Favourite Romance Recommendations
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, many minds turn to thoughts of romance. In our recent #Kdramachat on Twitter, one of our questions was about favourite romantic kdramas. I’m pulling out some of the top recs to share with you in case you’re looking for a romantic binge watch this weekend.
One thing that I noticed while the chat was going on, was what a variety of answers we got. People listed melos, romcoms, actions, and historicals. The genre doesn’t have to be romantic in order to give us a memorable romance. Despite the variety, there were more than a few repeats throughout the thread. Those repeats are the ones I’m going to focus on here.
Just Between Lovers
This is one of my very favourite dramas and it showed up more than once in the #Kdramachat thread. Just Between Lovers is a gorgeously rich story of two people who’s lives were changed forever as children trapped in a disaster. They come back into each other’s lives as adults and work out their shared trauma together. It’s not always an easy watch because the traumatic event of the past is a major plot point, shown repeatedly through flashbacks. But the romance is soft and slow and feels very real. It’s currently available to watch on Netflix under the name Rain or Shine.
1% of Something
Another drama that showed up frequently at the chat, is 1% of Something. I have had this one on my plan to watch list for a long time. It comes so highly recommended as a more classic romcom style kdrama. Since I haven’t gotten around to actually pressing play yet, I’ll leave the recommendation up to Twitter user @k8ekol…
When the Weather is Fine
Another one of my favourites showed up more than once. When the Weather is Fine is the story of a woman who heads back home for the winter after getting fired from her job. The ensuing story of two old friends growing into a mature love over books and coffee is warm and cozy like sitting next to the fire on a snowy day. The story isn’t all sweetness and light, once again childhood trauma has left a lasting effect on both of our leads. The flashbacks are hard to watch, but for me that made the romance all the sweeter in contrast.
Crash Landing On You
Crash Landing on You is another one from this list that I have not yet watched myself. It is a starter kdrama for a lot of newer watchers. The story of a rich South Korean woman crash landing over the North Korean border has touched a lot of hearts. It’s easily accessible on Netflix and has a great cast of characters. If you’re not yet initiated (like me) this might be a great romance to get into. If you love a real life romance, the leads of this drama are now dating and rumoured to be planning their wedding 😍
Coffee Prince
If you’re looking for a classic Kdrama romcom, Coffee Prince is a perpetual favourite. The story of an obtuse boss who believes the tomboy who works for him is a boy, but falls in love with her anyway, is a true classic. The leads have great chemistry that still has people talking 15 years later. And of course, who can resist some Gong Yoo?
Her Private Life
If you’re familiar with kdramas, then you’re probably also familiar with actress Park Min Young. She is one of the reigning queens of Korean romcoms and she’s going to show up more than once on this list. Her Private Life is the only one on this list that would be considered a classic romcom though. A fun office romance between adults, this drama has lots of fun and touching moments. If you’re looking for a mature romance that still stays on the lighter side of things, this might be for you.
Goblin
This is another one of those starter dramas for a lot of people. Gong Yoo’s 900 year old Goblin looking for the love that can free him from immortality was a game changer for a lot of new kdrama fans. It is absolutely beautifully shot. Arguably, the bromance between Gong Yoo’s goblin and Lee Dong Wook’s grim reaper is the highlight of the show, but the romances catch a lot of viewer’s hearts too. I say romances, because while the Goblin’s love story is the main plot, the Grim Reaper has a beautiful love story as well. A word of warning if you haven’t watched it yet, if age gap romances aren’t your thing, you might want to skip it… this age gap is BIG, and the female lead is still a high school student for a good chunk of the story.
Touch Your Heart
One of the most loved and talked about parts of Goblin was the romance between the side characters played by Lee Dong Wook and Yoo In Na. People just could not get enough of their chemistry together. Somebody was paying attention, because a couple of years later they were cast opposite each other in a classic romcom caper. Touch Your Heart tells the story of a grumpy lawyer and the sunshine actress who comes to work in his office. The chemistry between the leads is still there and the story hits just the right fluff level.
Healer
Seems like as good a time as any for Park Min Young to make another appearance. So far we’ve seen her in a romantic melo, a romcom, and now an action drama. Healer is the story of a night courier (played by Ji Chang Wook) who can get whatever you need, as long as it isn’t murder. On a particular job, he crosses paths with Park Min Young’s character. She plays a tabloid reporter and together they begin to uncover the truth about their mysterious and tragic pasts. The mystery is compelling in this drama, the action is exciting, and the romance is hot.
Secret Love Affair
If you’re looking for mature romance, Secret Love Affair is pretty steamy. This story of an older married woman and the young piano-playing protégé she falls in love with is one of the sexiest dramas I’ve ever watched. Since it is about infidelity, it might not be the romance for everyone. But the story is well told and this kdrama was mentioned more than once at the #kdramachat. If you’re looking for a sexy, steamy, noona romance you should definitely give this one a try.
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
Given that Valentine’s Day falls during the Olympics this year, it would seem a shame not to mention one of the most popular dramas mentioned, Weightlifting Fairy. This drama is inspired by the real life story of Olympic medalist Jang Mi Ran. It is widely beloved for it’s sweet friends to lovers romance as well as it’s wonderful female friendships and family relations. If a kdrama fan has ever asked you “do you like Messi?” and you didn’t know why, then it’s time to watch this classic and find out.
Final Thoughts:
This is by no means an exhaustive list of great romances. It’s not even all of the dramas that were mentioned in the chat this week. Romance runs rampant through Kdramaland. It can be found in every genre. There are thrillers, crime dramas, and even zombie shows that have beloved romances. If you want more recommendations, you can click through to Twitter and see what other dramas are mentioned there. Hope you find something that you love 💗
For more of my thoughts on romcoms, check out the Certified RomComs episode at Certified Noonas
Not in the mood for romance? There’s a Certified Galentine’s episode to listen to, or check out the recommendations from this week’s #kdramachat on favourite sismances.
