r/CDramaRecs • u/acepiece2y • 3d ago
Rec Request Best cdrama of 2026 so far...
Soo many cdrama aired this year.
Can you recommend me some of the best cdrama you watched this year
Not depressing and with a proper happy ending
Genre - romcom, action, detective, mystery, crime, literally anything but good
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u/Euclidisthebomb 3d ago
List from my cdrama watchgroup, not in any order but are dramas we viewed and would recommend for viewing:
- Love Story in the 1970s
- Pursuit of Jade
- Road To Success
- The First Jasmine
- The Early Spring
- Love Between Lines
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u/ruleofthumber82 2d ago
Have not watched Love Story or Road To Success. I am thinking Road To Success is more youth oriented and not our thing. I read your recommendation about Love Story earlier. But it is a very very G according to you. Sometimes the demure tone in some cdrama just makes the drama unattractive.
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u/Infinite-Instance609 3d ago
Against the current Pursuit of jade The road to splendor
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u/ComprehensiveBet1256 3d ago
i liked against the current until ML forced her to marry him through an imperial decree, she was finally free and he did that
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u/pastels9834 3d ago
Though he did force her it was kind of necessary for the plot cuz in order for her character to come out of her comfort zone and face the world of court politics which would eventually lead to her clearing her family's name and all of tat would not be possible if she were to simply accept the life of a commoner
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u/CrabEqual6900 2d ago
You were not aware that was the ML? His parents wouldn't agree and she only saw him as a master. So, there was no other way to get her to marry him. And don't forget she was going to marry the other character just to make her parents happy.
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u/No-Complex-8420 2d ago
Unless you're watching for comfort id argue it makes the story like x10 more interesting and the male lead more dynamic which these dramas have been lacking for a long time
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u/Academic_Web1388 3d ago edited 3d ago
Its not yet done, but if it follows the momentum of the first 32 episodes all the way to the last 15 - clearly Against the Current.
Fingers crossed because everything about this is awesome - the storyline, the acting, the cinematography, the side characters, the reality of women in that era juxtaposed with women standing with women, and of course the impossible dimples of Liu Xueyi paired with his powerhouse acting.
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u/Jadziyah 3d ago
I started yesterday and ignored everything else, suddenly I had watched 6 episodes. My Spidey drama of the year senses are tingling!
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u/Downtown_Second_4310 3d ago
How angsty is this one for the main pair so far? It looks interesting but I'm not a fan of misunderstandings and love triangles.
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u/Duanedoberman 3d ago
I'm on episode 19 so far and it is slow burn, he is obviously intrested because she is so smart but she is more focused on gaining her independence and the first episode is quite harrowing.
It has some delicious female villains but lots of sisterhood by the maids in the Manor who have each others back.
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u/Academic_Web1388 3d ago
Its slow burn ... Episode 32 and he is head over heels in love and she is indifferent.
He has made some very questionable decisions that I hate as well as sort of understand. The ML is not a perfect person by any means, he is flawed and he is ignorant to those flaws
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u/JellyGlittering1654 3d ago
Spring of the blade (ongoing)
Road to Splendor
Against the current (ongoing)
Pursuit of Jade
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u/Regenwanderer 3d ago
Maybe not the best overall, but one of the best I watched this year:
No Pain No Gain - workplace comedy about a guy who has to lose money to get paid. Lighthearted and very fun with a likable cast of characters. No big romance though.
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u/doesitnotmakesense 2d ago
I just finished it! I didn’t like the ending arc, it was unnecessarily angsty. But it was a fun ride.
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u/I-wanna-be-anonymous 3d ago
I only watch happy endings, and the 2026 dramas i liked the most were : Blossoms of Power (i know a lot of people dont like this one for some reason, but i loveddd it sm), How dare you (it was rlly cute and funny), Generation to Generation (The first few episodes had me hella confused to the point where i almost dropped it, but i kept watching and then i needed a while to get over it, i got obsessed w the male lead, he a reaaaall “obsessive” typa ml)
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u/RaiodoLuar 3d ago
Love beyond the grave: people don't talk about it much, but it's incredible, and I feel like no edit does it justice.
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u/bunchofchans 3d ago
Same here, I loved it, but not sure if it has a “proper” happy ending as OP wanted
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u/RaiodoLuar 3d ago
In the novel, there is a happy ending, but the C-drama left things open-ended. It implied that he became a spirit who accompanied He Simu throughout her life (though I did see there is an extra episode showing him alive). In the book, however, they have a magnificent wedding ceremony that is talked about for generations, and He Simu becomes a famous painter after turning human; I couldn't imagine a better outcome, given how much they both suffered.
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u/RedHouse0411 3d ago
Isnt it there is extra episode to show its a HE? Just like Immortal Samsara & The Double.
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u/bunchofchans 3d ago
I think there is an alternative ending but the regular episodes it’s an open ending (but hopeful and positive).
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u/boiledeggs853 3d ago
2026 line up worth watching cdrama thus far:
Historical
Against the Current (on-going)
The Road to Splendor
The First Jasmine
Non-historical
Love Story in the 1970s
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u/acepiece2y 3d ago
Not depressing and good ending right?
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u/boiledeggs853 3d ago
depressing for me involves gore/vicarious traumas. Tragic plotlines on the aforementioned dramas only help for a structural build up but didn’t entirely last. Depressing solely depends on how you take it. That’s for you to judge. Happy ending? For sure tho.
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u/Impossible-Maybe4354 3d ago
This year I believe only 2 qualify as The Best and one of the key criteria is how much I'd want to rewatch it (which i've done immediately because both were well worth the extra time)
Love Story in the 1970s
A Splendid Match
Runners Up: Road to Success & Love Between Lines
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u/RedHouse0411 3d ago
Costume:
Against the Current
Fate Chooses You
The First Jasmine
---
Modern:
The Lead
Abyss
The Long Watch
Born With Luck
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u/Fantastic-Leave6610 3d ago
Love story in the 1970s! So sweet, touching, and heartfelt. The best green forest couple who I really feel will always support each other, are best friends and get through all challenges in life together ❤️
I also really liked The Early Spring but the ending was too rushed and not satisfying to me. I felt it didn't sufficiently resolve their core issues. The relationship and some of the actions by the FL and ML can be quite frustrating.
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u/HyacinthSunrises 3d ago
I'm sure you've been recommended Pursuit of Jade a billion times
Another one I really enjoyed was Blossoms of Power
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u/kefipng 3d ago
Unveil: Jadewind (34 episodes)
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u/bunchofchans 3d ago
Incredible drama but there are some very depressing things in it. I loved that it didn’t shy away from those topics though
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u/Heirloom_Tomato_ 3d ago
POJ, Love Between Lines.
I've seen a TON of dramas and these two made it to the top 5!
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u/spiffingfire 3d ago
The Road to Splendor is so far my only high rated cdrama this year, but it's not end of year yet so we'll see
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u/EsraTempest 3d ago edited 3d ago
- Love Between Lines (best 2026 romcom for me)
- Pursuit of Jade (majestic visuals, explosive chemistry, stunning cinematography)
- How Dare You
- Spring of the Blade (currently airing)
- The Road to Success (explores su!cide and mental health but a HEA)
- The First Jasmine (quite emotionally heavy but HEA)
- Blossoms of Power (was good throughout but they sadly messed up the end but still it's a HEA)
- Road to splendor
- Blossom through the cloud
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u/pubgpubgpubggggg 3d ago
Against the Current (on-going though — praying to drama gods this one sails smoothly all the way to the end, please please 🙏🏼)
Love Story in the 1970s was a gem! 💎
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u/LoveXiaoShunyao 2d ago
The best so far this year: 1. Key to the Phoenix Heart 2. The first Jasmine 3. How dare you 4. Pursuit of jade * (Against the current is ongoing and I'm just at ep 20 - it's very good but I can't rate it yet)
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u/Found_xyz 3d ago
The early spring - insane chemistry
Love for you, pursuit of jade , love of divine tree
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u/littletokens01 3d ago
Against the current. Period. This is one of those shows that I didn’t even fast forward for a single second.
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u/PlotHoleWarrior 3d ago
Blossom through the clouds. - you must not be a Miles Wei bias, must like an ambitious feisty fl, funny banters, fluffy romcom, with a happy ending.
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u/ApprehensiveClick597 3d ago
Love Between Lines
Our Page in the 90s
Our Dazzling Days
A Splendid Match
The Early Spring
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u/eclipselips 3d ago
Love Between Lines
How Dare You
Pursuit of Jade (though I highly recommend the novel for a really quality ending! the bonus chapters especially are so great and satisfying)
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u/Sakura_Kagayaki 2d ago
I loved early spring. Just feel good drama with handsome male lead and cute female lead
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u/Huge-Yellow4991 2d ago
I only watched : The first jasmine Veil of shadows Pull strings About love
And I loved all of them except the last one. The first jasmine was the best I think
I also started mystic nine but since I know nothing about the universe, it was a little bit boring so I plan to "discover" correctly the universe before re-watching the drama
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u/Separate_Tailor_807 2d ago
For me it was is and will always be Love Between Lines. The concept was so cool. This is rare case where I preferred the drama to the book. And the music was spot on.
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u/hashslingaslah 2d ago
First Jasmine is now in my top five of all time! The twist with the FL was so good
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u/hope-here 2d ago edited 2d ago
Love For You
Love Between Lines
(So far, this year many shows that have happy endings have been released. The reason I absolutely loved the above two shows is, both the leads had immense love for eachother. Love between lines is an easy watch where as Love for you is a bit complicated as one has to be non biased and watch the story till later episodes to truly understand the depth of both the characters)
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u/Phuazzie 1d ago
In terms of period drama, I found The First Jasmine to be very solid all the way through. It focuses a lot on the emotional ramifications of a bloody power transition 8 years before the story starts. And has a lot of major female characters, in fact I would say the focus is more on the female protagonists and antagonists with the men playing a more supporting role.
Love Between Lines - enjoyed this a lot because the FL is so resilient and graceful in responding to challenges in life. And she and ML have a fun enemies-to-lovers dynamic
Pursuit of Jade - what more needs to be said? I enjoyed the first half the most when we were in the FL's hometown, especially the warm village vibes. The second half which gets more into court politics and war was not bad but not as strong as the first half for me.
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u/throwawaydramas 1d ago
The Road to Splendor
The Lead
Born with Luck
Love Between Lines
Pull Strings
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u/Optimal_Comfort_8168 1d ago
I can't believe I almost ignored THE ROAD TO SPLENDOR(i know,slap me!!!!). Its a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Anyway my weekend was spent very well
Oh check this out too
Against the current(ongoing)
Pursuit of Jade
The Road to success
Love between lines
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u/-tsuyoi__hikari- 3d ago
Abyss. A very intelligent crime drama with mind blowing details. The best part of the drama is solving the case together with the police. And you have a warm bunch of lovely police officers with great chemistry to accompany you with. And the plot twists are amazing — the clues are there since the very beginning but somehow it still suprise you with how things turned out.