⭐ Recommendations (Dramas/Movies)

your mileage may vary
the notes I made should be spoiler free
please ignore my ratings as they tend to skew lower than your average user
potential content warning: many titles deal with serious or potentially disturbing scenes or themes
you are welcome to message me privately if you want specifics (though I may be unable to recall them)

kdoramalama Oct 31, 2016

67 Titles 29 Loves

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1. Isa Pa with Feelings

Filipino Movie - 2019

8.0
- seemed realistic at portraying some of the problems that would arise given their differences
2. Shiawase Kanako no Koroshiya Seikatsu

Japanese Drama - 2025, 6 episodes

8.0
- absurd in the best way
- ⚠️ peppers in some sensitive subjects
3. The Sealer

Japanese Drama - 2022, 9 episodes

8.0
- superb sword fighting choreography, cinematography, and CGI
4. Ajin: Demi-Human

Japanese Movie - 2017

8.5
- everything is on point (action scenes, CGI, acting)
- ⚠️ pretty violent, gory
5. Last Sunrise

Chinese Movie - 2019

7.5
- engaging disaster movie that made me oddly emotional at times
6. The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window

Japanese Movie - 2021

8.0
- superb visuals
- I'm easily scared and almost wish they would have sprinkled in a bit more horror
7. The Killer Is Also Romantic

Chinese Drama - 2022, 18 episodes

9.0
- great chemistry, numerous tender moments between the leads
- good sword fighting and fight scenes
8. Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned

Korean Movie - 2016

8.0
- came across as realistic despite the fantasy element
- great story and relationships
- ⚠️ there are some potentially triggering scenes/moments
9. The Time Agent

Korean Movie - 2016

9.0
- the montages, soundtrack, acting, scriptwriting - everything was so well done
- ⚠️ deals with some sensitive themes
10. Better Days

Chinese Movie - 2019

8.5
- fantastic movie
- you're doing yourself a disservice by not watching it
- ⚠️ there are some potentially triggering scenes/moments
11. Wuliang

Chinese Movie - 2020

7.5
12. Reset

Chinese Drama - 2022, 15 episodes

8.5
- great acting, story, cinematography
13. Guardian: The Lonely and Great God

Korean Drama - 2016, 16 episodes

8.5
- fantastic cinematography
- good chemistry between the leads
14. Handmade Love

Korean Special - 2020, 8 episodes

7.5
- it's an ad, but a welcomed one
- the set design was great, cinematography too, with a good OST
15. The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity

Chinese Movie - 2020

7.5
- good chemistry and acting
- phenomenal special effects, some of the best I've seen in the genre
- story was admittedly a little confusing for me to follow at times
16. Jitenshaya-san no Takahashi-kun

Japanese Drama - 2022, 8 episodes

8.0
- ⚠️ some difficult subject matter
17. Horimiya

Japanese Drama - 2021, 7 episodes

8.0
- wholesome high school story about love and friendship, coming out of your shell and accepting who you are
18. House of Flying Daggers

Chinese Movie - 2004

8.0
- I loved the story and cinematography
19. Zhang Gong Zhu Zai Shang

Chinese Drama - 2022, 27 episodes

7.0
- good chemistry between the leads
- pacing is a bit rushed due to the episode length
20. Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!

Japanese Drama - 2020, 12 episodes

8.0
- cute, wholesome relationship
- made me laugh out loud a couple of times (which is rare for me watching dramas)
21. Mars

Taiwanese Drama - 2004, 13 episodes

7.0
- has a special place in my heart as it was the first Asian drama I ever watched
- ⚠️ difficult subject matter
22. Itsuka, Nemuri ni Tsuku Hi

Japanese Drama - 2019, 6 episodes

7.5
- life lessons, makes you think and appreciate what you have
23. Cursed in Love

Japanese Drama - 2020, 8 episodes

7.0
- decent chemistry between the leads
- I suppose you would consider it to be a 'makjang', so it's a little over the top at times
- the repeated flashback scenes were a bit excessive
24. Splash Splash LOVE

Korean Special - 2015, 2 episodes

9.0
- short and sweet
25. Color Rush

Korean Drama - 2020, 8 episodes

8.5
- unique concept
- good acting and chemistry
- personally thought it was decently executed despite the short run time
- ⚠️ there is a potentially triggering scene later on
26. Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo

Korean Drama - 2016, 20 episodes

8.0
- good chemistry
- pretty cinematography
27. An Incurable Case of Love

Japanese Drama - 2020, 10 episodes

7.0
- had many of my guilty pleasure tropes
- the female lead can be a bit too scatterbrained at times for my taste
28. Blackout

Thai Drama - 2021, 8 episodes

7.0
- my first vertical drama
- I love how well it was made, the four point of views match up pretty well
- ⚠️ there are some potentially triggering scenes/moments
29. Scripting Your Destiny

Korean Drama - 2021, 10 episodes

7.5
- good cinematography, chemistry, acting and OST
- fans of Goblin will probably like this
30. The Boy Next Door

Korean Drama - 2017, 15 episodes

7.0
- made me laugh and cringe a bunch with how over the top it was
- a must-watch for BL fans
31. Shanai Marriage Honey

Japanese Drama - 2020, 7 episodes

7.5
- good chemistry between the leads
- lots of skinship (physical intimacy)
32. Twenty Years Old

Korean Drama - 2014, 4 episodes

7.0
- I thought they had good chemistry
- very cute male lead
33. My Name

Korean Drama - 2021, 8 episodes

8.0
- great fight choreography, OST, acting, cinematography
- ⚠️ it's quite violent
34. I Told Sunset about You

Thai Drama - 2020, 5 episodes

8.5
- good cinematography
- excellent non-vocal communication
- every detail included (including the dialogue) is well thought out and has a specific purpose
- The Documentary is also worth a watch
35. Word of Honor

Chinese Drama - 2021, 36 episodes

7.5
- great chemistry and bantering between the leads and a side character
- despite the low budget it still managed to deliver a good story, and their outfits were nice
- ~~censorship was seemingly absent because their romantic relationship is blatant~~
36. Red Devil and Heroine Su

Chinese Movie - 2020

8.0
- they packed a lot of story and feelings into a couple of minutes
37. A First Love Story

Korean Drama - 2021, 2 episodes

7.0
- cute
38. The Silent Sea

Korean Drama - 2021, 8 episodes

8.0
- it gets a little absurd by the end, but I still thought it was an enjoyable scifi thriller
39. Mute

Korean Drama - 2020, 4 episodes

7.0
- I really liked the male lead
- wished it was a bit longer
40. Legend of Yunze

Chinese Drama - 2021, 12 episodes

7.0
- short and cute censored GL drama
- the contemporary special is also worth a watch
41. Recalled

Korean Movie - 2021

7.0
- ⚠️ there are some potentially triggering scenes
42. Shiyakusho

Japanese Drama - 2019, 10 episodes

7.5
- ⚠️ deals with many heavy themes - some scenes involve women and children
43. The Untamed

Chinese Drama - 2019, 50 episodes

7.5
- good chemistry, acting (especially Wang Yibo and his micro expressions which said so much), outfits
- blatant BL despite the censorship
- started off confusing and slow and finally hooked me at episode 13, may take you around the same
- ⚠️ there are some potentially triggering scenes/moments
44. Silent

Japanese Drama - 2022, 11 episodes

7.5
45. Light on Me

Korean Drama - 2021, 16 episodes

6.5
- love triangle that isn't toxic
- cute and funny moments
- characters dealing with sexuality in a realistic way
- ⚠️ brief scenes with homophobia by some students
46. Hero

Chinese Movie - 2002

6.5
- stunning cinematography and visually pleasing fight choreography
- low rating is because the plot itself didn't grab me whatsoever for some reason, but don't let that deter you
47. Move to Heaven

Korean Drama - 2021, 10 episodes

7.5
- ⚠️ there is numerous subject matter that may be upsetting - for instance, some bodies are shown, and they don't shy away from what happens to the surrounding area when discovery takes some time
48. First Love

Korean Movie - 2016

7.0
- ⚠️ there are some potentially triggering scenes
49. The Fox Spirit and the Little Priest

Chinese Movie - 2021

7.5
- cute GL short film
- good OST
50. Komi-san wa, Komyushou Desu

Japanese Drama - 2021, 8 episodes

7.0
- daily struggles with social anxiety disorder and having trouble talking to others
51. Cat in the Eastern Palace

Chinese Movie - 2020

7.5
- censorship was nowhere to be found
52. Love in Blood

Chinese Movie - 2020

8.0
- good color grading, OST
53. Rinko-san wa Shite Mitai

Japanese Drama - 2021, 8 episodes

7.5
- there is an unnecessarily long misunderstanding (in my opinion)
- otherwise, I quite enjoyed this
54. The Courtesan and the Female Scholar

Chinese Movie - 2021

7.0
- another short GL film
55. Seobok

Korean Movie - 2021

7.0
- what does it mean to be human?
56. Dr. Brain

Korean Drama - 2021, 6 episodes

7.0
- started off strong, but I felt like it tapered off towards the end... that being said, it still kept me on my toes
57. Semantic Error

Korean Drama - 2022, 8 episodes

8.0
- I like that it handled sexuality in a nonchalant way in one of the scenes, like it just so happens that a few of the characters dated around, could be bi/pansexual or what have you, and there isn't any fuss or theatrics
- has female side characters that aren't vindictive
58. Dear My Name

Korean Drama - 2019, 6 episodes

7.0
- cute take on the soulmate trope
59. I'm Her Weapon

Chinese Movie - 2022

7.5
60. Your Ship Is Real

Chinese Special - 2022, 1 episode

7.0
61. Dong Lan Xue

Chinese Drama - 2023, 30 episodes

7.5
62. The Beauty Inside

Korean Movie - 2015

8.0
63. Who Killed Edward

Hong Kong Movie - 2019

7.5
64. B-Class Cultural Heritage

Japanese Movie - 2014

7.0
- cinematography, subtitles and credits were on point
65. Bichunmoo

Korean Movie - 2000

7.0
- like Hero it looked great, but the story didn't do much for me for some reason
66. In the Absence

Korean Movie - 2018

9.0
- short documentary on the 2014 Sewol Ferry Disaster
- ⚠️ it's very emotional and has real footage taken by the students from both inside and outside the ferry as it sank, mentions of suicide
- there isn't anything graphic shown, however, it's harrowing to know what is happening to the students out of view as it capsizes and sinks
67. Bulgasal: Immortal Souls

Korean Drama - 2021, 16 episodes

6.5
- adding this purely for the cinematography, it was beautifully shot
- every scene that takes place in the past (especially in the premiere and part of the finale) was very well done