Historical Dramas with My Notes

RomCom with arranged marriage, amnesia and palace intrigue.

Currently on hold

Palace intrigue, business, romance,  comedy, women-centric. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Historical RomCom with FL causing chaos as the first female in an all-male college.  Student - Dean relationship, where the FL pursues the ML.

Historical RomCom with FL in a fake sibling contract with ML

This was a compelling series which got me hooked early. The premise is so interesting and I really wanted to know where it was headed and all the mystery behind Cui Jiu and Liu Mian Tang. This show just clicked all the right boxes for me: hidden identity, political intrigue, action, romance, comedy. And the antagonists got their comeuppance - always so satisfying.

FL cross-dresses and assumes her brother's identity to attend an all-male military school. ML is her roommate who falls for her. Tags: Action, Love Triangle

Fantasy Romance Drama based on a novel where FL is married off to a family where the ML has strong powers even though she has none. I really liked this movie. ML's sister was the absolute best SIL for FL. There is an anime on Netflix which has a S2.

One of my favorite dramas in 2024 even though I don't typically watch reincarnation shows. I thought this was well-executed and the corresponding mystery lasted longer (that is, I wasn't able to guess it right away). I liked the slow burn of the leads' relationship. And that once they were together, they were absolutely committed to protecting each other.

FL's family goes through many hardships, all because of the Emperor's insecurity. Thankfully, with the FL's leadership & creativity, and the ML's support, the Hua family survives and eventually thrives again. HEA 

A good mix of comedy, action and slow burn romance. The term bossam was new to me and quite surprising. My favorite character has to be Cha Dol, so cute.

I found each episode to be entertaining. One thing I noticed was the number of antagonists. There were just so many people trying to game the system, switching fakes for the real thing, or outright killing anyone who got in the way. The lack of morality was astounding. On the other hand, there were so many people whose loyalty & friendship couldn't be bought. This was not a perfect series, but certain scenes were thought-provoking; some were emotional. Certain characters were not purely good or evil, and their complexity made the show more interesting.

Historical RomCom with FL running away from her engagement by imperial decree. Not liking being forced into marriage, she starts helping other women by opening a divorce office far from home

Enemies-to-lovers trope where the leads have an arranged marriage early in the series. They negotiate a truce and plan to divorce once they meet certain criteria, but found they were better partners than they could have imagined. I found the ML’s mother an endearing and perfect MIL, as she imparts pearls of business wisdom to her daughter-in-law. Political and business intrigue, as well as action scenes. Leads had great rapport.

A fun watch.

A true enemies to lovers story where they meet on the battlefield. One of the last interaction between them is her arrow piercing his chest, which forced his troops to retreat, before she herself gets an arrow in the chest, falls off a cliff and loses her memory. 

This is not part of the Fated to Love You series which originated in Taiwan. An entertaining watch.

Palace intrigue, hidden identities. I had second lead syndrome with this one. Even though there were serious themes, there was also plenty of enjoyable comedy.

Currently on hold

I was not a big fan of the FL, but I adored the ML and SML. And the cast of gorgeous Hwarang warriors kept me glued to the screen. Bromance at its finest.

Probably one of the biggest surprises of the year for me. Great production and the leads' chemistry, from lingering touches and looks, are on point. I'm not a huge fan of time travel but this was well executed. 

Currently on hold

A widow who is filial by day but is a female Robin Hood at night, helping the poor and the helpless in a corrupt city.

Thoroughly enjoyable. Childhood friends, separated, reunited to become lovers after solving crises and obstacles.
P.S. Her family is despicable.

Currently on hold

I hadn't heard anything about this BL and just started watching when it was released. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the production, the plot and the acting. It was definitely one I looked forward to each week. Not only did they address homophobia but also social inequity.
TW: Violent murders

Mystery, Romance, Political, Revenge. Complex characters with convoluted family relationships. Epic action and fight scenes. Leads had great chemistry. This is one of my favorites, which I binge-watched in 5 days (all 56 episodes). There was no character that was all-good or all-evil, which made them so much more interesting to me. The FL could be annoying yet, knowing where she was coming from, I could see how she learned to manipulate to survive 2nd aunt's household. The ML could be charming, protective, yet there were times he scared the sh*t out of me. Highly recommended.

Mystery, Romance, Political, Revenge. Complex characters with convoluted family relationships. Epic action and fight scenes. Leads had great chemistry. This is one of my favorites, which I binge-watched in 5 days (all 56 episodes). There was no character that was all-good or all-evil, which made them so much more interesting to me. The FL could be annoying yet, knowing where she was coming from, I could see how she learned to manipulate to survive 2nd aunt's household. The ML could be charming, protective, yet there were times he scared the sh*t out of me. Highly recommended.

A positive step for danmeis, as we get a proper BL from a joint venture between Thailand and China. Leads had chemistry and we get an enjoyable show.
TW: NonCon when ML was shot with poisoned aphrodisiac arrows.

BL
Beautiful production set in 1915 when France and Siam had a treaty in place. Rati, a Siamese orphan, adopted by a French-Siamese couple, had been living in France. He accompanied his father to Siam and ended up staying 6 months longer to teach French to government employees, including P'Thee. Rati and Thee fell in love but Thee's grandmother, Princess Nareerat, forbade their relationship and insisted on Thee's arranged marriage.

FL and ML are Lords (Kings/Rulers) of their own cities. ML's father died, and he blames FL's family for the death. FL rules as a male. It is funny with lots of steamy kisses and action scenes.

Currently on hold

ML is the 6th Lord and was sickly as a child so he tends to be quieter than his brothers. FL arrives into Xin Chuan as part of the marriage selection. She is quirky and hilarious, but also generous and kind. One of the best CDramas I've seen with wonderful sismance; the wives and concubines really supported one another. Slow burn romance with satisfying ending.

Ryu's sister runs away to avoid her arranged marriage, so Ryu steps in her place as the bride during the ceremony.

FL cross-dresses as a eunuch to be part of the Crown Prince's circle, as she tries to solve her family's murder for which she is accused. Great chemistry between the leads.

A lot of antis will likely lower the ratings on MDL and IMDB, so be forewarned. I enjoyed this show, not in spite of the flawed MLs but because of them. Flawed characters are often more interesting to me, esp. when we witness their development arc. The courtships are very sequential even though we still see married characters afterwards. Third sister Kang Ning and Chai An's courtship had a Pride & Prejudice vibe, Chinese style. Their wit and intellect were a great match, although Chai An could be immature at times, kind of like a 3rd grader pulling their crush's braids for attention. Second sister Fu Hui's husband was not the smartest tool in the shed. He was inconsiderate to her and would be soft-hearted to strangers, which was not OK to me. 

Although there were no actual women historians in the 19th century, I still enjoyed this series and what they would have encountered had they existed. And we get a palace historian's forbidden romance with a really cute prince.

Currently watching

Gender bender FL as she attends an all-boys school as her brother. ML and SML are her roommates. I had massive Second Lead Syndrome watching this, as I truly rooted for the SML. Tags: Comedy, Romance, Youth, Love Triangle. 

Palace intrigue snares the innocent lives of the Xue family, and one fateful day intertwines the lives of Xue Fang Fei (aka Xue Li) and Jiang Li. From that day on, Ah Li would endure any hardship to fulfill the revenge requests made that day. And she had her own 报仇 bàochóu to mete out. Only then, can she truly feel at peace.
There is a short Special that completes the story.

In the first couple of episodes, the FL's shaman acting was a bit over the top and was not meant to be taken seriously. This historical show has comedy, romance, action, and mystery. The chemistry and rapport among the FL/ML, ML/SML and FL/SML were so good. Satisfying ending.

FL cross-dresses as crown prince when her twin brother is killed. She eventually becomes the monarch, is married but manages to avoid consummating her marriage. FL focuses on her studies and how to stabilize her court where warring political factions have gotten tiresome.

Prepare for campy. This show does not take itself seriously and neither should you. It is funny, has some drama as well as some political intrigue. ML and FL are in an arranged marriage.

I didn't think I would binge-watch a series I wasn't even interested in watching. It was highly recommended to me and 4 days later, I had completed the 49 episodes. I laughed, I cried, I felt their angst. In certain scenes, the almost seamless action to animation transitions were quite interesting. It was a first for me to see that in a show. [I have seen it in a musical video before and loved it.] The ML and FL were both fairly even-keeled in their temperaments, and always thinking about strategy. Then, we have the SFL, perfectly acted by Zhao Lu Si, who was ruled by her emotions and the SML, who was ruled by his foster father. I loved the character growth of the main characters and some support characters. There were historical changes around them; it was realistic that they, too, changed. 

Currently on hold

A fun RomCom where a "useless" widower gets involved in the matchmaking business.

I got hooked tot this show early on, and I thoroughly enjoyed both leads' character growth. Lots of strategy, action scenes and respect for Qiao Man by the Wei soldiers. I really liked that.

The story of a slave who frees herself over and over again before finally achieving success as a jewelry shop owner and trusted guild member. She was fiercely loyal & generous to her friends and, in turn, they were loyal to her. There is romance in the story but it's not the main theme.
TW: Revenge is a sub-plot (main plot for one of the characters) and there are a lot of fighting and bloody scenes at times. Attempted sexual assault happens early in the story.

ML cross-dresses to enter a widows’ village where he believes he has traced the assassins that attacked his village. As he digs deeper, he finds more than he bargained for. Great action scenes, palace intrigue, comedy, romance.

• The Untamed (China, 2019) Great acting, wonderful cinematography, political intrigue, chemistry between the MLs is fantastic. I love this Xianxia-danmei BL drama. It uses queer-coding at its best, bypassing Chinese censorship. While we don't see depictions of an actual queer relationship, there were plenty of examples of the MLs' growing closeness.
  • They call each other their soulmates.
  • Lan Zhan allows Wei Ying to touch his headband, a privilege reserved for parents or spouses. In one scene, they are attached with the headband (which many viewers liken to the red sash in a Chinese wedding ceremony).
  • Physical touching: holding each back, carrying each other, etc.
  • Flirty eyes from WY and longing gazes from LZ.
  • Drunk LZ gifted WY two chickens (Chinese betrothal gift).
  • Bowing together in front of memorial tablets.
  • Bowing together in front of Lan ancestor.
  • Bunnies saved by WY, shown kissing. Bunnies on lantern when they made their wishes/vows. Tu Shen (Chinese: 兔神; pinyin: Tùshén, The Rabbit God), is a Chinese deity of love and sex between men.

Set in 1930s and 1940s, Romance, Fantasy, Drama (I would say melodramatic, esp. for Song’s first and second wives). Thian has been groomed to take over the family business, but he has a secret that is costing lives. I love the relationship between brothers Yang and Thian.

I enjoyed every minute of this sageuk. For me, there was not a second that felt like it was dragging. Instead, it felt like watching two masters play chess where discarded pieces could very well be bodies dropping on the ground! But it was speed chess, no time to dilly dally lest your opponent get the better of you. I esp. like the bromance between the Crown Prince and Grand Prince Sung Nam. Little romance.

Epic political wuxia with hidden identities. 100% enjoyable where the FL and ML are well-matched in skill and smarts.

Enemies to lovers with equally-matched ML and FL. They had a wonderful banter and chemistry.

Censored Adaptation Of Same-sex Original Work Sometimes it's hard to believe this passed censorship. Wen Ke Xing was so flirty towards Zhou Zi Shu from the first time they met. By episode 8, WKX was already calling ZZS his soulmate; by then, he may have already recognized that they were from the same Clan with the same Master when they were children. This is incomplete if you don't watch the Epilogue (or Ep. 37).

Very short film that deserves to be much longer.