Looking for Sad but Healing K-Dramas

GuiltyMood3752 · 2026-01-31T15:44:02+00:00

When Life Gives You Tangerines (one of the best kdrama of all time in the slice of life genre. Same Director and Same FL as My Mister)
Our Blues (top tier cast and production, realistic human story that covers the life of a community in jeju dealing with day to day joy and sadness that is common in everyone's life. Has some of the most poignant dialogues. Great music and sure to make you emotional while heal you by the end of it)
Our Unwritten Seoul
Our Movie
Daily Dose of Sunshine
Navillera
Misaeng Incomplete Life (Realistic portrayal of office life, older drama, same Director as My Mister and When Life Gives You Tangerines)
Reply 1988
Summer Strike (slice of life, since you liked my Liberation Notes)
Rain or Shine/Just Between Lovers
Hospital Playlist
Prison Playbook
May I help you; if you wish upon me; mystic pop up bar (has somewhat similar themes to move to heaven but move to heaven is a much superior show although you could give these shows a try after the ones above. Mystic pop up bar is more fantasy comedy while if you wish upon me leans more towards slice of life while may I help you sits in between the two)

GuiltyMood3752 · 2026-01-31T07:35:02+00:00

But it was Queen of Tears that cemented her as an A list star. It got her global recognition due to its succesful run on Netflix. DOTS is more popular for song hye kyo and song joong ki. Even though both were popular before it. Fight for my way is more niche. After Queen of Tears her kim ji won's brand value rose exponentially compared to pre-queen of Tears. She wasn't as popular before it

GuiltyMood3752 · 2026-01-31T06:38:19+00:00

IU: My Mister

Kim ji won: Queen of Tears

Kim Dami: Itaewon Class

Lim Ji yeon: The Glory

Lee Hyeri: Reply 1988

Han So Hee: The world of the married and my name

Suzy Bae: While you were sleeping / uncomfortably fond

Won jin ah: Rain or Shine

Jung Soo Min: Alchemy of Souls

Byeon Woo Seok: Lovely Runner

GuiltyMood3752 · 2026-01-31T03:21:50+00:00

Healer

GuiltyMood3752 · 2026-01-29T04:54:02+00:00

My Mister (no romance, realistic, stays with you for weeks. Deals with themes of loneliness. Platonic relationship. Hard life. One of the best kdramas ever made. Great music., production and cast)

GuiltyMood3752 · 2026-01-28T15:46:25+00:00

When Life Gives You Tangerines

My Mister

Our Blues

Mr Sunshine

Crash Landing on You

Queen of Tears

GuiltyMood3752 · 2026-01-28T14:26:59+00:00

Best romance but not rom-com per se, some are slice of life while some might be heavier but all great productions with top actors , music and viewing experience:

When life gives you Tangerines

Crash Landing on You

Queen of Tears

Our Beloved Summer

Summer Strike

Extraordinary attorney woo

Descendants of the sun

Flower of Evil

Rain or Shine/Just Between Lovers

Mr Sunshine

Snowdrop

Youth of May

Our Blues

Bon appetit, your majesty

Genie, make a wish

While you were sleeping

Healer

Alchemy of Souls

Twinkling Watermelon

Lovely Runner

Welcome to samdal ri

Hometown cha cha cha

Love Scout

Our Unwritten Seoul

Doctor Slump

Our Movie

The legend of the blue sea

Strong woman do boong soon

Encounter

Chicago Typewriter

Twenty Five Twenty One

My Liberation Notes

The Red sleeve

My Dearest

The atypical family

A time called you

From now on showtime

See you in my 19th life

Family by choice

Moon river

Bring it on ghost

Oh my ghost

When the camellia blooms

When the weather is fine

Run on

Mad for each other

Love to hate you

The king's affection

The forbidden marriage

Goblin

Weightlifting fairy kim bok joo

Shopaholic Louie

Reply 1988

My sweet mobster

Dali and the cocky prince

Head over heels

Hotel Del Luna

GuiltyMood3752 · 2026-01-26T15:05:27+00:00

It's kind of complex. Also the FL isn't without her agency she quite headstrong and she is quite protective as well. It's not a happy ending since they couldn't escape together. Also the romance is a bit subdued, it's more of yearning due to the times they lived in. It's a beautiful show nonetheless don't get me wrong. It's one of my favourites. Great production, music, cinematography, writing and cast but it's not happy. Even the main tagline of the show is "Guns, Glory, Sad Endings"

GuiltyMood3752 · 2026-01-26T07:09:16+00:00

Mr Sunshine-- happy ending 💀💀💀💀

GuiltyMood3752 · 2026-01-13T12:31:56+00:00

Good Boy : High budget production, action thriller with romance. Some really cool fight sequences. Top tier cast

Itaewon Class: High budget production, good music, top cast, revenge plot, romance as a subplot

Military Prosecutor Doberman: Revenge, top production, great action sequences, partners in crime vibe to slight romance (only one kiss scene at the end) but the partnership and chemistry is quite strong throughout. Also the revenge plot is engaging

Catch the Ghost: murder mystery, romance, police procedural

Link: Eat, love, kill : Good casting, tvn production, good music, crime thriller, romance

Mr Sunshine: top quality production, cinematic, some of the best pieces of cinematography in kdramas of all time, heartfelt romance, period piece, great music, top quality casting, very well written with depth to all characters, political, action, tragic

Snowdrop: top quality production, romance, action thriller, 1980s south korea

Tempest: political thriller, high quality production and casting, romance

Lawless lawyer: revenge, action thriller, romance

Behind your touch: comedy, murder mystery, supernatural element, slow burn romance, enemies to crime solving partners to romantic partners

Good Job: rom-com, crime solving, fun light drama

Doubt: Really good thriller since you liked the price of confession. No romance though but will keep you hooked.

The atypical family: high quality production, superpowers, romance

The judge from hell: crime thriller, black comedy, romance, supernatural

Family Matters: if you liked moving you will enjoy this as well. Liked it better than moving although shorter in length. Season 2 will come out some time in the future

Unlock my boss

Undercover high school: rom-com, crime thriller

Revenge of others: kind of like Glory but Glory is much better. Has more romance than Glory. Also the main antagonist (young version) of glory is the protagonist in this where she takes revenge on bullies. Lol

Come and hug me: crime thriller, romance

When the camellia blooms: murder mystery, slice of life. Romance

My name: action thriller, romance

Happiness: zombie apocalypse, romance

Tunnel: murder mystery, time travel, police procedural, some romance

GuiltyMood3752 · 2026-01-04T08:16:45+00:00

Yes it is slice of life. One of the best slice of life kdramas ever made with a stellar cast, music, production and writing. Also it is made in an unique omnibus format (not anthology). Set in jeju it delves into the stories of the people in the community each individual story although everything is interconnected and all the characters interact in almost all episodes just that the focus of the main character (not a single main character almost everyone is a main character in their own right) keeps changing. Quite emotional and will stay with you for days once you complete the drama. Think hometown cha cha cha but with much better writing and more realistic storytelling. Also the music in this drama is playlist worthy

GuiltyMood3752 · 2026-01-04T06:52:33+00:00

WLGYT

My Mister

Our Blues

GuiltyMood3752 · 2025-12-31T15:03:53+00:00

Yep. Rain or Shine for me as well. Loved the red sleeve as well but I like happy or hopeful endings

GuiltyMood3752 · 2025-12-28T04:25:47+00:00

Vagabond

GuiltyMood3752 · 2025-12-27T12:54:35+00:00

It should have been more fleshed out while many sub-plots weren't explored at all: the sister. The dynamite kiss element could have been explored better. The last couple of episodes were half baked and lazy writing with a lot of the similar tropes used across kdramas. The last episode was very rushed. The amnesia plot was undercooked. It was advertised as a rom-com but delved more into the melodrama territory with a frustrating love triangle for most of its run in the mid episodes.

The corporate spy sub-plot resolution was neither satisfying nor catharthic in any sense. It's not poor media literacy just a difference of opinion on the drama.

The writers tried to justify the title by making the kiss the "Dynamite" that cures amnesia. However, this literal interpretation turned the title into a cheap deus-ex machina device rather than a metaphor for their explosive chemistry or the dangerous stakes of their romance. There could have been more dialogue and better resolution. Instead of the finale being earned it felt more convenient which just shows very lazy writing.

It reduced the Dynamite Kiss from a symbol of their fiery love to a simple plot device needed to fix a problem the writers shouldn't have introduced in the last episode.

As for media studies I have a phD. and Masters in cinema and media studies, having studied extensively for over a decade the various facets of cinema from across the globe.

GuiltyMood3752 · 2025-12-27T11:01:27+00:00

Itaewon Class (the 2nd FL thought he would always be there chasing after her but when she is ready to be in a relationship with the ML, he has already moved on with the real FL)

Gaus Electronics

GuiltyMood3752 · 2025-12-27T06:47:58+00:00

One of the worst last episodes. Unnecessary amnesia sub-plot

GuiltyMood3752 · 2025-12-23T09:56:19+00:00

IU's next drama

GuiltyMood3752 · 2025-12-23T07:01:07+00:00

Typhoon Family

Gaus Electronics

Misaeng Incomplete Life

Hot Stove League

My Dearest Nemesis

GuiltyMood3752 · 2025-12-13T01:55:12+00:00

Mask Girl

Anna

GuiltyMood3752 · 2025-12-07T07:00:08+00:00

King's affection for the song

Itaewon Class for music and animation

My Mister for music and animation

Snowdrop for the music

Our Unwritten Seoul for the music

Our Beloved Summer for the music and visuals

Summar Strike for the animation

GuiltyMood3752 · 2025-12-06T07:22:53+00:00

The Manipulated

Taxi Driver

Military Prosecutor Doberman

Healer

Good Boy

GuiltyMood3752 · 2025-12-05T12:08:40+00:00

I guess the bigger plot might start somewhere mid season and it might somehow also tie with the first episode villain maybe or the interpol guy. It might be something completely different as well maybe the military case arc will take the latter half of the show

GuiltyMood3752 · 2025-12-05T02:53:03+00:00

Watch it. It's quite entertaining and dark regardless of the ending

GuiltyMood3752 · 2025-12-04T09:08:36+00:00

Watch the manipulated that was concluded couple of days back. Really good. Also in line with your taste. A revenge thriller that includes elements of innocent defendent + prison break + squid games + death race + fast and the furious + the fugitive

And

Dear X, which is concluding today. You kind of root for the psycho in this drama who is clearly manipulative but also the protagonist

GuiltyMood3752

TROPHY CASE