My five all-time favorite Taiwanese and South Korean drama series. 1. Devil Beside You
The first Taiwanese drama I ever watched, this 2005 drama stars Rainie Yang, Mike He and Kingone Wang, a somewhat holy trinity amongst Taiwanese entertainment. I often rewatch this drama because it is so damn cute and enchanting, starring Rainie as the girl next door protagonist and Mike He as the bad boy who obviously turns good. Devil Beside You is the classic love story drama for me, set in a high school setting with family relationships, high school sweethearts, equally likeable (or not) second leads and a hardy storyline. I highly, highly recommend this.
Watch with English subtitles here.
2. Missing You
When I started watching Missing You I expected a sweet tale of two childhood sweethearts being separated and finding each other again. Thanks Internet for the World's Most Misleading Synopsis. Missing You is about 30% lost-and-found story and 70% gripping kidnap, action and justice filled, making it a sharp twist on most dramas. This 2012 South Korean drama is another all-time favourite, closely behind Boys Over Flowers. I like it for its' intrinsically heartfelt central plot of childhood sweethearts paired with believable kidnap scenes, followed through to the adult actors who easily continue the child personas making the whole story feel genuine. The drama is full of heart-wrenching, edge-of-seat moments and, having written this, I might just rewatch it.
Watch with English subtitles here.
3. Reply 1997
Reply 1997 was the cult drama series of 2012, it seems. One of my favourites for Jung Eunji's lovable fangirl character, this is a must-watch for any self-respecting fangirl. The story focuses on a high school girl who is an obsessive fan of Hallyu stars H.O.T. Accompanied by her best friend (played by Seo In Guk), she struggles through 1997 and goes through all the usual he-said-she-said's, loves, hates, family dramas, of any high school girl. It's difficult to put my finger on just why I adore this series so much, but I seriously recommend this for a rainy weekend.
Watch with English subtitles here.
4. You Who Came From The Stars
YWCFYS is now an internationally acclaimed drama for the sheer fact of That Darn YSL Lipstick. Starring Kim Soo Hyun and Jun Ji-hyun, it's one of the most captivating dramas that I've seen in ages. The story revolves around a shamed famous actress and an alien - stay with me here - and while I could say it then follows a boy-meets-girl storyline, that'd be a huge lie. It flits between ancient and modern South Korea, drawing in all sorts of drama, chemistry and clever takes on mini storylines.
Watch with English subtitles here.
5. Running Man
A bit of an anomaly amongst my list, I just had to include Running Man. Running Man is a South Korean variety show. In UK/US terms, I guess it's almost like a gameshow. Each week, the RM cast are pitted either against each other or against idol celebrities, all with hilarious challenges, races and games. As I write this, I've realised this won't make much sense if you're not accustomed to South Korean/Asian entertainment and humour, but I really recommend watching a couple of episodes if you're intrigued.
Watch with English subtitles here.
