Yes, I watched quite a bit so I thought it will be nice to collate a list for like-minded people. Hope you find something nice to watch as well! Scroll down for Korean dramas must-watch.
I watched most of my shows from Gooddrama.
There is pop up ad and all but you can easily close it.
Other sites I used: dramacrazy, mysoju, dailymotion and even youtube.
Ctrl-F and find the genre you like! I've categorised them into tags.
Keywords you can try: Romance, Fantasy, Interesting Plot, Thrilling, Comedy, School, History, Psychological, Hot Actors, Pretty Actresses
Rating (♥) = how good I find the show
♥♥♥: Super major love
♥♥: Still like it!
♥: Not bad still managed to finish
-: Don't like it
Recommendation (✔) = will tell you how much I recommend the drama.
✔✔✔: Highly highly recommend it
✔✔: A great show
✔: Watch it if you have time or for whatever reason
-: Will not hurt a tiny bit if you don't watch it
For your info my favourite genres are romance, comedy, interesting plot, history and medical.
Shows are not arranged in any particular order BUT bias (aka actor/actress I like) starts with my top favourite. :D
**********
Year: 2015
No. of ep: 20
Tag: Romance, Interesting plot, Psychological
Rating: ♥♥♥
Recommendation: ✔✔✔
Year: 2015
No. of ep: 16
Tag: Romance, Interesting plot, Comedy
Bias:
Park Bo Young, Jo Jung-Suk, Kwak Si-Yang
OST:
-
Rating: ♥♥
Recommendation: ✔✔✔
Year: 2013
No. of ep: 17
Tag: Romance, Interesting plot, Comedy,
Bias:
-
OST:
Touch Love - T Yoon Mi Rae
Day and Night - Gummy
Last One - YouMe
*Actually I love all their OST*
Rating: ♥♥♥
Recommendation: ✔✔✔
Year: 2014
No. of ep: 20
Tag: Interesting Plot, Romance, Hot Actors, Pretty Actresses
Bias:
Lee Jong Suk
OST:
My Story - Every Single Day
- Kill Me, Heal Me (킬미, 힐미)
Year: 2015
No. of ep: 20
Tag: Romance, Interesting plot, Psychological
Bias:
Plot:
A traumatic childhood experience causes third-generation chaebol Cha Do-hyun to have memory lapses, and his personality fractures into seven different identities. He tries to regain control over his life and is treated secretly by Oh Ri-jin, a first-year psychiatry resident, who eventually falls in love with him.
My Thoughts:
Because I feel a little 'betrayed' after watching Oh My Ghostess - read my thoughts below to find out why - I went on to watch this series. I can see why this is one of the higher rating Kdramas in 2015. Ji Sung is sooooo good. He managed to play each of his personality very well. Kudos to his acting. Every ep/character is so interesting and unpredictable - you never know which personality will pop out or how they will act. The plot is awesome. The OST (Auditory Hallucinations) is da bombz, fits the scenes super well. Luckily the ending is good if not I will not be able to handle it haha. It is not a sad drama but rather, a painful to watch drama. I feel so down after finishing it (and moody before finishing it because I want to know what happen). I complain every time I cannot find a decent drama to watch but when I do, I feel so emotionally attached. Life. Shall not spoil this for you, just go watch it yourself!
I really like the oh-so-nice Mr Cha but he 'changed' after the plot developed. And out of all his personalities, my favourite is Yo Sub, though he doesn't appear very much. Calm, thoughtful and intelligent. :)
Recommendation: ✔✔✔
- Oh My Ghostess (오 나의 귀신님)
No. of ep: 16
Tag: Romance, Interesting plot, Comedy
Bias:
OST:
-
Plot:
Na Bong-sun has an extremely timid personality and low self-esteem, doesn't have any close friends, and is constantly getting reprimanded at her job as an assistant chef at Sun Restaurant. She also occasionally sees ghosts, thanks to a shaman grandmother. One day, Bong-sun gets possessed by a lustful virgin ghost named Shin Soon-ae. To make up for the lack of romance in her short life and believing that only by losing her virginity will she be able to "resolve her grudge" and move on to the afterlife, Soon-ae is determined to seduce as many men as she can by possessing various women, and she finds the perfect vessel in Bong-sun.
Bong-sun's boss is arrogant star chef Kang Sun-woo, whom she secretly has a crush on. Sun-woo hasn't dated anyone since getting his heart broken by his college friend Lee So-hyung, who's now a TV producer. But when Bong-sun seemingly gets rid of her shyness and suddenly changes into a confident, dynamic woman, she finally catches his eye. Meanwhile, the mystery surrounding Soon-ae's death involves Sun-woo's brother-in-law, kindly police officer Choi Sung-jae who may not be what he seems.
My Thoughts:
Overall, this is a very light-hearted drama, funny at times. I have to add a little spoiler here so if you have not watched yet, please just skip whatever I am going to say. I need to discuss it with someone lol.
Okay here. I really like the chemistry between the ghost and the chef. They feel so comfortable with each other. Thus, I find the change is quite abrupt, i.e. his feelings for the ghost to the real NBS (read feeling of betrayal). It can be done more smoothly by having more links or appearances between the real NBS and chef before the possession. Overall, the story is pretty good. The mystery factor is there and they tried to do a plot twist. The events flow well and things are explained rather clearly.
I've watched quite a few of Jo Jung-Suk's drama but I find him more charismatic and hot in this production. Kwak Si Yang's role is quite weird to me; but he's still a favourite because, ya looks. Really love Park Bo Young's hair (the shorter one) and I would say she did a good job in playing two different 'roles'.
Rating: ♥♥
Recommendation: ✔✔✔
- The Master's Sun (주군의 태양)
No. of ep: 17
Tag: Romance, Interesting plot, Comedy,
Bias:
-
OST:
Touch Love - T Yoon Mi Rae
Day and Night - Gummy
Last One - YouMe
*Actually I love all their OST*
Plot:
Joo Joong-won is the stingy and greedy CEO of Kingdom, a conglomerate that includes a major department store and hotel. He meets the gloomy Tae Gong-shil, who started seeing ghosts after an accident. Their lives take a new turn as they work together to deal with the terror and sadness brought about by the spirits, while delving into a kidnapping incident in Joong-won's past. It is a funny, heart-wrecking show you cannot miss.
My Thoughts:
Other than medical-related shows, I have a thing for rich and sucessful CEOs hahaa. And horror. And comedy. It is funny but at the same time, touching. Master's Sun really got me. I stayed up all night to watch it because you simply cannot say no, it's time to sleep. Watched it 3 times so far because I love it so much. I can totally understand why the rating is so high. This is by far my top top Kdrama~
No personal favourites from this drama because I only like the characters they play in this show. Lots of awesome OSTs though! I replay the full album every now and then.
Rating: ♥♥♥
Recommendation: ✔✔✔
- Birth Of A Beauty (미녀의 탄생)
Year: 2014
No. of ep: 21
Tag: Romance, Comedy, Pretty Actresses
Bias:
Plot:
A romantic comedy about the revenge, love, and success of beautiful woman with the personality of an ajumma. It will tell the story of a woman who is transformed after plastic surgery and diets, and the man, who made her that way. Han Tae Hee is the heir of a large company. He is suffering from a broken heart syndrome due to a psychological shock. To get the woman he loves back, he completely changes an unattractive and overweight ajumma Sa Geum Ran to beautiful Sa Ra. In the process, Han Tae Hee falls in love with Sa Ra.
My Thoughts:
Find this similar to Revenge of a Wife, but sweeter, shorter and less complicated. A large portion of this drama focused on the romance between the two main leads. Well, I'm not complaining :p
I skipped two eps of this show because watching is too slow. (went to READ the summary instead lol). It's not boring but rather I want to know what happened asap.
I really admire the strong and cheery character of Sara. I guess I ought to pick up a thought or two of hers. :) And oh, I've female favourites too! (Just much lesser~)
Rating: ♥♥
Recommendation: ✔✔
- Pinocchio (피노키오)
Year: 2014
No. of ep: 20
Tag: Interesting Plot, Romance, Hot Actors, Pretty Actresses
Bias:
OST:
My Story - Every Single Day
Plot:
The drama will be about young adults’ first step into society, and the harried process by which they become journalists. When confronted with the truth they’ll cry, get wounded, and be discouraged, but as they grow up they’ll come to realize that protecting the truth is their job.
My Thoughts:
I heard so much about this show when it first started airing but I did not jump right into it because waiting every week sucks. Furthermore, the synopsis didn't attract me that much. Started a while back after LT recommended it to me again and accidentally finished them before the next one comes out. Guess I landed in the waiting game as well.
The first ep is so sad~ I don't know, I get emotional when it comes to stuff like that. I find Pinocchio really cute as it has a few scenes/special appearance from I Hear Your Voice. Plus, it has two of my favourites. Park Shin Hye is one of my favourite female actresses, pretty and good and Lee Jung Suk (can I add a heart here LOL). I realised I watched most of his dramas - Secret Garden, I Hear Your Voice, Doctor Stranger and this. Love all of them too! He is so good.
I cannot deny he has the best chemistry with Park Shin Hye. I mean PSH worked with many actors but she is the most natural with LJS. I especially love their 'wedding shots'. It feels so unrealistically happy. It is either they are really good actor/actress or ... Went to check out the behind-the-scenes for Pinocchio on youtube as well.
Yea I'm totally obsessed.
Did you notice this is extra long? :p
So let me share one more :p
Rating: ♥♥♥
Recommendation: ✔✔✔
- My Girlfriend is a Nine-tail Fox/My Girlfriend is a Gumiho (내 여자친구는 구미호)
Year: 2010
No. of ep: 16
Tags: Romance, Comedy,Fantasy
Bias:
OST:
Plot:
Lee Seung Ki is a man who meets a girl and falls in love with her. The girl is actually a gumiho, a legendary fox with nine tails that eats the livers of humans. When he finds out that she is a gumiho, he ends up doing crazy things to prevent the girl from eating his liver. Mi-ho wants nothing more than to become human, so they strike a deal: she'll lend him her mystical fox bead so that with his increased speed and strength, he'll be able to do difficult stunts, and in exchange he'll help her become human. As time passes, they get to know each other better and Dae-woong is charmed by how Mi-ho looks at the world with childlike wonder.
My Thoughts:
This is one of my favourite dramas of all time. I have watched so many dramas starring him after this. And well, see my obsession then, it did not change too much though. He is quite talented you know ㅋㅋ. My Girlfriend is a Gumiho is funny, sweet and heart wrenching. You should catch it if you have not, it is a classic!
Rating: ♥♥♥
Recommendation: ✔✔✔
- Dream High (드림하이)
Year: 2011
No. of ep: 16
Tag: School, Singing
Plot:
Six students at Kirin High School have the dream of becoming K-pop idols. During their school years, they learn how to develop their singing, songwriting and dancing skills while undergoing personal growth. They also go through their love life and start to develop feelings for each other. Each one of the students has his or her own strengths and weaknesses, but they strive to debut with the support and guidance of each other.
My Thoughts:
I love most, if not all, of their OSTs, I believe many agree with me as well. My favourite couple isn't the leads but IU and Jason! They are so cute together don't you think so!
Quite a light-hearted drama, funny at times.
Rating: ♥♥
Recommendation: ✔✔✔
- King of High School/High School King of Savvy (고교처세왕)
Year: 2014
No. of ep: 17
Tag: Romance
Bias: -
OST: -
Lee Min-seok is a high school student and varsity ice hockey player. He and his older brother Hyung-seok look very much alike, despite their nine-year age gap. When he gets a mysterious phone call from Hyung-seok telling him to impersonate his brother at the latter's new job, Min-seok is forced to pretend to be a high-ranking executive at an IT conglomerate. Living a double life while unaware of the rules within the Korean workplace, Min-seok learns how to navigate his way in the world of adults with the help of Jung Soo-young, a temp with an odd personality whom he eventually falls in love with.
My thoughts:
Randomly browsed the drama list and picked this. It was a little boring initially, not that bad towards the end. Seo In-Hguk is the main lead this time round. I will always remember him as Kang Candy from The Master's Sun. He is like a kid most of the time but I really like it when he takes the stage. Anyhow, It is pretty hard for me to tag this show. There were quite a bit of romance going on but it doesn't capture me. Overall I would say this is a pretty light-hearted show but you will not miss much if you don't watch it.
Rating: ♥
Recommendation: -
- Secret Love - Kara (시크릿 러브)
Year: 2014
No. of ep: 5
Tag: Romance, Fantasy
Five different love stories told starring members of idol group "Kara". Themes touched in the drama series involve first love, dating methods in love and breakup, unrequited love and immortal love.
My Thoughts:
I particularly love the first ep because it is so sad. Second and fourth are more funny. Fifth is not bad too. I find the third ep the most boring of all sorry~
The songs are really good as well, love songs by KARA.
Will totally watch if ep 1 and 5 are properly developed!
I will give 3♥ to both ep 1 and 5, 2♥ to ep 2 and 4 and 1♥ to ep 3. It is hard to rate the whole show all together.
PS: I watched this on youtube!
Rating: refer above
Recommendation: ✔✔✔
- Two Weeks (투윅스)
Year: 2013
No. of ep: 16
Tag: Interesting Plot, Thrilling,
Bias: -
OST: -
Jang Tae-san is a small-time gangster who has learned to survive with his fist and wits. He meets and falls in love with a college student, Seo In-hye, who sees a good heart and wounded soul underneath his tough exterior.When In-hye gets pregnant, Tae-san prepares to leave the gangster organization to start a life with her. But he is blackmailed by the gang boss, Moon Il-seok, who wants Tae-san to be his fall guy for an assault charge and go to prison in his place; Il-seok threatens to kill In-hye if Tae-san refuses. So Tae-san tells In-hye to get an abortion and cruelly breaks up with her, then goes off to prison for several years.
Eight years later, Tae-san is running a small pawnshop. One day, In-hye unexpectedly pays him a visit and tells him that she cut ties with her disapproving family and had the baby after all. But her daughter Soo-jin has been diagnosed with leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant. Since she isn't a match, that leaves Tae-san. Reeling from the discovery that he's a father and wanting to do something good for once in his meaningless life, Tae-san agrees to the undergo the surgery, which is scheduled to take place in two weeks. But he becomes embroiled in political intrigue when Il-seok conspires with a corrupt politician Jo Seo-hee to frame Tae-san for the murder of an undercover agent, who had infiltrated the gang under the orders of prosecutor Park Jae-kyung. Tae-san is arrested by detective Im Seung-woo, who happens to be In-hye's current fiance. While being transported, the police car he's in gets into an accident and Tae-san escapes. Now a fugitive, he is hunted by both the police and an assassin, and what ensues is two weeks of his desperate struggle to save his life and his daughter's.
My thoughts:
The plot keeps me on my feet. Tae-san will be pushed to a corner and miraculously some door will open for him. Fu da ming da LOL. It is not too bad if you like something more thrilling.
Rating: ♥♥
Recommendation: ✔✔✔
- *All the plot summaries/photos are taken from online sources like google, wiki and gooddrama, credits accordingly.*
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