About
About ProperShort
ProperShort is an independent editorial site about vertical short dramas — the 60-to-120 episode, 90-seconds-per-episode series that run on apps like ReelShort, DramaBox, ShortMax, GoodShort, FlexTV, NetShort. We publish reviews, ranked shortlists, explainers and a structured database of every series we track, plus free tools that answer the question the apps go out of their way to avoid: what is this actually going to cost me?
Why this site exists
Short drama is one of the fastest-growing entertainment formats in the English-speaking world and one of the least documented. The apps sell episodes in coins, sell coins in uneven bundles, and never show a total. Series appear under different names on different platforms. Nothing tells you whether a show is finished or has been stalled for eight months.
We built a database to answer those questions, then built tools on top of it. Every number in an article comes from the same database that powers thecalculator, so our writing and our tools cannot contradict each other.
What we cover
- Reviews — one series at a time, watched before we write about it.
- Rankings — shortlists built from stated, checkable selection rules.
- Guides — how coins, apps, subscriptions and tropes actually work.
- New releases — what landed, on which app, with official links.
- The database — 1197 series and counting, each with episode count, runtime, platform and unlock cost.
What we will not do
- We do not host or embed pirated video. We link only to the platform that licenses a series. No mirrors, no re-uploads, no aggregators.
- We do not reproduce official posters, stills or promotional copy. The artwork on our series pages is generated abstractly from the title. Synopses are written by us, not copied from the app.
- We do not review series we have not watched. If a page is based on publicly listed metadata rather than a full watch-through, it says so.
- We do not take payment for coverage. No paid reviews, no paid placement in a ranking, no sponsored "best of" entries.
Who writes and edits here
Ethan James Carter Senior Editor
Story structure, narrative pacing and plot logic
Ethan James Carter is a senior editor at ProperShort. He is sharp-minded and logical, and good at dissecting plot logic and character motives. He focuses on story structure, narrative rhythm and the logical holes short dramas leave behind. His reviews are objective and rational, and he tends to judge a series the way a script editor would — by what the writing sets up and whether it pays it off.
Lucas Oliver Hayes Editor
Commercial positioning, market trends and which tropes are actually selling
Lucas Oliver Hayes is an experienced short-drama review editor. He specialises in the commercial positioning and market movement of the format — which tropes are climbing, which audiences they are aimed at, and what that says about where the category is going. His articles pair data observation with his own viewing, and he writes plainly: no jargon, no hype, and a number wherever a number is available.
Every page here is signed by the person who checked it. A Reviewed by credit means that editor read the piece end to end and checked its facts and links — it is never applied automatically or in bulk, which is why some pages on this site still sayNot yet reviewed rather than carrying a name they have not earned.
Independence
We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any short drama platform, studio or distributor. All series titles and app names belong to their respective owners and are used here for identification and commentary.
How we are funded
This site does not currently carry advertising. When it does, it will be clearly labelled and separated from editorial content, advertisers will have no input into what we cover or how we rank anything, and this page and our privacy policy will be updated to say so.
Corrections
Prices change, series get pulled, episode counts get revised. If something here is wrong, write to [email protected] and we will fix it and note the change. Our editorial policy sets out how we research, review and correct what we publish.
Contact
General enquiries: [email protected]. More ways to reach us on the contact page.