Breath of Fresh Air Dramas
That drama where I try to find something similar or comparable but really cannot because it feels so unique, either due to plot or character or vibe. Will also include dramas that are cliche but do it the right way.
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1. Arang and the Magistrate
Korean Drama - 2012, 20 episodes
Fantasy themes plus rural-esque setting. Music also goes a good job setting the mysterious but charmingly rustic vibe
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2. Cheese in the Trap
Korean Drama - 2016, 16 episodes
Hard to find a such a blend of romance + thriller with a questionably crazy male lead and perceptive female lead. He's not another arrogant-but-misunderstood rich bad boy; he actually does horrible things but we see how and why he does them
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3. Empress Ki
Korean Drama - 2013, 51 episodes
Straight up MASTERPIECE. Really incomparable in terms of very well-written plot, production and acting. Strong (like actually a true badass [physical + IQ + EQ + mental), well-written, morally grey female lead I have to date not found a comparison to.
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4. Game Rai Game Rak
Thai Drama - 2011, 21 episodes
I'm aware that there are like a million slap/kiss dramas out there but this is the only one where I genuinely feel the ML actually loves the FL more than he hates her. The rest of them...yeah, the chemistry is there but the ML are way too much of a jerk for me to feel satisfied with the pairing
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5. Kleun Cheewit
Thai Drama - 2017, 15 episodes
Hard to find a similar strong but vulnerable and complex FL with layers. I did think she was too good for him though and had a hard time shipping them
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6. Marriage, Not Dating
Korean Drama - 2014, 16 episodes
Classic rom-com but extrapolates the clichés to bring originality. I really like what they did with the MIL - haven't seen another drama like that
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7. The Romance of Tiger and Rose
Chinese Drama - 2020, 24 episodes
Silly and sweet on the surface but actually really well done (trifecta of good acting-good chemistry-good plot) and makes you put your thinking cap on character development and what it means to be a well-written character
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8. The Story of Ming Lan
Chinese Drama - 2018, 78 episodes
My first time seeing a female lead like this: patient, calm and intelligent