dramaroma update: In the last few years major changes have happened in the Korean dramaworld: The amount of dramas aired on the three big networks KBS, MBC and SBS has been massively reduced while the number of shows on cable channels has increased. As a result, currently more than twice as many dramas on Korean TV are available on cable channels as on the big networks. In addition, the recent expansion of Korean material on worldwide streaming sites like Netflix and Disney has made K-dramas more popular globally. And the growing importance of the global market is influencing the content produced in Korea.

The impact of these changes on the genre we like, romantic dramas, has been quite … mmh … dramatic. First, there’s a much smaller selection of new romantic Korean dramas available. And second: Some of those available favor the currently popular genre blending of romcom + murder (latest example, Crash Course in Romance), which we abhor. In short: Nowadays, it’s hard to find new Korean romantic dramas and even harder to find really good ones from the small pool that’s available.

So, we have done what a lot of other K-drama fans interested in romance have been doing – we’ve started to search more intensively for romantic dramas from other Asian countries. While we have reviewed excellent Chinese and Japanese dramas here and there for several years, we recently started to pay closer attention to the drama scene in China after coming across the great shows written by Wang Xiong Cheng (The Day of Becoming You, Hi Venus).

While we expect that the great romantic Korean dramas will still be center stage on dramaroma in the future, from now on we will review excellent romantic dramas made in other Asian countries more frequently – without any claim of comprehensive coverage, of course.

In the end, it’s all about showcasing great romances – no matter where they are made.

Non-Korean dramas reviewed so far:
Hi Venus (2023) China
Love Between Devil and Fairy (2022) China
The Day of Becoming You (2021) China
My Unicorn Girl (2020) China
Far Away Love (2016) China
Pretty Proofreader (2016) Japan
Boss & Me (2014) China
Just you (2013) Taiwan
99 Days with the Superstar (2011) Japan