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We all know what we’ve been through in 2020. As 2021 picks up, what better time to enjoy cute and light-hearted dramas? Here are some of our recommended romance comedies of 2020: 

1. Be With You 好想和你在一起 recommended by Admin JY 

GIF by shoujoinvestigation  

It had been a while since my heart felt uwu in 2020, and I’m glad that this drama was the one who helped me relive that feeling again!

A light but reasonably balanced romcom, Be With You features Ji Xiao Bing as a lovely nuanced stoic male lead, paired with a straightforward, responsible and fairly independent female lead. 

While the drama is fairly simple in its premise, the drama does a decent job in making sure that the characters are relatively more nuanced than predictable stereotypes - leading to a slightly unusual vibe for a romcom in the first four as the character dynamics first start off.

Soon after, the healthy relationship development takes off (along with a bit of my heart). Although the leads have seemingly opposite personalities, it was lovely to see how both of them communicate with and respect each other even as they are both inexperienced in romance and navigate their relationship in comedic (and ofc some tropey) ways. 

While the show’s pacing and main focus shifts towards the end of the drama towards the supporting characters, I still do hope that more people can join me in appreciating the cute dynamics of this show’s main pairing! 

2.  The Romance of Tiger and Rose 传闻中的陈芊芊 recommended by Admin JY   

One of the popular and well-raved shows of 2020, there is definitely good reason for this drama’s positive reviews!

As a rare original scripted Chinese drama, the story is about a female lead who finds herself living in her own drama script’s female-dominated society as she navigates her “character’s” fate - between romance and the intrinsic conflicts between the male lead’s motivations and her kingdom’s interests.

Through fast-paced developments, the story takes us in unexpected directions with both great fun comedy and its fair share of serious and emotional moments. With an empowered and likably genuine female lead and a sweet yet scheming male lead, there were plenty of cute moments and great chemistry in the show. Supporting characters were also likable and did well to complement the show’s comedic dynamics.

While there were definitely still some flaws and plotholes, the enjoyment that the show delivers and its interesting reflection of gender roles in society is more than enough for this drama to deserve its rave.

3. Dating in the Kitchen 我, 喜欢你 recommended by Admin JL  

Having first gained traction last October on cnet with its scenes of crack-ish, fun humour (aka: Lu Jin the human bubble machine scene), it's pretty much emblematic of the quirky and comedic beats of this romcom which seems to be rare. I had so much fun, and was so happy to be able to experience a romcom like this!

With exceptional comedy nailed, of course, we can’t go without romance for a good romcom. While admitting that the writing takes some crazy liberties to make twists to the most melodramatic tropes, the romance was made truly ~yummy!!~ (like the delicacies featured in the show!) by Lin Yu Shen and Zhao Lu Si’s electrifying performance, individually and together. (With this, I fell deeply for Lin Yu Shen as an actor too~) This drama’s romance simply can’t be missed if you’re into age gap romances like me, because this drama really understands the moe of it and goes all the way! All flaws become negligible. :p

Considering that a movie adaptation preceded it - one which I also enjoyed, it’s amazing how the drama managed to offer a fresh experience and, for me, an even better one! It defined my October of 2020.

Don’t watch this on an empty stomach though!

Watch the official episodes, subbed, on Youtube.

4. Koi wa Tsuzuku yo Doko Made mo   recommended by Admin JY        

If cute bubbly female lead x cold handsome male lead is your kind of romcom jam, look no further than KoiTsudu!

This drama brings together all the familiar elements of such a romcom dynamic in a light-hearted and engaging way, taking place in a medical/hospital setting (which seems very reminiscent of Itazura na Kiss in its later half too).

While the female lead is innocent, inexperienced and sometimes clumsy, she is also hardworking and dedicated to her patients. As the female lead learns from her experiences on the job, she becomes stronger and more confident in herself - in her own journey of growth. In this process, we see the male lead showcase different sides of himself as their relationship develops.

Amidst the cute moments of unexpected romantic interactions, this was also well-balanced with levels of sensibility as the characters’ personalities do not drastically get lost even after they fall in love, and their relationship is gradually developed rather than suddenly.

With a generally simple and episodic-based narrative, this drama is definitely an easily accessible, light and fun drama that anyone can enjoy.

Bonus:

Twogether (2020) recommended by Admin JY

Not a drama recommendation, but with such light-hearted and fun interactions, this Netflix variety show could well deliver all the feels of watching a romcom!

Even as someone who does not identify as a fangirl of either Lee Seunggi or Jasper Liu, this was still a lovely and enjoyable show to watch for its cute and wholesome interactions by both members.

With Seunggi’s playful and proactive energy balanced by Jasper’s cute and adaptive chill personality, their multilingual interactions were nothing short of wholesome yet amusing and entertaining, especially as they began to warm up to each other over time.

With a simple premise of accomplishing tasks to meet overseas fans, this show was also perfect in its timing (amidst pandemic banning international travel) to showcase the beautiful and scenic locations to add to your to-visit list in Southeast Asia! But the best part was definitely watching the fans' genuinely heartwarming reactions and how all of them really felt so happy seeing their idol that the audience would also feel happy for them!

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What are your favourite romcoms of 2020?

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