October 2023
Spooky, Horror, or Supernatural themed shows that aired this year.
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1. The Devil
Korean Drama - 2023, 12 episodes
I wouldn't call this super scary, but it was creepy and eerie enough to give me chills and had me holding my breath at times. It has been a very long time since a kdrama has done that for me. For this, I want to give it an 8. The story behind the evil spirit was interesting, even the other spirits as well. I liked that they only focused on a few spirits instead of making this episodic. Kim Tae Ri's acting was surprisingly very good. I don't think this was supposed to be a romance, but I could ship FL with either guy. xD
As for things I didn't like, the mom was super annoying and the older detective also got on my nerves. It was very frustrating watching those two characters. Also, unrelated to the drama itself, but the captions/subtitles sucked so it made it very difficult for me to get into this drama. -
2. See You in My 19th Life
Korean Drama - 2023, 12 episodes
How do you say goodbye to something that you loved?
Supernatural dramas are my crack and this one delivered. I usually hate reincarnation storylines, but this one deviated from the typical plot. I absolutely loved the FL in all her forms. It had great cinematography, an "original" story, and was just great all around. Shin Hye Sun's acting is one of the best performances I've seen this year. I nearly watched all of this in one sitting. There were a couple of unanswered questions, but it wasn't really that important to the story. I have not read the webcomic so I can't compare. I watched this with a fresh pair of eyes. -
3. Midnight Museum
Thai Drama - 2023, 10 episodes
I'm not sure if I watched the same drama as everyone else. To be fair, this drama is more SciFi than it is Horror/Supernatural so I must have had different expectations. The show is episodic and reminded me of The X-Files or Black Mirror. Those shows may be good, but they really can't hold my attention beyond a few episodes. Also, this drama got a bit too much for me toward the end when they started touching on God, religion, and science. I'm going to file this under "not my cup of tea." Only a few of the cases interested me.
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4. Delete
Thai Drama - 2023, 8 episodes
Cool concept. Kept me interested until the end.
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5. Tale of the Nine-Tailed Season 2
Korean Drama - 2023, 12 episodes
I loved this more than the first season. It was stress free. It didn't take itself too seriously. It was meant to be fun. They infused it with a lot more comedy and action. It was almost like they were apologizing for breaking our hearts in season 1. This season, I loved the inclusion of Japanese mythical creatures as well as the ones from Korean folklore. Kim So Yeon absolutely slayed in this. The music was still as awesome as before. Although I hate multiple seasons, I wouldn't mind seeing more. It seems like they know what the fans want.
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6. My Heart Beats
Korean Drama - 2023, 16 episodes
First half was fun, but second half was torture with all the flashbacks and dragginess. Should have been 10 episodes. The antagonists were also super annoying. I enjoyed the theme song though.
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7. The Ghost and I Becoming Family
Taiwanese Movie - 2022
Fun watch. I love ML's character growth by the end. I was not expecting to see so much of ML's butt. @__@
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8. Enigma
Thai Drama - 2023, 4 episodes
Finally a drama that had my heart beating intensely. It was actually kind of creepy. The story was interesting. I loved the cinematography and direction. It has the same director as F4 Thailand, Gifted, and ThirTEEN Terrors. The sound mixing was great and perfectly matched the scenes and movements. Overall, you can tell that everyone behind the scenes really made an effort. Now for the uncomfortable stuff...unfortunately, the FL is an underage high school senior and ML is her fake substitute teacher. There's that awkward student/teacher relationship territory this hovers around, even though they are just hanging out and not romantically involved. It really pushes the limits with them temporarily living together and ML jokingly flirting/teasing with her. Also, there are a couple of scenes with ML shirtless or showing his chest, which is mainly meant as fanservice for the audience, but it's really weird with his "student" around him. Honestly, the whole thing isn't that bad, but it's like an uncomfortable annoyance like a small pebble in your shoe. The drama is great otherwise, not to mention SHORT.
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9. What the Hell Is Love
Taiwanese Drama - 2023, 20 episodes
*sigh* I'm sad that this is over. It's not the best supernatural mystery drama out there, but it was exactly what I was in the mood for. ML is just a carefree, likable dude that genuinely cares about people. FL may be super annoying for the first few episodes, but she becomes likable after that. The show is a supernatural murder mystery drama, in which our ghost seeing male lead happens to stumble across deaths of various kinds. The drama is semi episodic with each case lasting about 2 episodes. I would say this drama isn't too intense, but it gets more serious in the 2nd half. On another note, the OST is pretty good. I also really liked the green makeup they used for the ghosts...it was semi creepy and different.
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10. Gannibal
Japanese Drama - 2022, 7 episodes
It's actually pretty amazing and intense. The only crappy thing is that it ends with a major cliffhanger. Other than that, I'd highly recommend it for October horror content. There were also a couple of things my brain kept getting stuck on...but I know a lot had to do with me being American.
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11. Bu Liang Zhi Nian Qing Chu Shi
Taiwanese Drama - 2023, 12 episodes
It was a creative and fun supernatural drama. It's been a while since a drama made laugh out loud multiple times. The graphics were fantastic. The cameos were also great. I'm going to miss this unlikely trio. The frenemy bromance was just the cherry on top. Some things might've been missed or left unanswered, but it's a really great production overall. I'd say this is semi-episodic, which might not be some people's cup of tea, but it becomes less so later on. I'd highly recommend it.
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12. The Outcast
Chinese Drama - 2023, 27 episodes
The soundtrack was headbang worthy. It took me a couple of episodes to get into it due to the world building, but I was hooked. It's a supernatural drama involving people with various powers. It was totally my cup of tea. There were a few slow moments that had me nodding off, but overall it's really great. If you like anime, there's a high chance you'll like this drama. I hope this gets subbed elsewhere cuz the Youku subs were way too fast.
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13. Girl's Jiang Hu
Chinese Drama - 2023, 24 episodes
I don't know why I was sleeping on this series. It's a silly and fun watch. The comedy is better than average for its genre. It had a few slow moments, but overall I loved it.
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14. West Out of the Yu Men
Chinese Drama - 2023, 38 episodes
7.5 for the plot, but probably an 8 for cdrama standards. It took a while for me to get into the story since the beginning has a slow build up introducing the plot and the world building. Once the gang gets together and mysteries unravel, the story gets more interesting. The lead cast is amazing as expected. My favorite characters were FL and, of course, the rooster. Lots of unique creatures. It was an interesting world nonetheless.
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15. Lang Jun Bu Ru Yi
Chinese Drama - 2023, 30 episodes
This is actually the sequel to Go Princess Go, in which the FL of this drama is the daughter of the couple from GPG. The beginning had a great start with the first two episodes having the same creativity and originality as GPG. However, then it became your average chinese historical romcom. It makes sense that it has a completely different English title because the story is completely different, though the concept of the main character being trapped in a different world is the same. I didn't have any issues with the plot, but the problem was that it was sooo draggy. I'm sure a lot of people lost their patience because of it. What should have been a 12 episode drama was actually 30. Also, the similar humor from GPG didn't really go beyond the first few episodes. It could be due to censorship, but I think the writers just weren't the same. This writer is not experienced in writing comedies.
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16. Stand by Your Side
Taiwanese Drama - 2023, 10 episodes
Not enough spookyness for me, but it had some cute romantic scenes. Wth was up with that ending?
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17. The Uncanny Counter Season 2: Counter Punch
Korean Drama - 2023, 12 episodes
Season 2 was not needed nor was it good. They should have just made a movie special or a 1-2 episode special instead. On the plus side, I really liked the graphics and the makeup (specifically for that tar covered look). One of the actors really stood out in his role as one of the villains. I also loved that they kept the tradition of wearing suits for the finale going.
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18. 100 Man Kai Ieba Yokatta
Japanese Drama - 2023, 10 episodes
It had a dream casting, but it was sooo slow paced that I barely survived. A lot of the plot had elements from dramas/movies I've seen before, specifically the movie Ghost.
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19. Island
Korean Drama - 2022, 6 episodes
What I liked: Solid production, great cast, fast action, direction, scenic shots, cgi, fantastic OST, FL's hair (random lol), FL's outfits.
What I disliked: FL needs to be saved too damn much. We are halfway through the drama and it feels like it is just getting started. There are so many things left to be discovered. -
20. Ireland: Season 2
Korean Drama - 2023, 6 episodes
The second half was so draggy and boring. They literally spent an ENTIRE EPISODE with FL just meditating and she STILL could not unlock her powers smh. What a pity. The biggest flaw of this series was the flow of the story. This should've been a movie or a 4 ep. miniseries instead. Just cut out the subplots and focus on the main story instead. I know they left room open for a 2nd season, but I probably won't watch if there is one. Anyways, I loved everything from a technical perspective, but my issue was the writing.
Average score: 6 -
21. The Haunting
Chinese Drama - 2023, 20 episodes
I wouldn't really recommend unless you're absolutely bored. ML1 is dumb and always lands himself into some real estate trouble. ML2 always helps him out and solves the case...the house is usually not haunted. The drama is mostly "episodic" though the cases might not last 1 episode cuz they are short. -0.5 for abrupt cliffhanger ending. If you're doing multiple seasons, the season should have some sort of conclusion.
Conclusion: Rewatch Sell Your Haunted House instead. -
22. Escape Guide
Chinese Drama - 2023, 25 episodes
This could've easily been a one episode special, but they had to torture me with 3 min episodes instead. It reminded me of a locked room murder mystery meets the game Clue. I have no clue why they decided to make it "spooky". I didn't care much for the main characters either.
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23. Moving
Korean Drama - 2023, 20 episodes
Idk, this feels like 7/10 for me. It had an amazing "adult" cast playing the older generation. I love the entire parents storyline. I wasn't a fan of the high school part of the story and how the storytelling was done. It was nonlinear, but it was sloppy. It was all over the place with all of these characters and side stories. The protagonist of the story didn't even feel like the protagonist. It felt like he got overshadowed by everyone else. You can argue there are multiple mains, but the drama started and ended with the same character who ultimately changed the most from the beginning to the end. Conclusion: Mainly worth the watch for the amazing star studded cast, but writing is not the best. First few episodes had some good transitions.
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24. Hu Xin
Chinese Drama - 2023, 40 episodes
Kind of frustrated because it had such a strong start and really good pacing in the first half. It was also very entertaining with the whole world building and new sets/cgi. Some concepts were still familiar, but at least they didn't reuse the same heavenly palace cgi like other xianxias. Unfortunately, the original script writer got fired just before the halfway mark and then another scriptwriter came in (although they were the original novel writer). It just wasn't the same after that. It got very draggy with a lot of lazy writing. No need for people to think out loud that much. If you're confused, just skip to ep38. They retell the whole backstory (cliff notes version) in linear form. The third arc with the baby dragon was pretty cute, but again still kind of draggy with a lot of dumb decision making. The villains were pretty flat and annoying with their one track obsession. Also, I didn't like the inconsistency of people's powers. One minute they're invincible and then the next they're taken out by a single blow. The main couple was pretty cute together, but there's also the fact the ML might have stabbed FL in the heart multiple times. :):
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25. Wen Xiang Tan An Lu
Chinese Drama - 2023, 24 episodes
This was surprisingly a decent murder mystery drama, especially for chistorical standards. It may be that I've been watching a bunch of terrible dramas back to back that made this one seem great, but for the most part I enjoyed it. Decent mystery, supernatural element in the form of super smell, shippable main characters (though romance is not main storyline), and one or two good twists. The last few episodes were a bit draggy which was expected.
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26. Shi Jiu Ling
Chinese Drama - 2022, 64 episodes
I really wanted to like this because I loved the whole demon theme and the demons featured in the tavern. However, there were a few things that made me struggle to keep my attention. It's low budget, semi-episodic, and has crappy subs (the timing anyway). I rarely pay attention to makeup, but once I started focusing on the terrible application of the ghostly white foundation, this drama lost me. As for the plot, yes the bromance is very strong, but the concept has been done many times before in which a troubled customer comes to a bar/restaurant and is offered a drink/dish that usually resolves their problem or eases their trouble.
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27. Jiu Xiao Han Ye Nuan
Chinese Drama - 2023, 36 episodes
Idk, I'm probably being generous, but it's been a while since one of these "wuxias" pulled me in. I loved the action. The mysteries pulled me in. I loved the godfather/goddaughter duo. I loved the dynamics between FL and ML. However, it got a bit slow for me after 20 episodes, but the story was still interesting. They introduced this annoying airhead spoiled princess and killed off one of my favorite characters. I had to fast forward a bit. Also the ending was a bit rushed and confusing. I still really enjoyed it though. Maybe 7.5 realistically. However, it's got some decent twists. It is not as predictable as you think.
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28. Chang Xia Wei Yang
Chinese Drama - 2023, 33 episodes
Low budget minidrama that's a guilty pleasure romance. ML is a walking red flag (or is he?). It's an angsty supernatural romance with a toxic ML. It is decent for its genre, especially if you know what you signed up for. It took me a few episodes to get into it, but i enjoyed it. P.S. ML likes to bite.
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29. Behind your Touch
Korean Drama - 2023, 16 episodes
Tap into your immature side with this silly thriller/comedy. No, it's not slapstick, but it's kind of got some pervy, childish humor (nothing too weird though). It's pretty fun and didn't take itself seriously, though it got a bit dark toward the end. FL is a veterinarian, so there are plenty of adorable animals to look out for. I also liked how the OST was composed primarily of hip hop songs. I'd say it's a light drama even though it's a mystery/thriller.
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30. My Happy Marriage
Japanese Movie - 2023
Pretty good. :) Like most people are saying, I enjoyed the cinematography and the romance. It felt a bit rushed toward the end, but it's a decent production for cramming the story into a movie.
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31. Destined with You
Korean Drama - 2023, 16 episodes
First half was pretty entertaining and hilarious. FL is adorable. Then it does the typical kdrama thing where 2nd half is a bit more depressing. They add in a bunch of filler scenes, spend more time on annoying characters no one cares about, and add in a psycho killer (because no supernatural romcom would be complete without one). FL's coworkers were super annoying. ML's dad was also annoying. The whole bully storyline was very makjang like. Also, the drama kind of glosses over the fact that ML is two-timing, which made him less likable. Well, they give an explanation, but it was dumb...why not clarify to begin with? They also glossed over some subtle bullying stuff. That being said, it's still a solid entertaining watch if you're a supernatural romcom fan. Though, it does have some major holes regarding the connection of characters in Joseon time period vs. current day. There were so many missed opportunities. Also, what was up with that mysterious ending? I NEED MORE ANSWERS.
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32. Yi Shuang Xiu Hua Xie
Chinese Drama - 2022, 30 episodes
It's actually pretty good for low budget mini drama standards. I think I'm just a bit burnt out when it comes to them though. I knew about ghost brides, but this drama featured 3 other f**ked up rituals, one of which was called/translated "female baptism". It was not as wholesome as it sounds. @__@ The drama's theme was basically about some of the horrible customs that were imposed on women in the past...thankfully not common ones. It also did a decent job of being spooky.
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33. Flaming Cloud
Chinese Movie - 2023
Children's fairytale story. I was not expecting this to be somewhat a musical.
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34. Tiger Crane
Chinese Drama - 2023, 36 episodes
Ended up dropping this one. Couldn't get into it.
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35. Shan Ye Yi Si Season 2
Chinese Drama - 2023, 12 episodes
N/A - can't find subbed
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36. Na Sing Ha Ngo Mun Jaan Fong Yu Fa
Hong Kong Drama - 2023, 15 episodes
N/A - can't find subbed
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37. Unknown
Japanese Drama - 2023, 9 episodes