Crime-Mystery-Action dramas

A badass FL looking for a serial killer. She is surrounded by a lot of interesting characters. There is no obvious romance in this one, but there are so many other and sometimes complex relationships that more than make up for it. 

This is about an author and how he begins to unveil the happenings of his previous life when a mysterious typewriter comes to his hands. The relationships in two timelines (one modern and one historical), the book references and the music made an emotional impact. 

E-sports, about a great player kicked out of his team for money reasons and how he goes on to make a new team. I loved most of the characters in this one, most of the people have their own distinct disposition that sets them apart. The protagonist is the calm, wise boss who has started the game since young and is extremely likeable. I also enjoyed the inside the game action sequences.

Illusion-like time travel. Many independent cases, some of which have personal connections to the leads. The team in this one is great, with many comedic moments and natural progression. It has a retro  atmosphere I loved.

Drama about a baseball team set for failure and the attempt to save it from itself by the new strategist general  manager. This is a drama I really loved : power struggle, great team, smart, complex ML and voice-of-justice FL  that can stand on her own. The only minus is I would love for 1 or more episodes in the end to fully enjoy the ending and some more sports aspects, as it mainly focuses on the politics of the team rather than baseball.

Independent cases focusing on the profiling of criminals, mostly serial killers. The cast is top notch with an introvert, sensitive ML as the shining focus. And honestly this was quite thought-provoking as well, as it gives criminology facts and shows what a criminal profiler does (apparently it has the true story of the first profiler in Korea as its basis material). 

This is in its core a fight against corruption, which starts with a murder mystery. I loved both of the leads, the FL a smart  woman with her own set of beliefs and values and a man that cannot express feelings, whom I did not find cold. It might be a little slow paced towards the end for some ,as the action-police work gives way to the bureaucratic fight, I personally did not perceive this at all.

This is a drama about a team of  ethically ambiguous revengers , with great action and individual-episodic cases , and some comedic moments. I actually liked how the idea of justice and revenge is addressed  without giving a ''correct'' answer and it is a perfect drama when you need sth with a faster pace ,although I found the later cases less interesting. Of course, I have a soft spot for the main actor and this is another character of his I really loved, with its complex facets and acting within acting and its development and slow change of views. 

This is a typical law, crime drama, with comedic and school life elements to lighten it up. Awkward, struggling FL was also  sb I can relate to (as seen by my profile picture).

Just like Law School, a mystery with comedy and  school elements, but this one also has great romance and friendship and more of an optimistic feel. All in all, just my cup of tea, for a lighthearted mix of genres.

Highly enjoyable mystery drama, I actually think it was actually critically acclaimed as well. Great main actors (I actually loved one of the main leads and was not impressed by the other in comparison),team and pictures.

E-sports mystery, with two people from different timelines meeting inside a game while trying to achieve their e-sports dreams in real life.  I did not understand much of the game in this one (apparently it is a famous video game irl),although I really liked the action in the competitions , the main focus was the relationships of friendship and the chasing of dreams. It is highly quotable.

''I want to be a pig''.

One case. The story is simple in its core, but the way it is visualised and told in general(by piecing together a story from limited and often distorted views)is exciting. I personally love when you follow a mystery alongside the detective in a realistic way and not have a genius reach a conclusion out of a sudden. 

I found this quite a riveting mystery, with deep and somewhat dramatic  characters. Definitely one of the best for me.

Action-comedy about a vet who accidentally becomes part of an organization  concerning human-transforming-to-animals creatures. It has independent stories and a great team with animal characteristics.

I have been a little strict with this drama, mainly because of high expectations as I binge-watched in 2-3 days and was not too satisfied with the two last episodes, which I found a little dragging. Nonetheless, this is one of the greatest dramas I've watched, with independent cases, the very interesting time travel-communication and great MLs. FL was interesting with the past (protected, girly) and present (team leader, independent) facades , but I felt she provided little to no help towards the end and forsook her strong aspects.

Romance, mystery, time-travel aspect. Beautiful music. FL with missing fiance goes back in time to meet sb who looks like him and this is all I can say not to spoil. Also, I totally understand why the actress got an award for her acting in this one, as she plays two dinstictive characters. 

Romance, mystery, with fantasy time element and comedic moments. I loved the ML's character and the relationship, as well as the time element. There was a plot point I found questionable, but still needed for things to happen. 

A teacher turned terrorist (kind of?) to shed light on a social issue. I appreciate the madness and the ML , although I feel it was more original as an idea when it came out compared to now.

Military related? thanks no. But I started watching and got hooked, although it is not the faint hearted.

I have to admit this is a subjective rating, as I loved the FL's bad points(what can I say, I love flawed characters) and classic ''hero''  court moments. Independent cases regarding women. Nice, supportive ML and a good villain you have no problem hating. There were some plot issues and unnecessary stuff, but I could not care less. 

Fantasy and mystery, with a ghost-seeing ML. It had its comedic moments and a loveable set of people with their own stories to tell, so I was quite emotionally invested in most of the characters.

Supernatural-comedy about a team of bad spirit hunters. I like the premise with parkour like action and an enjoyable underdog story, plus team relationships. 

Korean dramas, what is it with your schools? 

I'll never complain about a kick-ass FL in a fantasy, mystery setting. Although this was a pretty standard story, it was well done and delivered what was promised.

Zombies  are everywhere lately, as well as quarantine. The main couple was definitely shippable and the attempt to give this a mostly happy-go-lucky tone to match the FL's extraordinary point of view made it somewhat memorable in a sea of zombie-filled dramas.

Independent cases of a quirky lawyer fighting for justice in not always standard ways. I liked the comic and comedic  feel (even from the beginning credits) and only felt the main story was sloppily done.  

Charismatic crook turned involuntarily a hero to tackle corporate corruption. Great comedy and bromance, and let's be real the main actor is a guarantee for entertainment. Only issue is a found it a little longer than needed, thus the lower-than-deserved rating.

Comedy-police procedural with a team of oddballs that made me laugh. 

Is it a wonder this is a hit? I don't think so... Children games and violence, it goes without saying this is a pleasant watch. Not quite that deep, though...

I already love the characters from the first one, but this had a little too much politics even for me and it was not until the last episodes where it picked up pace. Plus not being Korean and all, I seem to have missed the importance of the main political debate of police vs. prosecution.

Historical WWII spy drama with Zhao Liying as a rare in c-dramaland smart FL. I am not a  fan of the genre , but I  enjoyed this one and its cat-and-mouse chase.

Republican era mystery , with interesting supernatural or pseudo-supernatural elements and great dark imagery. Li Xian's goofy character and the pure bromance was great, as well as the quirky ML. Sometimes the comedic and dark aspects did not mix well and I was not personally satisfied with the final answer , but all in all very enjoyable. Independent cases.

Police procedural with time travel element. The FL is refreshing , as she is supposed to be independent and smart, unfortunately she sometimes fails to live up to the characterization.  One ML is the typically depicted ''tough guy'' , which sometimes annoyed me, while the other followed the silent but not cold type, which I preferred. Unfortunately, thinking back he is presented as ''very smart'' and ''capable'' in his description by others but ultimately offers little to the investigations in order for the guy from the past to shine. 

Ultimately, this is me being too harsh on this due to loving and having watched a lot of the genre , as it is quite enjoyable.

Comedic mystery, with more of a life feel than action. 

Police drama with comedic elements. It is mainly focused on a case with many facets.  I actually appreciate how one lead's tragic backstory was mainly used for characterization and was not solved, the different levels and justifications of corruption whereas many k-dramas make it a ''good cop team against the world'' and the flaws in the main characters.  I was sometimes annoyed by the stupidity of main characters and plot holes, but it is what it is.

I had serious doubts about the plot and did not feel that sympathetic towards the ML till halfway through. But then the bodies kept dropping to the point I could not even remember if there were any plot holes (like seriously it is ironic how much memory capacity this drama actually needs ) , the ML's actions began to get justifications and the action made up for anything else. I do feel they could have made a bigger impact with the same story and I really loved the FL and wished we got to see her more, but I guess that's for another day.

Typical revenge story , with good characterization of main heroes and antagonists and great actors. The story is predictable in its majority, with Monte Cristo vibes and it felt like it could get deeper at times.

Zombie high school.  Suitable for binge-watching to get out of your thoughts.

An ML who sees ghosts, a tenacious policewoman as Fl and all in all a gang of characters trying to resolve old issues. I binge-watched this and it was ala in all enjoyable, I just wish there was more plot content, around halfway almost nothing happened and the small, independent cases stopped plus ML's character change made him dull in comparison. 

Shaman student, short and easy-to-watch, with some romance on the side.

Apparently subway police is a thing, and as a public transport fan I am here for it. Independent cases and a bigger personal case format. I did not like the FL as much as I thought , she is strong but with a clear lead shield that makes her behavior kind of irresponsible in reality.

This independent case investigation format with the more personal case last is my favourite as it allows for pauses between episodes. The team dynamics were enjoyable, with Sherlock Holmey temperamental medical examiner bantering with the FL Watsony assistant and Lestradey police inspector. The last more personal case was for me the poorly executed one.

One more of the independent case-team investigation. I found most of the cases interesting, if a little far-fetched, and I loved the bug perspective. The ML's outlook despite his personal story was refreshing, although what disappointed the most was how the personal story was resolved in a very convenient, no-time to think about it ending. 

Supernatural, grim reaper mystery about an anti-suicide squad. It has independent cases in a way that every story has its own point to make, so it is possible to like or dislike independent episodes. It did feel a little didactic at points, but  I appreciated that some social issues were depicted. Plus FL's fashion style is a must.

Kind of ghost thriller. The idea was quite promising in its basis, but not delivered to its best. I loved the places and different kind of ''culture'' this was set in and the main leads' chemistry.

Sth between an action and a romcom (although that might be because I enjoyed the romance aspect more). The sci-fi aspects and thoughts were interesting but not quite developed, but the political machinations aspect was not up to par. All in all, an ok watch.

Independent cases, about juvenile delinquents, tackling the interesting theme of young offenders, although I personally got bored towards the end. 

End of the world-disaster kind of ''thriller''. Many people loved this due to showing a lot of interesting characters and the classic question how would humans react in this kind of situation.  As I love such stories, I have a higher standard for them. After all, it is a 10-episode drama, how well can it depict its characters?

Strong, anti-hero FL. Some things made no sense to me and I am a little sour about one of my favourite character's ending. Great action.

Time-travel mystery. The leads are interesting (snarky, devising ML and girly, badass FL), the relationships are great and the antagonist  is adequately creepy. Some things could have been done better for sure, but it was all in all enjoyable. I personally had an issue with the ending , which is the reason for the average score. 

Action, revenge story with some scenes in Morocco, which is ideal for parkour action and an enseble of actors I enjoyed watching. Unfortunately, I am quite disappointed in the ending, to the point I almost regret watching (yes, I know, waiting for imaginary season 2).

4 hour mystery miniseries, with romance. Good for a quick watch.

I had high expectation for this time-travel, revenge drama, because I am a fan of the main actor. Still it felt quite typical, it got to the action too late and mostly felt like a constant preperation without the result. All in all, a pleasurable watch. Not a fan of the FL, but then I am not even sure I can call her that .

Is this bad? Of course not. I loved of the main characters and the creepy, supernatural feel, but I got disappointed at the ending. Maybe an 8 if I am honest, will rate higher when I am over it.

Season 2 had a more of a political, corruption related  case. It was good to watch the squad and I found  the main lead more likeable as sb calmer, but ultimately  the mystery plot started lacking common sense , not to mention the ending. 

Republican era mystery, with secret organizations specialized in different aspects and change of location, but the plot, well, I am still not sure what the plot was... There were some plot issues, apparently things were changed/cut due to censorship. I personally begrudgingly persevered because of the lead actress and actor , but neither Oho Ou's or Seven Tan's beautiful eyes can convince me the ML was not kind of insensitive to the FL and the FL was basically a child. 

Honestly, I got bored. You can guess the plot by the synopsis and the action was minimal. But to each his own...

Fast, parallel worlds crime drama, with my only complaint being the ending  and the necessary lead's stupidity. 

Teen school action, a nice enough drama to pass time without much thought.

Well, I loved all the gruesome stuff in this and the main characters, although I think what made a difference was the way this was narrated, with two parallel timelines, to keep the mystery (although it became quite predictable halfway).

I actually loved this drama, because it had political machinations and finance wars in a quite melodramatic family and a great grandfather-grandson duo, plus it tries to basically be a Korean modern history retelling, showing near a decade of historical events, which I appreciated it and gave me a glimpse of culture. I guess I am not being fair with the rating, because the things I disliked actually have to do with my preferences, like over-the-top family feuds, with a lot of minor characters and mediocre romance.  Some people actually had issues with the ending, but I actually loved it.