Asian Drama Watches 2021

#Aftermath had two convincing seasons. Imagine the show idea with a bigger budget! It would be awesome. I really liked the acting of #KimDongJun. His mimic was unbeatable and charming. I can recommend the #KDrama for all fantasy fans that like to explore web dramas.

I preferred Season 2.

#MeishiGame was a pretty good recommendation. It’s felt like “Death Game meets A Christmas Carol”. Honestly, the ending got me! Never expected that! I was so much invested in the story that they obviously tricked me. Lately I really enjoy the Japanese Stil.

#SecretTheoryOfKissing hooked me right from the start. In general I dislike body switch stories or anything like that. But this pilot impressed me. I mean it’s only a school project but appears like a professional show. I hope they’ll give the idea a complete drama. 7,5/10

#YanxiPalacePrincessAdventures was a spontaneous watch thanks to the Limitation of 6 eps. I really enjoyed the story, and loved the fl #RainWang. Her smile was gorgeous. Qing Dynasty dramas belong to my favorites within the historical genre.

#TheKingsWoman was a great #QinDynasty drama. At first it was more sinister as expected. In time the leads grew on me. The portrayed relationship varies from Stockholm syndrome to tragic love story. The first love annoyed me along the way but he had some great fights.

#IamU was another great #FiloDrama. The story wasn’t new or surprising, but the way they told was very appealing. Great actors and thrilling cliffhangers! I had to binge it in one go.

#RoyalSecretAgent was a fun show. #KimMyungSoo was so entertaining and had such a nice chemistry with the other leads. The humor made me enjoy every new episode and was the highlight of the cases of the week. I will miss the shows on my Mondays/Tuessays in the Future!

#BustedSeason3 was as funny as expected. Many great guest stars that made my day. #Suho was cute, #Sehun funny and #LeeKwangSoo more decent as expected. #LeeSeungGi and #ParkMinYoung are indeed perfect for the show! Nice cases, much laughter, beautiful scenarios!

Not gonna lie! It took me 9 months and four attempts to finish #UnrequitedLove. The fl and all female side characters were annoying. The draggy moments increased and in the end it wasn’t worth beating through all the pain for me.

I spend my last days with watching #YongPal The story is a mix between Stil of the 1st and last kdrama gen. I liked the strong leads and their unusual adventure. It felt like a deja vu but idk y atm.

#LoveStruckInTheCity was a #KDrama that Hit Me by surprise. I loved the whole casting and the stories of the versatile characters. A bonus was the documentary Stil and the new storyline in the last episode with #ChoiMinHo. Loved the show very much!

#RunOn had wonderful characters. I really loved the leads. These are the ones that you want to have as Friends. ? The storyline itself was okay but didn’t captivate me much. But as you know I’m not a fan of Slice of life dramas in general.

#SheWouldNeverKnow was a really nice and realistic #KDrama. All stories were interesting to me. The relatable level is another story. I’m not sure if I missed it or if they left an open question considering the oldest sister. #Rowoon acted really nice! Wow!

The idea is pretty good and addictive. I hoped for more episodes or even a second season.

#MrQueen was indeed as funny as everyone said. I enjoyed the characters so much. #ShinHyeSun and #KimJungHyun did an amazing job. #NaInU really grew on me. Nice, creative story with some uninteresting supporting characters.

#AKoreanOdyssey had a bunch of interesting characters but didn’t use the full potential of it. The monkey #LeeSeungGi was the best part in this show. The love story sounded more like fun then she actually was. It felt more draggy to me, same for the pig-zombie-thing.

#LoveAlarm2 wasn’t as draggy as Season 1. The whole idea is only frustrating. That’s describes also characters like the cousin or our male lead. The best parts of the show are the locations, the SL and the ending. All in all, it was okay.

It was boring in comparison to the original show. Didn’t need it.

#BeyondEvil was an amazing #KDrama that never lost its quality for even one second. A well portrayed tale about the Korean corruption problem. Perfect cast, great script, thrilling plot! Best show of 2021 so far for me!

#HelloMe was a funny and heartwarming #KDrama. The perfect successor of #18Again. Charming characters, cute humor and story as you expect before starting. Solid entertainment!

#SisyphusTheMyth was a show with ups and downs. I really liked the casting and the mood, but at some point did the show not really make sense to me, especially the ending. It was a nice show overall.

#Vincenzo had epic scenes, very talented actors, super interesting villains and emotional moments. At first the show didn’t grab my attention but everything changed after the character introductions. Even „annoying“ roles found their place. Refreshing show!

#Mouse was a weird watch. It started interesting, got bizarre and got back on track in the second half. In total, a good watch I can recommend. All actors convinced!

Amazing start and disappointing cancellation. I was hooked from ep 1 and felt sorry for the actors when the blue house petition decided to end the show.

#OhMyMaster was a mediocre #KDrama with great actors. I liked many of characters but the script was lacking. The „mean phase“ was too long for my taste. Also, I didn’t need the fantasy storyline in the show.

Loved it as always! 

Beautiful and heartbreaking to watch it after everything that has happened. I miss the boys!

#SellYourHauntedHouse was much better than expected. The story was intriguing and heartwarming. I was head over heels for the beautiful female lead: #JangNaRa. What a talent!

Short and forgettable. 

Cute! Like the HYD franchise I really love all remakes of this parent story. The actors did a great job and made me swoon for them as couple. I think I’ll rewatch the show some day.

#SellYourHauntedHouse was much better than expected. The story was intriguing and heartwarming. I was head over heels for the beautiful female lead: #JangNaRa. What a talent!

YouthOfMay is a beautiful romance in front of terrible situation. It took me months to finish it because of my conversations with victims of the Gwangju massacre. The accurate portrayal was well made but it is a tough watch. Great actors and script!

I have to admit that I watched #DoomAtYourService only for #LeeSooHyuk His storyline was nice but a little too formal. I had also fun with the main Leads but the story was indeed predictable. I. general I liked the calm vibe of the show.

MyRoommateIsAGumiho was much better then expected. I enjoyed all storylines and really loved the fl. Also, the side story with the female gumiho was funny and cute. I can imagine to rewatch it someday.

When I saw the casting list of #SoIMarriedAnAntifan I had to watch the show. The actors were great as always. The script has cute moments and draggy repetitions. Watching was addictive. One reason is the fl that isn’t as annoying as in the #CMovie version.

Nevertheless was a very realistic show that I enjoyed very much. People with flaws and emotional scars try to find their way to happiness. Interesting characters, great writing. Loved it!

Will finish it in 2022 but I can already tell that it’s a fun watch. The Hyungs are so entertaining.

#YourHonor was a beautiful Show. I couldn’t stop myself from watching. Besides funny and cute moments offers the drama interesting cases and an exciting main story. #YoonShiYoon succeeded again with playing two different characters in one #KDrama.

#WarmAndCozy is a show that never appeared even once in my timeline. The male lead is a childish, manipulative idiot which is followed by the naive female lead which falls for every bluff of the evil second female lead. Urghs… toxic on a high level but #Jeju was nice.

For its short length it offered several surprises, heartbreaking moments and addicting phases for me. Loved it!

TheKingInLove was a beautiful binge drama. The casting was perfect. The friendships and love triangle were great executed. I really loved Rin. Therefore, I enjoyed the drama so much and can recommend it to everyone who’s looking for an easy watch.

#UnderTheMiracleCherryTree was a typical heartwarming first love story. It had the typical Japanese elements and anime vibe and made me part of the story. So beautiful that it’s a recommendation from my side to watch it!

I was in a mood for a classic and picked #MyGirl. If we leave out the style trends of the time it aged pretty good. Loved the whole story, the actors and also the Thai remake. I get the SLS but stay true to LDW as always.

The show was simple but entertaining. I liked the straight forward male lead and the bonding of the Friends. Also, the personal growth of the female lead was quiet entertaining. I’m looking forward toseason 2. 

#DP was an amazing show. It directly pointed out the bullying, assault, mental stress and the hopeless ignorance of the situation within the military service. The society critic is on point after the latest news coverages. Tough watch!

Wonderful show with amazing actors, lively characters, interesting stories, working humor and beautiful ideas. It was perfect for me! Loved it! 

I expected something else. All the paint talk was boring, the development really slow, the CGI low budget level and too often used while the actors did a fine job portraying their characters. I visited the set several times in front of the SKKU. So it has asentimental bonus point from my side. 

DROPPED 

SquidGame was one of the high anticipated #KDrama in 2021 for me and I got rewarded. It was a great watch with creative games and interesting characters. Despite that imo are still the Japaneses master of the #DeathGame genre.

The show was exciting and calm. In the beginning all the cases seemed confusing but then everything fell into place really fast. The whole guru story was captivating and the actors did an amazing job. 

Finally, I watched both seasons of #TheLegendOfChusen. The story was great and I loved all the characters. Tbh it took me a while to get used to the weird CGI. But despite that it’s worth watching. I had fun and was addicted to the story.

PS. I loved all the villains. I wouldn’t have minded if Gui Li would have been a bit more evil. But I had fun with the adventure.

PSS. The plot for Season 3 sounds terrible. No matter if they produce it or not I won’t watch it. I want to keep on loving the show and my travel will end here to keep all beautiful memories of the show and cast in my memory.

DROPPED

At first the show gave me the „Handsome Siblings“ vibes I was looking for. But then the drama took its own turn. The main couple really grew on me and the side plots were fun. Also, the fight scenes were funny and well choreographed. I enjoyed the show. 

This is an original “Wear a mask for Succubus to be hungry”. Every country of the world should’ve aired such a cute promotion drama within the pandemic situation. Indeed a cute idea with good looking young actors. 

Despite the limitation of 3 episodes is the web drama a cute inbetweener with handsome actors and a cute storyline with moral. I liked the swoonyworthy 30 minutes very much. It’s a perfect drama for a fast cute watch.

Interesting idea with unexpected plot twists. The moral of the story was very valuable and should be a topic in every school lesson. The threat of mental health by social media is indeed not a simple one. I really  liked the teacher. 

It’s rare to watch a Chinese drama with web drama length. I watched the show thanks to a recommendation and was happy to experience another project with Leon Leong at the same time.  I really enjoyed the whole ride and can recommend it. The bonding of the leads and the courage to deal with heavy topics were worth watching.

The while time I was confused why the title is #Mute. Yeah, I know that they explain it along the way but it wasn’t really plausible for me. The romance is cute and extremely predictable. At times the show appears very cheap and lazy written. Thanks to the low number of episodes I cut the show some slack. 

Funny show with a strong female lead and a hot male lead. The lady had her unique Stil of bringing her character to life and I liked it. Over time the Charme didn’t work for me and I would’ve loved it to see more of the male lead. The story wasn’t surprising but lovely organized. I had fun.

I watched it as binge and regretted it to have  skipped it while airing. At times it felt a but draggy. The topics and the script are well execute, same goes for the whole cast that includes someof my least favorite actors. The Sherlock Holmes vibe and the alarm signal for the current societies were pretty good. I can see where the hype is coming from but cannot say that it reachedme till the end. 

DROPPED

One of the best Japanese shows I’ve seen in recent years. Never expected so much fun and excitement from political negotiations and state procedures. The Leads really grew on me and I became indeed addicted of that show. A must see! 

If you want to watch a show where you dislike nearly everyone that is the show for you! Oh boy! So much drama within the upper class and the ones that wants to belong to it. Very impressive characters and over the top emotions within a world that seems like my personal dystopia. Watching this I like my position in the middle class. 

ON HOLD

I’m split with this show. On one hand did it offer amazing actors, beautiful landscapes and an interesting synopsis. On the other hand was the pace too slow and felt unnecessarily draggy at several points. The heartbreaking moments worked for me and made me cry.

The #RaincoatKiller - A well made #documentary about the case of a serial killer that revealed the incompetence of the Korean police at that time. The case led to a complete transformation of the police system and inspired the successful movie #TheChaser.

Funny story with lovely characters and a cute romance.  The show is entertaining despite the weird setting and the delivery guy focus. 

One of the better romcoms. The leads have a verystrong chemistry, funny conversations, a mature relationship, interesting background stories and entertaining companions. It was a fast watch for me. 

Everybody told me that the show is a must see and they were right. I enjoyed every single moment. The characters grew on me from the start. I liked the idea and was happy that focus was more on comedy then on melodrama. 

Perfect makjang! At first I wasn’t sure if I would like it but I became really addicted to the whole synopsis really fast. The leads did an amazing job! All the twists and turns didn’t became boring or overused. I had fun till the end.

Amazing cast, funny lines, great fight scenes. In fact, the show had everything from the start but thespark was missing for me. It became draggy in the second half and made me less attentive while watching.

I expected a more serious approach after reading the synopsis. The romance was cute and the serious conflicts convincing but all goofy supporting characters dragged the show in the open. In the end I was happy when it was over.

The first episode was a bore but the rest was pretty entertaining. The synopsis became soon obvious but the Charme of the show was more connected to the actors and the cinematography.  I loved the cat story and it’s following homage. 

Cute web drama with lovely guys. The show mademe an even bigger TREASURE fan. Perfect start for new fans. 

Very light and funny drama with lovely characters.The story wasn’t new but the feminist movement and strong female characters made the show even more worth watching. Cute show for in between. 

High quality sageuk with amazing actors, interesting storylines and beautifully directed moments. The tragedy worked pretty good for me. Junho was a the star of the show. His acting was impressive. Again. 

Healthy relationship of the main couple, strong chemistry and the twists and turns within the apartment complex were addictive. The whole bunch ofidiots was pretty realistic when I compare it with my experiences during the pandemic. 

Lovely revenge story. That’s what I would call it. Math as own language was well executed. The bonding of the characters filled with chemistry. All the people who avoid watching it because of nonsense like pedophilic love loose a great experience. The show isn’t about it but about restoring balance and following a revenge plot.

PLAN TO WATCH return 

DROPPED

Will finish it in 2022 but it appears already as  a worthy remake with fast pace. Love Thyme!