Reka writes:

Dear kfangurl,

thank you very much for your answer to my previous question, the one about strong and nuanced women 😀 I already started watching “The Story of Minglan’ and I am loving it so much! (Btw it’s also one of my first C-dramas, so thank you for the new experience!)

This time too, I have a similar question about couples. I love romance and I’ll never have enough of it, but many times it seems to me that the characters end up together just because it’s a “plot requirement” and because we expect them to get together. So there may be no chemistry at all, or plot holes about their coming together, things can feel clichéd and may lack of depth.

I read your review of “Crash landing on you” and since you appreciated the OTP, I went to watch the show and yes! The OTP was marvellous! They were very believable and engaging. Thus I ask for your advice once again xD

Can you recommend me some dramas with believable couples and good chemistry?

Hi there Reka,

So glad you’re enjoying The Story Of Minglan (yes, C-dramas are a different experience indeed), and yay that you found the OTP in Crash Landing On You just as endearing as I did!

It’s true that the chemistry and believability of an OTP can make or break a drama, so here’s a selection of OTPs that I personally enjoyed, in no particular order. You’ll notice that a number of these dramas have already been mentioned in my earlier post on what makes a kdrama addictively rewatchable, but.. that doesn’t mean that I should leave them out in the cold in this post, right? 😉

And just coz I can, Imma gonna quote myself, just a little bit, on each of these OTPs.

As always, everyone, do feel free to chime in with your insights and your own picks of worthy OTPs in the comments! 🙂

GREAT OTP, GOOD OR GREAT SHOW OVERALL

Coffee Prince

“And then, THE thing that makes this all-important OTP connection work so well, is the chemistry that Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun Hye share. It just feels so natural, so warm and so organic, that I often felt that I was a voyeur, peeping at real-life lovers.”

Review is here.

Healer

“Ji Chang Wook and Park Min Young share a fantastic, crackling chemistry as our OTP. Whether Jung Hoo and Young Shin are in a romantic space in their relationship or not, their interactions feel completely natural and organic. They are just so comfortable with each other. There is no stiffness between them whatsoever, and the result is an OTP that is amazingly easy to lose oneself in.”

Review is here.

Secret Love Affair

“Despite the real-life age difference of 19 years, Yoo Ah In and Kim Hee Ae are completely convincing as our lovers, caught up in an unexpected, intoxicating, life-changing love affair.

Their chemistry simmers, smolders and sizzles onscreen, adding depth and dimension to all of their characters’ interactions, so much so that the relationship literally comes to life.”

Review is here.

Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms [China]

“There is a Reason that the idea of a Fated Love that stands the test of time is a classic favorite in dramaland. The idea that one love is so strong that nothing can come between the lovers is a romantic one indeed. And because this story takes place in a fantasy world peopled with gods and goddesses, Show can take that idea and literally multiply it by tens of thousands of years, and several lifetimes. In effect – by my estimation at least – this essentially heightens and amplifies the audience’s experience of the romance and emotions, many times over.

As if that isn’t heady enough, Show also allows the love and romance to be expressed in the characters’ desire for each other. Unlike many kdramas I’ve seen (and I reference kdramas only because that’s the stuff I have the most experience with), where most couples stick to the occasional restrained, wide-eyed lip-lock, and most sexytimes (if any) are overlaid with a generous PG-friendly cutesy filter, this show’s open acknowledgement of this couple’s desire for each other felt candid and refreshing.”

Flash Review is here.

Romance Is A Bonus Book

“In the same way that Show is warm, thoughtful and cozy, yet manages to feel fresh, the relationship between Eun Ho and Dan Yi also feels cozy and familiar, thanks to their many years of shared friendship prior, and yet, there’s that tantalizing new thing between them that’s starting to grow, like a fresh shoot in an earthy garden. I really liked that.

Also, I felt like the chemistry between Lee Jong Suk and Lee Na Young hit that perfect note of cozy familiarity quite wonderfully. From comfortable conversations, to easy skinship, to the simple complete ease of being around each other, they made our OTP connection feel deep, organically grown and very, very real.”

Review is here.

Fight My Way

“Not gonna lie; my absolute favorite thing in this show, is when Dong Man and Ae Ra were together on my screen. Whether they were just friends, newly dating, or feeling their way through the uncertain, murky territory in-between, they were always a delight to watch.

Park Seo Joon and Kim Ji Won are fantastic together. They have such a shared, natural, easy vibe, that when I watch them, I truly believe that Ae Ra and Dong Man have been close for years and years, and as a result, feel super comfortable around each other.”

Review is here.

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo

“In fact, I am in slight disbelief at how insanely comfortable Nam Joo Hyuk and Lee Sung Kyung are together onscreen, in this show. I really feel like Joon Hyung and Bok Joo share a deep and easy friendship, with a comfort and ease with each other born out of spending a lot of time together, in close proximity. The skinship feels so natural and easy, I feel like they’ve cuddled a lot before, and I’m completely blown away.”

Review is here.

In Time With You [Taiwan]

“Chen Bolin and Ariel Lin share an easy, comfortable, sparky chemistry that made it super easy for me to believe that Da Ren and You Qing have known each other for a long time, and have spent many years of their lives as besties who hang out with each other often, call each other regularly, and have lengthy, uninhibited conversations with each other, so much so that they know each other like the backs of their own hands.”

Flash Review is here.

Fated To Love You

“It really isn’t very often that we get to see an OTP with warm, sparky, natural chemistry right off the bat, but that’s exactly what we get with our pair of Jangs. Or should I say, Jjangs.

Whatever the magic behind the magic, Jang Hyuk and Jang Na Ra convey a nuance and depth in their onscreen interactions that really magnifies the emotional resonance of their characters and their relationship.

At every stage of Gun’s and Mi Young’s relationship, their chemistry feels so real and appropriate to the moment. Whether our OTP is just getting to know each other, or falling head over heels in love, or working through angst, their chemistry feels deep and natural and completely believable.”

Review is here.

Marriage Not Dating

“Yeon Woo Jin and Han Groo share a pretty fantastic chemistry as Ki Tae and Jang Mi, whether they are in each other’s faces bickering and (sometimes literally) tearing each other’s hair out, or in each other’s faces with big fat smooches.

With committed, natural deliveries by both actors, our lead couple is a delight to watch, in the funny bits, the swoony bits, and even during the angsty bits in between. Their couplehood just feels so genuine and believable that watching them sometimes even feels a touch, well, voyeuristic.“

Review is here.

School 2013

“The bromantic love that Heung Soo and Nam Soon have for each other is intense, overt and deep. They aren’t just besties. They are soul mates, these two. And Kim Woo Bin and Lee Jong Suk don’t shy away from engaging in and wrestling with the emotional potency of Heung Soo’s and Nam Soon’s relationship. Whether it is in silent moments swelling with meaningful undercurrents, or in full-on emotional outbursts, they bring it, head on, and the result is gut-wrenchingly, overwhelmingly, spell-bindingly good.”

Review is here.

You From Another Star

“I really enjoyed the chemistry that Kim Soo Hyun and Jeon Ji Hyun shared in The Thieves, despite their limited screen time together, and was left wanting more. Much more. YFAS is the answer to my ‘much more’ dreams, coz these two sizzle and spark onscreen, whether they are in each other’s faces glaring daggers, or in each other’s faces making kisses.”

Review is here.

GREAT OTP, MADE THE SHOW BETTER THAN IT REALLY WAS

The Secret Life Of My Secretary

“Once we get past the initial set-up, we get double identity hijinks, as Min Ik finds himself falling for Gal Hee’s alter ego. While I found this solidly amusing, what drew me in more, was the heartfelt nature of this OTP connection, which felt quite nicely organic in its development. Show is nicely peppered with earnest, sweet moments between our OTP, and I found myself enjoying these very much.

For the record, I felt that Kim Young Kwang and Jin Ki Joo share an easy, comfortable chemistry that worked well whether Min Ik and Gal Hee were working together trying to figure out work challenges, or getting up close and heart-thumpingly personal. Really nice. Also for the record, Kim Young Kwang kisses his leading lady like he means it, and in this case, it translates into sweet, tender, unhurried kisses. Melt.“

Review is here.

The Tale Of Nokdu

“It turns out Jang Dong Yoon and Kim So Hyun are very cute together indeed, and there were even times when I thought I felt the air crackle between them.

I found the initial bickering between Nokdu and Dong Joo amusing and entertaining, but what makes this relationship work for me, is how Show makes sure to present these two with a lot of heart. Through the good times and the bad, we are kept connected to Nokdu and Dong Joo’s feelings and any internal struggles they might have, independently, as well as in relation to each other. As a result, the connection between Nokdu and Dong Joo feels organically grown and lived-in, and I felt able to root for their love, because I could believe in their love. That’s a quality that is sometimes lacking in stories about young romance, and I was pleasantly surprised by the depth that Show serves up, in this loveline.”

Review is here.

Her Private Life

“Watching this couple together was THE highlight of this show, for me.

Kim Jae Wook and Park Min Young share a chemistry that is wonderfully sparky, whether Ryan and Deok Mi are at loggerheads, or getting up close and personal (and kissy!). Beyond that, I love that the skinship they bring to the table feels so organic and real. No awkward manner hands here; this couple touches each other like they mean it, and that results in an OTP connection that feels real and lived-in, even during the times when writer-nim makes their interactions a little too healthy to be true.”

Review is here.

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon

“Park Hyung Shik and Park Bo Young make possibly the most adorable pair of lovebirds, ever. The two share a chemistry that feels warm, organic and crackly, and just so real. They are so good together, that watching them be cute on my screen together, sometimes made me positively giddy.

Every time Show disappointed me on other fronts, these two made up for it. Literally, anytime I got Bong Soon and Min Hyuk together on my screen, all my gripes about this show seemed to melt away.”

Review is here.

What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim

“Like I mentioned before, this show isn’t very inventive, and uses a lot of tropes, but the OTP makes it work. I found that I didn’t have to think too hard – or much at all – while watching this show. I didn’t feel the need to piece clues together about the childhood backstory. I could just sit back and enjoy the cute of this OTP, and boy, does Show know how to capitalize on its strengths.

One of my favorite things in the early stretch of the show, was the growing hyper-awareness on both sides of our OTP. Show dutifully teases us with multiple instances of accidental skinship and almost-embraces, which I equally dutifully lapped up.”

Flash Review is here.

Touch Your Heart

“Generally speaking, the more Show focused on the development of our OTP relationship, the cuter and more adorable I found this drama.

As a general rule, our OTP connection grows in a manner that I found organic and sweet, and the strong chemistry between our leads just made everything around the OTP development all the more enjoyable to watch.

As another general rule, I was duly tickled and appreciative of the fact that Yoon Seo turns out to be the more proactive person in pursuing an OTP love connection. You go, girl. ❤”

Review is here.

Suspicious Partner

“Ji Chang Wook and Nam Ji Hyun have excellent, sparky chemistry, so whether Bong Hee and Ji Wook are bickering fiercely, or being chummy, or getting up close and cozy, they are a pleasure to watch together.

In particular, I enjoyed the early bickering between them, which I thought was fab. You could practically see the sparks fly, amid the tension. Right away, I could see definite promise in this OTP connection.”

Review is here.

IN CLOSING

This list isn’t comprehensive, of course. But I do think this list covers some pretty great OTPs, so I hope you’ll find some lovely watches here.

Just so you know, I chose to omit shows that have good OTPs, but which I just couldn’t enjoy, overall. Also, I omitted shows where I personally enjoyed the OTP but the ship itself is controversial (due to shipping wars, for example). If you’re curious about that, though, I personally really enjoyed Answer Me, 1988. 😉

Also, like I mentioned above, everyone, do feel free to chime in with other great OTPs in the comments, since there are literally so many shows that I haven’t yet watched.

I hope this list helps!

Love! ❤

~kfangurl

POST-SCRIPT:

1. If you feel that I missed anything, or if you have your own insights that you’d like to share with the rest of us, do tell us about it in the comments!

2. Do you have a question of your own? Drop me a comment here or on the Dear kfangurl page, or send me an email!