Imagining a Faithful Adaptation of Bride of the Water God
Y'know that familiar exhilarating moment when an onscreen pairing gives you all the feels of a warm, gooey, chocolate fudge on an ice-cold morning? When the couple gives you a sugar-rush and a painful toothache from all the stupid-smiling you've been doing, staring at the screen, making moon-eyes and finger-hearts towards a fictional couple, begging them to get on with it already? The best instance of such shipping is when there are characters WITHIN the story-verse that are as enthusiastic as us viewers in getting the OTP together, mirroring our exact reactions and echoing similarly incoherent squeals, along with us!
This Shiba-Inu represents *ALL* of us drama-watchers!?
Sure, dramas have plenty of overly-eager best friends and parents that play the part of an on-screen shipper, but by far, the cutest of them all are tiny humans and furry companions! In no particular order, here are my favorite shippers from Dramaland... doing the work of God Cupid.
Warning: Spoilers for the following dramas - Skip sections if necessary!
Love is Sweet, Autumn's Concerto, My Little Happiness, Begin Again, Moonlight, Unforgettable Love, Kikazaru Koi Ni Wa Riyuu Ga Atte, Word of Honor, Because This Is My First Life, 10 Miles of Peach Blossoms, You Drive Me Crazy
Wang Cai (Love Is Sweet) | |
 | She was an abandoned Corgi pupper rescued by Mummy Jiang Jun but eventually grew up with Dad Yuan Shuai. Discovering she's the same puppy rescued by the pair years ago in school makes Mum finally realize just how much Dad has loved and cared for her all along! Comically, Mum, being a canine-lover, immediately takes to Wang Cai, despite being at loggerheads with Dad initially. Her name translates to 'Wealth', and it's adorably fitting because her parents are investment bankers! She's an out-and-out Daddy's girl who loves eating and is super-lazy. Being a senior dog, she dislikes long walks and causes Mom to heave exasperated sighs, who frequently tries to put her on diets and get her to become healthy! xD She eventually becomes the ring-bearer for her parents. |
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Xiao Le (Autumn's Concerto) | |
Considering what went down between his parents years ago, this little 6-year-old angel manages to do the impossible... get his Mum and Dad together, despite the serious misunderstandings that brewed between them and the grievances they had against each other! He's named after the bird his parents rescued and fostered back in college. He loves reading about outer space, as he believes his Dad is an alien, and frequently calls him using his code-word "Miss-u, Miss-u". He's also the possessor of incredibly plump pink-cheeks and a deadly smile that can melt even the coldest of hearts! Despite being born with Type-1 diabetes, there is no dearth of sugar he provides. |   |
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Rang Yi Rang (My Little Happiness) | |
 | This huge ball of floof belongs to the eternal bachelor He's a good boy who stays over occasionally with his Dad's uncle to give his parents space while they date. He's an active doggo who gives his walking companions, including a fitness NON-enthusiast Cong Rong, a run for her money! Only Xiao Qing, Rang Yi Rang is the beginning of our leading lady's luck with love. Being a traditional couple, Rang Yi Rang becomes the perfect 'chaperone' to the couple's early date nights, as he's their constant dinner-table companion. <3 |
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Lu You You (Begin Again) | |
This cutie almost feels like Xiao Le's twin! You You's born with his mother's killer sense of humor and sass while possessing all of his doctor Dad's IQ and home-making skills. He's a little nugget of joy who eventually becomes the apple of his three grandmothers' eyes. He derives constant giggles from seeing his parents rediscovering their love once more. Apart from doing regular-children activities, he loves terrorizing his uncle-grandpa, who frequently babysits him. Funnily enough, he's also his love counselor! Considering the fact that he very likely may be a child-genius, he's probably realized a sibling would mean splitting his inheritance. So he often sneaks into his parents' bedroom at night and sleeps in between them! :) |  |
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Er Gou (Moonlight) | |
  | A Bearded Collie that belongs to author Zhou Chuan; this gentle-giant is hilariously huge in comparison to his petite big-brother (and future girlfriend, Chu Li)! He lives in a 2-storey Shanghai bungalow. Er Gou apparently needs a LOT of care and has to be frequently walked and fed (he's a big-eater, lol!) and thus, is the perfect ruse for Zhou Chuan to get Chu Li to move into his house and take care of the canine-giant ( He's often the face that melts occasional spells of Chu Li's anger, acting as an emotional confidante to her venting sessions. |
Xiao Bao (Unforgettable Love) | |
Formally named Wei Ying Ying, Xiao Bao is the future heir to his Dad's Tech Company. With two adorable dimples and a mop of curly hair, his speech deficiency is why his father appoints Yi Yue as his child therapist, which snowballs into her becoming a step-in mom. He's a playful but shy, kitten-like toddler who often brings his parents in adorably intimate scenarios that slowly deepen their burgeoning attraction... Kid is the next level shipper amongst us. He communicates using word cards and an eraser-board that's as cute as him. His favorite object is his Mum's green handkerchief. An endearing trait of his is to dress up like his Dad's Mini-Me! ^^ |   |
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Kouji (Kikazaru Koi Ni Wa Riyuu Ga Atte) | |
 | This pupper is the MVP of the show! She's initially a part of the house-sharing clause that has our FL Mameshiba Mashiba, a fashion-influencer and a dog-lover herself, move-in to her Mom - Kouko's sharehouse, where she encounters fellow house-mate and future partner, Shun. She's a fun playmate, can perform a wide variety of tricks and possesses a great range of expressions! She often relieves tension amongst the pair of young lovebirds, as her walking duties are handled by both Shun and Kurumi (and sometimes even together!) She's, thus, the perfect excuse for a dog-walking date! Kouji's the canine-fairy that brings our couple together! :D Her food bowl reads 'BOSS', and she often rings a call bell whenever it's empty! IRL, she's played by an insta-famous doggo, Leanna. Follow her: @tina.leana. |
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Cheng Ling (Word of Honor) | |
Technically an adolescent, but he's cute and instrumental in bringing his Murder-Dads together. There is no way Zi Shu would ever spare Wen Ke Xing a single moment of his preciously limited free time, had it not been for chaperoning Cheng Ling, then eventually accepting him as a disciple to finally elevating him to the status of a de-facto adopted son. He's initially the wimpy kid that needs to be constantly saved but grows up to be an admirable Wuxia hero under the tutelage of the two Leads. He's also the possessor of two cute little dimples and a L'oreal 'Because You're Worth It' ponytail! |  |
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Woo Ri (Because This Is My First Life) | |
 | This Ragdoll Cat is initially named 'Kitty' in a very Breakfast-at-Tiffany's fashion. She possesses a distinct purr-sonality, often providing comic relief as she sometimes side-eyes our ever-confused couple. Naming her comes as a crucial milestone in their relationship. Litter and feeding duties are what initially gets Mom Ji Ho the lease to rent out the second bedroom at Kitty's apartment that she shares with Dad - Se Hee. Ji Ho eventually falls for Kitty (and her Dad too!) Kitty's Dad is known to cut expenses on all fronts (even his own 'wedding'), but he would never compromise with the feline's bills! :D Kitty is the shipper we all need in our lives! |
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Ah Li aka Rice-Ball (Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms) | |
A charming little ball of adorableness, Ah Li spouts cheesy lines like his Dad at the drop-of-a-hat when he spots badass and beautiful Bai Qian at a banquet and decides he's got to have her as his new Mum. Ah Li's request for a sibling is all the real-time shipping required by his parents to not only get together but also to fulfill his wish! *wink*. He's also Bai Qian's ultimate convincer, as she sees how hot Ye Hua can be as an extremely involved and capable single dad. Baby-sitting Ah Li is also a shameless ruse for 'concerned Dad' Ye Hua to pay Bai Qian regular visits! In S2, he even manages to get his cousin Feng Jui together with Heavenly Grand-Dad, Dong Hua Di Jun. His shipping skills know no bounds! :P This one is a real smarty-pants. |   |
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Honorable Mention...
Bok Go (You Drive Me Crazy) | |
  | Little Bok Go is a pygmy hedgehog that only features in a 4-episode mini-series. His otherwise small screen-time appearance is more than made up with the role he plays in getting his parents back together. He represents all the feelings and emotions his Mum, Eun Seong, has decided to time-out for a period of 1 year, as she very fittingly 'forgets' Bok Go at future Dad, Rae Wan's, house. He currently lives in a very cute but comfortable pen built by his artist Dad and has pretty much become an exclusive confidante and companion to Dad's solitude. Rae Wan's growing attachment with Bok Go is why 'co-parenting' the hedgehog is the only acceptable solution to both, thus ensuring Eun Seong and Rae Wan end up together! xD What would we have done without you, Bok Go? :') |
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That's All, Folks!
I certainly didn't manage to get ALL the cutest wingmen of drama-land (as this is exclusively based on my watch-list), but I do hope to see some of them brought a smile to your face! Providing a customary dose of cuteness with the singular agenda of frolicking, eating, sleeping, and seeing that our couple ends up together, they indeed are the resident CEOs of our shippers' club! :) Tell us below how many of your favorites I missed, and maybe there'll be a part 2 where I continue this! :D
