2025 End of Year Review

Favorite 2025 Japanese Series 

This was an incredibly cute and funny series. It had a very well planned out script with a lot of heartwarming sections. This was also very endearing and addressed many important issues with grace. The entire cast was great and did an outstanding job portraying their character. See my full review for more details.

Honorary Mentions:

• 10 Things I Want to Do Before I Turn 40 - This was a very cute, simple series. This script was simple, but very good. It handled some common issues about being gay in a very tactful way. The actors and cinematography were great.
• School Trip: Joined a Group I’m Not Close To  - This was such a refreshing series. It was so cute, light, and fluffy. Everything about this script is on point. This had an incredible cast and cinematograph.
• 119 Emergency Call - This was such an impactful and heartwarming series. The script had the right mixture of drama and lighthearted moments. The entire cast was excellent. However, I have two minor complaints. See my full review for more details.
• I Became the Main Role of a BL Drama Season 2 - like the first season, this was a hilarious, cute, and heartwarming. It is a very obvious tongue in cheek series. The cast was awesome and did a great job with their characters. This had great cinematography and graphics. See my full review for more details.

Favorite 2025 South Korean Series 

This was such an intriguing series. It did a great job pulling you into the storyline. The script was incredible even with its few minor weak points. None of the 15 episodes felt like it dragged. The script had very well-developed characters in which the cast did an incredible job making you fully understand them. The styling department did an incredible job creating different looks with each character for the different time period. The music, editing and cinematography was done with a purpose in mind.

Honorary Mentions:

• Oh My Ghost Clients - This was a funny and heartwarming series. The whole series had the right amount of comedy, drama, and heartfelt moments mixed together. The cast was great and did an outstanding job. The CGI, special effects, and cinematography were amazing. See my full review for more details.
• My Lovely Journey - This was a very intriguing series. Although the content was not bad, the script was not completely perfect. The whole cast was incredible, including all of the guest roles. See my full review for more details.
• My Secret Vampire - Overall, this was such a fun, lighthearted, and cut series. They did a great job creating an interesting storyline and making you care about all of the characters. The actors did a great job making their characters relatable and very likable. See my full review for more details.
• The Winning Try - Overall, this was a very good series. This had the right combination of comedy, drama, and heartfelt moments. The script had very well-developed characters in which the cast did an incredible job making you either love or hate them. The music and cinematography were awesome. See my full review for more details.

Favorite 2025 Taiwanese Series 

This was an outstanding series. The script was incredible and very well written. The entire cast was incredible. See my full review for more details.

Honorary Mention:

• N/A – I only watched 2 series from Taiwan this year which I didn’t realize until I made this list.

Favorite 2025 Thai series

This was an incredible series. Although the script has some weak aspects, they are minor and didn’t stop me from enjoying it. The storyline was interesting from beginning to end. Overall, the acting was great. The production team did a great job with the editing. The CGI/special effects were incredible and had visually stunning cinematography. See my full review for more details.

Honorary Mentions:

• Thame – Po Heart That Skips a Beat - Overall, this was an enjoyable series with a very interesting story concept. The script did a great job with setting up the series and introduced all of the characters. It did have a few weak sections. As for the cast, they did a great job considering most of them are new to acting. See my full review for more details.
• Us - This was an incredible series, with a well written script. The cast did an awesome job with their characters. My only minor complaint was the comedy became a little to slapstick for me. Why does it seem every Thai series involves a guitar and singing? They did an amazing job with the cinematograph and music.
• Happiness - The script was not perfect, but managed to keep me invested in the story and characters. It had the perfect type of horror, suspense, and psychological thriller vibe. The cast did an outstand job with their characters. The cinematography, special effects, and FX make-up were awesome. See my full review for more details.
• Dalah: Death and the Flowers - This was a fascinating mystery/crime series. Overall, it had a great script. However, it had a few weak elements. All of the actors were outstanding and did such an incredible job with their characters. The cinematography was outstanding and visually stunning. See my full review for more details.
  
  

Favorite 2025 Honorary Mention – Part 1

Had to make this an honorary mention because I was very happy to finally finish a series from China (long story). Overall, this was an intriguing series. The script was good, but little confusing at times. There were some sections that was well written, but then others that lack development. However, it managed to keep me invested in the story and characters. The cast did a great job with their characters. The cinematography and special effects were awesome. Most of the music was fine, but there were a few times it had some odd background music choices that did not fit the mood of the scene.  This is listed as "Her Trajectory" on Viki in the U.S. 

Favorite 2025 Honorary Mention – Part 2

I’m very happy that I ended 2025 and started 2026 with this series. I really, really enjoyed this series. I was worried that the 30 episodes would drag, but each episode grabbing my attention and kept me entertained. The script was also very well laid out and did a great job connecting multiple aspects together in the end. The entire cast was incredible throughout this. This also had amazing cinematography, CGI, and special effects. See my review for more details.

Least Favorite 2025 Japanese Series

This was an interesting series, but the script was lacking in some areas. It was clear the main focus was the music which definitely outshined the script. The cast did an outstanding job making this script come alive and creating very engaging characters. This also had visually stunning cinemaphotography. My major complaint is the ending which was very abrupt. See my full review for more details.

Honorary Mention:

• Our Youth - Overall, this was an interesting series. It started off very strong, but the last two episodes were weak and a little lackluster. However, it had a nice pacing of the main characters’ relationship developed. The cast was great, but there was not much on-screen chemistry between the two main leads when it came to the intimacy scenes.
  
  

Least Favorite 2025 South Korean Series

Overall, this was an ok series with a just above average script. This had a lot of wasted screen time. I thought the cast did a wonderful job considering what they had to work with. My MDL rating includes episode 7 which MDL has it listed as a special episode. However, Viki has it listed as episode 7. Either way, it was similar to the rest of the series in that it was simply O.K. See my full review for more details

Honorary Mention:

• The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call - The series had an important message, but the script was lacking something. The main problem was how the character Baek Gang Hyeok was written. He came across as an arrogant A-hole and unlikable in the first episode. The character got a little better but was still unlikable. The only reason I continued to watch this was because the other characters were more interesting and I cared more about them. I could have easily binge watched this considering it only had 8 episodes, but I didn’t feel any sense of urgency to do so. On the positive side, the acting and cinematography was very good. Although I don’t regret watching it, this is one series I would not rewatch.
  
  

Least Favorite 2025 Taiwanese Series

This series started airing in 2024, but ended in 2025. This was an ok series. It had some cute moments but had too many things going on. This had some interesting story concepts that got lost with the execution. On the positive, I like the representation of people with disabilities. However, the main problem is the script. The first episode did a good job getting me interested, but did not do a good job introducing the characters. I was also not a fan of how they introduced the second couple’s storyline and skipping most of their scenes. They also had to add the scheming girlfriend/fiancé element. At least the character was not completely evil and over the top. A minor problem was the editing. There is a lot of wasted screen time with unnecessary flashbacks. It also had too many sound effects which is weird for BL series from Taiwan. Although it had a happy ending, it was also very bizarre.  

Honorary Mention:

• N/A – I only watched 2 series from Taiwan this year which I didn’t realize until I made this list.

Least Favorite 2025 Thai Series

Another series that started airing in 2024, but ended in 2025. This was a very cute series. I actually like it, but it had a lot of weak sections. The script was not bad, but could have been better. I’m not a fan of the fake boyfriend storyline, but at least this section was well written and made sense. I liked how they incorporated reference to the “Naughty Babe” series and this being Teerak’s nick name considering Kong had a guest spot in that series.  The constant use of the nick name “saggy checks” for Teerak must have been a bad translation. I thought the cast did a great job for newbies.

***Potential Spoiler Alert*** I liked the good communication between the main couple and how it was made clear that Fau liked Rek from the beginning. It also didn’t drag out many of the conflicts. However, the main conflict source involving Oh was completely dropped by the 7th episode. Considering this was the whole reason behind this series, they could have slowly wrapped it up. Was not a fan of Real and Hia’s storyline and found it very annoying. Instead of them, I would have loved more scenes involving Lee and Klaijai relationship development. I just wish they did not portray Terrak so childish.

Honorary Mentions:

• Lover Merman - The series started off very interesting, but slowly washed away due to very poor execution. The acting was very good considering many of the actors are new. Even though it has beautiful cinematography and locations, this became a problem. See my full review for more details
• My Magic Prophecy - Overall, this was a decent series. The script was nether horrible or outstanding, just ok. This also had inconsistent pacing. The cast was great and did a good job with what they were given. I was not a fan of the background music. There were times the audio was to load and/or didn’t match the overall mood of the scene. See my full review for more details

Uncertain 2025 Japanese Series That Was a Pleasant Surprise

Overall, this was an extremely interesting series. The script had the right mixture of mature content, comedy, drama, and heartwarming moments. The best part was the dynamic development between the main characters. As for the negative, the kid voice used for the narrative was very annoying at times. I was not a fan of the storyline involving Tenma in episode 9. The cast was wonderful and did a great job portraying their characters. This had great music and cinematography.

Uncertain 2025 South Korean Series That Was a Pleasant Surprise

Overall, this was a cute series. I still really enjoyed watching this. The cast did a great job portraying their characters. Their acting was very good considering many of them are new. However, the first episode was a little confusing and did not do a great job introducing the characters. See my full review for more details.

Uncertain 2025 2024 Taiwanese Series That Was a Pleasant Surprise

Yes, I know this was released in 2024. As I noted above, I only watched 2 series from Taiwan and had to improvise. This was a great series. The script was good and only had some minor weak aspects. All of the actors did a great job portraying their characters. The cinematography was great with the exception of the time jumps. The music/songs they used were very good which helped make this series, about the music industry, more believable. See my full review for more details.

Uncertain 2025 Thai Series That Was a Pleasant Surprise

The series was incredible. The entire cast did an incredible job with portraying their characters. This had an outstanding soundtrack. The production team did an amazing job with the attention to details involving the costumes and props. However, the script was a little weak in some areas. See my full review for more details.

2025 Japanese Series Excited About but Became a Big Disappointment

This is the 4th and final (I hope) season of “A Man Who Defies the World of BL” series. Although it was a somewhat cute series, the script was just ok. This final installment was really not that funny and missing the whimsy as the previous seasons. This had a very unsatisfactory ending to the whole series. However, the actors did a great job with what they had to work with. It also had great cinematography and graphics.

2025 Thai Series Excited About but Became a Big Disappointment

This was my second time watching a Lakorn. Overall, this was ok. The script started off nicely, but went downhill. The main problem was there is too much anguish and not enough kind moments between all of the characters. There were also a few plot wholes and loose ends. The cast did a great job with what they had to work with. This had a great soundtrack and cinematograph. However, I was not a fan of the sound effects and most of the background music. The various locations in this series were also used in the “To Sir, With Love” series.

Series I dropped Immediately

I watched 1 episode before I dropped it. I rarely drop a series after 1 episode, but I could not find anything I liked about it. I was not interested in the story and didn’t like many of the characters. However, the cinematography and acting were good. This is listed as News Anchor on Netflix.

2025 Dropped Series

I watched the last 2 episodes about the Sampoong Department Store Collapse before I dropped it. I was going to watch the rest of the episodes but did not like the overall format. I did not like how the main focus of the documentary appeared to be more shock value than cover important key historical point. I prefer documentaries to be educational and informative.

2025 Dropped Series

I watched 2 episodes before I dropped it. This had a very creative story concept, but it failed with the execution. The whole cast did an amazing job and give them kudos for make what they had work (well in the two episodes I watch). This had outstanding cinematography, special effects, and FX make-up. See my full review for more details.

2025 Dropped Series

I watched 3 episodes before dropping it. After the first 3 episodes, I felt like I watched a very long trailer. I got a rough outline of a series without actually getting the full content. It did not help that the script was not the greatest. On the positive, the overall acting was good considering the cast is new to the field. See my full review for more details.

2025 Dropped Series

I watched 3 episodes before I dropped it. Weirdly, it had many elements that should have made it interesting and enjoyable. Unfortunately, the time travel, comedy, mystery, and romance elements were not blended together successfully. The acting by most of the cast was ok. It was neither horrible nor outstanding. On the positive side, it had great cinematography. See my full review for more details.

2025 Dropped Series

I watched 4 episodes before dropping it. This was also a series that I was very excited to see because of its link to the “Anti Reset” series. Unfortunately, this was a very big disappointment. There was just something off about this series from the start. The acting from most of the cast was good, but not outstanding. It had good cinematography, graphics, and cute opening credits. See my full review for more details.

2025 Dropped Series

I watched 5 episodes before I dropped it. Everything about this series lacked interest. The characters were ok, but the script didn’t give me enough to keep me invested in their storylines. I like many of the actors in this and thought the entire cast did a decent job. However, they even seemed bored with the script at times. See my full review for more details.

2025 Dropped Series

I watched 6 episodes before dropping it. This was another series that I was very excited about but it just became another very big disappointment. This had a very interesting start, but slowly started to slip by the 3rd episode. The CGI and special effects were ok. I just feel sorry for the cast because they all did their best with what they were given. See my full review for more details.

Honorary Drop Mention

Disclaimer: I did not watch this and it’s listed under the “Not Interested” section on my watchlist. I decided to drop this series because I was not happy with the direction the production team headed in season 2 (which I did drop) and had suspicion this would continue for future seasons. I was also worried they would focus more on creating unneeded drama than treating the contestants with dignity and respect.