Television series
Extraordinary You
A Korean romantic fantasy where a high-schooler discovers she's a supporting character in a manga world, trapped in a predetermined story. She rebels against her scripted role to forge her own destiny and win the love of a fellow character who's also aware of the fiction. Playful, occasionally profound, perfect for anyone who loves romance with a metafictional twist.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you enjoy romantic comedies that play with meta-fiction, where a clever premise about fate and storylines gives a warm, bubbly romance real emotional stakes.
Skip it if you want a slow-burn, grounded romance; this one runs on bright, hyperactive energy and a lot of cheerful melodrama that some viewers find exhausting over 32 episodes.
What it asks of you: Thirty-two episodes of about 35 minutes each, so a real commitment, but the rhythm is quick and playful, with lighter scenes that make the length go by easily.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
My Love from the Star2013
A time-displaced alien falls for an actress while navigating modern Seoul. It has that same blend of fantasy logic, wry humour, and genuine swoon that makes Extraordinary You so addictive. The chemistry crackles.
But Slower pacing in the middle episodes, and the sci-fi elements sometimes feel decorative rather than essential to the romance.
Doom at Your Service2021
A woman accidentally curses a man to be the embodiment of doom, forcing them to navigate chaos together. Both shows use surreal premises to explore what it means to choose your own story, with the same generous emotional heart.
But The plot becomes increasingly convoluted, and some viewers find the second half loses the spark of the first.
Alchemy of Souls2022
A warrior with transferred powers joins a mage academy in a gorgeously built fantasy world. Like Extraordinary You, it's about people rewriting their predetermined fates, with excellent chemistry and a mythology that actually matters.
But Fantasy worldbuilding can overwhelm character moments, especially in season two. Requires patience with exposition.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Extraordinary You
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica2011
Both use genre tropes as the literal trap—the story itself is the prison, and love is the escape route.
A magical-girl anime that weaponises its own genre conventions against you, revealing the girls' true roles in a cosmic story they didn't consent to. It shares Extraordinary You's core DNA: characters discovering they're trapped in a narrative and fighting back against their author's intentions.
But Anime isn't everyone's format, and this show's tone darkens dramatically past the cheerful setup. Some find the ending philosophically challenging rather than cathartic.
More like this (8)
Abyss2019
A woman is resurrected by a grim reaper with amnesia, only to discover the truth about who she really was. Dark where Extraordinary You is whimsical, but shares that core obsession with identity and the possibility of living differently.
But Genuinely bleak in places. The tonal shifts between romance and horror don't quite gel for everyone.
The Uncanny Counter2020
Ordinary people discover they're secretly supernatural agents in a hidden war. It has that same pleasure in characters learning they're part of something bigger than themselves, with excellent ensemble chemistry.
But Leans heavily into action sequences that some find repetitive; the romance is secondary, which may disappoint if that's your draw.
One Spring Night2019
A cautious pharmacist and a single father fall for each other amid family pressure. Restrained, adult, and quietly moving. It shares Extraordinary You's faith in genuine emotional connection mattering more than external circumstance.
But Deliberately slow and understated. If you want plot momentum and spectacle, you'll find this contemplative.
Tale of the Nine Tailed2020
A gumiho and a reporter uncover supernatural mysteries in modern Seoul. Atmospheric and gorgeous, with that same balance of romance, fantasy logic, and characters fighting against predetermined danger.
But The mythology can feel scattered, and some threads resolve unsatisfyingly. Relies heavily on mood over plot clarity.
The School Nurse Files2020
A nurse discovers a school harbours supernatural creatures only she can see, then recruits a student to help. Visually inventive and tonally quirky, it shares Extraordinary You's willingness to be weird in service of emotional truth.
But The tone lurches between horror-comedy and earnest drama; some find this tonal whiplash jarring rather than charming.
Boys over Flowers2009
A washed-up actor gets one last shot at connection and career through a second-chance romance. Scrappier and less polished than Extraordinary You, but with real tenderness about people reshaping their stories.
But Rough production values and an ensemble cast means less screen time for romance. Pacing is uneven by modern standards.
The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun2021
Both are about living poetically within imposed structures—one learns to break free, the other makes art from the constraint itself.
Wes Anderson's love letter to journalism told in vignettes from a fictional European city. It's a story about people who refuse to follow their assigned narratives, gorgeously composed, with a romantic melancholy that echoes through Extraordinary You's DNA—characters choosing connection over convention.
But Anderson's aesthetic is aggressively stylised and mannered. If you find him precious or overrated, this will confirm it. Plot is subordinate to mood.
Los Espookys2019
Both celebrate characters who treat reality as a screenplay they're allowed to edit, using fantasy logic to escape social roles that never fit.
A bilingual surrealist comedy series about friends staging elaborate horror pranks in Latin America. It has Extraordinary You's same anarchic energy about rewriting reality through sheer conviction, with the same tenderness toward misfits who make their own rules and fall in love along the way.
But Entirely in Spanish with English subtitles, and deliberately absurdist rather than plot-driven. Its humour is deadpan and oblique; jokes land sideways, not head-on.
People
Cast
Recommended by
My ID Is Gangnam Beauty, My Girlfriend is a Gumiho, Doom at Your Service, You're Beautiful, Lovely Runner, Put Your Head on My Shoulder, Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol, Dream High, A-Teen