Some Cross Dressing Romance Drama to Taste

Ah, gender-benders. These kinds of drama come with their own brand of humour, hijinks, and their own approach to romance. It would be a lie to say they belong to the best sub-genre of romance - everyone has their preferences - but cross dressing romances are a close favourite of mine and today I want to share a few.

Despite not being to my taste, Coffee Prince was a hit and arguably one of Gong Yoo's better projects (watch Biscuit Teacher Star Candy for my favourite performance of his). It co-stars Yoon Eun-hye as an androgynous girl who pretends to be male in order to get work, and happens to stumble upon Gong Yoo's new coffee shop. Did I mention they only hire male employees? Thus, the antics begin! The tone was often a  little too much for me, but I can admit the show was very well cast and there were some fantastic moments of comedy and friendship. Honestly, it's been a long time since I watched this, and there's a lot I don't remember, so it would be safer to test it out rather than read what I have to say.

Ma Boy pulled an interesting reversal - the boy was the cross dresser! Ma Boy stars child actress Kim So-hyun in her first leading role against charming newcomer Kim Sun-woong in this three-episode mini-series. A girl transfers to a school for those pursuing careers in the performing arts after recovering from leukaemia, and there she discovers her model roommate Irene isn't quite as female as she first thought. Thus, the antics begin! I feel like the storyline could have been more satisfying in places, but overall I thought this was an outrageously funny and cute show. It wouldn't have been almost as good if it were sixteen episodes long, I'm sure.

Ouran High School Host Club was bizarre. It was definitely more suited to the manga/anime format. Regardless, it deserves a mention on this list. The main character Haruhi is a student who attends the prestigious Ouran high school on scholarship, where she is recruited to join the Host Club. These boys live to make school more interesting, and Haruhi soon finds out that none of them are quite normal. They also soon discover that she's a girl - after the entire student body has already misunderstood. There's no turning back. Thus, the antics begin! Yamamoto Yusuke, as usual, steals the show, and I also found Haruhi's personality refreshing. Again, it's a little too vibrant and animated to suit the drama format, but it's thoroughly entertaining.

Sungkyunkwan Scandal is a fusion-sageuk set about 300 years ago, and yet it manages to be fun and addictive. With a stellar cast, Sungkyunkwan Scandal is about Korea's most well-known university and the scholars within, one of whom is a woman in disguise. She had always felt the massive disadvantages women had in their oppressive society, and so she dressed as a man so she could work and learn freely. Sungkyunkwan Scandal focuses less on the comedic side of gender-bender romances, and more on the growth the four characters on the left undergo, the way they uniquely mature and change. The cast and writing are great, the bromance is bountiful, and although I personally didn't like the ending I thought it passed as a fairly solid drama.

Moonlight Drawn by Clouds, similarly to Sungkyunkwan Scandal, is set in the Joseon era and follows the life of cross dressing girl Hong Ra-on, who gives out love advice. She has a brief meeting with prince Yi Yeong (not that she realises), although misunderstandings leave them both eager to never meet again. However fate brings them together when those whom Ra-on owe money to sell her to the palace as an eunuch. Thus, the antics begin! Yeong and Ra-on become close friends and later begin a romance which could be destructive for both of them, especially since Ra-on's father led a rebellion against the royal family many years ago. Moonlight Drawn by Clouds was endlessly clever and thoughtful, with an adorable central romance. Park Bo-gum and Kim Yoo-jung killed it as they always do, and although I though the last few episodes let down what was a perfect show in my mind previously, I still left it awed. 

Hanazakari no Kimitachi e, or For You in Full Blossom, is a drama I will never run out of praise for. You can just read my review if you want to hear all the happy things I have to say about it. Maki Horikita, Shun Ogiri and Toma Ikuta are just a few names in the all-star cast. After causing an injury to high-jump athlete Sano Izumi which makes him decide to stop jumping, American-born Japanese girl Mizuki hops on a plane and infiltrates Sano's school to convince him he should jump again. Only one problem - it's an all-boy's school. Thus, the antics begin! A cheerful show with little to no plot but plenty of comedy, Hana Kimi is a great pick up when you're feeling down. It never becomes overly serious, and it has an infectious energy which makes youth look like an envious thing. I don't think it'll ever shift from being one of my all-time favourites. There is a Korean adaptation, but I couldn't watch five minutes without gagging, so this is the one I recommend.

You're Beautiful was my second Korean drama, a show which expertly balances comedy with tension and was written by the legendary romance-queens, the Hong Sisters. Starring Park Shin-hye before she got famous (with the worst hairstyle ever), You're beautiful is about an innocent young woman aspiring to be a nun, who is roped into pretending to be her twin brother so his dream of becoming a singer can be secured whilst he recovers in the USA after a botched plastic surgery. She signs a contract which makes her the fourth member of popular boy band A.N.JELL. She's not very convincing, though, since two out three members discover her secret immediately. Thus, the antics begin! Fluffy and sweet, You're beautiful is effectively cotton candy. Jang Geun-suk is charming even when he plays an endlessly arrogant character, and there's enough eye candy to satisfy a thousand fan girls. No wonder it's become a cult classic.