Asian Dramas to Watch for Any Valentine’s Day Mood

Valentine’s Day (or Singles Awareness Day) is coming around the corner! That means celebrating love (or secretly hating all the lovey-dovey couples engaging in PDA around campus and on social media). Whether you are spending Valentine’s Day with a significant other, friends, or by yourself, here are some Asian dramas to put you in the Valentine’s Day moods™.

A Short Note About the Format

So that you readers know what each subsection means, I will briefly explain each one: “What to Watch For” is where I list any major trigger warnings or things that might gross people out. The #MeToo Scale is there to rate how good to women and queer people/how problematic the drama is regarding sexual harassment and healthy relationships. 0 means that there are no problems while 10 means that the drama is a crime against characters.

The Drama For Celebrating Galentine’s Day → Age of Youth (Hello! My Twenties)

Age of Youth or Hello! My Twenties (as it is also called) will always be my favorite girl power, coming-of-age Korean drama. The drama has 2 seasons and centers around five roomies who live in the Belle Epoque apartment. The drama starts with Yoo Eun-jae moving into the Belle Epoque and learning to live with the other four girls: Yoon Jin-myung, Kang Yi-na, Jung Ye-eun, and Song Ji-won. As these college-aged girls get used to living with each other and caring for each other, they all develop a close sisterly bond. Season 1 shows four of these girls struggle with their own pasts and secrets, after Song Ji-won claims that there is a “ghost” in the corner of the room while she is drunk. Yoon Jin-myung, Kang Yi-na, Jung Ye-eun, and Yoo Eun-jae all ruminate over whether “the ghost” is for them, and everyone helps each other mature and resolve their personal obstacles as everyone wonders about “the ghost.” You can find both seasons of the show on Netflix.

What to Watch Out For

Don’t be fooled by the pastel aesthetic of the trailer of this drama. This drama really goes in deep with heavy issues, such as domestic violence, workplace harassment, and treatment of sex workers. The drama explores very real women’s issues and societal problems in Korea that also resonate universally. The societal commentary doesn’t stop with season 1. In season 2, we see a girl recovering from PTSD and the effects of being in an abusive relationship and a girl investigating childhood rape committed by a beloved teacher. There are scenes of violence throughout the drama, and some minor gore in the last episode of season 1. A girl gets stabbed in the hand with a box-cutter knife (it sounds worse than it is).

#MeToo Scale

1/10

The only reason why I give the drama a 1/10 is because of the overall pain that some of these women go through during this drama. One of the girls goes through an abusive relationship, another gets disrespected as a sex worker, and another is powerless to stop the abuse of power by her employer. However, each girl grows enough courage to leave her situation (although the former sex worker shouldn’t have felt shamed out of being a sex worker).

The Drama For If You’re a Girl Celebrating With Your GF → Am I the Only One With Butterflies?

Am I the Only One With Butterflies? is a cute, feel-good sapphic Korean drama that tells the story of a woman (Jung-ah) who unexpectedly falls in love with her manager at work (known as Manager Lee). This web series is a miniseries, so it’s kind of short. You can watch through all two seasons of the show in one sitting. It is one of the rare finds of Asian sapphic love that ends happily and depicts a healthy relationship between the two main lesbian leads. If you are a helpless sapphic, this is a drama I highly recommend.

What to Watch Out For

There’s nothing really in the drama that makes me want to put out any warnings. The drama is very soft and fluffy. I guess I will mention that there is an age gap between the women, as that might bother some people.

#MeToo Scale

0.1/10

Again, the drama is very wholesome and soft. The 0.1 is for the fact that it’s an office romance between a manager and a regular employee (which is an unbalanced power dynamic). Oh well! There seems to be an absence of an HR department in dramaland anyways.

The Drama For If You’re a Guy Celebrating Gay-lentine’s Day (I tried.) → HiStory 3: Trapped

HiStory 3: Trapped is my FAVORITE queer Taiwanese drama of all time. It’s cute, it’s funny, and it’s the least problematic BL drama that’s in Chinese. The plot is basically an enemy-to-lovers trope with cops and mafia dudes. The main character is a kind of stupid but lovable policeman Meng Shao Fei who eventually falls in love with the brooding and enigmatic brooding mafia boss Tang Yi. Shao Fei is obsessed with learning the truth behind his co-worker’s death, and Tang Yi is key in this investigation. They get entangled in each other’s lives through Shao Fei tenacity in chasing the truth. The second couple in this drama is also really cute: a cinnamon roll officier Zhao Li An (or Zhao Zi) and a hardcore mercenary Jack. Jack falls heads over heels in love with the cute officier, and it’s so heartwarming to watch.

What to Watch Out For

This drama is also a crime one, so obviously expect a lot of violence and blood. There’s also a scene of attempted sexual assault. (The perpetrator gets beat up, so yay!)

#MeToo Scale

0/10

There’s not anything concerning that I can think about. The couples are wholesome and cute. :)

The Drama For a CS Power Couple (or Those Who Dream to Be a Part of One) → Love O2O

Okay, here is where I expose myself as a die-hard of One Smile is Very Alluring or Love O2O as it is better known. This drama is my favorite drama of all time. I keep rewatching scenes from it because the main couple is so f-ing CUTE!!! Bei Wei Wei and Xiao Nai are both CS majors from the prestigious Qing University, and they are a POWER couple. Xiao Nai is complete boyfriend material; his most iconic line is “I don’t like hearing my relationship from third parties.” Bei Wei Wei is a female protagonist that is pretty and smart, and she knows it. I aspire to be as put-together as her on a good day. Also, the relationship that these characters have with their friends is EVERYTHING. The side characters actually have personalities and live to them besides being friends with the main stars of the drama. Everyone I have recommended this drama to has loved it, so go watch it! It’s on Netflix.

What to Watch Out For

There is a car accident scene with minor blood. Other than that, the show is fine.

#MeToo Scale

0/10

Xiao Nai and Bei Wei Wei have a healthy and cute relationship. :))

The Drama For Those Who Want to Watch Love Crash and Burn → Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo

If you want to get invested into a drama only for your tears to pour down and see love get wretched apart, Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo is the drama for you. This drama is about 25-year-old Go Ha-jin who gets transported back in time to the Goryeo Dynasty during a solar eclipse. The drama follows her struggle to survive in a time period that is not her own while getting caught in the rivalry and politics of princes fighting for the throne. The drama does not end happily, and there is no season 2 to save you the feels. Please watch at your own risk.

What to Watch Out For

There is a lot of violence because that’s how a lot of tragedy forms. It’s Goryeo Dynasty, so there is mention of slaves and a scene where Go Ha-Jin tries to save people from the slave trade.

#MeToo Scale

2/10

The depiction of enslaved women and children is awful and sad. :(