For lovers of diversity, in a rather different register, I propose you to discover 2 Chinese dramas. Although language can be a barrier at first, here are Chinese dramas that are really worth persevering with just a few episodes, until it becomes as natural as a Japanese or Korean drama.
Love me if you Dare
Original title: 他来了,请闭眼 – Ta Lai Le Qing Bi Yan
Alternative title: Love me if you dare
French title: Love me if you dare
Genre: crime, suspense, romance
Diffusion: October 2015 to January 2016
Episodes: 24 (Viki)
Duration: 45 minutes per episode
Cast of Love me if you dare
Wallace Huo: Bo Jin Yan / Simon / Allen
Sandra Ma: Jian Yao
Kai Wang: Li Xun Ran
Zheng Yin: Fu Ziyu
Synopsis
Jian Yao, has just finished his studies at university. Back at her parents' house for the summer, she finds a small job for a few weeks: translator for a laconic, taciturn, socially isolated client, Bo Jinyan. Through his translations, Jian Yao discovers Bo Jinyan's true profession. He is a famous profiler with a tortured past.
When gruesome events occur in their small town, local police forces seek Bo Jinyan's help. Driven by her keen sense of justice and the memory of her father, a policeman who died in the line of duty, Jian Yao becomes Bo Jinyan's assistant, getting to know the man and his job that she is passionate about. Over the course of the investigations, a special relationship develops between them, until Bo Jinyan's past catches up with him…
When a snail Falls in Love
Original title: 如果蜗牛有爱情 – Ru Guo Wo Niu You Ai Qing
Alternative title: When a snail Falls in Love
French title: When a snail falls in love
Genre: crime, suspense, romance
Issued: October to December 2016
Episodes: 21 (Viki)
Duration: 30 minutes per episode
Cast of When a snail Falls in Love
Wang ZiWen: Xu Xu
Kai Wang: Ji Bai
Xu Yue: Yao Meng
Yu Heng: Zhao Han
Synopsis
Xu Xu is a new police recruit, an intern specializing in psychology and profiling. Naive and inexperienced, she soon finds herself under the orders of Ji Bai, head of the Violent Crime Section. At first reluctant in front of this recruit whose usefulness he doubts, Ji Bai will eventually take her under his wing, teaching her the trade but also allowing her to develop her skills in combat and shooting.
As investigations progress, these two police officers get to know each other. Drawing small caricatures, Xu Xu eventually identifies with a snail, slowly learning things from the fierce Ji Bai, whom she associates with a lion, proving the evolution of their relationship…
Ding Mo, a bestselling author
Ding Mo, author of the books from which the dramas are adapted, has found an interesting mix between detective and romance. Based on the characters more than on their adventures, she chose to approach the investigations from a psychological point of view, by following profilers for example. It also incorporates romance, a romance that evolves slowly, at the same pace as the characters themselves evolve. She also tends to coincide her worlds, making references in When a Snail Falls in Love to the characters of Love Me if You Dare.
However, dramas differ a bit from novels.
From books to dramas
Different in their realizations or characters, these dramas have similarities. Compared to the books, the romance is clearly set back, the drama focusing much more on the detective side and investigations. Thus the investigations are more detailed, sometimes going further than the novels. But the main plots, the specific characteristics of the main characters and even those of the secondary characters are respected.
Very good adaptations
The actors are excellent. Whether Wallace Huo, who played Bo Jinyan in Love me if You Dare, or Wang Ziwen, as Xu Xu in When a Snail Falls in Love. Manyof them have a much lighter accuracy, precision and tone than the usual Chinese dramas.
The realization is elegant, visually simple and with sober colors. Love me if you Dare is a little more worked when it comes to photography. When a snail Falls in Love, on the other hand, is more rooted in realism, with a more intimate camera.
Love me if You Dare offers Western actors while When a snail falls in Love has part of the plot taking place abroad, proving the means that the production of these Chinese dramas has given itself for a better result.
But above all the plots are interesting. Although the pace is quite slow, we do not get bored during the story, carried by intelligent characters.
I therefore highly recommend these Chinese dramas, available on viki and I look forward to the adaptation of a third novel into a drama, already released but not yet subtitled.
