Finally Crawled Out Of The Untamed / MDZS Hell... Do You Have Any Suggestions For Other Cdramas To Watch??

Finally crawled out of The Untamed / MDZS hell... do you have any suggestions for other cdramas to watch?? Preferably on Netflix bc that’s what’s currently accessible to me

oh my god I feel like I’m the last person you should be asking because a) I don’t have netflix, and b) I haven’t actually watched that many cdramas to be able to give a good rec (;^_^A

okay but I had to google “chinese dramas on netflix” and I’m just gonna point out the ones that I’ve watched from this list (https://reelgood.com/tv/country/china/on-netflix), plus a couple of others that I haven’t but that I’ve heard good things about. all of the synopses below are from mydramalist/ wiki because I’ve mostly forgotten how to recap even those I’ve watched before lol my memory is terrible (;￣ー￣川

On Netflix

1. Ashes of Love 香蜜沉沉烬如霜 (2018)

http://dr-myri-blog.blogspot.com/2018/11/ashes-of-love-episode-1-recap.html

Genres: xianxia, fantasy, romance

Synopsis: The Flower Goddess dies after giving birth to a daughter, Jin Mi. She saw a prophecy that her daughter will suffer a great love trial within the first thousand year of her life, thus before dying, she gave her a magical pill that prevents her from feeling and expressing romantic love. This caused Jin Mi to become the brunt of many jokes when she gets tangled in a love triangle with Xu Feng, the haughty Fire God, and his brother, the Night God Run Yu.

Jin Mi is tricked into thinking her father died in the hands of Xu Feng and kills him, coughing up the magic pill in the process. Xu Feng is revived a decade later in the realm of the Demons as the Demon Lord, and wages war against Run Yu, who has now ascended the throne as Heavenly Emperor. Jin Mi is caught in between and doesn't know what to do, ultimately sacrificing herself to end the war and return peace to the world. (wiki)

Another “three lives, three worlds” xianxia concept

Was super popular when it aired

I was super invested in the first half but towards the second half my excitement for it mellowed

Amazing world building

Female lead may seem annoying at first but she grew more tolerable as the series progressed - it’s related to the story arc

Angsty

Shot Luo Yun Xi to fame (灬♥ω♥灬)

2. Eternal Love / Three Lives Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms 三生三世十里桃花 (2017)

https://hiddenflowerashes.wordpress.com/2017/05/08/cdrama-review-ten-miles-of-peach-blossoms-eternal-love/

Genres: xianxia, fantasy, romance

Synopsis: After a devastating war, the immortal tribe paid a heavy price to seal the demon lord. 70000 years later, in an attempt to re-seal the demon lord who broke free, Bai Qian was sent to the mortal realm. In the mortal world, she meets Ye Hua and falls in love with him after forgetting about her life as a goddess. Ye Hua gifts her the name of Su Su. Su Jin, who is jealous of Ye Hua's love for Bai Qian, intentionally creates a series of misunderstanding between them and causes Bai Qian to lose her eyes. Thinking that Ye Hua has betrayed her, the devastated Bai Qian jumps off from the Zhu Xian Terrace. At her request, all her memories have been erased and she forgets Ye Hua. 300 years  later, the two meet again as deities. Another lifetime another world, Ye Hua recognises Bai Qian but the latter remains indifferent. Three lives three worlds, her and him, are they fated to bear an entangling love? (mdl)

I haven’t watched this yet but I’ve heard raving reviews

Spin-off series: Eternal Love of Dream

Set up is pretty similar to Ashes of Love (or is it the other way round?? I don’t know which novel came first) where a pair of deities/ fairies fall in love (with or without them realising it) and then have to live for a while in the mortal realm to pass some tribulations and then they realise that they’re deeply in love, etc.

I don’t think I’ll watch this because I tried watching the spin-off after watching Ashes of Love and realised that the whole three lives three worlds thing was starting to bore me

BUT I’ve really heard good things about this drama! And it’s rating on mdl is pretty high too

Side note: Ashes of Love is not in the same universe as Eternal Love and Eternal Love of Dream

3. Once Upon a Time in Lingjian Mountain 从前有座灵剑山 (2019)

https://ninenovel.net/2019/11/30/once-upon-a-time-in-lingjian-mountain-2019-episode-30-recap/

Genres: wuxia, fantasy, romance, action, comedy

Synopsis: A story that follows Wang Lu, a young genius, who enters the Spirit Blade Sect and embarks on an unconventional journey towards immortal cultivation. The Spirit Blade Sect was established in the year 4233. Through years of producing martial arts prodigies, it has been hailed as one of the five great sects. As the nine continents face a crisis, a genius by the name of Wang Lu joins the Spirit Blade Sect and comes under the tutelage Wang Wu. Despite Wang Wu's beauty, she is hundreds of years in age. Famous for having a sharp tongue and an erratic temper, she and her disciple Wang Lu engage in endless squabbles while trudging on a path to becoming the strongest sage in all the lands. (mdl)

Quite a fun, lighthearted show to watch

Big on humour but also has its smart moments

Reminded me of a more lighthearted version of Joy of Life (see below)

Female lead is super sassy

4. Tientsin Mystic 河神 (2017)

https://nextepisodepls.wordpress.com/2018/02/20/tientsin-mystic-%E6%B2%B3%E7%A5%9E-series-review/

Genres: fantasy, mystery, suspense, supernatural, detective

Synopsis: Set in the 1920s Republican era, flooding ravages the land of Tianjin and conjures up numerous strange tales about the river. Guo De You is a part of the river salvage team, who retrieves bodies from the water. His master is nicknamed 'Old River God'; as the 'Little River God', De You has inherited his ability to use tobacco to uncover the truth, however, his body cannot handle smoke in large amounts. He ends up being suspected for the murder of a distinguished chairman, whose son Ding Mao, a trained forensic investigator, joins forces with him to uncover the truth. With their female partners - Gu Ying, the daughter of a sorceress and De You’s childhood friend, and Xiao Lan-lan, a journalist, whose father is a rich local businessman - they begin an investigation that leads them to an incident twenty years ago, and a cult whose presence is still affecting the city in increasingly sinister ways. (wiki)

I’ve honestly forgotten quite a fair bit of this because I watched it quite some time back

Has a second season

Not on Netflix

5. Eternal Love of Dream / Three Lives Three Worlds, The Pillow Book 三生三世枕上书 (2020)

http://www.chiefoil.cn/redian/663890.html

Genres: xianxia, fantasy, romance

Synopsis: Queen of Qing Qiu, Bai Feng Jiu, is the only red nine-tailed fox in the world. One day, Feng Jiu is attacked by a savage beast while seeking cultivation in the mountains and is saved by the first emperor of Heaven, Dong Hua. Grateful and feeling indebted, Feng Jiu accompanies Dong Hua to vanquish the Demon Lord. As the two spend time together, Feng Jiu realises her gratitude towards Dong Hua has slowly evolved into love. Unfortunately, Dong Hua has long forgotten what love is. Although the coldest hearts can melt with time, will countless lifetimes be sufficient to bring these two hearts together? (mdl)

OKAY so this one is also quite good

But I ended up dropping it because as mentioned above I was getting bored of the whole “deities get reincarnated and live three different lives together” thing

That being said, ngl the human arc for this was super cute and ended super painfully

The only other thing I couldn’t stand here was unfortunately Dong Hua’s white wig

6. Oh My General 将军在上 (2017)

https://www.viki.com/tv/35829c-oh-my-general

Genres: historical, romance, comedy, gender bender

Synopsis: During the Song Dynasty, Ye Zhao cross dresses to become a general of outstanding ability, receiving a top rank of general. The Empress Dowager constantly worries about Ye Zhao holding too much power and took the opportunity to betroth Ye Zhao to one of the Emperor's nephews, the no-good Prince of Nanping, Zhao Yujin, who possesses remarkable beauty but is pampered, lazy and spends his time on "useless" artistic pursuits. Thus, the story of the real battle of who will take power in this new household begins. (mdl)

Oh my god this show. It’s so underrated ヽ(´Д`;)ﾉ

The dynamics between Ye Zhao (Sandra Ma) and Zhao Yu Jin (Peter Sheng) are AMAZING

Especially the heart eyes he keeps giving her when he realises how head over heels he is in love with her

And how much being in love with her changed him from lazy snotty aristocrat to actual functioning “I Will Protect My General Wife Even Though I Can’t Fight At All” member of the government

Side note its Chinese name literally means “general above/ on top”, and this series was adapted from a novel called 将军在上我在下 “general above/ on top, I am below” like HMMMM.

Also the costuming in this show is ridiculously colourful and lowkey Japanese-like because they actually got a Japanese costume designer

7. Guardian 镇魂 (2018)

https://forums.soompi.com/topic/399199-mainland-chinese-drama-2018-guardian-%E9%95%87%E9%AD%82/

Genres: fantasy, science fiction, (b)romance, mystery, supernatural, detective

Synopsis: Guardian is set on the Earth-like planet of Haixing, populated by a native human population and two alien races — the Yashou, who are able to shapeshift into plants and animals, and the Dixing, superpowered beings who live deep underground. The three races have enjoyed a peaceful co-existence since the arrival of the Yashou and Dixing over ten thousand years ago, broken only by an ancient war declared by the Dixing after a meteor strike depleted their resources. During that war, the Haixing and Yashou were led by the hero Kunlun, who became a close comrade to the Black Robe Envoy, the leader of a faction within the Dixing that sought peace. The war was won by the Haixing with the use of four holy tools crafted from the meteor. At the end of the war, Kunlun vanished, and the Black Robe Envoy became the overseer of peace between the races while awaiting Kunlun's return.

In the present, conflict has begun to erupt again between the Dixing and the surface-dwelling races. The hotheaded Zhao Yun Lan leads the Special Investigation Department (SID), a group that works with the Black Robe Envoy to uphold peace and investigate cases related to the Dixing people. While investigating an incident at the local university, Zhao is assisted by Shen Wei, a biological engineering professor. The two men are drawn closer together as a mysterious enemy threatens to re-ignite war. (wiki)

Ah where do I begin

Adapted from Priest’s BL novel Guardian

Terrible sfx (that makes the sfx in CQL looks amazing), barely intriguing plot after the first few episodes

BUT. BUT. 

The chemistry between Zhao Yun Lan (Bai Yu) and Shen Wei (Zhu Yi Long) is ridiculously good ヾ(*′○`)ﾟ.+:｡ﾟ☆

This show was censored so heavily and diverged so much from the original novel, but the actors and the entire crew knew that they were acting a romance and not a romance and it damn well showed

I believe that this show set the road for CQL because even though it became so wildly popular among fans that I guess it signalled to show runners the possibility of drama adaptations of BL novels despite the heavy censorship

ALSO shot Zhu Yi Long to fame (灬♥ω♥灬)

8. Joy of Life 庆余年 (2019)

https://www.tvmao.com/drama/Yy0wHDA=

Genres: historical, romance, political

Synopsis: Fan Xian grew up in a small town by the sea with his grandmother, following a sudden visit of a poison master, his peaceful life quickly morphs into one filled with danger and hardship. After becoming rather skilled with medicine, poison, and martial arts, he goes to the capital to find out more about his mysterious mother. He ends up on an adventure of marvelling the world, getting tangled in politics, finding true love, figuring out his purpose in life and secrets of his world. (mdl)

Believe me or not, this show actually has quite a fair bit of science fiction in it

It’s a super clever show and involves a bit of thinking

Also stars Xiao Zhan as a side character that has a completely different personality from Wei Wu Xian

Character to look out for: Second Prince. He’s the scene stealer

Character description from wiki that I just had to include: Lin Wan'er, a chicken drumstick princess

9. Reunion: The Sound of the Providence / The Lost Tomb: Reboot / The Lost Tomb 3 重启之极海听雷 (2020)

https://www.iq.com/play/2ffkwt832r8

Genres: fantasy, mystery, suspense, adventure

Synopsis: The iron triangle Wu Xie, Pang Zi and Zhang Qi Ling restart their adventure after receiving an unusual text from Wu San Sheng. Wu Xie, Pang Zi  and Zhang Qi Ling  have hung up their hats to end a ten-year promise. After trading their adventures for a normal life, a text from Wu San Sheng drives them to embark on a mysterious journey for the sake of family and friendship. (mdl)

Tbh I would’ve listed horror as one of those genres

Because especially in the first half of the show I was watching most of it from behind my hands

There are a whole bunch of series and movies before this one, it’s part of a super big franchise (probably one of the biggest franchises) in China called 盗墓笔记 (The Grave Robber Chronicles, or The Lost Tomb)

But you don’t have to watch the previous shows to know what’s going on because this one pretty much starts from a new arc, give or take a few casual references thrown into the conversation referring to their past adventures (which are also shown in the opening if you know what to look out for)

Has a second season coming out before the end of the year??? I’ve seen the trailer floating around but I forgot when

Zhu Yi Long here is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from Zhu Yi Long in Guardian. There he was invincible ass kicking alien. Here he is sick dying old uncle who needs to be protected but still pretty damn smart.

Shows on My Queue (Yet to Watch) But Still Rated Quite High

10. Arsenal Military Academy 烈火军校 (2019)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arsenal_Military_Academy

Genres: mystery, romance, action, war

Synopsis: Hoping to follow in her deceased brother's footsteps, Xie Xiang enrolls into the Arsenal Military Academy in Shunyuan disguised as a male, with only her good friend Tan Xiao Jun knowing her secret. There, she becomes good friends with the country bumpkin Huang Song and the quiet Shen Jun San, all while getting into periodic quarrels with her hot-headed and playful roommate, Gu Yan Zheng. Despite her small stature and weak constitution, she gradually trains into an able soldier, winning the respect of her peers. These students soon uncover a dangerous conspiracy surrounding the Japanese occupiers, the Chinese resistance, as well as past royal descendants of the now defunct Qing dynasty. (wiki)

11. My Roommate is a Detective 民国奇探 (2020)

https://medium.com/my-roommate-is-a-detective-ep-1-2020-eng-sub/eng-sub-my-roommate-is-a-detective-episode-1-2020-iqiyi-fa3fe924a1c9

Genres: mystery, action, adventure, detective, romance

Synopsis: Set in the mid-1920s, a resourceful young police officer named Qiao Chu Sheng is on the trail of a brutal but devious killer. Realising that the police force will need some extra help with this difficult case, he decides to form an elite crime-busting detective team. He reaches out to a young man who has recently returned from studying in Great Britain, Lu Yao. Qiao Chu Sheng has learned that Lu Yao has remarkable powers of deduction and a brilliant mind – and believes he can help crack this difficult case. To round off the team, he enlists the help of Bai You Ning, a focused young female reporter for a daily newspaper. A free-thinking, independent young woman, she has a strong sense of justice – and pledges to help catch the killer. The trio form a small detective squad that specialises in solving strange and unsettling murder mysteries. (mdl)

I’ve heard that this has a very strong bromance (@stebeee can probably furnish you with more information)

12. The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty 成化十四年

https://www.shine.cn/feature/entertainment/2005097707/

Genres: historical, mystery, bromance, detective

Synopsis: Set during the 14th year of Chenghua Emperor's reign, Tang Fan, a sixth rank official and Sui Zhou, a decorated uniform guard, join hands to crush a conspiracy to maintain peace and order for the people. After working together to solve the case involving the Marquis' son, Tang Fan and Sui Zhou gain widespread fame and form a lasting friendship with each other. Although his reputation precedes him, Tang Fan remains honest and upright in his duty as a public servant and continues to rent a humble home. His landlord is found dead in her quarters presumably from suicide, but clues lead to suspicions of foul play. 

After the case is resolved, Tang Fan travels to Henan to investigate the sudden disappearances of people near the tomb site of the late Northern Song Emperor. When the culprit is revealed, it seems that he is but a pawn in a much grander conspiracy. As major cases continue to plague the capital and the local offices, Tang Fan and Sui Zhou work hard to unmask the mastermind who is pulling the strings in the background. (mdl)

Another one that I’ve heard has a very strong bromance （ФоФ)