Okay, It's Show Time . . . Part 1

Somehow, we’re already a third of the way through 2026 😱 – where on earth has the time gone? At this rate, it will be Christmas tomorrow (and not just ‘cos it’s taken me that long to post this 😂).

A couple of weeks ago, I started a post about dramas because I was still playing catch-up with my quarter one music lists. But then I got sidetracked, and ended up not finishing it, but getting the music done and posted instead (see my last post for proof – yes, I did remember my blog login details, thank you).

Now that post is out of the way, it’s definitely time to catch up with drama, not only because I said several times last year that I would do an update and then never did it, but also because I have already seen LOADS of dramas this year, so I need to get posting before I lose the will to do it again get too busy to write.

For 2025, I did manage to cobble together some sort of drama favourites lists for the various Asian countries (they’re on the same page as the drama OSTs in the end of year spreadsheet). So before I post about this year’s dramas, I thought it might be a good idea to share last year’s ones first, in case anyone didn’t look at the spreadsheet (How could you not, you monster? I put my blood, sweat, and tears into creating it 😭), and also to save me from keep referencing the dramas and then having to explain them.

*Having got further into writing this, I'm going to be splitting it into 3 posts. The first will cover Korean dramas, the second Chinese dramas, and the last one Japanese and Thai dramas.

 

Korean Drama

1.      The Haunted Palace – 16 Episodes

This is a historical fantasy romance set in the Joseon era. Yun Gap (Yoon Sung Jae) is a government officer who works at the palace, a place overrun with powerful female ghosts and evil spirits, all of whom harbour deep grudges against the royal family. He is handsome, has a good reputation, and is close to and shares the same ideals as the reformist monarch, King Yi Seong (Kim Ji Hoon), whose dreams for change are disrupted by the strange and terrifying events unfolding in the palace.

Unfortunately, Yun Gap becomes possessed by an Imugi (a mythical shapeshifting serpent-like creature that must survive for 1,000 years before it can ascend into a fully-fledged dragon), which brings Yeo Ri (Bo Na), the granddaughter of a famous shaman, into the palace to attempt to cure his illness. She has a divine gift but has always refused to accept her fate as a medium of spirit. Instead, she works as a glass craftswoman.

However, confronted by the Imugi, who has been tied to Yeo Ri since childhood and wants to use her body to ascend, Yeo Ri must put aside her reluctance to inherit her fate and team up with Yun Gap (her first love) and the King, to solve the mysteries of the female spirits and restore order to the kingdom.

This had everything I want in a drama – ghosts, dragons, a decent king (for a change), Yoon Sung Jae and a huge dollop of romance. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

2.      Spirit Fingers – 12 Episodes

Song U Yeon (Park Ji Hu) is an awkward and seemingly utterly unremarkable high school student who lives a bland and boring existence. But when she receives a mysterious smartphone message inviting her to join an art club named Spirit Fingers, her life turns upside down. She accepts the offer, only to discover the club’s members all have their own distinct colours – which are all linked intrinsically to their personalities.

This puts her on a collision course with the seemingly brash and gregarious Red Finger (Cho Jun Young), as she begins to grow into her own new identity as Baby Blue Finger. Could U Yeon’s artistic journey lead her on the path to self-discovery – and maybe romance?

When I say I loved this drama, I mean I really loved this drama. Looking back now, I would definitely have made this my top choice if I was making the list today as I still think about it every so often. It originally passed me by, as it seemed to with most of the K-drama viewing population, until I saw a few posts saying it was the most underrated drama of 2025, which immediately sent me to watch it.

This wonderful drama gave me so much to enjoy and think about. It was a joy to watch U Yeon’s transformation from awkward teen to a confident young woman, but all the members' stories were equally joyful and heartwarming. I was genuinely sad when we got to the end because it’s the sort of drama that I would quite happily tune in to every week just to see what themes our lovable social misfits Sprit Finger artists are tackling this time and how it contributes to their growth.

 

3.      Head Over Heels – 12 Episodes

Park Seong A (Choi Yi Hyun) is a high school student by day, but at night she is a shaman named Fairy Cheon Ji. When she works as a shaman, she covers her face, partially to hide her identity. She is famous as Fairy Cheon Ji and is busy working with her clients who come to ask about their future, fortune, illnesses, and other things.

One night, Bae Gyeon U (Choo Young Woo) and his grandmother come to visit her. Park Seong A has a crush on him at first sight, but she sees that he is destined to die soon. The next day, Bae Gyeon U appears in front of her as a new transfer student in her class, so she decides to save him from his destiny.

You may have realised by now that I love a fantasy romance, and again this ticked all the boxes for me to enjoy it to the full. I thought the young cast did a great job, with excellent support from some of the stalwarts of K-drama, and Choo Young Woo gained a lot of attention as the handsome but extremely unlucky, Gyeon U. I was thoroughly entertained by it.  

 

The rest:

The First Night With the Duke – (12 Episodes) – K (Seo Hyun), a modern-day college student, suddenly finds her soul transported into the body of Cha Seon Chaek, a minor character in her favourite historical fantasy web novel. As she tries to adjust to her new world, she accidentally gets drunk and runs into the handsome but cold Prince Yi Beon (Ok Taec Yeon), the male lead of the novel. In her intoxication, they spend the night together, and the next morning, he insists they get married. Alarmed, she tries to steer him back to the novel’s original female lead, Cho Eun Ae (Kwon Han Sol), but the prince remains undeterred, completely changing the plot and the minor character’s fate. Will K manage to make it back to her own world and set the story straight – or will she pursue a happy ending with the prince? 

I did really enjoy this, which is why it’s in fourth place, but it might have placed higher still if I hadn’t previously watched a superior C-drama (A Dream Within a Dream if you can’t wait to find out) along the same lines before it. The timing was unfortunate, as I found myself comparing the two all the way through. It definitely is a lot of fun, though, so I have no hesitation recommending it.

 

Undercover High School – (12 Episodes) – Jung Hae Seong (Seo Kang Jun) is an elite NIS field agent. Following demotion after an operation goes wrong, he’s assigned a new mission, going undercover as a high school student at Byeongmun High School to locate King Gojong’s missing gold bars.

He joins the homeroom class of Oh Su A (Jin Ki Joo), a temporary Korean history teacher with dreams of becoming a full-time faculty member. As they grow closer, Hae Seong uncovers the school's dark corruption, but the deeper he delves into his mission, the more unexpected challenges he encounters – including forming bonds that blur the line between professional needs and personal connections. Making things even stranger, Su A begins to notice striking similarities between Hae Seong and her childhood first love, who left her with deep emotional scars. Will Hae Seong manage to complete his mission unscathed, or will this be his most difficult undertaking yet?

From things I’ve seen online, this is one of those dramas you either got and loved it, or you didn’t and hated it. It’s funny, romantic and crazy, and as long as you don't take it too seriously, it's a great watch.

 

The Fiery Priest 2 – (12 Episodes) – Father Michael/Kim Hae Il (Kim Nam Gil) is a hot-tempered Catholic priest with a burning sense of justice. On the day of Father Gabriel’s fifth memorial Mass, a young altar boy at Gudam Church suddenly collapses, later revealed to be from a drug overdose. Father Michael follows the trail to a dangerous district in Busan, a place rife with gangs, corrupt politicians, and dirty cops, all tied to a major drug cartel.

He heads to Busan with a message: God is watching. Disguised as a seminary instructor, he mentors students while secretly investigating the drug network preying on the vulnerable, determined to stop the senseless deaths, dismantle the forces of evil, and deliver divine justice to the wicked. Helping him in his pursuit are Prosecutor Park Gyeong Sun (Lee Ha Nee), Detective Koo Dae Yeong (Kim Sung Kyun) from Gudam Police Station, and Detective Koo Ja Yeong (BIBI) from Busan.

If you’ve read any of my earlier drama posts, you’ll probably know I was always banging on about how truly underrated 2019’s The Fiery Priest was, especially considering all the best lines in it were reused in Vincenzo, which went on to become a massive hit worldwide thanks to Netflix. I still think this is unfair, but I was more concerned that the promised sequel (there was a note on the final shot saying they would be back) wouldn’t happen because of the popularity of Vincenzo and the calls to expand that (despite its ending credit confirming the drama had concluded).

But then, just when we had given up hope of ever seeing it, Fiery Priest 2 burst back onto our screens and was even more crazy than the original series. All our favourite characters, both good and bad, are back and ramped up to eleven – the growth arc of the nun Kim In Gyeong (Baek Ji Won) and priest Han Seong Gyu (Jeon Sung Woo) really does have to be seen to be believed. Lots of fun, completely crazy, and yes, I still want more. 

 

Moon River  - (14 Episodes) – A fantasy romance set in the Joseon era, it tells the story of Crown Prince Yi Gang (Kang Tae Oh), who is known by many as an unserious, pleasure-seeking man, a façade he uses to mask his deep pain from losing his beloved wife. While his mother tries to find him a new spouse, he's dismissive of her attempts, only wishing to pursue revenge.

His life takes a turn when he runs into Park Dal I (Kim Se Jeong), a merchant with amnesia who bears a startling resemblance to his wife. While Dal I and Lee Gang's first meeting goes poorly, they soon find themselves as unlikely allies helping those in need. However, the two awaken one morning to the shock of a lifetime: they've swapped bodies. As Lee Gang and Dal I try to figure out how this happened, they uncover political conspiracies and dangerous secrets – and that their connection might run deeper than they think.

Stuffed chock full of the usual palace intrigues and unknown person mysteries, I rather enjoyed it, although I did feel it was a bit long and could have done with a trim to 12 episodes to make the story tighter.

 

The Trunk – (8 Episodes) – No In Ji (Seo Hyun Jin), who works as a contract marriage provider for NM (New Marriage), finds herself deeply alone despite living with a contract husband every year. After completing her 4th contract, she meets Han Jeong Won (Gong Yoo), a music producer still haunted by the pain of his past and missing his ex-wife, Lee Seo Yeon (Jung Hun Ya), who enters the contract marriage in an ironic attempt to save his previous marriage. As the new couple grow closer, their lives are turned upside down when a mysterious trunk discovered in a lake sends them into a whirlwind of events involving the matchmaking service.

I remember this drama got a lot of criticism for not being as good as expected considering the great Gong Yoo was involved, but I thought it was an excellent window into romantic relationships, featuring lots of realistically fucked-up middle-aged characters, most of whom were selfish, mean or downright evil. Also, Gong Yoo did a fantastic job. He’s still my favourite Korean actor.

 

My Dearest Nemesis – (12 Episodes) – As a high school senior, Baek Su Jeong (Mun Ka Young) began playing an online game where she met another player nicknamed "Black Dragon." They unexpectedly got close, developing crushes and planning a meeting in real life, which concluded in humiliation and disaster when "Black Dragon" turned out to be an awkward middle schooler instead of the young man he had portrayed himself to be.

Sixteen years later, Su Jeong is a skilled planner at Yongseong Department Store. But her job is about to get a shakeup with the arrival of Ban Ju Yeon (Choi Hyun Wook), the ambitious new head of strategic planning, heir to the company, and "Black Dragon." Still holding a grudge, Su Jeong must navigate their past and the potential for a new relationship.

I seem to love the dramas that everyone hates because this got bashed by a lot of people, too. Of course, it’s not the deepest or most important drama ever made, but I like both leads and know I’ll have fun with them in a romantic comedy.

I thought it was similar to the older K-dramas that were (and still are) recommended to newbies as the pinnacle of K-drama. It has all the tropes you expect, but with a modern slant that removes most of the problematic stuff that those so-called ‘must-sees’ are plagued by, which makes them almost unwatchable today (for me, anyway). It’s nowhere near as bad as some people (who still rate things like Secret Garden as the perfect drama) seem to think – or maybe it’s just they can’t accept a male lead who is so green flagged.   

 

Study Group – (10 Episodes) – Yun Ga Min (Hwang Min Hyun), a student at the struggling Yusung Technical High School, is determined to go to college despite his poor grades. He forms a study group with Kim Se Hyun (Lee Jong Hyun) and other like-minded students, but the group soon finds itself targeted by bullies, led by Pi Han Ul (Cha Woo Min). Ga Min refuses to let his study group get beaten down, unleashing his natural ability in martial arts to defend them. Meanwhile, idealistic teacher Han Kyeong​ (Han Ji Eun), Ga Min's former middle-school tutor, also wants the school to do better, but she harbours some secrets of her own. Can Ga Min and Han Kyeong help this disastrous school?

This probably wouldn’t have crossed my radar except that Hwang Min Hyun (of dearly missed group Nu’Est) was starring, so I thought I’d give it a go. Having previously watched Weak Hero Class 1, which I did enjoy but was a bit too violent for me, I was a little worried that this would turn out to be similar, but it has slightly more comedy, so I enjoyed it more than expected and found myself rooting for the poor study group, who just want to do their homework and get into college. I’ve heard there’s a second season being planned, which I will probably watch eventually when it comes to somewhere I can see it.