Best wishes for this new year and hopefully 2026 will bring us a lot of good news.
Some of us are already reverting back to our emails at work but for those who are lucky enough to take it easy in January ,I have prepared a quick list of a few kDrama that I watched in 2025 that you should binge in the comfort of your home. Enjoy! :)
When Lifes gives you Tangerines – 16 episodes
Great stories, long episodes, lot of characters to remember so sometimes it can be a tad confusing but overall probably the best Netflix drama of 2025. All the characters are so likeable from the Grandma dreaming for a better future for her daughter to the granddaughter being actually the one realising those dreams. I love a full circle moment and this serie didn’t disappoint. 9/10
The Trunk – 8 episodes
I would describe it as the story of a dysfunctional divorced couple where the ex-wife, as a way of torturing her ex husband that still loves her, request him to marry a woman via a wife assignment company. Things were going well until a trunk is found by the police bringing to the surface past trauma and secrets. Manipulation, Sex and drug abuse, rare subjects for Korean movies, but it was worth the watch. The characters are all toxic, including the assigned wife, and all have their redemption arc except the ex wife. Not an easy watch, but I liked it. 9/10
Burried Hearts – 16 episodes
I enjoyed the twisted family story. I think it was the best work for Park Hyung Sik as an actor – he plays an orphan but very ambitious young man in the middle of a chaebol family that is somehow connected to his mother death. Trahison, murders and revelation made this a good watch but the big surprise was to know how connected he was to that chaebol family! There are holes to the story, like what was Seo Dong Ju initial revenge plan ? Why Yeom Jang Seon was so mean ? The ending is questionable but still, I was glued every week to Disney +. 7/10 for the initial intrigue
Typhon Family – 16 episodes
The story is set during the financial crisis of 1997 – costume and the vibes of the 90s are well captured with the life of a young man that lives carefree until he has to take over the family business at his dad’s death. It is not a must watch but if you are looking for an easy watch on a cold Sunday, it is perfect. 6.5/10
Our Unwritten Seoul – 12 episodes
I told you I like complex or twisted family story. This one is just complex, the story of twin sisters that are not close but exchanged their lives just to give a break to each others daily struggles. Life is about the choices we make everyday, we either see the glass half empty or half full and I think the story describe that to the perfection. 8/10
Bon appetit You Majesty – 12 episodes
I think is the second best drama of the year after WLGYT. A really good surprise after a summer of disappointing series. It aired while I was in Seoul so I was trying to catch up while on holiday. I really enjoyed it and as a food lover, I take great pleasure to watch people eat and/or describe their food. The cooking aspect was a bit too much in some episodes so I skipped but again, it is called kdrama for a reason. 8/10
The oldies
Moon Embracing the Sun – 20 episodes
Oldies but goodies and still watchable in 2026. I love a good historical story during the Joseon era and this one will keep you on edge. Kim Soo-hyun is still cancelled in my books until proven innocent but I can’t deny his acting skills when it comes to yearning for a woman. That man knows how to cry for the one he loves!!! 20 episodes though ? Some scenes are definitely filler scenes but I laughed and cried at the same time. 8.5/10
Alchemy of Souls – Part 1 , 20 episodes
It is on everyone favourite list and I have to admit – it is also on mine now. Part 1 is worth the watch, the romance is present but is not overpowering every episodes and the sides characters are different, all adding something to the narrative. Some scenes are unnecessary but I guess with 20 episodes, that is inevitable.
I am not a fan of Part 2 – not because the female lead changed, as it was expected following the story – but I think the couple didn’t really match the energy of the first pair. I didn’t like how cheesy the female lead became but i enjoyed to see how dark the male lead became under his new responsibilities. The banter was definitely missing and side characters became all useless to this part, which is a shame.
Move to Heaven – 10 episodes
Fact about me: I am weak on my knees when the story involves the death of a parent. Autism is a delicate subject on its own and usually movies that depict it are full of prejudges and biases. Add this with the subject of life after death for the living entourage. Got me crying at every episodes. Each episode is perfectly written with some heartbreaking stories, but it just show the reality, our reality, compared to the reality of someone that see life as simple as it should be. Brilliant. 10/10
The disappointing ones
Marry my husband – 16 episodes
Not 2025 drama but still. I have mixed feeling about this one. The story is not revolutionary, a woman travel back in her past to change her life story and finally stand up for herself. I didn’t like how weak she was in her past but it didn’t make sense that she was able to stand up for herself so quick. I finished it and I love Park Min Young (she needs to slow down with the cosmetic surgery) but really, it was not that great. I should have watched the Japanese version instead which, following the comments, seem much better. 5/10
Weak Hero Season 2 – 8 Episodes
I watched the season 1 early 2025 so I didn’t feel the wait the same way that some fan did. I hate when a serie takes too long to come back (2+ years). Anyway, the second season didn’t really do it for me. I think the first season was great as it did describe perfectly the birth of a “villain”, the powerless parents facing a failing school system that privileges rich families, the bullying and the everyday violence that teenagers are facing. Second season was too unrealistic , the fighting scenes were too choregraphed , and even though it is a fiction , we are talking about highschoolers that have excellent grades AND are fighting gang crimes run by adults, after school hours ?!? Yup , no. 4/10
Dear Hongrang – 11 episodes
Disappointing. I love the male actor Lee Jae Wook and he performs the best in this genre but Jo Bo Ah is not great at showing emotion, in my opinion. It was hard for me to feel sorry for her character, the way she was describing her young brother that disappeared, was not convincing to me. She was talking about him like he was her lover( yikes) and even though she knew that man was pretending to be her lost brother, her falling for him was still strange. The writers should have focused on the real story of the those young boys being abused by the Prince, instead on having this pseudo love story with a sad ending anyway. 2/10
Twelve – 8 episodes
I have one word to describe it: Terrible. I couldn’t finish it. The worst Kdrama I have watched so far. It has all the favourites actors but that budget for special effects was not giving! 0/10.
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