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Male-Oriented romantic drama

Can you recommend me a romantic drama, not for women, but for men? Preferably released between 2020 and 2025?

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emeraldarrows

M/F romance, not a BL, right? Also not quite sure whether you wanted a male centered drama with slight or heavy romance so this is what I came up:

  • A Lonely Hero’s Journey - ML centered plot, there is romance but it's not the focus
  • City Hunter - older than what you're looking for, but ML centered with romance, lots of action scenes
  • Train - equal mix of romance and thriller, centered around the ML
  • Bloody Heart - ML centered mix of romance and court politics
  • The Crowned Clown - ML centered mix of romance and court politics
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Excuse me, but what are BL and ML? Just in case, I was referring to the romance genre, which focuses on male viewers. And, of course, the romance is between a guy and a girl.

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emeraldarrows
 :

Excuse me, but what are BL and ML? Just in case, I was referring to the romance genre, which focuses on male viewers. And, of course, the romance is between a guy and a girl.

BL ("boys' love") are romances between two guys, very popular on MDL. When you said "male oriented romantic drama" I wasn't sure if you meant a guy/girl romance or a romance between two guys, since the majority of male/female romances are made with female viewers in mind (not that there's any reason whatsoever that a guy can't watch and love them!). ML is short for "male lead", the main male character in a drama.

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Oh, thank you so much for your explanation! Sorry if I caused any confusion. This is my first time on this site.

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emeraldarrows
 :

Oh, thank you so much for your explanation! Sorry if I caused any confusion. This is my first time on this site.

No worries! I hope you find something you enjoy. Welcome to the site. 😊

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kabocha

Here are some more recent dramas that, like most romances, prioritize a female audience, but have the male lead as the major character. The female leads are cool and interesting, but not as compelling as the male leads.

Amidst a Snowstorm of Love - slow-paced focus on the love story and the male lead's journey out of a kind of self-imposed exile from his home and his sport.

Mobius - time looping and action, centered on the male lead.

Love Like the Galaxy: Part 1 and Love Like the Galaxy: Part 2 - based on a web novel, and the ML is a total badass. In this drama, the FL is actually as cool and complex as the ML. 

Itaewon Class - Very much the male lead's revenge story. Light romance, but I had fun waiting for it.

Flower of Evil - The male lead's scary journey out of an abusive past. He's married, and the marriage is interesting. Horror elements.

Our Beloved Summer - My hit on this is that the ML is the main character. The FL is unique and personable, but it's the ML whose identity and past are explored. Really cool, more realistic than usual romance.

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AH
  • +1 The Crowned Clown (2019) - The male lead is definitely the main character. Historical / political / melo / romance.
  • +1 Flower of Evil (2020) - The male lead is definitely the main character. Crime / thriller / melo / romance. 
  • The K2 (2016) - The male lead is definitely the main character. Action / thriller / psych / romance.
  • Come and Hug Me (2018) - The male lead is definitely the main character. Thriller / mystery / crime / melo / romance.
  • Fall in Love (2022) - Chinese republican era / military / political / romance.
  • It's Okay to Not Be Okay (2020) - The male lead is definitely the main character. Drama / psychological / comedy / romance.
  • Tempted (2018) - The male lead is definitely the main character. Melodrama / youth / romance.
  • Mr. Sunshine (2018) - Historical / military / melo / romance. 
  • The Tale of Nokdu (2019) - The male lead is definitely the main character. Historical / action / comedy / romance.
  • Zhang Gong Zhu Zai Shang (2022) - The male lead is definitely the main character. Short mini series / historical / action / romance. 
  • Soundtrack #1 (2022) - The male lead is definitely the main character. Short mini series / slice of life / romance.
  • Moment at Eighteen (2019) - The male lead is definitely the main character. Short mini series / slice of life / youth / romance.
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