Viewed: 2017. 07/11-07/16
Netflix episode list available here.
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There was about an eighteen-month-gap between my first venture into Asian dramas, Atelier, and my second, Diamond Lover. This is not to say I didn’t find anything binge-worthy on Netflix, only that Atelier didn’t initially whet my appetite for more Chinese dramas. Instead, I went back to my old standbys, a mix of science-fiction, fantasy, historical romances and cooking competition shows, until somehow, luckily, I stumbled onto Diamond Lover, and found a worthy follow-up.
Diamond Lover begins with the comedic premise of an obese girl, Mi Duo (Tiffany Tang) who has a crush on Xiao Liang (Rain), the CEO of a diamond company. After a freak accident results in making her thin and beautiful, she adopts a new identity and goes to work for her crush. Xiao fails to recognize that the new beauty working at his company was once the shy, large girl he ignored. With a faithful friend in the wings who loves her as she is, and jealous office colleagues who would love to discover Mi’s secret, will Mi find love or will the truth, if discovered, repulse Xiao?
The synopsis is a bit more complicated than that but hopefully this overview gives you an idea of the fun, transformational premise of this Chinese romantic comedy featuring musical artist, Rain, in his film debut (he also sings the title number). Like most of these stories, there are love triangles for both protagonist and her romantic lead, and complications as they each strive for happiness, inevitably clashing along the way.
Luo Jin and Dilraba Dilmurat star as the contagonist leads, each trying to win the heart of Mi and Xiao (respectively). Not dissimilar from Atelier, this drama is set in the workplace and features a woman striving for acceptance and excellence in the diamond industry and happiness with a romantic partner.
It’s been a couple of years since I’ve seen this series, but I recall enjoying it and recommend you check it out if you enjoy the genre. Fun fact: Rain spoke in Korean for the role and was dubbed over in Mandarin. The jewelry is also a lot of fun to look at, but it’s far from the only eye candy in the series.
If this post inspires you to see the series for the first time, or if you’re a veteran viewer of Diamond Lover, please consider commenting and letting me know what you liked or didn’t like about the series. I look forward to hearing from you. Over the next few months, expect to see more updates of other Chinese, Korean and Japanese dramas and romantic comedies that I’ve enjoyed over the years, available on Netflix.
Lauren Miller 