Top Picks

NOTE: If any of these catch your eye, the titles are links! Feel free to take a look~

Silent is a truly stunning depiction of communication, a heart that yearns to speak, and eyes that yearn to listen. It is a human drama at its core and an experience I cannot recommend enough.

Watashitachi wa Douka Shiteiru puts a darker spin on romance, loaded with psychological angst. A breath of fresh air for those who enjoy romance with the darker stuff. It also has a unique blend of traditional scenery in a modern day setting.

Strangers from Hell is really one of a kind. It’s less something you watch, and more something you’re immersed in with the protagonist. Remember to look out of your window once in a while.

Someday or One Day is a lot. One of the most detailed stories in dramaland, but failing to notice these details won’t ruin the experience. It’s a beautiful story of romance, with some good mystery-thriller elements mixed in.

Lost Romance is the pinnacle of a parody to the romance genre. Tired of tropes? Look no further, there’s even references to iconic romance Kdramas. It is also an incarnation of my favourite trope: main character gets stuck in fictional world.

Before We Get Married is not a drama I would pick out for myself. Most people wouldn’t, with mature themes focusing on relationships and tackling infidelity. However, I think there is more positives to come from this drama than one might expect.

Midnight is a thriller film. If you’re an adrenaline junkie like myself, and you somehow haven’t seen it, please, next time you fancy a psycho thriller, go for it. There is also some nice disability representation here if you’re a fan of that.

It’s Love: Yankee-kun and White Cane Girl, is a romance-comedy about a delinquent boy and a blind girl, a pairing that works quite well one way and another. This is definitely a fuzzy-warm feeling comfort drama for me.

…and a bit of gay…

These picks will be gay, so if you are not one for that, gloss these over and forget them. But, they make up a decent portion of what I watch so I’ll present some of my favourites. Sadly, there won’t be any girls to speak of here because there’s far less content worthy of mention with them at the moment.

No. 1 For You  &  Fighting Mr. 2nd

Yes, there’s two parts here…feels like cheating. HOWEVER, both are worth your time. No. 1 For You is the pinnacle of a university BL. Fighting Mr. 2nd, on the other hand, an angsty, adult story with the characters you already know and like.

Season 1 & Season 2

Aah….I’ve cheated again. This time with an absolute must-watch for any BL fan. This is more of a sit-com and parody, not a romance. In a world where everything is BL, what would it be like if you just put a normal, self-aware man there?

You’ve probably worked out by now, that while I watch plenty of romance, I also like edgy stuff. Utsukushii Kare is an example of me loving shows that do both. It’s a more unusual story with a pretty clear power (in)balance between the leads. This one is those who want something unhealthy, if that isn’t you, you probably won’t enjoy.

Old Fashioned Cupcake is a short but sweet story, with a rather unusual setup. Centred around learning to enjoy living life again, naturally with some romance, it’s one of the BL stories I’d easily recommend. Nozue’s life goes from a mundane and routine one, to a life of excitement and new things again, a rejuvenating story indeed.

…I told you that I can also enjoy some…bizarre.

So…now that you’ve been warned, I won’t hold back. Here’s some strange and in some instances, downright outlandish picks. I very much enjoyed watching these, one way or another, and even though they are all, different, they have their merits to the right person.

Undoubtedly a drama that makes me question myself is this: Kakafukaka. It doesn’t sound that strange from the synopsis, and I can’t really spoil it, but this is definitely a drama that is a strange one to enjoy. It’s particularly odd for me because I can’t usually deal with straight dramas that feature any sexual elements. A guilty pleasure drama for me.

Okay, there’s different types of strange. This one is just a very niche combination of elements, to be precise, an occult-horror-bromance. I came across this by accident and occult is usually not my style. This film is a happy exception. Revolving around a mystery, this film is a break-neck paced rush to the edge of reality.

I Picked Up a Star on the Road has one heck of a premise, and it’s one of the funniest Kdramas I’ve seen to date. Naturally, this raises questions from others - I know exactly what I watched and enjoyed, and it’s a romance-comedy with parody elements. In spite of the very questionable premise, please don’t get scared off, it’s actually good.

Kareshi wo Loan de Kaimashita, or “I Bought Boyfriend with Loan” to those who don’t understand Japanese, is undoubtedly one of my most questionable adventures as a drama viewer. Truth be told, I started it for Yokohama Ryusei, the male lead. It wasn’t the easiest watch at times, but it is social commentary, and interesting enough.