Favorite Period Dramas

pretty much peerless

smart and funny;  the two leads are great in their roles and the ml is particularly charming with his little pouting face. i hope they can return for the sequel or it won't be worth watching.

Beautiful and  the chemistry between the leads is stellar. I'm amazed by how much of their interactions are filmed the exact same way het lead couples are framed in standard cdramas and it's so refreshing. CQL who?  They're not even in the same category.

great triangle dynamic with the leads, decent fight choreo, charming shaoye ponytail flip, what more could you want. funny!

beautiful cinematography, great acting, questionable plotline that deteriorates as it goes along.

the seminal palace drama

great characters, holds together really well until the last six episodes at which point it sort of all goes to hell. yang ying and yu shisan MVPs.

now THIS is a true polycule show

i love everyone in this bar, especially wang zhi

reminded me how much FUN wuxia can be

quite funny, with a very complex father & son relationship at the heart of the series. people apparently are comparing it unfavorably to joy of life, but i actually like this one better.

not as good as the original, but still quite good. i love meng qianxue with all my heart.

superb actresses, and a refreshing reversal in the worn out "main wife vs true love" narrative.

natural chemistry, well-done slowburn, and xu zhengxi's real voice. some plot hiccups at the end, especially, but still really well done.

didn't think i would like this, but it's very good; funny and entertaining. the slowburn relationship between the two leads is very good.

coroner shows are so trendy now, but this one is still my favorite. the illustrated thought processes were really neat and helpful, and the romance is understated and doesn't get in the way of the plot.

100% a female empowerment fantasy and i'm ok with that

the beginning is kind of a slog, but yz is a revelation here. really enjoyed all the opera.

surprisingly good; cheng yi, as always, excels at suffering.

love this kind of heroine

first couple episodes are boring, but it picks up after that and i love that it's not All About the Romance. the relationship pace is good!! anyone who doesn't think so hates character development and  is wrong.

kind of refreshing in that the obstacles facing the lead couple at the beginning are what lead to their misunderstandings rather than just not talking to each other or situations created by jealous people. There is some of that, obviously but the beginning of the show, especially, is driven by political plots and machinations. This show has its share of problems but it's a wild ride and fun for the most part. The Rong Qi revelations at the end are heartbreaking.

an fl who just Doesn't Get what romance is and a ml who is deeply devoted to her despite  the pain this causes. sifeng is the prototypical self-sacrificing male lead, but with actual charisma.  it's the actors and not the plot that make this show enjoyable.

really cute first arc, good couple, bjt is bratty and adorable here.

a campy,  soapy mess. lots of fun!

funny, cute, and heartwarming

not the most expensive or inspired show, but just really cute and fluffy.

i get so sick of romance dramas where the plot is secondary, but this one was pretty good! definitely the best performance i've seen from yang mi, whom i don't particularly care for.

liked the female lead, liked that they didn't rush the romance though i didn't like the ml/fl dynamic. 

really funny but also quite touching at points.

fun young heroes show! the romance is really extraneous for the most part, and one couple in particular is a clear case of pair the spares, but honestly i care most about the sibling relationpship of lu ping and su tang most, followed by da shixiong and lu ping, so.

quite funny at times; lots of great actresses, men are mostly useless and yao dizhu is best girl

ensemble cast is great and chen feiyu just excels at being a pissy little gremlin.

the most charming himbo

don't look at me, i got emotionally attached. 

the first half, anyway. really promising at the start, but sort of slowly slides into mediocrity after the romance takes center stage.

also for the first half of the show and the general aesthetic. the plot sort of goes off the rails but the set up is great.