Favorite Asian Dramas

The topic for this week's Top Ten Tuesday is a non-bookish freebie so I decided to focus on my love for Asian dramas.

When I started watching Asian dramas last year, I had no idea just how far down the rabbit hole I would venture. Below lists the dramas I enjoyed the most. While I have them separated between Contemporary and Fantasy, understand all of these also fall in the Romance genre too (because romance is my jam). I haven't posted all of my reviews for these titles on my blog, but I'll update this post with them once they become available. 

Contemporary

#1 My Little Happiness [Chinese Drama]: Neurosurgeon Wen Shaoqing starts courting legal intern Cong Rong when he discovers she is his childhood sweetheart. A lighthearted romance with tons of intimate moments between the couple.

#2 It's Okay to Not Be Okay [Korean Drama]: When a community health worker, Moon Gang-tae, and his autistic older brother, Moon Sang-tae, return to their hometown after twenty years on the run, they encounter a children's author, Ko Moon-young, with antisocial personality disorder linked to their tragic past. Be prepared with tissues because this one is an emotional rollercoaster, but it has one of the most satisfying endings I've ever watched. 

#3 Hometown Cha Cha Cha [Korean Drama]: A big city dentist, Yoon Hye-jin, from Seoul develops feelings for a carefree jack-of-all trades, Hong Du-sik, when she moves to a small fictional town on the coast of South Korea. A more slice of life drama where the setting is just as central as the characters.

#4 Fight For My Way [Korean Drama]: Best friends Ko Dong-man and Choi Ae-ra pursue their life long dreams as their relationship evolves from friends to something more. My favorite friends to lovers romance. 

#5 Healer [Korean Drama]: Aspiring reporter Chae Youg-shin joins forces with long established reporter Kim Moo-ho and the notorious person only know as the “Healer” to take down an affluent group of corrupted gangsters in her city. Perfect if you want a bit of thriller and action to go with your romance.

Fantasy

#6 Love Between Fairy and Devil [Chinese Drama]: A low-ranking fairy, Orchid, accidentally frees the notorious Moon Lord, Dongfang Quingcane, from his 30,000 year imprisonment. I've literally watched this show three times within the past five months so...just go watch it already.

#7 The Untamed [Chinese Drama]: When Wei Wuxian unexpectedly finds himself summoned into another body sixteen years after his death, he teams up with his old friend Lan Wangji to solve a series of murders. BL dramas have to be extremely subtle with Chinese censorship laws, but there are so many ways this show still builds a loving relationship between these two men.

#8 Extraordinary You [Korean Drama]: When terminally-ill high school student Eun Dan-O discovers she is a supporting character in a comic, she attempts to break away from her predestined role by enlisting the help of a nameless character she calls Ha-roo. Started for the interesting premise, stayed for the adorable main lead and her posse. 

#9 The King: Eternal Monarch [Korean Drama]: A sweeping epic fantasy romance about two star-crossed lovers, Lee Gon and Jeong Tae-eul, attempting to stop a cataclysmic event occurring in their parallel universes. Parallel universes and time travel are not usually my jam, but the mystery and characters kept me riveted. 

#10 Happiness [Korean Drama]: When a newly engaged detective, Jung Yi-hyun, and his counter terrorist specialist fiancé, Yoon Sae-bom, move into their new apartment building, their building is locked down during a pandemic as the virus known as Madam Rabies spreads. An interesting take on zombies with some sizzling chemistry between the leads.  

ABOUT TOP TEN TUESDAY

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

💬 Any other Asian dramas fans out there? If you've yet to watch a drama, which of these sound the most interesting?