Bad Boys in Asian Dramas

by Ceki, April 26, 2015

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Hello everyone! Since you've already clicked on the title, then I bet you are just like me, in other words someone who just cannot resist bad boys :) It is okay, I understand. There is just something completely irresistible and alluring about the characters who have a dose of arrogance and confidence about them. However, there is a big difference between bad boys and jerks (even though they can be both sometimes).

Believe it or not, it all began with The Byronic hero or a concept that represents a man whose tragic history and mystery make him tempting in a romantic way. It is also known that some women are attracted to these types of men because they would like to 'change' them and turn them into good guys.

But what makes a guy bad? Is it his personality, behavior, the way others see him, or all of these at the same time? If I like a character who is considered 'bad' then that is because I see him as a rebel, as someone who is fearless, courageous, strong and not afraid to stand up for himself or others. Besides the fact that most of them are hot, well, I love when a guy is confident, cocky and most importantly, when he has a good heart. So I guess I am also attracted to that wall of mystery and arrogance, but deep down, it is essential that the guy is not a jerk to the core. I guess we love when their cold hearts start melting :)

So why are you attracted to bad boys in Asian dramas? I will present to you some of my favorite bad boys, feel free to comment and share with everyone what is that you like or dislike about this type of characters.

Jiang Meng in Devil Beside You

The handsome Mike He plays the bad boy named Jiang Meng in this popular Taiwanese drama. He is considered a troublemaker and the devil of his high school. He even looks like a delinquent and a bad boy - look at the rock-ish hairstyle and clothes. He is known for getting his way whenever he wants to until he meets, of course, a girl who is not afraid of him and resists him. The reason for his rebelling against the whole society and school system mostly lies in the fact that he cannot stand to keep quiet, but he is also troubled by some other issues, watch the drama and you will find out ;)

P.S. You can also check out Why Why Love because all of the three main actors are the same and Mike He plays another devilish bad boy.

Zue Zhen in Cruel Romance

The amazing and hot Huang Xiao Ming plays the cruel and fearful crime boss Zuo Zhen in this new Chinese drama set in Shanghai at the beginning of the 20th century. So it is a historical romance and you can watch this bad boy in action and he has got some amazing fighting skills. His exterior is completely cold until the main female character intrigues him and he shows his more passionate side ;) I love him. :3

Busted! lol

P.S. If you like this, check him out in New Shanghai Bund, in which he plays another bad boy :)

Kang Bok Gu in A Love to Kill

A talented Korean actor and singer Bi Rain plays Kang Bok Gu, a tough K-1 fighter who is of course a real bad boy who does not give a darn about anything; until he plots a revenge upon a woman that he will eventually fall in love with. I kinda pitied him, however, his crude and cold ways at the beginning earned him a bad boy status.

Lin Lan Ser in Cubic

Bomb Tanin plays Lin Lan Ser, another mafia boss, but this time set in a Thai drama. He is not really one of my favorites, but he is the only Thai drama bad boy that I know about, guys please recommend more! Anyway, the drama is like a Beauty and the Best spin-off, it is basically the bad boy captures the poor innocent girl. The plot is not the best and do not watch it if you want some deep, meaningful drama - watch it if you want to have some fun and if you are into this sort of thing.

Chiaki Shinichi in Nodame Cantabile

Tamaki Hiroshi plays Chiaki Shinichi, a talented musician whose arrogance and stubbornness make him a nice candidate for a bad boy role. I love this drama, it is hilarious, funny, touching and it is filled with classical music. And it was interesting to watch Chiaki's wall crumbling down and to see his troubled soul and sensitive nature.

LOL

Xia He Jie in P.S. Man

A hot actor Blue Lan plays Xia He Jie, an arrogant and irritating author who changes his way of thinking after he falls in love with a teacher who does not succumb to his charm. Just like with most Taiwanese dramas, they tend to get silly and tiring; however, just looking at his face makes it worth it.

P.S. If you like this check out Easy Fortune Happy Life, the same actor plays an even bigger bad boy.

Lee Shin in Heartstrings

Jung Yong Hwa plays Lee Shin, a cold and distant guy from this popular Korean drama. It reminds me of Nodame Cantabile, because the drama is also about the students of music and musicians and the main male character is only interested in music until he falls in love. I would even call it a spin-off, even though there is an actual Korean adaptation of Nodame.

Sakaki Makio in My Boss, My Hero

A legendary Nagase Tomoya plays a comical and dangerous son of a Yakuza boss - Sakaki Makio. I simply love this drama, I was laughing so hard and couldn't stop, it is a Japanese classic so do not skip it! Sakaki is also the real bad boy but he couldn't be more sensitive and emotional :)

Danno Tatsuya in Ouroboros

Popular actor Oguri Shun stars as Danno Tatsuya, an intelligent and determined boss of the underworld. He and his partner are all for the revenge, and nothing can stop him from getting what he wants. He is known for having a hot tattoo of the ouroboros (an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail, symbolizing the cycles of life and death) on his back. The drama is based on the manga "Ouroboros" by Kanzaki Yuuya.

Chen Ling in MARS

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And of course, Chen Ling who is played by Zhou Vic. He is a bad boy in a sense that he is a rebel, similar to Devil Beside Me. He rebels against his school, his father, society etc. That is because he cannot stand injustice, but also because he has some deep scars. This is one of my favorite Asian dramas ever because it deals with some serious and touchy issues, and you will fall for this bad boy with a good heart too.

Other Asian dramas with bad boys that are worth mentioning:

This is it, if you are in mood, share some of your thoughts below:

- Why do you like/dislike bad boys in Asian dramas?
- Are there some characters that you would like to add to the article?
- Do you perhaps prefer the bad girl x good guy storyline or you do not like this type of characters at all?
- Are there any bad boys as second leads that you like?

All in all, I hope you enjoyed the article, thanks for reading and have a nice day! xxx