Looking for an addictive K-drama to match Pinocchio

 emeraldarrows:

Similar vibes in the way the characters are written and the romance, imo, but the plot has more fantasy elements than Pinocchio.

Also good? I say that because W was not at the level. 

 JohnRayley:

Very bingewatchable show?

I think so, I finished it in probably 3-4 days,  and it's not that slow.

 JohnRayley:

Between My Dearest Nemesis and Love Scout, what is the best pick? 

Probably Love Scout, has a better storyline and chemistry IMO.

 JohnRayley:

So for the first, do you think that check our criterias? For the second, I think it's a good bet. Better or worst than Kim Bok ? 

It's different for everyone but as for me, I rated Do Bong Soon higher than Kim Bok Joo and I rewatched it after a few years has passed.

Ah, it's a rom-com that's heavier on the comedy than the romance but there's more romance in the second half iirc. Not sure if it'll match your criteria but the romance part is good imo.

 JohnRayley:

Thanks so a solid romance but may be not "bingewatchable"? 

It should be bingewatchable (if I understand it the right way). My colleague completed it in just 3 days after I recommended it to her.

It's a bit unfortunate that you and your wife skip non-romance drama. Some of them are more addictive than most romance dramas.

 JohnRayley:

unlike her, I find it hard to tell myself, “I have to watch five episodes to get into it.” I like to be hooked from the first episode, so I don't feel like I'm forcing myself or wasting my time.

Being hooked from the first ep is pleasurable, I get that. But I'm gonna double down on Healer.

Hallyu has evolved with the growing international influence of global streaming platforms. Older kdramas often did have at least three and up to five episodes of complex setup. But if you stick with newer dramas, they're often closer to the Western TV model of repeating the pilot, over and over again, intensifying the themes as the show progresses. It's a catch-22. Pinocchio is so powerful precisely because it gets a lot of subplots and themes going. That's why the reveals are so strong and there's so much growth and depth and the stakes keep getting higher. I think Pinocchio accomplishes its exposition in a watchable-for-Westerners way, with that flashback-interwoven opening. When the trauma overwhelms me, I get a break with high schoolers. 

In contrast, with Healer, the leads' green flags and chemistry are hidden for episodes. But I promise you, all the off-putting moments slap more bricks and mortar onto the rising wall of attraction. Also, the characters in the past timeline in Healer are much more developed and involved, and that results in several dramatic payoffs of the kind you're seeking.

So what I'm saying is, if Pinocchio-like meaningfulness and intensity are a priority, it can be helpful to find tactics to survive heavy opening episodes. Otherwise, when you're lucky, you'll end up with more dramas like Romance Is a Bonus Book. It sounds like we both appreciate its finer points, but I would never say that it has a dynamic plot. And you're likely to find dramas like Business Proposal and Her Private Life. I was bored by Business Proposal, because silly romance and cute/funny leads are not my thing - I prefer my leads to be hands down gorgeous. I was into the Her Private Life chemistry, but even though I did some scene rewatching, the drama is forgettable for me. A slight cut above BP and HPL are What's Wrong With Secretary Kim and Suspicious Partner. I'm not too excited about Suspicious Partner for you. While it has some crime elements and twists, they're not loaded like the ones in Pinocchio. I enjoyed SP because it's a fine showcase for actor chemistry. I'd say watch an episode, and see if you catch parasocial feelings for the leads.

Rather than Suspicious Partner, though, I recommend What's Wrong With Secretary Kim. The production is just very well done, and the drama is standout self-referential Hallyu, dropping winks and nods, lining up vintage tropes like jewels against a glossy visuals backdrop. It's not as compelling as Pinocchio, but it has plot twists (deftly and stylishly employed) and charm. And it might allow you two to give Park Min Young another chance?

At any rate, I have to say, the reasons I love Pinocchio are the same reasons I love Healer. Admittedly, it will not work for you to just suffer through the initial episodes - that will spoil the rest for you. I'd cautiously advise you to try the first episode again, with a different mindset: not, "Is this giving me the experience I want?" but rather, as a couple, hit the pause button to problem solve questions like these: "What can I figure out about this tangled puzzle of characters in their twin timelines? How would Korean viewers feel, given their memory of Sandglass, the 80s-90s and the Gwangju Uprising? Is this drama really going to sell me on this dorky, boastful FL with this misanthropic ML?" Forcing yourself absolutely will not work. But finding an analytical angle might get you into the pleasure palace. I think it's worth the effort. But if you're still in agony after an episode, drop it like a hot potato. Life's too short.

 JohnRayley:

endearing characters, a beautiful romance with a real connection, and plot twists/cliffhangers to make it binge-watchable. So, who are the lucky winners? 

Might we tease this apart a bit? Are these elements a plus or would their absence be a dealbreaker? I share your jones for searing romance with a believable connection: that is what I like. The dramas I recommended with less endearing characters (although this is Hallyu - there's going to be some endearingness somewhere) also have strong, believable slow burns:

 kabocha:

Another Miss Oh, Tomorrow With You, It's Okay, That's Love, and Don't Dare to Dream aka Jealousy Incarnate.

So I stand behind these - if the priority is the quality of the romantic connection, as in, it feels real, organic, inevitable and irresistible. And also, all four of these dramas have some reveals and plot turns that are arresting or weighty or both. In AMO, IOTL, and DDTD that's because the characters are psychologically complex, and in TWY because of that same complexity, plus there's some actual danger and, well, the time slip.  

If you're willing to travel over to cdramaland, there's more culture shock risk, but both cdramas included on this list meet my romance standards: Meaning and Joy: My Favorite Romantic Tragicomedies. (The reason Jealousy Incarnate doesn't appear on this list is that, despite its sharpness, at heart it's a romcom. And the reason that Another Miss Oh was left off the list is that while I admire and respect it, I don't vibe with the lead actors - they both have many fans, and their acting is great, but I'm just weird that way.)

When you say plot twists/cliffhangers, I'm hearing that the drama has some substance apart from romance. Is the plot energy you're looking for something beyond miscommunication or exterior interference in the relationship? If so, you're going to have better luck with older dramas, as they were more multi-genre by design. 

I just finished a 2025 shorter drama, Love Scout, and it's awesome sauce. To tell its story in 12 eps, it jettisons multi-genre complexity. Villains are predictable and their presence the bare minimum. Several characters' arcs are insta-resolved. Grumpy and sunshine. Preternaturally understanding kids. The actors glow, the romantic scenes appeal, the dialogue sparkles, and everyone has an actual personality. I have no complaints. But it's not what I'd call compelling. 

More compelling is Happiness (2021), another 12-ep, well received drama. The two of you will have to decide if it's too dark, but I'm a total wimp with horror or melodrama, and it wasn't too dark for me, despite the zombie-adjacent epidemic. You'd have to take into account, though, that the romance is downplayed. I did find the leads' connection to be real and believable, and I was always rooting for them, but their connection becomes inevitable through acts of bravery/sacrifice/service, not the usual romance tropes. Anyway, I suppose my point in bringing it up, is that it's a newer drama, and rather than doing it all like older dramas, it holds close a romance spine, while focusing on a social message: cohesion among people and community in the face of danger.

Today's Hallyu is creating gorgeous, and sometimes outstanding products, but they're getting more and more tonally consistent and genre-specific. 

Okay, I've rambled enough. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to share my obsession. Please DM me if you have any questions about anything on my Completed list!!!

@kabocha:

Thanks again. I think my partner and I agree that we'll have to give “Healer” a second chance someday. Everyone tells us so. We just need to be 100% focused and involved from the very first episode, where it goes a mile a minute. It's really surprising and confusing. There's so much information. In Pinocchio, I thought it was handled more subtly, with bridges between the present and the past. With Healer, you can't cook at the same time. We'll have to see when we're ready. How many episodes? Three? I hope it's worth it. Unlike Goblin, which was OK but forgettable despite the beautiful bromance.

HPL, we didn't get into the first episode. BP, it's really a transitional drama once you've just finished a masterpiece. Forgettable too. WWWSK has gotten a lot of good reviews, it's on our list. I don't know what it's comparable to, maybe King the Land?

As for my tastes, or rather our tastes, what we really love is having this kind of feeling:

- Once it's over, we feel sad to leave this group of friends/characters (typically in Twinkling Watermelon, 2521, etc.) because we've become so attached to them and they've been part of our daily lives.

- I love that feeling where I absolutely want to start watching another episode as soon as the previous one is over. Typically in Pinocchio, from episode 1 onwards, we were both ready to stay up all night to watch the rest (we didn't), but that's a strong signal. 

- And we love seeing a beautiful romance between two characters, a connection. Typically, I find the connection in Queens of Tears so captivating. And the one in W so forgettable, same for Goblin, it's forgettable. 

That's what drives us. Getting attached to the characters, wanting to binge-watch the episodes, and having a romance that steals your heart and gives you chills (I still have scenes from CLOY with the incredible OST, the candle scene for example). 

So, according our tastes, best picks are: Another Miss Oh, Tomorrow With You, It's Okay, That's Love, and Don't Dare to Dream aka Jealousy Incarnate? Or first are Healer & I Hear your voice? 

Thanks,

So, a few things I wanted to add. 

 JohnRayley:

- And we love seeing a beautiful romance between two characters, a connection. Typically, I find the connection in Queens of Tears so captivating. And the one in W so forgettable, same for Goblin, it's forgettable. 

First, my theories about why the W: Two Worlds and Goblin romances (I agree with you) are lacking. 

I think with W, the fault is in the writing. They simply didn't give us personal, observable details of why these two people would like each other. Instead, they plopped them into a fate propelled dramatic situation and told us, rather than showing us, that they should be a couple. They broke a basic writing rule: show, don't tell. I think they had a lot of irons in the fire, and got blinded by their own high concept.

With Goblin aka Guardian: The Great and Lonely God, I blame the writer, Kim Eun Sook. Just want to preface my criticism. She's produced a lot of scripts, and I've never written even one. And I've seen only five of the dramas she wrote. Nevertheless, I'm dissatisfied with Goblin, and not just because of the way the age difference is portrayed. I find some similarities with Descendants of the Sun and The King: Eternal Monarch. My experience of these three dramas is that they have a superficial, Hollywood-esque vibe: they're all about their veneer. I did enjoy watching all three. But I feel with all of them, they were built on the exterior plot and visuals, and didn't have their genesis in dramatic conflict between the characters.  I prefer the less polished Secret Garden, because at least the leads' personal tug-of-war is a motivating force in the drama. They may be recognizably tropey - a wounded asshat CEO (!) and a soft Cinderella who's also a physically tough stuntwoman (!) - but these assigned roles are more engaging because the interpersonal clashes are so watchable. With DOTS and TKEM, I really enjoy watching the characters be in love. It's great that they get time to develop the attraction. But compared to some other dramas I will not spoil, where the leads' attraction grows organically from their unique personalities and histories, the Goblin, DOTS and TKEM couples, and even the Secret Garden couple, seem situational. 

So that's my two cents on that.

And now we come to a drama that's been around long enough to have achieved hidden gem status, despite being well received initially.

 kabocha:

I don't have time to do justice to Another Miss Oh, as it's kinda tough to describe why it's so arresting. 

See, the thing about Another Miss Oh (2016), is that the characters are going through periods of being uncomfortable in their own psyches. Breakup blame + bad karma are going around and coming around. The two women, one name mistake is heavy. But there are things about what they're going through that are immediate and fascinating. And the FL has a lot of grit. And the ML faces his own redemption. Also, I consider the comic relief second lead noona romance to be eminently endearing. 

I like Another Miss Oh for you because it's full of karmic threads, and has that heft and substance of the mid 2010s. And the romance is organic and dynamic.

@kabocha:

Hello, I finally have time to reply to you. So, let me recap everything you told me. 

From what I understand, I'll have to wait a little longer before watching Healer and I Hear Your Voice. For Healer, how many episodes do I have to wait before I'm really into it and can say, “Okay, I'll give it a second chance”? I think we'll watch it again and really concentrate so we don't miss any details. You're not the first person to tell us to give it a second chance, so there must be a reason. I Hear Your Voice, what's the pace like, how is it approached, to know if we'll need the same patience? 

WWWSK also seems like a good option based on what you're telling me and the good feedback I've heard about this drama. That gives us three solid options.

As for the other recommendations, I must admit that I didn't know them at all. From memory, they don't even appear in my “Plan to watch.” Tomorro With You, I looked at the summary, I always enjoy time travel stories. Surprisingly, I saw some reviews and ratings, it doesn't have such a high score. Is it a niche drama that suits my tastes or a truly solid drama that has proven itself? 

It's Okay, That's Love: I looked at the summary and a few posters, and the tone seems more burlesque/WTF. Is that just my impression? 

Don't Dare to Dream also seems interesting based on the summary.

My only concern about the last two is that they seem very light and classic when I read the summaries. A bit like Christmas movies, which are always the same. I have no doubt that they are good, but is good enough after all these bangers? A bit like BP, which was OK, but lacked that little something extra. 

I really like the summary of Another Miss Oh, which, despite being conventional, seems to have that little something extra with its originality. But then again, isn't it just BP all over again? 

I'm noting them all down, but my concern is more about having a good time when some dramas would give me a great time.