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anything for beginners

vividroleplaying

something youd recommend to someone just getting into dramas, like me. i dont have any specific preference either, just want something to watch that people would consider something all beginners must watch lol

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Mon

Dramas: https://mydramalist.com/list/4a6NAXP1

Movies: https://mydramalist.com/list/4a6Nvo51

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Estelll

Here's some of my suggestions, though I wouldn't call them "must watch" necessarily, just I feel are good entry points into various genres/styles/tropes for various reasons (please note though that I mainly watch Historical Dramas, and that some of the following I've yet to watch/complete but they still come highly recommended): 

Sorry for the long list!! Enjoy your journey into dramaland!! :)

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Sonme
  • Imawa no Kuni no Alice: Since you enjoyed Squid Game I think you would like this show. A young man finds himself in an alternate version of Tokyo where he has to compete in dangerous games to survive.
  • Move to Heaven: This is one of my favorite shows ever. Incredibly moving with great performances. An autistic young man and his uncle run a trauma cleaning service.
  • Nagi no Oitoma: Japan is well known for making "slice of life" shows. Basically shows about normal every day people living their lives. In this slice of life the main character quits her job and decides to reinvent herself over the course of a summer.
  • Our Shiny Days: I feel like no one has watched this but if you like high school settings in tv shows this one is my favorite and I've seen a lot of them. It managed to be unique since it takes place in a music school with the kids who play traditional Chinese folk music constantly pitted against the kids who play Western classical music. The main lead is cute and quirky and her best friend is a loveable nerd. There is a bonus romance between the main lead's teacher cousin and a celebrity as well.
  • Queen In Hyun's Man: I'll also throw my hat into the ring for Queen In Hyun's Man. This was one of my first Korean series and I enjoyed it a lot. A scholar time travels to modern Seoul and meets an actress.
  • Reply 1997, Reply 1994,  and Reply 1988: The  "Reply" series is a good starter point if you like nostalgic stories. They each feature a group of friends/family living their lives during the year they are set in with flash forwards to their present older selves. I enjoyed Reply 1988 the best personally. If you are interested in watching all of them there are some cameo spoilers so they should be watched in the order they were released.
  • Reset (2022): Another one I'm giving a second vote to. It's my favorite modern Chinese series. A young woman gets stuck in a time loop on a bus. She inadvertently drags a young man into the loop with her and they must figure out how to get out of the loop to avoid being in a horrendous accident.
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samenai

Would be better if you search by popularity(in mdl advanced search) first, check the results, then decide it yourself. Otherwise, we people will just influence you to like what we like.

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jindreame

something funny - Romance of Tiger and Rose

detective - Sleuth of Ming Dynasty

wuxia - Handsome Siblings

gaming - Crossfire

high school - Our Secret

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Pinwheel

Hii, hope you enjoy watching more Asian dramas :D
Others have mentioned that it is hard to rec must watch dramas if we don’t know your preferences, but out of the super popular dramas out there, these are the one I would recommend myself (very biased to kdramas and romance genre,  sorry ?):

Healer (Action Romance)
Prison Playbook (Drama and comedy)
100 Days My Prince (Historical Romance)
Pinocchio (Romance mystery)
Signal (Mystery, detectives, sci-fi)
Start up (Romance)
Hotel del Luna (Modern fantasy)
Love O2O (College romance)
Strong Woman Do Bong Soo (Romance action)
What’s wrong with Secretary Kim (Romance)
Put your head on my shoulder (College romance)
The untamed (fantasy, historical)
Someday or one day (mystery romance sci-fi)

Since you watched Squid Game, other popular dramas (which I haven’t watched) that are grittier or less romance focused could be: My Name, All of us are dead,  Kingdom, Taxi Driver, Itaewon Class, D.P.

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