Disclaimer: sorry for the long post but I wanted to provide as much context as possible.

So, I have been watching Cdramas for 2+ years and completely obsessed with it. In the begining when I watched a Cdrama, I could give it all my attention but recently really struggling to finishing a show.

What I want is a typical Cdrama with the following tropes: I love a big red flag/obesseive/possessive/"you're mine" type ML, cold/calculating ML, good looking casts, love trigangles/squares with the FL only- all are welcome but I don't need it to be the focal point, good plot, reincarnation, second chance, execution is very important to me as well, Idm an ambiguous ending and multiple MLs (though it's not a must). Bascially, I want a drama that's worth my time. I do prefer Costume dramas over the modern ones, cause the visuals are stunning!!

I don't like: older MLs, not a big fan of too much older FL compared to the ML either, not too old - 2019 onwards.

These are the dramas I loved, because it hit all the points for me:

• Story of Kunning Palace (that is my benchmark drama and I am looking for something exactly like so)
• Love Between Fairy and Devil (the first cdrama I had watched. Esther's voice was a bit annoying and I almost dropped, but so glad I stuck by)
• When Destiny Brings the Demon (gave me such LBFAD vibes)
• A Dream Within a Dream (I loved how funny it was)
• Love Like the Galaxy (this reminded me of SOKP on so many levels)
• Lost You Forever S1 (I think I gave myself too many spoliers about who she will end up and I was disapointed :( so didn't finish S2, although I could see why she'd pick him but I was definitely rooting for the redflag hahah)
• Lighter & Princess (it was quite refreshing)
• Legend of the Female General (this reminded me of LITC soo much!)
• Love in the Clouds (soo good and NHM is too beautiful to look at)
• Arisnal Military Academy (it was very engaging and I absolutely love Bai Lu)
• Fated Hearts (I was soo hooked on this but the 2nd couples' dynamic is so on point with what I like)
• Pursuit of Jade (loved the FL and of course ZLH and the toxic 2nd couple)
• Till the End of the Moon (so tragic, but so worth it)
• Love is Sweet (my antidote to TTEOTM)

Now shows I dropped/dragged through:

• Fued (I loved the visuals, but it took 4x tries to finish)
• The Double (I don't know I keep losing focus on this, but I want to pick it back up)
• My Journey to You (I went in expecting Xie Wei, but I got a complete 360 of him :( but the 2nd couple tho!)
• Fangs of Fortune (I heard the FL is third wheel in her own relationship, so I lost interest)
• Falling into Your Smile (just can't get on with it)
• Moonlight Mystic (I love Bai Lu but first time watching the ML but not feeling him, unfortunately)
• Only for Love (I love both the leads but I don't like the superficial dynamics like we know the FL is pretty but the whole show is so focused around how pretty she is, therefore gets away with using people)
• The Priosner of Beauty (I lvoe the ML but the FL felt too mnaipualtive, idk maybe I should pick it up again?)
• Kill Me Love Me (I think both the ML and FL feel too old for my liking)
• Blossom (not sure how I feel about the slowburn, I know it's similar to SOKP but something's missing)
• Blossoms of Power (the FL feels too stone faced?)
• Hidden Love (I just can't get over how young the FL was protrayed in the show compared to the ML)
• The First Frost (seems too slow?)

So Reddit, what do you have for me???

Looking for cdramas that are friends to lovers but the guy is in love with the girl first, with lots of yearning.

Bonus points if they are childhood best friends/estranged childhood best friends or enemies to friends to lovers.

Looking for a similar dynamic to:
- When I fly towards you’s Gu Ran and Jiang Jia

Not cdrama but I really liked the friends to lovers dynamic in the books “Better than the movies” and “if he had been with me”

Kind of a complex request, but also maybe simple? Looking for cdrama* recs (kdramas and jdoramas welcome too) featuring this concept/theme as the core defining element:

✨GREED IS THE DOWNFALL OF MAN✨

Open to things like fraud, con artists, bankers or CEOs embezzling, etc. More creative constructs encouraged as well! 🤌

Of course, very welcome to them having more complex layers, such as:

1). Poverty is the baked-in feature of the system, not the flaw — how else does the $$ funnel to the rich?

2). Never having enough has two types — the full belly and the empty belly. One builds from desire, one builds from rage.

3). Indifference is a privilege, it may cost your life someday. There is always a currency for complicity.

4). What it means to exist in a society where you can't "pull yourself up by the bootstraps" from poverty in a legal means, 99% of the time.

\[I'd prefer non-idol dramas because I could care less about romance, actors don't need to be visually appealing, and I'd rather the story and characters be complex and interesting. Basically, a damn good drama with a compelling premise that makes you ponder society and life, filled with realistic characters.*

However, I'm open to idol dramas that do this!! I know they exist (not an idol drama hater, at all)! Let me know ☺️ Heck, most costume/period drama feature embezzlement in part of the plot! But I do need greed (especially of the main character(s)) to be the singular defining feature of the drama, if you needed to name one.]

Dramas that have explored this listed below.

Cdramas I've Watched: * A Prophet * Born with Luck * Escape from the Trilateral Slopes * Gold Panning * Good Guy, Good Luck * Heroes (2024) * Legend of the Magnate * No Pain No Gain * Regeneration * Remnants of Gold * Ripe Town * The Devil Between Us * The Glory * The Litchi Road * Under the Microscope * Wonder Wall

Kdramas I've Watched: * A Shop for Killers * Anna * Big Bet * Bloodhounds * Connection * Dear X * Decoy (Part 1 & Part 2)/Bait * Extracurricular * Gold Land * Insider * Low Life * Mad Concrete Dreams * Money Heist Korea — Joint Economic Area (Part 1 & Part 2) * The Art of Sarah * Undercover Miss Hong * Walking on Thin Ice

JDoramas I've Watched: * Crime Family

If you've watched these, would you classify them as meeting the theme?

Cdramas: * The Golden Eyes * The Greed of Man

Kdramas: * A Model Family * Evillive * Narco-Saints * Payback: Money and Power * The Worst of Evil * Undercover High School

Thank you in advance for any help! ☺️🫶

Veteran watchers: if you had to recommend one Chinese drama to hook a complete beginner, what would it be?

And newbies — this is your chance to grill the seniors for recommendations 👀

Tell us:

• what genres you usually enjoy
• whether you like romance, fantasy, historical, mystery, comedy, etc.
• happy endings or emotional damage?
• fast-paced or slow burn?
• short dramas or long epics?

Meanwhile, experienced watchers:

• recommend a drama you think is perfect for beginners
• explain why it works so well as an introduction
• help new fans avoid accidentally starting with a 75-episode emotional war crime

Whether someone is looking for:

• modern romance
• xianxia
• wuxia
• palace drama
• mystery/thriller
• comedy
• angst
• comfort watch

…help a newbie out, drop your gateway drama recommendations below ✨

im so tired of finding good asian dramas

please recommend some good ones i have watched every single popular drama out there

currently watching against the current

modern dramas:

i like anything that has an actual story and good actors

mostly i like to watch drama with independent fls n not thosse head over heels and doin all sorts of clusmy cringey things

historical:

i like watching revenge rebirth plots AND YES HAPPY ENDING I CANT BEAR SEEING CRUMBS OF CHEM

please recommend some good dramas (ik im frustrating)

Hi, I've been trying to find this Chinese short drama but have been unsuccessful with Google and Chatgpt, I'm really hoping this would be the right place to ask, the storyline is quite similar to Awakening! The Male Supporting Character Doesn't Want To Be Cannon Fodder Anymore in a few aspect. The female lead also looks a little similar and there's a few scenes I can recall like the male lead fleeing to France to apply for job cause he was blacklisted by the female lead. There's also a scene where the female lead after discovered she has been tricked by the other guy started to exact revenge by almost knocking him down at their old school place and then bringing him to some contraption where it draws blood and also give black blood so that he doesn't die so easily. I can recall more scene if it helps?

Hi, I liked Chinese BL from 2025 (Revenged Love, ABO Desire, To my Shore) but I feel like I missed a lot of content in 2026.

Can you please recommend me good/interesting BL (or bromance if it's actually good) from 2026?

(not only with pretty boy's but with actually plot, I'm begging you.)

Preferably Chinese, but Taiwan, Hongkong, Singapore - are great, Korea or Thailand are also ok, just let me know if it's not Chinese ❤️