Dramas/movies I've finished (or 'finished')
I've watched enough east Asian dramas/movies that I've tripped my brain’s "must make a list" switch. Updated 3/28
Blue = favorites
Also:
Dramas I'm watching / want to watch
Dramas I dropped
Dramas:
2gether the Series (Thai)
I guess a lot of people hate this and don't think the leads have any chemistry at all? But I actually loved them. It's not a hot-and-heavy kind of chemistry; it's very sweet and kind of innocent, but not facile. On the other hand, they were all I liked about the drama.
Ai Long Nhai (Thai)
This is the most ridiculous drama, and it brings me so much joy. Nothing hurts, everything is beautiful. Nhai is a precious scatterbrained bean, and Ai falls in love at first sight. All of the things about Nhai that drive other people crazy just make Ai go all fond and soft. I smiled so much watching this that my face hurt.
A League of Nobleman (Chinese)
Good but definitely felt like it was missing scenes. OT3 Lan Jue/Zhang Ping/Wang Yan!
Bad Buddy (Thai)
Wow this is good! It's Romeo and Juliet with some West Side Story thrown in. The actors are fantastic, and watching how they progress from sort-of-enemies to committed boyfriends is wonderful.
Bed Friend (Thai)
OMG Uea the sharp-edged traumatized bean, and King green-flagging all over except for that one moment where he needed to have his head flushed in a toilet for reacting in the absolute worst way. I love this show A LOT. It's not a perfect rendition of a young man who has suffered a lot of abuse in his life, but it handles that element really well (therapy and medication FTW), and the romance is sweet and sexy.
Between Us (Thai)
I liked the first half a lot, but didn't like Team very much after they got together. His personality/behavior changed; he was, IDK, tougher? earlier, which I liked a lot more. However, I LOVE Win so much I can't even.
Bad Guys (Korean)
There were several moments when certain things almost made me nope out (Oh Gu Tak’s entire self; my overwhelming desire to cut Jung Moon’s hair so that his one eye wouldn’t be perpetually covered up; the detective lady whose name I never bothered to catch), but I was so glad I finished it. Park Hae Jin in eps 9 – 11 blew me away; and the ending was kinda dark but in a way that was so satisfying.
Be Loved In House: I Do (Taiwanese)
Not my favorite Taiwanese bl, but not bad.
Beyond Evil (Korean)
Wow, so much going on. The characters developed beautifully, even though Juwon went through a bit of a bratty phase. I loved the mystery.
The Blood of Youth (Chinese)
I loved this so much. THE FOUR WAY BROMANCE omg. And the way the ML slowly but surely dismantled the villains' plans! He met every set-back with a “well, that’s unfortunate, but I can fix it.” It was great, even though the romance they shoe-horned in for the ML was annoying.
Dangerous Drugs of Sex (Japanese)
I watched this because I was curious. It was... Hmm. Well, all I can say is, if you too become curious, make sure you pay attention to the reasons it's 18+, and then assume it's going to be even more f*cked up than it sounds.
Dr. Romantic 2 (Korean)
Honestly I watched this for the Seo Woo Jin whump (Ahn Hyo Seop does suffering so attractively), but since doctor shows otherwise make me nauseous I didn’t watch the last couple of episodes. But I really liked the various relationships among the different characters.
Duoluo Continent (Chinese)
Watched this for Xiao Zhan. I’ve never watched anything like this outside of having caught a glimpse of the Pokemon and Yu Gi Oh cartoons my kid watched, and it was...different. The FL was so irritating, but I wasn’t burned out on this kind of FL yet when I watched this so it was fine.
En of Love: Love Mechanics (Thai)
Too short! The fact that is was remade with most of the same cast and an expanded story makes this one feel almost like a pilot. It was definitely good enough to make me track down the longer version (which I'm currently watching). YinWar are really engaging actors.
Fish Upon the Sky (Thai)
Same actors as in Never Let Me Go, but this one is a comedy. The main character is a high maintenance nerd who goes through a glow-up that almost no one really notices (because he's STILL a high maintenance nerd) except the guy who has had a crush on him forever. Of course it's a guy he thinks is terrible. I loved it. Which is weird because I generally hate comedies.
Handsome Siblings (Chinese)
I enjoyed it mainly because it’s ridiculous.
He is Psychometric (Korean)
Super cute, comfort show. The twists and turns were great. I loved the characters. Side note: the actor who played young Kang Sung Mo did an amazing job. I actually had to stop at one point and Google the cast to make sure the show hadn’t somehow managed to make the older actor look like a teenager because the younger actor absolutely nailed the older actor’s take on the character. (Turns out the younger actor is the ML in The Uncanny Counter! In which I also love him.)
Healer (Korean)
OMG I love this show. So much. I even loved the romance. I wrote a post about it. (Did I go looking for Ji Chang Wook’s filmography after watching this? Yes, yes I did.)
HIStory 4: Trapped (Taiwanese)
Getting into bl drama is a lot like getting into bl manga/manhwa: requires accepting that dramas with action/mystery/SFF are few and far between. (I would also add "dramas with adults" but there seem to be more and more of those these days.) This was one of the first bl dramas I found that wasn't just a romance, and I was SO EXCITED. It's a little cheesy, but I loved it. The cop/mafioso romance (which is also a grumpy cat/sunshine puppy romance) between the leads is a lot of fun. And it has what might be my absolute favorite side pairing: the always-smiling assassin and his adorable tiny cop boyfriend (a sunshine velociraptor/sunshine puppy pairing, if you will).
Hotel Del Luna (Korean)
This show is amazing! Jang Man Wol stewing in rage and ennui for a thousand years only to have everything turned upside down by a stubborn, good-hearted puppy-man who she ironically stuck herself with. The slow, heartbreaking, breath-catching reveal of Man Wol’s past. The range of creepy, sad, funny, heart-warming ghost stories. The characters. The production quality! Ah, so good.
If You Wish Upon Me (Korean)
Another OMG I LOVE THIS. Ji Chang Wook is so good at “sweet, tough, vulnerable, and a good guy despite being raised by wolves” characters. I did cry semi-regularly due to the nature of the setting, but while I usually avoid things that make me cry, this was good crying. And so worth it. Also, the FL is a hoot, and a BAMF when she takes on the ML's abusive ex.
The Imperial Coroner (Chinese)
Adorable nerds falling in love over corpses in ancient China WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE.
Jade Dynasty (Chinese)
I get why people don’t like this, but I did. It was a silly, sweet, fun story and it only required a time commitment of an hour and some.
Joseon Attorney: A Morality (Korean)
I wanted to like this more than I did, because Woo Do Hwan. Loved him. Favorite part was when he was imprisoned and being tortured and someone came to visit him in his cell and he was fidgeting and fussing with the filthy straw while he talked with them. Like. Oh honey. WTF are you doing, just have a good cry and take a nap before your next torture session my babie. But I got kind of bored? As soon as we found out what happened to his sister I gave up and fast-forwarded through the rest so I could at least see what happened.
Jun & Jun (Korean)
I had to be in the right mood to watch this (open to a silly office romance with ALL the tropes), but when I did finally watch it I loved it. There is second (and third) lead syndrome, but all three of the men in love with Lee Jun are likeable, and I honestly would have been happy with Lee Jun choosing any of them. Also, Lee Jun is the most precious bean.
Lawless Lawyer (Korean)
I struggled through the middle of this. I’m not a huge fan of how in Korean shows everything always goes to absolute shit for the main character(s) mid-way through. I mean, I don’t mind that element of storytelling in general; it’s the way it’s so devastating in so many of these shows. This one hit me when I was in the wrong frame of mind, I think. But I’m glad I stuck it out because the way the villain was ultimately taken down was fantastic.
Love and Redemption (Chinese)
OMG LOVE. Serious, serious love. I wrote a post about this.
Love by Chance (Thai)
Ehhh. I ended up fast-forwarding through all of it except the Ai/Pete stuff. That is a great relationship, though. Pete has internalized politeness to an adorable degree, and is sweet despite having been badly burned; Ai went from "uninterested in dating anyone at all but assumed straight" to "oh I'm in love with this guy? I must be gay. Cool."
Love for Love’s Sake (Korean)
This was a sweet show. The concept was clever, and the way it held onto its secrets until almost the end worked really well.
Love in the Air (Thai)
I tried watching this about a year ago - first Thai drama, first bl drama - and I got through the first arc and quit, and didn't go back to bl or Thai dramas for literal months. It was mostly due to the production quality, the cheesiness, and all of the pouting Rain does. But I went back to it recently, after watching A LOT of Thai bl, and I actually love it? Still cheesy, still wishing they could have invested in a boom mic, but I can handwave that now I guess. I really, really love the second story arc, about PaiSky. Sky is a great character, and Prapai goes through character growth! Starts out a pushy, cocky playboy who thinks it's cute to stalk the guy he likes, ends up being a compassionate, responsible boyfriend.
Mad Dog (Korean)
MORE LOVE. This was the kdrama that caused me to fall down the rabbit hole of kdramas in general. I’ve watched this three times. The found family element, the character journey that especially Kim Min Joon but also Choi Kang Woo go through – help, so good. And what a great introduction to Woo Do Hwan. I wrote a post.
Maiden Holmes (Chinese)
This is like...if your favorite, heart-warming, Jane Austen-inspired romance drama was a mystery set in ancient China and had cool fight scenes. Comfort food.
Manner of Death (Thai)
This is barely a bl (very few bl tropes); it's more of a mystery with romance between the two leads who are both guys. Very good, if a little cheesy in places. And let's not talk about Tan's marriage proposal because wtf dude.
Memorist (Korean)
I watched this early in my exploration of kdramas and didn’t like it for some reason; I fast-forwarded through a lot of it. But I think I might have just not been in the right mood before, because I tried it again and it was excellent! The twists and turns of the mystery, the way things that seemed unrelated turned out to be all connected, was awesome.
Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But To Kiss! (Japanese)
This was adorable! The main character had a lot more layers than I expected, and his love interest was so sweet.
My Beautiful Man (Japanese)
Two high school boys with problematic behavioral issues whose issues complement each other. It's unexpectedly charming and touching, and I'm really glad there's a sequel!
My Roommate is a Detective (Chinese)
If you want a bromance where you can easily ship the male leads, and has some whump, and you don’t mind cheesiness: here you go!
My Lascivious Boss (Vietnamese)
There's not a lot of Vietnamese bl out there, and I wanted to try one. This one is good; not the greatest acting, but still good. Also, the episodes are so short, so it's a quick watch.
My Tooth Your Love (Taiwanese)
One of the main characters is a dentist, hence the absurd English title. I'm not good with any dentistry situation so I admit I watched a couple of seconds here and there through my fingers, but it's really just a lovely romance. I can't remember where I read it, but this is a good description (paraphrased): the leads woo each other with plushies and naps.
Never Let Me Go (Thai)
Rich high school student's dad is murdered in front of him, and has another high school student, who has never bodyguarded before ever but his dad makes him do it because his dad is kind of a jerk, assigned as his bodyguard. Weird premise, EXCELLENT delivery. The actors who play the boys have great chemistry, and make the characters feel very real.
The Novelist (Japanese)
I don't even know what to say about this drama? It's a bit like those weird little Indie films from the 90s. Like, it's pretty good, but it's also...something.
Numbers (Korean)
I really liked this until the last episode. It fizzled out. Is there supposed to be a second season or something, maybe? IDK.
Oh No Here Comes Trouble (Taiwanese)
Oh this was GOOD. The title and ML's hair cut (yes I judge) made me think it was going to be silly, and there was silliness but there was also a lot of depth and emotion. ML's family situation is a traumatic running thread. The mysteries are clever and fun but heartfelt and sad too. It was just so good.
Old-Fashioned Cupcake (Japanese)
Oh this is so sweet! It's based on a bl manga I haven't read yet, but definitely will because this is just the sweetest, warmest story.
Our Dating Sim (Korean)
Very good, very sweet. I really felt for Gi Tae, waiting so many years, and then hiding so much anxiety.
Sell Your Haunted House (Korean)
Oh this is so good! A great supernatural show, with a great FL, and the FL and ML become besties rather than romantic yay.
Semantic Error [TV show] (Korean)
I watched this because I’d heard of the manga, though I absolutely wasn’t expecting to actually get sucked in like I did. Excellent show. Another one I wrote about.
The Sign (Thai)
I loved this so much!! Action, crime, reincarnation, mythology, romance, humor - there’s so much going on and I enjoyed all of it. The last two episodes used some hand-waving instead of explaining things, but I’m not mad. Billy and Babe had amazing chemistry, too.
Together with Me (Thai)
I couldn't get Manner of Death at the time, but everyone keeps talking about MaxTul, so I watched this. It's not bad.
The Uncanny Counter 1 (Korean)
The first kdrama I watched! The only reason it didn't cause an instant obsession with kdramas is because i started watching Love and Redemption after and that was 59 episodes of blissful hyperfixation. But I love the supernatural/superhero/semi-religious? aspect, I love the different families that the ML has/finds, I love the whump.
Under the Skin (Chinese)
So far this is the only modern Chinese drama I’ve been able to finish. The mysteries were good, the relationship growth between the two male leads was compelling! Good stuff.
Unforgotten Night (Thai)
This show is really pretty terrible. I'm incapable of not laughing when the soundtrack cuts to a track of ~Italian mafioso music every. single. time that Kamol comes on screen. But it's gone so far past terrible that it's come out the other side, and I kinda like it.
The Untamed (Chinese)
First east Asian drama for me! I watched and rewatched this show multiple times in 2021, and without it I don’t think I would have explored [read: become obsessed with] east Asian dramas. I’m still in the fandom and reading the fic and watching the FMVs and etc. I cannot quit WangXian.
Until We Meet Again (Thai)
This is an amazing drama. Romeo and Juliet, but make it a modern bl college story with reincarnation, and the reincarnated Juliet has PTSD from his past life memories. Excellent storytelling, acting, everything.
Watcher (Korean)
Ooooooh this is so good. All of the characters are so compelling, and the overall story kept me engaged. Also, Seo Kang Joon: yes.
Why R U? (Thai)
This is kind of terrible, except that ZeeSaint as Fighter/Tutor absolutely sizzle. I also loved watching Fighter figure out his sexuality via 50% dialogue and actions and 50% Zee's incredibly expressive face.
Word of Honor (Chinese)
I watched this after watching The Untamed, and was kind of meh about it. But then after I’d poked around cdramas a bit, I watched it again and loved it. IDK what happened, but now it’s a fave.
You’re All Surrounded (Korean)
Ok, the FL in this is terrible. So annoying. Despite that and some of the other things that didn’t quite click with me, I was unable to drop it because I NEEDED to find out how Eun Dae Gu’s story would end (very satisfyingly actually!).
Movies:
Long Time No See (Korean)
I love this so much! Assassins; cool fight scenes; traumatized lead; murder boyfriends! UGH it's so good.
The New Employee (Korean)
Not bad. Not great, but not bad.
Pipeline (Korean)
NGL, I watched this because I wanted some Seo In Guk whump. It definitely delivered! It was a fun, fast-paced story, with very little character development and a very underused villain, and really good action. I turned my brain off and enjoyed it. The only thing I couldn't help mentally griping about was the complete lack of ear protection in most (all?) of the drilling scenes. They should have all been partially deaf, good grief.
The Yin Yang Master (Chinese)
Wacky and good!
The Yin Yang Master: Dream of Eternity (Chinese)
Less wacky than the other one, but also good, and the bromance!!!
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5 K-Dramas you should watch!
1. Guardian: The Lonely and Great God 2016 (16 Episodes)
It is a story about an immortal goblin Kim Shin (the King of the Goryeo Dynasty) who has an invisible sword in his chest due to a curse. Only by dragging out the sword Ji Eun-tak can end the curse and end his immortal life. Ji Eun-Tak can summon Goblin by blowing out fire. And when she unintentionally summons Goblin, both of their lives get twisted. Goblin and the Grim Reaper live under the same roof as Goblin's nephew leases the house to the grim reaper. Goblin's bride, Ji Eun-tak starts working for a beautiful lady named Sunny. As the lives of Kim Shin, Grim Reaper, Ji Eun-Tak, and Sunny muddle, a more profound story unravels, as they are strangers who met by destiny, however, people with a past connection.
(Romance, Comedy, Fantasy, Drama)
2. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon 2017 (16 Episodes)
Do Bong-soon was brought into the world with an extraordinary strength that is hereditary and only passed to women in her family. She wanted to create a video game with herself as the main character. Because of her strength, she finds a new line of work as a bodyguard to a rich heir Ahn Min-hyuk, the President of Ainsoft. A progression of kidnapping cases occurs in Dobong-dong, the region where Bong Soon lives. She wanted to catch the culprit who targeted her best friend. With assistance and preparation from Min-hyuk, she figures out how to control her strength to involve it for good aims. Min-hyuk and Bong Soon long find their relationship developing into something else. The dangerous and comical situations in their relationship while pursuing the kidnapper, bring them closer.
(Thriller, Romance, Comedy)
3. Angel's Last Mission: Love 2019 (32 Episodes)
Lee Yeon-Seo is a remarkably capable and fruitful ballerina who can say anything that she needs with her family's Fantasia Ballet Company however experiences an overwhelming mishap during following up on stage that leaves her visually impaired. She is mad and oppressive towards her staff, including her loyal secretary and steward, her shrewd family, and every other person. Dan is a hopeful, lighthearted angel who is continuously causing problems. To get back to heaven he is given the apparently inconceivable mission of tracking down genuine affection for Yeon-seo, yet winds up falling for her himself.
(Romance, Fantasy)
4. Crash Landing On You 2019 (16 Episodes)
Yoon Se-Ri is a heiress to agglomerate in South Korea. At some point, while paragliding, a mishap brought about by strong winds drives Yoon Se-Ri to make an emergency landing in North Korea. There, she meets Ri Jeong-Hyeok, who is a North Korean armed force officer. He attempts to safeguard her and conceal her. Before long, Ri Jeong-Hyeok hopelessly falls in love with Yoon Se-Ri.
(Romance, Comedy)
5. It's Okay to Not Be Okay 2020 (16 Episodes)
It is a story about a man utilised in a psychiatric ward and a lady who is a popular writer of children's books. The show recounts the narrative of Moon Kang Tae, a local area well-being labourer at a psychiatric ward who lacks the capacity to deal with affection, and Go Moon Young, a fruitful children's book writer with an antisocial way of behaving who appears to have never known love. After meeting each other, the two gradually start to mend each other's emotional wounds.
(Romance, Comedy, Psychological, Mild horror)
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