⭐ 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

67 Titles 26 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. 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
4. 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
5. Ajin: Demi-Human

Japanese Movie - 2017

8.5
- everything is on point (action scenes, CGI, acting)
- ⚠️ pretty violent, gory
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. The Beauty Inside

Korean Movie - 2015

8.0
63. Who Killed Edward

Hong Kong Movie - 2019

7.5
64. B-Class Cultural Heritage

Japanese Movie - 2014

7.0
- cinematography, subtitles and credits were on point
65. Bichunmoo

Korean Movie - 2000

7.0
- like Hero it looked great, but the story didn't do much for me for some reason
66. 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, mentions of suicide
- there isn't anything graphic shown, however, it's harrowing knowing what is happening to the students out of view as it capsizes and sinks
67. 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