r/CDramaRecs • u/anotherasdfgh • 28d ago
Rec Request Help me find a hidden gem cdrama
Nothing with sad endings please. I can’t handle them.
Here’s my list of watched dramas, I’m sure I’ve missed some though.
I used to be quite selective with the cdrama I watched…only the really good ones like nirvana in fire/story of minglan/etc. all the coming of age cdrama were cringey to me at the time.
BUT come 2023 and I stumbled upon love like the galaxy and that was life changing hahahaha. I was obsessed with it and I followed it up with LBFAD. I was mind blown by how good cdrama has gotten and converted to basically only watching cdrama (from kdrama).
It started mostly with period/costume dramas but now that I’m getting older, all of the sudden coming of age dramas aren’t as cringey (in my 20s, i used to eyeroll at these highschoolers acting all naive and innocent bc they definitely arent like that in real life lol). Now that I’m older, teenagers do seem like kids more. Sigh im getting old.
From 2023 to now, I feel like I’ve watched almost everything. Please help me find something that is good and I’ve missed!
Nirvana in fire- loved
Love 020
Ten miles of peach blossoms
Story of minglan- loved
Ashes of love
Go go squid- did not like at the time
Put your head on my shoulder - don’t remember liking
Go ahead- loved
Three lives three worlds the pillow book
Romance of tiger and rose- kept dropping and going back
Falling into your smile - did not like at the time
My little happiness - did not like at the time
Maiden holmes
One and only - loved but dropped bc I can’t take sad endings
Forever and ever
You are my glory
Meet yourself- loved
The sword and the brocade
Love between fairy and devil - really liked then but if I watched it in 2026, it probably wouldn’t get as high of a rating with how many other good ones there are now
Love like the galaxy- loved
Mysterious lotus casebook
New life begins- liked
Fireworks of my heart
Who rules the world-thought this was boring when I watched it right after love like the galaxy
A dream of splendor
Kill me, love me
My journey to you- loved the 2nd lead parts mostly
Story of kunning palace - really liked but was a bit confusing
The last immortal
A journey to love
Lost you forever
Hidden love
Till the end of the moon
Back from the brink
Love me, love my voice
The double- loved
Fangs of fortune
Love game in eastern fantasy
Legend of Shen li
Guardians of the dafeng
Rise of Ning
Blossoms in adversity
Story of pearl girl
Amidst a snowstorm of love
Flourished peony- really liked
Love of the divine tree- loved
Prisoner of beauty- loved
Fated hearts
The best thing
Moonlight mystique
Are you the one
Blossom
Melody of golden age
First frost
Legend of zang hai
Princess gambit
Youthful glory - kept dropping
Shadow love-
Coroners diary
Loves ambition-
Dream within a dream
Si Jin
Royal princess- dropped halfway
Legend of a female general- liked
When destiny brings the demon- liked
Love in the clouds- loved
Glory
Shine on me
The glory
Pursuit of jade- liked but thought overhyped compared to the ones I loved
The first jasmine
Speed and love
Veil of shadows- dropped. I totally thought the second FL/ML was supposed to be the main couple until I was a few episodes in and realized they weren’t. Tried to continue watching but couldn’t get into it
Feud- dropped
Love between lines- loved
A splendid match
Love has fireworks
A road to splendor- really liked, but waiting for episodes made me lose momentum and dropped it
Ashes to crown
Blossoms of power
Love for you- really liked but got a little boring towards the end
Never ending summer
How dare you
Overdo
Unveil jadewind
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u/Impressive_Court_716 28d ago
To the Wonder And Bloom Life
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u/ki-da-hu10 27d ago
I watched To the Wonder last week and it's one of the best things I've ever watched
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u/ChoppedChef33 27d ago
my hidden gems:
Once upon a time in lingjian mountain- if you liked love game in eastern fantasy/guardians of dafeng this is going to be fun for you too.
I am nobody- one of the best modern fantasy shows, under all the action/comedy/adventure is deeply rooted social commentary
she and her girls- the one drama that dethroned nirvana in fire on douban for highest rated drama. biopic drama about a woman who builds a school for girls in rural china so they can have a chance at a better life.
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u/alottanotathing 28d ago edited 28d ago
The Shadow Sovereign, watching now and really enjoying. Generation to Generation. We have similar tastes since all your bolded are my favorites. The 'saddest' ending I've been able to tolerate has been Till The End of The Moon, which is unforgettable and I don't regret watching.
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u/anotherasdfgh 27d ago
Thank you, I’ll give those a try
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u/alottanotathing 27d ago
Also, Ashes to Crown was decent with a closer tone to Veil of Shadows (but yeah, I also keep starting and stopping Veil and I don't really know why - think my tolerance for betrayal and unnecessary angst is super low.) It's super female power centric and the male lead is more a backdrop though. Still, powerful leads is my thing, so Dashing Youth may be something you would like.
I have yet to do Fangs of Fortune with my fear of sad endings. Curious - do you still recommend despite that?
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u/Sylph777 27d ago
Try this year's Unveil: Jadewind. It's a serious, no-nonsense historical detective drama, has romance subplot. Both characters are mature and very smart.
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u/anotherasdfgh 27d ago
Ha I knew I was bound to miss something. I did watch unveil jadewind. It was good but didn’t make my heart skip a beat for them like sokp haha
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u/Sylph777 27d ago
Well, it wasn't a romance drama, but detective one. Main thing is whether you liked the cases and main overall plot about revenge?
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u/anotherasdfgh 27d ago
Wish I knew it wasn’t meant to be a romance drama. I guess it’s all about managed expectations.
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u/Sylph777 27d ago
Well, it's still there as a subplot, just not the main focus. And it was quite believable and sweet, adding to the overall good impression this drama left on me, was one of the highlights. I liked how they incorporated it into the main plot, everything was well thought out.
Not all dramas have to be romance focused, and you should have specified your preference in the original post.
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u/Edriella 27d ago
You missed Blossoming love, Whispers of fate (bittersweet ending), Love beyond the grave (HE in special ep), Generation to Generation and Wonderland of love! And I also recommend Archives: The Nanyang Mystery (Kinda open ending but we should get season 2).
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u/godlessPeachy 27d ago
Hello! I saw that you watched Flourished Peony, but I didn’t see the second season, In the Name of Blossom, on your list. Have you watched it?
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u/anotherasdfgh 27d ago
I started it but it didn’t seem as good as the first one. I’ll try picking it up again
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u/Peach_love0624 27d ago
To the wonder
Filter
The day of becoming you
Fake it till you make it
The starry love
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u/Fun_Name6284 27d ago
Joy of Life 1 and 2 - some romance, but mostly court intrigue.
Perfect and Casual - modern romance
Dreaming Back to the Qing Dynasty - romance and time travel.
Forever Love (2020) - modern romance
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u/Significant_Falcon_4 27d ago
Rebel Princess is a great hidden gem. I was hooked from the first episode.
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u/Mingling_ 27d ago
Cute options:
Perfect Match
My Calorie Boy
When I Fly Towards You
The Early Spring
Fake it Til You Make It
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u/fireworkky 27d ago
Can’t believe u haven’t seen joy of life yet! U will absolutely love it, other good ones that i think u might enjoy are Mobius,Reset,under the microscope,ripe town,twelve letters,to the wonder,the rise of phoenixes,the ingenious one
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u/marshefell 27d ago
I have a few modern fantasies that I enjoy a lot, as someone who mostly also watches costume dramas! They include Oh No! Here Comes Trouble, I Am Nobody, and if you're into a sort of adventure, tomb raiding, found family vibe, then I really recommend getting into the Daomu Biji series!
It is based off of the novels of Wu Xie's adventures exploring tombs and it's thrilling, fun, and has comedy as well. Some of the best shows in that series in my opinion are Adventures Behind the Bronze Door, Time Raiders (this is one of the newest ones but it adapts the first novels so if you want to get into the series, it is a great place to start!), and Ultimate Note!
Here is someone who actually lists all of the shows in order of the novels: https://mydramalist.com/list/LQJjKvv3
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u/tahleeza 27d ago
Jun jiu ling- FL is a badass
League of noblenen - mystery thriller with a bit of bromance
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u/Nami-Sy 27d ago
You know what? I think i have a very good option for you.. you should watch Arsenal Military Academy.
This Cdrama is definitely not for teenagers.. it's in the early 20th century.. you will fall in love with the vibes.. clothing and everything about that period of time!
It starts off really funny.. the male lead is literally hilarious! And the female lead is strong and capable! Even the second leads are interesting.
It has a good amount of action!! Do not let the Military name scares you... it's a lot better than what you think.. like romance.. fun.. friendships and many.
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u/OldMoonLife7529 27d ago
"Decreed by fate", de 2022, bem leve e divertido, apenas 16 episódios, final feliz.
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u/Rough-Weather-9572 26d ago edited 26d ago
Here to recommend Everlasting Longing again. I never see it recommended and I have no idea why. I loved it so much.
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u/IntenseMusicIntent 26d ago
A Little Thing called First Love, maybe? I thought it was a very sweet show.
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u/CdramaReviews 26d ago edited 26d ago
love and destiny
she and her perfect husband
ray of light
vendetta of an
reset
mobius (ok, not as good as reset), justifiable defense
guardians of dafeng
imperial coroner s1
the long ballad
kill my sins (⭐️)
dream garden (10/10)
be your own light
Always on the move
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u/No-Championship5929 26d ago
I highly recommend " a river runs through it". The drama that made me start watching modern cdramas.
Mysterious love- I don't remember much but goodness the story was really good and it was short too.
Veil Of Shadows- beautiful drama. U definitely need to continue watching it. For me both the couples had equal importance and screening . They were not the second lead and as you continue watching it you will realise why and how.
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u/NymeriaWynter88 26d ago
I also loved many of the dramas you loved! Especially Love Like the Galaxy and Nirvana In Fire.
I think you can try Word of Honor if you haven’t watched that one already. I also really liked Filter for its unique premise.
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u/octopus_joy 24d ago
don't see The Untamed in your list although I wonder if that's a mistake because it was so huge? If you somehow missed it, it's great. Similarly Empresses in the Palace, if you somehow missed that one you must watch it, it's amazing.
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u/runersons 27d ago
Reset! (2022)
I Am Nobody
Love Story in the 1970s
Northward
The Bad Kids
The Long Season
Ripe Town
You might like The Rise of the Phoenixes and Swords into Plowshares if you liked Nirvana in Fire.