Best Romantic Asian Flicks to Stream While ‘Working’ Remote

Apr 10, 2020 | AA, Asia, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, POP

The quarantine can leave even the best of us feeling lonely and bored. So now is the perfect time to dip your toes into amazing Asian romantic films available on Amazon Prime and Netflix. Here are some suggestions. 

If you still haven’t watched Korean movies yet, you’re missing out on so many levels. These romantic movies and dramas have become a worldwide phenomenon. But with the massive increase of movies on streaming sites like Netflix and Amazon Prime, it’s challenging to find the best ones that cut through the noise. If you don’t know where to start, we’ve gathered a number of good ole’ classics for you. Get ready for a serious binge session.

My Sassy Girl

Any Korean movie fan will tell you it’s a mortal sin to skip this. Offering you an amazing mix of drama, romance, and comedy, this film became an international sensation that has been widely imitated since its release. The love story starts after Kyun-woo meets a drunk girl on the subway. But unlike other prim and proper female leads, she projectile vomits on another passenger before she passes out. The two embark on a roller coaster ride or adventures and misadventures after.

Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong

Beautiful girl meets expat in one of the busiest cities in Asia? Sign me up. If you’re in the mood for light viewing, look up Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong. Made by first-time director Emily Ting, the film clearly draws influence from Before Sunrise. It stars Jamie Chung, who plays Ruby, a toy designer who goes to Hong Kong for a business trip, and Josh, an expat who has been calling Hong Kong his home for a decade. 

After their memorable first run-in, the two meet each other again a year after. Times have changed, but can they pick it up right where they left off?

My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday

This film based in a best-selling novel has all the possibilities of a romantic comedy, but it transcends from that. In this movie, two young lovers, Takatoshi and Emi, meet and fall in love with each other. Uncommon plot right? Not so much. The film seems normal until Takatoshi finds Emi’s journal and reads it. There, she writes down everything that has happened in their relationship from future to past!

Norwegian Wood

If you’re a true hopeless romantic, chances are, you’ve read Haruki Murakami’s classic novel Norwegian Wood. The film adaptation of this movie is equally heartbreaking and would be appreciated by film buffs who love indie genres. This coming-of-age movie follows two leads who suffer from depression whose love is so perfect it must be destined to end.

Always Be My Maybe

It would be a sin to leave out Netflix’s classic rom-com Always Be My Maybe in this list. The film follows the usual plot – boy meets childhood sweetheart years after their relationship ended. But when the two adults reunite, it’s all fireworks and laughter. This Asian-American love story stars Ali Wong and Randall Park. It offers a great look at how two people who have contrasting lives can fall in love. Oh, did we mention Keanu Reeves makes a cameo in this film? More reasons to watch it.

My Holo Love

My Holo Love is a series, but we’d like to make an exception for it. This love story is the perfect blend of fantasy, sci-fi, and romance – basically the lovechild of Her and Blade Runner 2049, with some crazy inclusions of fine Asian humor in between. It follows So-Yeon, a socially awkward woman who finds it hard to recognize faces. She works as a beta-tester for a hologram named Holo, who becomes her perfect boyfriend. It would be a perfect love story if he wasn’t a series of ones and zeroes.