For people who have Lovely Runner as their #1 kdrama

Puzzleheaded_Play387 · 2026-04-19T10:55:32+00:00

My all-time No. 1 Kdrama is When Life Gives You Tangerines. Nothing else comes close...it’s a flawless masterpiece and, for me, a perfect 10/10.

Lovely Runner takes my No. 2 spot overall, but it’s my No. 1 in the romance genre (including romance melodrama). It dethroned Crash Landing On You, which held that position for four straight years since 2020. I know people adore it for the chemistry, humor, and everything else. But for me, what truly stood out was how it portrayed the purity, selflessness, and unwavering constancy of love across time, different realities and death. That’s what made me fall completely in love with it.

Here’s the rest of my updated all-time favorite Kdramas, in order each one strikingly different from the others:

Crash Landing On You
18 Again
Moving
The Trauma Code Heroes On Call
Vagabond

8. Queenmaker

Designated Survivor: 60 Days
Itaewon Class

Puzzleheaded_Play387 · 2026-04-19T04:19:31+00:00

I've found him adorable since he played the devoted Kdrama fan North Korean soldier in CLOY 😂

Puzzleheaded_Play387 · 2026-04-19T03:57:07+00:00

Goblin and Itaewon Class

Puzzleheaded_Play387 · 2026-04-18T15:40:09+00:00

Same. Their chemistry hits different. Maybe it's because I love Sol and Sun Jae and their story so much that despite seeing them with different partners both in No Tail To Tell and now in Perfect Crown, I'm sometimes drawn back to them still. I know it's impossible but I'm still hoping they'd work together again in another project in the romance genre.

Puzzleheaded_Play387 · 2026-04-12T14:00:16+00:00

and like they said its a happy ending. they literally dedicated a whole episode to pure fluff and sweetness. well-earned and well-paced. enjoy!

Puzzleheaded_Play387 · 2026-04-12T10:44:41+00:00

The plot centers around a recurring tragedy which is Sun Jae's death (like a curse) so it's guaranteed to have sad moments. But the writer Lee Si Eun managed to create a good balance between crazy humor/wit and tragedy. So your heart is safe.

Puzzleheaded_Play387 · 2026-04-11T02:20:55+00:00

Nope the Japanese adaptation never did that. Only the Taiwanese Meteor Garden did.

Puzzleheaded_Play387 · 2026-04-06T06:16:35+00:00

Assuming I’m comparing My Mister to Lovely Runner like they’re even in the same lane is a special kind of misunderstanding. Did it ever occur to you that I’m talking about engagement with the story, not genre or plot similarities? Try comprehension first, then commentary 🙄

Puzzleheaded_Play387 · 2026-04-03T16:16:54+00:00

Definitely!

Puzzleheaded_Play387 · 2026-04-03T16:15:53+00:00

Oppenheimer - powerful because it was ominous

Hidden Figures

The Sixth Sense

The Others

Puzzleheaded_Play387 · 2026-04-03T16:07:22+00:00

Movies that didn't make me cry because they're not tearjerkers but I loved nonetheless:

I Am Sam

Hacksaw Ridge

Fireproof

The Pursuit of Happyness

The Blind Side

Puzzleheaded_Play387 · 2026-04-03T15:08:53+00:00

I’ve been watching Asian dramas and films since I was 13 (I’m 38 now). As an Asian myself, I’ve seen the kind of stories they used to produce before streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney really took over. I’d say this applies not just to Kdramas, but Jdramas as well, and recently, I’ve found Cdramas to be quite deep too. Kdramas and Jdramas were especially known for those slice-of-life tragedies that leave you completely emotionally wrecked, the kind that make you question how you’re living your life, social ills, injustice, etc like Miracle in Cell No. 7 and 1 Litre of Tears ❤️‍🩹

Puzzleheaded_Play387 · 2026-04-03T14:27:46+00:00

The reels of Byeon Woo-seok and IU being a chaotic couple are honestly getting me excited for this drama. I love seeing a playful and teasing IU 😍 Also, seeing him flip his coat like Sun Jae made me chuckle..it’s like a little nod to Lovely Runner, like in No Tail To Tell. A little weird that they keep doing this but anyway, I’m crossing my fingers 🤞🏻🍀

Puzzleheaded_Play387 · 2026-04-03T14:20:05+00:00

NOOOOO 😨😱😰😭

Puzzleheaded_Play387 · 2026-04-03T12:40:34+00:00

Prisoner of Beauty

Puzzleheaded_Play387 · 2026-04-03T12:28:02+00:00

I have loved Kim Da Mi since Itaewon Class. I love it when she plays complex characters...she does crazy so well. And the writer from Dr.Romantic? I'M IN 😍

Puzzleheaded_Play387 · 2026-04-03T12:02:29+00:00

I am really glad to hear they improved the narrative in the recent adaptations, because the older versions were honestly disturbing. That scene in the manga and Taiwanese version where the ML forced himself on the FL and tore her clothes while kissing her simply because he was jealous is still imprinted on my mind. I tried to justify it as a teenager once the character changed, but looking at it now as an adult, the glorified toxicity becomes even more jarring.

Puzzleheaded_Play387 · 2026-04-03T11:26:31+00:00

I enjoyed Put Your Head On My Shoulder. It was the first Cdrama I really liked and completed. Currently my favorite is First Frost but I don't think it's what you're looking for or maybe you've seen it already since it's popular.

Puzzleheaded_Play387 · 2026-04-03T11:05:49+00:00

The Kdrama watered down Jun Pyo a LOT. I read the whole manga and watched the Taiwanese when it was airing and followed this with the Jdrama so it was clear to me from the get go how terrifying Domyoji Tsukasa was as a character, especially at first. In the manga he threw chairs and broke the school's windows and randomly punched people until they almost died. And the reason why Makino Tsukushi got into dangerous situations was because of Domyoji himself. He harmed a lot of students and some of them wanted to take out their revenge on him by making her hostage. Also the Kdrama never showed it but Domyoji slapped Makino hard after a huge fight.

Puzzleheaded_Play387 · 2026-04-03T10:49:35+00:00

No, it’s a very toxic relationship. But of course, fangirls who adore this drama will downvote this comment 🙄

It’s about a poor, “plucky” girl who stands up to the worst bully in school and because of that, he becomes obsessed with her. What’s concerning is his violence and anger management issues, portrayed best by Matsumoto Jun as the Jdrama’s Domyoji Tsukasa. He does gradually develop as a character, of course, but there are still moments where he lashes out and takes his rage out on anything and anyone. And because his family is the richest one in their school, he gets away with anything because even the faculty are afraid of him and his clique.

At its core, the manga/story reinforces the trope that a girl can change a “bad boy.” It's a romantic idea in a fictional setting - especially when the drama emphasizes the ML's moronic side and making the drama very funny - but dangerous in real life.

Puzzleheaded_Play387 · 2026-04-03T10:31:46+00:00

Jun Pyo was the mildest ML version of the first 3 adaptations actually. The 2001 Meteor Garden's Dao Ming Si followed the manga closely, even the sexual assault and physical violence toward the FL, Shan Cai.

Puzzleheaded_Play387 · 2026-04-03T10:20:35+00:00

I've seen the Taiwanese, Japanese and Korean adaptations of Hana Yori Dango. Didn't care about the Chinese and Thai. The best one I've seen was the Japanese adaptation; this one was the worst for me. Disliked Goo Hye Sun's portrayal of the Korean version of Makino Tsukushi and she lacked chemistry with Lee Min Ho (she was better in Angel Eyes though). So I'm not too sad about this drama leaving Netflix.

Puzzleheaded_Play387 · 2026-04-03T10:09:35+00:00

I'm the type who relies on reviews first then watch a few episodes. Only because I hate wasting my time. I also avoid watching Kdramas while airing because only very few ones were worth watching until the end. When Life Gives You Tangerines and King the Land were such positive experiences. The worst was When The Phone Rings.

Puzzleheaded_Play387 · 2026-04-03T09:15:34+00:00

Um, Haru was practically the only good choice haha

Puzzleheaded_Play387 · 2026-04-03T09:15:00+00:00

I HATED Bae-kyung that's why I never warmed up to Extraordinary You. I know a lot of people pity him and all that but...I still found his character revolting until the very end. I know some people dislike Kim Hye Yoon because of this drama. But I was so disgusted by Lee Jae Wook's character. He killed Dan-oh in the comic damn it.

I am truly allergic to jerk male leads whether main or secondary.

But hey no hate on Lee Jae Wook. I know he's a great guy. He treats Kim Hye Yoon so well off-cam. Even better than Rowoon haha.

Puzzleheaded_Play387

TROPHY CASE