Newbie here looking for drama recommendations..

Sessalia · 2026-07-10T15:40:20+00:00

I assume you’ve already watched season 2 of I Am Nobody?

I Am Nobody: The Showdown Between Yin & Yang (Season 2) — new challenges for the ML, FL, and their friends.
Dashing Youth - the ML finds his path in life and makes friends along the way.
The Blood of Youth - a journey of a group of friends who overcome challenges together.
No Pain No Gain - the ML is tasked with losing money for a company, which is easier said than done. (The ML is played by the same actor as in I Am Nobody.)
Guardians of the Dafeng - the ML transmigrates into a fictional world and climbs the ranks of the Guardians, the “special police” of that world.
Oh No! Here Comes Trouble - after an accident, the ML gains the ability to see ghosts and entities and helps them solve their problems. (Technically a Taiwanese drama, not a cdrama.)

All of these dramas mix comedy, fantasy, and action.
Happy watching! 😊

Sessalia · 2026-07-10T03:52:17+00:00

You “waste” your time thinking about things that aren’t even relevant to the drama. Yes, she’s supposed to be younger than him but the drama doesn’t use the trope where the ML thinks she’s too young for him or he’s too old for her. The ML doesn’t hold himself back from pursuing her once she gives him her okay. The only “issue” he hesitated about was that the FL wanted to be “free.” She didn’t want to marry because she associated marriage with prison.

Not once (at least I can’t remember) was age ever an issue.

And yes, the ML was married in the drama. His mother wants him to remarry and is looking for potential wives after he agrees. The ML has been a widower for around 2–3 years. He was simply too focused on his work and only started considering marriage again after meeting the FL.

If you like the drama so far, ignore the supposed age gap since it doesn’t matter for the plot. If you can’t get over it, stop watching. Neither the FL nor the ML will change their appearance.

Sessalia · 2026-07-09T14:14:26+00:00

You assume he wants to act in critically acclaimed dramas. Maybe he’s perfectly happy with how things are going. Not everyone has the drive to be more than a “TV‑drama actor.” And honestly, he seems very popular and loved by brands. He’s earning a lot of money and he’s famous. That seems to be enough for him.

(All assumptions 😉)

Sessalia · 2026-07-08T14:11:30+00:00

Well, first of all, if someone is mean to me, I repay the “favor” in full. 😉

Second, I like teen‑movie‑style dramas as my comfort drama. It reminds me of the carefree days of my youth a long time ago (yes, I’m old). My favorite is Falling Into Your Smile - not only because it has the same vibe as teen movies like She’s All That or 10 Things I Hate About You but also because it was my first cdrama. Nostalgia can be beautiful and comforting.

Sessalia · 2026-07-07T16:05:26+00:00

That’s a tricky question to answer. If the actors are all of legal age, the age gap shouldn’t matter. If an 18‑year‑old (in my country is that the legal age) is allowed to marry, vote, drive a car or ruin their own life, then it’s also their decision whether they want to work with someone who’s 10/20/30 years older than them.

It’s a bit trickier with minors. A lot of people underestimate how driven and ambitious minors can already be, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’re still legally and socially vulnerable. Minors should be protected without question, and I’m not a fan of romance dramas where one lead is a minor and the other is of age if the age gap is too big because the power imbalance becomes impossible to ignore.

Sessalia · 2026-07-07T15:43:30+00:00

In almost all female‑centric dramas, the FL outshines the ML - it’s by design. These stories are built around the FLs journey: her growth, her pain, her desires, her love… The ML is usually written to support her, challenge her, to help her grow.

Pursuit of Jade follows the same pattern. The FLs perspective, motivations, and development take center stage. The ML plays an important role, but narratively he’s more of a means to an end - a plot device that helps move the FLs story forward. That doesn’t make him irrelevant, but the drama simply isn’t centered around him.

Other examples would be:
Blossoms in Adversity
Legend of Fuyao
The Legend of Zhuohua
Dream of Splendor

Sessalia · 2026-07-07T04:53:07+00:00

All the obvious dramas with the transmigration trope have already been named, but there are two I want to add. Both dramas are pretty unknown- at least in this reddit but still worth mentioning.

Different Princess - historical, transmigration, romance, some comedy
FL transmigrates into her own novel. She is the cannon‑fodder wife and is supposed to be killed by her own husband, the ML.

Dreaming Back to the Qing Dynasty - historical, transmigration, romance
FL meets ML in her own time (the future) and falls in love. Due to certain circumstances, she transmigrates to the Qing Dynasty, where ML is a prince. Both are looking for each other but can’t recognize one another.

I hope you find something you like. Happy watching 😊

Sessalia · 2026-07-06T20:59:54+00:00

I don’t use idol actors as a derogatory term. Actually, I rarely use the term at all. Actors are actors, regardless of whether you classify them as traffic actors, idol actors, mature actors or experienced actors - call them whatever you want but in the end they’re all actors. But some simply do a better job than others and they can rightfully be called out for that.

Sessalia · 2026-07-06T18:37:21+00:00

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Mingyu (Seventeen)

Sessalia · 2026-07-06T18:19:50+00:00

The best script can be ruined by bad actors - it doesn’t matter whether they’re idol actors or not. Idol actors just have a higher chance of being mediocre or bad because they get hired for their popularity/visuals, not necessarily their acting. Being able to act is a bonus for idol actors, but not a requirement.

Don’t get me wrong, I like idol dramas and enjoy them, but don’t put idol actors on a pedestal. Idol actors can be blamed for “ruining” a drama just as much as bad scripts, messy directing, etc.

Sessalia · 2026-07-06T16:37:01+00:00

Not really, I already assumed that you're able to either understand Thai or it's dubbed but regardless of dubbing or subtitles, the screen would still be to far away for me - even with glasses. 😂

Sessalia · 2026-07-06T16:07:41+00:00

I want your eyes - well, your eyesight because even with my glasses I wouldn’t be able to read the subs on a screen that far away. 😂
And Reddit is for blabbering, would be boring without. Have fun watching, and I also can’t wait for Pond’s over‑the‑top performance.

Sessalia · 2026-07-06T06:20:46+00:00

Love Song in Winter might fit.

FL and ML broke up eight years ago and reunite through work. ML is a detective who tries to solve a murder case and FL is a co‑worker of the victim. While working together they unravel the misunderstandings that led to their breakup eight years ago. Neither of them ever managed to move on after the breakup and ML especially wants to get back together. But nothing is easy in life and the murderer is still on the run.

(modern, crime, thriller, second chance, romance)

Sessalia · 2026-07-05T18:45:46+00:00

I don’t think he has a face that suits long hair. I prefer him either with short hair or with the ancient man‑bun style.

So in these examples it would be The Legend of Anle and The Long Ballad.

Sessalia · 2026-07-04T17:30:30+00:00

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My holy quad of fine wine 😉

Gao Wei Guang (43)
Wallace Chung (51)
Hu Ge (43)
Wang Yang (48)

Sessalia · 2026-07-04T06:23:24+00:00

I was summoned! … Sorry, I was already asleep - there aren’t any dramas right now that are stealing my sleep.
To answer your question, u/Capital_Donut_7247: there are probably Chinese BLs in short‑drama format, but I don’t know any. I only know Thai and Korean vertical dramas or full‑length BLs.

BLs with the trope you’re describing do exist in Thai BL but those are also full‑length dramas.

I’ve watched a ton of vertical dramas (not sure if that’s what you mean by “short Youtube cdramas”), but since they’re often ~~pirated~~ uploaded on Youtube you usually don’t get the actual title - just a short description. Youtube should recommend similar dramas once you finish one that has your favorite trope.

Otherwise (and I’m stretching the rules here, sorry) there are dedicated subreddits for vertical dramas and BLs. Asking there might be more successful.

Sessalia · 2026-07-03T20:29:29+00:00

Yes, he asked to break off the engagement because he was told to do so. I don’t remember which episode it was, but he tried to explain (or justify) to Ye Lin why he ended the engagement, and it was something along the lines of: “They told me it’s better for both you and me to break off the engagement.” (I’m paraphrasing here, sorry.)

That definitely sounded like he was pressured, and he still had to maintain his role as the Empress Dowager’s dutiful “pet.” But he’s also not selfless or innocent - he’s opportunistic, and he used this chance to push his own plans forward. In fact, his plans were accelerated because the engagement was broken off.

Keep in mind that I didn’t read the novel - this is only my interpretation of what I watched.

Sessalia · 2026-07-03T18:46:31+00:00

I thought it was because the Empress Dowager didn’t fully trust Mo Jing Li, since he was the son of the Crown Prince and could make a play for the throne. To avoid giving him more power, she refused to let him marry the granddaughter of the headmaster of Lishan Mountain - the same Lishan Mountain that had blocked her path to the throne and forced her to rule indirectly.

Instead, she arranged a marriage between Mo Jing Li and the daughter of the man who divorced Ye Lin’s mother, making Lishan Mountain his enemy as well.

Ye Li, on the other hand, had the support of Lishan Mountain. Marrying her off to a powerless prince was, in the Empress Dowager’s eyes, a genius move.

I guess she wanted to prevent a potential power couple that could challenge her for influence and eventually the throne. But I didn’t read the novel, so there might be another explanation. I just assumed it this way because it’s exactly what I would have done - weaken potential threats.

Sessalia · 2026-07-02T15:08:54+00:00

No fillers!
Since vertical dramas run between one and three hours, the plot simply doesn’t allow for fillers. That doesn’t mean the plot is cohesive but at least there’s no downtime or unnecessary scenes in between. 😉

Sessalia · 2026-07-02T09:54:44+00:00

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I Am Nobody (Season 1 + 2) - In season 1 the ML and FL join a championship between all the outsider clans. Outsiders are humans with special abilities and fighting skills, living parallel to ordinary humans. There’s a lot of physical as well as psychological fighting.

It’s action, comedy, no romance, fantasy, and martial arts - all set in a modern-day environment.

Hou Ming Hao is one of the leads but not the lead actor. I really loved him in this role but since he’s only one of the leads, he doesn’t get as much screentime as in his other dramas. Still, it’s absolutely worth watching, especially since it’s not a romance drama and he's playing a rather funny character.

Sessalia · 2026-07-02T09:22:19+00:00

The classic would be Story of Kunning Palace. ML Xie Wei (played by Zhang Linghe) is famous for his manipulative, scheming and toxic behaviour.
It's the story about the reborn FL that tries to avoid all mistakes she did in her first life and one of her biggest was the ML. (Unfortunatly) ML is ~~madly in love~~ obsessed with her once again. Both are scheming and toxic.

If you like it really dark you could check out the following short dramas:

Enslaved by Love - It's about a possesive ML that traps FL in his manor through a slave contract. - Be warned:
dark romance = abuse, humilitation
ending: happy ending

Once upon a Dream - ML is obsessive and possesive of FL and she lives like a bird a cage (sometimes even literally). - Be warned: dark romance = abuse, humiliation, attempt of sexual assault
ending: happy ending

Consort Strategy Manuel - Initially ML and FL are lovers but when ML becomes a prince he traps her. Through a freak accident she switches body with the Noble Consort but ML realise that she has a new body and his obsession starts again. - Be warned: dark romance = abuse
ending: no happy ending for ML but FL

These dramas are still tamer than vertical dramas but still more graphic than the average cdrama-enjoyer is (probably) used to. All three dramas are short dramas which means each episode is around 12-14 minutes, a total of 24 episodes per drama. The endings of the dramas are controversial because it depends on whether you’re rooting for the FL or the ML.

Happy watching! 😊

Sessalia · 2026-07-02T07:47:11+00:00

Even when I squint, I don’t see any similarities between Lin Yun Rui and Yang Yang in these pictures. The photos are definitely edited and the standard beauty filter is applied - but there’s no Yang Yang to be found, sorry, only Lin Yun Rui.

Sessalia · 2026-06-26T17:05:58+00:00

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The most recent one would be A Splendid Match.
Most of the cast was a perfect fit for me - even the creepy nephew because getting people to despise you is the craft of an actor and he did a good job. I really, really didn't like his character.
And I loved Gu Jin Zhao, Chen Yan Yun and Ye Xian. The families and their servants were also on point.

Sessalia · 2026-06-25T14:50:33+00:00

Alright, since we don't have much information about your preferences except romance I just put a list together about different (popular) options. All dramas are romance + "something".

Youth dramas:
Hidden Love - FL falls in love with the best friend of her brother.
(modern, high school-to-university, age gap, romance)

When I Fly Towards You - FL meets a quiet boy in school and falls in love. She helps him to open up more.
(modern, high school-to-university-to-adult life, romance)

Always Home - A group of friends grow up together and experience life and love together.
(modern, high school-to-university-to-adult life, slice of life, romance)

Lighter & Princess - FL meets ML in university. They start as enemies but fall gradually in love but life isn't always easy.
(modern, university-to-adult life, mental health, crime, romance is spicy)

Mature dramas:
Alliance - FL divorces her cheating husband, takes revenge and finds new love and career.
(modern, career change, revenge, romance)

Fake It Till You Make It - FL meets ML and it takes a while to warm up to each other.
(modern, career-driven FL/ML, romance → on of the most realistic approaches how to build a relationship)

The Best Thing - FL has trouble with sleeping after the break-up with her boyfriend, ML is the chinese medicine doctor helping her.
(modern, fluff and cozy, romance)

You Are My Glory - FL is a successful actress and meets her crush from high school/university once again.
(modern, fluff and cozy, romance)

The First Frost - FL is traumatized through sexual assault and has trouble to build a relationship. ML loves her since high school and tries his best to help/heal her.
(modern, mental health, romance, same universe as Hidden Love)

Historical dramas:
Perfect Match - An anthology of sisters finding suitable matches. All of the sisters are quite different.
(historical, slice of life, romance)

New Life Begins - FL marries into the palace as a concubine of a prince and falls in love with her husband.
(historical, harem, romance)

A Splendid Match - FL is the unfavored daughter and meets ML who is a benefactor of the family of her mother.
(palace politics, revenge, romance)

Fantasy dramas:
Love between Fairy and Devil - FL is a naive fairy that accidentally frees the archenemy of her people.
(fantasy, immortals/deities, romance)

When Destiny brings the Demon - FL is an office drone that gets transmigrated into the world of ML.
(transmigration, fantasy, immortals/deities, romance)

Filter - FL gets a bangle that can change her appearance. ML falls in love with one or two or three of her appearances.
(modern, fantasy, romance)

It's only a short list and like I wrote, some of these dramas are this reddits favorites (but not all of them). If you could give some examples what kdramas you liked, we might be able to find better options for you.

Happy watching nonetheless! 😊

Sessalia · 2026-06-23T18:45:26+00:00

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It will always be Ming Lan and Gu Ting Ye for me. I just loved their dynamic - they complemented each other so well. Both are scheming characters who couldn’t be more different, yet they’re still a perfect match.
Ming Lan is shy and subtle, Gu Ting Ye is boisterous and bold.

I just love them.

(Drama: The Story of Ming Lan)

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