Amnesia/Mental Variance/Coma/Brains

I originally made this list in order to avoid dramas with amnesia, but I found that many of my favorites contained bouts of amnesia. I've begrudgingly accepted amnesia as an overused plotline (seriously, Koreans should outlaw white trucks, as they seem to cause 75% of the amnesia victims). Conversely, I'm drawn to dramas with characters who live with brain dysfunctions such as prosopagnosia (I have a special list just for that), OCD, or other neural conditions that challenge daily life. I'm especially engaged with short-term memory loss (like Devilish Joy) where the character has to journal his life in order to understand it (been there; done that); if you have any K-drama recommendations for that, I'd appreciate them.

P.S. I'm beginning to think I should have made a list strictly for dramas that did NOT contain amnesia.

bojojoti sep 15, 2024
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  • 100 Days My Prince

    1. 100 Days My Prince

    Korean Drama - 2018, 16 episodes

    8.0

    Amnesia.

  • 30 Days

    2. 30 Days

    Korean Movie - 2023

    Amnesia.

    "But, on the day that they applied for a divorce, they get into a car accident. When they wake up at the hospital, they have both lost their memories and do not remember each other."

  • A Beautiful Mind

    3. A Beautiful Mind

    Korean Drama - 2016, 14 episodes

    8.5

    Empathy stunted.

  • A Gentleman's Dignity

    4. A Gentleman's Dignity

    Korean Drama - 2012, 20 episodes

    7.5

    Amnesia.

  • A Thousand Days' Promise

    5. A Thousand Days' Promise

    Korean Drama - 2011, 20 episodes

    Dementia, Alzheimer's Disease, Neurological Disorder.

  • Alchemy of Souls: Part 2

    6. Alchemy of Souls: Part 2

    Korean Drama - 2022, 10 episodes

    9.5

    Amnesia.

  • Arang and the Magistrate

    7. Arang and the Magistrate

    Korean Drama - 2012, 20 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Arrogant Heiress

    8. Arrogant Heiress

    Chinese Drama - 2022, 24 episodes

    Coma.

  • Bad Family

    9. Bad Family

    Korean Drama - 2006, 16 episodes

    Amnesia from a car accident.

  • Bad Memory Eraser

    10. Bad Memory Eraser

    Korean Drama - 2024, 16 episodes

    PTSD. 

    "Lee Gun used to be a promising tennis player, but he was injured. After that, he lost all of his self-esteem, and his life completely changed. With the use of a memory eraser, his memory is erased, and he is reborn with maximum self-esteem and presence."

  • Be with You

    11. Be with You

    Korean Movie - 2018

    Amnesia.

    "Soo Ah, before passing away makes an unbelievable promise to her husband, Woo Jin, to return one year later on a rainy day. Miraculously, she keeps the promise and reappears before her husband and son but all her memories have disappeared."

  • Big

    12. Big

    Korean Drama - 2012, 16 episodes

    7.5

    Coma. Amnesia.

  • Birth of a Beauty

    13. Birth of a Beauty

    Korean Drama - 2014, 21 episodes

    7.5

    Amnesia (from surgery and pills).

  • Black Sun

    14. Black Sun

    Korean Drama - 2021, 12 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Bos

    15. Bos

    Korean Drama - 2020, 32 episodes

    Amnesia. 

  • Boys Over Flowers

    16. Boys Over Flowers

    Korean Drama - 2009, 25 episodes

    9.0

    Amnesia.

  • Bring It On, Ghost

    17. Bring It On, Ghost

    Korean Drama - 2016, 16 episodes

    7.5

    Coma.

  • Buitengewoon Jij

    18. Buitengewoon Jij

    Korean Drama - 2019, 32 episodes

    8.5

    Gaps in her memory.

  • Clean With Passion For Now

    19. Clean With Passion For Now

    Korean Drama - 2018, 16 episodes

    7.5

    Mysophobia  (fear of germs).

  • Couple or Trouble

    20. Couple or Trouble

    Korean Drama - 2006, 16 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Crazy Love

    21. Crazy Love

    Korean Drama - 2022, 16 episodes

    Faked Amnesia.

  • Cut to Heart

    22. Cut to Heart

    Korean Drama - 2021, 20 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • De Heks: Deel 1. De Ondermijning

    23. De Heks: Deel 1. De Ondermijning

    Korean Movie - 2018

    Amnesia. 

    "10 years ago, Ja Yoon escaped from a government facility in the midst of an inexplicable incident by herself and lost all her memory."

  • Dear Prince

    24. Dear Prince

    Chinese Drama - 2017, 19 episodes

    Enochlophobia (fear of crowds).

  • Defendant

    25. Defendant

    Korean Drama - 2017, 18 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Delivery Man

    26. Delivery Man

    Korean Drama - 2023, 12 episodes

    Amnesia.

    "Kang Ji Hyun boards Seo Young Min's taxi, but with a catch: she has no recollection of her past life and is unable to leave the vehicle."

  • Destruction

    27. Destruction

    Korean Drama - 2021, 16 episodes

    7.5

    Glioblastoma (brain cancer).

  • Devilish Joy

    28. Devilish Joy

    Korean Drama - 2018, 16 episodes

    7.5

    Short-term memory loss.

  • Dian Xia Si Shi

    29. Dian Xia Si Shi

    Chinese Drama - 2023, 20 episodes

    Amnesia (after near drowning).

  • Duel

    30. Duel

    Korean Drama - 2017, 16 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • E Mo Shao Ye Bie Wen Wo

    31. E Mo Shao Ye Bie Wen Wo

    Chinese Drama - 2023, 24 episodes

     "Opposite gender touch allergy."

  • Eccentric! Chef Moon

    32. Eccentric! Chef Moon

    Korean Drama - 2020, 16 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Een goede dag om een hond te zijn

    33. Een goede dag om een hond te zijn

    Korean Drama - 2023, 14 episodes

    7.5

    Cynophobia (fear of dogs).

  • Eternal Love

    34. Eternal Love

    Chinese Drama - 2017, 58 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Everyday I Love You

    35. Everyday I Love You

    Filipino Movie - 2015

    Coma.

  • Extraordinary Attorney Woo Season 2

    36. Extraordinary Attorney Woo Season 2

    Korean Drama - 0000

  • Fairyland Lovers

    37. Fairyland Lovers

    Chinese Drama - 2020, 35 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Fated to Love You

    38. Fated to Love You

    Korean Drama - 2014, 20 episodes

    7.5

    Amnesia.

  • Find Me in Your Memory

    39. Find Me in Your Memory

    Korean Drama - 2020, 32 episodes

    Coma. Amnesia. Hyperthymesia (highly superior autobiographical memory).

  • Flavour It's Yours

    40. Flavour It's Yours

    Chinese Drama - 2019, 25 episodes

    Ageusia (a complete loss of the sense of taste).

  • Flower Boy Next Door

    41. Flower Boy Next Door

    Korean Drama - 2013, 16 episodes

    7.5

    Social Anxiety Disorder.

  • Flower of Evil

    42. Flower of Evil

    Korean Drama - 2020, 16 episodes

    Sociopath. 

    Such a good series, but I have yet to finish it, because I'm too invested in the characters and don't want anything to happen to them. 

  • Forgotten

    43. Forgotten

    Korean Movie - 2017

    Amnesia.

  • Fox Romance

    44. Fox Romance

    Chinese Drama - 2021, 32 episodes

    Amnesia. 

    "Domineering CEO Ning Cheng Ming has a reputation for being a professor from hell. After a mysterious car accident, he is saved by Li Qian, a person that he hasn't seen in years. They were enemies."

  • Go Ahead

    45. Go Ahead

    Chinese Drama - 2020, 46 episodes

    Depression, mental illness.

  • Good Job

    46. Good Job

    Korean Drama - 2022, 12 episodes

    7.5

    Amnesia.

  • Handwritten

    47. Handwritten

    Korean Drama - 0000

    Amnesia.

    [The story revolves around Kwon Soo Young who lost his memory and gets involved in a power struggle.]

    This makes three projects in a row where Seo In Guk plays a lead with amnesia. He had amnesia in Shopping King Louie, too. 

  • Hello Mr. Gu

    48. Hello Mr. Gu

    Chinese Drama - 2021, 30 episodes

    Mental Illness. Enochlophobia (fear of crowds).

  • Hello, The Sharpshooter

    49. Hello, The Sharpshooter

    Chinese Drama - 2022, 40 episodes

    Mental Illness.

  • Huan Meng Qing Yuan

    50. Huan Meng Qing Yuan

    Chinese Drama - 2023, 23 episodes

    Coma.

  • Hyde, Jekyll, Me

    51. Hyde, Jekyll, Me

    Korean Drama - 2015, 20 episodes

    8.5

    Dissociative Identity Disorder.

  • I Cannot Hug You

    52. I Cannot Hug You

    Chinese Drama - 2017, 16 episodes

    Mysophobia  (fear of germs).

  • I Cannot Hug You: Season 2

    53. I Cannot Hug You: Season 2

    Chinese Drama - 2018, 16 episodes

    Mysophobia  (fear of germs).

  • I Hear Your Voice

    54. I Hear Your Voice

    Korean Drama - 2013, 18 episodes

    8.5

    Amnesia.

  • I Wanna Hear Your Song

    55. I Wanna Hear Your Song

    Korean Drama - 2019, 32 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK

    56. I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK

    Korean Movie - 2006

    Mental Illness.

  • If Cats Disappeared From the World

    57. If Cats Disappeared From the World

    Japanese Movie - 2016

    Amnesia, Brain Tumor.

  • Ik ben geen robot

    58. Ik ben geen robot

    Korean Drama - 2017, 32 episodes

    8.5

    Haphephobia (fear or dislike of touching or being touched).

  • In Your Brilliant Season

    59. In Your Brilliant Season

    Korean Drama - 0000, 16 episodes

    Amnesia.

    [A man lost his hearing and memory through an accident and meets a woman who became a savior to him.]

  • Introverted Boss

    60. Introverted Boss

    Korean Drama - 2017, 16 episodes

    8.0

    Severe PTSD. Anxiety disorder. OCD.

  • It's Okay to Not Be Okay

    61. It's Okay to Not Be Okay

    Korean Drama - 2020, 16 episodes

    8.5

    Mental illness.

  • It's Okay, That's Love

    62. It's Okay, That's Love

    Korean Drama - 2014, 16 episodes

    8.0

    Schizophrenia. Tourette's Syndrome.

  • Itaewon Class

    63. Itaewon Class

    Korean Drama - 2020, 16 episodes

    9.5

    ML had autistic tendencies. FL was sociopathic.

  • Jia You! Zhao Nuan Nuan

    64. Jia You! Zhao Nuan Nuan

    Chinese Drama - 2022, 24 episodes

     "Opposite gender touch allergy." 

  • Jin Wu Cang Fu

    65. Jin Wu Cang Fu

    Chinese Drama - 2024, 24 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Kill Me, Heal Me

    66. Kill Me, Heal Me

    Korean Drama - 2015, 20 episodes

    9.5

    Multiple personalities. Memory loss and disassociation. 

  • Left-Handed Wife

    67. Left-Handed Wife

    Korean Drama - 2019, 103 episodes

    Amnesia.

    "During their honeymoon, Soo Ho has an accident and loses his memory."

  • Lost Romance

    68. Lost Romance

    Taiwanese Drama - 2020, 20 episodes

    Coma.

  • Love Script

    69. Love Script

    Chinese Drama - 2020, 24 episodes

    "Involved in a car accident at a young age, he developed a strange neurosis that worsened with time. Believing he is the Ming Dynasty’s Emperor Jianwen, Xuan Wen cares only for the prosperity of his imaginary empire."

  • Love Under the Full Moon

    70. Love Under the Full Moon

    Chinese Drama - 2021, 24 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • LUCA

    71. LUCA

    Korean Drama - 2021, 12 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Luck-Key

    72. Luck-Key

    Korean Movie - 2016

    Amnesia.

  • Meloholic

    73. Meloholic

    Korean Drama - 2017, 10 episodes

    Dissociative Identity Disorder.

    "Yoo Eun Ho has a special ability which allows him to read the minds of other people when he places his hand on them. Due to his special ability, he can't open his mind to anyone. One day, he meets Han Ye Ri. He is able to discern that what she says is actually what she thinks, but he also learns that she has two different personalities."

  • Melting Me Softly

    74. Melting Me Softly

    Korean Drama - 2019, 16 episodes

    7.5

    Technically, not a coma but frozen for two decades.  

  • Memory Lost

    75. Memory Lost

    Chinese Drama - 2016, 12 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Memory Lost 2

    76. Memory Lost 2

    Chinese Drama - 2016, 12 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Memory Lost 3

    77. Memory Lost 3

    Chinese Drama - 2016, 12 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Meteor Garden II

    78. Meteor Garden II

    Taiwanese Drama - 2002, 31 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Moon Embracing the Sun

    79. Moon Embracing the Sun

    Korean Drama - 2012, 20 episodes

    Amnesia. 

    "She orders the head shaman to cast a spell on Yeon Woo to strike her with an unknown sickness. After dying, Yeon Woo is resurrected from her grave but loses her memories. "

  • Mouse

    80. Mouse

    Korean Drama - 2021, 20 episodes

    Brain damage. Brain repair. And I stopped there, because it was too intense and horrifying for me. I'll return eventually. 

  • Mouse: The Predator

    81. Mouse: The Predator

    Korean Special - 2021, 2 episodes

  • My Amazing Boyfriend

    82. My Amazing Boyfriend

    Chinese Drama - 2016, 28 episodes

    Coma.

    "Mutant Xue Ling Qiao, who has been asleep for centuries, is awakened by the unlucky actress Tian Jing Zhi in a fatal car accident."

  • My Dear Destiny

    83. My Dear Destiny

    Chinese Drama - 2023, 24 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • My Girl

    84. My Girl

    Chinese Drama - 2020, 24 episodes

     Dissociative identity disorder, alternating between two personalities.

  • My Girlfriend is an Alien

    85. My Girlfriend is an Alien

    Chinese Drama - 2019, 28 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • My Love Eun Dong

    86. My Love Eun Dong

    Korean Drama - 2015, 16 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Okitegami Kyoko no Biboroku

    87. Okitegami Kyoko no Biboroku

    Japanese Drama - 2015, 10 episodes

    Short-term Memory Loss, Amnesia. 

  • One Fine Week

    88. One Fine Week

    Korean Drama - 2019, 10 episodes

    7.0

    Scopophobia (a specific phobia characterized by an excessive and irrational fear of being stared at or watched by others in public or in private settings).

  • One More Time

    89. One More Time

    Korean Drama - 2016, 8 episodes

    Mental Illness.

  • Orange Marmalade

    90. Orange Marmalade

    Korean Drama - 2015, 12 episodes

    7.5

    Amnesia (after near drowning).

  • Over The Rainbow

    91. Over The Rainbow

    Korean Movie - 2002

    Partial Amnesia.

  • Perfect Marriage Revenge

    92. Perfect Marriage Revenge

    Korean Drama - 2023, 12 episodes

    Coma.

  • Perfume

    93. Perfume

    Korean Drama - 2019, 32 episodes

    7.5

    52 phobias and 35 allergies. Trypophobia (fear of holes; designer afraid of polka dots).

  • Poisoned Love

    94. Poisoned Love

    Chinese Drama - 2020, 24 episodes

  • Prince Turns to Frog

    95. Prince Turns to Frog

    Taiwanese Drama - 2005, 20 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Princess Silver

    96. Princess Silver

    Chinese Drama - 2019, 58 episodes

    Coma. Amnesia. Opposite gender touch fear.

  • Protect the Boss

    97. Protect the Boss

    Korean Drama - 2011, 18 episodes

    7.5

    Panic Disorder. OCD.

  • Psychopath Diary

    98. Psychopath Diary

    Korean Drama - 2019, 16 episodes

    Amnesia.

  • Qing Luo

    99. Qing Luo

    Chinese Drama - 2021, 24 episodes

  • Queen In Hyun's Man

    100. Queen In Hyun's Man

    Korean Drama - 2012, 16 episodes

    8.5

    Amnesia.

    The ML looked familiar, and I racked my brain to remember what I'd seen him in. A quick check at mydramalist, and I discovered he was Ji Hyun Woo and recognized him as the lead in Young Lady and Gentleman. My heart sank. I'd been enjoying Queen In Hyun's Man until then. Not Mr. Amnesia!  Not Mr. Reverse Amnesia!  I never could finish YLaG after the ML's second bout of amnesia.  

    Sure enough, poor Hyun Woo is similarly afflicted in QIHM. Dreaded amnesia strikes again.

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