-home period. I have been watching dramas since the 2000s, and it’s already 2020. Looking back, I have had so many favorite dramas throughout this decade, and now it’s a good time to make a list of my personal favorites. To make it more spread out, I selected one for each year (based on the year aired).
So, here comes the list of my favorite dramas from the past decade.
2010 - Secret Garden (KR) | |
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 | Genre: Melodrama, Supernatural, Romance Tags: Body Swap, Strong Female Lead, Rich Man/Poor Woman Commentary: I know this drama is a typical romance drama with classic tropes like rich man/poor woman, but it is one of the better written, well-cast dramas at that time. This drama makes me feel so much for the two leads, especially the last few episodes. Honorary mentions:
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2011 - Scarlet Heart (CN) | |
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 | Genre: Historical, Romance Tags: Power Struggle, Harem, Time Travel, Qing Dynasty Commentary: This one remains in my heart as the “best historical romance drama”. The romance between 4th Prince and Ruo Xi was heartbreaking; the chemistry between Nicky Wu and Liu Shi Shi was epic, no wonder they became a couple in real-life. The plot was great, and the OSTs were superb. Honorary mentions:
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2012 - Queen of SOP (CN) | |
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 | Genre: Romance, Drama Tags: Hardworking Female Lead, Strong Female Lead, Friends to Lovers, Nice Male Lead Commentary: It has a perfect balance between romance and career/business plot. There’s not much drama in the romance aspect, and the plot focuses on the ups and downs in the lives of the two leads. I found Tang Jun as a perfect male lead/boyfriend material. Honorary mentions:
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2013 - In a Good Way (TW) | |
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Genre: Romance, Life, Drama Tags: Friends To Lovers, Coming-of-age, College Life Commentary: This one is also my all-time favorite because it gives me all the nostalgic feelings about college years and the kind of freedom we had during those years. I shipped the two leads so hard while watching this drama. The relationship between the two gives off a very realistic vibe without any extravagant or dramatic stuff going on. The OSTs were also superb. Honorary mentions: | |
2014 - Battle of Changsha (CN) | |
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 | Genre: Military, Historical Tags: Family, Tearjerker, World War 2, Character Development Commentary: This is one of the heavier dramas on this list. This drama realistically depicts how families deal with tragedies during war times. The character development of the younger generations and the familial relationships were the focus of the drama, and such aspects were portrayed beautifully. Yang Zi’s portrayal of Xiang Xiang from a naive spoiled little girl to a mature young woman was also spot-on. Honorary Mentions:
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2015 - Reply 1988 (KR) | |
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Genre: Friendship, Romance, Life Tags: Childhood Friends, Slice-of-Life, Neighbours, High School, Love Triangle Commentary: Although it was basically about finding who’s the husband, this drama really is about family and friendship. All the casts from the main squad to the parents and siblings were perfectly cast. It’s my first time where the male lead I rooted for did not get the female lead at the end. Honorary Mentions:
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2016 - With You (CN) | |
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Genre: Romance Tags: Friends To Lovers, High School, First Love, Slice-of-Life Commentary: I do have a soft spot for high school dramas, and this one is no exception. I loved this drama because it’s simple but realistic. It is not only about first love but also about struggles, pressures, and challenges faced by high school students. The chemistry between the two leads was great, and I really loved Liu Hao Ran’s acting, especially in the last few episodes. For me, he has always been that sunshine bright boy (both in- and off-character). The last episodes of this drama might have been a challenge for him, but he definitely nailed it, not to mention it was his first lead role in a drama. Honorary Mentions:
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2017 - Nirvana In Fire 2 (CN) | |
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Genre: Historical, Wuxia, Political Tags: Bromance, Family, Power Struggle Commentary: This drama revolves around one family and its entanglement within the power struggle of the royal family. I love the bromance between the two brothers, their dynamics with the father, and the romance between the two main couples. This is another great work from LHR (quite obvious how much of a fan-girl I am for LHR). I can't find any flaws with this drama - well-written plot, perfect casting, well-executed, and quality production. Honorary Mentions:
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2018 - Mr. Sunshine (KR) | |
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 | Genre: Historical, Military Tags: Strong Female Lead, Ensemble Cast Commentary: In my opinion, this is one of the best Korean dramas in recent years with high production quality. I was never a fan of Lee Byung Hun, but I could overlook that because the plot was really good. The characters were complex and layered with hidden agendas, and I really liked the dynamics between the ensemble cast of this drama, although the romance was a bit lacking. Honorary Mentions:
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2019 - The World Between Us (TW) | |
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Genre: Life, Drama Tags: Tearjerker, Mental Health, Family Commentary: It’s another heavy drama as it deals with a lot of controversial issues such as cyberbullying and media professionalism. It’s a very short drama with 10 episodes, and it’s very character-driven instead of plot-driven. The characters and their relationships between each other are what make the drama epic, raw and realistic. Honorary Mentions:
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While doing this list, I found that 2013, 2018, and 2019 were the good drama years for me. This list is entirely based on my drama experience during this decade, and my watch list leans more towards wuxia/historical and high-school/youth dramas.
What are your favorites of the past decades? Please, let me know in the comments, and please look forward to the next article about my favorite movies of the past decade!
Happy Drama Watching!
Editors: BrightestStar[1st editor] and Cookie (2nd editor)
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