Non-mainstream Korean Drama Recommendations

Hi! If you love and enjoy watching Korean drama series, then this is for you! I will list down non-mainstream dramas that I personally recommend. What I mean by non-mainstream, are those underrated Kdramas that did not trend, or was not hyped enough unlike those popular dramas that you can think of. I will include old and new dramas so enjoy reading! ^^

Disclaimer: The dramas included here are solely based on my opinion and partially based on the show's rating/viewership. 😊

Chicago Typewriter 💻

This drama is about three friends who lived under the Japanese rule in Korea on 1930s who were reincarnated into a famous writer who's experiencing a slump, an anti-fan, and a mysterious ghostwriter. This is a story of love, friendship, and betrayal. Upon their quest to find their broken memories of the past, they found shocking truths that changed their lives forever.

One of my favorite underrated korean dramas ever. The story line is so good, the plot twists are unexpected, and the casts are perfect. The cinematography is also beautiful especially the scenes during the Japanese era. This series surely made me cry and the OSTs are also good! Satellite Love is my favorite 😭❤

Rating: 10/10

Mad Dog 🐶

This drama is about Choi Kang Woo, who is a former police and leader of Taeyang Insurance's investigators team, who decided to create his own investigation team, after an airplane crash that took the life of his wife and son. He then meets Kim Min Joon, a genius former swindler whose brother was also a victim of the crash, thus begin their rivalry and cooperation. They call their team the "Mad Dogs".

It's been years since I've watched this drama but this was one of the underrated dramas that I loved. It tackled about different insurance crimes in Korea and all those tricky bad deeds people do in the name of money.

Rating: 9/10

Mouse 🐭

Mouse follows the story of Jung Ba-reum, a police officer, whose life changes when he encounters a psychopathic serial killer. This driven him and his partner Go Moo-chi to uncover the truth behind psychopathic behaviors. This also features a scientific discovery of whether it is possible to scan a psychopath in the mother's womb using fetal genetic testing. And if the child in the womb is a psychopath, will it be wise to have that child?

One of the best, I say, mystery-thriller dramas that I have ever watched. This is one of my top-tier dramas and this series set the bar high for mystery-thriller genres. I really can't get why this drama is so underrated. 😭 The best story line, the best set of casts and the plot twist is just mind-blowing. Kung plot twist lang naman ang pag-uuspan, hindi kayo lugi dito. 😂

The dilemma in the story is also good, it will make you think deeply of the issues they tackled. It will weigh your moral values at some point. Plus the acting is superb! I had a roller-coaster of emotions in this drama. Highly recommended! 💯

Rating: 100/10 😂

Sungkyunkwan Scandal 🏫

It's a historical drama set during Joseon Dynasty where females are not allowed of education and employment. Kim Yoon-hee which is played by actress Park Min Young, disguised herself as her brother to make a living. She accepted a job to be a substitute test-taker where she gets caught by a fellow student but later on, she got accepted to study in the prestigious Sungkyunkwan University, her disgusing as her brother. This also tells the story of four young students and tells the story of their love and friendships.

One of my favorite historical dramas. This is where my love for Park Min Young and Song Joong Ki started. 😂 Sa tingin ko ito rin talaga yung pioneer ng mga dramas where the main leads are pretending to be a boy/girl. Kaya hindi na ako masyadong nanonood ng mga ganun kasi I've watched this already though for sure, they have different storylines. 😊

This is a really good drama, with good set of casts and a beautiful storyline. You won't regret watching this. :)

Rating: 10/10

My Liberation Notes 📝

My Liberation Notes tells the story of three siblings and a mysterious stranger who want to escape from their unremarkable lives.

This is what I'm currently watching, it's an on-going series which I discovered through TikTok because they said it's a must watch for introverted people and I did not regret my decision to watch it. Because it's more than just for introverted people, this drama tackles realistic generational gap between the city and provincial life. It's also for those who feels somewhat stuck in their life, those who feels not happy but not unhappy either, and the sad reality of what seemed to be a dreadful cycle of everyday life.

I've said this already on other platforms, but this drama is not for everyone. If you cannot relate to the characters, you might find the drama boring. If you do not feel what the characters feel, you might say the drama has nothing special.

This is also a romance drama, I love the calm, healthy relationship of the main leads here. There was no skinship yet or anything but their chemistry is superb. 💯 Sobrang kinikilig ako sa kanila. 😭💚💚

I recommend you watch it though I'd like to gatekeep the male lead hahaha just kidding. It's available on Netflix! 😊

Rating: 1000/10 😂

That would be all for now, aalalahanin ko pa yung iba hahaha. I will make a part 2 of this once I'm able to remember more. 😂

I hope you enjoyed this! Go watch them if you haven't yet. I did not include any more details since I don't want to spoil but one thing is for sure, these are all good dramas. 💯

Thank you for reading!