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endgame pairing isn't the usual "met as children and loved forever" - the leads have romantic relationships and even marriage with…
main characters with scars, particularly those that are significant to the plot or the romance.
instead of an enemies to lovers arc, the leads go back and forth between hatred and love in their relationship.
Sad endings (my definition is the leads don't end up together due to death or separation) and happy endings for the main couple but are otherwise…
the leads are more than star-crossed lovers - there is bad blood between them. Includes blood feuds in which the lead or their family harmed/killed…
Dramas I loved and would very much recommend!(if there's more than one season, only the first is listed)
characters with mental or physical disabilities, mental illness, chronic illnesses, and more.
Childhood connections, childhood and earlier meetings, separations during and toward the end, basically any stories that ultimately feature…
My favorite sort of happy ending stories - the leads are together and parents (adopted/biological child/children and/or pregnancy). Also included…
plots driven by FL's/ML's quest for revenge for something that happened to them or their family.
characters appear to be someone other than who they truly are due to body/face swaps, power swaps, identity swaps, false identities, hidden…
Arranged marriages, forced marriages, fake relationships, and contract relationships of all sorts that ultimately lead to love.
Romances between step family, in-laws or adopted (not blood related) siblings, and the occasional related one.
The delightful or not so delightful trope! At least one of the leads loses their memory at least once.
Chinese and Taiwanese dramas that are short length/mini dramas (usually >15 mins per episode).
Thai Dramas that are short length (15 mins. or less an episode) or full length dramas with 15 or fewer episodes.
plost centered around or leads who are involved in the arts - painting, music, writing, dance, theatre, stage magicians, entertainment, etc..
Pairings where the characters are emotional opposites, one cold and one warm or one introvert and one extrovert.
the leads live together before being in a relationship or live in the same apartment building next door to each other. Excludes contract…
When you need romance with a bit more fire - particularly sizzling chemistry, yearning/UST, scenes that makes you wonder where exactly the censors…
main characters who are doctors, nurses, paramedics, or firefighters.
Dramas I enjoyed that I rarely see mentioned/recommended or are very unpopular. Full length dramas only because literally all mini dramas are…
Romances between an employer and their employee or master and their servant (excluding bodyguards).
Because the number of episodes of most Chinese dramas can be daunting, these are full length but shorter than average dramas (20 or fewer episodes).…
characters who are humans with some magical power or who gain power from a magical object they possess.
pretty and/or unusual/unique aesthetics relating to costumes, sets, lighting, or cinematography.
Unconventional MLs on the gray side - villains, antiheros, playboys, red flags, and bad boys with a heart of gold.
reversed stereotypical gender roles including domineering or strong FL/weak ML, matriarchal husbands, reversed societies, mpreg, characters…
Both romantic and platonic: three or more guys fall in love with the FL during the course of the plot, or the FL is surrounded by a group…
Dramas and movies set in or with flashbacks to times less commonly shown such as Qing, Goryeo, Silla, Manchu War, 1950s-1990s, etc.
SFL/SML gives up on the ML/FL and actually moves on, finding love with someone else. May end happily, may end tragically.
youth drama, school settings, & main characters who are students or teachers
MLs who are weak or powerless in some way and usually fight/accomplish their plans using their intelligence or other skills .
