Ranking the First Seven Kdramas I’ve Watched

I rediscovered my love for kdramas a few months ago. May and June weren’t great months for me, so I turned to escapism. It may not have been the healthiest coping mechanism, but it was what I needed. It’s also just how I tend to cope with difficult things. When life gets hard, I turn to stories. Sometimes it’s books or manga, other times it’s movies and TV shows, and occassionally it’s just a lot of music.

This time it was kdramas.

I still haven’t watched a ton of kdramas, but I asked my followers on Instagram if they wanted me to rank the seven I have watched (if you want a say in future posts, go follow me). I think two of you voted yes, so I took that as a sign that this post would be well received (don’t let me down, gang).

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#7. Doona

Synopsis: A student moves into the same shared house as Lee Doo-Na, an attractive idol who has taken early retirement. The student becomes increasingly interested in Doo-Na’s mysterious life.

Where to Watch: Netflix.

Rating: TV-MA.

Content Warnings: Alcohol, blood, bullying, cursing, injury/injury details, sexual content (kissing), smoking, and violence.

This was my first kdrama. I watched it with the English dub, and it was pretty much just a comfort show for me.

It’s ranked the lowest on here solely because the ending wrecked me. I didn’t like it, and it kind of ruined the whole show for me . . . which is odd because I don’t usually mind endings like this. If I had to guess why I hated this so much, I would say two things. First, I think it hit harder because it was my first kdrama. I didn’t know if this was a normal kind of ending or just a one-off, so it kind of scared me about all kdramas for a while. And two, I was in a season of my life where I think I needed it to end differently.

So, it’s probably not a kdrama that I’d recommend if you don’t like sad endings. But . . . I also think stories like this are important because it sheds light on the kpop industry and what idols go through. It highlights some of the negative aspects of being in the spotlight all the time and how it can impact idols lives in devastating ways.

I guess what I’m trying to say is I didn’t really love this show because of the ending, but I still think it’s important that shows like this exist.

#6. Love Alarm

Synopsis: In a world in which an app alerts people if someone in the vicinity likes them, Kim Jojo experiences young love while coping with personal adversities.

Where to Watch: Netflix.

Rating: TV-MA.

Content Warnings: Alcohol, blood, bullying (a minor character is bullied for being gay), cursing, obsessive relationships, PTSD (the protagonist has flashbacks and ongoing trauma from her childhood), sexual content (kissing; a nude sketch of a girl is shown), suicide (a character jumps from a window; a group suicide is implied but not shown; two characters commit suicide via pills and gas inhilation and it almost kills a child), and violence (some characters fight, but it’s not graphic).

This kdrama put me through so many different emotions. I started watching it pretty much solely because of Song Kang, but it was so much better than I’d hoped . . . while also going in a direction that left me screaming at my laptop.

The actual storyline drove me mad because it’s a love triangle and it yanked my heart back and forth so many times. I loved both love interests for very different reasons, and I completely understand why she ended up with the one guy in the end, but I really wanted her to end up with the other guy.

My actual favorite part of this show was how it depicted trauma and PTSD. I’m not used to seeing good trauma representation, so I was caught off-guard with how well this one did.

Overall, this was a really intriguing concept show that raises a lot of interesting questions about love, crushes, relationships, and how any of those happen.

#5. King the Land

Synopsis: Amid a tense inheritance fight, a charming heir clashes with his hardworking employee who’s known for her irresistible smile, which he cannot stand.

Where to Watch: Netflix.

Rating: TV-14.

Content Warnings: Abandonment, alcohol, bullying, and sexual content (kissing). There might be other things, but this was everything I could remember/find online.

I really enjoyed this kdrama. It’s a romcom, so there’s lots of funny moments. However, I loved that the humor was always balanced with real problems. The characters aren’t just running around for no reason; they have internal conflicts, external problems, and pasts that make their present-day actions make sense.

One of my favorite parts of this show was watching the two main leads come into their own. They start out in very firm in their beliefs and fears, so it was really cool to watch them slowly start opening up and taking agency over their lives.

If I’m being 100% honest, this show is a little tainted for me because I watched several episodes with a person who is no longer in my life. I put off watching the last eight(ish) episodes because I kept waiting to watch it with this person, but eventually, I realized that that was never going to happen. I ended up binging the rest of it by myself, but it was really bittersweet. So, while this is a beautiful and soul-healing show, it’s a hard one for me to talk about. But, if you have any questions about it, please drop them in the comments because I’d be more than willing to share more if you want (specific questions also help instead of me just rambling on about it). Thanks for understanding, voyagers. I love you. *sends an air kiss*

#4. Nevertheless

Synopsis: The story of a romance between a man who is annoyed with relationships but likes to flirt and a woman who wants to date but does not believe in love.

Where to Watch: Netflix.

Rating: Netflix has this listed as TV-14, but Korea rated some episodes as 19+. Personally, I would rate this as TV-MA. Out of all the kdramas in this post, this one is the most graphic in terms of sexual content.

Content Warnings: Alcohol, blood, cursing, injury/injury details, LGBT themes (two female side characters have feelings for each other and struggle with this throughout the show, but there is nothing sexual shown between them), sexual content (a statue of a girl in a sexual position is shown; a sex dream that I would say is kind of graphic; a sex scene that is also fairly graphic; several implied sex scenes between consenting adults that are not graphic; lots of kissing and intimate moments; conversations that are sexual in nature), smoking, toxic relationship (the primary relationship in this show is a friends-with-benefits situationship), and violence.

This was 1000% my guilty pleasure show. The entire premise is everything that I usually hate in both shows and relationships, but I really committed to the Song Kang discography. That being said, I actually really loved this one, too (shocking, I know). The internal conflict is beautiful—although sometimes annoying—and I was rooting for the characters to figure things out the whole time.

I also love that the protagonist is an artist. There really aren’t enough artist progaonists, so I just adored this. She builds sculptures, and the art is woven into the whole storyline.

One note of caution: this is the most mature show on the list. I would not recommend this kdrama to anyone under 19 because of the sexual content. It also has an LGBT subplot, so if that isn’t your cup of tea, I’d recommend skipping this one. I don’t normally love LGBT subplots, but this one wasn’t a massive part of the story (and it wasn’t graphic), so it wasn’t a dealbreaker for me.

#3. Rain or Shine

This kdrama is also called “Just Between Lovers.”

Synopsis: Three young people who each lost a loved one in the same building collapse attempt to navigate their relationships through the haunting pain of the tragedy while helping to construct a replacement building.

Where to Watch: Netflix and Viki (free).

Rating: TV-14.

Content Warnings: Alcohol, blood, cursing, death, injury/injury detail (the story revolves around a building collapse, so injuries are shown throughout the show. The most disturbing of these is a flashback scene where a severed foot is shown on camera), medical content, medical trauma, PTSD (several characters struggle with ongoing trauma from the building collapse), sexual content (kissing), smoking, and violence.

When I finished this show, I wrote on Twitter that it “may be the most emotionally damaging, sob-inducing TV show I have ever watched in my entire life.” I think that should be enough to convince you to watch it, but I guess I should write a little more about it since it’s the top two kdrama on the list.

This was the second kdrama I ever watched, and it immediately became my favorite. The characters are deeply conflicted and traumatized, but you get to watch as they embark on this journey of healing and learning how to really live again. It’s a beautiful depiction of how trauma can linger in even the smallest of moments, and it doesn’t sugarcoat that. You’re in it with the characters during the flashbacks and panic attacks and triggers, and I think western media could learn a lot from this show about how to portray trauma.

If there’s a downside to this show it’s the pacing. The plot moves forward very slowly, which could be a turnoff for some viewers, but I think it works for the kind of kdrama that this is. It’s not the fast-paced, action-packed kind of show, and it’s not all about the romance. It’s about how we heal and how we move on when we lose the ones we love. So, the slow pace works, but I could easily see this being too slow for a lot of people.

#2. My Demon

Synopsis: Heiress Do Do Hee is an adversary to many, and Jung Koo Won is a powerful entity; when Jung Koo Won loses his powers, he must collaborate with Do Do Hee to regain them, and sparks fly between them as they embark on their journey.

Where to Watch: Netflix.

Rating: TV-14.

Content Warnings: Alcohol, blood, cursing, death, murder, sexual content (kissing and a couple of implied sex scenes), supernatural elements (the entire premise of the show is based on a very unbiblical view of God, demons, and reincarnation. Personally, I view this strictly as a fictional fantasy story, but it did still make me squirm a bit when it portrayed God in such an innacurate and almost disrespectful way. If you struggle with unbiblical depictions of the supernatural, I would strongly recommend skipping this kdrama), and violence.

Yes, this show is actually worth the hype. Personally, I think this is Song Kang’s best show, but that’s probably because I’m biased. He also has some really incredible duality in this because he flip flops between “I’m literally a hot demon” and “I’m just a babygirl,” so if that’s your kinda thing, you should definitely watch this.

The main two leads have so much chemistry in this show, and it works so so well. I also love that the story is basically a romcom murder mystery because those two genres don’t always play nice, but here they do. It all works really well together, and I just really love this show.

There are probably flaws, but I actually refuse to see them because as far as I’m concerned this is just a masterclass in how to craft internal conflict in a romance that creates clashing goals and conflict that can’t help but lead to a spectacular end. So, if you’re a writer and you’re open to kdramas, you should really watch this show. (I’m not even kidding. I’m like two seconds away from sketching the internal conflict arcs because they’re so compelling.)

#1. Boys Over Flowers

Synopsis: The story of Geum Jan-di, a normal girl who finds herself attending a prestigious private school after saving a student’s life.

Where to Watch: Netflix and Viki (free).

Rating: TV-14.

Content: Abandonment, alcohol, blood, bullying (fairly severe and happens throughout several episodes), car accident, classism, death of a parent, emotional abuse, infidelity, injury/injury detail, kidnapping, medical content, physical abuse, sexual content (a girl is tricked into taking sexy pictures; kissing but it’s not graphic), suicide attempt, and violence.

This was recommended to me by my fairy internet bestie, Grace, and I’m forever indebted to her because this is absolutely the best kdrama I’ve ever watched. It was perhaps the most painful because I’m cursed to always fall for the second lead now, but it’s okay.

One of the biggest appeals of this show for me was that it felt like a modern-day kdrama version of The Cruel Prince, but this time Carden has better friends who actually have hearts of gold. That’s really the most convincing thing I can say about this, but I also think it’s worth going into somewhat blind. I had no idea what was going to happen most of the time, and that was really nice. I knew who she would end up with almost immediately, but I think that’s just because I’ve been studying stories for so many years.

I also love that this kdrama showcases so many different kinds of love. We have loyal friendship love, platonic love, family love, romantic love, unrequited love, and sibling love. It’s not all about the romance, and I really love when stories highlight that all kinds of love are important because they really are.

I could talk about this show forever, so if you want more info or just wanna send me live updates as you watch, feel free to email me or spam my social media DMs (although I’m most active on Insta and Twitter).

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I’ve so loved getting to share these seven kdramas with you, voyagers. They were all fun and heartbreaking and enjoyable to watch in so many different ways, and I really hope you check them out. If you do, let me know because I’d love to hear what you think.

Let’s Talk!

Do you like watching kdramas? Have you seen any of these? If so, which one was your favorite? Do you have any recommendations for me? Let’s talk all things kdramas in the comments below!