Long story short: I've been away from dramas for a long time - no specific reason, I just haven't watched any and didn't keep up with news and reviews for a few years.
Now that I'm back here in dramaland, I am in dire need of your help! What would you say are the absolute must-watch, buzz-worthy dramas from the last 2-3 years? What's your top 3/5/10/(okay, whatever number you like) Korean and Japanese dramas? What's the Reply 1997/You're Beautiful/Hana Yori Dango equivalent of the last few years?
Thank you so much in advance for helping me getting back in the game! :D (btw hi again to all you amazing forum people!)

*Edit: I forgot to say, but Chinese/Taiwanese/Thai dramas are welcome too! I've never watched one but I'm always up for any kind of recs, especially since I'm asking for a very best of! (also thank you so much to all the kind people who have already replied! ♥)

*Edit n.2: I made this a challenge, you can see the details on my profile (and a list of all the dramas suggested here)! I'm starting with everything people suggested until now, but if you add relevant suggestions I will add them to the challenge!
Healer
38 Task Force
Oh My Ghost
Reply 1998
Age of Youth

and from the bunch currently airing Moon Lovers and Shopping King Louie but since they're not finished, anything could happen.
Oh, and I forgot Angry Mom!
misaeng (incomplete life), healer, & age of youth are my top three picks. I'll add plus nine boys (not much buzz, I don't think, but it is good, IMO) & reply 1988 to make it five, but the latter might be difficult to marathon unless you're hooked to every second.

six flying dragons was a fairly big, popular, & well-liked drama, too, but I haven't finished it yet.
+1 angry mom
heart to heart
kill me, heal me
So for the last 3 years, the best dramas for me are :
- From Japan : Hanzawa Naoki (2013) + Juuhan Shuttai! (2016)
- From Korea : Misaeng (2014) + Reply 1988 ♥ ♥ ♥ (2015) + Signal (2016) + Oh Hae Young Again (2016) [TvN : definitely the best cable TV for the last years \o/]
- From China : Nirvana In fire (2015) + Ode to Joy (2016)
Can I put some Chinese titles? Cause these past few years China produced so many inspiring, heartwarming and charming dramas.

2014: Battle of Changsha which is a pure masterpiece, In aGood Way, Bad Guys and for Jdramas Border & Wakamono Tachi.
2015: Six Flying Dragons, simply magnificent.
2016: Dear My Friends another masterpiece filled with so much breathtaking, heartbreaking and lovely scenes, To Be a Better Man (my second fave drama from 2016), Ode to Joy and Memory.

I might have forgotten some titles, so I'll probably edit this post.
There were quite a few really good ones these last 2-3 years. You missed a lot! I watch dramas from everywhere but lately the japanese ones were all old ones so I don't have any between 2014 and 2016.
The dramas in bold are the ones you'll more likely hear often.

In no particular order (because I filtered my list by year) :

2016 :
Signal : 10/10, korean time-travel police drama. This is my all-time favourite drama and I'm probably not alone. It's the top drama on MDL, a real masterpiece.
38 Task Force : 9/10, another korean police drama. This one is about a con artist helping a policeman retrieving money from tax evaders.
Thumping Spike : 8/10, cute web kdrama. It's a noona romance, not much difference in age gap but between a coach and a volleyball player.
W : 8/10, fantasy kdrama. About a woman dragged into a manwha. It started really good but got a little confusing towards the end. Still, it was an unusual and very enjoyable story. With a better second half, it would have easily been a 10/10.
The Good Wife : 8/10, romance and law drama adapted from the US drama. I didn't watch the US drama but the ending is different from what I read. It was very interesting and intense at some point. For mature audience I'd say.
- Bring it on, Ghost : 8/10, cute horror and romantic comedy drama. About an exorcist meeting a high school girl spirit, who ends up helping him fight bad spirits.

2015 :
Love Me If You Dare : 8/10, chinese drama but it felt like a korean one, police and romance drama.
Splash Splash Love : 9/10, special kdrama with only 2 episodes. Gender-bender time-traveling drama.
- Kill Me, Heal Me : 9/10, kdrama. This one is very special because it's about personality disorder. It's a must watch. I didn't like it that much at first but it became really interesting.
I Remember You : 8/10, another police and romance kdrama. Yes, I like them ^^ About a profiler involved with a serial murder.

2014 :
You're all surrounded : 9/10, police and romance kdrama.
Bad Guys : 9/10, police kdrama. About a team made of dangerous, sometimes highly dangerous, criminals working for the police.
Cheo Yong (also season 2 from 2015) : 8/10 (and 7/10 for season 2), fantasy and police kdrama. About a cop seing ghosts.
Secret Love Affair : 7/10, romance kdrama. This is a noona romance but also an adultery story. It was quite slow but very intense to watch. For mature audience.
Pinocchio : 10/10, romantic comedy and crime drama set in the journalism industry. It seems you didn't watch I Hear Your Voice (2013), they are quite similar. Moreover, IHYV is a fantasy (the man can read minds), a noona romance and a crime drama.
Healer : 9/10, action and romance drama. About an errand boy working for the criminal industry.
from 2013 to 2016 my favs so far all completed would be: 
- Okitegami Kyoko no Biboroku (light romance, interesting fresh plot) 2015
- Please Love the Useless Me (japanese romance must watch, plus comedy really really nice) 2016
- 99.9: Criminal Lawyer (lawyer dramas are popular but this is a good one and the comedy is great) 2016
- Death Note (there were already movies, this year the new drama for it and both are good) 2015
- Orange (it's a movie and will make you cry plus interesting plot) 2015
- Kill Me, Heal Me (I rarely watch kdrama but this one was too good) 2015
- N no Tame ni (really interesting plot, great watch) 2014
- Kazoku Game (same as above the plot is great and love it) 2013

2013:

The Master's sun
Kazoku game
Itazura na Kiss - Love in Tokyo

2014:

N no Tame ni
Rurouni Kenshin (movies)
Marriage, Not Dating
Itazura na Kiss - Love In Tokyo 2
It's Okay, That's Love
Healer
Cunning Single Lady


2015:

Yokoso Wagaya e
Siren
Ouroboros
Oh My Ghost
Kill Me, Heal Me

2016:

Signal
Sekai Ichi Muzukashii Koi
Marriage Contract
Descendants of the Sun

I feel like there haven't been too many spectacular dramas over the last few years (at least of the ones I've seen), but the best ones were:

N no Tame ni
Dame na Watashi ni Koi shite kudasai
Namonaki Doku/Petero no Souretsu
+1 Signal, Splash Splash Love and You're All Surrounded
2016
38 Task Force
Dramaworld
Go Ho's Starry Night
Love in the Moonlight
Signal

2015
Kill Me, Heal Me
The Lover
Oh My Ghost
Scholar Who Walks the Night
She Was Pretty
Snow Lotus
Splash Splash Love

2014
Bad Guys
Doctor Stranger
God's Quiz [season 4]
Healer
High School King of Savvy
Pinocchio
Thank you so much for helping me, all of you! Being out of the loop so long means I have so many good dramas waiting for me - I can't wait to finish up the stuff I left halfway through and start tackling your suggestions! Thanks to all the people who helped me out so far, and keep in mind that if you want to add something/further endorse something already mentioned, you are always very welcome to! :)
Here's my list, starting from 2014. These are the best of the best for me (I'm super picky cause I'm American :P)

Pinocchio (2014) (Korean)
It's Okay, That's Love (2014) (Korean) (IN LOVE)
I Need Romance 3 (2014) (Korean) (IN LOVE)
Full House (2014) (Thai) (IN LOVE)
Cunning Single Lady (2014) (Korean) (IN LOVE)
The Time We Were Not in Love (2015) (Korean)
Splash Splash LOVE (2015) (Korean) (IN LOVE)
Falling for Innocence (2015) (Korean) (My first drama)
W (2016) (Korean) (IN LOVE)
Marriage Contract (2016) (Korean) (Made me cry)
Love O2O (2016) (Chinese)
Love in the Moonlight (2016) (Korean) (IN LOVE)
Hello Mr. Right (2016) (Chinese/Korean)
Go Ho's Starry Night (2016) (Korean)
Good Morning Call (2016) (Japanese) 
Descendants of the Sun (2016) (Korean)
Cinderella and the Four Knights (2016) (Korean) 
Bring It On, Ghost (2016) (Korean) 
Seisei Suruhodo, Aishiteru (2016) (Japanese) (IN LOVE)
From Five to Nine (2015) (Japanese) (IN LOVE)

Oh and I know you said you wanted something new but I recently discovered this one and although I HATE older shows, this one drew me in and I ended up binge watching till 4 am. Hope you like it too!

Kamisama Mou Sukoshi Dake (1998)