Amnesia/Mental Variance/Coma/Brains

I originally made this list in order to avoid dramas with amnesia, but I found that many of my favorites contained bouts of amnesia. I've begrudgingly accepted amnesia as an overused plotline (seriously, Koreans should outlaw white trucks, as they seem to cause 75% of the amnesia victims; and what is it about Koreans that a slight tap on the head invariably results in amnesia?!).

Conversely, I'm drawn to dramas with characters who live with brain dysfunctions such as prosopagnosia (I have a special list just for that), OCD, or other neural conditions that challenge daily life. I'm especially engaged with short-term memory loss (like Devilish Joy) where the character has to journal his life in order to understand it (been there; done that); if you have any K-drama recommendations for that, I'd appreciate them.

P.S. I'm beginning to think I should have made a list strictly for dramas that did NOT contain amnesia. It might have been shorter.

bojojoti Sep 15, 2024
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  • 100 Days My Prince

    1. 100 Days My Prince

    Korean Drama - 2018, 16 episodes

    8.0

    Amnesia.

  • A Beautiful Mind

    2. A Beautiful Mind

    Korean Drama - 2016, 14 episodes

    8.5

    Empathy stunted.

  • A Gentleman's Dignity

    3. A Gentleman's Dignity

    Korean Drama - 2012, 20 episodes

    7.5

    Amnesia.

  • A Good Day to Be a Dog

    4. A Good Day to Be a Dog

    Korean Drama - 2023, 14 episodes

    7.5

    Cynophobia (fear of dogs).

  • A Robot in the Orange Orchard

    5. A Robot in the Orange Orchard

    Chinese Drama - 2022, 30 episodes

    Mental Illness. Haphephobia (fear or dislike of touching or being touched).

  • A Thousand Days' Promise

    6. A Thousand Days' Promise

    Korean Drama - 2011, 20 episodes

    Dementia, Alzheimer's Disease, Neurological Disorder.

  • Alchemy of Souls Season 2: Light and Shadow

    7. Alchemy of Souls Season 2: Light and Shadow

    Korean Drama - 2022, 10 episodes

    9.5

    Amnesia.

  • Ancient Detective

    8. Ancient Detective

    Chinese Drama - 2020, 24 episodes

  • Arang and the Magistrate

    9. Arang and the Magistrate

    Korean Drama - 2012, 20 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Bad Family

    10. Bad Family

    Korean Drama - 2006, 16 episodes

    Amnesia from a car accident.

  • Bad-Memory Eraser

    11. Bad-Memory Eraser

    Korean Drama - 2024, 16 episodes

    PTSD. 

    "Lee Gun used to be a promising tennis player, but he was injured. After that, he lost all of his self-esteem, and his life completely changed. With the use of a memory eraser, his memory is erased, and he is reborn with maximum self-esteem and presence."

  • Be With You

    12. Be With You

    Korean Movie - 2018

    Amnesia.

    "Soo Ah, before passing away makes an unbelievable promise to her husband, Woo Jin, to return one year later on a rainy day. Miraculously, she keeps the promise and reappears before her husband and son but all her memories have disappeared."

  • Big

    13. Big

    Korean Drama - 2012, 16 episodes

    7.5

    Coma. Amnesia.

  • Birth of a Beauty

    14. Birth of a Beauty

    Korean Drama - 2014, 21 episodes

    7.5

    Amnesia (from surgery and pills).

  • Boys over Flowers

    15. Boys over Flowers

    Korean Drama - 2009, 25 episodes

    9.0

    Amnesia.

  • Bring It On, Ghost

    16. Bring It On, Ghost

    Korean Drama - 2016, 16 episodes

    7.5

    Coma.

  • Circle of Love

    17. Circle of Love

    Chinese Drama - 2023, 24 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Clean with Passion for Now

    18. Clean with Passion for Now

    Korean Drama - 2018, 16 episodes

    7.5

    Mysophobia  (fear of germs).

  • Couple or Trouble

    19. Couple or Trouble

    Korean Drama - 2006, 16 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Crazy Love

    20. Crazy Love

    Korean Drama - 2022, 16 episodes

    Faked Amnesia.

  • Dear Hyeri

    21. Dear Hyeri

    Korean Drama - 2024, 12 episodes

    Dissociative Identity Disorder.

    [Joo Eun Ho is an unknown announcer with 14 years of experience. She struggles to get the chance to have her name recognized by the public. She also has another personality, Joo Hye Ri, due to a deep wound in her heart.]

  • Dear Prince

    22. Dear Prince

    Chinese Drama - 2017, 19 episodes

    Enochlophobia (fear of crowds).

  • Defendant

    23. Defendant

    Korean Drama - 2017, 18 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Delivery Man

    24. Delivery Man

    Korean Drama - 2023, 12 episodes

    Amnesia.

    "Kang Ji Hyun boards Seo Young Min's taxi, but with a catch: she has no recollection of her past life and is unable to leave the vehicle."

  • Devilish Joy

    25. Devilish Joy

    Korean Drama - 2018, 16 episodes

    7.5

    Short-term memory loss.

  • Doom at Your Service

    26. Doom at Your Service

    Korean Drama - 2021, 16 episodes

    7.5

    Glioblastoma (brain cancer).

  • Duel

    27. Duel

    Korean Drama - 2017, 16 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Eccentric! Chef Moon

    28. Eccentric! Chef Moon

    Korean Drama - 2020, 16 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Eternal Love

    29. Eternal Love

    Chinese Drama - 2017, 58 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Everyday I Love You

    30. Everyday I Love You

    Filipino Movie - 2015

    Coma.

  • Extraordinary Attorney Woo

    31. Extraordinary Attorney Woo

    Korean Drama - 2022, 16 episodes

    Autism.

  • Extraordinary Attorney Woo Season 2

    32. Extraordinary Attorney Woo Season 2

    Korean Drama - 0000

    Autism.

  • Extraordinary You

    33. Extraordinary You

    Korean Drama - 2019, 32 episodes

    8.5

    Gaps in her memory.

  • Fairyland Lovers

    34. Fairyland Lovers

    Chinese Drama - 2020, 35 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Fated to Love You

    35. Fated to Love You

    Korean Drama - 2014, 20 episodes

    7.5

    Amnesia.

  • Find Me in Your Memory

    36. Find Me in Your Memory

    Korean Drama - 2020, 32 episodes

    Coma. Amnesia. Hyperthymesia (highly superior autobiographical memory).

  • Flavour It's Yours

    37. Flavour It's Yours

    Chinese Drama - 2019, 25 episodes

    Ageusia (a complete loss of the sense of taste).

  • Flower Boy Next Door

    38. Flower Boy Next Door

    Korean Drama - 2013, 16 episodes

    7.5

    Social Anxiety Disorder.

  • Flower of Evil

    39. Flower of Evil

    Korean Drama - 2020, 16 episodes

    Sociopath. 

    Such a good series, but I have yet to finish it, because I'm too invested in the characters and don't want anything to happen to them. 

  • Forest

    40. Forest

    Korean Drama - 2020, 32 episodes

    Amnesia. 

  • Forgotten

    41. Forgotten

    Korean Movie - 2017

    Amnesia.

  • Go Ahead

    42. Go Ahead

    Chinese Drama - 2020, 46 episodes

    Depression, mental illness.

  • Golden House Hidden Love

    43. Golden House Hidden Love

    Chinese Drama - 2024, 24 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Good Job

    44. Good Job

    Korean Drama - 2022, 12 episodes

    7.5

    Amnesia.

  • Hello Mr. Gu

    45. Hello Mr. Gu

    Chinese Drama - 2021, 30 episodes

    Mental Illness. Enochlophobia (fear of crowds).

  • Hello, the Sharpshooter

    46. Hello, the Sharpshooter

    Chinese Drama - 2022, 40 episodes

    Mental Illness.

  • Hyde, Jekyll, Me

    47. Hyde, Jekyll, Me

    Korean Drama - 2015, 20 episodes

    8.5

    Dissociative Identity Disorder.

  • I Cannot Hug You

    48. I Cannot Hug You

    Chinese Drama - 2017, 16 episodes

    Mysophobia  (fear of germs).

  • I Cannot Hug You Season 2

    49. I Cannot Hug You Season 2

    Chinese Drama - 2018, 16 episodes

    Mysophobia  (fear of germs).

  • I Hear Your Voice

    50. I Hear Your Voice

    Korean Drama - 2013, 18 episodes

    8.5

    Amnesia.

  • I Wanna Hear Your Song

    51. I Wanna Hear Your Song

    Korean Drama - 2019, 32 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK

    52. I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK

    Korean Movie - 2006

    Mental Illness.

  • I'm Not a Robot

    53. I'm Not a Robot

    Korean Drama - 2017, 32 episodes

    8.5

    Haphephobia (fear or dislike of touching or being touched).

  • If Cats Disappeared From the World

    54. If Cats Disappeared From the World

    Japanese Movie - 2016

    Amnesia, Brain Tumor.

  • In Your Brilliant Season

    55. In Your Brilliant Season

    Korean Drama - 0000, 16 episodes

    Amnesia.

    [A man lost his hearing and memory through an accident and meets a woman who became a savior to him.]

  • Introverted Boss

    56. Introverted Boss

    Korean Drama - 2017, 16 episodes

    8.0

    Severe PTSD. Anxiety disorder. OCD.

  • It's Okay to Not Be Okay

    57. It's Okay to Not Be Okay

    Korean Drama - 2020, 16 episodes

    8.5

    Mental illness.

  • It's Okay, That's Love

    58. It's Okay, That's Love

    Korean Drama - 2014, 16 episodes

    8.0

    Schizophrenia. Tourette's Syndrome.

  • Itaewon Class

    59. Itaewon Class

    Korean Drama - 2020, 16 episodes

    9.5

    ML had autistic tendencies. FL was sociopathic.

  • Kill Me, Heal Me

    60. Kill Me, Heal Me

    Korean Drama - 2015, 20 episodes

    9.5

    Multiple personalities. Memory loss and disassociation. 

  • L.U.C.A.: The Beginning

    61. L.U.C.A.: The Beginning

    Korean Drama - 2021, 12 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Left-Handed Wife

    62. Left-Handed Wife

    Korean Drama - 2019, 103 episodes

    Amnesia.

    "During their honeymoon, Soo Ho has an accident and loses his memory."

  • Literalism

    63. Literalism

    Korean Drama - 0000

    Amnesia.

    [The story revolves around Kwon Soo Young who lost his memory and gets involved in a power struggle.]

    This makes three projects in a row where Seo In Guk plays a lead with amnesia. He had amnesia in Shopping King Louie, too. 

  • Lost Romance

    64. Lost Romance

    Taiwanese Drama - 2020, 20 episodes

    Coma.

  • Love Reset

    65. Love Reset

    Korean Movie - 2023

    Amnesia.

    "But, on the day that they applied for a divorce, they get into a car accident. When they wake up at the hospital, they have both lost their memories and do not remember each other."

  • Love Script

    66. Love Script

    Chinese Drama - 2020, 24 episodes

    "Involved in a car accident at a young age, he developed a strange neurosis that worsened with time. Believing he is the Ming Dynasty’s Emperor Jianwen, Xuan Wen cares only for the prosperity of his imaginary empire."

  • Love Under the Full Moon

    67. Love Under the Full Moon

    Chinese Drama - 2021, 24 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Love Unexpected

    68. Love Unexpected

    Chinese Drama - 2021, 24 episodes

  • Luck-Key

    69. Luck-Key

    Korean Movie - 2016

    Amnesia.

  • Master's Delicacies

    70. Master's Delicacies

    Korean Drama - 2022, 6 episodes

  • Meloholic

    71. Meloholic

    Korean Drama - 2017, 10 episodes

    Dissociative Identity Disorder.

    "Yoo Eun Ho has a special ability which allows him to read the minds of other people when he places his hand on them. Due to his special ability, he can't open his mind to anyone. One day, he meets Han Ye Ri. He is able to discern that what she says is actually what she thinks, but he also learns that she has two different personalities."

  • Melting Me Softly

    72. Melting Me Softly

    Korean Drama - 2019, 16 episodes

    7.5

    Technically, not a coma but frozen for two decades.  

  • Memory Lost

    73. Memory Lost

    Chinese Drama - 2016, 12 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Memory Lost Season 2

    74. Memory Lost Season 2

    Chinese Drama - 2016, 12 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Memory Lost Season 3

    75. Memory Lost Season 3

    Chinese Drama - 2016, 12 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Meteor Garden Season 2

    76. Meteor Garden Season 2

    Taiwanese Drama - 2002, 31 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Miraculous Brothers

    77. Miraculous Brothers

    Korean Drama - 2023, 16 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Miss Ye in Wonderland

    78. Miss Ye in Wonderland

    Chinese Drama - 2022, 24 episodes

    Coma.

  • Moon Embracing the Sun

    79. Moon Embracing the Sun

    Korean Drama - 2012, 20 episodes

    Amnesia. 

    "She orders the head shaman to cast a spell on Yeon Woo to strike her with an unknown sickness. After dying, Yeon Woo is resurrected from her grave but loses her memories. "

  • Mouse

    80. Mouse

    Korean Drama - 2021, 20 episodes

    Brain damage. Brain repair. And I stopped there, because it was too intense and horrifying for me. I'll return eventually. 

  • Mouse: The Predator

    81. Mouse: The Predator

    Korean Special - 2021, 2 episodes

  • My Amazing Boyfriend

    82. My Amazing Boyfriend

    Chinese Drama - 2016, 28 episodes

    Coma.

    "Mutant Xue Ling Qiao, who has been asleep for centuries, is awakened by the unlucky actress Tian Jing Zhi in a fatal car accident."

  • My Girl

    83. My Girl

    Chinese Drama - 2020, 24 episodes

     Dissociative identity disorder, alternating between two personalities.

  • My Girlfriend Is an Alien

    84. My Girlfriend Is an Alien

    Chinese Drama - 2019, 28 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • My Love Eun Dong

    85. My Love Eun Dong

    Korean Drama - 2015, 16 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • My Uncanny Destiny

    86. My Uncanny Destiny

    Chinese Drama - 2023, 24 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Okitegami Kyoko no Biboroku

    87. Okitegami Kyoko no Biboroku

    Japanese Drama - 2015, 10 episodes

    Short-term Memory Loss, Amnesia. 

  • One Fine Week

    88. One Fine Week

    Korean Drama - 2019, 10 episodes

    7.0

    Scopophobia (a specific phobia characterized by an excessive and irrational fear of being stared at or watched by others in public or in private settings).

  • One More Time

    89. One More Time

    Korean Drama - 2016, 8 episodes

    Mental Illness.

  • One the Woman

    90. One the Woman

    Korean Drama - 2021, 16 episodes

    Amnesia after a car crash.

  • Orange Marmalade

    91. Orange Marmalade

    Korean Drama - 2015, 12 episodes

    7.5

    Amnesia (after near drowning).

  • Over the Rainbow

    92. Over the Rainbow

    Korean Movie - 2002

    Partial Amnesia.

  • Perfect Marriage Revenge

    93. Perfect Marriage Revenge

    Korean Drama - 2023, 12 episodes

    Coma.

  • Perfume

    94. Perfume

    Korean Drama - 2019, 32 episodes

    7.5

    52 phobias and 35 allergies. Trypophobia (fear of holes; designer afraid of polka dots).

  • Poisoned Love

    95. Poisoned Love

    Chinese Drama - 2020, 24 episodes

    Mental illness; sleepwalking; trauma.

  • Princess Silver

    96. Princess Silver

    Chinese Drama - 2019, 58 episodes

    Coma. Amnesia. Opposite gender touch fear.

  • Promise in the Summer

    97. Promise in the Summer

    Chinese Drama - 2023, 24 episodes

     "Opposite gender touch allergy."

  • Protect the Boss

    98. Protect the Boss

    Korean Drama - 2011, 18 episodes

    7.5

    Panic Disorder. OCD.

  • Psychopath Diary

    99. Psychopath Diary

    Korean Drama - 2019, 16 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Qing Luo

    100. Qing Luo

    Chinese Drama - 2021, 24 episodes

    Amnesia. 

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