With an overwhelming number of streaming sites to choose from, it seems that they have been expanding their library to more than your typical Western drama TV series. Due to an increase in popularity for Asian series and movies after the epic success of “Squid Game”, there have been more dramas added to sites like Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and now HBO Max.

According to Variety, because of Korean dramas acquired by Netflix, there has been a boost in Korean content consumption in Asia, pushing the K-drama genre into more mainstream online entertainment. 

This is great for us K-drama watchers; it would be easier to access our favorite shows now that they’re added onto accessible streaming sites. Here are some Asian dramas that should be on your radar!

1. "Business Proposal"

This Netflix Original romantic drama starring Ahn Hyo-Seop as Kang Tae-Mu, a young handsome chaebol (really wealthy person), and Kim Se-Jong as Shin Ha-Ri, a woman who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Tae-Mu is taken on a journey where he proposes to the first woman his grandfather set him up with (Ha-Ri) just to get him off his back. Unbeknownst to him, it is someone who works in his company. Boy oh boy, he is in for a wild ride! 

2. "Rookie Cops"

A new Disney+ K-drama currently taking over my TikTok fyp starring K-pop idol Kang Daniel, Chae Soo-bin, Lee Shin-Young, and Park Yoo-Na, this coming-of-age series is set in the Korean National Police University following the freshman class of recruits through their love lives, dreams, challenges, and ambitions.

3. "Twenty-Five, Twenty-One"

Another Netflix Original love story, this series is told from a diary and takes place from 1998-2021 and stars Kim Tae-Ri as Na Hui-Do and Nam Joo-Hyuk as Baek Yi-Jin. Na Hui-Do is a member of her high school fencing team that, due to a country-wide financial crisis, gets disbanded. Through the same financial crisis, Baek Yi-Jin’s father goes bankrupt, which leads to a drastic life change from lavish and wealth to the complete opposite. Later in their lives, Hui-Do makes the national fencing team and Yi-Jin becomes a sports reporter. What does this mean for them? Find out on Netflix!

4. "Forecasting Love & Weather"

Taking over social media, we have Netflix Original "Forecasting Love & Weather", starring current K-drama “it” boy Song Kang as Lee Si-Woo and Park Min-Young as Jin Ha-Kyung. Thanks to Netflix, we are graced with these two stars on our TVs as they go on a journey of love and understanding. One of the English translations of this drama title is “Meteorological Administration People: Office Romance Cruelty”, and with that alone, there is a lot to be curious about.

5. "Snow Drop"

Iconic BLACKPINK vocalist Kim Jisoo stars in her first K-Drama "Snow Drop", a heartbreakingly beautiful historical drama set in 1987 when South Korea had a dictatorial government. Lim Soo-Ho, played by Jung Hae-In, and Kim’s character, Eun Yeong-Ro, meet under unexpected circumstances and develop a romantic relationship that takes them through many trials. Recently ended, the show can now be streamed on Disney+.

6. "Fishbowl Wives"

“Is it love? Is it betrayal? Or is it fate?” A Japanese series brought onto Netflix just this February is about 6 different women living luxuriously lavish lives and winding up in affairs brought to them by their unhappy marriages. The series is based on the manga by Kurosawa R, and it does not play any games. Right off the bat, you are introduced to the characters and the situations they’ve weaved themselves into. 

7. "Juvenile Justice"

Not a Netflix original, but it was recently uploaded onto Netflix and has shaken many watchers to the core. A 10-part legal drama with Judge Sim Eun-Seok, a judicial force who stops at nothing to get the truth and serve out her form of justice to those that deserve it. The show offers a real-world observation of the juvenile delinquency issues that are present in Korea. This one is for my baddies in love with crime shows.

8 "Girl From Nowhere"

This show from Thailand took the world by storm when it was brought onto Netflix back in May 2021. It is a mystery thriller anthology where the main character, Nanno, starts as a transfer student at different private schools in Thailand and slowly exposes the staff and students’ darkest secrets. Nanno is rumored to be an immortal being, a devil’s daughter-type character, who occasionally lies to provoke others to punish them for their crimes. There are two seasons currently out on Netflix, and no news on a third. Make sure to read up on any trigger warnings for each episode; some of the material can be pretty dark.

9. Drive My Car

This Japanese film has been taking the audience’s breath away with its absolute beauty in the plot. Two years after the unexpected death of this director and stage actor’s wife, Yusuke Kafuku, played by Hidetoshi Nishijima, is offered the opportunity to direct a production at a theater festival. This is where he meets the woman who would lead him down a past of discovery on all the mysteries his wife left behind. The film was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards this year and actually took home the Oscar for Best International Feature.

10. "Descendants of the Sun"

Where we first encountered the beautiful Song-Song couple, this 2016 drama has been jumping platforms, starting on Netflix and now on Hulu. It has never decreased in popularity, and the plot makes any watcher fall in love with the main characters. This drama follows two military men and two women in the medical field who continue to have uncanny encounters with one another. There are a lot to laugh and cry about when it comes to this drama, 16 episodes long, it's good for a relaxing day in.

As the popularity grows with these kinds of dramas, let’s hope that more will be picked up by the streaming sites. I don’t know about you, but we can’t get enough of them! Happy watching!