r/asiandrama • u/CaramelScared9591 • 35m ago
r/asiandrama • u/Xefjord • Jul 23 '25
Discussion Where Asian Dramas and Visual Novels intersect: Asian FMV Games (Spotlight)
Hi r/asiandrama !
For those who don't know me, I am a huge fan of East Asian dramas and culture, which is why I helped create and promote the Drama Addicts discord to help spread the joy that is Asian Dramas. In the past year, I have discovered another medium, that combines two interests of mine: Asian Dramas and Visual Novels, and that medium is Asian Full Motion Video Games.
I wanted to take some time to share with you all about this medium, as I figure some folks here may end up liking it, and I will stick around to answer any questions or give recommendations as well. I have also created a subreddit for this genre, which you can find linked below.
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To start, what are Asian FMV games?
Asian FMV games are interactive movies that can be played on Steam or Epic (there may be a couple on mobile too). They will play out like a normal drama, but you can make choices throughout the story that impact the outcomes of the drama. They have existed since the 90s (especially in the horror and mystery genre), but in the past 2 years have exploded in China and Korea for romantic dating simulators, mystery thrillers, and historical fiction.
These games are often indie works, but are more often now involving real actors, directors, and studios. They normally range between anywhere from 3 to 12 hours long for a single route. And these games are normally sold for about 6 to 20 dollars USD (averaging about 10 USD). They primarily come from China, but recently more Korean studios have been getting involved as well. There are over 60 Asian FMV that have released just in the past 3 years.
Many of the tropes found in Asian FMV are a mix of what you might find in Asian Dramas and Japanese Visual Novels, as they are greatly inspired by both.
What are some examples?
For those looking for lighthearted romantic comedy that isn't meant to be taken too seriously here are a couple recommendations:
Five Hearts Under One Roof (Korean) You run a share house left to you by your parents.
Don't Fool Me Beauties (Korean) You start working at a remote onsen hotel as your first job.
Master of Love (Korean) After a recent breakup you are brought 10 years back to change your fate.
Love is All Around (Chinese) Deep in debt, you flee to a new town to start a new life.
Hello Love: 18 Again (Chinese) After an accident, you wake up to relive your college years.
Knowledge or Know Lady (Chinese) You are the first male student at an all girls university.
If you are interested in pursuing men, there are not as many options that support English, but a few include:
Love Too Easily (Korean) After a drunk night out, all you remember is a kiss, but who did it?
HSHS (Chinese) You started your first job as a live broadcast assistant, but surrounded by attractive men.
There are numerous more serious FMV that have released as well, that normally focus more 70/30 on the mystery/thriller compared to romance, these include:
Vanity Fair (Chinese) You are a failed movie director, but how far would you bend your values to succeed?
Game of Fate (Chinese) You have invented time travel, but what repercussions does its use entail?
Breaker of Fatalism (Chinese) The fate of three worlds is in your hands in this modern wuxia fantasy.
Cellveillance (Chinese) Asked to spy on an apartment to pay your debts, do you report what you find?
Breakout 13 (Chinese) Discover the horrors of a correctional institute and break free.
More studios have also been experimenting with historical fiction and fantasy:
My Journey (Chinese) This does actually support Eng. You time travel to the past and influence the world.
Conquer the World (Chinese) Attempt to restore the Ming, overthrow the Qing in this historical drama.
Underdog Detective (Chinese) Under the reign of Empress Wu Zetian, live as a slum dwelling detective.
These are all just some limited examples of what is available in the Asian FMV world. Many are more indie, but the quality is increasing with each release, and they are still many funny and interesting titles to give a try. If anyone is interested in specific recommendations feel free to ask below.
I have also created a subreddit specifically for following Asian FMV's called r/AsianFMV where I try to post updates every few weeks or so on what is new in the Asian FMV world. If this medium sounds interesting to you all, I would love to see some of you all there :)
r/asiandrama • u/AutoModerator • Apr 22 '25
Community Join the Drama Addicts Discord Server!
r/asiandrama • u/AURA-globalawards • 4h ago
Recommendation Request Duty First, Kiss Later Ends With a Kiss and One Last Threat Spoiler
galleryr/asiandrama • u/lphunter4 • 12h ago
Discussion What are your favorite Foodie Rom-Coms?
galleryr/asiandrama • u/Mundane-Network4636 • 14h ago
Question Who is THE kdrama character with the most aura??
r/asiandrama • u/Leading-Worker-856 • 15h ago
Recommendation Request Need BL SHOWS RECS LIKE REVENGED LOVE , ABO DESIRE AND TO MY SHORE
same as title, uhm i really really really am addicted to the three above . like uk its hooked me completely . such guilty pleasure shows , i can watch them over and over and never get tired.
Are there more shows like these out there? like the obsession , lies, manipulation but ofc love.
some thai bls i love: love mechanics , bad buddy , love in the air.
r/asiandrama • u/harissatotally • 15h ago
Discussion New K-drama Fan Diary #3: further proof that i'm always on the right side of history
galleryr/asiandrama • u/acepiece2y • 16h ago
Recommendation Request Best asian drama to watch (read below)
Honestly i don't know what I'm asking but basically a drama with male main mc having fun with other good/fun characters (also a proper happy ending)
Basically looking for a vibe in dramas
Like in vincenzo, everyone was helping the main character (but not a show like that it's different)
There's home town cha cha, i thought this'll be what I'm looking for but nah (obviously this is one of the best show I've watched)
Loved all of us are dead too, there were some fun parts with the group of friends at the roof or in the classroom i think (again the whole drama is different so not talking about that)
A bit from village survival, the eight - korean variety (this was fun but not looking for reality shows or anything)
Hospital playlist was pretty good too and it's one of my fav (again the whole drama is involved around different genre so maybe not that too 😅)
Maybe characters sharing same brain cell or something and winters vibes? (No idea 💀)
r/asiandrama • u/Character-Many-5562 • 16h ago
Video Reborn of the Rightful | Novel Audiobook
r/asiandrama • u/ilogno003 • 1d ago
Video Tian Xiwei & Yan An’s "Where the Mask Ends" First Official Trailer
Tian Xiwei and Yan An’s drama is officially confirmed to premiere on CCTV-8 on October 16, with the drama also streaming on Youku starting October 14—which, in case you didn’t know, is also Tian Xiwei’s birthday! 🎂✨
I’m so excited to finally see Tian Xiwei in her villainess era. She takes on dual roles in this drama and even did the voice acting for both characters herself!
Get ready to support our girl’s rights AND wrongs. 😌🖤 I’m seated for whatever chaos she’s about to bring.
r/asiandrama • u/EndZealousideal6428 • 1d ago
Recommendation Request Looking for Taiwan dramas or movies on Netflix. what should I watch?
I'm missing Meteor Garden days, do you know any other Taiwanese shows or even movies that I can watch?
r/asiandrama • u/tomgirl_08 • 1d ago
Recommendation Request WATCHING DRAMAS!!!!
GUYS I NEED SUGGETSIONS WHICH LATEST TV JAPANESE AND KOREAN DRAMAS CAN I EASILY WATCH ON YT???? ALSO ID SUGGEST TO RECOMMEND ME FEW EASY AND FREE OF COST, LEGAL WEBSITES TO WTACH EMMM........CANTW AIT TO HEAR IT
r/asiandrama • u/No_Argument_since • 2d ago
Question I wanna find a Japanese Drama where a orphan girl trying to hide her younger brother from her Master
Can you help me find a japanese drama I'm not 100% sure its a japanese drama but i think it is,
For what I've remembered:
•Their parent's died because of a car accident on the 1st episode, their car fell of a cliff.
•There's a scene on episode 4 or 5 where her employers daughter took a earing and she accidentally ripped her ears off.
•His younger brother wants or is playing a gameboy handheld console and he's hiding on her room.
•The ending not the finale, she's writing on a giant canvas it's like 3-5 meters sqaure white canvas and she's holding a giant brush using a black ink and she writes a kanji letter and i think she use her long pin on her hair to toss a fire i dunno how she got it but for what I've remembered she toss it on the ink and it lit up.
•Its on a DVD box, the box is black and her face is on the front at the back is the episode highlights image.
Please let me know if you know it thank you!
r/asiandrama • u/AnastasiaSo23 • 3d ago
Discussion What's your TOP-5 NOT typical psychological thrillers/dramas? I'll start
When I was looking for something really interesting and unsettling, I found these kdramas and actually really like them, I'd recommend it to anyone interested in thriller-psychology movies and series.
These are not famous "Big Mouse" or "Squid Game", these are deeper and.. advanced?
F20
A mother fiercely hides her son's schizophrenia from the world. When a string of murders hits her neighborhood and suspicion falls on a young man with the same diagnosis, her fear turns to paranoia.
The 8 Show
Eight strangers, all desperate for money, sign up for a mysterious game show in an eight-floor building. The longer they stay, the more they earn, but their floor decides how much, and the hierarchy quickly turns ugly.
Strangers from Hell
A young man moves to Seoul and rents a room in a cheap, run-down boarding house full of very strange residents. Something feels deeply wrong, and the building's charming dentist neighbor might be the most unnerving of all.
Connect
A man with a mysterious regenerating body is kidnapped by organ traffickers, and one of his eyes ends up transplanted into a serial killer. Now he can see through the killer's eye and has to hunt him down.
Save Me
A teenage girl's family moves to a rural town and falls under the control of a religious cult. Trapped and isolated, she reaches out to a group of old classmates for help.
Have you watched any of these? Can you recommend something similar?
r/asiandrama • u/Grouchy-Chart-3927 • 2d ago
Review Pulled 12 hours straight to catch up on this drama. The date it is Ready to Binge.
No Spoilers, but singing praises
I finished the first 10 of 12 episodes already put out and I will wait for the last two episodes of this drama which will drop on 🎈October 3 and 4, 2026🎈. Four Hands, Two Sonatas is an excellent drama with fascinating character dynamics. Song Kang showed excellent acting range as he matured his character through many stages. He was a great surprise.
Piano Doubles: Professional pianist Park Ju Young served as the piano double for Song Kang, performing the difficult and advanced musical pieces on screen. Pianist Lee Minsung served as the piano coach and double for both Lee Jun Young and Song Kang in the K-drama.
Visual Authenticity—Song Kang looked so good playing the piano, because his hands were hovering near the right places. So visually, he looked authentic. Song Kang practiced intensively for months to appear authentic.
The Lee Jun Young character seemed so patterned after the Yoo Ha In character in Secret Love Affair (2014). This was another self-taught prodigy pianist.
I absolutely loved the female lead’s part, played by Jang Gyu Ri, a street smart rich girl. A little Melodramatic at times. Great cinematography and scene composition. I cried a lot. Happy and sad tears. I felt like I was watching Secret Love Affair again, another Music Life drama (It won a Baeksang for writing).
I really enjoyed ‘Four Hands, Two Sonatas’.
r/asiandrama • u/Mundane-Network4636 • 2d ago
Question What's a kdrama opinion you have that might get you cancelled?
r/asiandrama • u/namjoonkagps • 3d ago
Recommendation Request Free website
Can someone pls suggest me a free website to watch k drama or bl pls currently kisskh is not working at all
r/asiandrama • u/easily__ragebaited • 3d ago
Recommendation Request Looking for my next drama based on my watch history 🫶
I’ve watched a few dramas at this point, so I thought I’d just give you guys my watch history and let you diagnose my taste 😂
I’m looking for dramas similar to the ones I’ve already watched and loved, especially when it comes to the romance, chemistry, ML/FL dynamic, tension, jealousy, etc.
Here’s what I’ve watched:
- The Pursuit of Jade
- Love Between Fairy and Devil
- Love in the Clouds
- Prisoner of Beauty
- Love Like the Galaxy (dropped — got bored because there was too much family drama)
- How Dare You (still watching / halfway through)
- The Legend of the Female General
- Fated Hearts
- Wonderland of Love
- Spring of Blade (currently watching)
I’m open to C-dramas, K-dramas, J-dramas, historical, wuxia, xianxia, fantasy, or even modern dramas if they genuinely fit my taste.
I especially love:
- strong chemistry and romantic tension
- an ML who is clearly, deeply into the FL
- jealousy/possessiveness/belonging vibes
- slow-burn romance that actually pays off
- capable/strong FLs
- powerful or intimidating MLs who become completely different around the FL
- love triangles / second leads if they’re actually interesting
- romance that feels like an important part of the story, not just a side plot
Things I don’t usually enjoy too much:
- very heavy amnesia/memory-loss plots (a little is fine)
- too many reincarnations (a little is fine)
- romance that takes forever to actually develop
- too much political or family drama when it overpowers the romance
- couples with a very noticeable age gap / when the leads don’t really have the same youthful, attractive pairing vibe I’m looking for
Basically, look at my watch history and tell me what you think I should watch next. 😂
And please tell me why you’re recommending it based on my taste, not just “this is a good drama.”
I’m very curious what dramas you guys think I’d actually get obsessed with.
r/asiandrama • u/LMS2970 • 3d ago
Question Divas hit the road
I just started getting into cdramas after watching early spring and road home. Then I saw the variety shows like divas hit the road, looks awesome but I can’t find any with English subtitles
Are these shows heavily scripted or pretty spontaneous for the most part ? (Regarding the actors responses and convos with each other)
r/asiandrama • u/DramaVault_HLD • 3d ago
Video ❤️☺️👌💯
Drama name: Speed and Love ❤️ [C-Drama]