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Personalized drama recomendations: let's help each other ;)

ripplingseas


I think that it would be cool to share some of important aspects of our tastes in dramas in order to share some valuable recommendations :)

We just have to answer this questions and wait for recomendations :D :


Your most favorite dramas:

Your most favorite actors/actresses:

The flaws or clichés in dramas you try to avoid:

The type of drama you're looking for:

The essential aspects this drama should have:  

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ripplingseas

I would like to start ;)

Your most favorite dramas: Kill Me Heal Me, Doctor John, 1 Litre no Namida, Algernon ni Hanataba O, It's Ok, That's Love; Crash Landng on You, Flower of Evil, Strangers from Hell, That Winter the Wind Blows (because of its aesthetic), Goblin, Live, Secret, It's Okay to not Be Okay; Mystic Pop-Up Bar, I Hear Your Voice and the aesthetic side of Memories of the Alhambra.

Your most favorite actors/actresses: Definitely, Ji Sung over the rest, but I also love Jo In Sung, Hwang Jung Eum, Sung Dong II, Lee Joon Gi, Song Hye Kyo, Lee Dong Wook, Kimura Takuya, Gong Yoo...

The flaws or clichés in dramas you try to avoid: All of these trivial love triangles-quartets-sextets, etc. Also, kiss scenes from all the possible angles or this childish pecks and clumsy kisses on the lips. Also, I would avoid Park Shin Hye if it's possible... I can't stand romances without more complicated topics.

The type of drama you're looking for: In the first place, it should be charismatic: a charismatic cast, charismatic characters, charismatic aesthetics. Also, I love deep psychological and philosophical topics. 

The essential aspects this drama should have: Charisma.

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xinya

Most of these are on your Plan to Watch list, but since you have more than 200 dramas on there, maybe you’ve forgotten about them.

Boku no Ita Jikan - Because it’s a similar subject matter to 1 Litre no Namida (which I have not seen, because I'll need to be in the right mood to watch it). I think it’s probably Miura Haruma’s best performance (I’ve always found him charismatic, and his smile is the greatest). Definitely a tearjerker, but also rather uplifting and heartwarming. It’s probably at the top of my Japanese drama list.

Six Flying Dragons - It doesn’t seem like you watch many historical dramas and 50 episodes is a lot, but I would recommend this because Yi Bang Won is a compelling character, and because it’s largely centered around ideological conflicts (with lots of action and political scheming too). It's one of the more intellectually stimulating dramas I’ve watched. Though I did feel the presentation of the themes was a bit heavy-handed at times, I think it actually follows through on delving into topics like the relationship between leaders and their people, the reality of achieving ambitious ideals, greed for power, etc. The main characters (Yi Bang Won and Jeong Do Jeon) could be called foils of each other, which leads to an interesting dynamic. Sometimes they can be frustrating or even hypocritical, but that’s part of what makes them good characters. Though it has it’s flaws, I consider it one of the best dramas I’ve watched. And if the epic combination of gukak and rock isn't a charismatic soundtrack, I really don't know what is.

My Mister - I actually haven’t completed this one, but so far it’s definitely living up to the many praises people have given it. I think it’s one of the most artfully directed dramas I’ve seen and you’d probably appreciate the characters and the way it depicts people dealing with various struggles in their daily lives. The soundtrack and cinematography are perfect for the atmosphere of the show (the only thing I'm not a fan of are the spilt-screens in some scenes).

White Christmas - I watched this a long time ago, so I don’t remember it perfectly, but at the time I remember thinking was very good and that it had some memorable cinematography (for 2011, it will probably look a bit dated watching in 2020), very stark and snowy. I think I also appreciated how the music was used to evoke the atmosphere, but my recollection is a bit vague. Again it was a bit heavy-handed on some of the themes for my taste, but I remember it being interesting, and since you like psychological dramas it’s probably something to your taste.

Taisetsu na Koto wa Subete Kimi ga Oshiete Kureta - This is one of those slightly strange but interesting Japanese psychological dramas. The characters are very frustrating, but I’d consider rewatching it at some point anyway. I guess it’s kind of a love triangle, but certainly not a trivial one.


A few more I don't think fit your criteria that well, but, in my opinion, were very charismatic.

Warrior Baek Dong Soo - Because Yoo Seung Ho and Choi Min Soo play some very charismatic baddies. The cinematography is great (by 2011 standards) and the soundtrack is awesome (maybe my favorite of any drama). Honestly, the plot is boring, watch it for the action and bromance. Lots of love triangles, but the romance is definitely not the main focus (like the plot, it’s the part you ignore between the martial arts rivalries).

Mr. Sunshine - Because it’s absolutely gorgeous and very poignant. And because the three male leads are the greatest, most charismatic bromance trio to ever grace the small screen. Ok this definitely has a love quartet, but I actually think it’s the one case where that made the show better, because there’s a sort of parallelism to the journeys of the male characters that enhances the storytelling.

The Rise of the Phoenixes - Because Chen Kun’s Ning Yi is one of the most charismatic characters I’ve ever come across. Also the costumes have such beautiful fabrics that I would call them charismatic as well (I was very deeply in love with them).

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xinya

My most favorite dramas: Mr. Sunshine, Six Flying Dragons, Reply 1988, Arthdal Chronicles, Goblin, Empress Ki, The Legend, Boku no Ita Jikan, Tatta Hitotsu no Koi, The Rise of the Phoenixes, One Spring Night, Love O2O, Last Cinderella, Warrior Baek Dong Soo, Scarlet Heart Ryeo. (My most favorite dramas are almost all historical, but I added a few romance dramas/romantic comedies for a little more diversity.)

My most favorite actors/actresses: This is hard, because pretty much every actor who has ever played a role I really loved is one of my favorite actors, so I have too many. Yoo Seung Ho, Lee Joon Gi, Miura Haruma, Kim Seo Hyung, Song Yoon Ah, Chen Kun, Byun Yo Han, Im Siwan, etc. etc. etc.

The flaws or clichés in dramas I try to avoid: 1) Biggest pet peeve is historical dramas that don't care about history. Historical inaccuracy I can take in abundance (you'll find tons in my list of favorite dramas), but writing very contemporary stories/characters and that completely ignore the historical setting annoys me a lot. This most frequently happens when they want to stick a modern woman in a historical setting and are too lazy to figure out how to make it work (cough cough Rookie Historian). I can forgive this if there are enough other positive attributes of the drama, but it had better be epic. 2) Loud obnoxious characters (like the FL in Kill Me, Heal Me) or shrieking-banshee-type female villains. Again I can overlook this if the rest of the drama wins me over,

The type of drama I'm looking for: Historical epics or fantasy/sci fi with good world-building are my favorites, but as long as it isn't too dark and disturbing I think any genre can be good. I enjoy things that are thought provoking or thematically interesting, but charming, fun, or engaging works too.

The essential aspects this drama should have: I agree with ripplingseas, charisma. Artful storytelling, beautiful cinematography, or evocative soundtracks are a plus.

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ripplingseas
 xinya:
Most of these are on your Plan to Watch list, but since you have more than 200 dramas on there, maybe you’ve forgotten about them.

Wow, your recommendations are absolutely wonderful! I'm interested in all of these dramas, but as some of them have got quite a lot of episodes, I'll start with White Christmas ;) Also, I've wanted many times to start Boku no Ita Jikan , but always happened the same as to you with 1 Litre no Namida.  However, I believe that Boku no Ita Jikan should be a really beautiful drama, so now, when you remembered me its existence in my must-watch, I'll definitely watch it. By the way, 1 Litre no Namida is also one of the most delicate dramas, with a really strong, even refreshing atmosphere, an amazing soundtrack, incredible characters and emotional maturity. I really really recommend it to you, but of course, when you are ready, cause yeah, you'll cry more than 1 litre of tears... :(  Mr. Sunshine, My Mister and Six Flying Dragons seem also extremely intriguing. Thank you!!!

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ripplingseas
 xinya:
The essential aspects this drama should have: I agree with ripplingseas, charisma. Artful storytelling, beautiful cinematography, or evocative soundtracks are a plus.

I'm happy that you agree with me ;) Your answer seems really intriguing, but it won't be easy for me to recommend you something as I've really seen quite a bit of historic dramas, although I was thinking about watching more of them :D

It's Okay to Not Be Okay  . I've seen it on your list and I definitely recommend it for you. One thing this drama has for sure it's charisma. The female lead is one of the most original and complicated characters I've seen in dramas. She's rude, she swears a lot, but she's not vulgar nor noisy or trivial. She's strong and psychologically  deep character, whom I personally can relate to. Also, in the drama you can see a lot of serious problems showed in a very aesthetic and dynamic way. It's funny and it's sad at the same way. The manipulating fairy tales is an amazing element too. Although, I must admit that I dislike the male lead as he seems to me like a small kid and not a mature man, all the rest of the aspects are really well developed.

The Bridal Mask. It's a historic one and the historical context was precisely one of the most captivating motives of the drama.  I could really feel the atmosphere of the epoch, the plot was intense and the acting was basically good. There were some quite lame details about a brother kind of  Robin Hood, but, by all means, it is worth of watching. I wasn't really keen on the characters, but the second male, or the villain, had quite an interesting and complicated character, a good acting too.

Time Between Dog and Wolf. Two wonderful male actors with a really strong chemistry, an intense plot, a lot of action and... a definitely nice bromance. The plot is intriguing and the atmosphere is also quite memorable. Also, as you're Lee Joon Gi fan, I think you should like the drama.

Life on Mars. An amazing acting, wonderful leading male actors with a great chemistry (yeah, a bromance again) and an extremely intriguing plot. Charismatic, intense and with a strong individuality. It also has a philosophical vibe ;)

Always: Sunset on Third Street . It's a movie but it's absolutely amazing.  It created the spirit of an epoch in a brilliant way. Extremely funny characters, unexpected moments.

Mystic Pop-Up Bar . One of the best fantasy dramas I've seen. I know that you disliked Hwang Jung Eum character in Kill Me Heal Me, but in this drama her character is absolutely unrecognizable, mature and, undoubtedly, one of the best female characters I've seen in dramas. It's a cozy, funny and heart-warming drama.

I hope you'll like some of these dramas ;)

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I AM SHOOKETH

Your most favorite dramas: Love O2O, Eternal Love, The Eternal Love, Go Go Squid, The Legend of the white snake(2019), Goblin, Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, The Legend of Fu Yao, etc(mydramalist.com/list/4YWzklvL)

Your most favorite actors/actresses: Lee Jong Suk, Yang Yang, Yoo Seung Ho, Namgoong Min, Riley Wang, Ji Soo, Jung Hae In, Sung Hoon, Jang Ki Yong, Park Bo Gum, etc(https://mydramalist.com/list/4q6rDdo1)

The flaws or clichés in dramas you try to avoid: weak female leads, annoying second female leads, disapproving rich parents,  dump/ too friendly female leads, Love triangles and Low self-esteem female leads

The type of drama you're looking for: Rom-Com, Historical/Wuxia

The essential aspects this drama should have:  Romance, Comedy, and Action. A second female lead who doesn't hate the female lead because of a guy. Strong Female Lead

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xinya
 ripplingseas:
Your answer seems really intriguing, but it won't be easy for me to recommend you something as I've really seen quite a bit of historic dramas, although I was thinking about watching more of them :D

Your response is actually really helpful, because sometimes it's harder to find the right things in genres you don't normally gravitate towards.


 ripplingseas:
1 Litre no Namida is also one of the most delicate dramas, with a really strong, even refreshing atmosphere, an amazing soundtrack, incredible characters and emotional maturity. I really really recommend it to you, but of course, when you are ready, cause yeah, you'll cry more than 1 litre of tears... :(

The funny thing is that I actually love a lot of tragic and bittersweet dramas, but somehow knowing that I going to be crying buckets before starting it, makes it hard to get up the motivation. I definitely will eventually.


It’s Okay to Not Be Okay and Life on Mars are dramas that I’ve heard are good, but because their synopses don’t draw me in that much, I’ve been needing a push to watch them. So thanks! I also definitely should watch Bridal Mask. I usually tend to watch things from earlier periods, which is probably why I haven't watched it yet, but it’s definitely the sort of story that fits my taste.


 ripplingseas:
Time Between Dog and Wolf. Two wonderful male actors with a really strong chemistry, an intense plot, a lot of action and... a definitely nice bromance. The plot is intriguing and the atmosphere is also quite memorable. Also, as you're Lee Joon Gi fan, I think you should like the drama.

I glad you reminded me about this one. It’s so easy to forget about old dramas, because no one talks about them much. I might watch this first.


 ripplingseas:
Always: Sunset on Third Street . It's a movie but it's absolutely amazing.  It created the spirit of an epoch in a brilliant way. Extremely funny characters, unexpected moments.

I’ve never heard of this movie, so thanks for introducing something completely new to me!


 ripplingseas:
Mystic Pop-Up Bar . One of the best fantasy dramas I've seen. I know that you disliked Hwang Jung Eum character in Kill Me Heal Me, but in this drama her character is absolutely unrecognizable, mature and, undoubtedly, one of the best female characters I've seen in dramas. It's a cozy, funny and heart-warming drama.

I think I’ve seen Hwang Jung Eum in other things and she was fine, it was just that character. Plus, I love fantasy and heartwarming stories, so I’ll definitely try it.

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xinya
 ripplingseas:
some of them have got quite a lot of episodes

Yeah that’s definitely true, though sometimes they go by quicker than you expect. I should warn you, though, before you commit to the 70 episodes, that The Rise of the Phoenixes peaks around episode 50 (I think most people would agree with me on this). If you’re someone who thinks a bad ending will ruin the whole thing, it might not be the drama for you. Personally, I’m willing to overlook that for all the parts that really loved.

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