Unexpectedly excellent / hidden gems (K/C dramas)
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1. Dali and the Cocky Prince
Korean Drama - 2021, 16 episodes
This sounds silly but it actually has great characters and manages to hit all the beats. No one is stupid or acts totally out of character (not even the 'stupid' character or the bad guy). The romance is sweet but somehow natural and like a perfect opposites attract and it's so freaking sweet but not in an nauseating way. It manages to weave a lot of genres together, there is bruises and cuts and big pools of blood and people actually talk to each other and change their minds and IDK just well done all around!
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2. See You in My 19th Life
Korean Drama - 2023, 12 episodes
This sounds a little weird but it's really good and lots of call backs and the idea of re-living past lives and a few ones being able to remember really works. Just a good full circle sort of story.
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3. The Romance of Tiger and Rose
Chinese Drama - 2020, 24 episodes
This one is the mos hilarious thing ever. Like it's so silly it shouldn't work but it does. Even the ending works even though I normally hate the ends of *falling into a story/other world/dream* tropes. Anyways, this is funny and romantic and puts a spin on all the topes, just no slow bit and just all around great flow. Besides all of that Zhao Lu Si and Ding Yu Xi are both the most adorable so I mean one could just watch it for their faces and great chemistry.
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4. Go Ahead
Chinese Drama - 2020, 46 episodes
Took me a long time of watching dramas before I found this one so putting it under hidden gems. Hands down the best found family feels I've ever had. I cried, I laughed and most of all I couldn't stop watching it. I still listen to the soundtrack months later... it's not perfect because life isn't perfect and I mean why did they not make 100 more episodes? I wanted more of their lives and struggles and happiness and sadness.
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5. Falling into Your Smile
Chinese Drama - 2021, 31 episodes
You gotta be a little into e-sports (or be prepared to zone out those parts if it's not your vibe) but this is cute and the message about team work, being a leader, girl in a all boys club, love, fans and public and private lives works really well. Lots of e-sport and team vibes rather than full on romcom which was what I thought it would be going in but I still stuck with it and so I feel like that says a lot.
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6. Legally Romance
Chinese Drama - 2022, 33 episodes
A dream that works and while I don't know how I feel about the ML's haircut and it's not really explained how it all works with the dream, it was surprisingly charming, romantic and heartbreaking at times!
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7. Doctor Slump
Korean Drama - 2024, 16 episodes
Is this a hidden gem/unknown? Maybe not, but it's better than the summary I'd say even if maybe lost some of it's excellence at the end and the characters were a bit immature/silly (maybe believable if you reason that all they've bone done is study and work 24/7 for their whole lives) also I'm bias because Park Hyung Sik is the ML but still would recommend.
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8. Just an Encore
Chinese Drama - 2019, 31 episodes
Summary sounds a little like too serious and while this is serious it's a cute youth drama more than that and it's totally worth watching.
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9. Kokdu: Season of Deity
Korean Drama - 2023, 16 episodes
This one is good for what it is and while it's not the best at everything, I think if you watch it for a fairytale romcom sort of thing with that in mind you'll enjoy it. Some don't seem to like FL but IDK I think she was fine, but to each his/her own!
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10. Reset
Chinese Drama - 2022, 15 episodes
Everything works really well, just solid all around time loop story with a dash of a lot of things that all make for a entertaining story first to last episode.
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11. Wonderland of Love
Chinese Drama - 2023, 40 episodes
These characters, despite being so unbelievably awesome and fighting and surviving four arros to the chest and a lot of other things, somehow feel completely real. Made me cry, laugh, cry some more, enjoy a good love story while also being so frustrated with them at time but in a really good way because I understood them. There is no *that's stupid* moments that are just stupid, they're *aahh no don't do that* because it makes sense for the characters to act that way so they're not stupid. Some bits will also give you diabetes but that's okay, we like that!
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12. Scent of Time
Chinese Drama - 2023, 30 episodes
This is not a love story but at the same time it is, but it's really much more of a political thing and a redemption drama. It's also got and ending I felt really worked, even though someone might hate it. I felt they foreshadowed it well enough though.
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13. High School Return of a Gangster
Korean Drama - 2024, 8 episodes
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14. Why Women Love
Chinese Drama - 2022, 24 episodes
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15. Alliance
Chinese Drama - 2023, 36 episodes
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16. The Double
Chinese Drama - 2024, 40 episodes
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17. Not Me
Thai Drama - 2021, 14 episodes