Dramas with Strong Female Lead and Guy Falls First

Beautiful and heartwarming, the drama follows the story of Lijian, Zique, and Lin Xiao from childhood until early adulthood. Due to difficult family circumstances, they grow up considering one another as family but a separation during their college years causes distance. Will they be able to bridge it? The relationships in this story (between friends, family, etc.) are the centerpiece of the show.  My favorite drama of 2020, easily.

My first Park Seo Joon drama. Park Seo Joon plays a narcissistic CEO who falls for his beautiful, competent secretary (Park Min Young's character).  Fun, fluffy watch with some intense kiss scenes (by Kdrama standards).

Set in the early 1900s, after the fall of the Qin Dynasty and before the takeover of the Communist Party, the story focuses mainly on students / young adults enrolled in the Arsenal Military Academy. Our main female lead, Xie Xiang, is a girl who assumes her brother's identity after his death and enrolls in the academy, and the story starts from there. The strong female characters in this series are a major plus, not only the main lead but her friends and other side characters. The background plot can be quite serious and politically charged, but the series does a great job of breaking this up with wonderful, comedic moments and action scenes, largely due to the interactions between Xie Xiang and the two male leads. Great supporting cast also.

Fast paced and entertaining story about Fan Xian, a boy who grows up in a small town and then embarks on a new life in the capital, filled with considerable intrigue and action. (The first episode starts modern day, which feels jarring, but quickly transports you "back in time" and sticks with it for the rest of the drama, so I count it as "historical"). There were surprising plot twists and fun moments, interspersed with great action and quality interactions between the characters, which made the drama feel fresh. Be prepared for a cliffhanger ending. Joy of Life 2 won't release for another year. Can't come fast enough for me.

Slice of life medical drama showcasing the strong friendship and life experiences of a group of doctors who have been friends since medical school and are now middle-aged. Beautifully written and acted, and heartwarming. Can't wait for Season 2.

Love story between two college students who meet while playing an MMPORG, told with a great mix of comedy and drama.  The cast is great - Xiao Nai (male lead) and Bei Wei Wei (female lead) are very easy on the eyes, and I liked that there wasn't unnecessary drama and misunderstanding as their relationship developed. It took a while for them to meet in person, but once they started their relationship, it unfurled slowly without unnecessary jealousy, drama (at least between them). Another major plus is are the secondary characters and the friendships between them, and the humor. It didn't take itself too seriously, and was essentially a fun "light" watch from start to finish. Recommended.

 Lin Shu survives the unjust framing and death of his family and 70,000+ people and returns many years later to court to get rid of the scheming officials and covertly support Prince Jing (a dark horse candidate) to the throne.  Nirvana in Fire is different from other dramas on this list in that it is a revenge story rather than a romance, but it is so, so extraordinarily well done that it was impossible not to include. Be prepared to have tears in your eyes at the ending which is bittersweet. 

Su Ci is a young woman disguised as a man and working as an investigator in hopes of uncovering clues about her family's murder many years previously. Pei Zhao is a prince and military talent who has apparently withdrawn from politics after a defeat many years prior. The two meet under unusual circumstances and pair up to solve cases, falling in love along the way. The plot for this drama isn't new, and in fact often predictable, but the drama is carried by a strong relationship between the two main leads and a strong supporting cast. A highlight for me is how smart, calm, and capable the female lead is, and how sweet and devoted to her the male lead is. Recommended.

A fun, fluffy college sports romance.  The main female lead Tang Xue. Tang Xue enters college as a vet major, having mysteriously quit speed skating two years previously. Along the way, she encounters Lu Ying Bai (hockey superstar and elementary school classmate) and Yu Yan (figure skating star). Both leads annoyed me in episode 1 and I definitely don’t like how the main lead initially treats Tang Xue but by episode 3 I was hooked. Humorous, sweet, charming, with a strong supporting cast and a wholesome message about pursuing your dreams.  I loved the female character Tang Xue’s brash heroic personality, and the love triangles all resolved neatly in the end. A enjoyable watch.

My first Korean drama. I loved the strong heroine, and the fact that it's okay she's stronger than the handsome male lead, and Park Hyung Shik is 100% adorable in the male lead role. Romance with some fantasy and comedic elements.

My first Park Min Young drama but not the last. Girl disguised as boy enters an academy for scholars. Romance and intrigue ensue. Storyline and pacing for this Kdrama much tighter than the more recent Chinese remake "In a Class of Her Own." 

E-sports drama starring Yang Yang (of Love 020 fame). I liked this drama more than I expected, largely because of the large, well-developed cast of characters and the attractive CGI. An underdog sports story with no romance.

Fun and fluffy gender bender parody drama set in historical times. Female lead is a modern day screenwriter who finds herself a minor character in the drama she wrote. Her character is supposed to die early on, but oops, she can't have that happen, and the story ends up changing. Much funnier than I expected, and except for a very questionable scene in the middle of the drama where male lead gets a bit too rough, I liked the romance between the two leads too.

Action packed drama starring Lee Jong Suk (my first drama with this actor, but definitely not the last). The drama starts out with a horrific murder scene that you later learn is part of a comic strip. The drama takes part partially in a manga and partially in the real world. I didn't expect to like the drama as much as I did, in part because the description sounds so improbable. But ultimately, the action, suspense, and romance between the two leads were major draws and I found myself hooked all the way to the crazy ending.

The second Lee Jong-Suk drama I ever watched. I originally waited to watch this because I wasn't certain I'd like the plot, but I ended up loving the show. Basically, male lead has dreams of changing the future, and turns out female lead does too. Male lead acts on a dream and ends up saving lives, including that of a policeman, who then begins to help them. Why is this happening, and will they continue to be able to change the future?  What will the implications ultimately be? The drama is so suspenseful, and there are so many likable supporting characters (friends, mom, relatives, the works!) and engaging moments. I really enjoyed it.

Contract relationship drama. Quirky interesting characters are what set this drama part and ultimately sold it for me.

Lee Won Guen is so cute in this and I am a sucker for a spunky heroine in a high school drama. Touches on serious topics such as gaming resumes for college, domestic violence, but also the power of friendship. Entertaining watch, even if flawed.

I normally can't handle dramas of this length but ended up suckered into all 78 episodes for this one. The story focuses on Ming Lan, the daughter of a concubine in a rich household, and what happens to her after her mother's death.  Be prepared for lots of melodrama with extended family members crying and threatening to kill themselves if they don't get their way (a ploy that gets old very quickly). What redeems this drama is the handful of incredible, brave characters you can't help but like and root for. The romance is slow burn, so expect to endure 30+ episodes of our main lead experiencing injustices before payback begins to come. It also took me about 30+ episodes to start liking the male lead, but by the end of the series I was convinced he was amazing. The romance and happy ending are icing on the cake; the series is really about Ming Lan over time.

Entertaining action drama. Male lead is a genius hacker and courier who can get clients what they want for the right price, and slowly uncovers his past. I loved the two leads, Ji Chang Wook and Park Min Young. Great pairing.

It took me a few episodes to warm up to the female lead  but she soon won me over. I like a strong heroine and this one knows taekwondo and unafraid to stand for her convictions. Solid cast and male lead (Ji Chang Wook) is so swoonworthy. There is a main storyline related to finding a serial killer that is reasonably interesting, and even though there is an ex girlfriend and second male lead, the show keeps it classy. Enjoyable watch.

My first epic fantasy Cdrama, also known as "Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms." The story follows goddess Bai Qian over three lifetimes, as she works to keep a demon lord sealed, seeks to revive her shifu Mo Yuan (Mark Chao) and begins an epic romance with Ye Hua (also played by Mark Chao). The plot was interesting, and addressed themes of fate, karma, and love, and the female lead was compelling. I admit to full-blown hating Ye Hua's character in one of the lifetimes and hoping they WOULDN'T stay together, but mostly came around by the end. Great full cast of characters alongside the main leads that really add to the story.

Fun to watch drama about young teens at Kirin Academy and their dreams of "making it" in the entertainment industry. Who will be successful and who won't? Romance is secondary to the evolution of the characters, and there is lots of singing, dancing, and character development.

A fun romantic comedy sent in the workplace. Light on plot but that is not the point of the show at all . If you like reverse harems, this show is for perfect because practically every male character ends up chasing the FL. Will she end up with her ex boyfriend? Her cranky supervisor who has secretly liked her for four years? The handsome younger guy? Or one of the other oldermen at work? I like the strength of character shown by the FL and that the ML was respectful of boundaries. Recommend.

Set in the late 1880s, the drama takes place in Korea during a time of considerable social change and entanglement with foreign powers particularly Japan and the U.S. The cast is compelling, particularly the female lead Ae-shin. Ae-shin is a nobleman's daughter who is secretly entangled with the civilian militia, when she crosses path with Eugene Choi, a former slave who escaped to American and returned as a Marine Captain. The subtle notes of Choi feeling like a foreigner in both his country of birth and the country he was raised in resonated. There is romance but it is secondary to the underlying story about colonization and a country’s desire to remain independent.

Yun Xian aspires to practice medicine against her family’s wishes. This drama chronicles her rise to becoming a female physician during a time when doing so went against conventional practice and risked her reputation. There are two Han princes and one Oirat prince who fall in love with her along the way. The romance is secondary to the narrativeabout gender and imperial politics and how difficult it was to be a woman defying convention during this time. Trigger Warning: There is a rape scene in the drama and two of the three men interested in the FL have issues with consent. The ending is bittersweet rather than happy.