⭐ Recommendations (Dramas/Movies)

your mileage may vary
the notes I made are spoiler free
please ignore my ratings as they tend to skew lower than your average user
potential cw/tw: a number of these titles deal with serious or potentially disturbing scenes or themes

kdoramalama Oct 31, 2016

68 Titles 24 Loves

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1. Isa Pa with Feelings

Filipino Movie - 2019

8.0
- seemed realistic at portraying some of the problems that would arise given their differences
2. Fuujinshi

Japanese Drama - 2022, 9 episodes

8.0
- superb sword fighting choreography
- cinematography
- CGI
3. Ajin: Demi-Human

Japanese Movie - 2017

8.5
- everything is on point (action scenes, CGI, acting)
- ⚠️ pretty violent, gory
4. The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window

Japanese Movie - 2021

8.0
- superb visuals
- I'm easily scared and almost wished it was a little more spooky
5. The Killer Is Also Romantic

Chinese Drama - 2022, 18 episodes

9.0
- great chemistry, numerous tender moments between the leads
- good sword fighting and fight scenes
6. Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned

Korean Movie - 2016

8.0
- came across as realistic despite the fantasy element
- great story and relationships
- ⚠️ there are some potentially triggering scenes/moments
7. The Time Agent

Korean Movie - 2016

9.0
- the montages, soundtrack, acting, scriptwriting - everything was so well done
- ⚠️ deals with some sensitive themes
8. Better Days

Chinese Movie - 2019

8.5
- fantastic movie
- you're doing yourself a disservice by not watching it
- ⚠️ there are some potentially triggering scenes/moments
9. Wuliang

Chinese Movie - 2020

7.5
- short and heartfelt
- watch it here on dailymotion | password: wuliang
10. Reset

Chinese Drama - 2022, 15 episodes

8.5
- great acting, story, cinematography
11. Last Sunrise

Chinese Movie - 2019

7.5
- engaging disaster movie that made me oddly emotional at times
12. Goblin

Korean Drama - 2016, 16 episodes

8.5
- fantastic cinematography
- good chemistry between the leads
13. Handmade Love

Korean Special - 2020, 8 episodes

7.5
- it's an ad but a welcomed one, the set design was great
- cinematography was good too
- good OST
14. The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity

Chinese Movie - 2020

7.5
- good chemistry and acting
- phenomenal special effects, some of the best I've seen in the genre
- story was admittedly a little confusing for me to follow at times
15. Jitenshaya-san no Takahashi-kun

Japanese Drama - 2022, 8 episodes

8.0
- ⚠️ some difficult subject matter
16. Horimiya

Japanese Drama - 2021, 7 episodes

8.0
- wholesome high school story about love and friendship, coming out of your shell and accepting who you are
17. House of Flying Daggers

Chinese Movie - 2004

8.0
- I loved the story and cinematography
18. Zhang Gong Zhu Zai Shang

Chinese Drama - 2022, 27 episodes

7.0
- good chemistry between the leads
- downside is the pacing is a bit rushed
19. 30-sai made Dotei Da to Mahotsukai ni Nareru rashii

Japanese Drama - 2020, 12 episodes

8.0
- cute, wholesome relationship
- made me laugh out loud a couple of times (which is rare for me watching dramas)
20. Mars

Taiwanese Drama - 2004, 13 episodes

7.0
- has a special place in my heart as it was the first Asian drama I ever watched
- ⚠️ difficult subject matter
21. Itsuka, Nemuri ni Tsuku Hi

Japanese Drama - 2019, 6 episodes

7.5
- life lessons, makes you think and appreciate what you have
22. Watashitachi wa Douka Shiteiru

Japanese Drama - 2020, 8 episodes

7.0
- decent chemistry between the leads
- I suppose you would consider it to be a 'makjang' so it's a little over the top at times
- there are numerous shots of food that may make you hungry
- the repeated flashback scenes were a bit excessive
23. Splash Splash LOVE

Korean Special - 2015, 2 episodes

9.0
- short and sweet
24. Color Rush

Korean Drama - 2020, 8 episodes

8.5
- unique concept
- good acting and chemistry
- personally thought it was decently executed despite the short run time
- ⚠️ there is a potentially triggering scene later on
25. Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo

Korean Drama - 2016, 20 episodes

8.0
- good chemistry
- pretty cinematography
26. Koi wa Tsuzuku yo Doko Made mo

Japanese Drama - 2020, 10 episodes

7.0
- had a lot of my guilty pleasure tropes
- I'm a sucker for tsundere characters
- the female lead can be a bit too ditzy at times for my taste
27. Blackout

Thai Drama - 2021, 8 episodes

7.0
- my first vertical drama
- I love how well it was made, the four point of views match up pretty well
- ⚠️ there are some potentially triggering scenes/moments
28. Scripting Your Destiny

Korean Drama - 2021, 10 episodes

7.5
- good cinematography, chemistry, acting and OST
- if you enjoyed Goblin you'll probably like this
29. The Boy Next Door

Korean Drama - 2017, 15 episodes

7.0
- made me laugh and cringe a bunch with how over the top it was
- fans of BL content should find it enjoyable
30. Shanai Marriage Honey

Japanese Drama - 2020, 7 episodes

7.5
- good chemistry between the leads
- lots of skinship (physical intimacy)
31. Twenty Years Old

Korean Drama - 2014, 4 episodes

7.0
- I thought they had good chemistry
- very cute male lead
32. My Name

Korean Drama - 2021, 8 episodes

8.0
- great fight choreography, OST, acting, cinematography
- ⚠️ it's quite violent
33. I Told Sunset about You

Thai Drama - 2020, 5 episodes

8.5
- good cinematography
- excellent non-vocal communication / mutual pining
- every detail included (including the dialogue) is well thought out and has a specific purpose
34. I Told Sunset About You: The Documentary

Thai Special - 2020, 8 episodes

9.5
35. Word of Honor

Chinese Drama - 2021, 36 episodes

7.5
- great chemistry and bantering between the leads and a side character
- despite the low budget it still managed to deliver a good story and their outfits were nice
- ~~censorship was seemingly absent because their romantic relationship is very blatant~~
36. Red Devil and Heroine Su

Chinese Movie - 2020

8.0
- they packed a lot of story and feelings into a couple of minutes
37. A First Love Story

Korean Special - 2021, 2 episodes

7.0
- cute
38. The Silent Sea

Korean Drama - 2021, 8 episodes

8.0
- it gets a little absurd by the end but I still thought it was an enjoyable scifi thriller
39. Mute

Korean Drama - 2020, 4 episodes

7.0
- I really liked the male lead
- wished it was slightly longer
40. Legend of Yunze

Chinese Drama - 2021, 12 episodes

7.0
- short and cute censored GL drama
41. Legend of Yunze Special

Chinese Special - 2021, 14 episodes

7.5
- sequel (side story)
42. Recalled

Korean Movie - 2021

7.0
- ⚠️ there are some potentially triggering scenes
43. Shiyakusho

Japanese Drama - 2019, 10 episodes

7.5
- ⚠️deals with many heavy themes
44. The Untamed

Chinese Drama - 2019, 50 episodes

7.5
- good chemistry, acting (especially Wang Yibo and his micro expressions which said so much), outfits
- blatant BL despite the censorship
- started off confusing and slow and finally hooked me at episode 13, may take you around the same
- ⚠️ there are some potentially triggering scenes/moments
45. Silent

Japanese Drama - 2022, 11 episodes

7.5
46. Light on Me

Korean Drama - 2021, 16 episodes

6.5
- love triangle that isn't toxic
- cute and funny moments
- characters dealing with sexuality in a realistic way
- ⚠️ brief homophobia by some students
47. Hero

Chinese Movie - 2002

6.5
- stunning cinematography and visually pleasing fight choreography
- low rating is because plot itself didn't grab me whatsoever for some reason, but don't let that deter you
48. Move to Heaven

Korean Drama - 2021, 10 episodes

7.5
- ⚠️ there are some bodies shown, and quite a few mattresses with bodily fluids post-death
49. First Love

Korean Movie - 2016

7.0
- ⚠️ there are some potentially triggering scenes
50. The Fox Spirit and the Little Priest

Chinese Movie - 2021

7.5
- cute GL short film
- good OST
51. Komi-san wa, Komyushou Desu

Japanese Drama - 2021, 8 episodes

7.0
- daily struggles with social anxiety disorder and having trouble talking to others
52. Cat in the Eastern Palace

Chinese Movie - 2020

7.5
- censorship was nowhere to be found
53. Love in Blood

Chinese Movie - 2020

8.0
- good color grading, OST
54. Rinko-san wa Shite Mitai

Japanese Drama - 2021, 8 episodes

7.5
- there is an unnecessarily long misunderstanding (in my opinion)
- otherwise, I quite enjoyed this
55. The Courtesan and the Female Scholar

Chinese Movie - 2021

7.0
- another short GL film
56. Seobok

Korean Movie - 2021

7.0
- what does it mean to be human?
57. Dr. Brain

Korean Drama - 2021, 6 episodes

7.0
- started off strong, kind of felt like it tapered off towards the end but it still kept me on my toes
58. Semantic Error

Korean Drama - 2022, 8 episodes

8.0
- I like that it handled sexuality in a nonchalant way in one of the scenes, like it just so happens that a few of the characters dated around, could be bi/pansexual or what have you and there isn't any fuss or theatrics
- has female side characters that aren't vindictive
59. Dear My Name

Korean Drama - 2019, 6 episodes

7.0
- cute take on the soulmate trope
60. I'm Her Weapon

Chinese Movie - 2022

7.5
61. Your Ship Is Real

Chinese Special - 2022, 1 episode

7.0
62. Who Killed Edward

Hong Kong Movie - 2019

7.5
63. B-Class Cultural Heritage

Japanese Movie - 2014

7.0
- cinematography, subtitles and credits were on point
64. Rainless Love in a Godless Land

Taiwanese Drama - 2021, 13 episodes

7.5
- cinematography was quite nice
65. The Beauty Inside

Korean Movie - 2015

8.0
66. Bichunmoo

Korean Movie - 2000

7.0
- like Hero, it looked great but the story didn't do much for me for some reason
67. In the Absence

Korean Movie - 2018

9.0
- short documentary on the 2014 Sewol Ferry Disaster
- I believe everyone should watch it
- ⚠️ it's very emotional and has real footage taken from both inside and outside the ferry as it sank including a few short videos from students sitting inside before things became dire (there isn't anything graphic shown, but it's harrowing knowing what is happening to the students out of view as it capsizes and sinks) if you are sensitive to such tragedies you may want to avoid watching... it also has mentions of suicide ⚠️
68. Bulgasal: Immortal Souls

Korean Drama - 2021, 16 episodes

6.5
- adding this purely for the cinematography, it was beautifully shot
- every scene that takes place in the past (especially in the premiere, and part of the finale) was very well done