TV & Film Recommend me some dramas!

Crayons

Crayons

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Hey hey! There's only so many times I can watch The Untamed (probably).

And in the meantime I'd love to get recommendations for any drama series... I also really liked Empress Ki (historical-based court intrigue) which was recommended to me by a friend. I've been trying out random stuff on Netflix but the quality is so variable, it's really hit and miss.

I'd like them to be ideally historical or "historical" fantasy, but I'm open to other things IF they are super good. Also I'm primarily looking at Asian dramas (Chinese, Korean, etc.) but others also welcome. Very ideally I would like them to be on Netflix. Bonus points if the locations/costumes/actors are pretty to look at.

Anyone have suggestions, please bring it on!
 
Nirvana in Fire.
You won't need any other drama after that one. It's super good. It's historical fantasy, but more on the realistic side, a lot of intrigue and a very smart main character. I can't recommend it enough. One of the best dramas I've ever watched.
Unfortunately it's not on Netflix, but you can find it on Viki or Youtube if it's not region-locked for you.

Ashes of Love if you like angst. And it is on Netflix.

Kingdom. It's on Netflix. But this one is Korean and is a horror series about zombies, but I enjoyed it a lot.

I heard Yanxi Palace is not bad but I haven't watched it personally.

Hwarang is a Korean series with pretty actors but I didn't find it compelling enough, a lot of people like it though, so might as well throw it in. Also on Netflix.


But seriously, ignore all suggestions and just go watch Nirvana in Fire.
 
Onmyoji said:
Nirvana in Fire.
You won't need any other drama after that one. It's super good. It's historical fantasy, but more on the realistic side, a lot of intrigue and a very smart main character. I can't recommend it enough. One of the best dramas I've ever watched.
Unfortunately it's not on Netflix, but you can find it on Viki or Youtube if it's not region-locked for you.

Ashes of Love if you like angst. And it is on Netflix.

Kingdom. It's on Netflix. But this one is Korean and is a horror series about zombies, but I enjoyed it a lot.

I heard Yanxi Palace is not bad but I haven't watched it personally.

Hwarang is a Korean series with pretty actors but I didn't find it compelling enough, a lot of people like it though, so might as well throw it in. Also on Netflix.


But seriously, ignore all suggestions and just go watch Nirvana in Fire.
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Ohhh I watched about half an episode of Ashes of Love yesterday. Will definitely give that more of a shot on your recommendation. :D

And I will check out the others! Thank you! :D

(I've heard a lot of good things about Kingdom but I don't really fancy zombies so I'll probably give that a miss.)
 
I watched K2 - modern day Korean drama. Plot made no sense but I loved seeing how Ji Chang-Wook went from being the pale, insipid, whiny Emperor in Empress Ki to supreme badass of hotness in K2. It had some great moments but overall made no sense, although I wanted it to and was prepared to watch it all anyway despite that.

I am now watching Ashes of Love. It's really fun and I love how they went all out making it look fantastical and non-realistic. Plus it's helping me understand more about cultivation tropes and would make a great RP setting.
 
I've watched so many korean dramas ever since I was in middle school that I'll have too many to name.

Historical/fantasy ish ones I can think of at the top of my head:

Mr. Sunshine~ I haven't finished this one and it was a while ago, but I remember it being pretty good. I think if I remember correctly, it was set in the 1890s or early 1900s. The main character leaves Korea as a young child, lives his life in the US and becomes a soldier. The drama takes place when he's an adult and has to return to Korea for reasons I don't remember but he ends up meeting a girl who is korean nobility, and ya know ~romance~

Arthdal Chronicles: not really historical but more historical-ish fantasy with more fantasy than history. I really need to rewatch this one because I remember it being pretty good but i have yet to see any news of a continuation. Basically it's about this tribe of mythical creatures called the neanthals, who are blue-eyed and have blue lips. A clan of humans proposes an alliance with them but it's like a "trojan horse" situation where the ultimate goal was to stab them in the back because they know these creatures are way too powerful for them.The story follows the main character Eunseom, a hybrid child of the two races, who's adopted clan (who are humans) ends up getting into some shit with the larger ruling human clan and a lot of things ensue which I won't get into because that would be spoiling lol.

Both of these are in netflix.

Also, I saw kingdom mentioned. It's good. I know zombies seem kinda boring, but they manage to use a tired out classic monster creature and make it into something interesting, on top of the fact that the MC, the crown prince, has to deal with political shit on top of it. So it's not like boring old "the walking dead"
 
serenity.au.reid. said:
I've watched so many korean dramas ever since I was in middle school that I'll have too many to name.

Historical/fantasy ish ones I can think of at the top of my head:

Mr. Sunshine~ I haven't finished this one and it was a while ago, but I remember it being pretty good. I think if I remember correctly, it was set in the 1890s or early 1900s. The main character leaves Korea as a young child, lives his life in the US and becomes a soldier. The drama takes place when he's an adult and has to return to Korea for reasons I don't remember but he ends up meeting a girl who is korean nobility, and ya know ~romance~

Arthdal Chronicles: not really historical but more historical-ish fantasy with more fantasy than history. I really need to rewatch this one because I remember it being pretty good but i have yet to see any news of a continuation. Basically it's about this tribe of mythical creatures called the neanthals, who are blue-eyed and have blue lips. A clan of humans proposes an alliance with them but it's like a "trojan horse" situation where the ultimate goal was to stab them in the back because they know these creatures are way too powerful for them.The story follows the main character Eunseom, a hybrid child of the two races, who's adopted clan (who are humans) ends up getting into some shit with the larger ruling human clan and a lot of things ensue which I won't get into because that would be spoiling lol.

Both of these are in netflix.

Also, I saw kingdom mentioned. It's good. I know zombies seem kinda boring, but they manage to use a tired out classic monster creature and make it into something interesting, on top of the fact that the MC, the crown prince, has to deal with political shit on top of it. So it's not like boring old "the walking dead"
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Thank you!

I watched the first episode of Mr Sunshine at some point, and it looked good but I felt like I needed to bone up on some history as I was a bit confused with the war/politics stuff. So might give that another shot!

And also I will have to try kingdom obviously as everyone seems to recommend it (even my friend who isn't into Korean drama and is scared of zombies XD ).
 
Crayons said:
Thank you!

I watched the first episode of Mr Sunshine at some point, and it looked good but I felt like I needed to bone up on some history as I was a bit confused with the war/politics stuff. So might give that another shot!

And also I will have to try kingdom obviously as everyone seems to recommend it (even my friend who isn't into Korean drama and is scared of zombies XD ).
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Yeah. I think the appeal of Kingdom to someone who's never really watched k dramas is how un-kdrama like it is, which would not feel as off putting to a stranger. It's not cheesy or gimmicky. I don't know who's idea it was to combine zombies with the Joseon period, but it... Strangely works. There's none of that mental gymnastics of survival like in the walking dead. I mean, surviving a zombie apocalypse when you just barely have guns, there's no supermarkets to loot, and the fastest way to get around is by horse or cart, it makes for an interesting scenario.
 
Update: Ashes of Love was a win! Definitely would recommend that to others.

Attempting to watch Eternal Love but it seems quite drab compared to Ashes. Will see how it goes but if I get ten episodes through and I'm not enjoying it that much I might try something else.
 
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No_One_In_Particular2 said:
I don't really know if it's a drama, but "Person of Interest" is EPIC!

(It's available on Netflix, last I checked.)
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Can second Person of Interest. Extremely well thought-out from beginning to end, soundtrack is amazing, characters are likeable... It makes a political statement without actually being pushy or overbearing about it. The story is the main pull and I'd really put it up there in my top 2 or so.
 
Daisie said:
Can second Person of Interest. Extremely well thought-out from beginning to end, soundtrack is amazing, characters are likeable... It makes a political statement without actually being pushy or overbearing about it. The story is the main pull and I'd really put it up there in my top 2 or so.
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I don't think this is an Asian drama though. They mentioned also looking for historical or historical fantasy.
 
serenity.au.reid. said:
I don't think this is an Asian drama though. They mentioned also looking for historical or historical fantasy.
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No, it's not either of those things! But they did mention...
Crayons said:
I'd like them to be ideally historical or "historical" fantasy, but I'm open to other things IF they are super good. Also I'm primarily looking at Asian dramas (Chinese, Korean, etc.) but others also welcome. Very ideally I would like them to be on Netflix. Bonus points if the locations/costumes/actors are pretty to look at.
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I've never really watched Asian dramas so I'm just recommending what I know is good, since they said they were open. They don't have to check 'em out or anything if they don't want to.
 
Daisie said:
No, it's not either of those things! But they did mention...

I've never really watched Asian dramas so I'm just recommending what I know is good, since they said they were open. They don't have to check 'em out or anything if they don't want to.
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I did check to see if it was on Netflix, but it wasn't. So in my laziness I started watching something else on Netflix. XD
 
Crayons said:
I did check to see if it was on Netflix, but it wasn't. So in my laziness I started watching something else on Netflix. XD
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Ohhhhhh crappie. They DID remove it recently, didn't they?! Like within the last month :angryfrown:
Well, Lucifer is really good too, and it's on there.
 
Yes, Lucifer is really good even though it's neither historical nor Asian drama XD

Oh there is also a series called something like 'Once upon a time on Lingjian mountain'. I haven't watched it but heard it's quite nice and is a parody! Which could be fun potentially, I'd like to watch that.
 
Daisie said:
Ohhhhhh crappie. They DID remove it recently, didn't they?! Like within the last month :angryfrown:
Well, Lucifer is really good too, and it's on there.
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Content of Netflix differs between regions too. I'm in the UK so there might just be different stuff on there depending on where you are. I will look for Lucifer - I remember reading some of the comics years and years ago.
 
Onmyoji said:
Yes, Lucifer is really good even though it's neither historical nor Asian drama XD

Oh there is also a series called something like 'Once upon a time on Lingjian mountain'. I haven't watched it but heard it's quite nice and is a parody! Which could be fun potentially, I'd like to watch that.
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I watched a little bit of Once Upon a time on Lingjian Mountain and it was kind of confusing lol. But I suppose most c-dramas are confusing initially. The first episode was quite cheesy lol.
 
Crayons said:
Content of Netflix differs between regions too. I'm in the UK so there might just be different stuff on there depending on where you are. I will look for Lucifer - I remember reading some of the comics years and years ago.
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Ahh yup! If you've read the comics, you'll understand just a couple more jokes than the average watcher 😂
If you can/do check it out, hmu! I have some history with the show and it means a lot to me, so I'm always happy to hear someone talk about it, given the chance. Hope you enjoy the others, too!
 
I watched all of Nirvana in Fire (first season) and it is truly excellent. A very intelligent and well plotted drama where all the characters, even the baddies, are very likeable and appealing. (Except one, I frickin' hated that long haired doctor guy. XD) I would put this up there with the best dramas I have ever watched. There are not many fantasy elements in this, but there are some great wuxia-style fights peppered among the scheming and politics. Also movie-quality battle scenes.

I have started watching Once Upon A Time in Lingjian Mountain and I'm enjoying it so far.

Eternal Love was crap. A bit like Ashes of Love story- and setting-wise but with all the fun and characterisation sucked out. Give it a miss.
 
Kingdom is pretty amazing ngl. I’m not too hot for zombie apocalypse either but it’s one of my top kdramas. Train to Busan is the other zombie one that made me bawl so bad, although that one is a movie and isn’t historical.

Handsome Siblings on Netflix isn’t too bad imo. I was kept interested when I was watching it, although I didn’t really like how the female characters were handled.

Sleuth of Ming Dynasty isn’t on Netflix but I think it’s available on Viki? It’s about this crime solving duo (one gov official and one military dude) + a scheming eunuch dealing with a series of crimes in the capital. I thought the trio’s interactions are highly entertaining. It’s also based on a BL novel (between the duo) but ofc they bromance it; still, it has really good costume, and fighting scenes are top notched because Jackie Chan produced it. Pretty solid plot too.

Strangers on Netflix — Kdrama, thriller/mystery following a prosecutor whose old surgery cause him to not feel a lot of emotions. It’s pretty slow paced and might not be to your taste, but I got hooked on characters so it was a very enjoyable watch. Other Kdramas you could check out: Crash Landing On You (I watched this more for the comedy part than the romance; it’s hilarious); Mystic Pop Up Bar (interesting concept; fantasy and sorta historical but the main story takes place in modern world — there’s just some connections to the past); Signal (crime thriller with time travelling ish elements)
 
Ok people! I need more recommendations. Preferably something fun, fantasy-ish and non-modern. Must not require too much thinking, I'm not in the mood right now. XD
 
You enjoyed Ashes of Love so you might like There less fantasy in The Wolf. The setting is Tang dynasty rather than some fantasy realm inhabited by deities. Tragic romance is what they have in common, except it ends better in Ashes. There are 49 episodes.

I am now watching The Devil, a K-drama that I would recommend if it were what you are into at the moment, but it has a modern setting and requires some thinking XD
 
non-modern fantasy reminds me of arthdal chronicles. it's well-regarded, and though i haven't watched it, i think it's worth a try.
 
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