It’s been FOREVER since I wrote about C-dramas which equates to how long it’s been since I watched one. When I do write about C-dramas its because one has made the broader news for good or bad reasons but I really haven’t seen anything that has drawn me to click on more than one episode. So I am shocked that what looked like the cheesiest story with a male lead I’ve never been inclined to check out and a female lead I have never warmed up to actually made me marathon this sucker for the last week. I am talking about you The Blue Whisper, argh this is so much crack mixed with cringe I cannot even recommend but must explain why I watched. The drama is adapted from a fantasy novel titled Yi Jiao Ji (驭鲛记 Taming the Mer-person) but has two different drama titles for the two halves of the drama that drew me in initially. The first half is titled Yu Jun Chu Xiang Si (與君初相識 First Time Meeting the Gentleman) and the second half is titled Qia Si Gu Ren Gui (恰似故人歸 Like a Familiar Person Returning). It’s so lyrical and I was curious but the romance between a demon tamer and a mer-man just didn’t appeal to me, and neither did Dilraba Dilmarut who emotes as much as a white wall or Allen Ren who I have never seen in anything but just did not appeal to me. But towards the end of its first half run I was seeing tons of chatter about it so I clicked on the last episode of the first half and was hooked because OMG angry, power, hot as flames Allen Ren as Chang Yi the mer-man turned ruler of the North was NNNNGGGGG. He was so mad at Dilraba and I didn’t know why but he was so hot being mad I had to keep watching. And this is how I ended up watching a kinda crappy drama for a really hot mer-man and then decided to watch a really good drama after.
So The Blue Whisper as a mermaid/merman themed fantasy C-drama is nowhere near as bad as the other recent one Mirror: Twin Cities. But the fantasy building is pretty flimsy here and anytime there is fantasy world building I compare it to the perfect Three Lives Three Worlds, Ten Miles Peach Blossoms, and here it’s like a 5/10. The only 10/10 is Allen Ren as Chang Yi, the mer-man captured by an evil goddess and falls for the demon tamer girl tasked to bring him to heel. Unfortunately Dilraba continues to be completely devoid of any emotion no matter how hard she tries, she’s actually acting and I can see effort and sincerity but she radiates and exudes blankness in emotion. And it’s hilarious (kinda) because Allen Ren (who is a new bae of mine thanks to this performance) as Chang Yi is shooting fucking laser beams of rage, intensity, interest, concern, affection, love, betrayal, anger, and conflicted everything towards Dilraba’s character Ji Yun He and she’s just……there. I’ve seen this playbook a few times before, where one actor/actress is carrying the entirety of the world’s emotional load in this story and doing it so well I can’t look away and the object of his/her affection is just there to absorb the waves and waves of emotion like a black hole. Anyways, this drama as a whole is not the stupidest story and has decent supporting characters (both performance and the writing) so if you’re bored it’s not a total waste of time and definitely worth it if you want to see Allen Ren burn up your screen especially when his character thinks Dilraba betrayed him and wants to lock her up forever. I wish I can explain but watching it works and thinking about it doesn’t haha.
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Ahh, Miss Koala, you should watch One and Only (周生如故)! It’s a beautiful masterpiece. I wasn’t a huge fan of Allen Ren until after I watched it, and I think he shines in serious roles (he plays a patriotic general in the show). Now I have the biggest hots for him, swoon! Forewarning, though, the show gave me near BBJX level sadness toward the end, but it’s worth it.
I agree, that is a good recommendation. I really enjoyed One and only.
Agree. I also loved this drama only bcoz of the Merman lol I even read the novel.
He was so cute as Innocent Changyi but really hot as that king of the north.
Yeah..Must watch 周生如故 and 一生一世...!! like Allen Ren after watching these 2 dramas of his.
Totally agree on this. One and Only is one of the best C-dramas of last year. It's also a bonus that he sang one of the OSTs - 如一。 Allen dances really well too. You can pick up one of his dancing competition reality show on 新舞林大会!
Finally a C - drama post! I’ve been waiting forever for some good recommendations! Agreed about Dilraba even though I absolutely adore her and find her stunning. Haven’t seen Allen Ren in anything yet but speaking of C-dramas it nice to see Netflix picking up a lot of good ones off late. Find Yourself was absolutely amazing and Unrequited Love is good too. Really hits you in the feels and the acting is pretty good. Would also recommend Legally Romance and Shining For One Thing. I think C-dramas have nailed the time travel romance genre. They know how to keep the world building consistent until the end. Another brilliant drama is the gender swap Becoming You with the most unexpected twist at the end. Overall I have to say I’m enjoying C-dramas more than K-dramas these days and it’s nice to see their popularity rising worldwide.
If you want a stupid drama with great acting go for Fall in Love (2021). The male lead emotes like crazy and it’s basically his one man show but the female lead is such a badass Cinderella you can’t help but love her. The rest is hilariously low budget but still fun to watch and laugh at.
Here here! This show is such crack. It dragged a bit (or more) in the middle but the FL was so savvy and confident and the ML was the morally gray smoulderfest that I’m seeking as a viewer. ML from Goodbye My Princess playing less of a total bastard.
The blah title had me avoiding this drama for months- my mistake!
I have not watched a lot of C dramas to compare, but this one really caught my eye because of the fabulous ML. Ends up loving this drama, there are some silly comedic, idol-drama-ish moments, but it has a solid overaching plot and subplots, romance and bromance, family vs patriotic love etc.
"Fall In Love" is a silly title to market it as a romance drama.
ML name is Oliver Chen, and from MyDramaList he has a lot of upcoming dramas, so I'm eagerly waiting for them.
Yes for FIL! Dumbest drama title and the only time I’ve seen rich people repeat the same outfit and hairstyle 10 times at least but still so good! The ML is insanely talented but I ended up loving the FL as well. Mostly it’s their chemistry that sold me! The plot is solid and has a clear goal but the execution is laughable especially the action scenes had me ROFLing! Would recommend this 100% to anyone looking for a gateway drama!
Thanks for everyone who recommended this drama. I ended up watching it. Still 15 episodes to go but i m loving everything abt it. Finally found a drama that satisfies all my cravings, from good looking actors, their chemistry , talented cast to interesting story.
woww.. finally a post abt cdrama ???
Finally a cdrama post why is it tagged under kdrama? And yes to more cdrama posts please.
Hello! I'm glad to read your post as I wait for the subs to kick in for this series. If you or anyone could tell me where one can watch this with subs, that'd be great!
Also, i actually started watching this c-drama because of Diliraba and haven't caught any of Allen Rem's previous works.. but after reading your testimony to his acting in this, I look forward to resuming this show with renewed interest.
Thank you!
Me too I'm waiting for the subs
I became a HUGE fan of Allen Ren after watching Under The Power. Wasn’t really feeling him but his acting and looks eventually won me over. He is soooo handsome! I second the person who said you should watch One and Only! Allen and Bai Lu’s chemistry is amazing!
Please watch Allen Ren's One and Only.
I like that drama with Bai Lu but I love more the mod-version Forever and Ever.
Blue Wispher is good. I watched the three eps of 1st part yet.
Who Rules The World rules my heart. It is a quality drama, fast paced and the flow is the spectacular plus the leads are both beautiful. It is really enjoying to watch drama with everything in it.
Lol that comment about Dilireba. Couldn’t agree more. I never understand why she’s so popular. If you think about it, Yang Mi is a bit like that too. I could never feel much emotions in her acting but she’s still better than Dilireba which says something.
Reba I got why she is popular, but Yang mi?.... my favourite is Yang zhi..she is the best
I guess u are just a bloody hater of dilreba she is popular cause she can act well and trust me she has lot international fans for her acting and I am one so plz u focus on someone u like rather than dilreba. Cause u can only chatter can never reach where dilreba is
Please do watch One and Only, i never knew who Ren Jialun is before, but after accidentaly starting to watch that drama, it is safe to say that i'm in love with him. Like wow this guy is just wow. Tbh i looovveee One and Only. As for the continuation, Forever and Ever is just so so? I mean i like it because it has Ren Jialun in it and he's cute, and the drama is super sweet, but that's about it. One and Only is the real masterpiece.