Stuff You Should Be Watching: Asian Dramas

A recent Rec League on tortured love spawned a SBTB discussion about Asian dramas, which often have lots of pining in their romantic arcs. Not all of these are romances, but Shana and I really want to geek out about Asian dramas and hear about your recommendations too! We’ve done a few guest reviews and suggestion posts previously, but we’d love some newer options!

Most, if not all of these, are available through Viki to watch. Viki offers free watching, but a premium membership with more selections!

Shana’s Picks!

What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim

Kim Mi So is a hardworking secretary to a demanding and self-absorbed VP, Lee Young Joon. When Mi So decides to quit her job after nine years, wealthy Young Joon tries everything to keep her running his life, including proposing marriage.

What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim has a classic chaebol CEO & sheltered secretary pairing, but this over-the-top romcom also has fabulous comic timing. The best bits are watching VP Lee’s clueless attempts to ascertain why Secretary Kim could possibly want to leave him. Both main characters have a tragic backstory that slowly unspools over the course of the show, so we get a bit of melodramatic angst too. I loved watching pragmatic Young Joon fall in love despite himself, and it’s equally fun to see Mi So realize there’s hidden depth behind her boss’s narcissistic facade. The story is straightforward, and sometimes silly, so it’s especially good when your brain needs a break.

Available on Hulu, Netflix (in Asia), and Apple TV

….

Encounter (South Korean version)

Kim Jin Hyuk is a 28 year-old free spirit traveling through Cuba, when he meets Cha Soo Hyun, a rich, reserved divorcee in her 30s, in a Roman Holiday-inspired chance encounter. Soo Hyun is recovering from a loveless political marriage, and she’s rejuvenated the run-down hotel she received as alimony into a luxury brand. She’s both powerful as a CEO, and clueless about life’s pleasures. A sweet, earnest photographer sporting 90s heartthrob hair is just what she needs. And luckily, when the two return to Korea, Jin Hyuk ends up accidentally working at her new hotel. This is an atmospheric and romantic drama with a delightful ice queen + charming beta hero pairing. It’s slow moving initially, but addictive (and beautiful).

Available on Apple TV

It’s Okay, That’s Love

Celebrity novelist Jang Jae Yul, and hospital psychiatrist Ji Hae Soo, end up bickering on a talk show together, and she writes him off as a narcissist. They become roommates after he unexpectedly moves into the house Hae Soo rents with friends, and the forced proximity turns these enemies into friends, and eventually, lovers. It’s Okay, That’s Love has a grown-ass romance, funny housemates, and disability and mental health rep; Jae Yul is a playboy with OCD, Hae Soo has a phobia around sex, and many of the storylines involve emotional healing. The pacing can meander, but this melodrama has a light touch with angsty and serious topics.

Available on Amazon Prime

Amanda’s Picks!

It’s Okay to Not Be Okay

This one seems very similar to Shana’s It’s Okay, That’s Love. A caretaker in a psychiatric hospital and a reclusive children’s book author meet. There’s definitely a focus here on mental health and finding some support through friends, which is usually something I don’t often see or find in a lot of the dramas I’ve previously watched. Have some tissues handy, but I think that goes for most dramas.

Available on Netflix

Mystic Pop Up Bar

Three very different characters help solve people’s problems through their dreams and use their pop up as a front. Each of the three main characters have their own backstories to what led them to working at the bar and why they’re on earth, so I don’t want to spoil anything. This one is more self-contained sort of per episode and it’s great to just dip in and dip out for an episode or two at the time. I’m also such a sucker for an ensemble cast in anything I watch. I believe this is based on a South Korean webtoon!

Available on Netflix

Bring It On, Ghost

What a weird little show this was! Park Bong-pal has the ability to see ghosts, which makes things awkward when he realizes his place is being haunted by the wandering spirit of a woman, Kim Hyun-ji. She isn’t sure why she’s stuck in this in-between phase, but the two become ghost fighting partners in the hopes that Hyun-ji can eventually pass over.

Available on Netflix

The Devil Punisher

This is a Taiwanese drama with time travel and supernatural fighting! Zhong Kui is a baker by day and a demon hunter by night. He’s also a reincarnated deity hoping to recover his lover’s memory. I loved that Zhong Kui has this adorable millennium-long relationship and just wants to help his partner’s amnesia so they can be in love again.

Available on Netflix

 

 

 

Which recent-ish series would you recommend? Give us all your recommendations in the comments!

Comments are Closed

  1. JaneDrew says:

    “Word of Honor”! Available on Viki, Amazon Prime, YouKu’s Youtube channel, and Netflix (where, frankly, the subtitles miss a lot of nuance). One of the biggest hits of the Spring 2021 season, which has spawned a lot of discussion and analysis and enthusiasm. I’m trying not to fill this post with rambling or with links to pieces written about the show.

    Had a very low budget, which is occasionally obvious, but a really fantastic cast and a brilliant scriptwriter who knows the source material, wuxia as a genre, and how to right an amazing relationship between two complicated male characters.

    When asked to describe it, a Tumblr friend said:
    “Uh…villains on an extended date? Tsundere introvert ex-assassin can’t stop being flirting with by extroverted stalker-with-heart-eyes he inadvertently picks up after having been swept into a search for standard magical wuxia MacGuffin?”

    (oh- very important note- the actual ending is in a special episode, which is on YouKu’s channel- this is a BL drama, which means that they had to deal with Chinese censorship, including what kind of ending was acceptable- YouKu kind of got around that by having the additional “special episode,” which didn’t have to go through censorship review).

  2. JaneDrew says:

    *argh, how to WRITE an amazing relationship, gah.

  3. Jace says:

    Came here to add my recommendation re Word of Honor. It’s a story about an ex-assassin, Zhou Zishu, and Wen Ke Xing, a man with ulterior motives who keeps on following him, and their adventures in the martial arts world.

    I adore this series so much, I’m doing a rewatch on Netflix after having watched it in Youku (the first platform it aired in China) and Youtube. I love the banter and the back-and-forth between the two leads, the amazing fight scenes, the unfolding of the story, and the themes of acceptance and redemption and finding happiness. If you’re a romance reader, this is such a good watch because all of the things that make a romance novel good is in this series.

  4. footiepjs says:

    Cherry Magic! I’m pretty sure it’s on Crunchyroll. It’s a Japanese BL drama based off a manga. The premise is a little goofy – our protag has reached the age of thirty still a virgin and now has the ability to hear the thoughts of people he touches. He finds out that the star sales employee of the stationery company he works at has a crush on him! Pining ensues.

  5. Jodi says:

    I adored ‘It’s Okay to Not Be Okay’, but it wore me out emotionally! My sister and I (who have started watching the same K-dramas and texting each other after each episode) are watching ‘Because This Is My First Life’, a sweet, rom-com about a 30 year old drama writer and her landlord deciding to marry for financial reasons (she gets kicked out of the house her parents bought in Seoul because her brother gets married to his pregnant girlfriend; he has a loan his dad will only pay off if he gets married), but it also has great female friendships — and I totally stan Soo-Ji (competent friend who really wants to be a boss and seems uninterested in relationships). She is awesome!

  6. LisaM says:

    My queues on Netflix and Hulu are increasing. So much to watch on top of so much to read! Thank you for the recommendations.

  7. Caro says:

    @JaneDrew “Villains on an extended date” Perfect.

    I’ll add my recommendation for Word of Honor. BL is not my thing, but this is one of those works that prove if it’s a good story with a strong emotional journey, you can enjoy it even if it’s not what you usually go to. I was absolutely caught up in the journey of Zhou Zishu and Wen Ke Xing. I was a bit annoyed at the secondary couple, Gu Xiang and Cat Wei Ning at first but fell for them by the end. But, yes, seek out the “extra” ending. Netflix is the most accessible for a lot of people, but I’ve ended up with a subscription to Viki because of the superior quality of the subtitles overall.

    For a mystery/very slow burn/sweet romance, I also recommend Imperial Coroner, which you can find on Viki, WeTV, and YouTube. It’s a Sherlock Holmes pastiche (referred to in our house as CSI: Tang Dynasty) with good writing and characters who are competent. It’s about a country girl who comes to the capitol to take the official test to become a coroner, meets a prince and falls in love while helping him uncover multiple mysteries that could bring down the Emperor. It’s also low budget and it shows from time to time in the costumes and wigs, but this was done with great love and it’s dense, because what shows up in the first episode really may be the necessary clue in episode 22. Romance quotient is low, but it’s charming because neither one is “typical” and they just sort of fit together, complimenting and supporting each other.

    Finally, “Once Upon a Time on LingJian Mountain” which is a bit of a parody of the Xuxia tropes. We start with the sect leader misinterpreting the signs because he picked up the wrong tool because he wasn’t wearing his glasses and go from there. Lots of gaming jokes (side scenes that explain what the magical talisman of the moment is and how many soul stones it costs in the shop) and not really a romance, though kinda at the end. I wouldn’t recommend it as a first Xuxia drama because you will miss a lot. But it’s dumb fun, knows it’s dumb fun, and invites you along for the ride.

  8. Steffi says:

    I have become such a sucker for (mostly Korean) drama series recently it’s not even funny. Shows I have absolutely adored are:

    Extraordinary You (on Netflix and Viki, depending on where you are)
    Strong Woman Do Bong Soon (on Netflix and Viki, depending on where you are)
    Her Private Life (on Viki, and it also has Park Min Young from What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim)
    Goblin (Viki, and swoonworthy)

    I would rec Mystic Pop-Up Bar and What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim in a heartbeat but I see those are already on your lists 🙂

    I also much MUCH prefer the Korean adaption of Suits over the original US series.

  9. Beverly says:

    I started watching K dramas a few years ago and love them. Some recs

    My Ahjussi. Viki & Netflix Hands down one of my favorites in any genre. I love the two leads, especially our broken heroine who will burn the world down to do what she needs to do. She gets shit done. It is a little dark, but I found it to be quite healing and uplifting. I’m always curious as to how others see the mains relationship as their is a bit of a divide. If you do watch it I’d suggest not binging it, but doing the two episodes a week format. IU the lead actress is also an amazing singer and song writer,
    https://youtu.be/RMVqsK9svVk

    Healer: Viki. this is magic. Perfect blend of action, drama, romance and comedy. It made me so giddy and it can be so swoony. Also has a great Clark kent/superman type storyline. I loved it so much that I couldn’t delete the eps for awhile after watching.

    Coffee Prince:Viki A classic. Gong Yoon is gorgeous and Yoon Eun hye is amazing as the fl pretending to be a boy.

    Fight My Way: Viki wonderful friends to lovers with two leads you’ll love together but also on their own. One of my favorite heroes and played by the gorgeous Park Seo Joon. He isn’t the brightest but he is the sweetest.

    Because This is My First Life: viki/netflix Forced co habitation! This one can have fans divided because the fl does something that many ended up disliking her for, but I loved her all the way through.

    Hospital Playlist: Netflix The first season became a safe place during lockdown. I adore this group of friends. Also, the main group is made up of friends in their early 40s which is nice. They are all highly skilled doctors, but also play in their own garage band on the side. We usually get one cover song by the band each ep and it is always a highlight. The second season just started and should have 3 seasons all together.

    Secret Life of My Secretary: Viki. This is an over the top rom com with one of the hottest hand washing scenes, lol.

    Probably rec’d these on the other posts, but they are some of my favorites.

  10. Liz says:

    I love love love It’s Okay, That’s Love. It was one of the only dramas I’ve watched as it was being released in Korea (thanks to a member Exo being in the show), and it still is so good. Also Jo Insung is very handsome.

  11. RebeccaD says:

    Big thumbs up for Her Private Life and What’s the Matter with Secretary Kim – loved both those shows.

    It is not strictly a rom-com but The Fiery Priest (Viki) is one of the best comedy/action kdramas out there, to my mind.

    I will put in plug for Run-On on Netflix – sweet, slow, grown-up, two leads who are really trying to figure out how to have a relationship. They talk and figure it out.

    On Viki – Search WWW – three grown up women, three good love stories, and while it is not explicit in any way, it is sexier than most kdramas out there.

    On Viki – Do You Like Brahams – I loved this show. Two musicians – one pianist who is very talented but whose family makes him perform for money to solve their debts, one violinist who is not as talented but is so dedicated – when the love declarations come late in the season, they are everything I waited for. Secondary stories are good too. And a MUCH less irritating innocent heroine than usual in some shows.

    Ultimate melodrama romance for me is Just Between Lovers (Viki) – tears your heart apart. It has everything (as Stefon used to say on SNL) – building collapse, great cranky found family grandma, brooding hero who is sure he is no good, fated lovers – I probably should do trigger warnings – this is VERY melo, so deaths for sure and alcoholism. Also has a disabled character and a character with cognitive issues (there is probably a better term for this, sorry). Just completed a complete rewatch a few weeks back.

  12. TaraR says:

    Yay for Asian Dramas! I’d totally second My Private Life (the protagonist is an art gallery curator, but secretly runs a pop idol fan-site!), It’s Ok to Not be Ok (I loved it’s gothic visual style), and Because This is My First Life. But for those who love historical fantasy, one of my absolute favorite Chinese wuxia fantasies from several years back which I have never been able to forget is Nirvana in Fire. It’s on Viki, and pretty long at 54 episodes, but has absolutely amazing storytelling, political intrigue, and a very satisfying revenge plot.

    However, my current obsession is Hospital Playlist. I love its earnest, slice of life approach, and really appreciate the balance of humorous, tragic, and heartwarming moments. It’s from the producer director of the Reply series–“Reply 1997”, “Reply 1994”, “Reply 1988” are all on Netflix too–and you can’t go wrong with any of those either, even though Reply 1997 continue to be my favorite.

  13. Writerlibrarian says:

    I second Imperial Coroner. Adorable and well done. I fell so hard for Nirvana in Fire which is a classic. Political chess, drama and so many feeling for this MonteCristo hommage.

    Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty is found family trope to the power of ten. And the food porn is amazing

  14. Andrea says:

    Seconding the recs for Word of Honor!

    I really like Legend of Two Girls – it’s a short wuxia webseries with two f/f romances. It’s available here with English subtitles (there’s links to the official app in the descriptions)

  15. treakle1 says:

    Relatively new to the genre, but I do have some favorites. Heavy emphasis on romantic comedies.

    Best Bromances:
    Crash Landing on You (Netflix) – within a big group of friends
    Goblin/Guardian: the Lonely and Great God (Viki)

    Best female protagonist:
    Hotel Del Luna (Viki) – I had no idea that IU could act, let alone that well!
    It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (Netflix)
    My Love from the Star (Viki Plus)
    True Beauty (Viki)

    School setting with strong emphasis on trying to overcome toxic beauty standards:
    True Beauty (Viki)
    My ID is Gangnam Beauty (Viki)
    ** a lot of bullying in both dramas

    Best Chemistry:
    What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? (Viki) Sidebar: I would gleefully risk it all for Park Seo Joon.
    My Love from the Star (Viki Plus)

    Best Song:
    My Love from the Star – “My Destiny” by LYn
    Goblin/Guardian: the Lonely and Great God – “Round and Round” by HEIZE

    Just finished True Beauty. Laughed a lot, mostly at the cringeworthy family interactions with the love interest. Cried a lot because of the bullying.

    In the middle of Cinderella and Four Knights. Not a huge fan because of the forced family interactions but I like the supporting cast. We shall see.

    Next on my list is Hwarang: the Poet Warrior Youth. Park Seo Joon. Yay!

  16. Noni says:

    I have “My Lovely Samsoon” on DVD. And I, someone who NEVER rewatches tv shows, have rewatched the entire 20+ episodes at least 6 times through the years.

  17. Kris says:

    Move to heaven is a korean series on Netflix about a man and his nephew who has Aspergers and they work as trauma cleaners. Sounds weird but, OMG, I cried at times. It’s wonderful.
    Vincenzo is and Netflix korean drama about a korean lawyer who works for the mob in Italy. Very stylish and each episode is about 90 minutes.
    I’ve become addicted to korean series.

  18. Emma says:

    I don’t think anyone’s mentioned Taiwanese dramas yet, so two really fun “opposites attract” dramas are Office Girls and Miss Rose. Everyone gets at least a few good lines and comedy bits, not just the main couple. Sadly, it looks like Miss Rose is leaving Netflix at the end of July…

    There’s also Ghost Bride, which I believe was a collaboration between Taiwanese and Malaysian studios. I haven’t read the book or watched the show yet, but I only hear good things.

  19. Sue D. says:

    DESCENDANTS OF THE SUN

    An ace military officer and an ace doctor get off on the wrong foot but have lots of great verbal banter. They eventually meet up abroad and fall for each other. The second leafs are also great. One of the best k-dramas in terms of script and story continuity and flow.

    STRONG WOMAN DO BONG SOO

    The female lead is born with super natural strength and after a chance encounter becomes the body guard for a video game wunderkind. There is a lot going on here. It’s campy, and funny, and sweet, and dramatic, and a thriller.

    I would also highly recommend some that were mentioned like: fight for my way, what’s wrong with secretary kim, goblin, coffee prince, its okay to not be okay.

  20. Lisa Demers says:

    I’m 6 episodes into Devil Punisher & can attest to its sweetness.

    Have to say the best thing I’ve ever seen on Netflix is The School Nurse Files. Not strictly romance (has a romantic element). But bonkers comedy and horror at the same time. Eun-Young is part superhero, partly insane, and my new role model.

    It is dubbed.

  21. Lee says:

    No one has mentions Beauty Inside from Korea. Now I am worried that it’s actually awful and no one else likes it…. basically (not giving anything away that doesn’t happen in the first ten minutes) a beautiful, successful actress has a secret – every month, for a few days, she turns into someone else. A different person each time, so different sex, ages.

  22. Kim O. says:

    Asian dramas have been my happy place since the beginning of 2020. Here are a few recs from my database (okay, fine, it’s just a spreadsheet):

    Adding votes for Cherry Magic on Crunchyroll (so much yearning!), Because This Is My First Life on Netflix, and Search: WWW on Viki.

    Also really enjoyed:

    Start-Up (Korean) (Netflix) – Family drama / romance set in a tech incubator with a second lead that fans loved. Downside: there is a tragic death early on.

    In Time With You (Japanese) (Viki) – Long-term friends to lovers/workplace drama. Super likeable leads.

    Love and Redemption (Chinese) (Viki) – 59 episodes of romance and magic and martial arts and immortals causing trouble. Of course there is also lots of yearning, self-sacrifice and suffering (maybe too much), along with truly awful villains. I think I finished this one almost as quickly as I finished The Untamed.

    One Spring Night (Korean) (Netflix) – Single father hero, strong female lead (librarian!), cute kid, lots of yearning. Downside: there is a side character in an abusive relationship.

    A few more: Love O2O (Chinese/college romance), Navillera (Korean/family drama), and Misaeng (Korean/workplace drama) on Netflix, and Lost Romance (Taiwan/isekai) (FF thru the over-the-top corporate drama and focus on the fun romance plot) and Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo (Korean/college romance) on Viki.

  23. JaneDrew says:

    @Caro and @Writerlibrarian – I can’t believe I forgot “Imperial Coroner”! I’m only about five episodes in, but am really enjoying it- as AvenueX said over on her first impressions/review, it’s a show where everybody is smart, and even though the low budget shows up in a couple of ways, it’s got really interesting mysteries.

    (also, just in general, AvenueX’s YouTube channel is a great place to find reviews, commentary, and other Cdrama-related stuff- she did a whole series on the “real” dialogue in some “Word of Honor” scenes where the actors originally said one thing and the voice actors said something different due to censorship, and another series that was all about Wen Kexing’s extremely poetic flirtation tactics…)

  24. JL says:

    Love this topic!
    Fave historical/fantasy Cdramas – The Untamed (BL swooooon) Ten Miles of Peach Blossom and The Long Ballad
    Fave Modern Cdramas – Love is Sweet, Moonlight, The Day of Becoming You
    Fave Kdramas – My Love from Another Star (lead from Its Okay to Not be Okay) and True Beauty

  25. Rhoda Baxter says:

    Crash Landing On You is the most adorable thing I’ve seen in ages. Also loved It’s Okay Not To Be Okay.
    Start Up was brilliant, but I was rooting for the wrong guy in the love triangle (I spent about a week ranting about it to anyone who would listen).
    Romance is a Bonus Book is adorable and has the most uplifting happy ending.

  26. Writerlibrarian says:

    @JaneDrew. I get my recs from https://dramapotatoe.com/ Modtly. They have some wonderful essays on Word of Honor

  27. Stacie says:

    Because This is my First Life on Netflix.

  28. DistantAudacity says:

    I heartily endorse “Doom at your service”, on Viki. Doom is the personification of doom/disaster, and the female lead is a very cabable young lady who’s had a Very Bad Day. Lots of timing, very sweet and quite funny too (I loved it when she watched another TV show (“Tale of the nine-tailed fox”, also recommend!) for tips on how to deal with/compare supernatural boyfriends. In front of the BF. )

    Echo the recommendation of “Nirvana in Fire” above. Not a romance, but revenge/justice, manouverings at the Imperial courts, and friendships (and friendship pining, for Reasons). Highly competent characters who Think Things Through. Set in ye olde China, 6th century-ish. It’s one of my favourite shows ever! Cdrama, on Viki.

    And of course, “The Untamed” (Cdrama) is a must-watch!

    Subtitles: Generally the subtitles are better on Viki than on Netflix, so I recommend using Viki if a show is in both places. Netflix relies too much on machine translations that sometimes has odd results… be aware that regardless, a lot will be lost.

  29. DistantAudacity says:

    Sorry for double posting – missed this.

    An additional recommendation for “Move to Heaven” on Netflix!

    And then watch crime/revenge drama Taxi Driver (kdrama, on Viki), for actor (Lee Je-hoon) backlash! Actually, do it the other way around 🙂

  30. Heather M says:

    I pretty much only watch Asian dramas or Spanish telenovelas these days. And yet a lot of these recommendations haven’t been on my radar. Lots of things to add to the list!

    I’m not quite finished with Guardian yet, but unless they really bomb the landing I think it might be one of my favorite kdramas ever. I absolutely adore it.

    Also, really love Romance is a Bonus Book (seriously it is SO GOOD and swoony go watch it) and Rookie Historian. For bonkers factor, you can’t beat older, super campy shows like Boys Over Flowers or Heirs (they’re kind of the same show–even have the same lead–but Heirs is probably better. Still ridiculous, but very fun.)

    My best friend got me into Thai BL dramas, which are my newer obsession. The quality varies DRAMATICALLY, but there are a lot of cute ones. 2gether is a standout. But my favorite example of the genre right now is probably Lovely Writer, about a BL novelist who falls for the actor staring in the adaptation of his novel. It (and a lot of Thai BL shows) is available on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHW2zctRhPg

    Viki has some good BLs from other Asian countries as well, though they are often pretty short. I’m watching a Taiwanese one right now called Be Loved in House which is adorable.

    Word of Honor kind of disappointed me, tbh, because it felt like the resolution was so abrupt. Now I realize there might have been more that I missed, so I’ll have to go investigate that.

    The Untamed remains my holy grail. I haven’t found anything that works quite as well for me, yet.

    If you like animation, the animated adaptation of Heaven Official’s Blessing is lovely. I hope they get many more seasons as so far they only go a brief way into the book. I don’t know if a live action is in the works (I honestly don’t know how their *can* be with censorship- it seems impossible to me to adapt it without every single thing about it being queer.) But, then, they kept things in the animation that I really didn’t expect to see. So perhaps. Anyway, the anime is on Netflix.

  31. DistantAudacity says:

    About Word of Honour – apparantly they ran into budget issues, and had to reduce the number of episodes. That’s a major reason why the ending is rushed (but watch out for the 37th “special” episode).

  32. Dena says:

    Chiming in to add that Sell Your Haunted House (Viki) is my absolute favourite kdrama of the year so far. Alpha heroine, supportive male lead, great partnerships, adorable bromance, and a plot that actually works beautifully and ties everything up.

    For Thai BL dramas, I highly recommend Tale of a Thousand Stars, I Told Sunset About You, and Until We Meet Again.

    For an absolutely trope-tasticly bonkers romance I recommend the Taiwanese drama Bromance (Netflix and Viki). FL is pretending to be a man and saves ML in a fight. He promptly decides that they must be sworn brothers and hijinks ensue as he finds himself falling in love with her. Surprisingly very little gay panic.

  33. Liz says:

    Typing on my Kindle is horrid but I highly adore It’s Okay to Be Not Okay on Netflix that I had to comment. The gothic tones, her clothes (rare like from me), and the whole premise got me.

    I’ve been watching Use for my Talent on Netflix – its about a CEO who owns a cleaning business because he has some clinical problems (sorry its late and I can’t think) with germs/dirt/mess and a woman who begins to work for him who has a lot of baggage.

    I do recommend Cinderella and the 4 Knights too.

  34. Senetra says:

    The Korean dramas have awesome soundtracks (OST) too. My faves are School 2013, Fated to Love You, It’s Okay That’s Love, Crash Landing on You, and Boys Over Flowers. You can usually buy the whole OST or single songs from Apple or Amazon.

    Seconding “Misaeng”, the Reply series, and “Hospital Playlist” (all on netflix) as really good slice-of-life dramas. Misaeng takes place in an office, and I was never so invested in finding out how a presentation given to the bigwigs by interns went in my whole life.

    If you can find it, I highly recommend the Taiwanese drama “It Started with a Kiss” and the sequel “They Kiss Again”. It’s girl crushes on boy, boy hates girl then falls in love with her and they get married and adjust to married life. I love it so much.

    I really loved the Japanese drama “Caution, Hazardous Housewife” on Viki. It’s about a woman who is an international spy who decides she would rather be married so she fakes her own death (not a spoiler) and meets a man at a prospective spouse party and they get married and she becomes a housewife. She gets bored soon so she makes friends and they spend their time fixing the lives of the women in the neighborhood. There’s a movie sequel that I haven’t watched yet.

  35. SueS says:

    I started watching kdramas earlier this year and they are the only shows I watch now. They have even taken over my reading time.
    I recommend “Another Miss Oh” on Netflix and second the recommendation for “My Mister” simply one of the best shows in any language/genre that I have seen. Mr. Sunshine is also fantastic. I am still thinking about it 6 months later!

  36. Oh, Asian dramas! I have been watching Asian dramas almost exclusively since the fall of 2018. I love the typical one season and done type of storytelling. I got so tired of American shows either being cancelled too soon or going on for so long that they just kept rehashing things and I completely lost interest in what was once a good story.

    Among my favorite Asian dramas:

    The Untamed (BL drama from China available on Viki and Netflix). Others have mentioned the Chinese censorship of anything that is same-sex romance, but Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo made it abundantly clear these two characters were in love. It can be confusing at first because of some time jumps, but it’s one of my top faves from any country now.

    Word of Honor (Lots of other people have already mentioned this one, but I want to enthusiastically agree it’s awesome.)

    Splash Splash Love on Viki (This is a short, two-episode Korean drama that stars Doojun from the K-pop group Highlight. It’s a time travel romance, and I adore it.)

    Crash Landing on You on Netflix (Stars hunky leading man Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin, who became a real-life couple after the show. A romance that crosses the border between the two Koreas and has the most adorable cast of secondary characters.)

    It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (Very emotional, about people who are so damaged by their pasts, but some of the most phenomenal acting. Stars Kim Soo Hyun, who I think is one of the most attractive men on the planet, tbh.)

    Navillera on Netflix (Just a wonderful, wonderful drama about unexpected friendship, found family, aging and what people deem a “appropriate” activities for older people and saying no to those restraints. Truly, one of the best things I have ever watched.)

    Flower of Evil on Viki (Starring my favorite actor, Lee Joon Gi, this psychological thriller also has one of the strongest, most interesting romances of a married couple in drama-land.)

    Kingdom on Netflix (Historical drama with zombies! So good.)

    The Crowned Clown on Viki (Historical; a clown/street performer looks like the king and is forced to impersonate him. Yeo Jin Goo is awesome playing a duel role. You’ll believe he is two different people.)

    The Uncanny Counter on Netflix (Wonderful found family story of four very different people with supernatural abilities. You’ll cry, you’ll laugh, you’ll root for them.)

    Designated Survivor: 60 Days on Netflix (A remake of the American drama, but it was interesting because of the very different enemies that Koreans would assume are behind the bombing of their National Assembly. Was interesting to learn about some history and how their government differs and is similar to ours.)

    Others I highly recommend:

    He is Psychometric
    Mr. Sunshine
    Prison Playbook
    Mr. Queen
    River Where the Moon Rises
    Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung
    Tale of the Nine-Tailed
    Shopping King Louie
    Thirty But Seventeen
    Taxi Driver
    Hotel Del Luna
    When the Weather is Fine

    There are so many others I’ve enjoyed, and I always love talking about Asian dramas or K-pop. I love the latter so much it changed the direction of my writing career. So feel free to ask if you have any questions!

  37. FYI, we have a monthly K-drama chat hosted by @DramaCurrent on the first Monday night of the month, so we just had it this week. Follow them to get the reminders. It’s a lot of fun and I’ve gotten lots of good recommendations from there. I just finished watching an older K-drama called Faith starring Lee Minho based on last months’ recommendations.

  38. Celia Marsh says:

    I second so many things clearly I should watch the everything else listed here. I Second/Fourth/Fifteenth the recommendation for Viki overall–Netflix has annoying habits with translating, like not using the honorifics that get used and make a big difference in understanding what’s happening (there was a scene in Mother of Mine where the guy is flirting because his crush let him call her Senior instead of Manager, but it’s all translated as [her name] thus missing all the adorableness. And likewise when he gets drunk and is calling her by increasingly familiar forms of her name.)

    I also just finished watching Sell Your Haunted House and I married the Antifan on Viki, and they are AWWWWWW for totally different reasons. Last years I also watched all the Choi Jin-Hyuk shows I could find, HIGHLY RECOMMEND, of which Zombie Detective on Viki (EXACTLY what it sounds like, but so SO much better than feared) is probably my current favorite. And Rugal, on Netflix, was probably the worst of his stuff. but still a wonderful action thing.

    And a little older stuff but things I’ve watched several times in the past year because they were just so good–Revolutionary Love, on Viki and Netflix, and While You Were Sleeping on Viki.

  39. Svenja says:

    Does anybody here watch Thai lakorn other than BL?? During lockdown I got totally addicted to them. They are full of clichés, and often have consent issues and completely illogical turns in their story lines. But the ones I watched so far also end with HEAs, reminding me of all the wonderfully cheesy romance novels I read as teenager. Anyway, two Thai shows I loved (for various reasons) were Love Destiny and The Prince Who Turns Into A Frog (for which the Youtube subs are crap, btw.).
    And I get most of my recommendations from MyDramaList.com . It is heavily biased towards Korean shows (I guess because there are so many of them), but also has info on other Asian dramas, including Thai lakorn. 🙂

  40. JaneDrew says:

    @Heather M – there is actually going to be a live-action “Heaven Official’s Blessing”! They just started doing the read-throughs, I think, and should be filming soon. No idea how they’ll handle some of the BL elements, though.

    @Writerlibrarian- Yes! Dramapotatoe is fantastic, and I have gleefully read all of the “Word of Honor” pieces they’ve posted.

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