My Favourite Non-English Shows on Netflix #1
Everyone has their own study habits. Sitting at a desk listening to classical music for hours at a time never was my cup of tea. My style of studying was more along the lines of productive adjacent. As in, I like to watch TV under the pretense of improving myself in another language.
One of the most entertaining ways to learn a language is to surround yourself with it. Listening to music, watching shows and movies, and making friends with people who speak your target language are ways you can become fluent in a language. If studying your conjugation notes and memorizing vocabulary just aren’t doing it for you, then maybe check out these shows to feel like you’re studying without the boredom of doing it.
Warning: My taste in TV shows typically leans toward cheesy, romantic, or supernatural, so be forewarned, some of my recommendations may be cringe-worthy.
Mandarin: Fated to Love You (2008)Also known as You’re My Destiny, Fated to Love You was the first Mandarin-language drama that I ever watched. It's a Cinderella-esque romantic-dramedy that takes place mainly in Taiwan. A Korean remake was aired in 2014.
Our main character is Chen Xin Yi, a sweet young woman who is hopelessly passive. She lets everyone push her around, never talks back, and does whatever anyone asks of her. A running metaphor throughout the show is that she’s a sticky note girl: useful when you need it and easy to throw away. However, she thinks her luck is changing when an attractive coworker starts to show interest in her. They begin dating, but things aren’t going so well since she's constantly staying late at the office doing everyone else's work. To rekindle her relationship, she buys tickets for a romantic cruise.
Our “Prince Charming” is Ji Cun Xi, the president of a successful soap company. He’s arranging his own romantic getaway for himself and his longtime girlfriend, Shi An Na. Cun Xi has been trying to propose to An Na for a while now, but their relationship always takes a backseat to her career as a ballerina. Like Xin Yi, he’s also hoping the cruise will bring them closer together as he plans to propose to her yet again.
An Na has dreams of becoming the first Asian ballerina to play the role of Odette for an American ballet company. She’s offered the role of Odile, the second lead, but An Na would rather spend time with her boyfriend than settle for second place, so she tells him that she's on her way
Unfortunately for Xin Yi, her allergies get the best of her. She takes some medicine, but that makes her drowsy, and she stumbles back to her room to rest. Meanwhile, Cun Xi is relaxing on deck when suddenly he is accosted by two working-class gentlemen who are upset with him for making a heartless business deal that would negatively affect the island that they live on. When he refuses to change his mind, the two men drug him in preparation for a blackmailing scheme. Disoriented, Cun Xi goes back to his room.
So of course due to a misunderstanding, they end up in the same room together, confusing each other for their respective partners, and sleeping with each other. Unbeknownst to Cun Xi, An Na received a call from the ballet with a new offer to be Odette and never made it to the boat.
After the whole misunderstanding, Xin Yi catches her boyfriend cheating on her. The two soon-to-be lovebirds are having the crummiest time. Cun Xo knows there’s nothing he can do to fix his own situation with An Na, but he can help Xin Yi out. He gives her a makeover and helps her get an apology out of her ex.
Mistaking Xin Yi for An Na, the ship's crew congratulates Cun Xi on his engagement. Xin Yi plays along with it though, to help him save face. The two share a tender moment where Cun Xi encourages her: “Press on, Chen Xin Yi.” Then, they part ways.
