Hi. I'm looking for shows or movies where the main leads have a twisted relationship. It can be manipulative, obsessive, an unhealthy power imbalance etc. Can be any genre but i really don't like xianxia or wuxia cdramas or overly comedic lakorns . No BLs shows please
Some examples of what I'm looking for :
Secret (2013)
Kenja no ai
You always inhibit my heart
You are in luck that this is my favorite kind of drama. All I do is look for stuff that is twisted, kilig, and has a happy ending. Or a happy-ish ending. OK in order, best first:
The Rose - Very twisted, very taboo. Long, complex, and fun. Be ready, the ML is super hot, but one of the worst actors I've ever seen. DESPITE that, I STILL gave it a 9
Well Intended Love - This one's bad-good. The dubbing is so bad that I watched it muted and listened to Type O Negative's 'Love You To Death" on repeat through the whole thing. No, I am not kidding. And if you take off the bad soundtrack/dubbing, it's actually really good in that cheesy kind of way. It's plenty twisted.
I Love My President Though He Is a Psycho - This one is ALL OUT CRAZY. It's sort of hokey in production value. But the ML/FL acting is good. There is magnetism between them definitely. This is probably an eleven on the twisted-scale. Many people gave it like a five-or-less score, but I appreciate crazy, so I gave it a 9 because the writers had a good handle on the character's psychology, oddly. It's just such a spectacular mess, and so twisted, it's a must-watch imo.
That Winter The Wind Blows - This one is moderately twisted. The highlight of this drama, aside from the lovely dark undercurrent of twistedness that runs through the drama, is the SEXY AF ML. I mean... some of those scenes are burned into my brain they're so sexy. It's also a well-done story that really sweeps you up. It is slower paced and can get a little tedious, but it's all totally worth it.
The Smile Has Left Your Eyes - This is a tragedy. I normally don't watch tragedies, but this one was so so very worth it. Seo In Guk had just come from doing some comedic dramas, and suddenly out of nowhere he plays this dark sexy ML... the story is fairly twisted, and doesn't have a dark aesthetic, but does have a dark feel to it. It's cool. Prepare yourself for the ending ahead of time, and it's not so bad. Poetic and fitting. There is a Japanese version of the same story called 100 million stars falling from the sky. I liked that one too, but I like the Korean one better because the actor playing the ML is so smoky and intense.
Till The End Of The Moon - It's wuxia. But it's also plenty dark and twisted. The ML/FL are played by a pair who have acted before as ML/FL in another drama. Since they have history together and are used to acting together, they achieve these very deep, dark, complex looks and facial expressions with one another. People ship for them in RL because they're so good together onscreen. I mean he plays the Devil. So... yeah it's twisted enough.
Devil Beside You - Woooo this ML/FL couple is legendary. The FL is beloved by many oldschool drama fans. She's adorable. ML is so fine. The story is less truly twisted, and more taboo. But that's kinda close right? The drama is worth it, it's so sexy omg. I was glued to the screen.
Lesson In Love - This is twisted because it's about a FL teacher and an ML student. I rated it a 9.5 - something I don't really hardly ever do - because it was so well-executed a story. It's predictable, it's not flashy, it's not high-level drama. It's just so sexy and well-thought out and well-executed.
Come And Hug Me - This one's fairly twisted. I can't even explain it or it'll ruin it for you, but it has the same kind of vibe as Flower Of Evil. The title makes it seem like it will be cutsey, but it's not, it's dark. This ML is capable of so much intensity and gravity in his performances, so in this role he's perfect for the part.
Tempted - Dangerous Liasons, but with rich kids. It's kind of more like mindless entertainment, it's not really that deep, not really that twisted, just kind of... something to watch when you don't have anything else to watch, it wasn't bad. But it wasn't that great either.
Cheese In The Trap - Everyone should watch this at least once. I had to try THREE times to get into it. I kept dropping it because the first few episodes are very hard to "get". But PRESS ON. And by ep 5 you'll start to understand it. This ML is twisted and he is dark, and the show starts as a big mess, but ends as a clear picture of this dark ML, and you're left with an unsatisfying ending (everyone dislikes it for different reasons) that makes you want a remake. Badly. So in this instance, it's not the drama that's good, it's the manhwa it came from that's good. Really really good. I gave the drama a 7.5
My Lethal Man - I also gave this a 7.5, but I might go back and bump it up to an 8. This is a twisted disaster. Very much a bad-good drama. It's a modern-setting chinese short-length series. All things I don't like. But I'd recc making an exception for this drama in particular. I can't even explain it it's such a hot mess. Just go into the comments and start reading what people say after they've seen it and you'll understand.
My Brother Loves Me Too Much - It is as the title suggests. So more taboo than toxic, but still twisted. I thought it was decent, I gave it a 7.5
A Sleeping Forest - I rated this a 6.5 because I didn't like the ending I think, and some parts were draggy. But it fits the criteria of "dark and twisted", and maybe you'll like it more than I did. The aesthetic was dark and beautiful. Lots of natural settings, and dim dusty rooms with warm sun coming in the windows, claustrophobic green forest... so kind of fun I guess. This one is a "dark and mysterious" vibe.
Homeroom - I rated it a 6.5 because I thought it lacked substance and gravity, and I hated the ending. But it is TWISTED. It's kind of meant to be a light comedy. But the aesthetic is dark. Many scenes are filmed at night, and have strange looking backgrounds. Lots of use of red. A lovely show meant to make you laugh and go "wtf?!?" But sort of vapid mindless pointless entertainment.
Jotei - Idk how twisted one might describe this as. It's about Japanese host club culture, and it doesn't romanticize it too much. Somewhat it does, but it's meant to be a twisted drama about people who have issues, and what they go through to be hosts. It was okay, I gave it a 6.5 but I hated the ending. It was also sort of light-acting and light-entertainment.
Marmelade Boy - More taboo than twisted, this is a Japanese story about two sets of parents who switch spouses with eachother, and then all move in together as one big happy family, and the kids fall in love. It was okay, but also kind of mindless and not really deep or dark.
The Heirs - The chaebol falls in love with the housekeeper's daughter. It was a better-than average k-drama, but not really outstanding.
Kill Me Heal Me - Some people LOVE this drama, about an ML with multiple personality disorder. I thought it was allright, but not the best. The switches between personalities are interesting and the ML is the same ML from Secret.
Timeless Love - About an FL who falls in love with an ML who has mental issues. What was interesting about this one is the psychology the writers used to create the ML character were authentic... he really DOES have mental issues, but just like a real mental illness, you can't see it right away. He seems normal. And slowly they pull back layers to reveal what's really going on with him. I hated this drama, I gave it like a 6 because it's a modern-setting Chinese drama, and so the settings are tacky, the clothes are tragic, the aestheitc vision is non-existent, and I just basically didn't like it. I did like the ML character they created though. It was sort of a romantic story, in that weird twisted way. But this one was more subtly twisted though.
@monstersnroses ;______; look at this taboo queen! Do you have any additional recs for someone who has (shamefully lol) watched like all of those?? especially if there’s anything framed in a neutral or philosophical way/not painting the story or the leads as angels or devils, but just showing a complicated and thought provoking human experience the way it is…(like Kou Kou Kyoushi or Kamisama Mou Sukoshi Dake)
@Marine
You haven't seen The Rose yet, and that's like going to be in my top 5 drams forever. I HIGHLY recc it to people with drama tastes like ours. That list was like the best I can come up with, but here are other ones you might like to try, and you should know I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel for these, lol.
That thai drama "3 To Be Free" - For one thing, I can't watch Thai dramas very well, that accent... I just canNOT get past it. It was trying so hard to be a sensitive thoughtful take on like a love-triangle involving a female, a straight male, and a gay male. For some reason, for me it just didn't scratch that itch. Surprisingly low levels of kilig, irc.
I Love U Love U Love I - Stepsibling love story. I really thought it was... well... boring. It was too predictable so I skipped a lot of scenes by the time it was about 2/3 of the way finished.
Call Boy - A film, not a drama... Gets accused of being smut by tons of people who watch it. But if you really watch it in earnest, aside from being highly erotically charged, there IS a deeper message in there, and the ending was well thought out and a mature way to end it. It really wasn't as bad as some people make it out, it's just that it's too sexy, so it turned a lot of people off and prevented them from taking the movie seriously. It's not the greatest film, it's just that I was surprsed that it really wasn't that bad. Given your tastes, I think you might like it at least for a one-time-through. But fair warning, it is extremely racy.
Marrying School Girl - Stupid, mindless fun. Heavy on the comedy and light on the kilig... if indeed there even was any kilig, I can't remember. But it WAS kind of a fun watch, if you resign yourself to the fact that it's distinctly lacking in the actual ROMANCE department. I thought the ML was really hot in a weird way.
Addicted - Kind of a slower pace, very sumptuous, natural aesthetic, but had kind of a cop-out ending, if I remember right. It's about an FL who's husband dies, and she gets involved with the dead husband's brother. I can barely remember what I thought of it. I think it was sexy??? I seem to remember it having some sexy scenes. But it wasn't enough for me to find the show compelling overall.
Tree of Heaven - Step-sibling romance. I remember being swept up by this one, but the ending was awful, so I rated it lower. It's one of those old-school dramas where it starts off really compelling, but the whole back half of the drama is a giant pain-fest with an unsatisfying ending. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't GOOD., mainly because of the ending.
Biscuit Teacher and Star Candy - FL teacher and ML student. My review after finishing it: "This had a lot of the elements that imo make a good drama... good soundtrack/ost that wasn't intrusive, aesthetic and style were fine, side-plots kept me from skipping because they were interesting. The FL is pretty and relatable. The ML is handsome. There were a few glaring flaws that made me give it a 6.5... Firstly, the angst lasts nearly the entire show. The ML and FL don't get together until the last episode or two. And they put the audience through torture getting there. Hours and hours of torture. Secondly, there is ONE kiss scene. One. And it's not a screen-scorcher, it's very average. Thirdly and most importantly, I don't feel ANY chemistry between the ML/FL, and Gong Yoo is supposed to be playing a highschooler but it isn't convincing at all. He's just too old here for the part. This is supposed to be "forbidden love", but I don't feel anything from the actors that support that plot dynamic. This is the main reason I gave it a lower score."
Chugakusei Nikki - Sibling romance. My old review that I made right after having seen it: "The casting, acting, dialogue, soundtrack, and especially the cinematography were excellent. The writing was on point, as all the characters have a believable POV. There was such incredible attention to little details, and well-placed symbolism. Lots of kilig throughout the first half of the drama that just grabs you immediately from episode one. Chemistry that leaps off the screen. Tons of angst. I think the last half is a little bit more subdued and painful than the first half, and I didn't like the "slap an ending on it" ending. But overall, I am stunned at the quality of this drama. I'm not sure it would hold up to rewatches just because of how the back half is a lot of pain with not a lot of reward and that ending didn't truly satisfy. But for a one-time watch, this is a truly amazing drama."
My Sister, My Love - Sibling romance, and it wasn't noteworthy enough for me to remember a whole lot about it, but it must have been decent because I gave it a 7.5 (I'm a hard grader). If I truly think something sucks, I won't give it anything above a 6.5
In conclusion: WATCH THE ROSE. Then immediately after you finish it, whack your head with a cast iron skillet to give yourself amnesia and WATCH IT AGAIN. Srsly, nothing compares. Just look at my watchlist. I gave it a freaking NINE. I've seen 217 dramas and only given about 20 of those a 9 (I've never given a 10 to anything). It is twisted, it is cheesy, it is moving, it is dramatic, it is funny, it is sentimental, and it is HOTTT. The only drawback to watching it is you'll be very very hard pressed to ever discover anything that good again. All I'm ever doing is trying to find a drama that's as good as that one was. And like NOBODY has seen it. .. because it's too taboo and twisted for anyone with normal sensibilities. Plust, it's a bad-good drama, and lots of people don't like those. The only people who would appreciate it are people like us. It's like the prized possession in my watchlist.
After that, you can watch all these other what-have-yous and just grieve with me that there's nothing out there that exists that can compare to it.
Sigh.
@monstersnroses thank youuu my new source for taboos lol! Ok, I have to be honest…I’ve tried watching The Rose and I’m usually really lax about my standards for female leads but somehow on my first viewing attempt the amount of crying was unbearable but you’ve convinced me to try again…I’ll report back with my findings hahah.
Of course I’ve seen Chugakusei Nikki and analogues/similar stories and it’s really close to what I’m looking for specifically in the framing (just showing the story as is in a thoughtful way that treats everyone as human) but even that got a bit preachy towards the ending lol, well for good reason I guess.
I absolutely adore Tree of Heaven but yeah it’s exactly as you said, the first half is where it’s at (especially the forbidden love aspect) and the second devolves into tragedy porn, which is a huge pitfall of this genre.
I’m trying to think if I have any recs for you and kind of failing lol. Besides the obvious old kdramas (Autumn in my Heart, Que Sera Sera, Winter Sonata, Coffee Prince etc) I seriously doubt you haven’t seen it but Go Ahead has a super, super light forbidden love~ that has no basis for being forbidden in actuality lol but was considered to be by some characters & viewers. If you’re looking for just a lovely watch and something that treads towards taboo for just one instant in time, honestly Reply 1994 kinda fits too, but in the lightest way possible in comparison to the others hahah. If we leave behind taboos and go into forbidden or toxic alone, I seriously adore the Minwoo/Mijoo couple from Giant. And another really light one where it’s student-teacher (well, coach) that turns socially acceptable with time lol is Falling Into You. My Love Eundong could maybe do something for you because it’s sort of billed as forbidden love/taboo-ish bc they met when he was a teenager & she was a child and it was supposedly infidelity when they were adults (absolutely not infidelity how I define it though). These are all kinda obvious recs so maybe I’m failing you lol…
Anyways, I’ll give The Rose another go!
@Marine
I know what you mean about the crying FL in The Rose. But think of it this way. She's very young, what like 17 give or take? She's lived with her gramma all her life, and now gramma is dead. Like, she JUST died. And now she moves to a house with a bunch of older kids who treat her like a little ugly outsider, and it's very cold and overwhelming for her. No one gives her any comfort. So of course she's crying crying crying... but then the other kids in the family all start to really feel sorry for her, and start to soften up. On top of that, she finds an inner strength to fit in in her new house. So the crying comes to an end at some point as the story gets rolling.
The dumbest part is that haircut they give her, but if you can look past it....
And one of the brothers finally softens up to her and starts calling her "Little Meat Bun" and she does kind of look like a little meat bun. So the goofy look the FL has kind of grows on you. You're supposed to be able to identify with her because she's not cool, shes awkward. She's just an average girl in a house full of rich jaded rock-star types. That actress is super popular in Taiwan, or at least she was back in her day.
But poor Jerry Huang's career really sputtered out after that drama, heeheeheehee, ohhhh man.
Also, tysm for your reccs too! I have to finish up this stupid c-drama "Skip a Beat" first and then I can start something new. Skip a Beat is TERRIBLE it's like torture. Can't wait to be done with it, gaahhhh.
Dude, the Rose gets so twisted in that way that just melts your brain, I promise. It's not exaaaacktly what you're looking for, but it is so worth the watch for the taboo/twisted aspect of it. I can't even tell you what you're getting into or I'll just ruin it for you.
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