5 Romantic C-Dramas To Add To Your Valentine's Day Binge List
From love at first sight to a love that’s been nurtured over years, C-dramas have explored love in all forms and across all seasons. From childhood sweethearts finding they way back to each other, to adults navigating the complex grown up world of ambition and power, these recent shows have given us several shades of romance.
Here are five romantic C-dramas that deliver both the plot and the chemistry and are perfect for Valentine’s Day.
“Shine On Me”
“Shine On Me” is a gentle and healing drama that embraces you with its warmth and softness. Nie Xi Guang (Zhao Jin Mai) is a carefree and kind-hearted girl. She falls for a college mate and cutely confesses her feelings, but they are not returned. Instead, she is made out to be someone who is trying to steal a classmate’s sweetheart. Hurt by the turn of events, she keeps her distance and becomes wary of giving into her feelings again.
Lin Yu Sen (Song Wei Long) is a bright neurosurgeon, destined for bigger things in his medical career, but an accident brings an end to his position. So he starts working for his family’s business. However, Yu Sen holds a resentment towards Xi Guang, which has to do with a past incident. When he learns she has joined their company, he makes sure she is transferred to his department.
Though the two start off on the wrong foot, what evolves is a warm friendship built on mutual respect. Yu Sen’s feelings and support towards her make Xi Guang realize a relationship should be between equals, where no one person has to give into another. On the other hand, Xi Guang’s optimism makes Yu Sen once again relive the dream he thought was over.
It’s a sweet love story which talks about growth, both personal and professional, as well as the importance of relationships between couples and families. What’s especially enjoyable is the relationship that both Xi Guang and Yu Sen share with their mothers. There are no scheming friends or revenge-seeking family members trying to create unnecessary drama.
Song Wei Long scores extra points as Yu Sen, the man who stands by his woman unconditionally, celebrating her wins, and motivating her to achieve the impossible, and Zhao Jin Mai’s Xi Guang is spunky and spirited, making her instantly likable.
Start watching “Shine On Me”:
“Love’s Ambition”
If Nie Xi Guang and Lin Yu Sen are couple goals, Xu Yan (Zhao Lu Si) and Shen Hao Ming (William Chan) are probably a textbook example on what not to do in a relationship, especially in marriage. These two are very complicated individuals, each dealing with their own insecurities and complexes.
Xu Yan is an ambitious show producer. And though she is talented, she is extremely conscious about her past. She aspires to be rich and successful. On the other hand, her fianće Hao Ming is handsome and rich and promises her a happily ever after. However, what the other does not realize is that the lies on which they have formed their relationship will surface sooner or later. Their marriage develops cracks, and the two go their separate ways. But when they look back at their time together, they reflect on their mistakes and shortcomings as people. Can these two rebuild a future together?
Xu Yan and Hao Ming are both flawed characters, making them relatable. Though the show comes with its own share of drama and theatrics, Zhao Lu Si and William Chan make this one a worthwhile watch. The leads’ chemistry aside, Zhao Lu Si notches up the style quotient with her fashion statements.
Start watching “Love’s Ambition”:
“Amidst a Snowstorm of Love”
If you need a love story that will makes your heart skip several beats, “Amidst a Snowstorm of Love” offers a heart-fluttering romance for the books. It’s love at first sight for Lin Yi Yang (Leo Wu) when he sees Yin Guo (Zhao Jin Mai) through the frosted window of a bar in Finland.
Yi Yang was a snooker champ who has moved far way from his former life and career. Pursuing a post graduate degree, he has no intentions of revisiting the snooker table, having firmly retired from that world. Yin Guo, meanwhile, is a professional billiards player who arrives in Finland for a match.
What starts off as a warm attraction soon escalates into a full blown romance. It is Yin Guo who makes Yi Yang reassess his path and nudges him to go back to his passion, which is snooker.
Yi Yang is an extremely dependable and considerate man, who lets his actions speak louder than words. Whether it is his love for the sport or for Yin Gao, he is Mr. Dependable in every sense of the word. The romance is throbbing enough to melt the snow and ice in Hel, (Finland) which also plays a prominent character in the show. Watch the show for Leo Wu’s irresistible charm as he sweeps Zhao Jin Mai off her feet.
Start watching “Amidst a Snowstorm of Love”:
“Eat Run Love”
Gan Yang (Chen Fei Yu) is an enterprising university student. An avid runner, his sole passion is to design state-of-the-art sports shoes, which would benefit athletes and runners around the world.
However, on one of his many runs around campus, he falls in love with Ding Zhi Tong (Zhuang Da Fei), a prickly yet fiercely independent young woman known for her amazing academic achievements. Zhi Tong has no time for either love nor dating; all she wants is to land a good job and pay off her family’s debts. But she can’t resist the irresistible Gan Yang and falls in love with him.
When fate deals a cruel hand, the couple are separated after Gan Yang breaks up with Zhi Tong. When their paths cross six years later, much has changed. Zhi Tong is on a mission to destroy Gan Yang, who in turn is willing to sacrifice himself for her. Can these two rework their way to each other?
“Eat Run Love” is one of those achy and angsty love stories that keep you engaged. Chen Fei Yu is endearing as the steadfast and loving Gan Yang, whose sole purpose is to make his girl win.
Start watching “Eat Run Love”:
“Speed and Love”
Jiang Mu (Esther Yu) is determined to track down Jin Zhao (He Yu), her long-lost brother and childhood friend. When she learns that he isn’t her biological brother, she defies her mother and lands up in Thailand. The Jin Zhao of her childhood memories is worlds apart from the rugged young man who stands before her. He is an underground boxer and a daredevil car racer who has thrown away college for a life on dangerous tracks.
But Mu is resilient in pursuing him and learns that Jin Zhao has lived a hard life, fending not only for himself, but also in helping Mu’s father. Framed in a conspiracy, Jin Zhao embarks on a dangerous mission to clear his name, one that could well cost him his life.
“Speed and Love” is a young adult romance that accelerates on the gears of love, rebellion, and risk. He Yu brings the brooding intensity to the role of Jin Zhao, a hero who seems ready to take the world on, and his scorching chemistry with Esther Yu is the drama’s real show stopper.
Start watching “Speed and Love”:
Puja Talwar is a Soompi writer with a strong Yoo Yeon Seok and Lee Junho bias. A long time K-drama fan, she loves devising alternate scenarios to the narratives. She has interviewed Lee Min Ho, Gong Yoo, Cha Eun Woo, and Ji Chang Wook to name a few. You can follow her on @puja_talwar7 on Instagram.