Shows to Make You Cry

Sometimes you are in need of a good cry, so I’ve gathered three shows and one short film that I can (almost) guarantee will make you shed a few tears. Other than the obvious spoiler that these shows have moments that can make you cry, I will be as surface level as possible so as to not take away the impact of these shows. 

Journey to the Shore (2020)

This is a Korean short film lasting 30 minutes, but boy does it pack a punch. The story centers around two boys, Min Ha and Sang Beom, who go to the beach to celebrate their 100-day anniversary. I am reluctant to say anything else about this film, as a blind watch is certainly the way to go. I held my own during my watch, but later that night when I was doing dishes and ‘The One That Got Away’ by Katy Perry started playing I was a sobbing mess. A 9/10 from me.

HIStory3: Make Our Days Count (2019)

A Taiwanese high school drama spanning 10 episodes that put me through the ringer. The show depicts the story of Xiang Hao Ting and Yu Xi Gu, two high schoolers that couldn’t be more different. Hao Ting is loud, popular and at times definitely obnoxious, whereas Xi Gu is a quiet and studious scholarship student. Starting off on the wrong foot, the two of them soon grow closer as the story progresses. I have issues with this show, (mainly due to the side couple and might do a deep dive of it at some point) but what really sells it, is the performances of Wayne Song who plays Hao Ting and Huang Chun Chih who plays Xi Gu. They carry the show and without them it wouldn’t have been able to make such an impact. 

(When I a year later watched ‘Life: Love on the Line’ a Japanese drama from 2020 - which has absolutely nothing to do with ‘HIStory3: Make Our Days Count’ - I was gobsmacked to see a cameo from Wayne Song and Huang Chun Chih. They are there so briefly that you might miss them, but that small glimpse of Hao Ting and Xi Gu together impacted me more than I would have thought). 

I rated this show 6.5/10 which I know is not a lot, but that was mainly due to the side plot and the pacing. I have since gone back and rewatched it multiple times and I would still recommend it.

Pluto (2024-2025)

‘Pluto’ is a Thai GL drama that spans 12 episodes, and tells the story of Ai-oon who, on the request of her twin sister Oaboon, impersonates Oaboon to end Oaboon’s affair with a woman named May. Ai-oon is reluctant, but after Oaboon gets in a car accident on her wedding day, Ai-oon goes to break it off with May as Oaboon, in hopes of finding out whether May had something to do with the car wreck. This plot is a tad bit convoluted to write down, but watching the show it feels a lot less confusing so don’t let the premise scare you away. 

This show got me multiple times, mainly due to the performances of "Namtan" Tipnaree Weerawatnodom who plays Ai-oon and Oaboon and “Film” Rachanun Mahawan who plays May. ‘Pluto’ will make you fall in love with its characters, laugh with them and (of course) cry with them. It is one of my favorite GL’s, the only criticism I have is my dislike of the side couple which leads my rating to by 8.5/10.  

The Loyal Pin (2024)

A 16-episode Thai drama set in the 1950s about two princesses who fall in love. Need I say more? I usually stay away from historical BL/GL dramas because I just know it will make me cry, and when it came to ‘The Loyal Pin’ I was certainly right. However, ‘The Loyal Pin’ is not a sob fest, it is sweet, spicy and very funny at times, so when the moments of pain befalls our main characters they hit so much more. A solid 9/10 from me.

These are my recommendations of shows (and a short film) to make you cry, so prepare the tissues if you decide to give any of them a shot. I might do another one of these lists as there certainly are more which fit into this category.