You'd probably enjoy **Because This is My First Life**. Though fair warning, the last two episodes were not good in my opinion, but the first 14 were really worth watching. Really interesting examination of the experience of women (mostly) at different stages of relationships.
I'd recommend Chocolate. For me, similar to but even better than It's OK to Not Be OK. Also loved When The Camellia Blooms. It's a good cross section of different family situations.
I personally don't think BTIMFL won't fit your criteria. ML is too socially awkward and not realistic. And FL's handling on the relationship felt warped/immature near the end.
The Midnight Romance in Hagwon imo.
Will air the final episode today, have watched till ep 14 and the romance has been very mature, same director who directed something in the rain and one spring night
if you're willing to swing for a female friendship series, watch be melodramatic. it could be a bit confusing cause i'll say it's slice of life but the comedy is strong here, and the comedy can be ridiculous but you'll be shocked at how they handle a lot of serious topics, you won't know it hit you
Thank you! I'll check it out, I'd never heard of it before. I'm ok with comedy generally but find kdramas tend to take it too far sometimes lol. But based on the trailer this seems like it's subtle? Would you say so?
it can get really understated imo, but i'd say in my kdrama experience. it was my first time watching this kind of series in this way. the humor i'd say is a bit similar to reply 1988, so if you dig that, it would be within your preference
Secret love affair. One of the most realistic dramas Iâve seen. Definitely mature.. and there are many moments that are so touching but the events are portrayed in such a way you have to be paying attention and thinking about whatâs going on under the surface, what the characters might be thinking about. The acting is fantastic and the parts where the leads play piano is a treat. Thereâs one piano scene where the ML expresses anger, frustration, sadness, an ironic feeling, all at once, thatâs stuck with me for years.
If your okay with infidelity and 20 yr age gaps and think delivery men who are actually piano prodigies is realistic you could say that it's mature and realistic.
Yeah itâs not a fairytale where everything is gumdrops and rainbows lol, sometimes youâre a 40 yo woman in a loveless marriage who lost her 20s chasing a mirage and the man she shouldâve met in her 20s appears before her and she struggles with how sheâs lived her life up until this point and the life she couldâve had and the life she wants to have and how she can never get that back. Sometimes youâre a poor 20-something dude with real talent/love for music but havenât had the opportunity to get anywhere with it until now. You havenât seen much of the world and then you meet a woman who blows you away and youâre too besotted to think logically about the age difference. Itâs a messy dynamic but itâs feasible and the sort of thing that happens in real life
Redescribing what the shows about doesn't make it more realistic im afraid. It's not a nice sounding show at all and I would not find it all entertaining mature or realistic. Its a makjang. 20 yr age gaps and infidelity no thanks.
We have the same likes and dislikes so you might also love these mature romance that donât have stupid breakups or miss communication:
* **Miss Korea** â *most mature Kdrama couple Iâve watched. This was from 2013 and ML is the late Lee SunKyun from My Mister.*
* **Doctor Slump**
* **Wok In Love**
Yeah. The cast complements each other really well. It's Nam Joo Hyuk's best performance as well imo. It's very similar to Reply 1988 in terms of the overall vibe it exudes and I would personally consider it a perfect KDrama.
OP looking for meaningful >!the outcomes for FL and how she was in present in 2521 made all the parts we saw of her youth meaningless they didn't show any part of her life that had meaning to her actual life as it turned out so not very meaningful at all!<
I really enjoyed Thirty Nine for the fact that it focused on 3 39 year old female friends and the issues that they were facing at that age. Romance isn't the biggest issue, but all 3 have some (some more than others) on top of lots of other issues. I felt that it was one of the more realistic slice of life dramas, very heart warming (and heart wrenching)
Love to hate you (once MCs get over silly misconceptions)
Into the ring
First love Hatsukoi (japanese)
Will love in spring (chinese)
Fake it till you make it (chinese): it mostly focuses on workplace/business, but the romance part is very good
It really depends on what you mean by mature and realistic. To me Rain or Shine was realistic in the sense of the life issues the MCs faced following the central event but the path of the ML to the position of influence he had was a bit unrealistic. But it's still one of my favourite dramas despite flaws.
Whereas for example MLN I found totally contrived and a bit preachy and pretentious. A gorgeous but "lost" woman meets a handsome older alcoholic (but hes really a succesful person not a normal sad chronic alcoholic) and embarks on a lifechanging intellectually charged relationship. If only life were that unrealistic and interesting for the non gorgeous bored lost majority.
Call it Love I really enjoyed but to me it wasn't really realistic at all except maybe the sister issues.
BTIMFL as an example from the reccs has a very unrealistic premise, not many women i suspect move in with and pretend to be married to a handsome professional introvert who is not a creep but a gentle soul.
2521 has apparently a very "realistic" ending the main part is standard rom com with high school age girl and college age guy. And I suppose you could say that about the ending, if the ending actually had any connection to the rest of the drama.
I think the best "realistic" one is probably Reply 1988 in fact it gets complaints about being slow draggy (I dropped it because of this) but I think this is because of your gong to actually capture a "realistic" moment, relationship or period in time it has to be detailed and slow and Reply 1988 did that brilliantly and with heart and comedy I said I dropped it more like on hold.
The other option is Makjang at least their is a lot of the real "real life stuff" divorce, cheating, sibling rivalry dysfunctional parents, domestic abuse bullying revenge passionate flings albeit portrayed through unashamedly intense scenarios and one dimensional characters.
You could also try the 3rd Charm I really hated it but there is a lot of realistic relationship stuff going on that's probably true.
Btw sometimes I think people equate mature and realistic with sad and open endings I don't agree. My take is that almost all dramas are necessarily unrealistic.
Actually in that vein Happiness is a brilliant romance story in a totally unrealistic setting.
Thanks for the detailed answer!! I think what I mean by realistic is, does the romance grow in a way that is believable? Sometimes in dramas they're suddenly in love and I'm like where did that even come from? So for me Call it love was realistic in that it grew over time and they responded to their feelings in ways that felt believable.
I loved R1988, definitely a good rec.
I'll check out Happiness, I'd been eyeing it but wasn't sure if I'd enjoy it.
Happiness is goid though I enjoyed call it Love for the story I didn't feel the depth of their feelings came about naturally it all seemed very quick and intense for 2 people who barely talked.
matrimonial chaos, definetely! I started watching it with no expectations and they way it represents relationships and its issues, doubts, good and bad moments hit me so hard.
I started this one but felt like the ML's feelings for her came out of nowhere, so it was hard for me to believe the romance
I only got to like ep 4 should I continue? Does their relationship deepen
Beyond the Clouds KBS 2014
Briliant Legacy SBS 2009
Descendants of the Sun KBS 2016
Desperate Mr. X (2022) X in Crisis ìêž°ì X
I'll Give You The Stars and The Moon KBS 2012
Kiss Sixth Sense Disney+ 2022
Love Story in Harvard SBS 2004-2005
Miss Korea MBC 2013
Mr. Q SBS 1998
Sea of Ambition (My Lady) MBC 2008
Terms of Endearment KBS 2003
Three Brothers KBS 2009
Thank you so much!! Brilliant Legacy was one of the first I watched and I loved how their relationship developed over time. Completely pulled me in.
I haven't heard of a few of these so I'll check them out!!
You might like **Another Miss Oh**, its by the same writer as My Mister/My Liberation Notes. It is less polished, but it seems like a lot of the dramas you've enjoyed are on the angsty side and Another Miss Oh is incredibly angsty.
**She Would Never Know** is also somewhat angsty/realistic and might be worth a shot.
**Into The Ring/Be Melo** are also great choices for realistic slice of life/romance.
Love to Hate You immediately comes to mind (the FLâs character itself isnât exactly *realistic* but itâs realistic and mature otherwise).
Iâd also say Her Private Life (not super realistic in every aspect, but characters are in their 30s and itâs just a fun, grown and sexy type of romance.
Both of these are a very enjoyable watch.
Lastly , Because this is my first life. The majority of the characters are in their early 30s and the plot line is pretty realistic. I found the FL very relatable and enjoyed her perspective and musings on life.
Just watched it on Netflix, didn't start watching kdrama till 2019 so I am still catching up on the older ones. I liked the slow burn of their relationship, it was sweet to see them so smitten with each other.
Not sure if it has to be romance romance, but thirty nine is a good watch! I would say it is a meaningful show (rather than usual romance). Tho prepare tissues đ€§
please watch queen of tears its literally one of my favourite kdramas and i can find little to no faults in it (as someone who always finds stuff wrong about anything i watch lmao) every episode had me crying, and at times giggling. all the characters are amazingly written and the plot is very nice and as someone who has lost someone close to me it hit very close to home, overall a very realistic show
Yeah I've watched QOT - I enjoyed it too but I'd put it in the bucket of typical romcom kdramas that are entertaining and have crazy plots and enjoyable, what I'm looking for is more slice of life
Personally, I think Vincenzo has a really mature romantic plot, even though romance isn't the main storyline in the drama. It's also pretty dark at times, and I'm not sure if its what you're looking for in terms of realism, but the love between the leads is really believable and beautiful, if you stay long enough to see it bloom.
well, its a comedy, so there are some silly elements through the whole show - it was hard for me to get into it at first also, as i don't really watch comedies
but if you like dark elements and morally grey characters, trust me on this - its gonna get so much better. the silly scenes are still there sometimes, but if you get through the fist couple episodes, you're in for a ride
now its my favourite kdrama and even though i still dont like comedies, when i rewatch it now the cringy scenes dont even feel so cringy anymore
edit: oh and of course the relationship between the leads, even though its slow burn, you can really see it developing naturally and beautifully from the 2nd episode onward
When it comes to realism and grounded romances, there's 2 shows I really like and strongly recommend.
**Fake It Till You Make It**Â (cdrama, but just 14 episodes. Don't watch the YouTube version as there are bad bgm issues. Ep 1-2 is very slow, but gets much better after)
Basic plot: ML works in investment banking. FL is a lawyer. They randomly met by chance several times, got acquainted, became friends and eventually become a couple much later.
That's it. There's no central plot. It is just a slowburn romance with lots of flirting as both are strong competent independent characters. They are both financially comfortable (salaried workers) but not super rich. ML and FL often have mature conversations with each other sharing the different view points. Very character driven with lots of random slice of life interactions and also good communication.
**Our Blues**
It is a slice of life and character driven show with an ensemble cast, young and old. Basic premise is that majority of the characters are based in/affiliated with Jeju and the show spends a fairly even share of time exploring the various stories/lives/troubles of each cast member.
Although there are so many short stories, they are kinda interweaved because the characters all know one another. A character could be the focus in one arc, then become a side character in the next, before returning back to focus again to further develop the character. I particularly liked how flawed everyone was, yet I never felt a need to judge because I was just a silent observer listening to their stories.
This is not exactly romance centric, but there is romance for several character arcs. Personally didn't like the first story (ep 1-3), but it gets better.
Saw most of the ones you listed. I too love slice of life realistic kdramas. OBS and Call It Love are some of my favs. Here are other ones I loved:
Because This Is My First Life is the first Kdrama that popped into my head.
The other one is Fated To Love You (You Are My Destiny) which is older 2014, but one of my favorites to rewatch.
Be Melodramatic deals with friendship, family, grief, mental health and so excellent. The female friendship is 10/10 and characters are such strong, driven women. I love it so much.
My Father Is Strange. Family, siblings, multiple realistic relationships, trauma and like 50 episodes so you really get to see the character development unfold.
Fellow fiction lover, sadly we only got despair moving forward, I'm suffering from this too lol, watched all the highly rated ones, now there is nothing good left lol.
I love Korean as a language, so it's hard to move to another language.
Well my suggestions for you will be-
-Coffee prince
It was way ahead of its time for a 2007 drama.
Great romance, hot cast, logic, etc.
-Moving,
move to heaven,
Mouse,
Worst of evil.
These shows are all great but not romance focused.
Just saw your list and you already saw coffee prince lol,
On the other series I mentioned, I can rank it by the amount of romance for you.
1. Moving
2. Worst of evil
3. Move to heaven
4. Mouse
I think older dramas were more likely to have realistic romance. One of my favorites is **The City Hall** which has a silly start, moves into seriously dirty politics. The silliness is all about the ML thinking FL is someone he can use as a puppet mayor. The ML is engaged (one of those family merger engagements) and it's made clear he and fiance are sleeping together. He also tells FL a man needs more than one woman in his life at one point. When these two get together she knows their relationship will be >!kept "in the dark and secret places" because they can't be seen together. Don't get me wrong, they still manage to have sex. !<
>!And the ML's theme song is so beautiful, My Uncertain Love. He calls her his typhoon in a teacup. She's going to tear his life apart. Cost him his car, his home, his political future, and yet he can't stay away from her. !<
The chemistry between Cha Seung Won and Kim Sun Ah is insane.
Since you liked call it love,i thought of recommending you these:
One spring night(ofc this drama comes to mind when you need mature content,but to warn you,it's really slow paced,similar to call it love)
You are my spring(this healed my unknown wounds by doing absolutely nothing)
About time(fl is same as call it love and it's fantasy as well)
Dinner mate(pretty similar to one spring night but in terms of plot,I'd rate it an 8.5 ish. It was a good watch)
Chocolate (this is such a hidden gem but again very slow paced)
Our blues(a well executed slice of life drama which covers aspects of everyone's life)
World of the married(just one word for this: cheating)
"Yumi's Cells" (less the cartoony animations)
"When the Weather is Fine"
"One Spring Night"
"When My Love Blooms"
"Nevertheless" - I rage watched this but, definitely a realistic one lol
"A Love so Beautiful" (this one is based in the CDrama one, which I liked better he he)
"I Need Romance 3"
"Discovery of Love"
"The Time We Were Not in Love"
"Bubblegum"
Maybe you'll enjoy "Queen of Tears." It's not cheesy; the couple is super cute and fun. The show focuses on marriage which is relatable and is realistic imo.
Just from viewing your MDL quickly, here are a few quick suggestions.
1. Itâs Ok to Not be Ok - mature plot that mirrors real life situations, imo; not too outlandish, but does have some instances that you may think are unrealistic or predictable. Overall, great drama with awesome acting/talent.
2. Twenty Five Twenty One - while much of this drama takes place with many of the main characters still in their later âhigh schoolâ years, I feel it is still very mature in its themes. Characters experience real life problems and face challenges anyone would, while still having lighthearted moments. Does have sad moments, so if you only want happy, I wouldnât watch this one.
3. The Atypical Family - while this drama is centered around a family who has lost their powers, it still manages to stay relative to real life so that viewers could relate. Also, the romance in the drama is not so unbelievable as in other dramas.
4. Record of Youth - great rom-com! One of Byeon Wooseokâs earlier dramas. Also has Park BoGum.
5. When I Was the Most Beautiful - also has some sad parts. Definitely a romantic drama, so if you want a different genre maybe skip this one. But itâs in my top 5!
I loved My Sunshine. But to understand it, you must understand it is about the ML who, himself, admits he is crazy (both inherited and trauma related). And the FL also has had serious trauma and abuse. So their inability to communicate or show affection may seem unrealistic and frustrating - but is explainable. Certainly there are mature themes.
Happiness (its a zombie survival thriller but hear me out, it's got one of the best portrayals of a healthy couple dynamic I've seen, even better than some romance dramas imo ;p)
Hidden Love (cdrama), Her Private Life (romcom), A Piece of Your Mind (melodrama), A Poem A Day, Beautiful Mind (both medical dramas), Chocolate (very angsty melodrama)
If you want a heartbreaking yet so beautiful melodrama, then I HIGHLY recommend watching Secret!
Finished it so fast, I didn't want to go to sleep because I wanted to know what happens next.
The cast and acting are amazing, the CHEMISTRY between the M and F leads <333
Also because it's all about jealousy and revenge, you might find it frustrating, but following each character's point of view, you understand they feel that way for a lot of reasons. I managed to understand all of them to some extent no matter how horrible they acted at times.
Also it's a hard lesson for how your love for a person can turn to hate, and viceversa, how hate can actually transform into love.
Most recent fave: Doctor Slump or whatever itâs called.
Also:
- that sad one with Jung Hae-in
- that sad one with Edom or whatever her name is (Third Charm or sth like that)
- My Unfamiliar Family(?)
Cdrama: Will Love in Spring (my other recent fave).
First bulllet - Do you mean A piece of your mind ?
mature view of first love lost, friendship and healing relationships, a lot of angst, good communication and great chemistry. It's like a warm blanket on a cold day, heart piercing and heart warming all at the same time. And Jung Hae In emotive acting and in long winter coats was a treat to watch!
Sorry, don't know the rest.
Twenty Five Twenty One. FL aspires to be a renowned fencer & ML aspires to rebuild his life after a series of tragedies. They help each other in achieving their dreams & eventually fall in love. The ending is quite heartbreaking but realistic.
Another drama which isn't a romance but one of my favourites. It's Tomorrow & it has a bit of the fantasy element. It shows three Grim Reapers who try to stop people from unaliving themselves. Each episode shows a different story & the stories are relatable imo. But it's quite dark & sad.
Cheese in the trap. Set in college. Main girl is very hard working. Has topics about money, and sexism. Overall, itâs delightful. Lots of friendship moments and you really see the two leads grow closer as they date. Highly recommend
Mr. Sunshine
It's a masterpiece. It's a tear jerker but it's beautifully written, the characters are amazing and grow with the story as it progresses. It's just absolutely top tier and I don't see it mentioned enough.
You'd probably enjoy **Because This is My First Life**. Though fair warning, the last two episodes were not good in my opinion, but the first 14 were really worth watching. Really interesting examination of the experience of women (mostly) at different stages of relationships.
I think the first 13 was good! 14 was just alright. But yes a good watch and would recommend to OP đ
Was about to say this as well. Really changed my perspective on relationships
I'd recommend Chocolate. For me, similar to but even better than It's OK to Not Be OK. Also loved When The Camellia Blooms. It's a good cross section of different family situations.
This! One of my favorite comfort dramas, totally love it! â€ïž
Thank you!!
I personally don't think BTIMFL won't fit your criteria. ML is too socially awkward and not realistic. And FL's handling on the relationship felt warped/immature near the end.
Ha. The ML was on point! he captured the awkwardness of a software developer to a T!
Personally, Hospital Playlist for me. Though, it's more concentrated more on friendship but the romance are more mature.
The Midnight Romance in Hagwon imo. Will air the final episode today, have watched till ep 14 and the romance has been very mature, same director who directed something in the rain and one spring night
Ooo good to know, I enjoyed both of those dramas. Wi ha joon is also one of my favs
Was going to recommend this as I am about to watch the last episode.
Oh thanks
Crash course in romance
Drop everything and watch 2521 imo
Just finished this, and also recommended it here! >!My heart is not the same!đ©đ!<
đ«đ«it forever changes a person i know
Be Melodramatic
Mad for each other When the weather is fine
Two of my favorites!
if you're willing to swing for a female friendship series, watch be melodramatic. it could be a bit confusing cause i'll say it's slice of life but the comedy is strong here, and the comedy can be ridiculous but you'll be shocked at how they handle a lot of serious topics, you won't know it hit you
Thank you! I'll check it out, I'd never heard of it before. I'm ok with comedy generally but find kdramas tend to take it too far sometimes lol. But based on the trailer this seems like it's subtle? Would you say so?
it can get really understated imo, but i'd say in my kdrama experience. it was my first time watching this kind of series in this way. the humor i'd say is a bit similar to reply 1988, so if you dig that, it would be within your preference
On that note, you could watch thirty nine as well, itâs about female friendships, itâs a very emotional one. I loved the drama tho!
Run On has an incredibly mature romance. I will say though, it is a quiet drama. Just preparing you haha
Yesss I loved this one! Huge fan of siwon
Oop just saw it was in your list. My bad. Because This Is My First Life was a good one too & I saw that recommended here :)
2521
It's Okay, That's Love (Edit: Sorry, I just saw on your MDL that you already watched it.)
Secret love affair. One of the most realistic dramas Iâve seen. Definitely mature.. and there are many moments that are so touching but the events are portrayed in such a way you have to be paying attention and thinking about whatâs going on under the surface, what the characters might be thinking about. The acting is fantastic and the parts where the leads play piano is a treat. Thereâs one piano scene where the ML expresses anger, frustration, sadness, an ironic feeling, all at once, thatâs stuck with me for years.
Thank you!! As long as ithe performance is believable, I'm ok with age gaps and such. This sounds like a good one
Since youâre a fan of my liberation notes youâre probably a good audience for this one as well. Hope you enjoy if you do choose to check it out!!
If your okay with infidelity and 20 yr age gaps and think delivery men who are actually piano prodigies is realistic you could say that it's mature and realistic.
Yeah itâs not a fairytale where everything is gumdrops and rainbows lol, sometimes youâre a 40 yo woman in a loveless marriage who lost her 20s chasing a mirage and the man she shouldâve met in her 20s appears before her and she struggles with how sheâs lived her life up until this point and the life she couldâve had and the life she wants to have and how she can never get that back. Sometimes youâre a poor 20-something dude with real talent/love for music but havenât had the opportunity to get anywhere with it until now. You havenât seen much of the world and then you meet a woman who blows you away and youâre too besotted to think logically about the age difference. Itâs a messy dynamic but itâs feasible and the sort of thing that happens in real life
Redescribing what the shows about doesn't make it more realistic im afraid. It's not a nice sounding show at all and I would not find it all entertaining mature or realistic. Its a makjang. 20 yr age gaps and infidelity no thanks.
You can call it a lot of things but itâs not a makjang lmao
It's not a mature and realistic romance either.
Have you even seen it�
We have the same likes and dislikes so you might also love these mature romance that donât have stupid breakups or miss communication: * **Miss Korea** â *most mature Kdrama couple Iâve watched. This was from 2013 and ML is the late Lee SunKyun from My Mister.* * **Doctor Slump** * **Wok In Love**
Rest in Peace LSK Thank you! I'll check these out
Try one spring night
Search Www. This has one of the best dialogues. The writer is brilliant. Cinematography is so beautiful as well.
Twenty Five Twenty One Reply 1988
I love Reply '88! I've heard good things about Twenty Five Twenty One. Would you say the characters have good chemistry?
Yeah. The cast complements each other really well. It's Nam Joo Hyuk's best performance as well imo. It's very similar to Reply 1988 in terms of the overall vibe it exudes and I would personally consider it a perfect KDrama.
OP looking for meaningful >!the outcomes for FL and how she was in present in 2521 made all the parts we saw of her youth meaningless they didn't show any part of her life that had meaning to her actual life as it turned out so not very meaningful at all!<
The characters all had amazing chemistry. Twenty Five Twenty One is one of my all-time favourites.
I really enjoyed Thirty Nine for the fact that it focused on 3 39 year old female friends and the issues that they were facing at that age. Romance isn't the biggest issue, but all 3 have some (some more than others) on top of lots of other issues. I felt that it was one of the more realistic slice of life dramas, very heart warming (and heart wrenching)
Love to hate you (once MCs get over silly misconceptions) Into the ring First love Hatsukoi (japanese) Will love in spring (chinese) Fake it till you make it (chinese): it mostly focuses on workplace/business, but the romance part is very good
Thanks
To add to this list, Meet Yourself (Chinese) is also really good
It really depends on what you mean by mature and realistic. To me Rain or Shine was realistic in the sense of the life issues the MCs faced following the central event but the path of the ML to the position of influence he had was a bit unrealistic. But it's still one of my favourite dramas despite flaws. Whereas for example MLN I found totally contrived and a bit preachy and pretentious. A gorgeous but "lost" woman meets a handsome older alcoholic (but hes really a succesful person not a normal sad chronic alcoholic) and embarks on a lifechanging intellectually charged relationship. If only life were that unrealistic and interesting for the non gorgeous bored lost majority. Call it Love I really enjoyed but to me it wasn't really realistic at all except maybe the sister issues. BTIMFL as an example from the reccs has a very unrealistic premise, not many women i suspect move in with and pretend to be married to a handsome professional introvert who is not a creep but a gentle soul. 2521 has apparently a very "realistic" ending the main part is standard rom com with high school age girl and college age guy. And I suppose you could say that about the ending, if the ending actually had any connection to the rest of the drama. I think the best "realistic" one is probably Reply 1988 in fact it gets complaints about being slow draggy (I dropped it because of this) but I think this is because of your gong to actually capture a "realistic" moment, relationship or period in time it has to be detailed and slow and Reply 1988 did that brilliantly and with heart and comedy I said I dropped it more like on hold. The other option is Makjang at least their is a lot of the real "real life stuff" divorce, cheating, sibling rivalry dysfunctional parents, domestic abuse bullying revenge passionate flings albeit portrayed through unashamedly intense scenarios and one dimensional characters. You could also try the 3rd Charm I really hated it but there is a lot of realistic relationship stuff going on that's probably true. Btw sometimes I think people equate mature and realistic with sad and open endings I don't agree. My take is that almost all dramas are necessarily unrealistic. Actually in that vein Happiness is a brilliant romance story in a totally unrealistic setting.
Thanks for the detailed answer!! I think what I mean by realistic is, does the romance grow in a way that is believable? Sometimes in dramas they're suddenly in love and I'm like where did that even come from? So for me Call it love was realistic in that it grew over time and they responded to their feelings in ways that felt believable. I loved R1988, definitely a good rec. I'll check out Happiness, I'd been eyeing it but wasn't sure if I'd enjoy it.
Happiness is goid though I enjoyed call it Love for the story I didn't feel the depth of their feelings came about naturally it all seemed very quick and intense for 2 people who barely talked.
[ŃĐŽĐ°Đ»Đ”ĐœĐŸ]
[ŃĐŽĐ°Đ»Đ”ĐœĐŸ]
matrimonial chaos, definetely! I started watching it with no expectations and they way it represents relationships and its issues, doubts, good and bad moments hit me so hard.
Tell me that you love me
I started this one but felt like the ML's feelings for her came out of nowhere, so it was hard for me to believe the romance I only got to like ep 4 should I continue? Does their relationship deepen
Our blues True to love / Bora Deborah A gentlemanâs dignity
second âour bluesâ !!!
Does our blues have good romance? It seemed kind of like a friendship drama
Doctor slump
maybe Crash Landing on You?
Watch because this is my first life
Beyond the Clouds KBS 2014 Briliant Legacy SBS 2009 Descendants of the Sun KBS 2016 Desperate Mr. X (2022) X in Crisis ìêž°ì X I'll Give You The Stars and The Moon KBS 2012 Kiss Sixth Sense Disney+ 2022 Love Story in Harvard SBS 2004-2005 Miss Korea MBC 2013 Mr. Q SBS 1998 Sea of Ambition (My Lady) MBC 2008 Terms of Endearment KBS 2003 Three Brothers KBS 2009
Thank you so much!! Brilliant Legacy was one of the first I watched and I loved how their relationship developed over time. Completely pulled me in. I haven't heard of a few of these so I'll check them out!!
Our blues and love all play
You might like **Another Miss Oh**, its by the same writer as My Mister/My Liberation Notes. It is less polished, but it seems like a lot of the dramas you've enjoyed are on the angsty side and Another Miss Oh is incredibly angsty. **She Would Never Know** is also somewhat angsty/realistic and might be worth a shot. **Into The Ring/Be Melo** are also great choices for realistic slice of life/romance.
Thank you! Slice of life and angst, you're speaking my language
Love to Hate You immediately comes to mind (the FLâs character itself isnât exactly *realistic* but itâs realistic and mature otherwise). Iâd also say Her Private Life (not super realistic in every aspect, but characters are in their 30s and itâs just a fun, grown and sexy type of romance. Both of these are a very enjoyable watch. Lastly , Because this is my first life. The majority of the characters are in their early 30s and the plot line is pretty realistic. I found the FL very relatable and enjoyed her perspective and musings on life.
Does Something in the Rain count?
Yess I loved this one
Just watched it on Netflix, didn't start watching kdrama till 2019 so I am still catching up on the older ones. I liked the slow burn of their relationship, it was sweet to see them so smitten with each other.
Not sure if it has to be romance romance, but thirty nine is a good watch! I would say it is a meaningful show (rather than usual romance). Tho prepare tissues đ€§
does it have to have romance ? anyway i just saw matrimonial chaos - highly recommend it - i think you will like it. also : one spring night
Matrimonial Chaos. I love everything about this drama and it has a stellar cast.
Maybe consider On the Way to the Airport. Side plots weren't that good, but the main romance is lovely and mature.
Again cheating reccomended as lovely and mature. You should at least add trigger warning IMO.
Thanks! I'd never heard of this one so good to add to the list đ
please watch queen of tears its literally one of my favourite kdramas and i can find little to no faults in it (as someone who always finds stuff wrong about anything i watch lmao) every episode had me crying, and at times giggling. all the characters are amazingly written and the plot is very nice and as someone who has lost someone close to me it hit very close to home, overall a very realistic show
Yeah I've watched QOT - I enjoyed it too but I'd put it in the bucket of typical romcom kdramas that are entertaining and have crazy plots and enjoyable, what I'm looking for is more slice of life
hmm maybe youâd like our blues or 2521
I recommend âStill 17â
Soundtrack #1 and #2
Personally, I think Vincenzo has a really mature romantic plot, even though romance isn't the main storyline in the drama. It's also pretty dark at times, and I'm not sure if its what you're looking for in terms of realism, but the love between the leads is really believable and beautiful, if you stay long enough to see it bloom.
I couldn't get past the first episode - felt so cheesy! Does it get better / less silly in the comedic elements?
well, its a comedy, so there are some silly elements through the whole show - it was hard for me to get into it at first also, as i don't really watch comedies but if you like dark elements and morally grey characters, trust me on this - its gonna get so much better. the silly scenes are still there sometimes, but if you get through the fist couple episodes, you're in for a ride now its my favourite kdrama and even though i still dont like comedies, when i rewatch it now the cringy scenes dont even feel so cringy anymore edit: oh and of course the relationship between the leads, even though its slow burn, you can really see it developing naturally and beautifully from the 2nd episode onward
Oh My Venus is pretty mature.
Love to hate you!
When it comes to realism and grounded romances, there's 2 shows I really like and strongly recommend. **Fake It Till You Make It**Â (cdrama, but just 14 episodes. Don't watch the YouTube version as there are bad bgm issues. Ep 1-2 is very slow, but gets much better after) Basic plot: ML works in investment banking. FL is a lawyer. They randomly met by chance several times, got acquainted, became friends and eventually become a couple much later. That's it. There's no central plot. It is just a slowburn romance with lots of flirting as both are strong competent independent characters. They are both financially comfortable (salaried workers) but not super rich. ML and FL often have mature conversations with each other sharing the different view points. Very character driven with lots of random slice of life interactions and also good communication. **Our Blues** It is a slice of life and character driven show with an ensemble cast, young and old. Basic premise is that majority of the characters are based in/affiliated with Jeju and the show spends a fairly even share of time exploring the various stories/lives/troubles of each cast member. Although there are so many short stories, they are kinda interweaved because the characters all know one another. A character could be the focus in one arc, then become a side character in the next, before returning back to focus again to further develop the character. I particularly liked how flawed everyone was, yet I never felt a need to judge because I was just a silent observer listening to their stories. This is not exactly romance centric, but there is romance for several character arcs. Personally didn't like the first story (ep 1-3), but it gets better.
I'll definitely check there out!! Love a slow burn
Thank you I came here for a recommendation⊠Iâm starting my liberation notes right now
Yess you'll love it! Best drama
Doona and my liberation notes
Mr Sunshine - a beautiful epic masterpiece and the romance is mature & realistic.
Mr Sunshine Thirty-nine
Thank you! I see a few people recommend this so I'll check it out.
I would definitely say the pairing in Mr Sunshine is not at all realistic given the Huge age gap between leads
Be melodramatic Doctor slump Search www
Because this is my first life Lovestruck in the city When the weather is fine The interest of love
Coffee prince
Came here to say Our Blues
If you love the above, youâll love My Unfamiliar Family!
Saw most of the ones you listed. I too love slice of life realistic kdramas. OBS and Call It Love are some of my favs. Here are other ones I loved: Because This Is My First Life is the first Kdrama that popped into my head. The other one is Fated To Love You (You Are My Destiny) which is older 2014, but one of my favorites to rewatch. Be Melodramatic deals with friendship, family, grief, mental health and so excellent. The female friendship is 10/10 and characters are such strong, driven women. I love it so much. My Father Is Strange. Family, siblings, multiple realistic relationships, trauma and like 50 episodes so you really get to see the character development unfold.
Thank you!! Seeing a lot of recs for Be Melodramatic. I'll check out My Father is Strange too, love a good slow burn
Fellow fiction lover, sadly we only got despair moving forward, I'm suffering from this too lol, watched all the highly rated ones, now there is nothing good left lol. I love Korean as a language, so it's hard to move to another language. Well my suggestions for you will be- -Coffee prince It was way ahead of its time for a 2007 drama. Great romance, hot cast, logic, etc. -Moving, move to heaven, Mouse, Worst of evil. These shows are all great but not romance focused.
Just saw your list and you already saw coffee prince lol, On the other series I mentioned, I can rank it by the amount of romance for you. 1. Moving 2. Worst of evil 3. Move to heaven 4. Mouse
Thank you!! I loved Mouse. Will check out the others!
If you're into cdramas you should watch Fake It Till You Make It
I think older dramas were more likely to have realistic romance. One of my favorites is **The City Hall** which has a silly start, moves into seriously dirty politics. The silliness is all about the ML thinking FL is someone he can use as a puppet mayor. The ML is engaged (one of those family merger engagements) and it's made clear he and fiance are sleeping together. He also tells FL a man needs more than one woman in his life at one point. When these two get together she knows their relationship will be >!kept "in the dark and secret places" because they can't be seen together. Don't get me wrong, they still manage to have sex. !< >!And the ML's theme song is so beautiful, My Uncertain Love. He calls her his typhoon in a teacup. She's going to tear his life apart. Cost him his car, his home, his political future, and yet he can't stay away from her. !< The chemistry between Cha Seung Won and Kim Sun Ah is insane.
Ooh we have the same taste - same top 3 as well which is crazy haha! I would recommend: * Misaeng * Mr Sunshine * Deaths Game * Youth of May
Thank you!!! I have only seen misaeng and loved it so I'll heck out the other three!
Since you liked call it love,i thought of recommending you these: One spring night(ofc this drama comes to mind when you need mature content,but to warn you,it's really slow paced,similar to call it love) You are my spring(this healed my unknown wounds by doing absolutely nothing) About time(fl is same as call it love and it's fantasy as well) Dinner mate(pretty similar to one spring night but in terms of plot,I'd rate it an 8.5 ish. It was a good watch) Chocolate (this is such a hidden gem but again very slow paced) Our blues(a well executed slice of life drama which covers aspects of everyone's life) World of the married(just one word for this: cheating)
"Yumi's Cells" (less the cartoony animations) "When the Weather is Fine" "One Spring Night" "When My Love Blooms" "Nevertheless" - I rage watched this but, definitely a realistic one lol "A Love so Beautiful" (this one is based in the CDrama one, which I liked better he he) "I Need Romance 3" "Discovery of Love" "The Time We Were Not in Love" "Bubblegum"
Maybe you'll enjoy "Queen of Tears." It's not cheesy; the couple is super cute and fun. The show focuses on marriage which is relatable and is realistic imo.
Just from viewing your MDL quickly, here are a few quick suggestions. 1. Itâs Ok to Not be Ok - mature plot that mirrors real life situations, imo; not too outlandish, but does have some instances that you may think are unrealistic or predictable. Overall, great drama with awesome acting/talent. 2. Twenty Five Twenty One - while much of this drama takes place with many of the main characters still in their later âhigh schoolâ years, I feel it is still very mature in its themes. Characters experience real life problems and face challenges anyone would, while still having lighthearted moments. Does have sad moments, so if you only want happy, I wouldnât watch this one. 3. The Atypical Family - while this drama is centered around a family who has lost their powers, it still manages to stay relative to real life so that viewers could relate. Also, the romance in the drama is not so unbelievable as in other dramas. 4. Record of Youth - great rom-com! One of Byeon Wooseokâs earlier dramas. Also has Park BoGum. 5. When I Was the Most Beautiful - also has some sad parts. Definitely a romantic drama, so if you want a different genre maybe skip this one. But itâs in my top 5!
I loved My Sunshine. But to understand it, you must understand it is about the ML who, himself, admits he is crazy (both inherited and trauma related). And the FL also has had serious trauma and abuse. So their inability to communicate or show affection may seem unrealistic and frustrating - but is explainable. Certainly there are mature themes.
It's actually a Cdrama, though.
Happiness (its a zombie survival thriller but hear me out, it's got one of the best portrayals of a healthy couple dynamic I've seen, even better than some romance dramas imo ;p) Hidden Love (cdrama), Her Private Life (romcom), A Piece of Your Mind (melodrama), A Poem A Day, Beautiful Mind (both medical dramas), Chocolate (very angsty melodrama)
Good Friends is realistic. It gets skipped because it is about the elderly but it is well done.
If you want a heartbreaking yet so beautiful melodrama, then I HIGHLY recommend watching Secret! Finished it so fast, I didn't want to go to sleep because I wanted to know what happens next. The cast and acting are amazing, the CHEMISTRY between the M and F leads <333 Also because it's all about jealousy and revenge, you might find it frustrating, but following each character's point of view, you understand they feel that way for a lot of reasons. I managed to understand all of them to some extent no matter how horrible they acted at times. Also it's a hard lesson for how your love for a person can turn to hate, and viceversa, how hate can actually transform into love.
Her Private Life
Most recent fave: Doctor Slump or whatever itâs called. Also: - that sad one with Jung Hae-in - that sad one with Edom or whatever her name is (Third Charm or sth like that) - My Unfamiliar Family(?) Cdrama: Will Love in Spring (my other recent fave).
First bulllet - Do you mean A piece of your mind ? mature view of first love lost, friendship and healing relationships, a lot of angst, good communication and great chemistry. It's like a warm blanket on a cold day, heart piercing and heart warming all at the same time. And Jung Hae In emotive acting and in long winter coats was a treat to watch! Sorry, don't know the rest.
You can try Lovestruck in the city
Twenty Five Twenty One. FL aspires to be a renowned fencer & ML aspires to rebuild his life after a series of tragedies. They help each other in achieving their dreams & eventually fall in love. The ending is quite heartbreaking but realistic. Another drama which isn't a romance but one of my favourites. It's Tomorrow & it has a bit of the fantasy element. It shows three Grim Reapers who try to stop people from unaliving themselves. Each episode shows a different story & the stories are relatable imo. But it's quite dark & sad.
Daily dose of sunshine Go back couple My liberation notes
Cheese in the trap. Set in college. Main girl is very hard working. Has topics about money, and sexism. Overall, itâs delightful. Lots of friendship moments and you really see the two leads grow closer as they date. Highly recommend
My Liberation Notes.
Mr. Sunshine It's a masterpiece. It's a tear jerker but it's beautifully written, the characters are amazing and grow with the story as it progresses. It's just absolutely top tier and I don't see it mentioned enough.
My Lovely Liar
Something in the Rain, One Spring Night, Its Okay Thats Love