Historical dramas

This list is for historical dramas (and a few movies) that I have watched. I rank the dramas according to how much I liked them. (For unrated, dropped dramas, I just add them at the end of the list in the order of watching them, or rather not watching them.) I might add dramas with time travel and minor fantasy/fantastical elements, but NOT pure fantasy about gods and immortals etc! That is not "history", you know. (Some fantasy dramas that I have watched or dropped are The Journey of Flower, Ten Miles of..., Tribes and Empires, Novoland: Eagle Flag...)

My ratings: 10: amazing, 9-8: very good, 7: good, 6: watchable. 5 and below: not worth my time.

Lily_B Jan 4, 2020
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  • Nirvana in Fire

    1. Nirvana in Fire

    Chinese Drama - 2015, 54 episodes

    10

    My favourite drama of all time! 

  • Gunshi Kanbei

    2. Gunshi Kanbei

    Japanese Drama - 2014, 50 episodes

    10

    It was so interesting and had lovable characters, and I never wanted it to end. While I've forgotten many details by now, Eguchi Yosuke as Nobunaga will live in my memory forever!

  • Battle of Changsha

    3. Battle of Changsha

    Chinese Drama - 2014, 32 episodes

    9.5

    Ooooh, I loved this drama so much. It was very sad at times but also had many heartwarming moments! And the romance was good. 

  • Mr. Sunshine

    4. Mr. Sunshine

    Korean Drama - 2018, 24 episodes

    9.5

    Wonderful romance drama!!

  • Sound of the Desert

    5. Sound of the Desert

    Chinese Drama - 2014, 35 episodes

    9.0

    My first c-drama. I fell so in love with the scenery and the costumes, and of course with the romance between the main couple... which turned out not to be the main couple, and I'll never get over it.

  • Miss Granny

    6. Miss Granny

    Korean Movie - 2014

    9.0

    Wonderful movie! Also, good music. :) And it has Lee Jin Wook in a minor supporting role - totally stole the show during the short time I saw him, and it was the first role I saw him in.

  • Six Flying Dragons

    7. Six Flying Dragons

    Korean Drama - 2015, 50 episodes

    9.0

    I remember it took me some time to get into this drama and fully appreciate it, even though I could always see that it was good. Once I got captivated by it, I loved it!

  • The Rebel Princess

    8. The Rebel Princess

    Chinese Drama - 2021, 68 episodes

    9.0

    I liked it a lot. Good, if not entirely unique, plot, great acting, visually stunning and one of the best couples ever.

  • Long Goodbye

    9. Long Goodbye

    Japanese Drama - 2014, 5 episodes

    9.0

    Honestly I don't remember a lot about this (was there a gorgeous femme fatale?) but I rated it 9 so I must have liked it a lot!

  • Story of Yanxi Palace

    10. Story of Yanxi Palace

    Chinese Drama - 2018, 70 episodes

    8.5

    Even though it dragged a bit in the middle, it was a really fun watch. The main character is very clever and it was fun watching her outsmart her enemies time and again. It has its fair share of good "sismance" and I did not dislike the romance.

  • The Disguiser

    11. The Disguiser

    Chinese Drama - 2015, 48 episodes

    8.5

    I guess this drama had some flaws, like some great actors were sadly not a good match for their characters, but overall I really enjoyed it a lot. Unlike some, I didn't dislike the romance. Jin Dong is great in it!

  • Sparrow

    12. Sparrow

    Chinese Drama - 2016, 61 episodes

    8.5

    Okay, it has the same rating as The Disguiser, but I liked it probably a little bit less (but still more than "just" 8). It has some annoying characters.

  • Scarlet Heart

    13. Scarlet Heart

    Chinese Drama - 2011, 35 episodes

    8.0

    I liked it. I remember not being fully convinced by the romance (I was kind of constantly on the fence) and being annoyed by the too perfect heroine, even though I always rooted for her.

  • A Dream of Splendor

    14. A Dream of Splendor

    Chinese Drama - 2022, 40 episodes

    8.5

    Surprisingly good (with some silly element) about female friendship and ambition, without betrayal and evil backstabbing or obsessive jealousy. Very refreshing!

  • Legend of Concubine Zhen Huan

    15. Legend of Concubine Zhen Huan

    Chinese Drama - 2012, 76 episodes

    8.0

    Relatively low rating because there were only 25 or 26 episodes with subs, and then I had to watch the Netflix short version.

  • Under the Queen's Umbrella

    16. Under the Queen's Umbrella

    Korean Drama - 2022, 16 episodes

    8.0

    Very good drama with great FL and plot well put together. Nice mother/son relationships. Some "modern" ideas about love, gender, women... I know it bothered some viewers, but I'm sure people back then could think, too. :p Great costumes and acting.

  • The Story of Ming Lan

    17. The Story of Ming Lan

    Chinese Drama - 2018, 78 episodes

    8.0

    It was very good in every way except too long and draggy in the second half. (There's only so much bullying from step mother and mother in law you can take!)

  • Tenno no Ryoriban

    18. Tenno no Ryoriban

    Japanese Drama - 2015, 12 episodes

    8.0

    Very enjoyable food drama. I also learned a bit from it.

  • City of Streamer

    19. City of Streamer

    Chinese Drama - 2022, 40 episodes

    7.5

    Gorgeous revenge romance drama in the Republican Era, worth watching and it had its stronger points among all the melodrama, but a bit too long and draggy at times.

  • Hwang Jin Yi

    20. Hwang Jin Yi

    Korean Drama - 2006, 24 episodes

    7.5

    It was interesting and beautiful to watch, but it got a bit draggy because the romance was meh in my opinion and there was too much focus on it, while I found other parts of the story a lot more interesting.

  • Gochisosan

    21. Gochisosan

    Japanese Drama - 2013, 150 episodes

    8.0

    A nice asadora that I enjoyed, but I found it a bit draggy at times.

  • Lust, Caution

    22. Lust, Caution

    Chinese Movie - 2007

    8.0

    Hmm. I rated it highly because it was "a good movie", interesting, and I liked some things about it. BUT I hated the violent sex in it. At the time I even wished I hadn't watched it... but time has bleached my brain a bit.

  • Tempest

    23. Tempest

    Japanese Drama - 2011, 10 episodes

    7.5

    Don't remember much about it except that I liked it, and found the crossdressing completely unbelievable.

  • Nirvana in Fire Season 2: The Wind Blows in Chang Lin

    24. Nirvana in Fire Season 2: The Wind Blows in Chang Lin

    Chinese Drama - 2017, 50 episodes

    7.5

    Honestly, I might have liked it more if it didn't have "Nirvana in Fire" in the title. Didn't live up to its name. This one, too, was better in the first half. Also, I never really loved the main character...

  • The Three Musketeers

    25. The Three Musketeers

    Korean Drama - 2014, 12 episodes

    7.5

    I don't know what to say about it except I must have liked it for more reasons than LJW.... 

  • Marvelous Women

    26. Marvelous Women

    Chinese Drama - 2021, 35 episodes

    7.0

    Interesting to learn a little bit about kesi and a visually stunning drama, but draggy at times in the second half with unnecessary things going on, and just generally too preachy! Flashback scenes that felt too "deus ex machina", but overall it was worth watching this drama. 

  • The Painter of the Wind

    27. The Painter of the Wind

    Korean Drama - 2008, 20 episodes

    7.0

    Oh, this was a pretty interesting drama. I remember it as beautiful. The crossdressing theme was done really well here! It was pretty queer actually (in something of the theoretical sense of the word), which I appreciated. :) Also, age gap romance ftw. :) But... I found it too slow-paced and lost my patience a few times.

  • Winter Begonia

    28. Winter Begonia

    Chinese Drama - 2020, 49 episodes

    6.5

    Beautiful cinematography, beautiful male lead, too little plot for such a long drama but interesting to learn a bit about Peking opera.

  • Couple of Mirrors

    29. Couple of Mirrors

    Chinese Drama - 2021, 12 episodes

    6.0

    Another disappointing but watchable republican era drama. Partly the same cast and locations as Legacy, putting it one step above just because it was shorter so it wasn't boring.

  • Legacy

    30. Legacy

    Chinese Drama - 2022, 45 episodes

    6.0

    Partly enjoyable, partly just bland with cardboard characters and non-suspenseful plotlines. Great cast though, and beautiful costumes. Don't regret watching, wouldn't really recommend.

  • A Frozen Flower

    31. A Frozen Flower

    Korean Movie - 2008

    6.5

    Honestly? They said it was super steamy so I watched it! 

  • The Servant

    32. The Servant

    Korean Movie - 2010

    6.5

    Same as above except I remember it as less passionate than the above.

  • Catch Up My Prince

    33. Catch Up My Prince

    Chinese Drama - 2023, 24 episodes

    6.0

    Don't know if it counts because it's about a game, but the setting is historical and it has all the usual tropes of a historical drama. Mildly enjoyable but could have been shorter.

  • Singing All Along

    34. Singing All Along

    Chinese Drama - 2016, 56 episodes

    6.0

    I liked it well enough in the beginning, but overall I found it boring!! :( It had some nice elements of female friendship, though!

  • Madadayo

    35. Madadayo

    Japanese Movie - 1993

    6.0

    I watched this before I joined MDL and before I had watched any dramas. All I remember is that I didn't hate it although it was pretty boring to me.

  • My Dearest

    36. My Dearest

    Korean Drama - 2023, 10 episodes

    5.0

    Unpopular opinion: I disliked the romance. With this drama, there isn't a lot more to like... but some scenes were very pretty.

  • Lovers of the Red Sky

    37. Lovers of the Red Sky

    Korean Drama - 2021, 16 episodes

    5.0

    Historical fantasy. Boring with bland and unbelievable characters, but some good painting scenes. 

  • Good Bye, My Princess

    38. Good Bye, My Princess

    Chinese Drama - 2019, 52 episodes

    3.5

    One of the worst waste of my time dramas I've ever watched. (I wrote a review.)

  • Prince of Lan Ling

    39. Prince of Lan Ling

    Chinese Drama - 2013, 46 episodes

    3.0

    The worst waste of my time drama I've watched since GBMP. Cringe. Stupid, boring.

  • The Legend of Hao Lan

    40. The Legend of Hao Lan

    Chinese Drama - 2019, 62 episodes

    dropped it, got bored

  • Saimdang, Light’s Diary

    41. Saimdang, Light’s Diary

    Korean Drama - 2017, 28 episodes

    I dropped it because it was annoying. Two words: Noble idiocy.

  • The Promise of Chang’an

    42. The Promise of Chang’an

    Chinese Drama - 2020, 56 episodes

    Dropped it. I didn't feel anything for the characters, except that I felt like I had seen them before.

  • Tenchijin

    43. Tenchijin

    Japanese Drama - 2009, 47 episodes

    I don't remember why I dropped it, but I think it was because I watched it on a streaming site with bad quality.

  • Empress Ki

    44. Empress Ki

    Korean Drama - 2013, 51 episodes

    Dropped it, hated the ML too much and story not interesting enough. (I liked the deposed king on the battlefield, when he had facial hair and no hat, also loved the empress dowager, but I'm not watching for eyecandy.)

  • Legend of Mi Yue

    45. Legend of Mi Yue

    Chinese Drama - 2015, 81 episodes

    Dropped after trying to watch episode 5. The subs were impossible to understand (automatic translation) and that means too hard to watch. It's supposed to be a very good drama and maybe it is, I don't know, but the first few episodes kind of made me feel like "just like in every other palace drama..." 

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