Asian drama recs?

[katewrites]

FLIST! I am looking for a drama as wonderful as Coffee Prince, Stars Falling from Heaven, or Nodame Cantabile. RECS, PLEASE!

Comments

[skygiants]

I have recced these to you before, but CAPITAL SCANDAL AND SUNGKYUNKWAN SCANDAL REMAIN EXCELLENT.

[katewrites]

CAPITAL SCANDAL! I forgot I had not finished that yet! *salutes*

[surexit]

I WANT TO SECOND THAT SECOND REC.

[paintedmaypole]

I'm not sure anything can ever top Coffee Prince (at least, I haven't found one yet that does), but! Here are some of my favorites. (Most of these are a bit older, since I haven't been keeping up and watching as much in the past year or two.)

Kimi wa Petto (j-drama - older, but i LOVE this one, i'd call this one a total must see.)
Osen (j-drama - lots of fun. also, food porn.)
Last Friends (j-drama - more melodramatic and serious, but I enjoyed it and it was interesting to see a j-drama trying to tackle some more serious topics.)
Hana Yori Dango (j-drama - this one's a mixed thumbs up for me, but i think this version is much better than the k-drama version and i enjoy some of the actors in this one.)
Zettai Kareshi (j-drama - i've basically watched anything Mizushima Hiro is in, so you'll see a lot of him on my j-drama list, but this one was also a ton of fun. if you liked Nodame, i think you'll love this one.)
Orange Days (j-drama - older and a touch more serious, but i loved this when i first saw it.)
My Lovely Sam-Soon (k-drama - lots of fun, also Daniel Henney.)
Goong (k-drama - i adored this one, it got me hooked on watching asian dramas. also, early Yoon Eun Hye.)
Pasta (k-drama - fun. with Lee Sun Gyun from Coffee Prince)
Mars (tw-drama - based on the Mars manga, this one is much more melodramatic and serious, but i loved it.)

Also, have you found the Nodame movie special too?

[katewrites]

THANK YOU! This is wonderful! I am going through the list. :)

I just started "Last Scandal" and I'm going through this whole thing where I'm like, "Why does it always have to be a love triangle??? Why can't it ever be just a love duo?"

I will get on the rest of these ASAP.

[paintedmaypole]

"Why does it always have to be a love triangle??? Why can't it ever be just a love duo?"

YES!!! It will nearly always be a triangle though. It drives me nuts too because there's the nice guy and the mean guy and 80% of the time I'm routing for the nice guy, but I know that its NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN because in k-dramas (and j-dramas), the nice guy is never going to get the girl.

Actually, you'll notice that a lot of the dramas I rec'd drift from this model a tad. Which may have something to do with why I liked them. :D

[katewrites]

Yay!

I know, I mean, even in CP, I understood why they nice guy didn't get her (because he had a different girl to be in love with), but in like Stars Falling... I had to perpetually ask, "WHY????"

[paintedmaypole]

Yes! That was actually one of the things about Coffee Prince, they used elements of the mean-guy vs. nice-guy triangle, but ultimately, it was just configured very differently.

There's a similar dynamic in My Lovely Sam Soon. I think the addition of another girl character-- so two compelling couples, rather than one love triangle that you're hyper focused on-- really helps. Also, the two guys had a bit more nuance to them than just mean/grumpy and nice/shy.

[katewrites]

I really did like how they handled it in Sam Soon, since it wasn't really her choosing between two guys so much as the guy choosing between two girls.

[paintedmaypole]

Yes! Ultimately, its just a small shift, but even a little variance feels refreshing after a while. :D

[katewrites]

YES! I watched both specials, which was good because the series ended so... platonically. I liked seeing her stand on her own and him figure out that he needs her, too.