Love is a many splendored thing, with its own seasons carrying their own significance. Autumn comes bearing a bittersweet crispness as the vivid foliage and falling leaves embrace you in its beauty. It also comes with the anticipation of the winter months ahead, lending itself to introspective and symbolic themes in dramas. As young love gears up for unanticipated challenges, there are those who try to retrace their steps back down memory lane, while there are those who want to hibernate from the intensity of their feelings. Here are six C-dramas to watch that feel like autumn.
“Will Love in Spring “
Zhuang Jie (Zhou Yu Tong) is a spirited and ambitious medical salesperson. She is back home in Nanping from Shanghai, not realizing this one trip back would change the course of her life. Zhuang Jie has made Shanghai her home and identifies with the city and its many opportunities. She runs into the stoic and reserved Chen Mai Dong (Li Xian), who is a funeral makeup artist. Mai Dong is Zhuang Jie’s former classmate and someone who had helped her as she struggled after a car crash which had left her disabled. Zhuang Jie had been infatuated with him as a teenager, but it seems Mai Dong has no interest in her or in even striking up a friendship.
A classic case of opposites, Mai Dong’s calm and reasonable personality is in stark contrast to Zhuang Jie’s impulsive and complicated persona, but the attraction between them is fire. However, it’s no smooth sailing as Zhuang Jie’s many complexes and Mai Dong’s rigidity could well come in the way of their happily ever after.
“Will Love in Spring,” though heavy at times, is a comforting watch. It’s a well-written story which highlights how humans punish and burden themselves with guilt, anger, and remorse, denying themselves the right to happiness. The love story between the two leads is mature, and the tingling chemistry between them is bound to warm you up. Li Xian as Mai Dong is heartbreakingly endearing, and Zhou Yu Tong as the optimistic Zhuang Jie lights up the screen.
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“Fireworks of My Heart”
Song Yan (Yang Yang) is a firefighter and is taken to the hospital due to an incident on site. However, when he sees the doctor on duty, Xu Qin (Wang Chu Ran), his face turns cloudy, and he walks out without getting treated. As his colleagues wonder what’s irked their calm yet solid team leader, it is apparent that Xu Qin is the one person Song Yan wants to keep away from. Xu Qin is his high school sweetheart and first love whom he has never got over. She had broken off things with him, and her influential family’s cruel tactics had made him pay heavily. It has been 10 years, and while Song Yan has rebuilt his life, Xu Qin is the dark shadow of his past who continues to loom over him.
As these two encounter one another, it seems that even though things have changed, their feelings for each other remain unchanged. As Song Yan gives himself and Xu Qin a second chance to start all over again, it seems the forces against their relationship are stronger than they think.
“Fireworks of My Heart,” as the name suggests, is a crackling love story about second chances and surviving against all odds. Set against the backdrop of realistic scenarios given the professions of the two leads, the emotional drama comes laced with romance, humor, and melodrama. Yang Yang plays the straight-laced yet playful Song Yan to perfection, and his chemistry with Wang Chu Ran is a scorcher.
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“Lighter and Princess”
Zhu Yun (Zhang Jing Yi) is back home after three years and flooded with memories of her painful past, which bears the face of Li Xun (Chen Fei Yu). Zhu Yun had met the maverick computer genius Li Xun in college, and even though her head warns her to stay away from him, her heart leads her otherwise. Li Xun, aware of Zhu Yun’s devotion toward him, tries to keep her away. When Li Xun puts himself in a situation for her, which could well cost him his future, he knows he has fallen madly in love with Zhu Yun. As this young couple fall deeply in love and dream of a future together, the biggest obstacles are Zhu Yun’s mother, who dislikes Li Xun, and their classmate Gao Jian Hong (Zhao Zhi Wei), whose jealousy toward Li Xun wrecks havoc for the couple. A series of events unfold which lead to Li Xun being imprisoned and breaking things off with Zhu Yun.
It has been three long years, and Zhu Yun finds her way back to Li Xun, but it seems her once hopelessly in love boyfriend wants nothing to do with her. Can Zhu Yun stand up against her mother and take on the very people who had destroyed Li Xun while also winning back the love of her life?
“Lighter and Princess” is the perfect binge-watch for the nippy autumn months. The sizzling chemistry between the two leads is the star of the show, and both actors play their parts to perfection. Zhang Jing Yi is a natural and is complemented by Chen Fei Yu.
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“Hidden Love”
A show really for all seasons, “Hidden Love” encapsulates the innocent charm of young adult love. Sang Zhi (Zhao Lu Si) has had a crush on her brother’s best friend Duan Jia Xu (Chen Zhe Yuan) since the time she was in middle school. But for Jia Xu, Sang Zhi is just his friend’s sister, someone he looks out for and is supportive of. When Jia Xu moves away to his hometown to work post graduation, Sang Zhi is heartbroken, and her first love turns into an unrequited love. Years later, Sang Zhi is enrolled in a university in Jia Xu’s hometown, and her grown up self tries hard to stay away from him. The only difference is that Jia Xu is the one pursuing her and wants her to see him beyond just being her older brother’s friend.
A sweet, simple love story, “Hidden Love” may have the warmth of summer and freshness of spring, but it’s the romance that makes you feel mushy and warm that’s perfect for fall. The chemistry between Zhao Lu Si and Chen Zhe Yuan is adorably delightful.
“You Are My Lover Friend”
Who doesn’t love a good friends-to-lovers romantic tale? “You Are My Lover Friend” gives just that and more. Tang Yang (Wang Yu Wen) and Jiang Shi Yan (Zhang Xin Cheng) have been high school classmates as well as close friends for over a decade. After school, they ardently pursue their careers. Tang Yang helps empower family members of military martyrs by lending them small loans and starting small scale businesses. Shi Yan, seeing her selfless determination and perseverance, documents these stories which gain widespread attention.
The two of them make a perfect team and are totally in sync with the other. The relationship they share is deep and intense, which goes beyond mere friendship, but does not cross the invisible line between affection and intimacy. As these two deal with their own inner conflicts regarding their feelings for each other, the one thing they always want to cherish is their friendship.
“You Are My Lover Friend” is a heartwarming story of two individuals who transition from friends to lovers. They empower each other, and as they navigate from friendship to a relationship, you cannot help but cheer for these two. Wang Yu Wen has a charming onscreen presence and is one actor who manages to have perfect chemistry with her co-stars. And Zhang Xin Cheng is endearing as Shi Yan.
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“Road Home”
This is yet another story of childhood sweethearts and best friends who navigate the treacherous melodrama of adulthood and life. Gui Xiao (Tan Song Yun) and Lu Yan Chen (Jing Bo Ran) have been inseparable as teenagers. When Gui Xiao’s family hits hard times and Yan Chen goes off to the police academy and moves away, the two cannot keep up with the long distance relationship. To make things worse, the parental oppositions and Gui Xiao’s and Yan Chen’s own situations force them to break up. Years later when they meet, it seems they have little to say to each other and are complete strangers to each other. Can these two move beyond the past hurts and misunderstandings?
“Road Home” is a practical drama, and even though the pace slows down at times, it keeps you invested in the life of the two leads. The chemistry is hot with tender and passionate moments aplenty. Tan Song Yun eases into her role and packs a punch with her emotional performances, and Jing Bo Ran endears as the brooding and strong, yet hurting lover. It’s a drama that goes perfectly with a hot cup of tea and some tissues on the side.
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Hey Soompiers, which one of these is your favorite drama to watch in autumn? Let us know all about it in the comments below!
Puja Talwar is a Soompi writer with a strong Yang Yang 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.
Currently watching: “No Gain No Love”
