두근두근.zip
the romance/romcom genre is my soulfood & happy pill on bad days. this is just a log to compile all the romance-centric stuff i completed + some thoughts. *there are dramas i watch with romance that aren't listed, but i don't include them if i find that the romance takes more of a backseat next to the other genres.
people like to look down on romcom enjoyers all the time but at least we're having a fun time here <3
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1. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
Korean Drama - 2016, 16 episodes
oh to be a rising athlete and live my college slice of life dreams while falling in love with my childhood-friend-turned-best-friend....
very lighthearted and cute, has a cozy feel to it and no angst or super tragic elements - also my first ever kdrama so i'm very nostalgic towards it as it's connected to a lot of good memories. joon hyung is still one of the best kdrama boyfriends.
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2. Fight For My Way
Korean Drama - 2017, 16 episodes
"should i just nuke her?" choi ae ra you will always be famous. also dong mans funny t-shirts?? unimportant detail but i feel like we dont talk about that enough
sooo much fun! ae ra went down in the hall of fame of most memorable/lovable female leads and she and ko dong man are the friends to lovers trope done extremly well. the 2nd couple is not as exciting to watch but the leads make up for it 100%
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3. Because This is My First Life
Korean Drama - 2017, 16 episodes
"in truth, one’s visit is a tremendous thing. for he comes with his past, present, and future. for it is because he comes with his whole life. the heart is fragile. therefore, it might have been broken. that heart is coming, too."
just letting the quote speak for itself here - watch this just to feel something. beautifully poetic and hurts just in the right places. also explores societal values around marriage and partnership very well!
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4. I’m Not a Robot
Korean Drama - 2017, 32 episodes
this is a concept that i feel would somehow only ever work in kdrama and i fucking love it. also i want to adopt yoo seung ho i know hes older than me but my statement still stands.
one of the few romcoms where nothing really annoyed me? a lot of romcoms have a great main romance but lack in other aspects. this is just a very cute, well done show + very rewatchable!!
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5. Her Private Life
Korean Drama - 2019, 16 episodes
"kdrama sets unrealistic expectations when it comes to men" ryan gold heard that and said hold my beer
one of the most satisfying romances ever, park min young and kim jae wook have such outstanding chemistry you /will/ rewind that kiss scene. unnecessary trope by the end, maybe, but tbh i don't care! the drama was so enjoyable it didn't bother me at all. (edit: rewatched and fuck it 9/10 i love this drama too much)
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6. Crash Landing on You
Korean Drama - 2019, 16 episodes
talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before i'm not saying more WATCH THIS DRAMA RIGHT NOW.
this is the 10/10 romcom we've been searching for all along and cloy finally gave it to us. just amazing drama in any aspect; ost, acting, story, characters, and feels.
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7. My Secret Romance
Korean Drama - 2017, 13 episodes
i know. who in the world keeps their one night stand's bra-insert? IN A JEWELRY BOX?
was this show a cliché, cookie-cutter example of a kdrama with barely any redeeming qualities? yes. would i say i regret watching it? unfortunately, i was still entertained. really says a lot about my taste when i could finish this but not beyond evil LOL
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8. Love O2O
Chinese Drama - 2016, 30 episodes
yes, this is a guilty pleasure show. yes, i've rewatched it twice.
first chinese drama and well i was seventeen i liked what i saw! but can't lie sometimes we just need an unrealistic, cheesy, feel-good romance. i too, would like to meet my future husband in an online mmorpg (edit: idk what i was on writing this LOL but now that i'm gaming a lot more i take this statement back 100% skjdfsdh)
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9. The Beauty Inside
Korean Drama - 2018, 16 episodes
(me about lee min ki) i just think he's neat.
haven't finished this fully (12/16) - but it's a fun show so far! face blindness trope isn't anything new afaik, but combined with someone who turns into a different person every month, it makes for an interesting set up.
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10. Cinderella and the Four Knights
Korean Drama - 2016, 16 episodes
their secretary 200% needs a raise.
oh god pls dont talk to me about this show. i also rewatched this twice and i have no excuses. no, actually my excuse is jung il woo, so there's that.
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11. One Smile is Very Alluring
Chinese Movie - 2016
movie version of the novel Love O2O is based on.
watched this right after the drama since people say this is a lot better, still prefer the drama as the progression of the lead's relationship is just better as a longer story, the movie was alright but felt that it condensed everything a bit too much!
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12. Penny Pinchers
Korean Movie - 2011
unsurprising almost no one's seen this as it's buried deep among all the early 2010s romcom films but i somehow stumbled upon it. how? it's been ages i don't remember. this was before my SJK obsession and i love the fact that my first memory of him was watching him steal condoms from a convenience store after being too broke for them, then frantically running for his life only to realize he grabbed a pack of mints. and yet i still found him kind of charming in a weird way here? (lord save me or smth) nothing special but a quirky movie that was oddly memorable to me.
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13. Accidentally in Love
Chinese Drama - 2018, 30 episodes
second chinese drama - definitely a step back in terms of memorability from LO2O to me but a fun drama nonetheless! has a few annoying side characters though but it's nothing new.
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14. Suki na Hito ga Iru Koto
Japanese Drama - 2016, 10 episodes
im so sorry kento yamazaki but ur character deserved his ass beaten. how did this girl fall in love with him
this one here is unfortunately the sole reason why i haven't ventured into jdramas any further, it made me wanna rip out my hair that bad. broody, borderline asshole tsundere characters just don't really translate well from anime to real life. if you can look past that, and the pretty arduous back and forth between the leads, you still get an alright romcom, but it's a pass from me.
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15. Goblin
Korean Drama - 2016, 16 episodes
wanna get your heart ripped out of your body? look no further.
this drama will break your heart, put it back together and then break it again. bonus for being the show that birthed immortal goblin and grim reaper who are still (!!!) the blueprint for kdrama bromances
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16. Hotel del Luna
Korean Drama - 2019, 16 episodes
normalize not finishing a drama after finding out about the [redacted]. normalize ignoring canon like your responsibilities
apart from the fact that i clearly have not completed this show, absolutely loved it! unlike most people i 100% preferred the leads over manwol/chungmyung, although their story was beautifully tragic (and the whole drama is). this is also one of the shows with an incredibly distinct color palette & vibe, very pretty!!
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17. Bring It On, Ghost
Korean Drama - 2016, 16 episodes
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18. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon
Korean Drama - 2017, 16 episodes
park hyung sik being absolutely gone for 16 episodes straight is, legitimately, reason enough to watch this show.
combination of campiness + romcom + serial killer plot (???) but it works & a great follow-up if you've just finished WFKBJ
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19. Touch Your Heart
Korean Drama - 2019, 16 episodes
ITS WHAT SUNNY AND GRIM REAPER DESERVE.
lifesaver drama for everyone who's had post-drama-depression after finishing goblin and basically a fix it fic for the second leads. very good romcom and throws in a little bit of lawfirm shenanigans.
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20. While You Were Sleeping
Korean Drama - 2017, 32 episodes
suzy is a great actress. change my mind.
this goddamn drama. it's more multi-genre than just purely romcom, but that's probably also why it's 10/10 for me. super gripping storyline, iconic ost and just all around well made. no qualms about anything here. seriously plssss just go watch this
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21. You Drive Me Crazy
Korean Special - 2018, 4 episodes
the only short drama on the list (as of now) but - kim seon ho in a cute friends to lovers story, if you're having a quick romance craving this will do the trick.
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22. Dali and Gamjatang
Korean Drama - 2021, 16 episodes
KIM DA LI MY BELOVED. JIN MOO HAK MY BELOVED.
this feels like an older romcom and a newer romcom at the same time, which could also be recipe for disaster but the drama makes it work and the lead's relationship breaks stereotypes. + we need more art-themed dramas!
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23. Something About 1 Percent
Korean Drama - 2016, 16 episodes
every episode i was praying for lee jae in to have better styling. almost every episode he disappointed me (he did redeem himself in the end). if you drop this show because of his godawful suits, i understand.
watched this purely for the fluff and it kept its promises. the romance is pretty much the only thing this show's got going for it. It IS a run of the mill poor girl/rich guy show, but a pretty good, no-nonsense one!
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24. Strongest Deliveryman
Korean Drama - 2017, 16 episodes
kdramas love to find romance in the most niche of settings. this time: the food delivery industry
still have to watch the last 2 episodes (bad pattern starting to form here....), but this was a really nice drama! chae soo bin is always great in her roles and i loved the underdog story of it all.
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25. Queen In Hyun's Man
Korean Drama - 2012, 16 episodes
am i the only one wondering how kim boong do knew how to cut his own hair in absolute accuracy to 2010s hair trends
enjoyed it quite a bit but smth was missing? idk if it's bc it's a bit dated production-wise or another thing, but i didn't connect with it much, so i just can't rate it any higher. still a good time travel romance!
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26. A Business Proposal
Korean Drama - 2022, 12 episodes
me watching this drama: finally some good fucking food
honestly this arrived at just the right time; a great spin on all too familiar cliches and tropes & is absolutely hilarious to watch! well cast, extremely likable leads. if you want to introduce someone to kdrama romcom in its full glory - this is a good pick!
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27. Soundtrack #1
Korean Drama - 2022, 4 episodes
the makgeolli.... kim hee won i'm in your walls
sweet and comfy. it's very calm, quiet and has many lingering moments so even with just 4 episodes, it felt quite long to me. not much going on since it's all about unrequited love between friends, but if ur looking for that then it definitely delivers.
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28. What's Wrong with Secretary Kim
Korean Drama - 2018, 16 episodes
need a spinoff about go gwi nam and ji ah now!!
such a cute, bingeable office romcom. im fully aware of all the reasons ppl dislike this show but i had fun nonetheless! the entire cast was so fun to watch and the side couples super cute too. the leads' trauma was dealt with quite aptly, but oh man.. what the hell
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29. From Now On, Showtime!
Korean Drama - 2022, 16 episodes
i know general choi geom is a tall mf but he's giving short king energy and i love him. i don't know how to explain this
love how i went into this expecting nothing more than a cute cop/magician romcom and then coming out sobbing, crying, on the floor, having witnessed a tragic, beautiful & larger than life love story
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30. Good Job
Korean Drama - 2022, 12 episodes
after two boring sageuks, jung il woo finally came back to do what he's best at: cheesy chaebol romcoms!
(jk) i'm sure the sageuks were good. i just didn't care about them. i did enjoy the fuck out of this show? perfect genre mix; chemistry between both couples was toptier and overall it was just a very funny, silly ride. did not take itself very seriously, but is still engaging even when it does.
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31. The High Priest Rembrary
Korean Drama - 2023, 12 episodes
kim dal is my precious daughter who's never done anything wrong ever and she's amazing sorry if u didn't get it.
kim min gue's comedic chops!!!! what a delight watching this ancient priest navigate the kpop industry that is almost as unfamiliar to (most) audiences as the budget middle earth that he was reverse-isekai-ed from. true comfort drama; cute, goofy and just camp enough for my taste
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32. Love Battle
Korean Drama - 2023, 10 episodes
feeling some rare national pride for the ml who's from my country because he ATE. teo yoo if you're reading this i'm free on th– [gunshots]
it's been a hot minute since i binged a drama but time flew by with this one. most swoonworthy chemistry i've seen in while. mature leads who are communicative and honest and all around feel good show with no major drama!
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33. Chiamalo Amore
Korean Drama - 2023, 16 episodes
"to understand someone's loneliness, well, for me, i think that's the beginning of love."
adding this & realizing it's the only melo i've seen. so while very low on the 'com', the romance was one of the best i've ever seen: subdued but strong, a connection hidden in every intense gaze. romance in its truest sense-- to peak into each other's souls with no effort and to love despite logic and reason, to love despite everything. and when all the hurt and guilt and anger is gone, what else is there left but love?
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34. King the Land
Korean Drama - 2023, 16 episodes
this ruined chaebol romances for me. so sorry for all other mls out there that have to go against gu won... rest in peace jane austen you would've loved him </3
its tropey, hallmark-esque promos had me fear it'd romantize its setting but BOY was i wrong! 100% not afraid to show how the service industry can treat its workers, all while being an absolutely fantastic romcom. i would DIE for gu won and cheon sa rang