Cover From ‘Love Through the Mist’ to ‘Cinta Ori’, here are other Asian microdramas worth watching (Photo: iQIYI)
From ‘Love Through the Mist’ to ‘Cinta Ori’, here are other Asian microdramas worth watching (Photo: iQIYI)
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From secret romances and supernatural revenge to a time-travelling chef and a train that refuses to stop, these Asian microdramas, including ‘Love Through the Mist’, deliver big emotions in bite-sized episodes
If Love Through the Mist has appeared on your feed, you have already encountered one of the internet’s most addictive new formats. Microdramas pack romance, revenge and cliffhangers into short episodes designed primarily for smartphone viewing—often ending just as the story gets interesting.
China helped turn the format into a major entertainment business. Known as duanju, or short dramas, microdramas surged in popularity through platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishou. By June 2024, China had nearly 600 million microdrama viewers, representing 52.4 per cent of its internet users. The industry’s domestic market was projected to reach 50.44 billion yuan that year, surpassing China’s box-office revenue.
Its obsessive appeal is straightforward: episodes get to the point quickly, emotional stakes arrive early and cliffhangers make it tempting to watch the next instalment. Now, as Chinese short-drama apps reach international audiences, producers across Asia are adapting the format for their own markets, from Korean romances and Thai boys’ love stories to Malaysian comedies and Japanese suspense.
Here are eight Asian microdramas, including Love Through the Mist, to explore, starting with the title that may already have caught your attention.
See more: 9 must-watch Chinese micro-dramas to binge-watch in minutes
‘Love Through the Mist’
Above Seven years after a secret romance ended, an unexpected hospital encounter brings former lovers face to face—with a family secret between them (Photo: FreeReels)
Seven years after a secret romance ended, an unexpected hospital encounter brings former lovers face to face—with a family secret between them (Photo: FreeReels)
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Scarlett Nelson takes her daughter to hospital and unexpectedly runs into Ethan Mitchell, the former boyfriend she left years earlier. Their relationship had been secret, and after giving birth to twins, Scarlett left with only one child. Seven years later, Ethan recognises her and pursues a reunion.
The premise is familiar second-chance romance territory, but that is part of the appeal. With 67 episodes listed on FreeReels, Love Through the Mist packs separation, hidden family ties and the prospect of reconciliation into a short-drama format designed to keep viewers clicking through to the next instalment.
Where to watch: FreeReels (availability may vary by region) and Daily Motion
‘The Fox Scandal in Kyungsung’ (South Korea, 2026)
Above An heiress turns to the heir of a rival clan to reclaim her legacy, only to find herself falling for the man she intended to use
Park Yunhee, heiress to the Black Fox Clan, has endured years of abuse from her stepfather, who took control of her family’s legacy. When she meets Kim Tae-oh, the carefree heir to the White Fox Clan, she decides to use his affection as part of her revenge. His devotion gradually complicates her plans, turning a calculated alliance into an unexpected romance.
Starring Kim Han Young and Jin Sien, The Fox Scandal in Kyungsung combines romance, revenge and clan politics in a compact format. It was among the productions nominated in the inaugural Best Micro-Drama category at the 2026 Asian Academy Creative Awards, making it a useful example of how the format is expanding beyond Chinese-language productions.
‘The Flavour of Love’ / ‘Cinta Ori’ (Malaysia, 2026)
Above An instant-noodle livestream goes viral, opening up a business opportunity and bringing an old love back into the picture
An unemployed graduate finds herself unexpectedly popular after a livestream involving instant noodles catches the internet’s attention. The newfound visibility creates a business opportunity and reunites her with an old love, setting the stage for a romantic comedy about ambition, relationships and the unpredictable nature of going viral.
Starring Siti Khadijah Halim, Ikmal Amry and Hana Tiha, Cinta Ori was directed by Faliq Sharif and produced by Creative Stew. It premiered on Viu Malaysia on 1 April 2026. Its premise feels distinctly contemporary: an everyday food habit becomes a potential career breakthrough, while the romance offers another reason to follow the story.
The series is also Malaysia’s entry for the inaugural Best Micro-Drama category at the 2026 Asian Academy Creative Awards this December.
Where to watch: Viu Malaysia, including its YouTube
‘Deadline’ (India, 2026)
Above A man is told he has just 72 hours to live—and must decide what to do with the time he has left
Dev encounters Yamraj, the Hindu god of death, at a tea stall and receives a brutal deadline: he has only 72 hours left. The news sends him on a race against time to make amends and confront the relationships and choices he has taken for granted. His love interest Riya and a close confidant accompany him as the clock ticks down.
Produced by Cam Pictures and released through the BULLET Microdrama app, Deadline uses a ticking clock to create immediate stakes. Its premise also gives the short-drama format a different flavour from the secret-billionaire romances and revenge plots common across the category.
Like Cinta Ori, the series was named National Winner for Best Micro-Drama, representing India at the 2026 Asian Academy Creative Awards.
Where to watch: BULLET Microdrama app and social media platforms
‘The Missing Train’ (Japan, 2025)
Above The train will not stop, its doors will not open and a passenger disappears whenever a mysterious bell rings (Photo: Baidu)
The train will not stop, its doors will not open and a passenger disappears whenever a mysterious bell rings (Photo: Baidu)
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Bank employee Oda Akemi is travelling home when fellow passenger Imamoto Yusaku notices that something is wrong. The train passes a station where it should have stopped, and the doors between carriages will not open. Then the lights go out. A bell rings—and one passenger vanishes.
The first original horror-suspense series from Fuji Television’s FOD SHORT platform, The Missing Train turns a familiar commuter journey into a claustrophobic mystery. The passengers are trapped together, each carrying something they would rather keep hidden, while the train’s destination remains unknown. Its confined setting suits short-form suspense: each new disappearance offers another question and another reason to keep watching.
The series won Silver in the Best Microdrama Series Made in Asia category at the 2026 ContentAsia Awards. That recognition makes it a compelling choice for viewers who want to explore microdramas beyond romance.
Where to watch: FOD SHORT, Fuji Television’s vertical-drama platform
‘Tutoring My Enemy’ (Thailand, 2026)
Above A school rival is forced to tutor his nemesis—a job that becomes more complicated as hostility gives way to attraction
Push needs money to support his family, so he takes on an off-campus job. After a difficult encounter, he is kidnapped by a gang leader and ordered to tutor the man’s son. On arriving, Push discovers that his new student is James, his sworn enemy at school.
Starring Forth Kashane Pichetsopon and Donut Suppawit Thongyuen, Tutoring My Enemy is a Thai boys’ love microdrama built around enemies-to-lovers tension and forced proximity. Its 50 short episodes make it a natural fit for viewers who enjoy the heightened emotions and relationship dynamics associated with the BL genre.
The plot is deliberately outrageous, but the central romantic question is pretty simple: what happens when two people who cannot stand each other are given no choice but to spend time together?
Where to watch: iQIYI
See more: From rivals to soulmates: 9 high-chemistry Thai BL and GL dramas where sparks fly through friction
‘Woke Up in the 60s in My Grandma’s Apron’ (Singapore, 2025)
Above A young chef from 2025 is transported to the 1960s and wakes up in the body of her future grandmother, working in the family’s Teochew restaurant
Regene Lim stars as a young chef whose life takes an unexpected turn when she is transported back to the 1960s. She wakes up in the body of her future grandmother, a dishwasher in the family’s Teochew restaurant, and must navigate a past that is both unfamiliar and intimately connected to her own family history.
The time-travel premise gives the series room to explore food, family and generational differences. It also brings a Singaporean setting and Teochew culinary traditions into a format often associated with heightened romantic melodrama.
Produced by Threesixzero Productions, the series won Gold for Best Microdrama Series Made in Asia at the 2026 ContentAsia Awards. It also won Best Microdrama at Singapore’s Star Awards 2026. Just like Love Through the Mist, it is one of the most compelling choices for a region-based microdrama list: a locally rooted story that has received industry recognition.
Where to watch: Mediacorp’s YouTube
‘Bring It On!’ (Singapore, 2026)
Above A young woman faces the everyday pressures of adulthood in a short-form drama about self-doubt, responsibility and finding her place in the world
Bring It On! follows Ouyang Cai as she navigates the uncertainties of young adulthood, from managing responsibilities to finding confidence and working out where she belongs. Rather than presenting success as an easy climb, the series follows the challenges and setbacks that shape her journey, with family and companionship playing important roles.
Fascinatingly, Mediacorp and WaWa Pictures created the 20-episode series as part of a Lunar New Year campaign for traditional Chinese medicine brand Eu Yan Sang. These days, microdramas are not limited to fictional romances or suspense series. Broadcasters and brands are also using the format to tell character-led stories across multiple instalments.
The series is nominated in the Best Microdrama Series Made in Asia category at the 2026 ContentAsia Awards. Its everyday subject matter offers a counterpoint to the more sensational hooks elsewhere on this list.
Where to watch: Mediacorp’s YouTube
See more: 9 must-watch coming-of-age C-dramas that will make you cry
Sasha Lim Uy Mariposa is a lifestyle journalist who is known for her food writing. Based in Manila and currently a marketing content specialist, she still dabbles in entertainment, beauty and dining coverage. She was the former managing editor of Esquire Philippines and was the food editor at SPOT.ph. She also edited several best-selling books about food.
She now writes for the different Tatler Asia markets as a contributing writer for T-Labs.
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