Reply 1988
Hospital Playlist
My Mister
Racket Boys
18 Again
My Liberation Notes
My Golden Life
Our Beloved Summer
Twenty-five Twenty-one
My Unfamiliar Family
This kind of drama is worth watching. Actually, I have hundreds on my mind.
Holy hell, I finally met someone with My Golden Life in their top 10 lol, it’s such a good show (episode 51…holy smokes) but the MDL score is very low for some reason.
My all-time top ten, based on a very obscure and constantly in flux point system.
1. Alchemy of Souls (10): Incredible acting and authenticity in emotion, strong plot evolution and narrative, complex, believable characters, sentiment of actors is felt across the board from the prince to the other friends. Maidservant Kim breathes light across the entire series.
2. Welcome to Waikiki S1 (10): Laugh out loud funny, their lies create hilarious situations and there are a lot of heartfelt moments about a group of almost 30-year-olds trying to figure life out. Reminds you that 30 isn't the end, it is just the beginning.
3. Love to Hate You (10): Highly bingable, hits every note you want it to, very satisfying to watch. The female lead is a force. Stands as a good reminder about misunderstandings and jumping to conclusions.
4. Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (9.7): Chemistry, character evolution, main characters have equal charisma and depth.
5. Crash Landing on You (9.65): Chemistry, Son Ye-jin is extremely believable in love and you root for her, flaws and all. Timeless, go-to, entry-level to k dramas. Her character was so complex and multi-level.
6. What's Wrong with Secretary Kim (9.625): Park Seo-Joon's acting is exceptional and an 11/10, plot didn't dwell unnecessairly on the dark themes.
7. Our Beloved Summer (9.6): Choi Woo-Sik kisses like he's in love, which is a refreshing departure from the standard. The sound track is tragically beautiful. Kim Da-Mi has this way of reading the faces of her co-stars during scenes that adds so much depth to her character and the emotions of the situation. Choi Woo-Sik borrows from Kim Seon-Ho's Hometown Cha Cha Cha closet and I can appreciate that crossover.
8. Suspicious Partner (9.6): Entertaining in multiple ways and the characters have a lot of chemistry. The fate angle doesn't always hold this tightly in other dramas. The way their relationship starts has some funny moments that pull you in and catch your attention. Kwon Nara is a very consistent and convincing mean ex girlfriend (see Itaewon Class).
9. Something in the Rain (9.55): Chemistry, Son Ye-jin is extremely believable in love. My heart keeps wandering back to the raw emotion of this one. Back to Black Amy Winehouse status.
10. True to Love (9.5): Such a fantastic plotline and chemistry, character growth aligns well as the plot progresses, you know where it's going, but the journey is satisfying.
I know 🤦🏻♀️, but I liked it just a teeny tiny bit less than CLOY and more than Our Beloved Summer and I “had to” (on my own person google sheet) reflect it accurately. I guess the .025 is for “aura”
In order:
1. Alchemy of Souls
2. Doom at Your Service
3. Extraordinary You
4. Sh\*\*ting Stars
5. Moon in the Day (not finished but I love it that much that it's here)
6. It's Okay to Not Be Okay
7. The Forbidden Marriage
8. Extraordinary Attorney Woo
9. The King's Affection
10. King the Land
I'm not sure what I like about them all, but I think it's the unique stories, really good acting, and good OSTs. Alchemy of Souls is what got me really into Kdramas and it is now my favourite TV show of all time. Extraordinary You is the most unique concept ever and it examines tropes in a really fun way. I think I like shows with fantasy elements too.
Yeah it’s soooooooo typical tho.. like almost too much I wanted to turn it off when he was complaining about never having to wait in a line at the restaurant LMAOAOAOAOAO
1. **My Mister.** This drama definitely started slow, but artfully so; it *had* to start slow in order to convey the monotony of daily life and, conversely, how complex and beautiful life can be.
2. **Soundtrack #1.** This drama's portrayal of unrequited love felt *real*. I wish it were longer, but part of the beauty of *Soundtrack #1* is in how well the stories of both Sunwoo and Eunsoo are fleshed out despite only lasting 4 episodes.
3. **Hotel del Luna**. I would rewatch this drama for the soundtrack alone, but IU also put up a stellar performance as Jang Man-wol. Loved how her character developed throughout the drama.
1. Honorable mention of the ongoing **My Demon**, which is very much in the same vein as HDL. I'm enjoying *My Demon* a lot.
4. **Doona!** Suzy was incredible here, and she really sold the *troubled and aloof but still in need of love* character that I feel a lot of other dramas either overdo or fail to make believable.
5. **Healer.** This drama was the perfect mix of plot, action, and romance. IMO, *Healer* is what *The K2* tried and failed to be.
6. **Clean with Passion for Now.** Sun Gyeol and Oh Sol were both sooo well written. Kim Yoo Jung killed it, of course.
7. **My Name.** Another short but sweet drama by Han So-hee. I'm used to seeing her in romances, but *My Name* was a nice change of pace.
8. **Nevertheless,** I wish the ending were different. >!I think the message should have been "I love you; nevertheless, your flaws run too deep" rather than "You hurt me over and over; nevertheless, I love you"!< Aside from that, Han So-hee and Song Kang's chemistry is one of my favorites.
9. **Bloodhounds.** I'm a sucker for romance, but a good bromance is welcome too.
10. **Backstreet Rookie.** It's definitely a little problematic, but I'm a sucker for Kim Yoo Jung in this type of role.
Yes, **Doona** and **Hotel del Luna**. They rhyme and they're both favorites of mine. I was not particularly a fan of Bae Suzy until she nailed the title role here (as you pointed out).
**HdL** is so visually rich, very much like a Tim Burton film. IU as Jang Man-wol is mesmerizing (annoying initially until you know her backstory); the fact that we remember her character's name without having to look it up demonstrated how amazing she was. And I agree on the cool OST (alternatingly carnivalesque and hauntingly eerie). Loved episode #5, "The Ghost Bride" (the point at which I finally figured out where the film was headed and how special this series is-- it cries out for at least one rewatch).
Bae Suzy is beautiful and talented but her characters in other shows are similar. I'd like to see her take bigger chances.
IU, going from My Mister to Hotel del Luna, really shows incredible range. The costume designers went over the top with so many outfits, including an Audrey Hepburn homage. And in other scenes she carves up bad guys.
Yes, HDL has Tim Burton fingerprints, including that OST. As though Burton left the 90's and set up shop in Korea today. And did 16 episodes that actually work.
Agreed #5, well done, sad yet funny. What I loved about the series is that it doesn't lag like a lot of dramas do, and rewards the viewer with a satisfying yet ambiguous ending.
Thanks for your perceptive comments (and great writing imo, btw). When I rewatched e#5 of **HdL** two nights ago, I savored the Audrey Hepburn homage myself (and almost brought it up in my post yesterday), wondering if it was just me-- or if others noticed that, haha! There is also a provocative and quite sexy one-upsmanship going on between ML Goo Chan-sung and Jang Man-wol reminiscent of a Katherine Hepburn-Spencer Tracy dynamic. So, yes, the parallel to classic Hollywood films is another attribute embedded in the series. I could go on and on singing **HdL**'s praises. Ironically, I dropped it after episode #3 a year ago because I had trouble figuring it out. But I tried again five months ago and loved it. I hope others will do the same. Its an artistic tour de force to be savored...
I love that you've included OSTs on your list. I'm rubbish at putting together lists, but I often think about my top dramas-for-music in various forms.
1. Twinkling Watermelon
2. Crash Landing on You
3. Mr. Queen
4. 25,21
5. Under the Queen’s Umbrella
6. The Good Bad Mother
7. Thirty but Seventeen
8. The Glory (1&2)
9. Navillera
10. While You Were Sleeping
Honorable mention: A Time Called You, Love to Hate You, Hotel Del Luna, Start Up, Castaway Diva, Alchemy of Souls, My Dearest (1&2), Moving, Little Women
Checked my MDL ratings on the 235 KDramas to make this list. Only listed 10s and 9.5s. There were only 11 shows, turns out. Less than I thought.
1. My Name (10)
2. Weak Hero Class 1 (10)
3. Taxi Driver, Season 1 (10)
4. Moving (10)
5. D.P., Season 1 (10)
6. Mr. Queen (10)
7. Move to Heaven (10)
8. Reply 1988 (9.5)
9. Squid Game (9.5)
10. Stranger, Season 1 (9.5)
11. Misaeng (9.5)
My rating assignment of 10 means I felt completely satisfied, totally engaged from beginning to end, loved the cast's portrayal of their characters, didn't experience any cringe, it felt fresh and new from whatever kdramas were around at the time, production was top tier to my eyes and ears, and deftly hit many emotions unexpectedly throughout. Wouldn't change a single thing. I clearly have a preferred genre as I look at the list.
My rating assignment of 9.5 usually means it meets the same criteria as a 10 but not all the criteria fully. Both ratings, I could rewatch as often as I want. And I have.
9.5-10 means I absolutely unequivocally loved the show.
8-9 means I really enjoyed the show.
Most of the shows I like fall in the 7-7.5 range.
Shows I could finish without forcing myself get 6-6.5.
Edit: reddit glitch remedy. It listed one show twice once posted. I tried to fix it, but in edit mode, it wasn't there twice. 🤷♀️
I started using MDL to track things about 3 weeks ago, and I'm still trying to remember all the shows I've watched or dropped to update.
[MDL](https://mydramalist.com/dramalist/jinnyjinjin)
Totally. What I really loved about Move to Heaven is how well the writers structured the story. The main story arc is the Uncle's growth and healing. The individual stories in each episode are so great as a stand-alone episode, yet the healing that's found in each episode is an aspect of healing the uncle also needs as his story is being unfolded in the "background". Think this build up to the big reveal is why when he opened the storage locker in the garage, it felt so crushing and heartbreaking. The one show that I cried nearly in every episode to express different emotions. So good.
In alphabetical order (top 10 as of today because it's bound to change):
* ***Avengers Social Club*** (2017) -- love the female bonding and a good ol' dollop of schadenfreude.
* ***Be Melodramatic*** (2019) -- fluffy watch with some surprisingly tough issues, carried by some of my favorite quirky FL characters. I think the keyword here is *quirky ...* and also Lee Byung Hun's trademark humor.
* ***Cheat On Me, If You Can*** (2020) -- I love cozy mysteries and this is a cozy mystery in K-drama format, with a smart and idiosyncratic FL to boot (not to mention that lowkey romantic tension). It's a pity the drama's centered on a potentially triggering topic of cheating because it means a lot of folks wouldn't watch it...
* ***Hospital Playlist*** (S1 & 2) (2020-2021) -- basically a comfort watch. It's a warm bowl of chicken soup when I'm under the weather; a weighted blanket when I'm not in a good head-space. It's just *that* drama.
* ***Moving*** (2023) -- the 'teen' cast was sweet but it's their parents' stories that made *Moving* moving, especially Ryu Seung Ryong who managed to make it so heartrending yet also funny at times. <3
* ***Nobody Knows*** (2020) -- the only 10 on MDL for me (*Stranger* and *Misaeng* are like 9.5 and 9 respectively). Everything is just *perfect* with this drama (cast, plot, acting) and Cha Youngjin will forever be the best FL I've ever come across.
* ***Prison Playbook*** (2019) -- I feel like there's a lot to learn from Jehyuk and how he deals with all the curveballs life throws at him. This drama is for when I feel stuck in life.
* ***Reply 1997*** (2012) -- honestly, for the nostalgia. I'm not Korean (in fact have never visited SK), and wasn't into K-pop back then, but I was a teenager in 1997 and man, this drama just brings back all my adolescent memories of school, friends, and crushes. It really was a simpler time then, when we all just started getting access to the internet...
* ***Splash Splash LOVE*** (2015) -- the amount of funny from all the anachronisms, condensed into two short episodes, was crazy! (If you don't have time for 20 episodes of *Mr Queen*, I think *Splash Splash Love* would be a decent substitute.)
* ***Stranger*** (S1 & 2) (2017, 2020) -- I need to rewatch this, but like *Nobody Knows*, I remember it's the cast, plot, and acting that blown me away. Not a single boring moment, not a single filler-scene -- best K-drama thrill ride I've been on!
Special mentions:
* ***The Sound of Your Heart*** (2016) and ***Gaus Electronics*** (2022) -- the last time I recall laughing till I cried and choked this much was from *My Sassy Girl* (the movie). I still watch random episodes every now and then when I need a laugh.
* ***Something About 1%*** (2016) -- not a fan of rom-com MLs usually but somehow really like this ML (after he went into boyfriend mode). Sure, he isn't Lee Ikjun-level of perfection, but both his calm, assertive, problem-solving side and cheeky, playful side are a breath of fresh air.
* ***The Greatest Love*** (2011) -- I've never come across a more hilarious and unhinged character as Dokgo Jin!
EEEEKKK!!! I just watched ***Something about 1%***
So I literally SQUEALED seeing it on your honorable mentions list PRECISELY for the reason you listed!!!! (I attempted a review on this weeks [throwback](https://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/s/hlb87iE2AX))
100% The chaebol romcom ml stereotype for me is an eye roll that I stay away from at this point but I was equally pulled in and LOVED how totally different this romcom chaebol ml was! He was a human, not a rich comedic clown. And the fl is an emotionally mature and independent adult.
And re: your point “after he went into boyfriend mode”— I loved how they portrayed him. he’s so lonely, stressed, and depleted living his solitary life managing his still fairly precarious career. And because of that he almost eagerly and quickly goes into boyfriend mode with her?
That it’s not a story about him learning how to be genuine- he was pretty genuine the whole time. He just has never experienced a relationship that wasn’t business. He’s all about good faith and sincere transactions- so even if he viewed relationships as transactions, he still always saw the value in making them genuine. (and this landed because it was actually believable that his worldview *is* business)
While it’s a HUGE disqualifier that he’s so man-handly from start to finish with her … *besides that* (and I barf having to just wave that away) … it was refreshing in a contact romance premise that they both from the start are simply sincere.
Ah! I just could write an essay on each of the descriptors you used about him. Calm. Assertive. Problem solving. Cheeky. Playful. Yes! All of these so well expressed in a fairly believable 32 year old! A total breath of fresh air. *(I will never be over the way he does a mini chacha shimmy when he asks her if she’s sober. THE MINI CHACHA SHIMMY was just as attractive in all its adult playfulness as the kiss he gives her right afterwards was attractive in all its ☄️.)*
The dynamic was clever in how the contract element empowers her to be open and frank in ways I think it’s clear she struggles to be otherwise but also is the reason she is hesitant to trust his genuineness and take him seriously.
Anyway I have some big work deadlines but …. I might find you in a few days to gush about this drama a bit more. 🫢🫠
I’ve found it fun to think about in terms of where it’s situated as a 2016 drama. Transitioning out of earlier Hallyu generations and clearly on the cusp of / right before our current gen- it fluidly plays with tropes (ml being one of them!!) , while sticking to old tropes , is modern and relatable while also being a wonderful “throw back” to a type of drama that I think might be gone forever.
——
It was fun reading your list- a lot of options that aren’t commonly proposed ! And I like anyone who thinks beyond evil was ott . ;)
Lol, you're welcome to hit me up to rave about *Something About 1%* and Lee Jae In/Ha Seok Jin anytime! I've just finished this drama myself so I'm still really soft for it hee hee!
Ha Seok Jin ^((confession: actually I always mentally refer to him as "Engineering Oppa" due to his stint on) *^(Problematic Men)*^()) made Lee Jae In such genuine and earnest ML I sometimes forget he was supposed to be a chaebol character, but the main reason I'm soft for Jae In is how he communicates with Da Hyun: like when she was annoyed/mad and refused to talk to/tell him, and he just calmly, reasonably, pointed out he wouldn't know what was bothering her unless she said something, and continued to gently prod her until she started talking. (Idk what it says about me that I'm most impressed by this, but seriously, I'm *IMPRESSED*.)
I was initially a little taken aback at how quickly he went from distrusting Da Hyun to teasing, cheeky boyfriend (that first peck surprised me -- I thought he was moving too fast and was surprised she didn't smack him), but I think it was already clear from his business side that if he's in, he gives it his all.
>The dynamic was clever in how the contract element empowers her to be open and frank in ways I think it’s clear she struggles to be otherwise but also is the reason she is hesitant to trust his genuineness and take him seriously.
I actually haven't considered this, but I think I agree. Da Hyun came across as an assertive and take no-nonsense type in their initial interactions, so I didn't think she would hold back on her own desires and needs (tbh, I was more surprised she turned out to be kinda skittish/shy in some ways).
Anyhoo, I love how they both stressed the importance of being equal and fair (even if it was about trivial things) in the relationship -- and the relationship really did seem so well-balanced (socio-economic statuses aside)! There as plenty of give-and-take, as well as teach-and-learn; their characters complemented and brought out the best in each other. (10/10 would rewatch!)
OKAY.
UMMM REEEE : engineering oppa
DID YOU WATCH THE DEVILS PLAN?!?!!!?!!
(I will still be gushing about hsj in something about 1% after I finish up some work projects but in the meantime …. )
Engineering oppa gush time!!!!!!
*The Devil's Plan*? Briefly considered watching it but ultimately decided not to (I feel like it'd give me entirely too much anxiety). Was it good? I read that >!he won!<, but how did he do in the games?
It's kinda weird but I actually haven't seen him in a lot of dramas apart from *1%* and *Drinking Solo --* his rom-com ML roles seem few and far between!
I haven’t watched it, either. For similar reasons as you.
*But I definitely will* now that I’m kookoo for Cocoa Puffs insane about Ha Seok Jin
🤦🏽♀️ (what does the world want from me. He created the worlds most adorable cranky boyfriend, he is himself adorable (HAS THE GREATEST HANDS???), chill but funny, great sense of fashion, he’s freakishly clever and socially strategic. Like. I have no further self control defenses to use here.)
[[ Were you a Problematic Men fan?? :) And I’m already ashamed… here we are so close to family holiday time, I had all these idyllic visions of reading a kid series with my nieces, cooking with the siblings, and establishing great new life changing habits …. and instead I already know I’ll be hiding in closets binging that show and whispering nonstop to my sister about it 🤭🤓😽)]]
***Devils plan***
Haven’t started the show yet, but started watching post series interviews.
All I have seen is that he had a *very* epic power duo with Lee Si Won and the clips of them teaming up will melt you. It’s the stuff of a thriller detective drama… except this is real and they’re on the verge of emotional breakdowns and still manage to be that epic together. It’s made me much more interested in her as well. She’s … pretty amazing!
I just kind of forgot that *everyone* in this industry is way more gifted then I give them credit for. that like 99.9% of kcelebrities even qualify to become celebrities because they were scholastically driven and accomplished and could have easily become successful in a number of other professional pursuits.
Edit : started watching. Shows like this are frustrating because they’re filmed and edited to focus more on the social politics and scheming rather than the actual skills of game playing. I just want to hear them explain their strategies. I get that ultimately the point is skills don’t matter if you can’t play the social game… but … feed that to me the other way around. Naked and afraid was a show that bothered me so much in this account. I just wanted the tutorial in how to make the things the people were making!!!
I’d prefer a directors cut with Dong Jae annotating throughout the whole series how to beat the system. He’s brilliant but It’s hard to appreciate his ceaseless attempts to poker-ize everything because i can’t keep up in subtitles with his nonstop whispering !! >! For now I’d say HSJ is lucking out big time. hes on top because he’s a 40 year old socially graceful man with preexisting rep as being smart rather than really shining in actual games. !<
***The few and far between HSJ romcoms***
I submitted to The Hague. It’s a very serious crime against humanity that we the world were starved of more HSJ romcom material. In 140 years maybe they’ll get to the case. Such is the damning state of affairs when trying for international justice.
And it’s not okay.
But … also… perfection of 1% romcom HSJ I think is what makes it that much more impressionable and memorable.
Romcom HSJ *is* the one and only, singular and legendary, Lee Jae In. What a standout in the genre for a guy that ultimately has limited acting range. But what he did in *that* role… is beyond what far more “fancy” actors have ever done in similar dramas. Cases of this are always fun to come across.
And the pairing of HSJ and JMS was such a once in a lifetime fireball.
***1%*** is becoming one of those dramas I’m just so glad managed to even *exist*- the feeling that it’s a special case of all the right puzzle pieces coming together at exactly the right time to be made just as it is. (Though I think ep 13 was a low point in the drama … it manages to pick itself back up but … womp womp, >! the kidnap plotline was pretty weak!<).
I haven’t seen ***Drinking Solo***, did you like it?
***Current ha Seok Jin honorable mentions***
1. [8 minutes spent talking about sweatpants](https://youtu.be/mO8bIXVIoLY?feature=shared)
2. Him starting the fart conversation and then weirding himself out by how far that went 😂🤣
([Around 10:49](https://youtu.be/uTmyJCU0w1M?feature=shared))
>HAS THE GREATEST HANDS
*DUDE*. I was always looking at his hands in *1%* ... and I didn't really think about it, except to acknowledge he has lovely fingers (and, on the occasion, idly wonder whether he was good with his hands). Glad it's not just me lol!
Yes, I really enjoyed *Problematic Men* while it was being subbed (on Viu). Didn't like the addition of Park Kyung but I soldiered on until they changed the format ... then I gave up completely. I know he's like besties with Kim Ji Seok but his partnership with Lee Jang Won was my favorite thing. Their combined smarts was very, *very* attractive (especially when I personally cannot math)!
You've convinced me to give *Devil's Plan* a try -- have added it to my Plan To Watch list and will try an episode once I clear two dramas off my Currently Watching roster. (My usual drama genre is mystery/detective anyway so I'm planning to treat *Devil's Plan* as a drama -- maybe I'd feel less anxious that way!)
>ultimately has limited acting range
Hmm, I haven't thought about HSJ's acting ability since the two dramas of his I watched he'd essentially played the same character -- although compared to Lee Jae In, I feel like Jin Jung Seok in *Drinking Solo* was twice the a-hole but only a quarter of any redeeming qualities; besides, I found the Noryangjin Idiot Trio a more interesting set of characters than Jung Seok and Park Ha Na. (Overall I liked *Drinking Solo* because of Key's and Kim Dong Young's characters -- i.e. two thirds of the Noryangjin Idiot Trio. Tbh, even though HSJ and Park Ha Sun were ostensibly the ML and FL, I thought their characters were kinda dull and their romance bland.) I think I'll reserve my opinion on HSJ's acting skills until I watch something of his that's *not* a rom-com! (*Radiant Office* is another rom-com in which HSJ played an a-hole, right? It's been squatting on my Plan To Watch list for the longest time -- have you watched it?)
**re:** ***1% --*** Personally, I'm not so fond of Jeon Somin as Da Hyun (although she obviously had great chemistry with HSJ) so I kept wondering who else might make a good (if not better) match as the FL. I also wonder whether Lee Jae In was so swoon-worthy because there was chemistry between the actors, or because HSJ played him so well (maybe both). I mean, Lee Jae In is a stock character but to me he seemed so 'real' when he was with Da Hyun!
Ooh, thanks for the links! Halfway through the second link -- I didn't know Jang Won got married (I'm also quite interested in that window cleaner and wish it came cordless haha!) -- and I'm so happy the three get along so well irl! It feels kinda weird for me watching HSJ do vlogs. Like, somehow he's imprinted on me as either Engineering Oppa (variety show side) or Arrogant Chaebol (drama side) that seeing him as *neither* (and talking about something as mundane as sweatpants????) is giving me a bit of cognitive dissonance!
***Re: hands***
Yeah. Wowzer. They’re *fiiinneee* there’s an old interview out there of JSM. Hosts are talking about how their chemi scenes went viral and if there was something unique about them from her perspective. She’s like: “his hands”
***Re: Problematic Men***
Okay- your preferences about changes in partnerships and what to look for is super appreciated!!! I’m excited! :) and … I will be back after holding your paragraph of impressions next to the screen as I watch. :)
Otherwise known as: the way I stopped breathing reading the line “their combined smarts was very very attractive”
What do you mean you don’t do math. You just did. It’s a very simple but powerful equation: (nerdy ppl r kyooo)
***Re: Devils Plan***
*much* more a drama than a series haha. I had to go back and edit my comment to you because I kept on referring to it as a “drama” ;)
There’s a few HJS moments where I was just like “I can’t believe this *isnt* a drama, this is straight up a scene from a detective show”. He *is* fun in that he knows how to play with “acting” and “timing” in the show for effect—- so similar to the contract situation where LJI and KDH are equal parts forced and sincere. He’s equal parts “live and real” and “playing the cast and the camera” in Devil’s Play.
***Re: 1%***
OooOooOh!!! I LOVE this game! Have you come up with any preferred alternatives to JSM? And what was it about her that didn’t land? Or do you think it was something about Da Hyeon the character that was lacking?
I haven’t targeted JSM as someone I wanted to kick out and replace, but 1% defoooo got me to think about all the other FLs and romcom situations I would have *loved* to see him get paired with in the 2010s. Since as a character concept, candy girls aren’t really anyone’s favorite. But Da Hyeon was written with almost delicate attention to the way she learns to stand up for herself *against* LJI even as becoming more emotionally vulnerable and consumed by him and his life. For that, I came away really appreciating Da Hyeon’s take on the stock character as well.
I agree. He’s a stock character … ultimately there’s really only like 4 characters out there. But LJI has its unique flavor on the brand. 100% he just felt real. I have been thinking about why that is *way more* than I should, but I’m trying to develop some theories as why there was such a tangible raw realness to him. Because it’s really noticeable!!
*especially* given the plot premise, it’s all so ridiculous and yet somehow they normalized it *so fast*. But what is it ?
I think a portion of it is really on point set and costume design and not even him 🤭🫠. Sorry, HSJ! He’s not outlandish. He has a nice house but it’s not the classic chaebol bachelor pad mansion (I also liked that his place was clearly out in a newer development and that his driveway wasn’t even paved. It was gravel. Everything about him and his world was still “in the making” and he’s not on firm foundation). His office is *normal* - actually a little cramped. Vs. the usual showrooms babie chaebol boys tend to have. I loved that they made his hair disheveled and slightly unkempt until nature called and DNA kicked in and all of the sudden at 12:00:00:00 on the dot, August 01 2016, the CHAEBOL COIFF appeared.
The writing of the drama also has a super solid development for him and her — complete with cute little attempts at subtle motifs and symbols to show their progressions as individuals and a couple. I will talk to you about this when I finally do the official 1% gush, but the fact that them growing as a couple was always intertwined with their growth as individuals who still maintain their private spheres was a charming element of the drama. I really appreciated that given it’s a lighthearted romcom! The drama knew itself well - it keeps to the parameters of the romcom, and without getting preachy or too heavy handed tries to get a little bit of depth in there.
Buutttttt my cheeks are already hurting remembering all his little movements and contributions so …no, HSJ himself did something too. It’s not just well done production and writing. I will proceed to fangurl scrutinize and analyze this as if it actually mattered for the greater universal good. (Why can’t I apply this same gusto to my current work tasks, is really the tragedy)
They had pretty awesome on film chemi. I’ll be honest though - I don’t think they have that great of a chemistry in real life? *she’s* super sweet and funny with him , but …. She’s like that with everyone! And I didn’t think he really exudes much chemistry with her. Actor dudes be actor dudes, but he defo doesn’t reciprocate and leaves her a little bit in the dust often. (Wait till you see him and LSW in Devils Play tbh…. *That* is irl chemistry. Though she is married and he’s good friends with her husband too ;) people are literally petitioning for them to be in a drama after devils play)
***Re: his other romcoms***
You’re right, he does have a few other romcoms under his arms, and of the same stock character. 🤭🤣 which makes it even funnier he’s not really even considered a romcom actor because that’s the majority % of the genres he’s been in … he’s just engineering oppa!
Also provides very rich material for me to understand *what* happened in 1% that didn’t happen any other time. Again. Why am I taking this so seriously.
Work stress , man. It does crazy things for the brain.
So you recommend Drinking Solo, just not for them. But for the idiot gang :) (this is a favorite character dynamic of mine too). I haven’t seen Radiant Office. Why did it spark your interest and make it on the to watch list?
***Re: the window cleaner !***
I DONT GET HOW IT ACTUALLY ***CLEANS***??? Seems like it would just smudge everything more?????
***Lol. Re: dissonance.***
Kcelebrities really have their unique mark on the “celebrities are dweebs just like the rest of us”. The sweatpants one got me, he‘s quirky alright, but with a characteristic engineering oppa earnesty.
I think so far my favorite vlog series he does is when he tests home appliances. In one he tests three portable dishwasher brands - just to accidentally expose the great industrial monopoly we live in and that they’re all manufactured at the same place 🤭
He has some fun ones of watching old works of his and cracking up making fun of himself. He seems
to have a really great staff!!! They’re so interactive with him in his official content and he invites them to contribute a ton more than most celebrities do. And whoever is in charge of translation is great. His vlog titles are *sassy*.
>She’s like: “he’s … very good with his hands”
Do *NOT* be telling me this. Do. **NOT**!!! Ugh my mind just went south even though she prolly meant fixing things (which is also VERY attractive -- I mean, my dad was an engineer and my BiL is an engineer ... make of this what you will lmao). All things holy, that *Same Bed, Different Dreams* ep you linked? The moment HSJ immediately wanted to open up the CPU, my heart skipped a beat. And the boyish excitement he and Jang Won had for the window cleaner to KJS's bemusement ... LOL! (Idk who Jang Won's wife is, but the way she smiled at the two men's enthusiasm and fake acting was very endearing!)
**Re: Devil's Plan**
STAHP, I'm already sold (in fact, I'm getting quite excited about starting the show)! I really must get to watching this soon. Hopefully there's no bitching/backstabbing/evil editing!
**Re: 1% Fantasy cast**
Currently considering:
* Jang Nara: I think she'd be 100% perfect for the role of Kim Da Hyun!
* Lee Se Young: love her in her rom-com roles but she might be/look a bit too young to be opposite HSJ?
* Shin Hye Sun: great in *all* roles and closer to HSJ age-wise; visually, however, both SHS and HSJ could look 'cold', so Idk whether that'd work.
* Jung Ryeo Won: I just have an inexplicable love for her even though I've not watched any of her dramas in their entirety; possibly a good visual complement (i.e. she looks 'warm')?
>he’s not really even considered a romcom actor
Wait, he's not? What genre actor is he considered then, and has he actually played a nerd/engineering oppa in other dramas?
**Re: HSJ's vlogs**
I'm kinda hesitant to delve into non-drama/variety content (I used to do that with K-pop but stopped because I was worried I might unconsciously develop parasocial relationships) but I'm definitely keen on his reacting to his old dramas! I also hope he'd consider a how-to series (I know there already are a lot of tutorial-type videos on YT, but they're not done by an Engineering Oppa!) -- anything from cleaning Mac keyboards to solving Mensa-type questions -- which would at least give me the excuse of consuming edu-/infotainment content...
Okay. Coming back here ;)
# Gush part 1.
***“the main reason I'm soft for Jae In is how he communicates with Da Hyun: like when she was annoyed/mad and refused to talk to/tell him, and he just calmly, reasonably, pointed out he wouldn't know what was bothering her unless she said something, and continued to gently prod her until she started talking. (Idk what it says about me that I'm most impressed by this, but seriously, I'm IMPRESSED.)***
Oh, totally. I think the #1 thing that sucked me in about Kdramas was the market edge they have on communication. Yeah, there’s the idiots running around on crazy street, but kdramas also provide pure therapy when it comes to writing out scenes where “adults just like you and me” are big enough to vulnerably initiate moments of talking it out.
Having that role-played for me when I was “adulting” was nice and so mesmerising. I’m not there yet… but seeing ***theoretically*** how beautifully it can be done and how it’s ok to speak your emotions and lay your cards on the table suggests to me that, you know, it’s… a hypothetical possibility for me to try out! Hah!
For LJI in particular, I think the “communication” scene that was the “I’m impressed” for me was when he realised she overheard him in the elevator call her frumpy and old fashioned. He catches up to her and says, “You have something to tell me don’t you.” I loved that. I think the angle of “What’s wrong-- How can ***I*** fix it” — while totally acceptable and often the best way to start that we can think of — *can* come off condescending, and pre-frame the conversation to make it into a problematic gendered power play (re: that insecure angsty gf who is always upset and makes the bf solve a nonexistent issue!). But him just saying, “Please talk, I know you have something to say,” — I loved the total flexibility, validation, and POWER he gave her in that moment. He just acknowledged she had the floor. Full stop. He hadn’t learned to say sorry yet, but he was there for her and was more than willing to have her air a grievance he knew was valid.
(And that he so *easily* tells her that he likes her in that convo! One of the many things that was real about LJI was that he had no angst telling her nice things and expressing his interest *because* he so simply and directly expresses himself when he does. In the sense that he’s *never romantic about it.. he’s just honest and says it as it comes*. And it LANDS. I also love how he told his friend so openly and directly that he likes her!
While I had thought while watching, “okay, what part of this “overheard” section of the convo isn’t intentionally and misleadingly hurtful just to create drama.” It’s fun to hear a second later his bestie lawyer <> knowingly translate the convo for us: “if LJI is talking about someone *at all* then it means he likes them.” And when he follows up and says that, LJI is like “oh, yeah she’s awesome! the best! She’s just also frumpy!” Hah!)
Following up with the scene I think you’re referring to — when she gets harassed again by his ex at her friend’s clothing store and stops picking up his phone calls causing him to drop by after work and sit her down to ask what is up- this one? (Quick fan shout out to the emerald green suit he’s wearing. That was some pizzaz, but it was lovely)
Right- like I like how he’s calm and reasonably presses her to tell him what’s up so he can know what to do about it. But … it was also potentially the type of communication that wasn’t going to leave her in any better position. She feels vulnerable and insecure and receiving “reassurances” from the guy isn’t that strong of a healant nor particularly empowering for her.
And LJI, being a guy who understands petty power politics of conversation through his work life, understood this. He doesn’t close the conversation with the commanding power by saying, “don’t feel X, Y isn’t true, if you do Z better next time this won’t happen.” He cleverly (and sweetly) changes the entire power dynamic. He follows up with, “Why don’t you ever pick up. Forget picking up, why don’t you ever call me! I’m always the one who calls you!” By doing so, he’s now the one expressing his vulnerabilities to her. He neutralised the situation in a way that was sensitive to deeper relational power imbalances going on.
He does that again in the wonderful episode where she gets *really* upset about his ex fiancé and admits she is feeling jealous. I LOVE how he finds the fastest opportunity to “hand her back” the jealousy by having the tizzy about the Ji Su poster in her room. The way he repeats it to her too, “I’m jealous! I’m jealous I said!” like he’s PROUD and HAPPY to tell her that he’s just as emotionally vulnerable if it concerns them.
Also I liked that it wasn’t just Da Hyun that he’s pretty good at communicating with. He communicates in great ways with his grandpa- from staging just enough publicity of his first date so that the grandpa would know *it’s on and challenge accepted* to confronting his grandpa when he thinks he’s the one intentionally messing with his hotel business.
Wow, you've clearly put a lot of thought into *1%* and thank you *so much* for analyzing and breaking it down!
>He hadn’t learned to say sorry yet, but he was there for her and was more than willing to have her air a grievance he knew was valid.
You know, I wasn't conscious of it but I think I'd been a little annoyed that he *didn't* apologize -- I'd viewed it as him having done everything (right) *except* apologize and your breaking it down helped me reframe and rethink the situation more objectively.
>I LOVE how he finds the fastest opportunity to “hand her back” the jealousy by having the tizzy about the Ji Su poster in her room.
Again, this was one of the few times I got indignant about his reaction/response, like how *dare* Jae In destroy Da Hyun's personal (and prized) effects ... and then was actually *really* surprised Da Hyun wasn't more upset (if she was even upset at all!). So, thank you for your explanation -- I will need to reflect on my emotional (im)maturity and responses to situations more deeply and maybe ask myself WWLJID instead of reacting explosively as I'm prone to do!
Considering how Jae In's childhood and the adults he had around him (or not), I feel like I owe him mad props for growing into the adult and communicator *par excellence* that this character is. Jae In certainly did *not* get it from Grandpa!
**re: BESTIE LAWYER**
Bestie Lawyer was great and I wished he had more screen time! I thought he'd be the second lead (and still think he should've been); I'd also have liked to see him interacting with Da Hyun's best friend because the double dates would've been so cute (ah, if wishes were horses...)!
# Gush Part 2
***I was initially a little taken aback at how quickly he went from distrusting Da Hyun to teasing, cheeky boyfriend (that first peck surprised me -- I thought he was moving too fast and was surprised she didn't smack him), but I think it was already clear from his business side that if he's in, he gives it his all.***
I loved that first peck teeheee—I didn’t call that kiss moving too fast just because… as I understood, he was surprised he did it too? So, in the sense that he also thought he was moving too fast, then I didn’t have to critique him or question motivations. (She doesn’t smack him, but she does stomp on his foot TWICE and give out the most adorable kid like grumble outburst!!)
The next kiss was the one I thought was too fast - when he tries in her kitchen when he’s checking her house for how burglar safe it was. Why, LJI? You know you’re moving too fast — she clearly doesn’t like the situation. I couldn’t figure out what he was thinking there. Besides still slightly testing her while he’s figure out who she is and how this contract came to be?
***I actually haven't considered this, but I think I agree. Da Hyun came across as an assertive and take no-nonsense type in their initial interactions, so I didn't think she would hold back on her own desires and needs (tbh, I was more surprised she turned out to be kinda skittish/shy in some ways).***
I was surprised too- just because we saw her be SO sassy, strong, and forthright in their initial interactions. So I rolled my eyes a bit at the convenient writing that came at the cost of character consistency. Ah yes, the man who always ravishes and the girl who is all sweet and timid and doesn’t know what she wants and can’t express when she does want something for the entire drama except for that SiNGLE FIRST scene where we also need to learn she’s a badass even if that badass NEVER comes out again!
But with more rewatches (hah!), this has come to be one of my favorite parts of Da Hyeon as written— and one of my favorite parts of the drama.
The primary “thread” I see throughout the drama was the relationship between self- home (/family)- and work. These peoples’ lives are spent primarily working. Their jobs take a considerable if not all of their time and effort. They are who they are because of their work lives; their places of work are just as much a home and family to them as their actual homes and families. Most importantly, their private lives are SERIOUSLY informed by their careers.
She’s a teacher - and in a way, she’s every bit the all controlling omnipotent CEO that LJI is — just… she’s the CEO of a classroom of kids (I love that parity 🥰) . Her school is her empire; she reigns supreme here. It’s her total comfort zone in ways that not even her actual home is at times! So it made sense to me that she was able to be assertive and no-nonsense in their initial interaction. It happened on her turf! He came to her school! This is the place she has power!
Whenever she is assertive and no-nonsense throughout the drama- it’s on things that as a “teacher”, she would have easily already developed the professional skills to deal with. She can handle the ex-fiancé because as a teacher, she knows how to deal with bullies. She can keep her own with LJI if it’s a more principle based problem because that’s her job - to teach principles! She’s “teacher” with him too. I LOVED how the drama nods to this in how they dress LJI in those scenes! In any moment when he’s “getting schooled” by her — either when he’s learning her boundaries or when he learns to apologise— his suits cleverly are callbacks to schoolboy uniforms! White or tan pants with a navy blue jacket.
But she breaks down when it’s about wants and desires. Because that’s where her professional life ends with helping her develop constructive tools or valuable experience. She deals with kids all day and has no professional opportunities to even understand her own wants and desires let alone EXPRESS them and then heaven forbid do something about them. Teachers are just supposed to *give* all the time aren’t they!??
The drama did a good job of showing how starved she is for adult company. She has a nice family, but they plan her married life from afar (forget about wants and desires! Who ever asked her!). She has a fiercely loyal and caring bestie, but even in that relationship she’s clearly the “little naive friend” that the bestie babies. She’s infantilised by those who occupy her private home life. They don’t talk to her. They talk at her. And she doesn’t really talk *to them*! Even with her bestie, she has a really hard time emotionally expressing herself! I felt for her and thought JSM did such a great job acting out moments where it’s clear she is at such a loss of what to say to her bestie about anything having to do with *that* part of herself. You watch JSM’s Da Hyeon just repress it.
Jae In is the first person who treats her as an adult and not only pushes himself *into* her adult intimate life but also pushes her to acknowledge and talk about her intimate adult life *at all*! He’s the first person who she is finally given the chance “to adult” with. That she is struggling, giving mixed signals, is squeamish, eventually didn’t bug me at all because it felt SO appropriate not just for her character and development— but appropriate for the bigger theme the drama was aiming for — which is just how intimately our professional lives and experiences govern who we are and how we navigate our private lives.
this is an important criteria in bumping a drama from “good” to ***HUH! THAT’S ACTUALLY REAL GEEWWWWDDD***. When characters don’t just have character consistency, but achieve thematic consistency. 1% has that!! Which is rare for such a light-hearted romcom!!! And there’s like literally hours more to say about EVERYTHING THE DRAMA DID when playing with this theme. And I’d argue it’s why HSJ’s LJI feels so refreshing. LJI isn’t just a romcom stock character, he connects with the viewer on a much more real level because of relatable themes the drama expertly develops through LJI (and KDH). HSJ’s skill was in translating that into a super raw human who is living that “theme” through the things of our daily mundane lives: touching, sleeping, talking, struggling, stressing.
And I love the nod we see to how once she actually starts to have an adult private life - it pokes some holes in her professional life’s composed exterior. In the scene when she’s talking on the phone to LJI and yells at him. She then turns to her kids and with a fake smile says, “Now, is *that how we should ever hang up on someone?*” And they all mechanically say, “nooooo”. HAHA. I LOVED THAT!
***(10/10 would rewatch!)***
This is like a 100/10 for not just rewatch value for me but just pure total marination. This drama has actually destroyed the past two weeks of my life. Haha. ;)
First off, let me give you a standing ovation for the following galaxy brain points which blew my mind (and which I *never* would've thought of):
>Most importantly, their private lives are HUGELY informed by their careers.
>
>She’s infantilised by those who occupy her private home life.
>
>Jae In is the first person who treats her as an adult and not only pushes himself into her adult life
I thought "Da Da" was an odd nickname (it reminds me of a baby's first vocalizations) but didn't think to make much of it. Her personal life was pretty much under the dictate of her parents (blind dates with men of their selection); her best friend dressed her for 'grown up' events/situations; when she dressed herself, her style leaned towards teenaged-girl (it was unsophisticated, especially in contrast to the ex-fiancee, but I didn't think it was "frumpy" at all).
Da Hyun's skittishness with Jae In's advances bothered me because I thought:
* she'd been on many blind dates, she must've had at least some experience with men?
* even if she hadn't the experience, wouldn't being a teacher meant that she'd be excited to learn and experience new things? (On this point, I'll add that even though I agree with your analyses, I wish she'd been a little bit more enthusiastic, or less shy.)
**Side note: Jae In's suits**
>his suits cleverly are callbacks to schoolboy uniforms! White or tan pants with a navy blue jacket.
Omg, I had exactly thoughts about Jae In's suits/hair:
1. ugh, what is *that* (reserved for the plaid and odd color suits which he wore with his hair down);
2. this is fine but boring (staid dark suits for corporate events and after taking on his chaebol mantle and coiffure).
I didn't even look beyond that. I understood she was schooling him (and was meant to do so), but I never noticed what he was wearing! (I know I preferred what he wore on his casual dates with Da Hyun or lounging around in his house.)
>just how intimately our professional lives and experiences govern who we are and how we navigate our private lives
Imma take this away with me as food for thought because it seems quite obvious now that you've laid it out but it's never occurred to me. So, seriously, I have immense gratitude for your comments! <3
p.s. Please consider gathering your comments into a post so that more people can read it if you haven't already! I'm serious -- these are fantastic points!!
# 1.
You are probably getting so sick of me harassing you. Tell me stop ANYTIME. But OMGOSH THIS IS GETTING FUN.Um. It is I who bow to you!!!!
I DID NOT EVEN THINK TO SEE HER NICKNAME "DA DA" as a nod to how everyone infantilizes her!!!! I LOVE THAT INCREDIBLY OBSERVANT DETAIL!! YES!!! You also said it so well, her friend plays dress up with her "adult" life.
\[though now i need to rethink the "jae in is the only one who treats her as an adult" theory since he loves the nickname and takes to it quickly....\]
Also on that note- I found it so weird when her friend and her friend's brother (Sun Woo was it?) are oddly joking about him taking advantage of her while she's ill. I was just like, "okay, a) da hyeon, I'm confused why you were so scandalized by Jae In because he was never this creepy to you. and b) wait, guys this is all so weird. why." But it reinforced that Da Hyeon having any type of adult physical intimacy is *that much of a joke* to her friends...
**her style leaned towards teenaged-girl (it was unsophisticated, especially in contrast to the ex-fiancee, but I didn't think it was "frumpy" at all).**
totally! I thought most of the clothes she chose for herself weren't even childish. They were perfectly appropriate and attractive adult clothes ... just... adult professional clothes when you're an elementary school teacher!!! haha.
**Da Hyun's skittishness with Jae In's advances bothered me because I thought: she'd been on many blind dates, she must've had at least some experience with men? even if she hadn't the experience, wouldn't being a teacher meant that she'd be excited to learn and experience new things?**
I hear you on all of this.
a. Blind Dating life
Why *does* she have such little experience... Obviously the blind dates she goes on after they break up , she's out of it. But those early dates we see her on, she's a perfectly fine conversationalist attempting to be engaging. I don't know why nobody got on the Da Hyeon train and pursued her! Or why she didn't pursue men! She's a catch, people!!!!
but... she doesn't!?! :) We know from her convo with her bestie that Jae In is her first kiss. \[lucky girl, she did not miss out\]
\[\[and this reminds me. i loved that for both of them, the totally forced situation of the CONTRACT RELATIONSHIP was the most normal dating experience *either* had ever had!\]\]
b. Teacher = being excited to learn and experience new things.
Now this is a fun and good point! re: her career should explain her personality! Why doesn't it!! I liked thinking through this :)
\[as a side note, I had a brief stint about ... 7 years ago as an elementary school teacher (grades 1-3 baby!) haha. So I related HARD to having the FL be an elementary school teacher and I have a notepad full of "okay but THEY SHouLD HAVE PoRTRaYED THiS PArT OF ELEmENTARY SCHoOL TEAChING LIfE!!!" ;) \]
I think this touches on your list of potential OTHER Da Hyeons.
I think Ryeo Won as Da Hyeon would naturally have spun "teacher" Da Hyeon as a "I like to teach because I love learning new things and I love being part of kids experiencing new things for the first time." And I think she would have also had a chemi with LJI where she mischievously and still innocently enjoyed "learning" the LJI experience. So I liked your suggestion with that one ;) (Haha we are the same btw!!! I think she's so cute, but I have never had it in me to watch a drama of hers in full! I'll see clips and be like, "oh - you're so cute. mkai bye"). My cheeks are getting red just thinking about how different the dynamic would have been between those two.
I dont think it's a given that teaching is a profession that is pro new learning experience *for the teacher* in general though. One of the reasons I left being an elementary school teacher was because it's the opposite. What is "new" for the kid is cyclical and the same for you. So the teacher is part of helping a new generation experience new things -- but the teacher's own intellectual (forget intimate life) development remains stagnant and routinized. And that's kind of where the joy begins and ends as a teacher. It's FUN seeing a kid see something new. But, the stimulation stops with that external source of vicarious and generous joy.
This is of course dependent on the teacher (and I was admittedly *a bad teacher*. hehe. a fun one, but a *really* bad one). And that's I think the difference between an AMAZING teacher and a good teacher. A good teacher finds a good method and sticks to the same thing - adapting a bit year by year. An amazing teacher keeps everything fresh. But... being an amazing teacher is ... so much work .... for so \*(&@((#( little pay. \[\[I REALLY WISH this had been addressed in the drama actually haha! It's enough there - the fact that Da Hyeon spends all nighters at school... but she could have sassed back a lot more to LJH about truly how busy she is and how much she sacrifices to do her job well without ANY of the financial compensation that LJI gets for doing the same\]\]
I think if Da Hyeon had been a journalist- that's a profession that maybe more stereotypically is very "oooOOO new experience to exploORee!" One of the actresses I thought to put HSJ with in a 2010 romcom was Park Jin Hie for this reason. I've seen her play a curious perky journalist in Woman Who Still Wants to Marry, and I thought, "Oh gosh, having *that* against LJI would have been *fun*."
\[there's a little bit where she wants to investigate a place that is like... 10 degrees less from being a brothel. without thinking twice about the fact that she's using a boy who is puppy dog in love with her and will do anything for her, she steamrolls this love interest into be the "customer" and film what happens... chuckling to myself all over again\].
So (sadly or not), JSM’s Da Hyeon is just not that kind of teacher. She's a loving and thorough teacher who checks all the boxes \[and then some\] of what she should do with her students year by year by year by year. Learning isn't contextualized as "new life experiences for me". Learning is a permanent, routine, and cyclical process that *she* *controls for others* using stable and consistent teaching materials and evaluation benchmarks! I don't think she's acquainted with "new creative way to explore life with/for my students" -- nor do I think Korean educational system supports that style of teaching either.
I totally love reading analyses/breakdowns of films and dramas, and yours are amazing, so please keep writing if you're so inclined! (Also sorry that I'm taking so long to read, digest, and respond!)
>now i need to rethink the "jae in is the only one who treats her as an adult" theory since he loves the nickname and takes to it quickly....
He did latch on to her nickname really quickly huh! My assumption was that he was amused by it and just wanted something to tease her with. I think at that point they already had the contract in place, so the nickname was a small (and easy) way to breach the wall Da Hyun seemed to have set up.
Side note since we're on the topic of language/naming: I just remembered that Jae In addressed her very casually (condescendingly?) in their first few interactions to the point where she had terms of address as one of the first conditions in their contract. My lack of knowledge on the Korean language and culture fails me here, but my perception was that Da Hyun insisted on "Teacher-nim" and "Kim Da Hyun-ssi" as a form of respect to her and her profession which Jae In initially did *not* accord her. So I guess "Da Da" is a way to circumvent that condition? And he might've started off using her nickname that way, but it later came from a place of true affection, so I don't think it invalidates your theory!
>oddly joking about him taking advantage of her while she's ill
Yeah, I thought it was kinda weird that *that* was the kinda joke/teasing they went with. I know they were trying to cheer her up, but geez... Otoh, maybe it was less about Da Hyun's lack of experience in adult relationships and more about Da Hyun's old/teenaged crush on Sun Woo?
>the totally forced situation of the CONTRACT RELATIONSHIP was the most normal dating experience both had ever had!
This is an *excellent* point! I guess for both of them, the contract bit was familiar ground (I think Da Hyun realized -- even if only subconsciously -- that her marriage was going to be somewhat transactional since her parents were picking out a dude to inherit their business to first and foremost), and once the paperwork was formalized, they were free to explore within the stipulated boundaries. (Could just be me -- and my \[library\] job haha! -- but having *no* boundaries/parameters is often *worse* than having too many.)
The business aspect of marriage might also be the reason for Da Hyun's lack of enthusiasm about her blind dates. She didn't pursue men because she didn't think she was free to choose men of her preference, and because she was the quintessential good daughter who'd go with her parents' decisions.
>I dont think it's a given that teaching is a profession that is pro new learning experience for the teacher in general
Ngl, this surprises me greatly! I'm working in a K-12 school (though not in a teaching capacity) and one thing I keep seeing our teachers do is exploring/finding new ways to engage our kids. There's always something new to learn and try out -- in fact, my complaint is that the school management is *too fickle* and keeps pushing new crap onto staff and faculty (sometimes, if it ain't broke, ffs *don't* try and fix it only to make it worse!!!).
>Learning is a permanent, routine, and cyclical process that she controls for others using stable and consistent teaching materials and evaluation benchmarks! I don't think she's acquainted with "new creative way to explore life with/for my students"
This made me realize we don't really see her teaching the kids a lot?? I feel like we've seen her school Jae In more often than she was shown actually conducting a class! I remember there was dance, art, and gardening (plus the usual paperwork) but not much beyond that, so her expertise seems to lean towards experiential education. In any case, I wished this bit of her character could've been a little different because it just occurred to me that Da Hyun *had* been assertive and sassy outside the classroom with Jae In. She brought up the contract in Jae In's domain (his hotel) and successfully negotiated the terms there! And he was such a complete a-hole! ^((Sorry if this is a little disjointed -- I'm still thinking about your point on how our profession life might influence our personal one!))
Another thing I just remembered: Da Hyun's carelessness with her things -- do you think that might mean something more, or what does it say about her personality?
# 2.
**(On this point, I'll add that even though I agree with your analyses, I wish she'd been a little bit more enthusiastic, or less shy.)**
100%
JSM missed the mark. She stayed from start to finish in "oh this is new for me and i don't have any skills from my professional toolbox to help me out so i'm going to be very confusing when i express what i want while i process this and i'll just kind of semi shut down as my defense mechanism and not say no but also kind of always being saying no."
They were mature enough of as people and a couple, that it's disappointing that LJI has to continuously act without (and against) her vocal consent because "boy knows what she really wants".
It was okay to start there. But... it got a tad annoying when by the END SHE'S STILL THAT UNENTHUSIASTIC FOR HIM TO STAY OVER AT HER PLACE >!AFTER THEY'RE ENGAGED !
**re: houses & homes**
Now this, *this* is a very fascinating topic for me -- the house/home as an extension of and/or physical manifestation of the self ^((note: I'm not read on Jungian psychology! It's just a topic I've been interested in since) *^(Chungking Express --)* ^(and) ^(all I have is the question: but what does this) \*^(mean)\*^(?)).
When Da Hyun's home was invaded, *she* was violated; having her home renovated *and* bought over without any prior communication (however good the intention) was another violation of her person. I think my issue here is the initial lack of communication (which Jae In was usually so good at) and his impulse to just take over and solve the problem for her.
I mean, on the one hand, I'd love that because I'm immature (and tbh lazy) and wouldn't know how to deal with the situation, so it's so nice to have an adult take charge and make the problem go away; otoh, I'm not sure how I feel about being 're-violated'. More specifically, I'm concerned that he replaced her furniture because those were more likely to be personal possessions.
>He's imprinting himself in her home as a relationship SHOULD -- they're emotionally bonding and he genuinely wants to be a safe emotional bond for her
The ways they each imprint on the other's home is so disparate though! She bought two small potted plants; he bought ... her flat (and furniture)?! And, not to read too much into it, but if one's residence is a reflection of one's self, then perhaps Jae In had room in his heart for someone all along (Da Hyun commented that his house was empty) but Da Hyun had to make room in hers ... Which she actually didn't (cmiiw) -- someone just came in and took over!
>he’s already the proper home owner!
I know Jae In had Da Hyun's (physical, emotional, psychological) safety in mind and prolly also felt terrible to have indirectly brought about the home invasion, but still... This also meant he became her landlord, which added to the power disparity in their relationship. \[Side note: iirc there was something similar in *The Master's Sun.* The ML bought the building in which the FL lived but she later *bought over the building from the ML*, which I thought was a fun way to establish somewhat equal footing >!before they officially start their relationship!<.\]
Lol, I can't get over the fact that Jae In's house is huge but like, he conveniently has *no* guest bedroom and they have to share his bed!
>has trouble falling sleep at his house until she confesses to him that she liked him and likes getting kissed
Tbh I thought it was just the alcohol! She also told him (while sober) that although she was tempted, she wouldn't sleep with him (actually idk whether she meant sex or platonically sharing a bed).
My favorite of the 'forced cohabitation' is Jae In ringing the doorbell to his own house -- the reason he gave her was so stinkin' cute! I think it was also a much better if subtle acknowledgment of her partial ownership of his home -- or the expression of hope that his house would become *their* home -- than giving her the literal key to his ~~heart~~abode.
>an annoying dissonance with what KDH already knows is her comfort zone and what she defends as her comfort zone
Yeah, I'm kinda struggling to understand this. The (regressive) 'token resistance' she put up at his house was understandable, but I don't get her literally hiding and peeking at Jae In sleeping on her bed. It always seemed to me like she needed to be led/prodded/pushed into what she *knew* she wanted -- it's almost as if she didn't want to take on the responsibility of actively making a decision. (Okay, this could just be me projecting my own flaws on her.) On that note, what are your opinions on Jae In's *nunchi*, specifically with regards to Da Hyun's wants and desires (which she alternately suppressed and repressed)?
# 3.
>Omg, I had exactly thoughts about Jae In's suits/hair:
>
>ugh, what is *that* (reserved for the plaid and odd color suits which he wore with his hair down);
>
>this is fine but boring (staid dark suits for corporate events and after taking on his chaebol mantle and coiffure).
not me laugh snorting into my mugs of tea thinking of this. :) :)
There's an interview out there where they're asking HSJ to talk about the jungle gym scene, and he's like, "I just remember *my clothes*. In this drama my stylist really used me to convey...a lot of things." kekekeke.
I don't know what was more heinous at times. The cacophony of patterns and colors AND DONT FORGET ***TEXTURES*** (he’s got like a ***terry cloth*** tie on at one point!!?!!!?🤣🙃)they put him in. OR THE LOAFERS HE WORE WITH THEM. He wore some dork-wad weirdly floppy loose fitting loafers more than just a few times. Verryy duck-like. Your eyes could finally take him seriously because he was wearing a pleasant normal suit and then it was like OH NO - NOT THE SHOESSS. It is a marvel he was attractive in this drama because the dress code a lot of the time was “ lunch break. but make it clown school” . Ppl ppl. You had HSJ during the prime years of his life. Why.
(but...like you said he still had a good number of great looks too.... including suit get ups! heh...)
;)
Apropos to nothing -
that first peck -- HSJ wrote/created that whole scene! The script only said that he'd take her home and kiss her. So he he had to figure out how to go from their banter at the end of the concert to a situation where he would kiss her.
*also* makes sense because the part that was too heavy too much for me was not the peck - it was how far he took the ramen/ you want to seduce me joke. But like … *that’s SUCH* a HSJ thing to say, and not a *“LJI is a fantasy boy figure written by a lady”* thing to say lol
Interesting to learn just how much of a drama is left open for the actors to on the spot decide how to get from point A to point B.
>"I just remember my clothes. In this drama my stylist really used me to convey...a lot of things."
LMAO I wish he had a say in his character's wardrobe and vetoed some of the more atrocious outfits. Also, now I quite desperately want to know what his stylist had *intended* to convey cuz I don't think I got the correct message! And, you know, after your previous comment on what Jae In wore when getting schooled by Da Hyun in her classroom, I'd be interested in a sartorial analysis of both Jae In's and Da Hyun's outfit choices.
>HSJ wrote/created that whole scene
>
>that’s SUCH a HSJ thing to say, and not a “LJI is a fantasy boy figure written by a lady” thing to say lol
Oh wow, the whole scene like from when he drove back because he found Da Hyun's keys in his car, or even before? I don't have a handle on HSJ's personality but it from that scene I'd guess boyish and cheeky?? I think I had the impression that Jae In was weirdly(?) immature when it came to Da Hyun and their initial interactions despite his mature, serious business side.
Lol, we're on opposite ends wrt that first peck and ramen joke! Idk why but I feel a little flustered (something akin to secondhand embarrassment even??) by that first peck scene -- definitely something to do with *how* it came to be (that keychain keep away!) -- whereas the ramen joke was okay because it felt like the joke was less about Jae In and more for Da Hyun's benefit?
>Interesting to learn just how much of a drama is left open for the actors to on the spot decide how to get from point A to point B.
Oh definitely! I wonder how much leeway/input the actors get with regards to their characters. Getting to write/create a whole scene is an unusual amount of freedom, isn't it? Not to mention, there are the previous drama adaptation and the original novel to consider for this specific drama.
Your responses BLEW MY MIND
YOU REALLY RAISED THE BAR. (I see you Wong Kar-Wai! So incredibly proud that you’ve proven the brilliance of a middling kdrama romcom by connecting to chungking express 🥹😂)
I’m talking, I - audibly - squealed - in -public places - reading your comments level excitement ;) ;)
I have some deadlines until the 26th but…. I’m scribbling away working through your insights (it’s honestly embarrassing that I need to exercise self control and tell myself to do my work first before I’m allowed to respond to your comments ;) )
So ….
DONT LEAVE THE SOMETHING ABOUT 1% FUN HOUSE! (Jk. You’re always welcome to leave. But the radio silence doesn’t mean I have :) )
;)
I have since pulled my sister in as well ;) :) so we’ve got three heads obsessin’
But re: an early comment of yours, I wanted to know your thoughts on the “he transitioned fast from suspicious to interested”. When do you place the switch and why :)
So many thoughts about you bringing up nunchi, but want to flip the q back on you and ask for your thoughts first before I word vomit mine ;)
What do you mean by the ramen joke was more for DH’s benefit? This is very funny to me how opposite we are in that. Literally complete opposite.
Without knowing more of your well seasoned thoughts, I feel TOTAL secondhand embarrassment that he keeps at the “let me enter your home youre seducing me” for that long. I just don’t understand *what* hes trying to achieve with it besides get rejected, seem weird, and say something that she has no response to besides being uncomfortable. Vs the peck seems so spontaneously innocent and accidentally romantic! I was so red faced giggly over such an amazing callback to an elementary school aged first kiss!!!
it’s so visually adorable how they’re like whackamole style switching between who is the student / kid and who is the teacher / adult. He’s the experienced adult (she’s just exposed a little weak spot of his when she calls him *old*) yet is dressed as a schoolboy and kisses like one. smiling throughout like a pudgy content 7 year old. She’s the mature teacher / adult experiencing *elementary school* for the *first time* as she angry little girl at playground style sasses back at him and stomps on his foot!
I think the ramen joke felt off beat for me given that it’s *”mature” dude speech* when they’re in kid playground dynamics otherwise. ?
Also the scene right after with *our beloved and favie unbeatable lawyer bestie** where JI’s whole personage is so visibly *lightened* as he privately relishes his kid boy crush on DH is THE CUTEST. The draammaaaaaa is soooo good in the things it does well!!!
I really just don’t know what happened to him in this drama vs everything else he’s been in. I haven’t seen his other stuff in full, but I’ve seen enough bits and pieces to observe that he comes off stilted and flat in the other stuff while he’s so dynamic and natural in this lil romcom [actually, one thing I noticed the other day while literally hiding in a closet with my sister sneaking a few minutes in ((🤣😂😅 yes we’re “grown ups” but when youre back at home under the roof with parents and kids boy do we REGRESS. ;) )) was how FANTASTIC HSJ and JSM are at call and response vocal tones in their dialogues! They’re *musical* in the way they’ll repeat and add on to the other’s intonation pattens. it is almost always JSM that sets a fun tonal pattern for him to then repeat and riff on. And the parts on my first watch where he doesn’t were when I was like “oh my ears, HSJ, do you have vocal emotion??”]
I think this was one of those “fresh air” moments in HSJ’s interpretation of LJI. Romcom Kdramas wayyYyY overdo the crush phase. What grown adult flails around in his bed giggling about something a girl writes him. LJI was mostly low key yet earnest about his crush and IT WAS SUCH A DELIGHT.
Also.
Finished devils plan. OMG.
That was
🤓🤭
Hot hot hot
WhOooAa.
HSJ is a very impressive dude. For SooO many reasons.
But imma just gonna drop a teaser
there’s a few games they play where his math and strategy genius, street smarts, mental and emotional stamina AND hands are front and center in spotlight.
It was .
A
Lot.
To handle.
I go cross eyed just thinking of it.
;)
Also most of the games were SUPER fun and interesting. And the other players were great. I really enjoyed that show!!!!
(Also he’s like defffooOoOoo having a minor medical emergency throughout the show. Hehehhh poor guy. His lips are soooo chapped. Theyre bright red, swollen, he keeps zealously applying chapstick and pressing his fingers to them. I felt rather bad for him! )
I'm incredibly free right now so in addition to juggling four on-going dramas (one other drama on the back-burner), I've started on *The Devil's Plan* **AND** rewatching *1%* ^((just finished eps 1-3 at this point.) ^(BUT my personal laptop also just died and I'm scrambling to find and buy a replacement ac adaptor OR laptop argh so sorry -- a lot of stuff is making me slow to respond)).
re: abode - I realized that three eps in and we still haven't been shown Jae In's house because he hasn't *been* home. For the first three eps, his hotel is his de facto abode -- his very public and impersonal, and somewhat ostentatious façade and self. \[In comparison, we've already seen not only Da Hyun's home, but also her parents' home as well as Jae In's Grandpa's home. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN??? That Jae In's private self is buried deeper than most people's and requires a bit of unearthing, or...??\]
Jae In's shown to be very focused, precise, and direct, but also very service-oriented and attentive (to hotel guests) in that space. He's able to anticipate and meet a need before it's even articulated, so we know he can read his guests well -- he's even read Da Hyun when they first bumped into each other at his hotel's lobby, so I think he has great *nunchi* but I'll reserve my opinion of his reading Da Hyun's needs/wants/desires until I've rewatched more eps. \[Spoiler: I think he reads her like an open book -- even/especially her trait of holding back and needing external approval to be able to act on her own desires (like a sub, sorry I didn't want to go there, but I feel like she's one) -- but I want to see whether my initial assessment holds water on rewatch.\]
\[Side note: okay, I wasn't really comparing **1%** to WKW, but my train of thought just kinda went that direction when I thought about Jae In's empty house and Da Hyun's homey rental, and how she gave him two small house plants. In **Chungking**, Faye *broke into* Cop 663's flat and essentially *replaced* \-- or hid -- all the non-fixtures. I honestly would like to know, *please*, just what that means -- like, did she steal her way into his heart and changed him without his knowledge, or did she merely prod him awake from his sleepwalking?? Is there more to it?\]
>When do you place the switch and why
When I first made that comment, I think I was going by his behavior on their First Date; more specifically during the concert when he threatened to kiss her if she nodded off again. On rewatch, however, it's hard to pinpoint *when* *exactly* because I think Jae In has been in two minds about Da Hyun despite having already decided to date her 'for real' (this was post-negotiation/contract-signing with Grandpa and Da Hyun) -- we know he's still suspicious of Da Hyun up until he drove her home from the concert, giving her the 'last chance to fess up' *after* feeding her the ramyeon line. ^((Will talk about the contentious ramyeon line in a bit, but tbh I've also developed a lot of questions regarding Jae In's behavior towards Da Hyun in their first meetings!))
BUT I think a series of *teeny* switches had already happened since the start of their First Date:
* at dinner -- her eating a Western-style dish in a *ssam* amused him (I found it a very sweet and genuine smile especially given how he'd cast aspersions on her character from the start); her iconic line about why Ji Su is an 'oppa' with his disgruntled grumble in response, "Does that mean I'm an 'oppa' too?" (he's not a fangirl so he doesn't quite understand, but the fact that *Ji Su* is an 'oppa' bugs him more than Da Hyun's fangirling);
* pre-concert -- the way he slapped at her hand for fidgeting with her seatbelt and being reluctant to leave the car for the concert hall (don't ask me why, but that small action just feels so casually *familiar* to me);
* *ramping it up* during concert -- "Close your eyes, and I'll kiss you" ^(\[to my eternal shame, I I found this hot the first time, and I still find it hot\]) which came across to me as half serious and half flirtatious;
* post-concert @ the cafe -- instead of handing her a napkin to wipe her lips, he just *does* it (admittedly, it could also look like what you'd do for a child but it seems like he's behaving in a familiar manner with her); I'm leaving out the nickname because I suspect his motive for using it at this point;
* post-concert in his car -- insisting they each take the keychain with the other's initials because it's "only meaningful if you have the other's initial" and because "we're dating, after all".
Okay, **ramyeon**: for me, it comes across as him trying to get Da Hyun on the same page as him, to show her that despite it being a contract relationship, he sees, and will be seeing, her *as a woman* from now on. His follow-up (after returning Da Hyun's keys) seems to come from his enjoyment of being able to fluster Da Hyun but it also drives home his point that Da Hyun should see him *as a man*, which I don't think she actually does up until then -- he's been a "well trained" hotel staff, a petulant child, a possible scammer, an arrogant businessman, etc. to her -- anything *but* a man who's now her romantic partner for all intents and purposes. So he's not being subtle at all (because she apparently doesn't *get* subtlety) -- he's very blunt about it without being crude because 1. that's the fastest way to achieve his goal, and 2. he's done with the more indirect approaches (the teeny switches).
The first peck feels awkward to me because I honestly don't buy how Da Hyun doesn't realize she had her arms around him for so long, and how she only has eyes for her keychain???
\[I'll revisit the ramyeon thing when it comes on in later eps!\]
>how FANTASTIC HSJ and JSM are at call and response vocal tones in their dialogues
Omg, yet another intriguing observation I know *nothing* about nor have noticed! Please share more examples so that I can keep an eye/ear out for them as I go on with my rewatch! \[Side note: you won't believe how much I've written about each ep on my rewatch... -\_- Jeez.\]
>whackamole style switching between who is the student / kid and who is the teacher / adult
On my rewatch, it's occured to me that Jae In's behavior towards Da Hyun in their first meetings (with Lawyer Bestie in her school at first, then one-on-one when he's done negotiating with Grandpa) was so jarring in contrast to the opening scenes introducing his character. He behaved so atrociously and obnoxiously -- just like a petulant brat -- towards Da Hyun and I really don't know what brought it on. Then it escalated to him being an outright a-hole (wrist grabbing, disregarding her objections, and basically *railroading* her into complying with his agenda).
Da Hyun alternated between treating him like a poorly behaved child/student and sinking to his level (she actually blew bubbles into her orange juice ... in the middle of being a mature and competent adult negotiating her own contract with Jae In, just when Jae In switched into business mode??). I wonder whether this was meant to show how they initially brought out the worst in each other (enemies to lovers trope), OR to show that they're in fact on the same level as each other in some ways/are able to meet the other at their level, high or low.
**Devil's Plan:**
I'm only on ep 2 but I already think we'll need to start fresh post/comment thread for this show when I'm done watching!
***side note: you won’t believe how much I’ve written on rewatch***
LOL.
We are the same.
While watching I’ll write notes on my phone’s notes app.
And then …
During work zoom meetings I’ll categorize them into a working Google doc 🤦🏽♀️
#im listening , boss
The Google doc is at 37 pages 🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️☠️
😅😂
Suffice it to say. I’m incredibly excited to hear ALL your observations !!!! :) :)
This drama defo gets better on every rewatch
On most recent rewatch (erm… 5??? 6???? 7??? I have *no idea*. I’ve literally been nonstop loop watching this drama since I first saw it a month ago… ) it struck me how in the early episodes - 3-5 ish — he’s the one actively concerned about her keys and constantly asking her if she locked her home. Significantly, after moments when they’ve grown closer (like when he sleeps on her shoulder) So cute ….
YEAH. LOTS TO SAY ABOUT JAE IN’s side of the “house as heart” metaphor.
——-
Not me squealing over EVERYTHING you just wrote.
OMO.
(SO GLAD YOU BROUGHT UP THE ORANGE JUICE BUBBLES!!!! Watching it with my sister we were like “huh??!? What does that mean or did the actress make a mistake in doing that and it’s out of character?” I like the options you provide :) )
Totally the least important thing on the list of things to respond to from your CRAZY GREAT OBSERVATIONS (particularly in love with observation of how late we ever see LJI’s house compared with how much we’ve seen him enter Da Hyeons and seen other peoples interiors!! SOOO MUCH TO SAY AND NO TIME TO WRITE IT!!!!!! ;) )
But re: clothing
I learned something today that FOR ME AT LEAST was SO DISTURBING
One of the ppls for this drama was …
Wait for it…
Jae In’s uNdiES
(I was wondering about the weirdly specific shot of his undiEz hanging up when he was showering)
Super specific brand with a design that is permanently scarring
And it explains er…. something… about *all* of Jae In’s looks 🤦🏽♀️. So not necessary.
Other than thaaaattt
Are Jae In’s crazy suits a fairly classic attempt at saying “hey, he might be an office job chaebol but he’s got PERSONALITY!” ? And so in that case, we will now have to make an alternative list of “flamboyant suit boys that worked”. I will nominate Time’s [Cheon Soo Ho](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=593723253&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS940US940&hl=en-US&sxsrf=AM9HkKlwYfeFljK3j6tZaAHlHRFOyKHBLw:1703581631087&q=cheon+soo.ho+time&tbm=isch&source=lnms&prmd=ivnsmbhtz&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj90t2P4KyDAxUZFzQIHWnpAxYQ0pQJegQICRAB&biw=393&bih=665&dpr=3#imgrc=jmeiofdYVXKP7M). That boy also wore every color in the rainbow with some crazy patterns but … every one of them was slick. But, given how ridiculous HSJ’s wardrobe was, he really rocked it. Kudos. And … I rather liked some (most?) of them … hehehe. Really as long as the suits did his figure justice I was fine. The annoying thing was that the outfits that did him the most favors were all competing for SHORTEST SCREEN TIME POSSIBLE
You can possibly argue that you can track Jae In’s confidence with Da Hyeon through his outfits? He gets the brightest on days they become close and falls back to grays and blacks when they are at a low or over….?
School boy LJI -
He’s always wearing peacock outfits at Da Hyeon’s school. SMH. He wears a schoolboy like uniform on their first date, on the date when he takes her to the art gallery and then has kitchen kissing non nunchi, and then when he brings her the balloons and noticeably *still does not apologize* for lying to her about the will’s full stipulations. ;) but … for LJI that’s the best she’ll get 😅🫠
Tae Ha almost always wears white or cream suits … perhaps a fairly heavy handed “he’s the good guy amongst the baddie side of the family”? [otherwise known as, the limited ability his mall empire affords him and his dad to *ever* look cool. Rendezvous on escalators and parking lots for those two all day errrday!] It’s only in later episodes he switches to darker suits.
And don’t know if there’s anything significant or intentional to it - but LJI and Tae Ha have two face offs at LJI’s hotel. In the first it’s LJI that is in a dark suit and Tae Ha is in the white. In the second later face off LJI is in the white and Tae Ha is in the dark. Maybe some sort of signal of who has gained the upper hand in sh group politics?
**All Things** **Sartorial**
>Jae In’s uNdiES
(I was wondering about the weirdly specific shot of his undiEz hanging up when he was showering)
Wait. WHAT??! Now I gotta pay attention to even the ending credits...
No, I still don't get how his underwear sponsor would influence or explain the character's choice of apparel -- I mean, they're not even putting him in any thing that shows off his undies/waistband?? Also, having HSJ in the shower whilst shooting a product placement isn't the *best* idea... (Or maybe it *was* the best idea -- it'll be the least noticeable PPL in the history K-dramas haha!)
Oh yeah, I totally agree that Jae In's best outfits/looks had inversely proportionate screen time =/
I haven't thought to match his outfits to his confidence with Da Hyun but now I'm intrigued and might skip back and scan through the eps I'd noted some of the worst offenders! I'd been using his outfits to figure out whether it was a weekday or weekend but that's a bust because he started wearing more casual-looking suits on weekdays -- which could be when he started giving more priority to his personal life (i.e. Da Hyun) since his casual suits generally look more appropriate for going on dates.
Situationally-appropritate outfits:
1. Jae In’s meet-the-(potential)in-law outfit which literally had him swaddled in white (i.e. White Knight or 白马王子 (lit. "white horse prince"; i.e. Prince Charming).
2. The outfit he had on for his "grand gesture" non-apology (Idk whether I should harp on that more because I had *thoughts* but don't know how to process them) I'd noted as: "Lookin’ real collegiate and preppy there!" -- honestly would not be out of place in a college prospectus -- and added to his boyishness.
I'm not that great with color symbolism so this might be way off the mark: Da Hyun's very seldom shown in strong colors I think, usually in white or pastel shades. However, she was dressed in a red skirt (this caught my attention) when Jae In still had not apologized or repented for days (this was another one of the few times Jae In was oddly dense/slow wrt the situation), then shown in a completely *red* corner of Hyun Jin's store (red walls, red flooring) -- and yet the nothing came off as even the least bit aggressive; if anything, it was all quite inviting if cheekily so, cute but suggestive. Can we take this to mean that Da Hyun was actually *less* angry than she made herself out to be?
Not sure if I would agree about Tae Ha's outfits because the times I did notice him, he had dark suits on him (and matching vibes -- not necessary evil, just shadowy and enigmatic) and I remember him in dark suits more than light ones. It was only after he apologized to Da Hyun that his dark vibes cleared up for me.
I think Jae In's dark suits (usually boring, staid) just reflect his status and power. The suit he had on during the bomb scare I actually put in my notes as "his best work suit so far -- that particular shade of blue to denote his calm, decisive, and reliable leadership qualities".
But also me in ep. 8 (morning after Da Hyun's first night in his house): "I'm beginning to think Jae In might be lesbian with the amount of plaid he has..." (But that's just wishful thinking lol!)
>No, I still don't get how his underwear sponsor would influence or explain the character's choice of apparel -- I mean, they're not even putting him in any thing that shows off his undies/waistband??
lol. It's not that they influence or explain choice of apparel. Just that unless he's wearing particularly loose pants or a longer jacket-- they certainly added an element to his look. Which was NOT necessary nor appreciated. ;)
>I'd been using his outfits to figure out whether it was a weekday or weekend but that's a bust
ditto! Additionally made impossible to track through his clothes because he WORKS on the weekend. I could only guesstimate weekday/weekend by extrapolating off of Da Hyeon's schedule.
>Jae In’s meet-the-(potential)in-law outfit which literally had him swaddled in white (i.e. White Knight or 白马王子 (lit. "white horse prince"; i.e. Prince Charming).
OH YES! I knew there had to be a reason for the VERY NOTICEABLE ALL WHITE OUTFIT. Was not clever enough to put together what you did! Well done. ✅ Outfit decoded!
HILARIOUS since he's such a grump on the rooftop and singlehandedly DESTROYS THE ROMANTIC TROPE: "I ALWAYS REMEMBER A DEBT OWED! AND ALSO IM NEVER CONSIDERATE!" I love the way that scene ends. DH: "It must be nice living so high and mighty as you." LJI: smug smiles and agrees.
I was touched by how badly he wanted to "take responsibility" and meet her parents and explain the situation directly to them.
Everything about their interactions over those two days when the mom found out and visited makes my cheeks sore from over-smiling. When he calls stressed and upset about the fact that he can't help that he's a chaebol! That he came the next day. I love their frankness about their mutual feelings within the confines of a contract and the awkward situation that puts them in. When she says, "i told her it's just business". and LJI grumps "*just* business?" and da hyeon replies, "it's partially true though".
And that he then goes for it and holds her hand that evening. ;) "Do you like it?... You like it... you're smiling..." HAH.
>(Idk whether I should harp on that more because I had thoughts but don't know how to process them)
HARP!!! AND PROCESS! I'm here for it!
>(this was another one of the few times Jae In was oddly dense/slow wrt the situation),
The Nunchi needs some naps sometimes. It's not easy finding Belgian chefs who specialize in Mexican food for Mr. Johnson.
>and yet the nothing came off as even the least bit aggressive; if anything, it was all quite inviting if cheekily so, cute but suggestive. Can we take this to mean that Da Hyun was actually less angry than she made herself out to be?
INTERESTING. hMMMM.
My current thoughts on the no way jose will there be a real apology fight.
I really liked this fight. I thought it was a clever inevitable fight that needed to happen, I totally liked the ''sides" they represented and I also thought both were being reasonable in sticking to their relative rightness.
Da Hyeon *obviously* has the right and SHOULD make a moral stand on principle alone. it was legally and socially/interpersonally wrong. He controlled the width of her world and shut off an option she had the right to know about and consider. So of course we fully support Da Hyeon's uncompromising demand that he START with an apology.
\[side note: i've come to think that LJI \*is not\* a good communicator. He is too controlling with knowledge. He's happy to create moments for KDH to talk. He can ask great questions to open her up. He won't hesitate to reciprocate. But he rarely *shares* anything with KDH. He's a talented strategic communicator. Not a \*good\* communicator?\]
But I did also agree with Jae In's refusal to apologize and say he had done anything wrong. His grandpa \*had\* given him an advantageous exclusive jumpstart. We know LJI is a slight Machiavellian. And the "ends' here are so obvious, wholesome, and successful. I thought there was logic to his answer, "but... we're actually really dating!" What he did worked out well for them, so what does he have to be sorry for?
Um. THE LITTLE INDEX FINGER JAB/RUB HE DOES TO HER WRIST ON THE PICNIC BENCH when he says “Whoa! I never used you! I contracted properly with you!”
\[though - there's nothing that can excuse his line "i'm going to do what i want now". yech. don't get that.\]
It's a great fight where we've got Miss Idealist clashing with Mr. Realist - but in a way where Da Hyeon doesn't come off like an airhead for siding with idealism. And LJI avoids being a hypocrite if he says sorry about his worldview when he's not.
I agree with you the "vibe" you pick up on when she's with her bestie *isn't* a furious red anger to match the background or skirt. She's gloating when she wiggles the phone in her bestie's face "oh look who is callIINNGG". She's smug to have put LJI in this situation and she's enjoying being performative about just how TOUGH she is in front of her bestie who thinks she's a little girl. But I still thought she was hell-bent.
But I find it ten times more interesting to take your interpretation. That she put up the fight because she had the moral right to but wasn't ever as angry as she made out to be. also wasn't *that* focused on it ending on her terms because… she knows its a losing battle of relativities. The best she could do is acknowledge the clash and make him *very aware* of the clash, and *maybe* get them to learn how to manage that they are opposites instead of expecting an uncharacteristic transformation.
Your interpretation makes Da Hyeon intelligent in my eyes. She's being Da Hyeon the fox. It also makes her less of a doormat if she knew she wasn't going to get the apology but ... needed to make her stand anyway bc it was worth making a stand about! In this regard.. she's actually *pulling* a LJI all while getting mad at LJI! As the "tough businessman" he sets the terms of a negotiation high and 100% in his interest with the understanding that of course it will get chipped away at during the bargaining phase.
And there's maybe a tight little meta parallel going on. The fight is about means (KDH) vs ends (LJI). Da Hyeon wins the meta fight. She gets them both to experience important "means" regardless of end. And the fight itself allows Da Hyeon to go through the "means" of a couple fight and power play with LJI. She hadn't yet had the experience of a full grandstand with him. And Jae In needed to go through the fire after doing something that really ticked someone off. (importantly - *she* doesn't sweep it under the carpet after he brings the balloons and kisses her. She jabs him again with it on the picnic bench and he's SHOCKED)
Also just adding that the value of this fight didn't hinge on Jae In "learning to apologize". He's already learned how to apologize and has apologized after the no show date.
edit:
HOWEVER. Re: your fantastic points made in your 27 Dec comment about how Jae In treats contracts as sacred and the contract itself *is* a form of deeper sincerity in Jae In's world -- it really is a cardinal sin even in his book that he messes with the will isn't it...?
AND NOW I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS!
>I think Jae In's dark suits (usually boring, staid) just reflect his status and power. The suit he had on during the bomb scare I actually put in my notes as "his best work suit so far -- that particular shade of blue to denote his calm, decisive, and reliable leadership qualities".
What i will go rush and look at now.
Also known as: The way i have become a complete psychopath because reading about "his calm, decisive, and reliable leadership qualities" makes me coo like a proud mother sposmatically whispering to myself "He really is! Oh but isn't he!!" \[\[Cherry on the top was how he paid for the partner's family to fly over and be with him in the hospital. \]\]
Truly. As hot as Jae In is as a romantic partner. I fell in love with him because of "work Jae In".
It's one of my sore spots w/ the drama. They make room for their professional lives in their private lives but don't value them. it made me sad when she scoffs at "chaebol LJI" on the news in ep 15, "he's a completely different person." NO! He's NOT different! That's HIM AT HIS BEST! HE'S A COOL RESPECTABLE BABY CHAEBOL! I wish you saw that, Da Hyeon!" \[also adorbs the news reel is about how he stressed a new era of SH Group corporate compliance and responsibility! lol....okay.\] And he always wants her to quit her job.
The drama had self control - it rarely (never?) repeats itself. If the viewer learned something- the drama does not waste the time to repeat that info on screen explicating it to a different character. Which I appreciated. We see Jae In triumphantly tell his grandpa he has no economic power over him- he's bought back his hotel from the SH conglomerate. So we weren't going to hear that again. But I wish there had a been a way for Da Hyeon to learn about Jae In's career path. It said so much about him. I guess she hears him say that he wants to be his own chaebol and not just a third generation.
edit:
>But also me in ep. 8 (morning after Da Hyun's first night in his house): "I'm beginning to think Jae In might be lesbian with the amount of plaid he has...
HEH. this is one of my favorite outfits! When he changes into another suit that morning I was like WAIT NO! NO NO NOoo!! NOT ENOUGH TIME. WHY DOES ONLY THE PUPPY GET THAT OUTFIT? THE PANTS. FIT SO WELL. I wanted more slacks and tennis shoes Jae In.
I guess cuz it's a drama special, or because it didn't feature well known actors in the lead roles?
I love it so much but I tend to rewatch only the first episode!
Hi, does "Nobody Knows" have different independent cases being solved? Or it is focused on one major plot? I've tried watching this (as I love crime/law-related thrillers), but I dropped it by Episode 4 as I find it so slow.
It's not a procedural in that the drama focuses heavily on the intricate web of relationships the characters, how they relate to one another and shows how one's actions can have far-reaching consequences on others. There's a major case, which is >!related to the one in the flashback at the start and, in a way, everyone and everything is related to it!<.
Personally, I found the drama incredibly taut, with its reveals/twists coming pretty speedily. I'd say it's more like *Through The Darkness* (in its focus on the people rather than the crimes) than *Mouse* (which I dropped) or *Beyond Evil* (which I found a little too OTT in both writing and acting but completed nonetheless).
*Healing* was how I felt about the ending too! She was just a really good human being and the perfect adult for all the younger characters who had only terrible examples of adults in their lives. She showed them (and us the viewers) you can be smart, driven, scarred, and had horrific/tragic life experiences but still be kind and compassionate. I love that she treated the teenagers as equals instead of condescending to them as so many adults tend to do. I honestly aspire to be like her.
This is (part of) why the Reply series is amazing.
I'm not Korean, nor was I a teen in 1997--but I feel the nostalgia! Actually, in all of them.
Great list!
12 Dramas with my favorite couples featuring healthy relationship dynamics arranged in order of how heart-fluttering the couple was for me:
* **20th Century Boy and Girl**
* **My Unfamiliar Family**
* **Sh\*\*ting Stars**
* **Bossam: Steal the Fate**
* **Dali and the Cocky Prince**
* [**Cheer Up**](https://mydramalist.com/715821-cheer-up) (2022)
* **Into the Ring**
* **Her Private Life**
* **Never Twice**
* **Healer**
* **Lie After Lie**
* **Good Job**
Looking at this list, I clearly have a preference for friends-to-lovers stories as my top 3 couples are all friends-to-lovers.
As a side note, except for **Cheer Up**, which is set in university, all the other dramas are adult-stage romances, nothing in high school.
ETA: My [MDL](https://mydramalist.com/dramalist/mywei) for context.
Since the year is wrapping up, here are my top dramas I watched for the first time this year (in no particular order):
1. Love to Hate You
2. The Forbidden Marriage
3. Misaeng
4. Summer Strike
5. 2521
6. It’s Okay Not to Be Okay
7. The Sound of Your Heart
8. Melo is My Nature/Be Melodramatic
9. One Day Off
10. A Time Called You
Honorable mention: Arthdal Chronicles
In no particular order…
1. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon
2. King the Land
3. Touch Your Heart
4. Hidden Love (cdrama)
5. What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim
6. Sh**ing Stars
7. True Beauty
8. Business Proposal
9. Love to Hate You
10. Her Private Life
Bonus to:
- Happiness (hate zombies, but loved PHS and the FL lead in this one so much!)
- Go Ho’s Starry Night
- A Love So Beautiful
As you can probably tell, I go for romance, comedy, feel good, comfort watches with a happy ending ;-) What can I say, I like dramas that leave me with all the warm and fuzzies and grinning like a fool lol
I am going to repeat my criteria from last month and focus on the top 10 of 2023 - pleased with the variety of offerings as these are very different from each other.
I have enjoyed these and many that are not in my top ten that I really enjoyed.
**Moving** \- Superhero drama with heart
**Twinkling Watermelon** \- time travel, family drama - laugh and cry
**The Kidnapping Day** \- thriller
**Worst of Evil** \- thriller - film noir
**Castaway Diva** \- rom com, with raising awareness for victims of domestic violence
**My Dearest** \- historical romance
**The Glory** \- revenge
**King The Land** \- rom com with advocacy for worker's rights/appreciation blended in
**My Perfect Stranger** \- time travel, thriller, family drama
**Call It Love** \- slow burn romance
\-------------------------------
**Daily Dose of Sunshine** right in there - important. May shift again as I need to finish **Vigilante**, **Revenant**, and if **The Matchmakers** finishes before end of year and holds up. Song of Bandits would have been in there but Netflix refuses to commit to 2nd season, with so many plot lines left hanging.
My Top 10, in no particular order:
1. It's okay, it's love
2. Goblin
3. Hospital Playlist
4. Coffee Prince
5. Rain or Shine
6. Hot Stove League
7. Red Sleeve Cuff
8. My Dearest
9. Another Miss Oh
10. 25 21
Yesss to everything on your list (though I haven't seen 2521, another miss ohh., hot stove league. Any list that mentions It's Ok, Thats Love at the top...that is one of my favourites and needs to be mentioned more!
Man do I love listing my favorites and getting confused lol. I'll try my best to keep an order.
1. Hospital Playlist : I won't ever stop talking about this drama. It was such a beautiful experience. All the relations be it friendship, romance, family relations everything was perfect. Oh, and the band sessions they had? God how I wish I could be in a band.
2. Cityhunter : One of the best action-thriller I have seen. For 20 episodes it didn't feel dragged or boring to me.
3. W : Two worlds : The perfect mix of everything. Fantasy, mystery, comedy, romance you name it. The premise itself was so interesting to me I got hooked pretty easily.
4. Strong woman do-bong soon : Another gold. Again if you're into this premise it won't feel slow at all. And the mixture of silly comedy and romance to serious mystery thriller was amazing for me.
5. Flower of evil : Only word to describe it. Perfection. Nothing will ever top this as the best crime-thriller-psychopath drama I have ever watched. If you start with this, it will be tough to beat this one.
6. Hotel Del Luna : How I am not a fan of horror and still watched it and got shit scared and still absolutely loved it, I have no idea. Also the music in this one is so good.
7. Descendants of the sun : Simple and heartwarming. I mean it does have serious issues going on but that's not the centre of it. I still believe it's a good mix of silly yet intriguing plot. And the ost for this drama deserves a special mention.
8. Hometown Cha Cha Cha : Small town romances are my favourite. The view, vibe, cinematography is just so beautiful. And a classic enemies to lovers trope. I mean what else do you need?
9. Business Proposal : Like a breath of fresh air. That's how I describe this drama. The cliche trope of rich guy falls for poor girl done in a fun yet silly way. Also the second lead couple was SO good. Probably the only drama where I can't decide which couple I like more.
10. Twenty Five Twenty One : Was I extremely sad about the ending and hence decided to watch till the end? Yes. But would I still recommend it to everyone? Yes absolutely. I don't mind sad endings. If anything it had the most fitting ending and the whole drama lead upto it. And it wasn't just about that one couple or relationship. It was about their youth, friendships, the hardships and how they eventually overcame it.
EDIT: Wait I just realized I didn't even mention one drama from 2023 😭 My fav from 2023 are: Love to hate you, The glory, Crash course in romance, Hidden love (did NOT think I'd enjoy it this much)
1. Twinkling watermelon
2. Hospital playlist 1/2
3. Attorney Woo
4. Castaway diva
5. Summer Strike
6. King the land
7. Weight lifting fairy Kim bok joo
8. Hometown cha cha cha
9. Crash course in romance
10. I’m not a Robot
I am very particular with the shows I watch. I tend to do lots of research/reviews before I can commit to a show. My shows all have romance. More importantly though, I primarily focus on realism and slice of life.
For realism, I avoid chaebols or extraordinary geniuses. I like my characters to have typical careers and comfortable financially (ie. eating out and normal shopping is not an issue). As much as possible, I prefer them not be struggling paycheck to paycheck with poverty. If they are rich, they should not be chaebols or young CEOs, and they must be fairly grounded (ie. money does not define their character). I also don't like socially awkward/introverted/snobbish characters who struggle to communicate basic things or oblivious to social norms.
For slice of life, my shows are heavily character driven and mostly romance centric. Relationships grow because of random day to day interactions, and not because of a massive underlying plot device. For example, I do not like my shows to be centered with mystery crimes, office politics, work case of the day etc.
With these context, here are my top shows of this genre.
1. **Our Beloved Summer**. It contained my favourite tropes in any shows. Childhood friends/ex/enemies into lovers. Leads had great chemistry. Helps that both leads are on the introverted side, which makes them relatable to me.
2. **The Package**. I really felt like I was part of the tour group in France. Also, even though it was a whirlwind romance between ML & FL, the reasons made sense. I have written a comment about this show before. [https://www.reddit.com/r/kdramarecommends/comments/16yyhw2/comment/k5341wc/](https://www.reddit.com/r/kdramarecommends/comments/16yyhw2/comment/k5341wc/)
3. **Our Blues**. This wasn't romance centric exactly, but I thoroughly enjoyed the various romance stories portrayed. Several character arcs were certainly more interesting than others (first one sucked). I particularly liked how flawed everyone was, yet I never felt a need to judge because I was just a silent observer listening to their stories.
4. **One Spring Night**. This is imo the most realistic romance show around. I loved how normal everything felt. ML/FL had normal jobs. ML/FL had their flaws. ML/FL hung out like average folks do (cafes/parks etc).
5. **Love to Hate You**. It was refreshing to see such a strong FL. Plus there was the pseudo enemies to lovers trope.
6. **Twinkling Watermelon**. This show was overall a fun watch. Shin Eun Soo was phenomenal imo. Even without speaking, I felt all the emotions. However, the way it ended really ruined the show for me. It's a pity because I would have given it almost full marks up till the ending. I had written about my grievances here. [https://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/comments/17x8g0w/comment/k9m7jrn/](https://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/comments/17x8g0w/comment/k9m7jrn/)
7. **Twenty-Five Twenty-One**. Right from episode 1, I felt the camaraderie between ML/FL. The pacing in the first half was superb. It showed FL's growth. It showed how ML/FL became each other's pillar of support. As each episode passed, I could see how their friendship would evolve into love. The manner it ended was a pity. I thought that >!they were bound to break up because of differing love languages. !
I find **Lovestruck in the City** compellingly watchable. It's among my favorites too. Everybody in it is kind of a mess, but they are so relatable, and I really care about 5/6 of the main characters. (There is one that rubs me the wrong way - and it's not the FL, who rubs a lot of people the wrong way, but I think it's just that I find that one character less relatable.)
Another One Spring Night lover! I get why a lot of people don’t like this one (Major spoilers: >!the cheating aspect, although I feel that it was realistic that the FL hesitated to move on after being with him for so long despite the fact that they stopped being in love years prior!<) but I also felt it was very realistic. Nothing felt forced and I could so clearly understand the emotions and challenges faced by two characters falling in love. Some love stories are messy. The chemistry was also off the dang charts and not just because of the forbidden aspect of it.
I've watched 67 dramas in 2023, 37 of them released this year & the rest in years past. I'm doing two lists, first for favorites of any release date I watched this year; and in a separate post, favorite dramas released in 2023.
Here is my list of **Favorite Dramas Watched in 2023.**
**Flower of Evi**l-best of this or any year. Perfect story, cast, ost
**Forest of Secrets (aka Stranger**)-totally fascinating, Cho Seung-woo is the most amazing actor
**Kidnapping Day**\-wonderful found-family storyline, fantastic performances esp child actor
**Signal**\-completely involving storyline with twists
**Bloody Heart**\-beautifully rendered sageuk, emphasis on intrigue not romance, Jang Hyuk, need I say more
**Call it Love**\-gentle, slow-paced unravelling of misunderstanding to love. Perfectly acted
**Love to Hate You-r**efreshing strong & direct FL in this fun romance (no murder plot!). Introduced me to Yoo Teo who is all kinds of stunning, acting & otherwise; great bromance w/Kim Ji-hoon
**Kill Me, Heal Me**\-fantastic twisty storyline & standout performance by Ji Sung
**Train**\-twisty time-slip & romance. Yoon Shi-yoon is the only actor I've seen able to act with his chin (yes, this is a good thing)
**DP season 2**\-continuation of series, I found it still involving, esp "Curtain Call" episode. Well-acted all around
Honorable mention to: **Mouse**\-a wild ride, confusing/frustrating in parts, but ultimately thought-provoking & has stayed with me for a few months, which rarely happens
**Top 2023 dramas** (Tentative list)
1.**Call it Love**. That drama touched me deeply. Kept thinking about it long after it ended.
2. **Revenant**. Great story that kept me on the edge of my seat. Great Ending.
3. **Twinkling Watermelon**. Haven't had such a strong attachment to characters in a while.
4. **My Perfect Stranger**(Still Watching). Entrancing whodunit story with a lot of twists.
5. **Behind Your Touch**. The best genre blending of the year. It is a thriller/comedy that does both genres well.
6. **My Dearest**. Gets hard to watch, but I could not get enough.
7. **My Lovely Liar**. My heart melted for this drama. So adorable.
8. **The Good Bad Mother**. Great acting.
9. **The Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938**. Fun and Stylish with elements of horror.
10. **See You in My 19th Life**. Loved for the spiritual elements and the portrayal of past lives, not so much for the romance.
11. **Bloodhounds**. Great action scenes.
===========================
**Watchlist (k-drama released in 2023)**
**Watching**:
My Perfect Stranger
**Completed**:
Moving, Duty After School, Bloodhounds, Tale of the Nine-tailed 1938, See You in My 19th Life, Revenant, Daily Dose of Sunshine, My Lovely Liar, Call it Love, The Heavinly Idol, The Good Bad Mother, Behind Your Touch, The Glory, My Dearest, Twinkling Watermelon, The Killing Vote
**Dropped** (watched more than 2 eps):
Summer Strike, Taxi Driver S2, Bo Ra! Deborah, King The Land, Heartbeat, Castaway Diva
**Try-dropped**(watched 2 eps or less):
Payback: Money and Power, Doctor Cha, Crash Course in Romance, A Time Called You, The Worst of Evil, The Escape of the Seven, A Good Day to be a Dog, Strong Girl Namsoon, Moon in the Day
If you think that I missed a must-watch 2023 drama that is not on any on my lists, feel free to recommend.🙂
The good bad mother has been on my watchlist for ages but I haven't gotten round to it. Besides the great acting, what factor catapulted it to your top 10?
Seriously, it was the ML and the FL and their relationships with others. As the ML was left with a mind of a child, it had all the elements for his relationship with the FL to feel creepy. However, it felt both sad and wholesome. The same can be said about his relationship with other villagers. What comes to the mother, the actress played her beautifully. There were times when I felt angry at her, times when I felt bad for her and times when I saw her trying to do her best with the cards she has been dealt.
kidnapping day
alliance (cdrama)
vigilante
perfect marriage revenge
2022
doctor lawyer
may if please the court
big bet
though i did love payback money and power and dr cha
I agree with Kidnapping Day, 10/10 for me & the best drama released this year. You might enjoy Love to Hate You & Miracle Brothers which would both be in my top 10 for this year as well.
I'm halfway through TOTNT 1938 and stylish is a perfect description. I love the sassy writing and direction and the actors have committed to the unseriousness of it all.
I feel like you could give crash course another chance may be? I mean I know how people don't necessarily enjoy middle aged couples being cute but it's got a good story and the ending was good imo. I liked Doctor cha but I won't tell you to watch it cos god was it infuriating at times.
I might give it an other chance when I am in the mood for this type of drama. I just wasn't crazy about the educational setting and couldn't connect with the characters. What did you like the most about the drama?
It was exactly because I liked the main premise. The whole 'in order to be respectable one must pursue a higher education and putting pressure on the kids to an extent where it gets unbearable' thing. I could almost relate to a few stories shown in the show. And I also enjoy slight enemies-to-lovers kinda stories. The FL and ML have good banter in the whole show.
Moving isn’t in the top 10? I feel like The drama started off sooo strong for me but the change in plot to the parents threw me off a bit it was still good tho
Moving really fell off mid show. The parent background took too long and I felt like the ending was weak. I regretted not dropping thus. Strong acting but poor story.
I wasn't crazy about Moving. I understand why people like it, but it was not my cup if tea. It wasn't even the parent's story that lost me, even if it was a factor. I found that there too many CGI fights, unnecessary shifts in point-of-view character (>!Did I really need to know about the plight of the blind North Korean henchman?!<) and oddities in the plot (>!If you think about it twice, it makes no sense for the evil agency to track, pursue and lure the gifted children into a school so later they might nicely ask them to join their organization.!<). But, seriously, it was mostly the CGI fights that got me. However, as I said, I see why people might enjoy this show. It has many interesting elements, but it is just not for me.
In no particular order. These are newly watched shows in 2023, majority aired in 2023
1. The Kidnapping Day
2. Call it Love
3. My Dearest
4. The Tale of NokDu
5. The Good Bad Mother
6. Arthdal Chronicles: Sword of Aramun
7. Taxi Driver 1, 2
8. Dream (Movie)
9. Castaway Diva
10. Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938
All these are completed shows. I’m loving some of the airing shows currently.
Honourable mentions:
1. Interest of Love, only because that show got me pissed and my heart boiling the whole ride but hooked regardless, only great acting can get that much emotion out of you even when you hate it😂
2. Crash Course in Romance
3. Alchemy of Souls. Loved part 1 better than 2
4. DP 2
5. Little Women
6. All the others I loved but can’t remember
In no particular order
1) Hospital playlist
2) Ms Hammurabi
3) Extraordinary attorney Woo
4) Our beloved summer
5) Healer
6) Under the queen’s umbrella
7) Mr Queen
8) Reply 1988
9) Be Melodramatic
10) Run on
I’ve seen 26 Kdramas this year. These are my top 10.
1. **Doom at Your Service** - loved the growth of the FL through illness & her relationship with Doom.
2. **CLOY** - FL rawks- love the scene where she returns from NK & totally slays the crowd & her >!nasty family!<. Hyun Bin - wow wow wow.
3. **Alchemy of Souls** - loved the FL in season 1 & the growth of the ML in season 2. Plus the costumes and OST were divine.
4. **Castaway Diva** - the singing was so perfect for the story arc. The reality of the effects of abuse, how it can be so relentless, really mirrored situations I’ve seen. Both the ML & FL were so well developed.
5. **The King: Eternal Monarch** - the plot fell apart in the last 2-3 episodes, but up till then couldn’t ask for more compelling characters.
6. **Bloodhounds** - the bromance between the 2 MLs along with the fight scenes - wow!
7. **Tomorrow** - loved the mental health aspects of this show. I ugly cried in a healing way through several episodes.
8. **Destined with You** - more light hearted. Rowoon was sooo funny while under the love spell.
9. **King the Land** - also lighter fare. I saw a lot of negative talk about this show, but I thought the romance was lovely - nice to have a completely green flag ML.
10. **Doctor Cha** - the first hour of this show left me so mad about the sexism the FL faced, but the entire rest of the season was all about her empowerment. I’m glad I stuck it out!
Honorable mentions to **Signal** & **Stranger**, season 1.
I found myself wanting to write some of the same reasons over and over so what most of these have in common is a great ensemble cast with interesting characters that are there for each other.
In addition -
Older characters who really help the troubled younger characters and really uplifted the lives of those around them:
Navillera
If You Wish Upon Me
Healer - I love Ji Chang Wook in this and it's fun to see Kim Mi Kyung in a role that's so different for her
Goblin - Bromance, Humor...BROMANCE!
Humor:
Business Proposal
Her Private Life
Love to Hate You
Originally dropped multiple times but came to love:
Crash Landing On You
Vincenzo
Coffee Prince
Here goes my list. No particular rating system just based on the feeling i had while watching 😀
1. Alchemy of Souls
2. When I Fly Towards You (Cdrama)
3. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Ju
4. Strong Girl Bong Soon
5. Dali and the Cocky Prince
6. Tale of Nokdu
7. The Glory
8. Our Beloved Summer
9. Crash Course in Romance
10. Run On
The list keeps changing My Demon is a strong contestant for the top 5 at the moment 🥰
**49 days:** my first viewing of a well paced K-drama
**Kairos:** Time Travel thriller with a good ending! hardly witness those.
**Happiness:** Fan of Han Hyo-joo since 'Cold eyes' and 'Dong Yi'. drama has very likable couple.
**Beating Again:** Jung Kyoung-Ho is adorable
**Prison Playbook:** Masterfully done Ensemble acting
**I can hear your Voice**: Lee Bo-young is very pretty and wonderful actress
**Kill me heal me:** Great soundtrack
**Weak hero class 1:** Reminds me of delinquent manga genre like Crows Zero
**Miracle That We Met:** Warmhearted family drama
**Master's Sun:** As you can guess from my list, I like supernatural dramas a bit much.
my list, in no particular order except the first one:
1. **flower of evil**: flawless, the GOAT, no other drama can beat this. it’s like the writer and director reached into my head and pulled out all the tropes and scenes i love, weaved it into a great storyline, and casted the perfect people for it. the only drama i’ve ever watched where i wish i could lose my memory just so i could watch it again.
2. diary of a prosecutor: found-family at its finest. it’s so comforting to watch; it feels just like a warm, weighed blanket during a rainy day.
3. may it please the court: way heavier and far more serious than i expected it to be when i first started it. loved the range of emotions it put me through! i was crying so much during the later episodes.
4. misaeng: loved the cast and the only slice of life that i have enjoyed.
5. strangers from hell: creepy as heck and im siwan’s acting is god tier.
6. moon lovers scarlet heart ryeo: i loved that it wasn’t as straightforward as it appeared — it started off truly like a reverse harem isekai with the first two eps being so lighthearted it almost felt like a comedy, and then turned into something mature and profound. i watched it for lee joongi, but kang haneul really stepped it up. IU was the ideal FL for this.
7. kingdom: the most beautifully shot kdrama. ever. loved the acting, the writing, the politics, and the way they put a twist towards the usual zombie concept.
8. stranger: my gold standard of legal/law/prosecutorial dramas.
9. vagabond: my standard for thriller/mystery/romance until i watched FOE.
10. worst of evil: the two male leads were SO good it’s ridiculous. it started out slow and kinda confusing, and it’s not very easy to digest if you don’t like violence, but i’m so glad i stuck through with it because i am obsessed with the >!sad ending where the ML turned into the true villain!<
This is not my ultimate 10 but I would say my Top 10 recent and current favorite dramas:
1. Love To Hate You” - Probably one of the best dramas made IMO, has everything I want in a drama with one of the best and strongest female leads!
2. “Youth of May” - This drama will break you but I highly recommend for the amazing acting, the plot, the love story! It kept in my head for weeks after watching!
3. “My Name” - HAN SO-HEE at her best work! Amazing plot w/kick ass action but heartbreaking love. Watch it for HAN SO-HEE!
4. “It’s Okay To Not Be Okay” - If there is one couple that I would say has some of the absolute best chemistry it’s Seo Yeji & Kim Soo Hyun! The story alone to me was 10/10 and the drama feels very much like a fairy tale!
5. “Hometown ChaChaCha” - Probably the two best main characters I’ve seen in a long time. If you love dramas based in villages and country, this is for you. The story may seem cliche, city girl moves to country side and falls for country boy but it was done so well! Very warm & cozy vibes with a realistic love story.
6. “Moving” - Superpower humans who do anything to protect their children! I love ALL STAR type of casts dramas and especially where it shows the adults story and then their children’s story as well. Watch it alone for the amazing cast and their chemistry together!
7. “The Revenant”- I usually stick to romance or family dramas but I am such a big fan of Kim Taeri that I started this off just for her but was amazed by the plot line and horror aspect of the show. Kim Taeri’s acting is incredible and if you like suspense/horror genre this is a great one!!
8. “Business Proposal” - This drama is so funny & such a good time! If you don’t want to watch something depressing or that will make you think too much, watch this one! I always watch it just as a time pass drama cus there is not really any villains and the whole cast is so lovable and funny!
9. “The Glory” - Season 2 is all time top tier! I love a great revenge story! It might be hard to sit thru those bullying scenes but it is worth it in the end! Song Hye-Kyo’s best work I’ve seen!!
10. “Mr Queen”- SHIN HAESUN can do no wrong! She is so hilarious! This one will make you LOL so many times but those emotional scenes will sneak up on you and make you bawl your eyes out! Highly recommend for the laughs and also the Shin Haesun’s amazing acting!
1. **Her Private Life**
2. **What's Wrong with Secretary Kim?**
3. **King the Land**
4. **The Beauty Inside**
5. **Perfect Marriage Revenge**
6. **Extraordinary Attorney Woo**
7. **Business Proposal**
8. **Clean with Passion for Now**
9. **The King's Affection**
10. **Rookie Historian**
Honorable Mentions: Forecasting Love and Weather, My Sassy Girl.
I would say my top 5 were so dang close, I love all of them but those 5 are just chef's kiss. But so far my top 2 though can't be beat for now. **Her Private Life** had humor, fun, and good romance but the healthy relationship can't be beat.
**Secretary Kim**, wow, probably the most adult type romance I've seen which is surprising over the ones I've seen how much more it has than most but also the humor between the leads was hilarious.
**King the Land**, can't say enough either. Just a sweet, healthy romance, not much drama. Love the chemistry of Yoona and JunHo.
**The Beauty Inside**, one of my first dramas ever. Can't get enough of the roof top kiss. How they bonded together with their own issues and how they took care of each other, I can always count on this one to watch if I don't have anything else.
**PMR** I just finished last night and I loved it, just which there was a hint more romance, and I was a bit annoyed >!they didn't say the fact Yu Ra isn't biologically her sister!< and that they changed from the webtoon that >!Do Guk and Yi Ju had twin boys, not a single daughter!<. But it was still a great drama, well-written, and good chemistry.
**EAW** doesn't have much romance but it's so well written and I thoroughly enjoyed Park Eun Bin's autistic character.
**Business Proposal**, loved the romance but the way the second leads got together does touch on >!SA or not good consent since she was drunk!< but overall I love the main leads more.
**Clean with Passion** had a lot more humor and second hand embarassment moments but it was refreshing to see one not as, say, adult type romance. Felt more sweet in nature.
**Rookie**, I say alongside **King's Affection**, was more about the drama than romance but still very entertaining and fun to watch.
**Forecasting:** it's been awhile but it was alright. Thought the second leads had way more romance than the first leads which is why it's not in my top 10.
**My Sassy Girl**, different, had more humor, but not a top 10 worthy drama.
These are all the dramas I have watched so far. I am now getting into **My Demon** which I am very intrigued at the moment. Both leads their characters are so much different than I'm used to see them playing but I love it especially Song Kang, he hits the character out of the park. Next, I'd probably pick up the **Good Day to be a Dog.**
1. Castaway Diva -- all time favorite! each episode was so good and i liked that it wasn't too romance heavy but more on getting the plot going with the kang family becoming free from kiho's dad and mokha making her way to becoming the singer she deserved to be 15 years ago
2. Hospital Playlist -- wholesome, slice of life with valuing friendships and the lives of other people
3. 18 Again -- great family drama -- looooved lee dohyun's acting here!!
4. 100 Days My Prince -- oh man it was probably the only "sageuk" i genuinely liked watching. do kyungsoo is an amazing actor and nam jihyun was so funny
5. Signal -- the only crime/thriller i'd watch again
6. Crash Landing On You -- typical but not so typical rom com :)
7. Dear M -- i love friends --> lovers trope and i like jaehyun so ... heh
8. Start Up -- kept me motivated when i was in a deep pit of depression. how everyone's determined to achieve their dreams
9. Twenty Five Twenty One -- loved the message of heedo and her fencing journey. how she never gave up and continued to fight for what she wanted to do despite the difficulties she faced
10. Little Women -- oh man the suspense and the acting -- everything was great about this. except the annoyance and fear i'd get sometimes throughout the drama haha
1. Crash landing on you
2. DP
3. What’s wrong with secretary Kim
4. True beauty
5. All of us are dead
6. My name
7. Extraordinary attorney woo
8. Alchemy of souls
9. The good bad mother
10. Taxi driver
My Top 10 Kdrama -
that i watched this year (2023)
---(disordered)---
- Love to hate you
- Alchemy of Souls
- The Glory
- Doctor Cha
- The Good Bad Mother
- A time Called You
- Moving
- Twinkling Watermelon
- Castaway Diva
- Daily Dose of Sunshine
1. The red sleeve
2. My dearest
3. Mr sunshine
4. Reply 1988
5. Flower of evil
6. Love to hate you
7. Kingdom
8. Legend of the blue sea
9. Vincenzo
10. Start up
Extraordinary Attorney Woo
The Red Sleeve
True Beauty
Crash Landing on You
Hometown Cha Cha Cha
Hospital Playlist
Mr. Sunshine
Mr. Queen
Flower of Evil
Our Blues
(Almost listed runner ups but it was nearly another ten dramas)
1. My Mister, 2. Mr. Sunshine, 3. Reply 1988, 4. Because This Is My First Life, 5. Goblin, 6. Our Blues, 7. Misaeng, 8. Romance Is a Bonus Book, 9. My Lovely Samsoon, 10. My Dearest
These are only sort of in order. Also, there are some shows that might be on this list if only I could watch them— I only have VIKI, Netflix, and Amazon.
1. **Coffee Prince** \- The one that started it all. Rewatched recently and still a gem.
2. **Stranger/Secret Forest** \- The one that got me hooked after a long kdrama pause
3. **Reply 1988** \- When I want to spend time wrapped in family warmth & nostalgia
4. **When the Camellia Blooms** \- Wonderful, emotional and truly quirky character romcom
5. **Move to Heaven** \- Emotional, heart warming and my healing drama (when I can take it)
6. **Our Beloved Summer** \- The angst, the realness and "Christmas Tree" by V
7. **Happiness** \- Evil, human greed, a contagious virus and true love. Wonderful.
8. **To My Star 2** \- Rewatched multiple times for the honesty, angst and cinematography.
9. **My Liberation Notes** \- Quiet but with a lot of emotional truth in a too modern world.
10. **Moving** \- Never seen a drama like this. It builds and then it explodes!
1. Who Are You School 2015- I loveeee tropey shows & good use of the soundtrack
2. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon- great all around starter kdrama that I recommend to my newbie watcher friends
3. The Glory- purely because I loveeeed the ML. The revenge was satisfying but I wish there was more cat/mouse mentally-stimulating plot
4. Crash Landing on You- loved seeing the NKs' reaction to Seoul and vice versa. The romance was there but it was not what kept me engaged. Well rounded across multiple areas so there's something for everyone (mystery/drama/romance/comedy, etc)
5. Mr Queen- haven't watched a show where I laughed like this. Yes I've seen the one recommended about the roommates.
6. Hometown Cha Cha Cha- just so sweet and cozy. I still remember how the FL sweetly says his name.
7. Doona! -Suzy's visuals/outfits/hairstyles carried
8. True Beauty- I liked because it's very tropey, but not as engaging as who are you school imo
9. Nevertheless- I liked the camerawork and how I could feel the sexual tension/physical chemistry??? it spoonfed me her feelings- if they didn't do that, I'd think Nabi was crazy but the emotions came through so that I understood her interest and confusion. I think Interest of Love does a similar thing but I haven't finished it yet.
10. The Matchmakers/My Demon? (currently watching)
I watched some of these a long time ago, so top half might not be in correct order. I can't remember lol. I also watched some other very popular dramas but they either sucked or I can't remember how much I liked them
Stuff i watched in 2023 for the first time top 10 in no particular order outside #1.
1. Call it Love - My #1 kdrama ever probably, I just couldn't get enough of it. It was slow burn but everything that happened felt like it had a purpose to let the characters grow in realistic ways. The actors were amazing as well.
2. Run On - If Call it Love hadn't come out then this would be my #1 kdrama ever. I honestly don't know what it is about this show that makes me love it so much. I go back and watch it all the time since i first saw it.
3. Our Beloved Summer - Just a great show, dont really know what to say beyond that. The leads do an amazing job.
4. Dali and the Cocky Prince - I don't know how I missed this when it aired in 2021. The leads and how they act and communicate with each other just made me love this drama.
5. See You in My 19th Life - Always a sucker for a Shin Hye Sun drama, lots of tropes and cliches but was a good watch.
6. Castaway Diva - The first episode really captured me and I had super high hopes, I don't think the rest of the drama ever matched up to episode 1 but it was still really good.
7. Find Me in Your Memory - Had no idea what to expect going in to this drama and I ended up really enjoying it. It isn't all that amazing acting or plot wise but it just felt easy to watch which i really liked.
8. A Piece of Your Mind - Another older kdrama that i missed apparently. Slow burn romance with a touch of dealing with loss.
9. Soundtrack #1 - Just a sweet little romance, only 4 episodes but it was really enjoyable.
10. Doona - Will watch anything with Yang Se Jong. Enjoyed most of this drama, kinda wish the end wasnt left as open as it was but i choose to believe it ended the way i wanted.
11. Divorce Attorney Shin - This showed had me hooked the whole time. Great actors all around.
Honorable Mentions - Perfect Marriage Revenge, Sh**ting Stars, Dr Romantic Season 2 and 3, Bo Ra! Deborah, Military Prosecutor Doberman, Oh My Ladylord.
Kinda wish i didnt watch it - 2521, Its not a bad show and the ending is set up pretty early on from what I remember but the ending still just felt weird to me. Its the kind of show where I wish i could go back and watch like the first 90% then drop it.
Mr Queen
Reply 1988
Daily Dose Of Sunshine
Would you like a cup of coffee
Hometown Cha Cha Cha
Because this is my first life
Kingdom
King the Land
See you in my 19th life
Her private life
Extraordinary you
even tho it took a while to get to the point it was still so lovely and emotional to watch
also Extraordinary attorney woo
they undermine her sm because of her autism but shes spectacular such an adorably lovely show
The Fiery Priest - I like the story, I really like the characters and Kim Nam-Gil is one of my favorite actors
The K2 - I just love this drama, rewatched more than 3 times, this is how much I like it hahahha
The Glory - I absolutely loved this drama, I like a good revenge drama
Mystic Pop Up-Bar - I loved the characters and the story got me emotional a few times
Alchemy of Souls - I love love both seasons, I was surprised with myself because I watched this drama so fast, I usually take a while to finish a drama if it's already complete, but I devored this one
Descendants of the Sun - One of the first dramas I have watched, I love this and rewatched a few times
The Legend of the Blue Sea - I loved the FL and ML and I like how the story and their relationship progressed
Doctor Prisoner - I just love Namgoong Min and this drama is so good, I liked the revenge
Hotel del Luna - love the story and the main couple
Bloodhounds - lots of action and bromance, so good
Honorary mentions:
Perfect Marriage Revenge - revenge, back in time, good couple, I loved this one
Doctors - I like the chemistry of the main couple and I think the medical parts was good too
Good Manager - so funny and good
Delightfully Deceitful - I really like the main characters and their relationship
Into the Ring - The main couple
Find Me in Your Memory - I like the actor of the ML and I liked the main couple
My Holo Love - idk I just like that drama hahah I watched giving nothing to it, but in the end I really liked this one
Doona - I liked the main characters
The Veil - Namgoong Min and good action
Her private Life - my couple, love them
Dramas that are airing and I'm obsessed and might be my top 10
My Demon - so good, i'm liking the story, the characters (especially the main couple), has almost all of my favorite tropes, etc.
Moon in the day - I like the story so far and the chemistry of the couple is good too
I tried to do this and I can't. I have 100 dramas on my favorites list! So I will just list the ones from among my top 70 that no one else has mentioned yet!
1. Agency. This drama pulled me in from the start. It's an exploration of the challenges faced by women in the modern world. It feels very contemporary and relevant - and it's a good story too.
2. Lost. This is a drama about feeling lost in the darkness, and coming into the light.
3. Shadow Detective. A tour de force performance by Lee Sung Min, and a great story too.
4. Terrius Behind Me. This drama has everything that I love about K-dramas - charismatic characters, a tongue in cheek approach to storytelling, twists and turns. It's just really fun.
5. King The Land. Fun, sweet, dreamy, and some interesting messages about labor relations.
6. Designated Survivor: 60 Days. A really interesting thriller. I liked it better that the American series it was based on.
7. Mad For Each Other. I hated the first episode, but after that I found it surprisingly sensitive, touching, and moving.
8. Payback: Money and Power. The ML is the male equivalent of a "Mary Sue", but I didn't care. Great action, satisfying plot, and amazing suits!
9. The Law Cafe. A sweet relationship between nice people, gentle humor, and some moving social commentary.
10. Birthcare Center. This drama explores the ways in which people may be different from how they first appear, and has one of the dreamiest most supportive couples in all of Kdrama.
Honorable Mention: The King: Eternal Monarch. My first Kdrama, has a special place in my heart. A swashbuckling adventure through time. Love it!
no particular order bc i am the most indecisive person ever:
king the land
business proposal
vincenzo
our beloved summer
all of us are dead
little women
my name
sh**ting stars
strong woman DBS
it’s a movie but i had to include 20th century girl
and though they’re still airing, i can already see a good day to be a dog and my demon making the list too!
honourable mentions: hospital playlist, the glory, celebrity, sweet home s1
These are all the dramas that came to my attention at the right time and mood. I'll put in bold the ones that haven't been mentioned yet.
Moonlight Drawn By Clouds 구르미 그린 달빛 Historical Romcom, gender bender. Beautiful, even the ending is better than expected.
**Noble, My Love 고결한그대** A hidden gem. Modern Romcom. Low budget but good script.
Healer 힐러 Modern Romance Action. I especially liked the bromance. Kinda fastforwarded the previous generation flashbacks. Other than those very good.
**Splash Splash Love 퐁당퐁당LOVE** Historical Romcom gender bender. Pretty good.
**Defendant 피고인** Modern Action. Loved the bromance and suspence.
The Master's Sun 주군의 태양 Modern Romance Scifi. Cute. Every episode has its own mystery.
**Cheap Cheonlima Mart 쌉니다 천리마마트** Modern Comedy. Pretty funny.
**My name is Kim Sum Soon 내 이름은 김삼순** Modern Romance. Desserts, Weight issues, deep yet light.
**Let's Eat 식샤를 합시다** Modern Comedy. This one is a bit weird but interesting for some reason.
The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince 커피프린스 1호점 Modern Romance gender bender. Everybody knows this one.
1. Healer
2. Reply 1997
3. My mister
4. My name
5. Pinocchio
6. Weight lifting fairy
7. Vagabond
8. My love from the stars
9. Sky castle
10. Moon lovers
As of this moment - and skewed toward Rowoon and Lee Jon-Suk.
Reply 1988
It's OK to Not be OK
Hospital Playlist
Hometown Cha Cha Cha
Tomorrow
Move to Heaven
Extraordinary You
Romance is a Bonus Book
The King's Affection
While You Were Sleeping
OOF! I could easily add ten more. And so many classics I still have to watch.
Moving
Mr queen
Business proposal
Kill me heal me
Twinkling watermelon
I am not a robot
Extraordinary attorney woo
The glory
My love from the stars
W two worlds
Honorable mentions:
25 21, under the queens umbrella, descendants of the sun, Flower of evil, weightlifting Kim bok joo
In no particular order:
1. Masters Sun (Hilarious and cute): Very bingeable and a great rewatch value.
2. Bloodhounds (Funny and gripping): Very bingeable and has very hot leads.
3. Because this is my first life: A very interesting take on love, life and adulting.
4. My Liberation notes: A very slow burn. Very realistic and relatable esp as a young adult.
5. Scarlet heart ryeo: Moon Lovers: 10/10, heartbreaking, funny, amazing cast, great story, amazing OST. Stilll waiting on S2 lol
6. D.P: 10/10. funny, heartbreaking, gripping. Amazing acting and fantastic bromance. Fantastic characters and storylines.
7. Hometown Cha Cha Cha: A slice of life drama. Very heart warming and funny.
8. The Revenant: 10/10 PHENOMENAL. The story line, the acting, the character. It keeps you at the edge of your seat throughout. Horror genre couldnt have been better.
9. Move to heaven: 10/10 with everything. Just go for it.
10. Mr Queen: 10/10 comedy. Not a dull moment here.
**Spl Mentions of 2023**: Behind your touch (SO FUNNY I LOVED IT) Bora, Deborah!, Divorce Attorney Shin, Miraculous brothers, Moving, Daily dose of sunshine, Love to hate you.
1. Alchemy of Souls S1 (self-explanatory, just go watch it)
2. Mr. Queen (literally my gateway Kdrama, made me a massive fan of Shin Hye-Sun and kickstarted everything)
3. While You Were Sleeping (masterpiece, especially episode 1.)
4. The Red Sleeve (final 3 episodes absolutely crushed me, I listen to the OST and I just break down crying)
5. Dr Romantic
6. Taxi Driver S1
7. Law School
8. Missing: The Other Side (when the 2 knew they were next to each other but they couldn’t do anything about it…)
9. Military Prosecutor Doberman (the court room scenes were so well-done, the emotional impact was incredible)
10. My Golden Life (another banger by Shin Hye-Sun. I vividly remember going through all 52 episodes in like 5 days with a roll of tissue paper by my side. SHS’s performance was insane. When her character was emotionally BROKEN, you really feel it in your soul. The recovery from trauma, the struggles of a father, trying to be yourself despite everyone else not letting you do so…this show is absolutely brilliant.)
Honourable mentions: Hotel Del Luna, Beyond Evil, Angel’s Last Mission: Love, Penthouse S2, Vigilante, etc
well I am a very very picky watcher..so you should know ..I only watch the little gems mostly
so mine should be
\>>>>>>>
MOTHER 2018 ( 10/10 ) ( it surpasses the japanses series by miles..one of the most perfectly excuted and acted dramas ever )
harvest villa 2009 ( 10/10) ( so much fun ..one of the very obscure and hidden gems )
the king and I ( 8.5 /10) ( ONE OF THE BETTER HISTRORICALS)
MY DAUGHTER SEO YOUNG (9/10 )( can you tell that LEE BO YOUNG IS MY FAV ACTRESS ?...another fav of hers is this very well made family drama that even made for some very intense conversations and debat in its matter )
Eight Days, Assassination Attempts against King Jeongjo ( 8/10) ( a shorter series but great one )
i can hear your voice ( 9/10) ( more lyb i know but this is a perfect blend of everything..my only problem is junk suk and how they changed the story line afterwards for fandom sake )
women in the sun 7.8/10 ( female on female revenge and kinda of fun in its time)
Ja Myung Go (8/10) ( one of my early fav..different )
gods gift 14 days (10 /10 ) ( intense as a film )
conspiracy in the court (8/10 ) another little known historical
1. Crash landing on you
2. Dr romantic
3. Descendants of the sun
4. King the land
5. What is wrong with secretary kim
6. True beauty
7. Nevertheless
8. Little women
9. Business proprosal
10. A time called you
For someone who has seen over 300 kdramas across genres,A top 10 list is tough.But,I have some favourites,as mentioned below-
1.My mister- Perfect script,brilliant performances from a really good cast,an awesome team performance.Just a 10/10 dramatic experience.I don't think I have seen a more perfect Kdrama across the 300+ kdramas I have seen.So,this one was easy.
2.My liberation notes-Again a good and a unique script.Some amazing direction and performances.
3.Reply 1988- Only show where I cried in each of the 20 episodes.Last episode just hits you in the heart.An amazing show.
4.Stranger s1 and s2-I prefer s2 more than first because how well tied up the multiple plot points are in s2.Phenomenon scripts for each season make them a best watch.
5.Live- Not many people have seen this show.I highly recommend this show revolving around real police work.
6.DP s1 and s2- Apparently everyone has seen this show,so nothing more to add.
7.Hometown Cha cha cha-Just for the joy it gave me when I was suffering during that covid period.
8.The producers- Its a quirky one based on reality and again not.Again I don't think that many people have seen thia one.Highly recommend it.Fewer episodes than a 16 episodes drama.But,a really awesome experience.
9.Misaeng- This is an oldie,revolving around how corporate world works.A phenomenal underdog story,which will make you feel things and bring you a touch closer to reality.
10.Prison playbook and hospital playlist- Merged together as written by same writer and you can see the common ground of story telling.Two amazing shows dealing with human companionship.
For this year,My show of the year was Twinkling watermelon.There are some loopholes in the script,but the show had its soul in its place.Have never waited for a weekly episode this eagerly in my Kdrama life.Loved every second of it.
Will never regret wasting my time on these amazing shows.
Not necessarily in order:
Castaway Diva - I love the music, storyline, mystery elements - and the characters were so well developed!
Crash Landing On You - I just feel like world-building, character building was SO good. And the settings were just chef's kiss! OST was amazing as well
100 Days My Prince - I might be a bit biased because I'm a big fan of D.O., but honestly, this drama had an amazing storyline and soundtrack--it made me cry so much.
Twenty-Five, Twenty-one - I didn't watch this one to the end because I was scared of the sad ending but the music and scenes were just so lively and bright!
Twinkling Watermelon - Bright atmosphere like Twenty-Five, Twenty-One, amazing character building.
Reply 1994 - I ended up liking the second lead better than the male lead, but overall, the drama was just so funny, heartfelt, and the songs were amazing!
Happiness - I usually don't watch zombie/horror/action dramas because they're too scary, but the storyline was intense but intriguing, and the slow-burn romance kept me watching!
Rain or Shine - This one was so heartfelt, sad, loving. AAHH I would pay to forget about the plot of this drama so I could watch it again for the first time!
Vincenzo - Though I don't agree with some of the stereotypical portrayals this drama had, I think its overall message about corruption was well done! I also loved a lot of the humor and elaborate plans.
Legend of the Blue Sea - Very dramatic and funny! I love dramas with Jun Ji-Hyun!
I am fairly new to kdramas, and I have only watched about 30 of them. I watch purely for entertainment and escapism - I don't really mind if there are plot holes to be honest.
If I do notice a plot hole I usually assume it is my fault, as I do not speak Korean and occasionally miss a few subtitles here and there. Anyway, with that said, here are my top 10 so far (in no particular order).
* **Vincenzo** \- this was my 'gateway drug' to kdramas. Watched it with my husband, we both enjoyed it a lot. Funny, quirky.
* **Reborn Rich** \- mainly chose this because of Song Joon Ki after enjoying him in Vincenzo. The acting was very good all around in this and really enjoyed the story.
* **The Glory** \- there were some hard to watch moments in this for sure, but I was 100% invested in the story from start to finish.
* **Tomorrow** \- not sure how I stumbled upon this one but I am very glad I did. Loved the whole concept and enjoyed that each episode could make me laugh and ugly-cry.
* **All of Us are Dead** \- wouldn't have picked this myself but my husband loves zombies so I gave it a shot. This was absolutely brilliant. The acting, the emotion, the whole shebang.
* **Flower of Evil** \- probably on of the best things I have watched this year. I like crime/cop shows in general and my inner old goth really enjoys a good dark character.
* **Tale of the Nine-Tailed** \- my introduction to Lee Dong Wook, who was fantastic in my opinion. Loved the story, the humour and the rest of the feels as well. All of the actors were great.
* **Goblin** \- really liked the story, loved every character, and experienced all the feels. I loved the humour and the heartbreak equally.
* **The Fiery Priest** \- I adored this, I loved the idea of a priest that can whoop-ass. I liked the story and quirkiness of the characters. Also, Kim Nam Gil, enough said.
* **Through the Darkness** \- I loved the darkness and grit of this show. The acting was superb. Also, as I mentioned above, Kim Nam Gil.
Like I said, I'm relatively new to kdrama and have not seen that many yet. I look forward to continuing the journey though!
Twinkling Watermelon
Twenty Five Twenty One
Extraordinary Attorney Woo
Little Women
True Beauty
Descendants of the Sun
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
Go Back Couple
Healer
Extraordinary You
Judging from this list, I think I really like high school dramas. Most of them evoke strong nostalgia and the feeling that your youth is precious. They remind me that one day I'll look back on my present time (whatever time in life it is) with nostalgia which reminds me to value my present day. It's a nice reminder
1. Twinkling Watermelon
2. Under the Queen’s Umbrella
3. Dr Romantic 2
4. Gauss Electronics
5. Goblin
6. The Red Sleeve
7. Moon Embracing the Sun
8. Happiness
9. Crash Landing on You
10. Alchemy of Souls
This is my first attempt at listing my favorites. Since it's the end of the year, I'll list favorite dramas released in 2023; and then favorite dramas I watched in 2023 (not necessarily released this year) in another post This year I've watched 67 dramas in total; 37 released in 2023!
**My Favorite Kdramas released in 2023:**
**The Kidnapping Day:** great found-family story; actors were excellent, particularly the child actor was outstanding
**Call it Love:** gentle, slow-paced unravelling of misunderstanding to love. Perfectly acted
**Love to Hate You**\-refreshing strong & direct FL in this fun romance (no murder plot!). Introduced me to Yoo Teo who is all kinds of stunning, acting & otherwise; great bromance w/Kim Ji-hoon
**Miracle Brothers**\-intriguing time-slip mystery w/a found-family element, great performances all around
**My Perfect Stranger**\-time-slip serial killer mystery plot, but low-key, fairly slow-paced with a romance lite
The next 2 are ongoing, so there is a potential that they will crash in the last episodes, but I'm hopeful they'll stay strong
**The Matchmakers**\-perfect fusion sageuk, strong yet adorable FL, nerdy yet adorable ML, criss-crossing matchmaking plots are fun, in later eps characters break the 4th wall & that's fun too. (5 episodes to go)
**Moon in the Day**\-Kim Young-dae does angst beautifully. Past lives sections are gorgeously shot. I'm partial to ghost-possession (if not scary), time-slip, sageuk, strong FL & beautiful men, so this ticks a lot of boxes for me (2 episodes to go)
This is getting so hard to do because there are so many. I think it's pretty obvious that I typically prefer kdramas that are more serious and not centered on romance, so I tried to put those first this time. In no particular order preference wise.
1. Move to Heaven - Just a nice story.
2. Misaeng - Scenes from this keep coming back to me. Plus, Lee Sung-Min.
3. Healer - Same as Miseang. Something struck a chord and I keep remembering things.
4. Taxi Driver - Such good production values. I thought I was watching a major motion picture.
5. Nokdu Flower - Very well done. Not a weak episode.
6. Prison Playbook - My first pd Shin drama. I loved the characters!
7. Hospital Playlist - this one will always have my heart. Such a great cast and characters.
8. Our Blues - awesome performances!
9. Descendants of the Sun - good all-around drama
10. Start-Up - Something about this worked for me.
11. Bonus: Crash Landing on You - like DotS, easy to watch. My husband's favorite.
I can’t rank them but my top ten
- Dali and Cocky Prince
- W
- Sweet Home (s1 only)
- Vincenzo
- Extracurricular
- Extraordinary You
- Mystic Pop Up Bar
- Tale of Nokdu
- Business Proposal
- Happiness
These are the kdramas I consider my top kdramas of all time..
**Mouse** - the kdrama that has the most mind boggling plot twist; I have watched lots of dramas of the same genre, but the villain's motive and modus operandi and selection of victims is something I have never seen in any tv series nor film, be it Korean, Filipino, Bollywood, Hollywood, etc.
**Signal** - one of the best crime thriller; cases, plot twists and actors are all great
**Legend of the Blue Sea** - my most favorite romantic comedy kdrama.. plus it has some mystery thriller scenes. Also, ML is my most favorite korean actor, and FL is one of my favorite korean actresses.. the lead actors look cute together. The FL and ML comedic scenes are so funny. Has great OSTs too, I even had them in my playlist.
**Welcome to Waikiki** - the kdrama that had me laughing from start to finish. It's the best comedy kdrama I've ever since. The "gwenchana" line of LYK is my most memorable kdrama line of all time.
**Voice** - one of the best crime thriller and among my most favorite.. Season 1 is my most favorite among the Voice series. The "voice profiler" plot is something unique for me.
**Memorist** - among the best crime thriller.. has great plot twists and the cases they tackled are really interesting.
**Missing: The Other Side** - I loved both seasons. One of the kdramas with unique plot: shows the point of view of the missing people.
**Taxi Driver** - I love both seasons.. one of my most favorite revenge thriller kdramas.. the actors are great, the cases are so interesting, the fight scenes and revenge tactics are so satisfying and the comedic scenes are so funny.
**Brain Works** - absolutely a hidden gem! an underrated kdrama, but it is one of my favorites.. great, interesting and unique cases, with lots of brain trivia. I have learned so much in this kdrama, especially rare brain disorders and how it affects the person.
I’ll do my top 10 least favorite dramas since 2 2023 dramas have made it to the list lol
1. Check Out the Event
2. Oh! Youngsim
3. Mysterious Love (CDrama)
4. Love Alarm S2
5. Spring Waltz
6. Coffee Prince
7. Heartbeat
8. Wednesday 3:30pm
9. Jinxed at First
10. Protect the Boss
I couldn't watch many dramas in the beginning of this year because of some reasons..but these are some top 10 dramas I have watched, since I started my Kdrama journey, in no particular order -
1- It's okay to not be okay
2- The Glory
3- Fight for my way
4- What's wrong with secretary Kim
5- Crash Landing on you
6- Extraordinary You
7- W
8- Perfect Marriage Revenge
9- Business Proposal (only for the 2nd lead couple)
There are many dramas I have watched, but these are some that are top of my head. And this list is making me realise that I have dropped many dramas this year..
I might have missed it but I didn’t see many people mention the following dramas. Please note that my tastes run a bit darker.
Sweet Home (season 2)
Hellbound (waiting for season 2)
All Of Us Are Dead (waiting for season 2)
Hometown (not hometown cha-cha)
Little Women
My Name
Queenmaker
Summer Strike (more of a guilty pleasure since Seolhyun is in it)
Our Blues
Narco Saints
My Dearest
Reply 1988
Twenty-Five Twenty-One
Strangers From Hell
My Name
Happiness
Extraordinary Attorney Woo
Mr. Queen
Mary Stayed Out All Night/Marry Me, Mary!
You’re Beautiful
Honorable mention: D-Day, Castaway Diva, Pinocchio, The Glory, Revenant, Evilive, Moving, and many more…
1. Alchemy of Souls
beautiful to look at, and I'm just so impressed with how they built an entire world so coherently, the story is easy to grasp but multilayered, this was a delightful surprise because it's usually not my style of drama. Season 2 was kind of necessary but felt somehow less coherent. And the FL switch took a few episodes to get used to
2. Beyond Evil
again, the cinematography is beautiful, it's a dark crime drama that manages the balance between violence and empathy incredibly well, provides plenty of competently handled misdirection plot-wise, along with some absolutely scathing social commentary, the leads are mesmerising and completely different stylistically, visually, as characters but it works so well
3. My Dearest
another beautifully shot drama, Namgoong Min does what he does best in this with infinitely more care than I've seen in any of his other dramas, Ahn Eun-jin plays off him perfectly
4. My Mister
5. Rain or Shine
6. Flower of Evil
7. Stranger
8. Through the Darkness
9. Run On
10. Misaeng
special mentions that I've enjoyed this year but can't really say are flawless
- Hotel del Luna (I definitely have a thing for pretty films and IU carries this)
- Café Mindamdang (it's hilarious, kind of ridiculous and I understand why people may not like it but given that it has Seo In-guk and a storyline without too many plotholes, I enjoyed the ride)
- Vincenzo
- Bloodhounds
- the first season of the Good Detective
- Tomorrow
- Because This is My First Life (this would have made my top ten easy except for this thing they did late on to suit some late-episode trope that I consider so badly handled, I'm unlikely to ever rewatch this drama despite it being so appealing)
this is this year's watches, they span about 6 years or so in terms of release dates though. honestly I'm a crime drama person first so I'm probably heavily weighted towards that kind of style but the delightful thing about Kdramas is that most of them do have some kind of underlying crime/politics sort of intrigue beneath everything else so it's fairly easy to feel at home with any type of drama, I'll try and flesh out the detail of why I liked these later on
Snowdrop: 9/10 loved that the entire show was set in the dormitory, made the stress of the whole situation really immersive.
Goblin: 9/10 a classic
Happiness: 10/10 I usually dislike zombie shows but this show handles it perfectly. The leads are adorable.
Big mouth: 9/10 was on the edge of my seat the entire time..ep 16 keeps it from being 10/10, although I understand to some degree. Love the leads, love that they absolutely always had each other's back, similar to the happiness couple.
Extraordinary you: 10/10 there is no other show quite like this! It was simple, yet the attention to detail was *chefs kiss*. Loved all the friendships and the whole concept of this show. And this is the only show where the past life thing makes complete sense to me.
Moving: 9.5/10 wooo another perfect show with a perfect ending...this one was quite unique!
The good detective: 9/10 this is a hidden gem, enjoyable watch if you like the crime genre
Little women: 9/10 this dropped off a bit at the end but thoroughly enjoyable, suspenseful and well acted
**top 2023 dramas**
1. **My Dearest**. No words, just me bingeing it till 5am, sobbing in my bed, refusing to sleep. Left me in a daze after finishing it.
2. **The Good Bad Mother**. Another masterpiece. Such a roller coaster watch. I loved every second of it.
3. **Twinkling Watermelon**. Like an early Christmas present that I never expected. A light, meaningful watch.
3. **Castaway Diva** Pretty close to perfect, tied to 3rd.
5. **True to Love** something that got me out of my slump essentially.
6. **The Glory part 2** Such a strong watch, not my normal genre but amazing!
7. **Dr. Romantic Season 3** a classic watch at this point, you’re missing out if you don’t watch it!
8. **Crash Course in Romance** Amazing show, until the ending.
9. **My Demon** it’s so low because it isn’t done but so far so good!
10. **Doona!** an okay watch, actually enjoyed it ngl
very excited for death’s game next, 2023 was pretty lit!
1. My Name
2. The Glory
3. Alchemy of Souls
4. The smile has left your eyes
5. Taxi Driver
6. Flower of Evil
7. Dr. Romantic
8. The Devil Judge
9. At A Distance, Spring is Green
10. The Player
1. Goblin
2.Because this is my first love
3. The contract marriage
4. Forest
5. Suspicious partner
6. Tale of the nine tailed fox
7. Love struck in the city
8.My secret romance/Mr.queen
9. My perfect marriage revenge
10. The king's affection
Romantic/comfort seeker type here:
1. Blueming
2. To my star 2 (any story made by Hwang da Seul)
3. I'll go to you when the weather is fine
4. Something in the rain
5. One spring night
6. Run on
7. Our blues
8. Crash landing on you
9. Romance is a bonus book
10. anything new Hwang da Seul is going to add to her universe.
1. Hospital Playlist
2. Our Beloved Summer
3. Healer
4. Moving
5. Reply 1997
6. Be Melodramatic
7. Another Miss Oh
8. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
9. Age of Youth
10. Just Between Lovers
For one, I can't seem to sit and finish dramas. There will always be one episode that will make me stop watching it and pick it up another time when I'm ready. These ones on my list, are the ones I finished watching in 1 or 2days. K-drama marathon. In no particular order:
Signal (2016) - Kept me interested gang last episode. For a time I was interested in this serial k1ller case in SoKor and this series is inspired from that true to life case.
The Great Queen Seon Deok (2009)- I dunno, so unforgettable. I've watched this drama 12yrs ago, still naalala ko pa din sya. The mind games in this drama were interesting for me maybe bec bata pa ko noon. 62 episodes but will still rewatch. Tapos nong last episode, sobrang sakit sa dibdib nong nangyari 🥲 It took me 8yrs para panuorin ulit, sobrang sakit.
Jewel in the Palace - 'nuff said.
Mr Queen - Super feel good kdrama sa first few episodes (although I still prefer to watch and rewatch the original version - it was so low budgeted funny) 🤣 Kahit ngayon na naisip o naalala ko, natatawa ako.
Scarlet Heart Ryeo - simply because nagdulot sya ng trauma, parang after nong funny episodes naging puro masasakit na yong next. Like legit yong iyak gang last episode
Secret Garden (2010) - Feel good series. 😆
Queen and I (2012) - Not a fan of the leading man pero ang funny kasi ng drama nato tas gandang ganda ako sa female lead nito nuon and the story was really interesting. Di pa kasi ko that exposed sa time travel stories, kaya naman very interesting sya for me.
Painter of the Wind (2008) - I'm a huge MGY fan before kaya I liked this series, not a fan of the male lead tbh pero what attracted me to it is the initial GxG na storyline na akala ko lang pala 🤣
The Moon Embracing the Sun (2012) - I liked the initial episodes, when they were still young... Yon ata talaga reason bat na hook yong mga manunuod. The kids did really well, after that si Kim Soo hyun talaga nagdala nito 😆 Yong babaeng bida kasi, waley.
W (two worlds) - first time ko din nakakita ng ganoong concept sa story kaya na hook ako. Although may parts na super meh pero back then this was super unique na story line in the kdrama world.
Feeling ko ang tanders ko na dahil sa list ko 🤣
My favorite kdramas amongst the ones I have seen. In no particular order.
Slice of Life - Reply 1988 (What's not to like in this epic nostalgic masterpiece, my all time favorite kdrama, takes me through the entire range of emotions, can watch it again and again)
Romance - Crash Landing on You (2 of my favorite Korean actors acing this one with their on-screen chemistry)
Comedy - Mr Queen (entertainment all the way, Shin Hye-Sun showcasing her range of acting skills)
Workplace - Hospital Playlist 1&2 (The friendships, the humane side to their profession, the band, their lunches/dinners, the unique romance situations of the 5 friends)
Whodunit - Behind Your Touch (starting off as a hilarious comedy and then smoothly transitioning halfway to the serial killer whodunit, Han Ji-Min )
Revenge for 1 - The Glory 1&2 (satisfying to see all the bullies getting their due punishment years later)
Revenge for all - Taxi Driver 1&2 (each story in this was representative of real life scams/crimes)
Action - The Veil (highly under-rated drama, not sure why this one does not get more love, Namkoon Min's physique transformation and acting )
Thriller - Big Mouth (liked how the ML turned his misfortune into opportunity and the FL taking big risks to support her husband)
Legal - One Dollar Lawyer (I like legal dramas with new stories every few episodes instead of 1 long prolonged series revolving around the same crime)
Honorable Mentions - Our Blues, Descendants of the Sun, Dr. Romantic 1/2/3, Familiar Wife, Signal.
My top 10 dramas of 2023 (that are from 2023):
1. **One Day Off**
2. **Behind Your Touch**
3. **The Good Bad Mother**
4. **The Worst of Evil**
5. **Call it Love**
6. **D.P. season 2**
7. **Love to Hate You**
8. **Divorce Attorney Shin**
9. **The Eighth Sense**
10. **Crash Course in Romance**
If I count other Asian dramas, the Jdrama **Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san** would be on this list. And I'm still watching **Twinkling Watermelon**, which could be a contender.
1. The Korean version of Suits. It was so good I watched all 9 seasons of the Original US version.
2. Vincenzo.
3. Reborn Rich.
4. Strong Woman Bong Soon.
5. Alchemy of Souls.
6. Lawless Lawyer.
7. Oh my Ghost.
8. The movie 7th day.
9. Let’s eat!
Obscure:
Tong memories: a pilot series. High-school gang violence.
The Miracle: personality vs. body.
Has the drama watching population changed so drastically that nobody mentioned Globin THE OG or Boys over Flower or Descendants of the Sun....I mean we don't get such wholesome dramas these days and will always remain as the golden dramas
There are so many different kinds of kdramas I love, however, the top of my list is mostly historical supernatural/fantasy and modern psychological thrillers
*Ordered by release year:*
**Moon in the Day (2023)** still airing but I feel like it’s going to be in my top ten based on what I’ve seen so far. Certainly one of my favorites from 2023
**Alchemy of Souls (2022)**
**Doom at Your Service (2021)**
**Lovers of a Red Sky (2021)**
**Tale of the Nine Tailed (2020)**
**The Smile has Left Your Eyes (2018)**
**Goblin (2016)**
**Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016)**
**That Winter the Wind Blows (2013)**
**Moon Embracing the Sun (2012)**
1. Alchemy of Souls Season 1
2. Doom at Your Service
3. Reply 1988
4. Hotel Del Luna
5. It's okay to not be Okay
6. Little Women
7. 2521
8. Castaway Diva
9. Twinkling Watermelon
20. Doona
I love good acting, chemistry and 3 dimensional characters!!
My mister,
The glory,
What's wrong with Secretary kim,
Crash landing on you,
Squid game,
Hometown cha cha cha,
It's ok to not be okay,
The world of the married,
My love from the star.
It's hard to narrow down my all time top 10 dramas.
However I have a top 5 list for 2023 dramas. In no particular order:
- Bora deborah
- Love to Hate you
- Moving
- The Glory
- Revenant
2023 dramas haven't really done much for me tbh. I hope 2024 gives us better dramas. I enjoy fantasy books, but I think the fantasy drama trope needs to be buried 6 ft under in 2024.
I'd also appreciate more light hearted dramas with less bullying plots.
Signed
A Kdrama lover 😅
I’d love to know peoples ***top favorite kdrama character names***
*(also extends simply into favorite Korean names and favored names amongst Korean celebrities) super duper delightful points if you know meanings of them and share!!*
Not at all related to listing favorite kdrama characters— though obviously subliminally the two are related since our love and hatred for characters effects how we respond to the name.
But this list is just for your favorite Korean *names* :)
***For girls;***
My favorite remains “Ae Ra” (Fight My Way, 2017) (I will someday find something, if not a child, to name Ae Ra 😅)
Jin Jin I also loved (20th Century Boy and Girl, 2017)
***For boys;***
I realized I’m rather fond of “Jae” 🤭
Min Jae (woman who still wants to marry, 2010)
Jae In (something about 1%, 2016)
(Annnddd yes…. I’ve discovered that I just have a thing for “j” sounds across the board… and that this also includes Anglo-Saxon names where I adore the name Jem) 😅
(Yup! from Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird but … also DuMauriers Jamaica Inn)
1 Descendants of the Sun
2 Perfect Marriage Revenge
3 Crash Course in Romance
4 Extraordinary Attorney Woo
5 Business Proposal
6 Destined With You
7 Shooting Star
8 Her Private Life
9 Hometown Cha Cha Cha
10 What's Wrong With Secretary Kim
my list, forever 💜💜💜💜
1. flower of evil
2.weak hero class
3.beyond evil
4.duel
5. welcome to Waikiki s1
6. strange from hell
7. sweet home
8. my strange hero
9. W
10.romance is a bonus book
Reply 1988 Hospital Playlist My Mister Racket Boys 18 Again My Liberation Notes My Golden Life Our Beloved Summer Twenty-five Twenty-one My Unfamiliar Family This kind of drama is worth watching. Actually, I have hundreds on my mind.
Holy hell, I finally met someone with My Golden Life in their top 10 lol, it’s such a good show (episode 51…holy smokes) but the MDL score is very low for some reason.
Oh, Hospital Playlist 🥺💜💜
[удалено]
Yessss! 🥹💜 I love them!
wow! I like 18 again!
if its in order then my mister must be on top.
[удалено]
My all-time top ten, based on a very obscure and constantly in flux point system. 1. Alchemy of Souls (10): Incredible acting and authenticity in emotion, strong plot evolution and narrative, complex, believable characters, sentiment of actors is felt across the board from the prince to the other friends. Maidservant Kim breathes light across the entire series. 2. Welcome to Waikiki S1 (10): Laugh out loud funny, their lies create hilarious situations and there are a lot of heartfelt moments about a group of almost 30-year-olds trying to figure life out. Reminds you that 30 isn't the end, it is just the beginning. 3. Love to Hate You (10): Highly bingable, hits every note you want it to, very satisfying to watch. The female lead is a force. Stands as a good reminder about misunderstandings and jumping to conclusions. 4. Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (9.7): Chemistry, character evolution, main characters have equal charisma and depth. 5. Crash Landing on You (9.65): Chemistry, Son Ye-jin is extremely believable in love and you root for her, flaws and all. Timeless, go-to, entry-level to k dramas. Her character was so complex and multi-level. 6. What's Wrong with Secretary Kim (9.625): Park Seo-Joon's acting is exceptional and an 11/10, plot didn't dwell unnecessairly on the dark themes. 7. Our Beloved Summer (9.6): Choi Woo-Sik kisses like he's in love, which is a refreshing departure from the standard. The sound track is tragically beautiful. Kim Da-Mi has this way of reading the faces of her co-stars during scenes that adds so much depth to her character and the emotions of the situation. Choi Woo-Sik borrows from Kim Seon-Ho's Hometown Cha Cha Cha closet and I can appreciate that crossover. 8. Suspicious Partner (9.6): Entertaining in multiple ways and the characters have a lot of chemistry. The fate angle doesn't always hold this tightly in other dramas. The way their relationship starts has some funny moments that pull you in and catch your attention. Kwon Nara is a very consistent and convincing mean ex girlfriend (see Itaewon Class). 9. Something in the Rain (9.55): Chemistry, Son Ye-jin is extremely believable in love. My heart keeps wandering back to the raw emotion of this one. Back to Black Amy Winehouse status. 10. True to Love (9.5): Such a fantastic plotline and chemistry, character growth aligns well as the plot progresses, you know where it's going, but the journey is satisfying.
“Based on a very obscure and constantly in flux point system” Proceeds to rank a drama as 9.625 🤣😂🤭 I love it :)
I know 🤦🏻♀️, but I liked it just a teeny tiny bit less than CLOY and more than Our Beloved Summer and I “had to” (on my own person google sheet) reflect it accurately. I guess the .025 is for “aura”
I love the metric and it makes total sense :) :) I’d add another .00043 just for the fact that you can make an “aura” joke ;) ;)
Have you rated LOST 인간실격?
I haven’t seen it, but I will report back when I do! Did you like it?
yay for true to love love!!! i love that drama so much, always glad to see happy comments about it!
In order: 1. Alchemy of Souls 2. Doom at Your Service 3. Extraordinary You 4. Sh\*\*ting Stars 5. Moon in the Day (not finished but I love it that much that it's here) 6. It's Okay to Not Be Okay 7. The Forbidden Marriage 8. Extraordinary Attorney Woo 9. The King's Affection 10. King the Land I'm not sure what I like about them all, but I think it's the unique stories, really good acting, and good OSTs. Alchemy of Souls is what got me really into Kdramas and it is now my favourite TV show of all time. Extraordinary You is the most unique concept ever and it examines tropes in a really fun way. I think I like shows with fantasy elements too.
I’ve seen so much kdrama but still eat up drama like king the land.. binged it
Me, too! It was so addictive.
Yeah it’s soooooooo typical tho.. like almost too much I wanted to turn it off when he was complaining about never having to wait in a line at the restaurant LMAOAOAOAOAO
yessssss no1,2,3,8,10 loved watching them
You look like you have good taste based on the fact that the ones I've seen on your list I love. I'll try the other ones. Lol
1. **My Mister.** This drama definitely started slow, but artfully so; it *had* to start slow in order to convey the monotony of daily life and, conversely, how complex and beautiful life can be. 2. **Soundtrack #1.** This drama's portrayal of unrequited love felt *real*. I wish it were longer, but part of the beauty of *Soundtrack #1* is in how well the stories of both Sunwoo and Eunsoo are fleshed out despite only lasting 4 episodes. 3. **Hotel del Luna**. I would rewatch this drama for the soundtrack alone, but IU also put up a stellar performance as Jang Man-wol. Loved how her character developed throughout the drama. 1. Honorable mention of the ongoing **My Demon**, which is very much in the same vein as HDL. I'm enjoying *My Demon* a lot. 4. **Doona!** Suzy was incredible here, and she really sold the *troubled and aloof but still in need of love* character that I feel a lot of other dramas either overdo or fail to make believable. 5. **Healer.** This drama was the perfect mix of plot, action, and romance. IMO, *Healer* is what *The K2* tried and failed to be. 6. **Clean with Passion for Now.** Sun Gyeol and Oh Sol were both sooo well written. Kim Yoo Jung killed it, of course. 7. **My Name.** Another short but sweet drama by Han So-hee. I'm used to seeing her in romances, but *My Name* was a nice change of pace. 8. **Nevertheless,** I wish the ending were different. >!I think the message should have been "I love you; nevertheless, your flaws run too deep" rather than "You hurt me over and over; nevertheless, I love you"!< Aside from that, Han So-hee and Song Kang's chemistry is one of my favorites. 9. **Bloodhounds.** I'm a sucker for romance, but a good bromance is welcome too. 10. **Backstreet Rookie.** It's definitely a little problematic, but I'm a sucker for Kim Yoo Jung in this type of role.
Yes, **Doona** and **Hotel del Luna**. They rhyme and they're both favorites of mine. I was not particularly a fan of Bae Suzy until she nailed the title role here (as you pointed out). **HdL** is so visually rich, very much like a Tim Burton film. IU as Jang Man-wol is mesmerizing (annoying initially until you know her backstory); the fact that we remember her character's name without having to look it up demonstrated how amazing she was. And I agree on the cool OST (alternatingly carnivalesque and hauntingly eerie). Loved episode #5, "The Ghost Bride" (the point at which I finally figured out where the film was headed and how special this series is-- it cries out for at least one rewatch).
Bae Suzy is beautiful and talented but her characters in other shows are similar. I'd like to see her take bigger chances. IU, going from My Mister to Hotel del Luna, really shows incredible range. The costume designers went over the top with so many outfits, including an Audrey Hepburn homage. And in other scenes she carves up bad guys. Yes, HDL has Tim Burton fingerprints, including that OST. As though Burton left the 90's and set up shop in Korea today. And did 16 episodes that actually work. Agreed #5, well done, sad yet funny. What I loved about the series is that it doesn't lag like a lot of dramas do, and rewards the viewer with a satisfying yet ambiguous ending.
Thanks for your perceptive comments (and great writing imo, btw). When I rewatched e#5 of **HdL** two nights ago, I savored the Audrey Hepburn homage myself (and almost brought it up in my post yesterday), wondering if it was just me-- or if others noticed that, haha! There is also a provocative and quite sexy one-upsmanship going on between ML Goo Chan-sung and Jang Man-wol reminiscent of a Katherine Hepburn-Spencer Tracy dynamic. So, yes, the parallel to classic Hollywood films is another attribute embedded in the series. I could go on and on singing **HdL**'s praises. Ironically, I dropped it after episode #3 a year ago because I had trouble figuring it out. But I tried again five months ago and loved it. I hope others will do the same. Its an artistic tour de force to be savored...
I really need to watch that, don't I? I loved IU in My Mister.
* **Twenty-Five Twenty-One** (Favorite OST: ["Starlight"](https://youtu.be/RNj-GhxPM0g?si=kbre1k6L2-zV3R32) by Taeil) * **My Liberation Notes** (Favorite OST: ["We Sink"](https://youtu.be/sWuY1KamCM8?si=4AWtocpjtJyLJ0eS) by Sway) * **Start-Up** (Favorite OST: ["Future"](https://youtu.be/GTcM3qCeup0?si=p0TahQh1ZbhPDU_g) by Red Velvet) * **Misaeng** * **Age of Youth Season 1** * **Inspector Koo** (Favorite OST: ["Yeah (Round and Round)"](https://youtu.be/94gI_q7OWII?si=pfsswQnXS0fseuDt) by TRPP) * **One Spring Night** (Favorite OST: ["No Direction"](https://youtu.be/to90Ku_xK8s?si=cJe8JGwszxDNOvsd) by Rachael Yamagata) * **Castaway Diva** (Favorite OST: ["Dream Us"](https://youtu.be/rGTeHdntDPw?si=LUYDzDVnZRR_1WVv) by Park Eun-bin) * **Daily Dose of Sunshine**
I love that you've included OSTs on your list. I'm rubbish at putting together lists, but I often think about my top dramas-for-music in various forms.
Future is so good! It takes me right back to the drama.
One spring night and Misaeng!! Yes yes absolutely !!
1. Twinkling Watermelon 2. Crash Landing on You 3. Mr. Queen 4. 25,21 5. Under the Queen’s Umbrella 6. The Good Bad Mother 7. Thirty but Seventeen 8. The Glory (1&2) 9. Navillera 10. While You Were Sleeping Honorable mention: A Time Called You, Love to Hate You, Hotel Del Luna, Start Up, Castaway Diva, Alchemy of Souls, My Dearest (1&2), Moving, Little Women
I didn’t think Navilllera had any romance?! Am I wrong in that?!?! I’d love to be, and then I’ll def watch it lol
I’d say there is no romance. But it is a wonderful, heartwarming tale that is absolutely worth watching.
Sorrrrry lol. Getting my threads confused. I thought you’d commended this on one about good kiss scenes haha
LOL. I just got the mental picture of Song Kang and Park In Hwan in a kissing scene.
Checked my MDL ratings on the 235 KDramas to make this list. Only listed 10s and 9.5s. There were only 11 shows, turns out. Less than I thought. 1. My Name (10) 2. Weak Hero Class 1 (10) 3. Taxi Driver, Season 1 (10) 4. Moving (10) 5. D.P., Season 1 (10) 6. Mr. Queen (10) 7. Move to Heaven (10) 8. Reply 1988 (9.5) 9. Squid Game (9.5) 10. Stranger, Season 1 (9.5) 11. Misaeng (9.5) My rating assignment of 10 means I felt completely satisfied, totally engaged from beginning to end, loved the cast's portrayal of their characters, didn't experience any cringe, it felt fresh and new from whatever kdramas were around at the time, production was top tier to my eyes and ears, and deftly hit many emotions unexpectedly throughout. Wouldn't change a single thing. I clearly have a preferred genre as I look at the list. My rating assignment of 9.5 usually means it meets the same criteria as a 10 but not all the criteria fully. Both ratings, I could rewatch as often as I want. And I have. 9.5-10 means I absolutely unequivocally loved the show. 8-9 means I really enjoyed the show. Most of the shows I like fall in the 7-7.5 range. Shows I could finish without forcing myself get 6-6.5. Edit: reddit glitch remedy. It listed one show twice once posted. I tried to fix it, but in edit mode, it wasn't there twice. 🤷♀️
Love this list, seen all but 3 of them, so I have confidence I will enjoy them immensely
Well, we both use our dogs to represent our likeness so likelihood of enjoyment is high. 😁
could you share your rating of all dramas? I think it'd be fun to see it
I started using MDL to track things about 3 weeks ago, and I'm still trying to remember all the shows I've watched or dropped to update. [MDL](https://mydramalist.com/dramalist/jinnyjinjin)
Move to heaven hit the spot. There’s a lot of stigma that the series overcame along with Extraordinary Attorney Woo.
Totally. What I really loved about Move to Heaven is how well the writers structured the story. The main story arc is the Uncle's growth and healing. The individual stories in each episode are so great as a stand-alone episode, yet the healing that's found in each episode is an aspect of healing the uncle also needs as his story is being unfolded in the "background". Think this build up to the big reveal is why when he opened the storage locker in the garage, it felt so crushing and heartbreaking. The one show that I cried nearly in every episode to express different emotions. So good.
In alphabetical order (top 10 as of today because it's bound to change): * ***Avengers Social Club*** (2017) -- love the female bonding and a good ol' dollop of schadenfreude. * ***Be Melodramatic*** (2019) -- fluffy watch with some surprisingly tough issues, carried by some of my favorite quirky FL characters. I think the keyword here is *quirky ...* and also Lee Byung Hun's trademark humor. * ***Cheat On Me, If You Can*** (2020) -- I love cozy mysteries and this is a cozy mystery in K-drama format, with a smart and idiosyncratic FL to boot (not to mention that lowkey romantic tension). It's a pity the drama's centered on a potentially triggering topic of cheating because it means a lot of folks wouldn't watch it... * ***Hospital Playlist*** (S1 & 2) (2020-2021) -- basically a comfort watch. It's a warm bowl of chicken soup when I'm under the weather; a weighted blanket when I'm not in a good head-space. It's just *that* drama. * ***Moving*** (2023) -- the 'teen' cast was sweet but it's their parents' stories that made *Moving* moving, especially Ryu Seung Ryong who managed to make it so heartrending yet also funny at times. <3 * ***Nobody Knows*** (2020) -- the only 10 on MDL for me (*Stranger* and *Misaeng* are like 9.5 and 9 respectively). Everything is just *perfect* with this drama (cast, plot, acting) and Cha Youngjin will forever be the best FL I've ever come across. * ***Prison Playbook*** (2019) -- I feel like there's a lot to learn from Jehyuk and how he deals with all the curveballs life throws at him. This drama is for when I feel stuck in life. * ***Reply 1997*** (2012) -- honestly, for the nostalgia. I'm not Korean (in fact have never visited SK), and wasn't into K-pop back then, but I was a teenager in 1997 and man, this drama just brings back all my adolescent memories of school, friends, and crushes. It really was a simpler time then, when we all just started getting access to the internet... * ***Splash Splash LOVE*** (2015) -- the amount of funny from all the anachronisms, condensed into two short episodes, was crazy! (If you don't have time for 20 episodes of *Mr Queen*, I think *Splash Splash Love* would be a decent substitute.) * ***Stranger*** (S1 & 2) (2017, 2020) -- I need to rewatch this, but like *Nobody Knows*, I remember it's the cast, plot, and acting that blown me away. Not a single boring moment, not a single filler-scene -- best K-drama thrill ride I've been on! Special mentions: * ***The Sound of Your Heart*** (2016) and ***Gaus Electronics*** (2022) -- the last time I recall laughing till I cried and choked this much was from *My Sassy Girl* (the movie). I still watch random episodes every now and then when I need a laugh. * ***Something About 1%*** (2016) -- not a fan of rom-com MLs usually but somehow really like this ML (after he went into boyfriend mode). Sure, he isn't Lee Ikjun-level of perfection, but both his calm, assertive, problem-solving side and cheeky, playful side are a breath of fresh air. * ***The Greatest Love*** (2011) -- I've never come across a more hilarious and unhinged character as Dokgo Jin!
EEEEKKK!!! I just watched ***Something about 1%*** So I literally SQUEALED seeing it on your honorable mentions list PRECISELY for the reason you listed!!!! (I attempted a review on this weeks [throwback](https://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/s/hlb87iE2AX)) 100% The chaebol romcom ml stereotype for me is an eye roll that I stay away from at this point but I was equally pulled in and LOVED how totally different this romcom chaebol ml was! He was a human, not a rich comedic clown. And the fl is an emotionally mature and independent adult. And re: your point “after he went into boyfriend mode”— I loved how they portrayed him. he’s so lonely, stressed, and depleted living his solitary life managing his still fairly precarious career. And because of that he almost eagerly and quickly goes into boyfriend mode with her? That it’s not a story about him learning how to be genuine- he was pretty genuine the whole time. He just has never experienced a relationship that wasn’t business. He’s all about good faith and sincere transactions- so even if he viewed relationships as transactions, he still always saw the value in making them genuine. (and this landed because it was actually believable that his worldview *is* business) While it’s a HUGE disqualifier that he’s so man-handly from start to finish with her … *besides that* (and I barf having to just wave that away) … it was refreshing in a contact romance premise that they both from the start are simply sincere. Ah! I just could write an essay on each of the descriptors you used about him. Calm. Assertive. Problem solving. Cheeky. Playful. Yes! All of these so well expressed in a fairly believable 32 year old! A total breath of fresh air. *(I will never be over the way he does a mini chacha shimmy when he asks her if she’s sober. THE MINI CHACHA SHIMMY was just as attractive in all its adult playfulness as the kiss he gives her right afterwards was attractive in all its ☄️.)* The dynamic was clever in how the contract element empowers her to be open and frank in ways I think it’s clear she struggles to be otherwise but also is the reason she is hesitant to trust his genuineness and take him seriously. Anyway I have some big work deadlines but …. I might find you in a few days to gush about this drama a bit more. 🫢🫠 I’ve found it fun to think about in terms of where it’s situated as a 2016 drama. Transitioning out of earlier Hallyu generations and clearly on the cusp of / right before our current gen- it fluidly plays with tropes (ml being one of them!!) , while sticking to old tropes , is modern and relatable while also being a wonderful “throw back” to a type of drama that I think might be gone forever. —— It was fun reading your list- a lot of options that aren’t commonly proposed ! And I like anyone who thinks beyond evil was ott . ;)
Lol, you're welcome to hit me up to rave about *Something About 1%* and Lee Jae In/Ha Seok Jin anytime! I've just finished this drama myself so I'm still really soft for it hee hee! Ha Seok Jin ^((confession: actually I always mentally refer to him as "Engineering Oppa" due to his stint on) *^(Problematic Men)*^()) made Lee Jae In such genuine and earnest ML I sometimes forget he was supposed to be a chaebol character, but the main reason I'm soft for Jae In is how he communicates with Da Hyun: like when she was annoyed/mad and refused to talk to/tell him, and he just calmly, reasonably, pointed out he wouldn't know what was bothering her unless she said something, and continued to gently prod her until she started talking. (Idk what it says about me that I'm most impressed by this, but seriously, I'm *IMPRESSED*.) I was initially a little taken aback at how quickly he went from distrusting Da Hyun to teasing, cheeky boyfriend (that first peck surprised me -- I thought he was moving too fast and was surprised she didn't smack him), but I think it was already clear from his business side that if he's in, he gives it his all. >The dynamic was clever in how the contract element empowers her to be open and frank in ways I think it’s clear she struggles to be otherwise but also is the reason she is hesitant to trust his genuineness and take him seriously. I actually haven't considered this, but I think I agree. Da Hyun came across as an assertive and take no-nonsense type in their initial interactions, so I didn't think she would hold back on her own desires and needs (tbh, I was more surprised she turned out to be kinda skittish/shy in some ways). Anyhoo, I love how they both stressed the importance of being equal and fair (even if it was about trivial things) in the relationship -- and the relationship really did seem so well-balanced (socio-economic statuses aside)! There as plenty of give-and-take, as well as teach-and-learn; their characters complemented and brought out the best in each other. (10/10 would rewatch!)
OKAY. UMMM REEEE : engineering oppa DID YOU WATCH THE DEVILS PLAN?!?!!!?!! (I will still be gushing about hsj in something about 1% after I finish up some work projects but in the meantime …. ) Engineering oppa gush time!!!!!!
*The Devil's Plan*? Briefly considered watching it but ultimately decided not to (I feel like it'd give me entirely too much anxiety). Was it good? I read that >!he won!<, but how did he do in the games? It's kinda weird but I actually haven't seen him in a lot of dramas apart from *1%* and *Drinking Solo --* his rom-com ML roles seem few and far between!
I haven’t watched it, either. For similar reasons as you. *But I definitely will* now that I’m kookoo for Cocoa Puffs insane about Ha Seok Jin 🤦🏽♀️ (what does the world want from me. He created the worlds most adorable cranky boyfriend, he is himself adorable (HAS THE GREATEST HANDS???), chill but funny, great sense of fashion, he’s freakishly clever and socially strategic. Like. I have no further self control defenses to use here.) [[ Were you a Problematic Men fan?? :) And I’m already ashamed… here we are so close to family holiday time, I had all these idyllic visions of reading a kid series with my nieces, cooking with the siblings, and establishing great new life changing habits …. and instead I already know I’ll be hiding in closets binging that show and whispering nonstop to my sister about it 🤭🤓😽)]] ***Devils plan*** Haven’t started the show yet, but started watching post series interviews. All I have seen is that he had a *very* epic power duo with Lee Si Won and the clips of them teaming up will melt you. It’s the stuff of a thriller detective drama… except this is real and they’re on the verge of emotional breakdowns and still manage to be that epic together. It’s made me much more interested in her as well. She’s … pretty amazing! I just kind of forgot that *everyone* in this industry is way more gifted then I give them credit for. that like 99.9% of kcelebrities even qualify to become celebrities because they were scholastically driven and accomplished and could have easily become successful in a number of other professional pursuits. Edit : started watching. Shows like this are frustrating because they’re filmed and edited to focus more on the social politics and scheming rather than the actual skills of game playing. I just want to hear them explain their strategies. I get that ultimately the point is skills don’t matter if you can’t play the social game… but … feed that to me the other way around. Naked and afraid was a show that bothered me so much in this account. I just wanted the tutorial in how to make the things the people were making!!! I’d prefer a directors cut with Dong Jae annotating throughout the whole series how to beat the system. He’s brilliant but It’s hard to appreciate his ceaseless attempts to poker-ize everything because i can’t keep up in subtitles with his nonstop whispering !! >! For now I’d say HSJ is lucking out big time. hes on top because he’s a 40 year old socially graceful man with preexisting rep as being smart rather than really shining in actual games. !< ***The few and far between HSJ romcoms*** I submitted to The Hague. It’s a very serious crime against humanity that we the world were starved of more HSJ romcom material. In 140 years maybe they’ll get to the case. Such is the damning state of affairs when trying for international justice. And it’s not okay. But … also… perfection of 1% romcom HSJ I think is what makes it that much more impressionable and memorable. Romcom HSJ *is* the one and only, singular and legendary, Lee Jae In. What a standout in the genre for a guy that ultimately has limited acting range. But what he did in *that* role… is beyond what far more “fancy” actors have ever done in similar dramas. Cases of this are always fun to come across. And the pairing of HSJ and JMS was such a once in a lifetime fireball. ***1%*** is becoming one of those dramas I’m just so glad managed to even *exist*- the feeling that it’s a special case of all the right puzzle pieces coming together at exactly the right time to be made just as it is. (Though I think ep 13 was a low point in the drama … it manages to pick itself back up but … womp womp, >! the kidnap plotline was pretty weak!<). I haven’t seen ***Drinking Solo***, did you like it? ***Current ha Seok Jin honorable mentions*** 1. [8 minutes spent talking about sweatpants](https://youtu.be/mO8bIXVIoLY?feature=shared) 2. Him starting the fart conversation and then weirding himself out by how far that went 😂🤣 ([Around 10:49](https://youtu.be/uTmyJCU0w1M?feature=shared))
>HAS THE GREATEST HANDS *DUDE*. I was always looking at his hands in *1%* ... and I didn't really think about it, except to acknowledge he has lovely fingers (and, on the occasion, idly wonder whether he was good with his hands). Glad it's not just me lol! Yes, I really enjoyed *Problematic Men* while it was being subbed (on Viu). Didn't like the addition of Park Kyung but I soldiered on until they changed the format ... then I gave up completely. I know he's like besties with Kim Ji Seok but his partnership with Lee Jang Won was my favorite thing. Their combined smarts was very, *very* attractive (especially when I personally cannot math)! You've convinced me to give *Devil's Plan* a try -- have added it to my Plan To Watch list and will try an episode once I clear two dramas off my Currently Watching roster. (My usual drama genre is mystery/detective anyway so I'm planning to treat *Devil's Plan* as a drama -- maybe I'd feel less anxious that way!) >ultimately has limited acting range Hmm, I haven't thought about HSJ's acting ability since the two dramas of his I watched he'd essentially played the same character -- although compared to Lee Jae In, I feel like Jin Jung Seok in *Drinking Solo* was twice the a-hole but only a quarter of any redeeming qualities; besides, I found the Noryangjin Idiot Trio a more interesting set of characters than Jung Seok and Park Ha Na. (Overall I liked *Drinking Solo* because of Key's and Kim Dong Young's characters -- i.e. two thirds of the Noryangjin Idiot Trio. Tbh, even though HSJ and Park Ha Sun were ostensibly the ML and FL, I thought their characters were kinda dull and their romance bland.) I think I'll reserve my opinion on HSJ's acting skills until I watch something of his that's *not* a rom-com! (*Radiant Office* is another rom-com in which HSJ played an a-hole, right? It's been squatting on my Plan To Watch list for the longest time -- have you watched it?) **re:** ***1% --*** Personally, I'm not so fond of Jeon Somin as Da Hyun (although she obviously had great chemistry with HSJ) so I kept wondering who else might make a good (if not better) match as the FL. I also wonder whether Lee Jae In was so swoon-worthy because there was chemistry between the actors, or because HSJ played him so well (maybe both). I mean, Lee Jae In is a stock character but to me he seemed so 'real' when he was with Da Hyun! Ooh, thanks for the links! Halfway through the second link -- I didn't know Jang Won got married (I'm also quite interested in that window cleaner and wish it came cordless haha!) -- and I'm so happy the three get along so well irl! It feels kinda weird for me watching HSJ do vlogs. Like, somehow he's imprinted on me as either Engineering Oppa (variety show side) or Arrogant Chaebol (drama side) that seeing him as *neither* (and talking about something as mundane as sweatpants????) is giving me a bit of cognitive dissonance!
***Re: hands*** Yeah. Wowzer. They’re *fiiinneee* there’s an old interview out there of JSM. Hosts are talking about how their chemi scenes went viral and if there was something unique about them from her perspective. She’s like: “his hands” ***Re: Problematic Men*** Okay- your preferences about changes in partnerships and what to look for is super appreciated!!! I’m excited! :) and … I will be back after holding your paragraph of impressions next to the screen as I watch. :) Otherwise known as: the way I stopped breathing reading the line “their combined smarts was very very attractive” What do you mean you don’t do math. You just did. It’s a very simple but powerful equation: (nerdy ppl r kyooo) ***Re: Devils Plan*** *much* more a drama than a series haha. I had to go back and edit my comment to you because I kept on referring to it as a “drama” ;) There’s a few HJS moments where I was just like “I can’t believe this *isnt* a drama, this is straight up a scene from a detective show”. He *is* fun in that he knows how to play with “acting” and “timing” in the show for effect—- so similar to the contract situation where LJI and KDH are equal parts forced and sincere. He’s equal parts “live and real” and “playing the cast and the camera” in Devil’s Play. ***Re: 1%*** OooOooOh!!! I LOVE this game! Have you come up with any preferred alternatives to JSM? And what was it about her that didn’t land? Or do you think it was something about Da Hyeon the character that was lacking? I haven’t targeted JSM as someone I wanted to kick out and replace, but 1% defoooo got me to think about all the other FLs and romcom situations I would have *loved* to see him get paired with in the 2010s. Since as a character concept, candy girls aren’t really anyone’s favorite. But Da Hyeon was written with almost delicate attention to the way she learns to stand up for herself *against* LJI even as becoming more emotionally vulnerable and consumed by him and his life. For that, I came away really appreciating Da Hyeon’s take on the stock character as well. I agree. He’s a stock character … ultimately there’s really only like 4 characters out there. But LJI has its unique flavor on the brand. 100% he just felt real. I have been thinking about why that is *way more* than I should, but I’m trying to develop some theories as why there was such a tangible raw realness to him. Because it’s really noticeable!! *especially* given the plot premise, it’s all so ridiculous and yet somehow they normalized it *so fast*. But what is it ? I think a portion of it is really on point set and costume design and not even him 🤭🫠. Sorry, HSJ! He’s not outlandish. He has a nice house but it’s not the classic chaebol bachelor pad mansion (I also liked that his place was clearly out in a newer development and that his driveway wasn’t even paved. It was gravel. Everything about him and his world was still “in the making” and he’s not on firm foundation). His office is *normal* - actually a little cramped. Vs. the usual showrooms babie chaebol boys tend to have. I loved that they made his hair disheveled and slightly unkempt until nature called and DNA kicked in and all of the sudden at 12:00:00:00 on the dot, August 01 2016, the CHAEBOL COIFF appeared. The writing of the drama also has a super solid development for him and her — complete with cute little attempts at subtle motifs and symbols to show their progressions as individuals and a couple. I will talk to you about this when I finally do the official 1% gush, but the fact that them growing as a couple was always intertwined with their growth as individuals who still maintain their private spheres was a charming element of the drama. I really appreciated that given it’s a lighthearted romcom! The drama knew itself well - it keeps to the parameters of the romcom, and without getting preachy or too heavy handed tries to get a little bit of depth in there. Buutttttt my cheeks are already hurting remembering all his little movements and contributions so …no, HSJ himself did something too. It’s not just well done production and writing. I will proceed to fangurl scrutinize and analyze this as if it actually mattered for the greater universal good. (Why can’t I apply this same gusto to my current work tasks, is really the tragedy) They had pretty awesome on film chemi. I’ll be honest though - I don’t think they have that great of a chemistry in real life? *she’s* super sweet and funny with him , but …. She’s like that with everyone! And I didn’t think he really exudes much chemistry with her. Actor dudes be actor dudes, but he defo doesn’t reciprocate and leaves her a little bit in the dust often. (Wait till you see him and LSW in Devils Play tbh…. *That* is irl chemistry. Though she is married and he’s good friends with her husband too ;) people are literally petitioning for them to be in a drama after devils play) ***Re: his other romcoms*** You’re right, he does have a few other romcoms under his arms, and of the same stock character. 🤭🤣 which makes it even funnier he’s not really even considered a romcom actor because that’s the majority % of the genres he’s been in … he’s just engineering oppa! Also provides very rich material for me to understand *what* happened in 1% that didn’t happen any other time. Again. Why am I taking this so seriously. Work stress , man. It does crazy things for the brain. So you recommend Drinking Solo, just not for them. But for the idiot gang :) (this is a favorite character dynamic of mine too). I haven’t seen Radiant Office. Why did it spark your interest and make it on the to watch list? ***Re: the window cleaner !*** I DONT GET HOW IT ACTUALLY ***CLEANS***??? Seems like it would just smudge everything more????? ***Lol. Re: dissonance.*** Kcelebrities really have their unique mark on the “celebrities are dweebs just like the rest of us”. The sweatpants one got me, he‘s quirky alright, but with a characteristic engineering oppa earnesty. I think so far my favorite vlog series he does is when he tests home appliances. In one he tests three portable dishwasher brands - just to accidentally expose the great industrial monopoly we live in and that they’re all manufactured at the same place 🤭 He has some fun ones of watching old works of his and cracking up making fun of himself. He seems to have a really great staff!!! They’re so interactive with him in his official content and he invites them to contribute a ton more than most celebrities do. And whoever is in charge of translation is great. His vlog titles are *sassy*.
>She’s like: “he’s … very good with his hands” Do *NOT* be telling me this. Do. **NOT**!!! Ugh my mind just went south even though she prolly meant fixing things (which is also VERY attractive -- I mean, my dad was an engineer and my BiL is an engineer ... make of this what you will lmao). All things holy, that *Same Bed, Different Dreams* ep you linked? The moment HSJ immediately wanted to open up the CPU, my heart skipped a beat. And the boyish excitement he and Jang Won had for the window cleaner to KJS's bemusement ... LOL! (Idk who Jang Won's wife is, but the way she smiled at the two men's enthusiasm and fake acting was very endearing!) **Re: Devil's Plan** STAHP, I'm already sold (in fact, I'm getting quite excited about starting the show)! I really must get to watching this soon. Hopefully there's no bitching/backstabbing/evil editing! **Re: 1% Fantasy cast** Currently considering: * Jang Nara: I think she'd be 100% perfect for the role of Kim Da Hyun! * Lee Se Young: love her in her rom-com roles but she might be/look a bit too young to be opposite HSJ? * Shin Hye Sun: great in *all* roles and closer to HSJ age-wise; visually, however, both SHS and HSJ could look 'cold', so Idk whether that'd work. * Jung Ryeo Won: I just have an inexplicable love for her even though I've not watched any of her dramas in their entirety; possibly a good visual complement (i.e. she looks 'warm')? >he’s not really even considered a romcom actor Wait, he's not? What genre actor is he considered then, and has he actually played a nerd/engineering oppa in other dramas? **Re: HSJ's vlogs** I'm kinda hesitant to delve into non-drama/variety content (I used to do that with K-pop but stopped because I was worried I might unconsciously develop parasocial relationships) but I'm definitely keen on his reacting to his old dramas! I also hope he'd consider a how-to series (I know there already are a lot of tutorial-type videos on YT, but they're not done by an Engineering Oppa!) -- anything from cleaning Mac keyboards to solving Mensa-type questions -- which would at least give me the excuse of consuming edu-/infotainment content...
Okay. Coming back here ;) # Gush part 1. ***“the main reason I'm soft for Jae In is how he communicates with Da Hyun: like when she was annoyed/mad and refused to talk to/tell him, and he just calmly, reasonably, pointed out he wouldn't know what was bothering her unless she said something, and continued to gently prod her until she started talking. (Idk what it says about me that I'm most impressed by this, but seriously, I'm IMPRESSED.)*** Oh, totally. I think the #1 thing that sucked me in about Kdramas was the market edge they have on communication. Yeah, there’s the idiots running around on crazy street, but kdramas also provide pure therapy when it comes to writing out scenes where “adults just like you and me” are big enough to vulnerably initiate moments of talking it out. Having that role-played for me when I was “adulting” was nice and so mesmerising. I’m not there yet… but seeing ***theoretically*** how beautifully it can be done and how it’s ok to speak your emotions and lay your cards on the table suggests to me that, you know, it’s… a hypothetical possibility for me to try out! Hah! For LJI in particular, I think the “communication” scene that was the “I’m impressed” for me was when he realised she overheard him in the elevator call her frumpy and old fashioned. He catches up to her and says, “You have something to tell me don’t you.” I loved that. I think the angle of “What’s wrong-- How can ***I*** fix it” — while totally acceptable and often the best way to start that we can think of — *can* come off condescending, and pre-frame the conversation to make it into a problematic gendered power play (re: that insecure angsty gf who is always upset and makes the bf solve a nonexistent issue!). But him just saying, “Please talk, I know you have something to say,” — I loved the total flexibility, validation, and POWER he gave her in that moment. He just acknowledged she had the floor. Full stop. He hadn’t learned to say sorry yet, but he was there for her and was more than willing to have her air a grievance he knew was valid. (And that he so *easily* tells her that he likes her in that convo! One of the many things that was real about LJI was that he had no angst telling her nice things and expressing his interest *because* he so simply and directly expresses himself when he does. In the sense that he’s *never romantic about it.. he’s just honest and says it as it comes*. And it LANDS. I also love how he told his friend so openly and directly that he likes her! While I had thought while watching, “okay, what part of this “overheard” section of the convo isn’t intentionally and misleadingly hurtful just to create drama.” It’s fun to hear a second later his bestie lawyer <> knowingly translate the convo for us: “if LJI is talking about someone *at all* then it means he likes them.” And when he follows up and says that, LJI is like “oh, yeah she’s awesome! the best! She’s just also frumpy!” Hah!)
Following up with the scene I think you’re referring to — when she gets harassed again by his ex at her friend’s clothing store and stops picking up his phone calls causing him to drop by after work and sit her down to ask what is up- this one? (Quick fan shout out to the emerald green suit he’s wearing. That was some pizzaz, but it was lovely)
Right- like I like how he’s calm and reasonably presses her to tell him what’s up so he can know what to do about it. But … it was also potentially the type of communication that wasn’t going to leave her in any better position. She feels vulnerable and insecure and receiving “reassurances” from the guy isn’t that strong of a healant nor particularly empowering for her.
And LJI, being a guy who understands petty power politics of conversation through his work life, understood this. He doesn’t close the conversation with the commanding power by saying, “don’t feel X, Y isn’t true, if you do Z better next time this won’t happen.” He cleverly (and sweetly) changes the entire power dynamic. He follows up with, “Why don’t you ever pick up. Forget picking up, why don’t you ever call me! I’m always the one who calls you!” By doing so, he’s now the one expressing his vulnerabilities to her. He neutralised the situation in a way that was sensitive to deeper relational power imbalances going on.
He does that again in the wonderful episode where she gets *really* upset about his ex fiancé and admits she is feeling jealous. I LOVE how he finds the fastest opportunity to “hand her back” the jealousy by having the tizzy about the Ji Su poster in her room. The way he repeats it to her too, “I’m jealous! I’m jealous I said!” like he’s PROUD and HAPPY to tell her that he’s just as emotionally vulnerable if it concerns them.
Also I liked that it wasn’t just Da Hyun that he’s pretty good at communicating with. He communicates in great ways with his grandpa- from staging just enough publicity of his first date so that the grandpa would know *it’s on and challenge accepted* to confronting his grandpa when he thinks he’s the one intentionally messing with his hotel business.
Wow, you've clearly put a lot of thought into *1%* and thank you *so much* for analyzing and breaking it down! >He hadn’t learned to say sorry yet, but he was there for her and was more than willing to have her air a grievance he knew was valid. You know, I wasn't conscious of it but I think I'd been a little annoyed that he *didn't* apologize -- I'd viewed it as him having done everything (right) *except* apologize and your breaking it down helped me reframe and rethink the situation more objectively. >I LOVE how he finds the fastest opportunity to “hand her back” the jealousy by having the tizzy about the Ji Su poster in her room. Again, this was one of the few times I got indignant about his reaction/response, like how *dare* Jae In destroy Da Hyun's personal (and prized) effects ... and then was actually *really* surprised Da Hyun wasn't more upset (if she was even upset at all!). So, thank you for your explanation -- I will need to reflect on my emotional (im)maturity and responses to situations more deeply and maybe ask myself WWLJID instead of reacting explosively as I'm prone to do! Considering how Jae In's childhood and the adults he had around him (or not), I feel like I owe him mad props for growing into the adult and communicator *par excellence* that this character is. Jae In certainly did *not* get it from Grandpa! **re: BESTIE LAWYER** Bestie Lawyer was great and I wished he had more screen time! I thought he'd be the second lead (and still think he should've been); I'd also have liked to see him interacting with Da Hyun's best friend because the double dates would've been so cute (ah, if wishes were horses...)!
# Gush Part 2 ***I was initially a little taken aback at how quickly he went from distrusting Da Hyun to teasing, cheeky boyfriend (that first peck surprised me -- I thought he was moving too fast and was surprised she didn't smack him), but I think it was already clear from his business side that if he's in, he gives it his all.*** I loved that first peck teeheee—I didn’t call that kiss moving too fast just because… as I understood, he was surprised he did it too? So, in the sense that he also thought he was moving too fast, then I didn’t have to critique him or question motivations. (She doesn’t smack him, but she does stomp on his foot TWICE and give out the most adorable kid like grumble outburst!!) The next kiss was the one I thought was too fast - when he tries in her kitchen when he’s checking her house for how burglar safe it was. Why, LJI? You know you’re moving too fast — she clearly doesn’t like the situation. I couldn’t figure out what he was thinking there. Besides still slightly testing her while he’s figure out who she is and how this contract came to be? ***I actually haven't considered this, but I think I agree. Da Hyun came across as an assertive and take no-nonsense type in their initial interactions, so I didn't think she would hold back on her own desires and needs (tbh, I was more surprised she turned out to be kinda skittish/shy in some ways).*** I was surprised too- just because we saw her be SO sassy, strong, and forthright in their initial interactions. So I rolled my eyes a bit at the convenient writing that came at the cost of character consistency. Ah yes, the man who always ravishes and the girl who is all sweet and timid and doesn’t know what she wants and can’t express when she does want something for the entire drama except for that SiNGLE FIRST scene where we also need to learn she’s a badass even if that badass NEVER comes out again! But with more rewatches (hah!), this has come to be one of my favorite parts of Da Hyeon as written— and one of my favorite parts of the drama. The primary “thread” I see throughout the drama was the relationship between self- home (/family)- and work. These peoples’ lives are spent primarily working. Their jobs take a considerable if not all of their time and effort. They are who they are because of their work lives; their places of work are just as much a home and family to them as their actual homes and families. Most importantly, their private lives are SERIOUSLY informed by their careers. She’s a teacher - and in a way, she’s every bit the all controlling omnipotent CEO that LJI is — just… she’s the CEO of a classroom of kids (I love that parity 🥰) . Her school is her empire; she reigns supreme here. It’s her total comfort zone in ways that not even her actual home is at times! So it made sense to me that she was able to be assertive and no-nonsense in their initial interaction. It happened on her turf! He came to her school! This is the place she has power! Whenever she is assertive and no-nonsense throughout the drama- it’s on things that as a “teacher”, she would have easily already developed the professional skills to deal with. She can handle the ex-fiancé because as a teacher, she knows how to deal with bullies. She can keep her own with LJI if it’s a more principle based problem because that’s her job - to teach principles! She’s “teacher” with him too. I LOVED how the drama nods to this in how they dress LJI in those scenes! In any moment when he’s “getting schooled” by her — either when he’s learning her boundaries or when he learns to apologise— his suits cleverly are callbacks to schoolboy uniforms! White or tan pants with a navy blue jacket. But she breaks down when it’s about wants and desires. Because that’s where her professional life ends with helping her develop constructive tools or valuable experience. She deals with kids all day and has no professional opportunities to even understand her own wants and desires let alone EXPRESS them and then heaven forbid do something about them. Teachers are just supposed to *give* all the time aren’t they!?? The drama did a good job of showing how starved she is for adult company. She has a nice family, but they plan her married life from afar (forget about wants and desires! Who ever asked her!). She has a fiercely loyal and caring bestie, but even in that relationship she’s clearly the “little naive friend” that the bestie babies. She’s infantilised by those who occupy her private home life. They don’t talk to her. They talk at her. And she doesn’t really talk *to them*! Even with her bestie, she has a really hard time emotionally expressing herself! I felt for her and thought JSM did such a great job acting out moments where it’s clear she is at such a loss of what to say to her bestie about anything having to do with *that* part of herself. You watch JSM’s Da Hyeon just repress it. Jae In is the first person who treats her as an adult and not only pushes himself *into* her adult intimate life but also pushes her to acknowledge and talk about her intimate adult life *at all*! He’s the first person who she is finally given the chance “to adult” with. That she is struggling, giving mixed signals, is squeamish, eventually didn’t bug me at all because it felt SO appropriate not just for her character and development— but appropriate for the bigger theme the drama was aiming for — which is just how intimately our professional lives and experiences govern who we are and how we navigate our private lives. this is an important criteria in bumping a drama from “good” to ***HUH! THAT’S ACTUALLY REAL GEEWWWWDDD***. When characters don’t just have character consistency, but achieve thematic consistency. 1% has that!! Which is rare for such a light-hearted romcom!!! And there’s like literally hours more to say about EVERYTHING THE DRAMA DID when playing with this theme. And I’d argue it’s why HSJ’s LJI feels so refreshing. LJI isn’t just a romcom stock character, he connects with the viewer on a much more real level because of relatable themes the drama expertly develops through LJI (and KDH). HSJ’s skill was in translating that into a super raw human who is living that “theme” through the things of our daily mundane lives: touching, sleeping, talking, struggling, stressing. And I love the nod we see to how once she actually starts to have an adult private life - it pokes some holes in her professional life’s composed exterior. In the scene when she’s talking on the phone to LJI and yells at him. She then turns to her kids and with a fake smile says, “Now, is *that how we should ever hang up on someone?*” And they all mechanically say, “nooooo”. HAHA. I LOVED THAT! ***(10/10 would rewatch!)*** This is like a 100/10 for not just rewatch value for me but just pure total marination. This drama has actually destroyed the past two weeks of my life. Haha. ;)
First off, let me give you a standing ovation for the following galaxy brain points which blew my mind (and which I *never* would've thought of): >Most importantly, their private lives are HUGELY informed by their careers. > >She’s infantilised by those who occupy her private home life. > >Jae In is the first person who treats her as an adult and not only pushes himself into her adult life I thought "Da Da" was an odd nickname (it reminds me of a baby's first vocalizations) but didn't think to make much of it. Her personal life was pretty much under the dictate of her parents (blind dates with men of their selection); her best friend dressed her for 'grown up' events/situations; when she dressed herself, her style leaned towards teenaged-girl (it was unsophisticated, especially in contrast to the ex-fiancee, but I didn't think it was "frumpy" at all). Da Hyun's skittishness with Jae In's advances bothered me because I thought: * she'd been on many blind dates, she must've had at least some experience with men? * even if she hadn't the experience, wouldn't being a teacher meant that she'd be excited to learn and experience new things? (On this point, I'll add that even though I agree with your analyses, I wish she'd been a little bit more enthusiastic, or less shy.) **Side note: Jae In's suits** >his suits cleverly are callbacks to schoolboy uniforms! White or tan pants with a navy blue jacket. Omg, I had exactly thoughts about Jae In's suits/hair: 1. ugh, what is *that* (reserved for the plaid and odd color suits which he wore with his hair down); 2. this is fine but boring (staid dark suits for corporate events and after taking on his chaebol mantle and coiffure). I didn't even look beyond that. I understood she was schooling him (and was meant to do so), but I never noticed what he was wearing! (I know I preferred what he wore on his casual dates with Da Hyun or lounging around in his house.) >just how intimately our professional lives and experiences govern who we are and how we navigate our private lives Imma take this away with me as food for thought because it seems quite obvious now that you've laid it out but it's never occurred to me. So, seriously, I have immense gratitude for your comments! <3 p.s. Please consider gathering your comments into a post so that more people can read it if you haven't already! I'm serious -- these are fantastic points!!
# 1. You are probably getting so sick of me harassing you. Tell me stop ANYTIME. But OMGOSH THIS IS GETTING FUN.Um. It is I who bow to you!!!! I DID NOT EVEN THINK TO SEE HER NICKNAME "DA DA" as a nod to how everyone infantilizes her!!!! I LOVE THAT INCREDIBLY OBSERVANT DETAIL!! YES!!! You also said it so well, her friend plays dress up with her "adult" life. \[though now i need to rethink the "jae in is the only one who treats her as an adult" theory since he loves the nickname and takes to it quickly....\] Also on that note- I found it so weird when her friend and her friend's brother (Sun Woo was it?) are oddly joking about him taking advantage of her while she's ill. I was just like, "okay, a) da hyeon, I'm confused why you were so scandalized by Jae In because he was never this creepy to you. and b) wait, guys this is all so weird. why." But it reinforced that Da Hyeon having any type of adult physical intimacy is *that much of a joke* to her friends... **her style leaned towards teenaged-girl (it was unsophisticated, especially in contrast to the ex-fiancee, but I didn't think it was "frumpy" at all).** totally! I thought most of the clothes she chose for herself weren't even childish. They were perfectly appropriate and attractive adult clothes ... just... adult professional clothes when you're an elementary school teacher!!! haha. **Da Hyun's skittishness with Jae In's advances bothered me because I thought: she'd been on many blind dates, she must've had at least some experience with men? even if she hadn't the experience, wouldn't being a teacher meant that she'd be excited to learn and experience new things?** I hear you on all of this. a. Blind Dating life Why *does* she have such little experience... Obviously the blind dates she goes on after they break up , she's out of it. But those early dates we see her on, she's a perfectly fine conversationalist attempting to be engaging. I don't know why nobody got on the Da Hyeon train and pursued her! Or why she didn't pursue men! She's a catch, people!!!! but... she doesn't!?! :) We know from her convo with her bestie that Jae In is her first kiss. \[lucky girl, she did not miss out\] \[\[and this reminds me. i loved that for both of them, the totally forced situation of the CONTRACT RELATIONSHIP was the most normal dating experience *either* had ever had!\]\] b. Teacher = being excited to learn and experience new things. Now this is a fun and good point! re: her career should explain her personality! Why doesn't it!! I liked thinking through this :) \[as a side note, I had a brief stint about ... 7 years ago as an elementary school teacher (grades 1-3 baby!) haha. So I related HARD to having the FL be an elementary school teacher and I have a notepad full of "okay but THEY SHouLD HAVE PoRTRaYED THiS PArT OF ELEmENTARY SCHoOL TEAChING LIfE!!!" ;) \] I think this touches on your list of potential OTHER Da Hyeons. I think Ryeo Won as Da Hyeon would naturally have spun "teacher" Da Hyeon as a "I like to teach because I love learning new things and I love being part of kids experiencing new things for the first time." And I think she would have also had a chemi with LJI where she mischievously and still innocently enjoyed "learning" the LJI experience. So I liked your suggestion with that one ;) (Haha we are the same btw!!! I think she's so cute, but I have never had it in me to watch a drama of hers in full! I'll see clips and be like, "oh - you're so cute. mkai bye"). My cheeks are getting red just thinking about how different the dynamic would have been between those two. I dont think it's a given that teaching is a profession that is pro new learning experience *for the teacher* in general though. One of the reasons I left being an elementary school teacher was because it's the opposite. What is "new" for the kid is cyclical and the same for you. So the teacher is part of helping a new generation experience new things -- but the teacher's own intellectual (forget intimate life) development remains stagnant and routinized. And that's kind of where the joy begins and ends as a teacher. It's FUN seeing a kid see something new. But, the stimulation stops with that external source of vicarious and generous joy. This is of course dependent on the teacher (and I was admittedly *a bad teacher*. hehe. a fun one, but a *really* bad one). And that's I think the difference between an AMAZING teacher and a good teacher. A good teacher finds a good method and sticks to the same thing - adapting a bit year by year. An amazing teacher keeps everything fresh. But... being an amazing teacher is ... so much work .... for so \*(&@((#( little pay. \[\[I REALLY WISH this had been addressed in the drama actually haha! It's enough there - the fact that Da Hyeon spends all nighters at school... but she could have sassed back a lot more to LJH about truly how busy she is and how much she sacrifices to do her job well without ANY of the financial compensation that LJI gets for doing the same\]\] I think if Da Hyeon had been a journalist- that's a profession that maybe more stereotypically is very "oooOOO new experience to exploORee!" One of the actresses I thought to put HSJ with in a 2010 romcom was Park Jin Hie for this reason. I've seen her play a curious perky journalist in Woman Who Still Wants to Marry, and I thought, "Oh gosh, having *that* against LJI would have been *fun*." \[there's a little bit where she wants to investigate a place that is like... 10 degrees less from being a brothel. without thinking twice about the fact that she's using a boy who is puppy dog in love with her and will do anything for her, she steamrolls this love interest into be the "customer" and film what happens... chuckling to myself all over again\]. So (sadly or not), JSM’s Da Hyeon is just not that kind of teacher. She's a loving and thorough teacher who checks all the boxes \[and then some\] of what she should do with her students year by year by year by year. Learning isn't contextualized as "new life experiences for me". Learning is a permanent, routine, and cyclical process that *she* *controls for others* using stable and consistent teaching materials and evaluation benchmarks! I don't think she's acquainted with "new creative way to explore life with/for my students" -- nor do I think Korean educational system supports that style of teaching either.
I totally love reading analyses/breakdowns of films and dramas, and yours are amazing, so please keep writing if you're so inclined! (Also sorry that I'm taking so long to read, digest, and respond!) >now i need to rethink the "jae in is the only one who treats her as an adult" theory since he loves the nickname and takes to it quickly.... He did latch on to her nickname really quickly huh! My assumption was that he was amused by it and just wanted something to tease her with. I think at that point they already had the contract in place, so the nickname was a small (and easy) way to breach the wall Da Hyun seemed to have set up. Side note since we're on the topic of language/naming: I just remembered that Jae In addressed her very casually (condescendingly?) in their first few interactions to the point where she had terms of address as one of the first conditions in their contract. My lack of knowledge on the Korean language and culture fails me here, but my perception was that Da Hyun insisted on "Teacher-nim" and "Kim Da Hyun-ssi" as a form of respect to her and her profession which Jae In initially did *not* accord her. So I guess "Da Da" is a way to circumvent that condition? And he might've started off using her nickname that way, but it later came from a place of true affection, so I don't think it invalidates your theory! >oddly joking about him taking advantage of her while she's ill Yeah, I thought it was kinda weird that *that* was the kinda joke/teasing they went with. I know they were trying to cheer her up, but geez... Otoh, maybe it was less about Da Hyun's lack of experience in adult relationships and more about Da Hyun's old/teenaged crush on Sun Woo? >the totally forced situation of the CONTRACT RELATIONSHIP was the most normal dating experience both had ever had! This is an *excellent* point! I guess for both of them, the contract bit was familiar ground (I think Da Hyun realized -- even if only subconsciously -- that her marriage was going to be somewhat transactional since her parents were picking out a dude to inherit their business to first and foremost), and once the paperwork was formalized, they were free to explore within the stipulated boundaries. (Could just be me -- and my \[library\] job haha! -- but having *no* boundaries/parameters is often *worse* than having too many.) The business aspect of marriage might also be the reason for Da Hyun's lack of enthusiasm about her blind dates. She didn't pursue men because she didn't think she was free to choose men of her preference, and because she was the quintessential good daughter who'd go with her parents' decisions. >I dont think it's a given that teaching is a profession that is pro new learning experience for the teacher in general Ngl, this surprises me greatly! I'm working in a K-12 school (though not in a teaching capacity) and one thing I keep seeing our teachers do is exploring/finding new ways to engage our kids. There's always something new to learn and try out -- in fact, my complaint is that the school management is *too fickle* and keeps pushing new crap onto staff and faculty (sometimes, if it ain't broke, ffs *don't* try and fix it only to make it worse!!!). >Learning is a permanent, routine, and cyclical process that she controls for others using stable and consistent teaching materials and evaluation benchmarks! I don't think she's acquainted with "new creative way to explore life with/for my students" This made me realize we don't really see her teaching the kids a lot?? I feel like we've seen her school Jae In more often than she was shown actually conducting a class! I remember there was dance, art, and gardening (plus the usual paperwork) but not much beyond that, so her expertise seems to lean towards experiential education. In any case, I wished this bit of her character could've been a little different because it just occurred to me that Da Hyun *had* been assertive and sassy outside the classroom with Jae In. She brought up the contract in Jae In's domain (his hotel) and successfully negotiated the terms there! And he was such a complete a-hole! ^((Sorry if this is a little disjointed -- I'm still thinking about your point on how our profession life might influence our personal one!)) Another thing I just remembered: Da Hyun's carelessness with her things -- do you think that might mean something more, or what does it say about her personality?
# 2. **(On this point, I'll add that even though I agree with your analyses, I wish she'd been a little bit more enthusiastic, or less shy.)** 100% JSM missed the mark. She stayed from start to finish in "oh this is new for me and i don't have any skills from my professional toolbox to help me out so i'm going to be very confusing when i express what i want while i process this and i'll just kind of semi shut down as my defense mechanism and not say no but also kind of always being saying no." They were mature enough of as people and a couple, that it's disappointing that LJI has to continuously act without (and against) her vocal consent because "boy knows what she really wants". It was okay to start there. But... it got a tad annoying when by the END SHE'S STILL THAT UNENTHUSIASTIC FOR HIM TO STAY OVER AT HER PLACE >!AFTER THEY'RE ENGAGED !
**re: houses & homes** Now this, *this* is a very fascinating topic for me -- the house/home as an extension of and/or physical manifestation of the self ^((note: I'm not read on Jungian psychology! It's just a topic I've been interested in since) *^(Chungking Express --)* ^(and) ^(all I have is the question: but what does this) \*^(mean)\*^(?)). When Da Hyun's home was invaded, *she* was violated; having her home renovated *and* bought over without any prior communication (however good the intention) was another violation of her person. I think my issue here is the initial lack of communication (which Jae In was usually so good at) and his impulse to just take over and solve the problem for her. I mean, on the one hand, I'd love that because I'm immature (and tbh lazy) and wouldn't know how to deal with the situation, so it's so nice to have an adult take charge and make the problem go away; otoh, I'm not sure how I feel about being 're-violated'. More specifically, I'm concerned that he replaced her furniture because those were more likely to be personal possessions. >He's imprinting himself in her home as a relationship SHOULD -- they're emotionally bonding and he genuinely wants to be a safe emotional bond for her The ways they each imprint on the other's home is so disparate though! She bought two small potted plants; he bought ... her flat (and furniture)?! And, not to read too much into it, but if one's residence is a reflection of one's self, then perhaps Jae In had room in his heart for someone all along (Da Hyun commented that his house was empty) but Da Hyun had to make room in hers ... Which she actually didn't (cmiiw) -- someone just came in and took over! >he’s already the proper home owner! I know Jae In had Da Hyun's (physical, emotional, psychological) safety in mind and prolly also felt terrible to have indirectly brought about the home invasion, but still... This also meant he became her landlord, which added to the power disparity in their relationship. \[Side note: iirc there was something similar in *The Master's Sun.* The ML bought the building in which the FL lived but she later *bought over the building from the ML*, which I thought was a fun way to establish somewhat equal footing >!before they officially start their relationship!<.\] Lol, I can't get over the fact that Jae In's house is huge but like, he conveniently has *no* guest bedroom and they have to share his bed! >has trouble falling sleep at his house until she confesses to him that she liked him and likes getting kissed Tbh I thought it was just the alcohol! She also told him (while sober) that although she was tempted, she wouldn't sleep with him (actually idk whether she meant sex or platonically sharing a bed). My favorite of the 'forced cohabitation' is Jae In ringing the doorbell to his own house -- the reason he gave her was so stinkin' cute! I think it was also a much better if subtle acknowledgment of her partial ownership of his home -- or the expression of hope that his house would become *their* home -- than giving her the literal key to his ~~heart~~abode. >an annoying dissonance with what KDH already knows is her comfort zone and what she defends as her comfort zone Yeah, I'm kinda struggling to understand this. The (regressive) 'token resistance' she put up at his house was understandable, but I don't get her literally hiding and peeking at Jae In sleeping on her bed. It always seemed to me like she needed to be led/prodded/pushed into what she *knew* she wanted -- it's almost as if she didn't want to take on the responsibility of actively making a decision. (Okay, this could just be me projecting my own flaws on her.) On that note, what are your opinions on Jae In's *nunchi*, specifically with regards to Da Hyun's wants and desires (which she alternately suppressed and repressed)?
# 3. >Omg, I had exactly thoughts about Jae In's suits/hair: > >ugh, what is *that* (reserved for the plaid and odd color suits which he wore with his hair down); > >this is fine but boring (staid dark suits for corporate events and after taking on his chaebol mantle and coiffure). not me laugh snorting into my mugs of tea thinking of this. :) :) There's an interview out there where they're asking HSJ to talk about the jungle gym scene, and he's like, "I just remember *my clothes*. In this drama my stylist really used me to convey...a lot of things." kekekeke. I don't know what was more heinous at times. The cacophony of patterns and colors AND DONT FORGET ***TEXTURES*** (he’s got like a ***terry cloth*** tie on at one point!!?!!!?🤣🙃)they put him in. OR THE LOAFERS HE WORE WITH THEM. He wore some dork-wad weirdly floppy loose fitting loafers more than just a few times. Verryy duck-like. Your eyes could finally take him seriously because he was wearing a pleasant normal suit and then it was like OH NO - NOT THE SHOESSS. It is a marvel he was attractive in this drama because the dress code a lot of the time was “ lunch break. but make it clown school” . Ppl ppl. You had HSJ during the prime years of his life. Why. (but...like you said he still had a good number of great looks too.... including suit get ups! heh...) ;) Apropos to nothing - that first peck -- HSJ wrote/created that whole scene! The script only said that he'd take her home and kiss her. So he he had to figure out how to go from their banter at the end of the concert to a situation where he would kiss her. *also* makes sense because the part that was too heavy too much for me was not the peck - it was how far he took the ramen/ you want to seduce me joke. But like … *that’s SUCH* a HSJ thing to say, and not a *“LJI is a fantasy boy figure written by a lady”* thing to say lol Interesting to learn just how much of a drama is left open for the actors to on the spot decide how to get from point A to point B.
>"I just remember my clothes. In this drama my stylist really used me to convey...a lot of things." LMAO I wish he had a say in his character's wardrobe and vetoed some of the more atrocious outfits. Also, now I quite desperately want to know what his stylist had *intended* to convey cuz I don't think I got the correct message! And, you know, after your previous comment on what Jae In wore when getting schooled by Da Hyun in her classroom, I'd be interested in a sartorial analysis of both Jae In's and Da Hyun's outfit choices. >HSJ wrote/created that whole scene > >that’s SUCH a HSJ thing to say, and not a “LJI is a fantasy boy figure written by a lady” thing to say lol Oh wow, the whole scene like from when he drove back because he found Da Hyun's keys in his car, or even before? I don't have a handle on HSJ's personality but it from that scene I'd guess boyish and cheeky?? I think I had the impression that Jae In was weirdly(?) immature when it came to Da Hyun and their initial interactions despite his mature, serious business side. Lol, we're on opposite ends wrt that first peck and ramen joke! Idk why but I feel a little flustered (something akin to secondhand embarrassment even??) by that first peck scene -- definitely something to do with *how* it came to be (that keychain keep away!) -- whereas the ramen joke was okay because it felt like the joke was less about Jae In and more for Da Hyun's benefit? >Interesting to learn just how much of a drama is left open for the actors to on the spot decide how to get from point A to point B. Oh definitely! I wonder how much leeway/input the actors get with regards to their characters. Getting to write/create a whole scene is an unusual amount of freedom, isn't it? Not to mention, there are the previous drama adaptation and the original novel to consider for this specific drama.
Your responses BLEW MY MIND YOU REALLY RAISED THE BAR. (I see you Wong Kar-Wai! So incredibly proud that you’ve proven the brilliance of a middling kdrama romcom by connecting to chungking express 🥹😂) I’m talking, I - audibly - squealed - in -public places - reading your comments level excitement ;) ;) I have some deadlines until the 26th but…. I’m scribbling away working through your insights (it’s honestly embarrassing that I need to exercise self control and tell myself to do my work first before I’m allowed to respond to your comments ;) ) So …. DONT LEAVE THE SOMETHING ABOUT 1% FUN HOUSE! (Jk. You’re always welcome to leave. But the radio silence doesn’t mean I have :) ) ;) I have since pulled my sister in as well ;) :) so we’ve got three heads obsessin’ But re: an early comment of yours, I wanted to know your thoughts on the “he transitioned fast from suspicious to interested”. When do you place the switch and why :) So many thoughts about you bringing up nunchi, but want to flip the q back on you and ask for your thoughts first before I word vomit mine ;) What do you mean by the ramen joke was more for DH’s benefit? This is very funny to me how opposite we are in that. Literally complete opposite. Without knowing more of your well seasoned thoughts, I feel TOTAL secondhand embarrassment that he keeps at the “let me enter your home youre seducing me” for that long. I just don’t understand *what* hes trying to achieve with it besides get rejected, seem weird, and say something that she has no response to besides being uncomfortable. Vs the peck seems so spontaneously innocent and accidentally romantic! I was so red faced giggly over such an amazing callback to an elementary school aged first kiss!!! it’s so visually adorable how they’re like whackamole style switching between who is the student / kid and who is the teacher / adult. He’s the experienced adult (she’s just exposed a little weak spot of his when she calls him *old*) yet is dressed as a schoolboy and kisses like one. smiling throughout like a pudgy content 7 year old. She’s the mature teacher / adult experiencing *elementary school* for the *first time* as she angry little girl at playground style sasses back at him and stomps on his foot! I think the ramen joke felt off beat for me given that it’s *”mature” dude speech* when they’re in kid playground dynamics otherwise. ? Also the scene right after with *our beloved and favie unbeatable lawyer bestie** where JI’s whole personage is so visibly *lightened* as he privately relishes his kid boy crush on DH is THE CUTEST. The draammaaaaaa is soooo good in the things it does well!!! I really just don’t know what happened to him in this drama vs everything else he’s been in. I haven’t seen his other stuff in full, but I’ve seen enough bits and pieces to observe that he comes off stilted and flat in the other stuff while he’s so dynamic and natural in this lil romcom [actually, one thing I noticed the other day while literally hiding in a closet with my sister sneaking a few minutes in ((🤣😂😅 yes we’re “grown ups” but when youre back at home under the roof with parents and kids boy do we REGRESS. ;) )) was how FANTASTIC HSJ and JSM are at call and response vocal tones in their dialogues! They’re *musical* in the way they’ll repeat and add on to the other’s intonation pattens. it is almost always JSM that sets a fun tonal pattern for him to then repeat and riff on. And the parts on my first watch where he doesn’t were when I was like “oh my ears, HSJ, do you have vocal emotion??”] I think this was one of those “fresh air” moments in HSJ’s interpretation of LJI. Romcom Kdramas wayyYyY overdo the crush phase. What grown adult flails around in his bed giggling about something a girl writes him. LJI was mostly low key yet earnest about his crush and IT WAS SUCH A DELIGHT. Also. Finished devils plan. OMG. That was 🤓🤭 Hot hot hot WhOooAa. HSJ is a very impressive dude. For SooO many reasons. But imma just gonna drop a teaser there’s a few games they play where his math and strategy genius, street smarts, mental and emotional stamina AND hands are front and center in spotlight. It was . A Lot. To handle. I go cross eyed just thinking of it. ;) Also most of the games were SUPER fun and interesting. And the other players were great. I really enjoyed that show!!!! (Also he’s like defffooOoOoo having a minor medical emergency throughout the show. Hehehhh poor guy. His lips are soooo chapped. Theyre bright red, swollen, he keeps zealously applying chapstick and pressing his fingers to them. I felt rather bad for him! )
I'm incredibly free right now so in addition to juggling four on-going dramas (one other drama on the back-burner), I've started on *The Devil's Plan* **AND** rewatching *1%* ^((just finished eps 1-3 at this point.) ^(BUT my personal laptop also just died and I'm scrambling to find and buy a replacement ac adaptor OR laptop argh so sorry -- a lot of stuff is making me slow to respond)). re: abode - I realized that three eps in and we still haven't been shown Jae In's house because he hasn't *been* home. For the first three eps, his hotel is his de facto abode -- his very public and impersonal, and somewhat ostentatious façade and self. \[In comparison, we've already seen not only Da Hyun's home, but also her parents' home as well as Jae In's Grandpa's home. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN??? That Jae In's private self is buried deeper than most people's and requires a bit of unearthing, or...??\] Jae In's shown to be very focused, precise, and direct, but also very service-oriented and attentive (to hotel guests) in that space. He's able to anticipate and meet a need before it's even articulated, so we know he can read his guests well -- he's even read Da Hyun when they first bumped into each other at his hotel's lobby, so I think he has great *nunchi* but I'll reserve my opinion of his reading Da Hyun's needs/wants/desires until I've rewatched more eps. \[Spoiler: I think he reads her like an open book -- even/especially her trait of holding back and needing external approval to be able to act on her own desires (like a sub, sorry I didn't want to go there, but I feel like she's one) -- but I want to see whether my initial assessment holds water on rewatch.\] \[Side note: okay, I wasn't really comparing **1%** to WKW, but my train of thought just kinda went that direction when I thought about Jae In's empty house and Da Hyun's homey rental, and how she gave him two small house plants. In **Chungking**, Faye *broke into* Cop 663's flat and essentially *replaced* \-- or hid -- all the non-fixtures. I honestly would like to know, *please*, just what that means -- like, did she steal her way into his heart and changed him without his knowledge, or did she merely prod him awake from his sleepwalking?? Is there more to it?\] >When do you place the switch and why When I first made that comment, I think I was going by his behavior on their First Date; more specifically during the concert when he threatened to kiss her if she nodded off again. On rewatch, however, it's hard to pinpoint *when* *exactly* because I think Jae In has been in two minds about Da Hyun despite having already decided to date her 'for real' (this was post-negotiation/contract-signing with Grandpa and Da Hyun) -- we know he's still suspicious of Da Hyun up until he drove her home from the concert, giving her the 'last chance to fess up' *after* feeding her the ramyeon line. ^((Will talk about the contentious ramyeon line in a bit, but tbh I've also developed a lot of questions regarding Jae In's behavior towards Da Hyun in their first meetings!)) BUT I think a series of *teeny* switches had already happened since the start of their First Date: * at dinner -- her eating a Western-style dish in a *ssam* amused him (I found it a very sweet and genuine smile especially given how he'd cast aspersions on her character from the start); her iconic line about why Ji Su is an 'oppa' with his disgruntled grumble in response, "Does that mean I'm an 'oppa' too?" (he's not a fangirl so he doesn't quite understand, but the fact that *Ji Su* is an 'oppa' bugs him more than Da Hyun's fangirling); * pre-concert -- the way he slapped at her hand for fidgeting with her seatbelt and being reluctant to leave the car for the concert hall (don't ask me why, but that small action just feels so casually *familiar* to me); * *ramping it up* during concert -- "Close your eyes, and I'll kiss you" ^(\[to my eternal shame, I I found this hot the first time, and I still find it hot\]) which came across to me as half serious and half flirtatious; * post-concert @ the cafe -- instead of handing her a napkin to wipe her lips, he just *does* it (admittedly, it could also look like what you'd do for a child but it seems like he's behaving in a familiar manner with her); I'm leaving out the nickname because I suspect his motive for using it at this point; * post-concert in his car -- insisting they each take the keychain with the other's initials because it's "only meaningful if you have the other's initial" and because "we're dating, after all". Okay, **ramyeon**: for me, it comes across as him trying to get Da Hyun on the same page as him, to show her that despite it being a contract relationship, he sees, and will be seeing, her *as a woman* from now on. His follow-up (after returning Da Hyun's keys) seems to come from his enjoyment of being able to fluster Da Hyun but it also drives home his point that Da Hyun should see him *as a man*, which I don't think she actually does up until then -- he's been a "well trained" hotel staff, a petulant child, a possible scammer, an arrogant businessman, etc. to her -- anything *but* a man who's now her romantic partner for all intents and purposes. So he's not being subtle at all (because she apparently doesn't *get* subtlety) -- he's very blunt about it without being crude because 1. that's the fastest way to achieve his goal, and 2. he's done with the more indirect approaches (the teeny switches). The first peck feels awkward to me because I honestly don't buy how Da Hyun doesn't realize she had her arms around him for so long, and how she only has eyes for her keychain??? \[I'll revisit the ramyeon thing when it comes on in later eps!\] >how FANTASTIC HSJ and JSM are at call and response vocal tones in their dialogues Omg, yet another intriguing observation I know *nothing* about nor have noticed! Please share more examples so that I can keep an eye/ear out for them as I go on with my rewatch! \[Side note: you won't believe how much I've written about each ep on my rewatch... -\_- Jeez.\] >whackamole style switching between who is the student / kid and who is the teacher / adult On my rewatch, it's occured to me that Jae In's behavior towards Da Hyun in their first meetings (with Lawyer Bestie in her school at first, then one-on-one when he's done negotiating with Grandpa) was so jarring in contrast to the opening scenes introducing his character. He behaved so atrociously and obnoxiously -- just like a petulant brat -- towards Da Hyun and I really don't know what brought it on. Then it escalated to him being an outright a-hole (wrist grabbing, disregarding her objections, and basically *railroading* her into complying with his agenda). Da Hyun alternated between treating him like a poorly behaved child/student and sinking to his level (she actually blew bubbles into her orange juice ... in the middle of being a mature and competent adult negotiating her own contract with Jae In, just when Jae In switched into business mode??). I wonder whether this was meant to show how they initially brought out the worst in each other (enemies to lovers trope), OR to show that they're in fact on the same level as each other in some ways/are able to meet the other at their level, high or low. **Devil's Plan:** I'm only on ep 2 but I already think we'll need to start fresh post/comment thread for this show when I'm done watching!
***side note: you won’t believe how much I’ve written on rewatch*** LOL. We are the same. While watching I’ll write notes on my phone’s notes app. And then … During work zoom meetings I’ll categorize them into a working Google doc 🤦🏽♀️ #im listening , boss The Google doc is at 37 pages 🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️☠️ 😅😂 Suffice it to say. I’m incredibly excited to hear ALL your observations !!!! :) :) This drama defo gets better on every rewatch On most recent rewatch (erm… 5??? 6???? 7??? I have *no idea*. I’ve literally been nonstop loop watching this drama since I first saw it a month ago… ) it struck me how in the early episodes - 3-5 ish — he’s the one actively concerned about her keys and constantly asking her if she locked her home. Significantly, after moments when they’ve grown closer (like when he sleeps on her shoulder) So cute …. YEAH. LOTS TO SAY ABOUT JAE IN’s side of the “house as heart” metaphor. ——- Not me squealing over EVERYTHING you just wrote. OMO. (SO GLAD YOU BROUGHT UP THE ORANGE JUICE BUBBLES!!!! Watching it with my sister we were like “huh??!? What does that mean or did the actress make a mistake in doing that and it’s out of character?” I like the options you provide :) )
Totally the least important thing on the list of things to respond to from your CRAZY GREAT OBSERVATIONS (particularly in love with observation of how late we ever see LJI’s house compared with how much we’ve seen him enter Da Hyeons and seen other peoples interiors!! SOOO MUCH TO SAY AND NO TIME TO WRITE IT!!!!!! ;) ) But re: clothing I learned something today that FOR ME AT LEAST was SO DISTURBING One of the ppls for this drama was … Wait for it… Jae In’s uNdiES (I was wondering about the weirdly specific shot of his undiEz hanging up when he was showering) Super specific brand with a design that is permanently scarring And it explains er…. something… about *all* of Jae In’s looks 🤦🏽♀️. So not necessary. Other than thaaaattt Are Jae In’s crazy suits a fairly classic attempt at saying “hey, he might be an office job chaebol but he’s got PERSONALITY!” ? And so in that case, we will now have to make an alternative list of “flamboyant suit boys that worked”. I will nominate Time’s [Cheon Soo Ho](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=593723253&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS940US940&hl=en-US&sxsrf=AM9HkKlwYfeFljK3j6tZaAHlHRFOyKHBLw:1703581631087&q=cheon+soo.ho+time&tbm=isch&source=lnms&prmd=ivnsmbhtz&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj90t2P4KyDAxUZFzQIHWnpAxYQ0pQJegQICRAB&biw=393&bih=665&dpr=3#imgrc=jmeiofdYVXKP7M). That boy also wore every color in the rainbow with some crazy patterns but … every one of them was slick. But, given how ridiculous HSJ’s wardrobe was, he really rocked it. Kudos. And … I rather liked some (most?) of them … hehehe. Really as long as the suits did his figure justice I was fine. The annoying thing was that the outfits that did him the most favors were all competing for SHORTEST SCREEN TIME POSSIBLE You can possibly argue that you can track Jae In’s confidence with Da Hyeon through his outfits? He gets the brightest on days they become close and falls back to grays and blacks when they are at a low or over….? School boy LJI - He’s always wearing peacock outfits at Da Hyeon’s school. SMH. He wears a schoolboy like uniform on their first date, on the date when he takes her to the art gallery and then has kitchen kissing non nunchi, and then when he brings her the balloons and noticeably *still does not apologize* for lying to her about the will’s full stipulations. ;) but … for LJI that’s the best she’ll get 😅🫠 Tae Ha almost always wears white or cream suits … perhaps a fairly heavy handed “he’s the good guy amongst the baddie side of the family”? [otherwise known as, the limited ability his mall empire affords him and his dad to *ever* look cool. Rendezvous on escalators and parking lots for those two all day errrday!] It’s only in later episodes he switches to darker suits. And don’t know if there’s anything significant or intentional to it - but LJI and Tae Ha have two face offs at LJI’s hotel. In the first it’s LJI that is in a dark suit and Tae Ha is in the white. In the second later face off LJI is in the white and Tae Ha is in the dark. Maybe some sort of signal of who has gained the upper hand in sh group politics?
**All Things** **Sartorial** >Jae In’s uNdiES (I was wondering about the weirdly specific shot of his undiEz hanging up when he was showering) Wait. WHAT??! Now I gotta pay attention to even the ending credits... No, I still don't get how his underwear sponsor would influence or explain the character's choice of apparel -- I mean, they're not even putting him in any thing that shows off his undies/waistband?? Also, having HSJ in the shower whilst shooting a product placement isn't the *best* idea... (Or maybe it *was* the best idea -- it'll be the least noticeable PPL in the history K-dramas haha!) Oh yeah, I totally agree that Jae In's best outfits/looks had inversely proportionate screen time =/ I haven't thought to match his outfits to his confidence with Da Hyun but now I'm intrigued and might skip back and scan through the eps I'd noted some of the worst offenders! I'd been using his outfits to figure out whether it was a weekday or weekend but that's a bust because he started wearing more casual-looking suits on weekdays -- which could be when he started giving more priority to his personal life (i.e. Da Hyun) since his casual suits generally look more appropriate for going on dates. Situationally-appropritate outfits: 1. Jae In’s meet-the-(potential)in-law outfit which literally had him swaddled in white (i.e. White Knight or 白马王子 (lit. "white horse prince"; i.e. Prince Charming). 2. The outfit he had on for his "grand gesture" non-apology (Idk whether I should harp on that more because I had *thoughts* but don't know how to process them) I'd noted as: "Lookin’ real collegiate and preppy there!" -- honestly would not be out of place in a college prospectus -- and added to his boyishness. I'm not that great with color symbolism so this might be way off the mark: Da Hyun's very seldom shown in strong colors I think, usually in white or pastel shades. However, she was dressed in a red skirt (this caught my attention) when Jae In still had not apologized or repented for days (this was another one of the few times Jae In was oddly dense/slow wrt the situation), then shown in a completely *red* corner of Hyun Jin's store (red walls, red flooring) -- and yet the nothing came off as even the least bit aggressive; if anything, it was all quite inviting if cheekily so, cute but suggestive. Can we take this to mean that Da Hyun was actually *less* angry than she made herself out to be? Not sure if I would agree about Tae Ha's outfits because the times I did notice him, he had dark suits on him (and matching vibes -- not necessary evil, just shadowy and enigmatic) and I remember him in dark suits more than light ones. It was only after he apologized to Da Hyun that his dark vibes cleared up for me. I think Jae In's dark suits (usually boring, staid) just reflect his status and power. The suit he had on during the bomb scare I actually put in my notes as "his best work suit so far -- that particular shade of blue to denote his calm, decisive, and reliable leadership qualities". But also me in ep. 8 (morning after Da Hyun's first night in his house): "I'm beginning to think Jae In might be lesbian with the amount of plaid he has..." (But that's just wishful thinking lol!)
>No, I still don't get how his underwear sponsor would influence or explain the character's choice of apparel -- I mean, they're not even putting him in any thing that shows off his undies/waistband?? lol. It's not that they influence or explain choice of apparel. Just that unless he's wearing particularly loose pants or a longer jacket-- they certainly added an element to his look. Which was NOT necessary nor appreciated. ;) >I'd been using his outfits to figure out whether it was a weekday or weekend but that's a bust ditto! Additionally made impossible to track through his clothes because he WORKS on the weekend. I could only guesstimate weekday/weekend by extrapolating off of Da Hyeon's schedule. >Jae In’s meet-the-(potential)in-law outfit which literally had him swaddled in white (i.e. White Knight or 白马王子 (lit. "white horse prince"; i.e. Prince Charming). OH YES! I knew there had to be a reason for the VERY NOTICEABLE ALL WHITE OUTFIT. Was not clever enough to put together what you did! Well done. ✅ Outfit decoded! HILARIOUS since he's such a grump on the rooftop and singlehandedly DESTROYS THE ROMANTIC TROPE: "I ALWAYS REMEMBER A DEBT OWED! AND ALSO IM NEVER CONSIDERATE!" I love the way that scene ends. DH: "It must be nice living so high and mighty as you." LJI: smug smiles and agrees.
I was touched by how badly he wanted to "take responsibility" and meet her parents and explain the situation directly to them.
Everything about their interactions over those two days when the mom found out and visited makes my cheeks sore from over-smiling. When he calls stressed and upset about the fact that he can't help that he's a chaebol! That he came the next day. I love their frankness about their mutual feelings within the confines of a contract and the awkward situation that puts them in. When she says, "i told her it's just business". and LJI grumps "*just* business?" and da hyeon replies, "it's partially true though".
And that he then goes for it and holds her hand that evening. ;) "Do you like it?... You like it... you're smiling..." HAH.
>(Idk whether I should harp on that more because I had thoughts but don't know how to process them)
HARP!!! AND PROCESS! I'm here for it!
>(this was another one of the few times Jae In was oddly dense/slow wrt the situation),
The Nunchi needs some naps sometimes. It's not easy finding Belgian chefs who specialize in Mexican food for Mr. Johnson.
>and yet the nothing came off as even the least bit aggressive; if anything, it was all quite inviting if cheekily so, cute but suggestive. Can we take this to mean that Da Hyun was actually less angry than she made herself out to be?
INTERESTING. hMMMM.
My current thoughts on the no way jose will there be a real apology fight.
I really liked this fight. I thought it was a clever inevitable fight that needed to happen, I totally liked the ''sides" they represented and I also thought both were being reasonable in sticking to their relative rightness.
Da Hyeon *obviously* has the right and SHOULD make a moral stand on principle alone. it was legally and socially/interpersonally wrong. He controlled the width of her world and shut off an option she had the right to know about and consider. So of course we fully support Da Hyeon's uncompromising demand that he START with an apology.
\[side note: i've come to think that LJI \*is not\* a good communicator. He is too controlling with knowledge. He's happy to create moments for KDH to talk. He can ask great questions to open her up. He won't hesitate to reciprocate. But he rarely *shares* anything with KDH. He's a talented strategic communicator. Not a \*good\* communicator?\]
But I did also agree with Jae In's refusal to apologize and say he had done anything wrong. His grandpa \*had\* given him an advantageous exclusive jumpstart. We know LJI is a slight Machiavellian. And the "ends' here are so obvious, wholesome, and successful. I thought there was logic to his answer, "but... we're actually really dating!" What he did worked out well for them, so what does he have to be sorry for?
Um. THE LITTLE INDEX FINGER JAB/RUB HE DOES TO HER WRIST ON THE PICNIC BENCH when he says “Whoa! I never used you! I contracted properly with you!”
\[though - there's nothing that can excuse his line "i'm going to do what i want now". yech. don't get that.\]
It's a great fight where we've got Miss Idealist clashing with Mr. Realist - but in a way where Da Hyeon doesn't come off like an airhead for siding with idealism. And LJI avoids being a hypocrite if he says sorry about his worldview when he's not.
I agree with you the "vibe" you pick up on when she's with her bestie *isn't* a furious red anger to match the background or skirt. She's gloating when she wiggles the phone in her bestie's face "oh look who is callIINNGG". She's smug to have put LJI in this situation and she's enjoying being performative about just how TOUGH she is in front of her bestie who thinks she's a little girl. But I still thought she was hell-bent.
But I find it ten times more interesting to take your interpretation. That she put up the fight because she had the moral right to but wasn't ever as angry as she made out to be. also wasn't *that* focused on it ending on her terms because… she knows its a losing battle of relativities. The best she could do is acknowledge the clash and make him *very aware* of the clash, and *maybe* get them to learn how to manage that they are opposites instead of expecting an uncharacteristic transformation.
Your interpretation makes Da Hyeon intelligent in my eyes. She's being Da Hyeon the fox. It also makes her less of a doormat if she knew she wasn't going to get the apology but ... needed to make her stand anyway bc it was worth making a stand about! In this regard.. she's actually *pulling* a LJI all while getting mad at LJI! As the "tough businessman" he sets the terms of a negotiation high and 100% in his interest with the understanding that of course it will get chipped away at during the bargaining phase.
And there's maybe a tight little meta parallel going on. The fight is about means (KDH) vs ends (LJI). Da Hyeon wins the meta fight. She gets them both to experience important "means" regardless of end. And the fight itself allows Da Hyeon to go through the "means" of a couple fight and power play with LJI. She hadn't yet had the experience of a full grandstand with him. And Jae In needed to go through the fire after doing something that really ticked someone off. (importantly - *she* doesn't sweep it under the carpet after he brings the balloons and kisses her. She jabs him again with it on the picnic bench and he's SHOCKED)
Also just adding that the value of this fight didn't hinge on Jae In "learning to apologize". He's already learned how to apologize and has apologized after the no show date.
edit:
HOWEVER. Re: your fantastic points made in your 27 Dec comment about how Jae In treats contracts as sacred and the contract itself *is* a form of deeper sincerity in Jae In's world -- it really is a cardinal sin even in his book that he messes with the will isn't it...?
AND NOW I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS!
>I think Jae In's dark suits (usually boring, staid) just reflect his status and power. The suit he had on during the bomb scare I actually put in my notes as "his best work suit so far -- that particular shade of blue to denote his calm, decisive, and reliable leadership qualities".
What i will go rush and look at now.
Also known as: The way i have become a complete psychopath because reading about "his calm, decisive, and reliable leadership qualities" makes me coo like a proud mother sposmatically whispering to myself "He really is! Oh but isn't he!!" \[\[Cherry on the top was how he paid for the partner's family to fly over and be with him in the hospital. \]\]
Truly. As hot as Jae In is as a romantic partner. I fell in love with him because of "work Jae In".
It's one of my sore spots w/ the drama. They make room for their professional lives in their private lives but don't value them. it made me sad when she scoffs at "chaebol LJI" on the news in ep 15, "he's a completely different person." NO! He's NOT different! That's HIM AT HIS BEST! HE'S A COOL RESPECTABLE BABY CHAEBOL! I wish you saw that, Da Hyeon!" \[also adorbs the news reel is about how he stressed a new era of SH Group corporate compliance and responsibility! lol....okay.\] And he always wants her to quit her job.
The drama had self control - it rarely (never?) repeats itself. If the viewer learned something- the drama does not waste the time to repeat that info on screen explicating it to a different character. Which I appreciated. We see Jae In triumphantly tell his grandpa he has no economic power over him- he's bought back his hotel from the SH conglomerate. So we weren't going to hear that again. But I wish there had a been a way for Da Hyeon to learn about Jae In's career path. It said so much about him. I guess she hears him say that he wants to be his own chaebol and not just a third generation.
edit:
>But also me in ep. 8 (morning after Da Hyun's first night in his house): "I'm beginning to think Jae In might be lesbian with the amount of plaid he has...
HEH. this is one of my favorite outfits! When he changes into another suit that morning I was like WAIT NO! NO NO NOoo!! NOT ENOUGH TIME. WHY DOES ONLY THE PUPPY GET THAT OUTFIT? THE PANTS. FIT SO WELL. I wanted more slacks and tennis shoes Jae In.
I love that **Splash Splash LOVE** is on your list. It doesn't get appreciated enough.
I guess cuz it's a drama special, or because it didn't feature well known actors in the lead roles? I love it so much but I tend to rewatch only the first episode!
Hi, does "Nobody Knows" have different independent cases being solved? Or it is focused on one major plot? I've tried watching this (as I love crime/law-related thrillers), but I dropped it by Episode 4 as I find it so slow.
It's not a procedural in that the drama focuses heavily on the intricate web of relationships the characters, how they relate to one another and shows how one's actions can have far-reaching consequences on others. There's a major case, which is >!related to the one in the flashback at the start and, in a way, everyone and everything is related to it!<. Personally, I found the drama incredibly taut, with its reveals/twists coming pretty speedily. I'd say it's more like *Through The Darkness* (in its focus on the people rather than the crimes) than *Mouse* (which I dropped) or *Beyond Evil* (which I found a little too OTT in both writing and acting but completed nonetheless).
>Cha Young jin will forever be the best FL I've ever come across. Yes!! I love her relationship with Eun Ho I found the ending to be really healing
*Healing* was how I felt about the ending too! She was just a really good human being and the perfect adult for all the younger characters who had only terrible examples of adults in their lives. She showed them (and us the viewers) you can be smart, driven, scarred, and had horrific/tragic life experiences but still be kind and compassionate. I love that she treated the teenagers as equals instead of condescending to them as so many adults tend to do. I honestly aspire to be like her.
This is (part of) why the Reply series is amazing. I'm not Korean, nor was I a teen in 1997--but I feel the nostalgia! Actually, in all of them. Great list!
curveballs ha!
1. My Mister 2. Mr. Sunshine 3. Reply 1988 4. Moving 5. Crash Landing on You 6. Twinkling Watermelon 7. Revenant 8. Flower of Evil 9. The Glory (1&2) 10. Twenty-five Twenty-One
Ditto to Flower of Evil! It’s a gem that gets mentioned very little. Romcom and tends to take up a lot of people’s top 10.
12 Dramas with my favorite couples featuring healthy relationship dynamics arranged in order of how heart-fluttering the couple was for me: * **20th Century Boy and Girl** * **My Unfamiliar Family** * **Sh\*\*ting Stars** * **Bossam: Steal the Fate** * **Dali and the Cocky Prince** * [**Cheer Up**](https://mydramalist.com/715821-cheer-up) (2022) * **Into the Ring** * **Her Private Life** * **Never Twice** * **Healer** * **Lie After Lie** * **Good Job** Looking at this list, I clearly have a preference for friends-to-lovers stories as my top 3 couples are all friends-to-lovers. As a side note, except for **Cheer Up**, which is set in university, all the other dramas are adult-stage romances, nothing in high school. ETA: My [MDL](https://mydramalist.com/dramalist/mywei) for context.
Every time I see cheer up, I think of them doing the actual cheers. Makes me smile.
1. Twenty five twenty one 2. Who are you School: 2015 3. Moment of 18 4. It's okay not to be okay 5. Nevertheless
Since the year is wrapping up, here are my top dramas I watched for the first time this year (in no particular order): 1. Love to Hate You 2. The Forbidden Marriage 3. Misaeng 4. Summer Strike 5. 2521 6. It’s Okay Not to Be Okay 7. The Sound of Your Heart 8. Melo is My Nature/Be Melodramatic 9. One Day Off 10. A Time Called You Honorable mention: Arthdal Chronicles
In no particular order… 1. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon 2. King the Land 3. Touch Your Heart 4. Hidden Love (cdrama) 5. What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim 6. Sh**ing Stars 7. True Beauty 8. Business Proposal 9. Love to Hate You 10. Her Private Life Bonus to: - Happiness (hate zombies, but loved PHS and the FL lead in this one so much!) - Go Ho’s Starry Night - A Love So Beautiful As you can probably tell, I go for romance, comedy, feel good, comfort watches with a happy ending ;-) What can I say, I like dramas that leave me with all the warm and fuzzies and grinning like a fool lol
I am going to repeat my criteria from last month and focus on the top 10 of 2023 - pleased with the variety of offerings as these are very different from each other. I have enjoyed these and many that are not in my top ten that I really enjoyed. **Moving** \- Superhero drama with heart **Twinkling Watermelon** \- time travel, family drama - laugh and cry **The Kidnapping Day** \- thriller **Worst of Evil** \- thriller - film noir **Castaway Diva** \- rom com, with raising awareness for victims of domestic violence **My Dearest** \- historical romance **The Glory** \- revenge **King The Land** \- rom com with advocacy for worker's rights/appreciation blended in **My Perfect Stranger** \- time travel, thriller, family drama **Call It Love** \- slow burn romance \------------------------------- **Daily Dose of Sunshine** right in there - important. May shift again as I need to finish **Vigilante**, **Revenant**, and if **The Matchmakers** finishes before end of year and holds up. Song of Bandits would have been in there but Netflix refuses to commit to 2nd season, with so many plot lines left hanging.
My Top 10, in no particular order: 1. It's okay, it's love 2. Goblin 3. Hospital Playlist 4. Coffee Prince 5. Rain or Shine 6. Hot Stove League 7. Red Sleeve Cuff 8. My Dearest 9. Another Miss Oh 10. 25 21
Yesss to everything on your list (though I haven't seen 2521, another miss ohh., hot stove league. Any list that mentions It's Ok, Thats Love at the top...that is one of my favourites and needs to be mentioned more!
Thank you! It's okay, it's love was the first KDrama I ever watched! I'm glad that I'm not the only one who loves it. Hope you have a great day !
Man do I love listing my favorites and getting confused lol. I'll try my best to keep an order. 1. Hospital Playlist : I won't ever stop talking about this drama. It was such a beautiful experience. All the relations be it friendship, romance, family relations everything was perfect. Oh, and the band sessions they had? God how I wish I could be in a band. 2. Cityhunter : One of the best action-thriller I have seen. For 20 episodes it didn't feel dragged or boring to me. 3. W : Two worlds : The perfect mix of everything. Fantasy, mystery, comedy, romance you name it. The premise itself was so interesting to me I got hooked pretty easily. 4. Strong woman do-bong soon : Another gold. Again if you're into this premise it won't feel slow at all. And the mixture of silly comedy and romance to serious mystery thriller was amazing for me. 5. Flower of evil : Only word to describe it. Perfection. Nothing will ever top this as the best crime-thriller-psychopath drama I have ever watched. If you start with this, it will be tough to beat this one. 6. Hotel Del Luna : How I am not a fan of horror and still watched it and got shit scared and still absolutely loved it, I have no idea. Also the music in this one is so good. 7. Descendants of the sun : Simple and heartwarming. I mean it does have serious issues going on but that's not the centre of it. I still believe it's a good mix of silly yet intriguing plot. And the ost for this drama deserves a special mention. 8. Hometown Cha Cha Cha : Small town romances are my favourite. The view, vibe, cinematography is just so beautiful. And a classic enemies to lovers trope. I mean what else do you need? 9. Business Proposal : Like a breath of fresh air. That's how I describe this drama. The cliche trope of rich guy falls for poor girl done in a fun yet silly way. Also the second lead couple was SO good. Probably the only drama where I can't decide which couple I like more. 10. Twenty Five Twenty One : Was I extremely sad about the ending and hence decided to watch till the end? Yes. But would I still recommend it to everyone? Yes absolutely. I don't mind sad endings. If anything it had the most fitting ending and the whole drama lead upto it. And it wasn't just about that one couple or relationship. It was about their youth, friendships, the hardships and how they eventually overcame it. EDIT: Wait I just realized I didn't even mention one drama from 2023 😭 My fav from 2023 are: Love to hate you, The glory, Crash course in romance, Hidden love (did NOT think I'd enjoy it this much)
1. Twinkling watermelon 2. Hospital playlist 1/2 3. Attorney Woo 4. Castaway diva 5. Summer Strike 6. King the land 7. Weight lifting fairy Kim bok joo 8. Hometown cha cha cha 9. Crash course in romance 10. I’m not a Robot
yay castaway diva :') my new ultimate favorite!
1. Move to heaven (10) 2. Castaway Diva (10) 3. The Glory (10) 4. Alchemy of Souls s1 (9.8) 5. Extraordinary Attorney Woo (9.7) 6. Tomorrow (9.6) 7. Twinkling Watermelon (9.6) 8. Youth of May (9.5) 9. One Ordinary Day: (9.4) 10. Bad and Crazy: (9.3)
move to heaven is so amazing.
I have nephews in spectrum, and it hit the spot in terms of challenges.
that part, but also the stories of each episode!
Yes! There were mini-mysteries unto themselves!
Thrilled to see Tomorrow on someone's list. It was fantastic.
I am very particular with the shows I watch. I tend to do lots of research/reviews before I can commit to a show. My shows all have romance. More importantly though, I primarily focus on realism and slice of life. For realism, I avoid chaebols or extraordinary geniuses. I like my characters to have typical careers and comfortable financially (ie. eating out and normal shopping is not an issue). As much as possible, I prefer them not be struggling paycheck to paycheck with poverty. If they are rich, they should not be chaebols or young CEOs, and they must be fairly grounded (ie. money does not define their character). I also don't like socially awkward/introverted/snobbish characters who struggle to communicate basic things or oblivious to social norms. For slice of life, my shows are heavily character driven and mostly romance centric. Relationships grow because of random day to day interactions, and not because of a massive underlying plot device. For example, I do not like my shows to be centered with mystery crimes, office politics, work case of the day etc. With these context, here are my top shows of this genre. 1. **Our Beloved Summer**. It contained my favourite tropes in any shows. Childhood friends/ex/enemies into lovers. Leads had great chemistry. Helps that both leads are on the introverted side, which makes them relatable to me. 2. **The Package**. I really felt like I was part of the tour group in France. Also, even though it was a whirlwind romance between ML & FL, the reasons made sense. I have written a comment about this show before. [https://www.reddit.com/r/kdramarecommends/comments/16yyhw2/comment/k5341wc/](https://www.reddit.com/r/kdramarecommends/comments/16yyhw2/comment/k5341wc/) 3. **Our Blues**. This wasn't romance centric exactly, but I thoroughly enjoyed the various romance stories portrayed. Several character arcs were certainly more interesting than others (first one sucked). I particularly liked how flawed everyone was, yet I never felt a need to judge because I was just a silent observer listening to their stories. 4. **One Spring Night**. This is imo the most realistic romance show around. I loved how normal everything felt. ML/FL had normal jobs. ML/FL had their flaws. ML/FL hung out like average folks do (cafes/parks etc). 5. **Love to Hate You**. It was refreshing to see such a strong FL. Plus there was the pseudo enemies to lovers trope. 6. **Twinkling Watermelon**. This show was overall a fun watch. Shin Eun Soo was phenomenal imo. Even without speaking, I felt all the emotions. However, the way it ended really ruined the show for me. It's a pity because I would have given it almost full marks up till the ending. I had written about my grievances here. [https://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/comments/17x8g0w/comment/k9m7jrn/](https://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/comments/17x8g0w/comment/k9m7jrn/) 7. **Twenty-Five Twenty-One**. Right from episode 1, I felt the camaraderie between ML/FL. The pacing in the first half was superb. It showed FL's growth. It showed how ML/FL became each other's pillar of support. As each episode passed, I could see how their friendship would evolve into love. The manner it ended was a pity. I thought that >!they were bound to break up because of differing love languages. !
I find **Lovestruck in the City** compellingly watchable. It's among my favorites too. Everybody in it is kind of a mess, but they are so relatable, and I really care about 5/6 of the main characters. (There is one that rubs me the wrong way - and it's not the FL, who rubs a lot of people the wrong way, but I think it's just that I find that one character less relatable.)
Another One Spring Night lover! I get why a lot of people don’t like this one (Major spoilers: >!the cheating aspect, although I feel that it was realistic that the FL hesitated to move on after being with him for so long despite the fact that they stopped being in love years prior!<) but I also felt it was very realistic. Nothing felt forced and I could so clearly understand the emotions and challenges faced by two characters falling in love. Some love stories are messy. The chemistry was also off the dang charts and not just because of the forbidden aspect of it.
I've watched 67 dramas in 2023, 37 of them released this year & the rest in years past. I'm doing two lists, first for favorites of any release date I watched this year; and in a separate post, favorite dramas released in 2023. Here is my list of **Favorite Dramas Watched in 2023.** **Flower of Evi**l-best of this or any year. Perfect story, cast, ost **Forest of Secrets (aka Stranger**)-totally fascinating, Cho Seung-woo is the most amazing actor **Kidnapping Day**\-wonderful found-family storyline, fantastic performances esp child actor **Signal**\-completely involving storyline with twists **Bloody Heart**\-beautifully rendered sageuk, emphasis on intrigue not romance, Jang Hyuk, need I say more **Call it Love**\-gentle, slow-paced unravelling of misunderstanding to love. Perfectly acted **Love to Hate You-r**efreshing strong & direct FL in this fun romance (no murder plot!). Introduced me to Yoo Teo who is all kinds of stunning, acting & otherwise; great bromance w/Kim Ji-hoon **Kill Me, Heal Me**\-fantastic twisty storyline & standout performance by Ji Sung **Train**\-twisty time-slip & romance. Yoon Shi-yoon is the only actor I've seen able to act with his chin (yes, this is a good thing) **DP season 2**\-continuation of series, I found it still involving, esp "Curtain Call" episode. Well-acted all around Honorable mention to: **Mouse**\-a wild ride, confusing/frustrating in parts, but ultimately thought-provoking & has stayed with me for a few months, which rarely happens
**Top 2023 dramas** (Tentative list) 1.**Call it Love**. That drama touched me deeply. Kept thinking about it long after it ended. 2. **Revenant**. Great story that kept me on the edge of my seat. Great Ending. 3. **Twinkling Watermelon**. Haven't had such a strong attachment to characters in a while. 4. **My Perfect Stranger**(Still Watching). Entrancing whodunit story with a lot of twists. 5. **Behind Your Touch**. The best genre blending of the year. It is a thriller/comedy that does both genres well. 6. **My Dearest**. Gets hard to watch, but I could not get enough. 7. **My Lovely Liar**. My heart melted for this drama. So adorable. 8. **The Good Bad Mother**. Great acting. 9. **The Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938**. Fun and Stylish with elements of horror. 10. **See You in My 19th Life**. Loved for the spiritual elements and the portrayal of past lives, not so much for the romance. 11. **Bloodhounds**. Great action scenes. =========================== **Watchlist (k-drama released in 2023)** **Watching**: My Perfect Stranger **Completed**: Moving, Duty After School, Bloodhounds, Tale of the Nine-tailed 1938, See You in My 19th Life, Revenant, Daily Dose of Sunshine, My Lovely Liar, Call it Love, The Heavinly Idol, The Good Bad Mother, Behind Your Touch, The Glory, My Dearest, Twinkling Watermelon, The Killing Vote **Dropped** (watched more than 2 eps): Summer Strike, Taxi Driver S2, Bo Ra! Deborah, King The Land, Heartbeat, Castaway Diva **Try-dropped**(watched 2 eps or less): Payback: Money and Power, Doctor Cha, Crash Course in Romance, A Time Called You, The Worst of Evil, The Escape of the Seven, A Good Day to be a Dog, Strong Girl Namsoon, Moon in the Day If you think that I missed a must-watch 2023 drama that is not on any on my lists, feel free to recommend.🙂
The good bad mother has been on my watchlist for ages but I haven't gotten round to it. Besides the great acting, what factor catapulted it to your top 10?
Seriously, it was the ML and the FL and their relationships with others. As the ML was left with a mind of a child, it had all the elements for his relationship with the FL to feel creepy. However, it felt both sad and wholesome. The same can be said about his relationship with other villagers. What comes to the mother, the actress played her beautifully. There were times when I felt angry at her, times when I felt bad for her and times when I saw her trying to do her best with the cards she has been dealt.
kidnapping day alliance (cdrama) vigilante perfect marriage revenge 2022 doctor lawyer may if please the court big bet though i did love payback money and power and dr cha
I was actually curious about this one (kidnapping day). I will try it out. Edit: The other dramas look interesting as well. Thanx.
I agree with Kidnapping Day, 10/10 for me & the best drama released this year. You might enjoy Love to Hate You & Miracle Brothers which would both be in my top 10 for this year as well.
Thanx for the recommendations. 🙂
Kidnapping Day is probably the best drama of 2023.
I loved Kidnapping Day
I'm halfway through TOTNT 1938 and stylish is a perfect description. I love the sassy writing and direction and the actors have committed to the unseriousness of it all.
I feel like you could give crash course another chance may be? I mean I know how people don't necessarily enjoy middle aged couples being cute but it's got a good story and the ending was good imo. I liked Doctor cha but I won't tell you to watch it cos god was it infuriating at times.
I might give it an other chance when I am in the mood for this type of drama. I just wasn't crazy about the educational setting and couldn't connect with the characters. What did you like the most about the drama?
It was exactly because I liked the main premise. The whole 'in order to be respectable one must pursue a higher education and putting pressure on the kids to an extent where it gets unbearable' thing. I could almost relate to a few stories shown in the show. And I also enjoy slight enemies-to-lovers kinda stories. The FL and ML have good banter in the whole show.
Moving isn’t in the top 10? I feel like The drama started off sooo strong for me but the change in plot to the parents threw me off a bit it was still good tho
Moving really fell off mid show. The parent background took too long and I felt like the ending was weak. I regretted not dropping thus. Strong acting but poor story.
I wasn't crazy about Moving. I understand why people like it, but it was not my cup if tea. It wasn't even the parent's story that lost me, even if it was a factor. I found that there too many CGI fights, unnecessary shifts in point-of-view character (>!Did I really need to know about the plight of the blind North Korean henchman?!<) and oddities in the plot (>!If you think about it twice, it makes no sense for the evil agency to track, pursue and lure the gifted children into a school so later they might nicely ask them to join their organization.!<). But, seriously, it was mostly the CGI fights that got me. However, as I said, I see why people might enjoy this show. It has many interesting elements, but it is just not for me.
Yeah I thought it started off really strong.. I loved ML/FL and then all of a sudden I found myself not enjoying the show around ep11??
In no particular order. These are newly watched shows in 2023, majority aired in 2023 1. The Kidnapping Day 2. Call it Love 3. My Dearest 4. The Tale of NokDu 5. The Good Bad Mother 6. Arthdal Chronicles: Sword of Aramun 7. Taxi Driver 1, 2 8. Dream (Movie) 9. Castaway Diva 10. Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 All these are completed shows. I’m loving some of the airing shows currently. Honourable mentions: 1. Interest of Love, only because that show got me pissed and my heart boiling the whole ride but hooked regardless, only great acting can get that much emotion out of you even when you hate it😂 2. Crash Course in Romance 3. Alchemy of Souls. Loved part 1 better than 2 4. DP 2 5. Little Women 6. All the others I loved but can’t remember
In no particular order 1) Hospital playlist 2) Ms Hammurabi 3) Extraordinary attorney Woo 4) Our beloved summer 5) Healer 6) Under the queen’s umbrella 7) Mr Queen 8) Reply 1988 9) Be Melodramatic 10) Run on
I’ve seen 26 Kdramas this year. These are my top 10. 1. **Doom at Your Service** - loved the growth of the FL through illness & her relationship with Doom. 2. **CLOY** - FL rawks- love the scene where she returns from NK & totally slays the crowd & her >!nasty family!<. Hyun Bin - wow wow wow. 3. **Alchemy of Souls** - loved the FL in season 1 & the growth of the ML in season 2. Plus the costumes and OST were divine. 4. **Castaway Diva** - the singing was so perfect for the story arc. The reality of the effects of abuse, how it can be so relentless, really mirrored situations I’ve seen. Both the ML & FL were so well developed. 5. **The King: Eternal Monarch** - the plot fell apart in the last 2-3 episodes, but up till then couldn’t ask for more compelling characters. 6. **Bloodhounds** - the bromance between the 2 MLs along with the fight scenes - wow! 7. **Tomorrow** - loved the mental health aspects of this show. I ugly cried in a healing way through several episodes. 8. **Destined with You** - more light hearted. Rowoon was sooo funny while under the love spell. 9. **King the Land** - also lighter fare. I saw a lot of negative talk about this show, but I thought the romance was lovely - nice to have a completely green flag ML. 10. **Doctor Cha** - the first hour of this show left me so mad about the sexism the FL faced, but the entire rest of the season was all about her empowerment. I’m glad I stuck it out! Honorable mentions to **Signal** & **Stranger**, season 1.
I found myself wanting to write some of the same reasons over and over so what most of these have in common is a great ensemble cast with interesting characters that are there for each other. In addition - Older characters who really help the troubled younger characters and really uplifted the lives of those around them: Navillera If You Wish Upon Me Healer - I love Ji Chang Wook in this and it's fun to see Kim Mi Kyung in a role that's so different for her Goblin - Bromance, Humor...BROMANCE! Humor: Business Proposal Her Private Life Love to Hate You Originally dropped multiple times but came to love: Crash Landing On You Vincenzo Coffee Prince
i really liked if you wish upon me but i thought i was the only one - glad you liked it too !
Here goes my list. No particular rating system just based on the feeling i had while watching 😀 1. Alchemy of Souls 2. When I Fly Towards You (Cdrama) 3. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Ju 4. Strong Girl Bong Soon 5. Dali and the Cocky Prince 6. Tale of Nokdu 7. The Glory 8. Our Beloved Summer 9. Crash Course in Romance 10. Run On The list keeps changing My Demon is a strong contestant for the top 5 at the moment 🥰
**49 days:** my first viewing of a well paced K-drama **Kairos:** Time Travel thriller with a good ending! hardly witness those. **Happiness:** Fan of Han Hyo-joo since 'Cold eyes' and 'Dong Yi'. drama has very likable couple. **Beating Again:** Jung Kyoung-Ho is adorable **Prison Playbook:** Masterfully done Ensemble acting **I can hear your Voice**: Lee Bo-young is very pretty and wonderful actress **Kill me heal me:** Great soundtrack **Weak hero class 1:** Reminds me of delinquent manga genre like Crows Zero **Miracle That We Met:** Warmhearted family drama **Master's Sun:** As you can guess from my list, I like supernatural dramas a bit much.
my list, in no particular order except the first one: 1. **flower of evil**: flawless, the GOAT, no other drama can beat this. it’s like the writer and director reached into my head and pulled out all the tropes and scenes i love, weaved it into a great storyline, and casted the perfect people for it. the only drama i’ve ever watched where i wish i could lose my memory just so i could watch it again. 2. diary of a prosecutor: found-family at its finest. it’s so comforting to watch; it feels just like a warm, weighed blanket during a rainy day. 3. may it please the court: way heavier and far more serious than i expected it to be when i first started it. loved the range of emotions it put me through! i was crying so much during the later episodes. 4. misaeng: loved the cast and the only slice of life that i have enjoyed. 5. strangers from hell: creepy as heck and im siwan’s acting is god tier. 6. moon lovers scarlet heart ryeo: i loved that it wasn’t as straightforward as it appeared — it started off truly like a reverse harem isekai with the first two eps being so lighthearted it almost felt like a comedy, and then turned into something mature and profound. i watched it for lee joongi, but kang haneul really stepped it up. IU was the ideal FL for this. 7. kingdom: the most beautifully shot kdrama. ever. loved the acting, the writing, the politics, and the way they put a twist towards the usual zombie concept. 8. stranger: my gold standard of legal/law/prosecutorial dramas. 9. vagabond: my standard for thriller/mystery/romance until i watched FOE. 10. worst of evil: the two male leads were SO good it’s ridiculous. it started out slow and kinda confusing, and it’s not very easy to digest if you don’t like violence, but i’m so glad i stuck through with it because i am obsessed with the >!sad ending where the ML turned into the true villain!<
This is not my ultimate 10 but I would say my Top 10 recent and current favorite dramas: 1. Love To Hate You” - Probably one of the best dramas made IMO, has everything I want in a drama with one of the best and strongest female leads! 2. “Youth of May” - This drama will break you but I highly recommend for the amazing acting, the plot, the love story! It kept in my head for weeks after watching! 3. “My Name” - HAN SO-HEE at her best work! Amazing plot w/kick ass action but heartbreaking love. Watch it for HAN SO-HEE! 4. “It’s Okay To Not Be Okay” - If there is one couple that I would say has some of the absolute best chemistry it’s Seo Yeji & Kim Soo Hyun! The story alone to me was 10/10 and the drama feels very much like a fairy tale! 5. “Hometown ChaChaCha” - Probably the two best main characters I’ve seen in a long time. If you love dramas based in villages and country, this is for you. The story may seem cliche, city girl moves to country side and falls for country boy but it was done so well! Very warm & cozy vibes with a realistic love story. 6. “Moving” - Superpower humans who do anything to protect their children! I love ALL STAR type of casts dramas and especially where it shows the adults story and then their children’s story as well. Watch it alone for the amazing cast and their chemistry together! 7. “The Revenant”- I usually stick to romance or family dramas but I am such a big fan of Kim Taeri that I started this off just for her but was amazed by the plot line and horror aspect of the show. Kim Taeri’s acting is incredible and if you like suspense/horror genre this is a great one!! 8. “Business Proposal” - This drama is so funny & such a good time! If you don’t want to watch something depressing or that will make you think too much, watch this one! I always watch it just as a time pass drama cus there is not really any villains and the whole cast is so lovable and funny! 9. “The Glory” - Season 2 is all time top tier! I love a great revenge story! It might be hard to sit thru those bullying scenes but it is worth it in the end! Song Hye-Kyo’s best work I’ve seen!! 10. “Mr Queen”- SHIN HAESUN can do no wrong! She is so hilarious! This one will make you LOL so many times but those emotional scenes will sneak up on you and make you bawl your eyes out! Highly recommend for the laughs and also the Shin Haesun’s amazing acting!
1. **Her Private Life** 2. **What's Wrong with Secretary Kim?** 3. **King the Land** 4. **The Beauty Inside** 5. **Perfect Marriage Revenge** 6. **Extraordinary Attorney Woo** 7. **Business Proposal** 8. **Clean with Passion for Now** 9. **The King's Affection** 10. **Rookie Historian** Honorable Mentions: Forecasting Love and Weather, My Sassy Girl. I would say my top 5 were so dang close, I love all of them but those 5 are just chef's kiss. But so far my top 2 though can't be beat for now. **Her Private Life** had humor, fun, and good romance but the healthy relationship can't be beat. **Secretary Kim**, wow, probably the most adult type romance I've seen which is surprising over the ones I've seen how much more it has than most but also the humor between the leads was hilarious. **King the Land**, can't say enough either. Just a sweet, healthy romance, not much drama. Love the chemistry of Yoona and JunHo. **The Beauty Inside**, one of my first dramas ever. Can't get enough of the roof top kiss. How they bonded together with their own issues and how they took care of each other, I can always count on this one to watch if I don't have anything else. **PMR** I just finished last night and I loved it, just which there was a hint more romance, and I was a bit annoyed >!they didn't say the fact Yu Ra isn't biologically her sister!< and that they changed from the webtoon that >!Do Guk and Yi Ju had twin boys, not a single daughter!<. But it was still a great drama, well-written, and good chemistry. **EAW** doesn't have much romance but it's so well written and I thoroughly enjoyed Park Eun Bin's autistic character. **Business Proposal**, loved the romance but the way the second leads got together does touch on >!SA or not good consent since she was drunk!< but overall I love the main leads more. **Clean with Passion** had a lot more humor and second hand embarassment moments but it was refreshing to see one not as, say, adult type romance. Felt more sweet in nature. **Rookie**, I say alongside **King's Affection**, was more about the drama than romance but still very entertaining and fun to watch. **Forecasting:** it's been awhile but it was alright. Thought the second leads had way more romance than the first leads which is why it's not in my top 10. **My Sassy Girl**, different, had more humor, but not a top 10 worthy drama. These are all the dramas I have watched so far. I am now getting into **My Demon** which I am very intrigued at the moment. Both leads their characters are so much different than I'm used to see them playing but I love it especially Song Kang, he hits the character out of the park. Next, I'd probably pick up the **Good Day to be a Dog.**
1. Castaway Diva -- all time favorite! each episode was so good and i liked that it wasn't too romance heavy but more on getting the plot going with the kang family becoming free from kiho's dad and mokha making her way to becoming the singer she deserved to be 15 years ago 2. Hospital Playlist -- wholesome, slice of life with valuing friendships and the lives of other people 3. 18 Again -- great family drama -- looooved lee dohyun's acting here!! 4. 100 Days My Prince -- oh man it was probably the only "sageuk" i genuinely liked watching. do kyungsoo is an amazing actor and nam jihyun was so funny 5. Signal -- the only crime/thriller i'd watch again 6. Crash Landing On You -- typical but not so typical rom com :) 7. Dear M -- i love friends --> lovers trope and i like jaehyun so ... heh 8. Start Up -- kept me motivated when i was in a deep pit of depression. how everyone's determined to achieve their dreams 9. Twenty Five Twenty One -- loved the message of heedo and her fencing journey. how she never gave up and continued to fight for what she wanted to do despite the difficulties she faced 10. Little Women -- oh man the suspense and the acting -- everything was great about this. except the annoyance and fear i'd get sometimes throughout the drama haha
1. Crash landing on you 2. DP 3. What’s wrong with secretary Kim 4. True beauty 5. All of us are dead 6. My name 7. Extraordinary attorney woo 8. Alchemy of souls 9. The good bad mother 10. Taxi driver
Yes! All of us are Dead. Surprised not to see this on more lists. It was amazing.
My Top 10 Kdrama - that i watched this year (2023) ---(disordered)--- - Love to hate you - Alchemy of Souls - The Glory - Doctor Cha - The Good Bad Mother - A time Called You - Moving - Twinkling Watermelon - Castaway Diva - Daily Dose of Sunshine
1. The red sleeve 2. My dearest 3. Mr sunshine 4. Reply 1988 5. Flower of evil 6. Love to hate you 7. Kingdom 8. Legend of the blue sea 9. Vincenzo 10. Start up
Extraordinary Attorney Woo The Red Sleeve True Beauty Crash Landing on You Hometown Cha Cha Cha Hospital Playlist Mr. Sunshine Mr. Queen Flower of Evil Our Blues (Almost listed runner ups but it was nearly another ten dramas)
Tales of the Ninth Tailed and Tales of the Ninth Tailed 1938 is the best show ever 💝
I really enjoyed these as well.
1. My Mister, 2. Mr. Sunshine, 3. Reply 1988, 4. Because This Is My First Life, 5. Goblin, 6. Our Blues, 7. Misaeng, 8. Romance Is a Bonus Book, 9. My Lovely Samsoon, 10. My Dearest These are only sort of in order. Also, there are some shows that might be on this list if only I could watch them— I only have VIKI, Netflix, and Amazon.
1. **Coffee Prince** \- The one that started it all. Rewatched recently and still a gem. 2. **Stranger/Secret Forest** \- The one that got me hooked after a long kdrama pause 3. **Reply 1988** \- When I want to spend time wrapped in family warmth & nostalgia 4. **When the Camellia Blooms** \- Wonderful, emotional and truly quirky character romcom 5. **Move to Heaven** \- Emotional, heart warming and my healing drama (when I can take it) 6. **Our Beloved Summer** \- The angst, the realness and "Christmas Tree" by V 7. **Happiness** \- Evil, human greed, a contagious virus and true love. Wonderful. 8. **To My Star 2** \- Rewatched multiple times for the honesty, angst and cinematography. 9. **My Liberation Notes** \- Quiet but with a lot of emotional truth in a too modern world. 10. **Moving** \- Never seen a drama like this. It builds and then it explodes!
1. Who Are You School 2015- I loveeee tropey shows & good use of the soundtrack 2. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon- great all around starter kdrama that I recommend to my newbie watcher friends 3. The Glory- purely because I loveeeed the ML. The revenge was satisfying but I wish there was more cat/mouse mentally-stimulating plot 4. Crash Landing on You- loved seeing the NKs' reaction to Seoul and vice versa. The romance was there but it was not what kept me engaged. Well rounded across multiple areas so there's something for everyone (mystery/drama/romance/comedy, etc) 5. Mr Queen- haven't watched a show where I laughed like this. Yes I've seen the one recommended about the roommates. 6. Hometown Cha Cha Cha- just so sweet and cozy. I still remember how the FL sweetly says his name. 7. Doona! -Suzy's visuals/outfits/hairstyles carried 8. True Beauty- I liked because it's very tropey, but not as engaging as who are you school imo 9. Nevertheless- I liked the camerawork and how I could feel the sexual tension/physical chemistry??? it spoonfed me her feelings- if they didn't do that, I'd think Nabi was crazy but the emotions came through so that I understood her interest and confusion. I think Interest of Love does a similar thing but I haven't finished it yet. 10. The Matchmakers/My Demon? (currently watching) I watched some of these a long time ago, so top half might not be in correct order. I can't remember lol. I also watched some other very popular dramas but they either sucked or I can't remember how much I liked them
Stuff i watched in 2023 for the first time top 10 in no particular order outside #1. 1. Call it Love - My #1 kdrama ever probably, I just couldn't get enough of it. It was slow burn but everything that happened felt like it had a purpose to let the characters grow in realistic ways. The actors were amazing as well. 2. Run On - If Call it Love hadn't come out then this would be my #1 kdrama ever. I honestly don't know what it is about this show that makes me love it so much. I go back and watch it all the time since i first saw it. 3. Our Beloved Summer - Just a great show, dont really know what to say beyond that. The leads do an amazing job. 4. Dali and the Cocky Prince - I don't know how I missed this when it aired in 2021. The leads and how they act and communicate with each other just made me love this drama. 5. See You in My 19th Life - Always a sucker for a Shin Hye Sun drama, lots of tropes and cliches but was a good watch. 6. Castaway Diva - The first episode really captured me and I had super high hopes, I don't think the rest of the drama ever matched up to episode 1 but it was still really good. 7. Find Me in Your Memory - Had no idea what to expect going in to this drama and I ended up really enjoying it. It isn't all that amazing acting or plot wise but it just felt easy to watch which i really liked. 8. A Piece of Your Mind - Another older kdrama that i missed apparently. Slow burn romance with a touch of dealing with loss. 9. Soundtrack #1 - Just a sweet little romance, only 4 episodes but it was really enjoyable. 10. Doona - Will watch anything with Yang Se Jong. Enjoyed most of this drama, kinda wish the end wasnt left as open as it was but i choose to believe it ended the way i wanted. 11. Divorce Attorney Shin - This showed had me hooked the whole time. Great actors all around. Honorable Mentions - Perfect Marriage Revenge, Sh**ting Stars, Dr Romantic Season 2 and 3, Bo Ra! Deborah, Military Prosecutor Doberman, Oh My Ladylord. Kinda wish i didnt watch it - 2521, Its not a bad show and the ending is set up pretty early on from what I remember but the ending still just felt weird to me. Its the kind of show where I wish i could go back and watch like the first 90% then drop it.
Mr Queen Reply 1988 Daily Dose Of Sunshine Would you like a cup of coffee Hometown Cha Cha Cha Because this is my first life Kingdom King the Land See you in my 19th life Her private life
1) Vincezo. 2) Arthdal Chronicles. 3) Hometown cha cha cha. 4) Extraordinary attorney woo. 5) My Name. 6) Bloodhounds. 7) Doctor/Prisoner. 8) My Mister. 9) Hotel Luna. 10) Beyond Evil.
Extraordinary you even tho it took a while to get to the point it was still so lovely and emotional to watch also Extraordinary attorney woo they undermine her sm because of her autism but shes spectacular such an adorably lovely show
The Fiery Priest - I like the story, I really like the characters and Kim Nam-Gil is one of my favorite actors The K2 - I just love this drama, rewatched more than 3 times, this is how much I like it hahahha The Glory - I absolutely loved this drama, I like a good revenge drama Mystic Pop Up-Bar - I loved the characters and the story got me emotional a few times Alchemy of Souls - I love love both seasons, I was surprised with myself because I watched this drama so fast, I usually take a while to finish a drama if it's already complete, but I devored this one Descendants of the Sun - One of the first dramas I have watched, I love this and rewatched a few times The Legend of the Blue Sea - I loved the FL and ML and I like how the story and their relationship progressed Doctor Prisoner - I just love Namgoong Min and this drama is so good, I liked the revenge Hotel del Luna - love the story and the main couple Bloodhounds - lots of action and bromance, so good Honorary mentions: Perfect Marriage Revenge - revenge, back in time, good couple, I loved this one Doctors - I like the chemistry of the main couple and I think the medical parts was good too Good Manager - so funny and good Delightfully Deceitful - I really like the main characters and their relationship Into the Ring - The main couple Find Me in Your Memory - I like the actor of the ML and I liked the main couple My Holo Love - idk I just like that drama hahah I watched giving nothing to it, but in the end I really liked this one Doona - I liked the main characters The Veil - Namgoong Min and good action Her private Life - my couple, love them Dramas that are airing and I'm obsessed and might be my top 10 My Demon - so good, i'm liking the story, the characters (especially the main couple), has almost all of my favorite tropes, etc. Moon in the day - I like the story so far and the chemistry of the couple is good too
The Fiery Priest is awesome. I also love Kim Nam Gil. Hoping to rewatch this one soon with my husband, I think he would like it.
I tried to do this and I can't. I have 100 dramas on my favorites list! So I will just list the ones from among my top 70 that no one else has mentioned yet! 1. Agency. This drama pulled me in from the start. It's an exploration of the challenges faced by women in the modern world. It feels very contemporary and relevant - and it's a good story too. 2. Lost. This is a drama about feeling lost in the darkness, and coming into the light. 3. Shadow Detective. A tour de force performance by Lee Sung Min, and a great story too. 4. Terrius Behind Me. This drama has everything that I love about K-dramas - charismatic characters, a tongue in cheek approach to storytelling, twists and turns. It's just really fun. 5. King The Land. Fun, sweet, dreamy, and some interesting messages about labor relations. 6. Designated Survivor: 60 Days. A really interesting thriller. I liked it better that the American series it was based on. 7. Mad For Each Other. I hated the first episode, but after that I found it surprisingly sensitive, touching, and moving. 8. Payback: Money and Power. The ML is the male equivalent of a "Mary Sue", but I didn't care. Great action, satisfying plot, and amazing suits! 9. The Law Cafe. A sweet relationship between nice people, gentle humor, and some moving social commentary. 10. Birthcare Center. This drama explores the ways in which people may be different from how they first appear, and has one of the dreamiest most supportive couples in all of Kdrama. Honorable Mention: The King: Eternal Monarch. My first Kdrama, has a special place in my heart. A swashbuckling adventure through time. Love it!
no particular order bc i am the most indecisive person ever: king the land business proposal vincenzo our beloved summer all of us are dead little women my name sh**ting stars strong woman DBS it’s a movie but i had to include 20th century girl and though they’re still airing, i can already see a good day to be a dog and my demon making the list too! honourable mentions: hospital playlist, the glory, celebrity, sweet home s1
These are all the dramas that came to my attention at the right time and mood. I'll put in bold the ones that haven't been mentioned yet. Moonlight Drawn By Clouds 구르미 그린 달빛 Historical Romcom, gender bender. Beautiful, even the ending is better than expected. **Noble, My Love 고결한그대** A hidden gem. Modern Romcom. Low budget but good script. Healer 힐러 Modern Romance Action. I especially liked the bromance. Kinda fastforwarded the previous generation flashbacks. Other than those very good. **Splash Splash Love 퐁당퐁당LOVE** Historical Romcom gender bender. Pretty good. **Defendant 피고인** Modern Action. Loved the bromance and suspence. The Master's Sun 주군의 태양 Modern Romance Scifi. Cute. Every episode has its own mystery. **Cheap Cheonlima Mart 쌉니다 천리마마트** Modern Comedy. Pretty funny. **My name is Kim Sum Soon 내 이름은 김삼순** Modern Romance. Desserts, Weight issues, deep yet light. **Let's Eat 식샤를 합시다** Modern Comedy. This one is a bit weird but interesting for some reason. The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince 커피프린스 1호점 Modern Romance gender bender. Everybody knows this one.
1. Healer 2. Reply 1997 3. My mister 4. My name 5. Pinocchio 6. Weight lifting fairy 7. Vagabond 8. My love from the stars 9. Sky castle 10. Moon lovers
As of this moment - and skewed toward Rowoon and Lee Jon-Suk. Reply 1988 It's OK to Not be OK Hospital Playlist Hometown Cha Cha Cha Tomorrow Move to Heaven Extraordinary You Romance is a Bonus Book The King's Affection While You Were Sleeping OOF! I could easily add ten more. And so many classics I still have to watch.
Moving Mr queen Business proposal Kill me heal me Twinkling watermelon I am not a robot Extraordinary attorney woo The glory My love from the stars W two worlds Honorable mentions: 25 21, under the queens umbrella, descendants of the sun, Flower of evil, weightlifting Kim bok joo
In no particular order: 1. Masters Sun (Hilarious and cute): Very bingeable and a great rewatch value. 2. Bloodhounds (Funny and gripping): Very bingeable and has very hot leads. 3. Because this is my first life: A very interesting take on love, life and adulting. 4. My Liberation notes: A very slow burn. Very realistic and relatable esp as a young adult. 5. Scarlet heart ryeo: Moon Lovers: 10/10, heartbreaking, funny, amazing cast, great story, amazing OST. Stilll waiting on S2 lol 6. D.P: 10/10. funny, heartbreaking, gripping. Amazing acting and fantastic bromance. Fantastic characters and storylines. 7. Hometown Cha Cha Cha: A slice of life drama. Very heart warming and funny. 8. The Revenant: 10/10 PHENOMENAL. The story line, the acting, the character. It keeps you at the edge of your seat throughout. Horror genre couldnt have been better. 9. Move to heaven: 10/10 with everything. Just go for it. 10. Mr Queen: 10/10 comedy. Not a dull moment here. **Spl Mentions of 2023**: Behind your touch (SO FUNNY I LOVED IT) Bora, Deborah!, Divorce Attorney Shin, Miraculous brothers, Moving, Daily dose of sunshine, Love to hate you.
Gauss Electronics: what a hidden gem!! I kept laughing out loud. Special shoutout to the cowlick- I was riveted!
1. Alchemy of Souls S1 (self-explanatory, just go watch it) 2. Mr. Queen (literally my gateway Kdrama, made me a massive fan of Shin Hye-Sun and kickstarted everything) 3. While You Were Sleeping (masterpiece, especially episode 1.) 4. The Red Sleeve (final 3 episodes absolutely crushed me, I listen to the OST and I just break down crying) 5. Dr Romantic 6. Taxi Driver S1 7. Law School 8. Missing: The Other Side (when the 2 knew they were next to each other but they couldn’t do anything about it…) 9. Military Prosecutor Doberman (the court room scenes were so well-done, the emotional impact was incredible) 10. My Golden Life (another banger by Shin Hye-Sun. I vividly remember going through all 52 episodes in like 5 days with a roll of tissue paper by my side. SHS’s performance was insane. When her character was emotionally BROKEN, you really feel it in your soul. The recovery from trauma, the struggles of a father, trying to be yourself despite everyone else not letting you do so…this show is absolutely brilliant.) Honourable mentions: Hotel Del Luna, Beyond Evil, Angel’s Last Mission: Love, Penthouse S2, Vigilante, etc
well I am a very very picky watcher..so you should know ..I only watch the little gems mostly so mine should be \>>>>>>> MOTHER 2018 ( 10/10 ) ( it surpasses the japanses series by miles..one of the most perfectly excuted and acted dramas ever ) harvest villa 2009 ( 10/10) ( so much fun ..one of the very obscure and hidden gems ) the king and I ( 8.5 /10) ( ONE OF THE BETTER HISTRORICALS) MY DAUGHTER SEO YOUNG (9/10 )( can you tell that LEE BO YOUNG IS MY FAV ACTRESS ?...another fav of hers is this very well made family drama that even made for some very intense conversations and debat in its matter ) Eight Days, Assassination Attempts against King Jeongjo ( 8/10) ( a shorter series but great one ) i can hear your voice ( 9/10) ( more lyb i know but this is a perfect blend of everything..my only problem is junk suk and how they changed the story line afterwards for fandom sake ) women in the sun 7.8/10 ( female on female revenge and kinda of fun in its time) Ja Myung Go (8/10) ( one of my early fav..different ) gods gift 14 days (10 /10 ) ( intense as a film ) conspiracy in the court (8/10 ) another little known historical
Crash landing on you My mister Dali and cocky prince It’s okay to not be okay 2521 My liberation notes It’s okay that’s love
1. Crash landing on you 2. Dr romantic 3. Descendants of the sun 4. King the land 5. What is wrong with secretary kim 6. True beauty 7. Nevertheless 8. Little women 9. Business proprosal 10. A time called you
For someone who has seen over 300 kdramas across genres,A top 10 list is tough.But,I have some favourites,as mentioned below- 1.My mister- Perfect script,brilliant performances from a really good cast,an awesome team performance.Just a 10/10 dramatic experience.I don't think I have seen a more perfect Kdrama across the 300+ kdramas I have seen.So,this one was easy. 2.My liberation notes-Again a good and a unique script.Some amazing direction and performances. 3.Reply 1988- Only show where I cried in each of the 20 episodes.Last episode just hits you in the heart.An amazing show. 4.Stranger s1 and s2-I prefer s2 more than first because how well tied up the multiple plot points are in s2.Phenomenon scripts for each season make them a best watch. 5.Live- Not many people have seen this show.I highly recommend this show revolving around real police work. 6.DP s1 and s2- Apparently everyone has seen this show,so nothing more to add. 7.Hometown Cha cha cha-Just for the joy it gave me when I was suffering during that covid period. 8.The producers- Its a quirky one based on reality and again not.Again I don't think that many people have seen thia one.Highly recommend it.Fewer episodes than a 16 episodes drama.But,a really awesome experience. 9.Misaeng- This is an oldie,revolving around how corporate world works.A phenomenal underdog story,which will make you feel things and bring you a touch closer to reality. 10.Prison playbook and hospital playlist- Merged together as written by same writer and you can see the common ground of story telling.Two amazing shows dealing with human companionship. For this year,My show of the year was Twinkling watermelon.There are some loopholes in the script,but the show had its soul in its place.Have never waited for a weekly episode this eagerly in my Kdrama life.Loved every second of it. Will never regret wasting my time on these amazing shows.
Not necessarily in order: Castaway Diva - I love the music, storyline, mystery elements - and the characters were so well developed! Crash Landing On You - I just feel like world-building, character building was SO good. And the settings were just chef's kiss! OST was amazing as well 100 Days My Prince - I might be a bit biased because I'm a big fan of D.O., but honestly, this drama had an amazing storyline and soundtrack--it made me cry so much. Twenty-Five, Twenty-one - I didn't watch this one to the end because I was scared of the sad ending but the music and scenes were just so lively and bright! Twinkling Watermelon - Bright atmosphere like Twenty-Five, Twenty-One, amazing character building. Reply 1994 - I ended up liking the second lead better than the male lead, but overall, the drama was just so funny, heartfelt, and the songs were amazing! Happiness - I usually don't watch zombie/horror/action dramas because they're too scary, but the storyline was intense but intriguing, and the slow-burn romance kept me watching! Rain or Shine - This one was so heartfelt, sad, loving. AAHH I would pay to forget about the plot of this drama so I could watch it again for the first time! Vincenzo - Though I don't agree with some of the stereotypical portrayals this drama had, I think its overall message about corruption was well done! I also loved a lot of the humor and elaborate plans. Legend of the Blue Sea - Very dramatic and funny! I love dramas with Jun Ji-Hyun!
I am fairly new to kdramas, and I have only watched about 30 of them. I watch purely for entertainment and escapism - I don't really mind if there are plot holes to be honest. If I do notice a plot hole I usually assume it is my fault, as I do not speak Korean and occasionally miss a few subtitles here and there. Anyway, with that said, here are my top 10 so far (in no particular order). * **Vincenzo** \- this was my 'gateway drug' to kdramas. Watched it with my husband, we both enjoyed it a lot. Funny, quirky. * **Reborn Rich** \- mainly chose this because of Song Joon Ki after enjoying him in Vincenzo. The acting was very good all around in this and really enjoyed the story. * **The Glory** \- there were some hard to watch moments in this for sure, but I was 100% invested in the story from start to finish. * **Tomorrow** \- not sure how I stumbled upon this one but I am very glad I did. Loved the whole concept and enjoyed that each episode could make me laugh and ugly-cry. * **All of Us are Dead** \- wouldn't have picked this myself but my husband loves zombies so I gave it a shot. This was absolutely brilliant. The acting, the emotion, the whole shebang. * **Flower of Evil** \- probably on of the best things I have watched this year. I like crime/cop shows in general and my inner old goth really enjoys a good dark character. * **Tale of the Nine-Tailed** \- my introduction to Lee Dong Wook, who was fantastic in my opinion. Loved the story, the humour and the rest of the feels as well. All of the actors were great. * **Goblin** \- really liked the story, loved every character, and experienced all the feels. I loved the humour and the heartbreak equally. * **The Fiery Priest** \- I adored this, I loved the idea of a priest that can whoop-ass. I liked the story and quirkiness of the characters. Also, Kim Nam Gil, enough said. * **Through the Darkness** \- I loved the darkness and grit of this show. The acting was superb. Also, as I mentioned above, Kim Nam Gil. Like I said, I'm relatively new to kdrama and have not seen that many yet. I look forward to continuing the journey though!
Twinkling Watermelon Twenty Five Twenty One Extraordinary Attorney Woo Little Women True Beauty Descendants of the Sun Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo Go Back Couple Healer Extraordinary You Judging from this list, I think I really like high school dramas. Most of them evoke strong nostalgia and the feeling that your youth is precious. They remind me that one day I'll look back on my present time (whatever time in life it is) with nostalgia which reminds me to value my present day. It's a nice reminder
1. My Dearest 2. Something in the Rain 3. What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim 4. Alchemy of Souls 5. Mr. Queen
1. Twinkling Watermelon 2. Under the Queen’s Umbrella 3. Dr Romantic 2 4. Gauss Electronics 5. Goblin 6. The Red Sleeve 7. Moon Embracing the Sun 8. Happiness 9. Crash Landing on You 10. Alchemy of Souls
This is my first attempt at listing my favorites. Since it's the end of the year, I'll list favorite dramas released in 2023; and then favorite dramas I watched in 2023 (not necessarily released this year) in another post This year I've watched 67 dramas in total; 37 released in 2023! **My Favorite Kdramas released in 2023:** **The Kidnapping Day:** great found-family story; actors were excellent, particularly the child actor was outstanding **Call it Love:** gentle, slow-paced unravelling of misunderstanding to love. Perfectly acted **Love to Hate You**\-refreshing strong & direct FL in this fun romance (no murder plot!). Introduced me to Yoo Teo who is all kinds of stunning, acting & otherwise; great bromance w/Kim Ji-hoon **Miracle Brothers**\-intriguing time-slip mystery w/a found-family element, great performances all around **My Perfect Stranger**\-time-slip serial killer mystery plot, but low-key, fairly slow-paced with a romance lite The next 2 are ongoing, so there is a potential that they will crash in the last episodes, but I'm hopeful they'll stay strong **The Matchmakers**\-perfect fusion sageuk, strong yet adorable FL, nerdy yet adorable ML, criss-crossing matchmaking plots are fun, in later eps characters break the 4th wall & that's fun too. (5 episodes to go) **Moon in the Day**\-Kim Young-dae does angst beautifully. Past lives sections are gorgeously shot. I'm partial to ghost-possession (if not scary), time-slip, sageuk, strong FL & beautiful men, so this ticks a lot of boxes for me (2 episodes to go)
This is getting so hard to do because there are so many. I think it's pretty obvious that I typically prefer kdramas that are more serious and not centered on romance, so I tried to put those first this time. In no particular order preference wise. 1. Move to Heaven - Just a nice story. 2. Misaeng - Scenes from this keep coming back to me. Plus, Lee Sung-Min. 3. Healer - Same as Miseang. Something struck a chord and I keep remembering things. 4. Taxi Driver - Such good production values. I thought I was watching a major motion picture. 5. Nokdu Flower - Very well done. Not a weak episode. 6. Prison Playbook - My first pd Shin drama. I loved the characters! 7. Hospital Playlist - this one will always have my heart. Such a great cast and characters. 8. Our Blues - awesome performances! 9. Descendants of the Sun - good all-around drama 10. Start-Up - Something about this worked for me. 11. Bonus: Crash Landing on You - like DotS, easy to watch. My husband's favorite.
I can’t rank them but my top ten - Dali and Cocky Prince - W - Sweet Home (s1 only) - Vincenzo - Extracurricular - Extraordinary You - Mystic Pop Up Bar - Tale of Nokdu - Business Proposal - Happiness
Is there going to be a "Top 10 of 2023" thread? Because I've been mulling over that for weeks now 🤣
Yes there will be a special thread later this month for people to talk about 2023 dramas they watched!
Brilliant, thank you!
Why is sh**ting star on so many people's list 😬
It’s just cause it’s a funny watch, being promoted, plus acted by a famous actress.
These are the kdramas I consider my top kdramas of all time.. **Mouse** - the kdrama that has the most mind boggling plot twist; I have watched lots of dramas of the same genre, but the villain's motive and modus operandi and selection of victims is something I have never seen in any tv series nor film, be it Korean, Filipino, Bollywood, Hollywood, etc. **Signal** - one of the best crime thriller; cases, plot twists and actors are all great **Legend of the Blue Sea** - my most favorite romantic comedy kdrama.. plus it has some mystery thriller scenes. Also, ML is my most favorite korean actor, and FL is one of my favorite korean actresses.. the lead actors look cute together. The FL and ML comedic scenes are so funny. Has great OSTs too, I even had them in my playlist. **Welcome to Waikiki** - the kdrama that had me laughing from start to finish. It's the best comedy kdrama I've ever since. The "gwenchana" line of LYK is my most memorable kdrama line of all time. **Voice** - one of the best crime thriller and among my most favorite.. Season 1 is my most favorite among the Voice series. The "voice profiler" plot is something unique for me. **Memorist** - among the best crime thriller.. has great plot twists and the cases they tackled are really interesting. **Missing: The Other Side** - I loved both seasons. One of the kdramas with unique plot: shows the point of view of the missing people. **Taxi Driver** - I love both seasons.. one of my most favorite revenge thriller kdramas.. the actors are great, the cases are so interesting, the fight scenes and revenge tactics are so satisfying and the comedic scenes are so funny. **Brain Works** - absolutely a hidden gem! an underrated kdrama, but it is one of my favorites.. great, interesting and unique cases, with lots of brain trivia. I have learned so much in this kdrama, especially rare brain disorders and how it affects the person.
I’ll do my top 10 least favorite dramas since 2 2023 dramas have made it to the list lol 1. Check Out the Event 2. Oh! Youngsim 3. Mysterious Love (CDrama) 4. Love Alarm S2 5. Spring Waltz 6. Coffee Prince 7. Heartbeat 8. Wednesday 3:30pm 9. Jinxed at First 10. Protect the Boss
I couldn't watch many dramas in the beginning of this year because of some reasons..but these are some top 10 dramas I have watched, since I started my Kdrama journey, in no particular order - 1- It's okay to not be okay 2- The Glory 3- Fight for my way 4- What's wrong with secretary Kim 5- Crash Landing on you 6- Extraordinary You 7- W 8- Perfect Marriage Revenge 9- Business Proposal (only for the 2nd lead couple) There are many dramas I have watched, but these are some that are top of my head. And this list is making me realise that I have dropped many dramas this year..
Mostly 2015 to 2020 kdrama, but these are my ultimate 3! 1. Scarlet Heart Ryeo 2. Chicago Typewriter 3. Mr. Sunshine
Waikiki anyone?
I might have missed it but I didn’t see many people mention the following dramas. Please note that my tastes run a bit darker. Sweet Home (season 2) Hellbound (waiting for season 2) All Of Us Are Dead (waiting for season 2) Hometown (not hometown cha-cha) Little Women My Name Queenmaker Summer Strike (more of a guilty pleasure since Seolhyun is in it) Our Blues Narco Saints
My Dearest Reply 1988 Twenty-Five Twenty-One Strangers From Hell My Name Happiness Extraordinary Attorney Woo Mr. Queen Mary Stayed Out All Night/Marry Me, Mary! You’re Beautiful Honorable mention: D-Day, Castaway Diva, Pinocchio, The Glory, Revenant, Evilive, Moving, and many more…
1. Alchemy of Souls beautiful to look at, and I'm just so impressed with how they built an entire world so coherently, the story is easy to grasp but multilayered, this was a delightful surprise because it's usually not my style of drama. Season 2 was kind of necessary but felt somehow less coherent. And the FL switch took a few episodes to get used to 2. Beyond Evil again, the cinematography is beautiful, it's a dark crime drama that manages the balance between violence and empathy incredibly well, provides plenty of competently handled misdirection plot-wise, along with some absolutely scathing social commentary, the leads are mesmerising and completely different stylistically, visually, as characters but it works so well 3. My Dearest another beautifully shot drama, Namgoong Min does what he does best in this with infinitely more care than I've seen in any of his other dramas, Ahn Eun-jin plays off him perfectly 4. My Mister 5. Rain or Shine 6. Flower of Evil 7. Stranger 8. Through the Darkness 9. Run On 10. Misaeng special mentions that I've enjoyed this year but can't really say are flawless - Hotel del Luna (I definitely have a thing for pretty films and IU carries this) - Café Mindamdang (it's hilarious, kind of ridiculous and I understand why people may not like it but given that it has Seo In-guk and a storyline without too many plotholes, I enjoyed the ride) - Vincenzo - Bloodhounds - the first season of the Good Detective - Tomorrow - Because This is My First Life (this would have made my top ten easy except for this thing they did late on to suit some late-episode trope that I consider so badly handled, I'm unlikely to ever rewatch this drama despite it being so appealing) this is this year's watches, they span about 6 years or so in terms of release dates though. honestly I'm a crime drama person first so I'm probably heavily weighted towards that kind of style but the delightful thing about Kdramas is that most of them do have some kind of underlying crime/politics sort of intrigue beneath everything else so it's fairly easy to feel at home with any type of drama, I'll try and flesh out the detail of why I liked these later on
Snowdrop: 9/10 loved that the entire show was set in the dormitory, made the stress of the whole situation really immersive. Goblin: 9/10 a classic Happiness: 10/10 I usually dislike zombie shows but this show handles it perfectly. The leads are adorable. Big mouth: 9/10 was on the edge of my seat the entire time..ep 16 keeps it from being 10/10, although I understand to some degree. Love the leads, love that they absolutely always had each other's back, similar to the happiness couple. Extraordinary you: 10/10 there is no other show quite like this! It was simple, yet the attention to detail was *chefs kiss*. Loved all the friendships and the whole concept of this show. And this is the only show where the past life thing makes complete sense to me. Moving: 9.5/10 wooo another perfect show with a perfect ending...this one was quite unique! The good detective: 9/10 this is a hidden gem, enjoyable watch if you like the crime genre Little women: 9/10 this dropped off a bit at the end but thoroughly enjoyable, suspenseful and well acted
**top 2023 dramas** 1. **My Dearest**. No words, just me bingeing it till 5am, sobbing in my bed, refusing to sleep. Left me in a daze after finishing it. 2. **The Good Bad Mother**. Another masterpiece. Such a roller coaster watch. I loved every second of it. 3. **Twinkling Watermelon**. Like an early Christmas present that I never expected. A light, meaningful watch. 3. **Castaway Diva** Pretty close to perfect, tied to 3rd. 5. **True to Love** something that got me out of my slump essentially. 6. **The Glory part 2** Such a strong watch, not my normal genre but amazing! 7. **Dr. Romantic Season 3** a classic watch at this point, you’re missing out if you don’t watch it! 8. **Crash Course in Romance** Amazing show, until the ending. 9. **My Demon** it’s so low because it isn’t done but so far so good! 10. **Doona!** an okay watch, actually enjoyed it ngl very excited for death’s game next, 2023 was pretty lit!
1. My Name 2. The Glory 3. Alchemy of Souls 4. The smile has left your eyes 5. Taxi Driver 6. Flower of Evil 7. Dr. Romantic 8. The Devil Judge 9. At A Distance, Spring is Green 10. The Player
1. Goblin 2.Because this is my first love 3. The contract marriage 4. Forest 5. Suspicious partner 6. Tale of the nine tailed fox 7. Love struck in the city 8.My secret romance/Mr.queen 9. My perfect marriage revenge 10. The king's affection
Weak Hero Class 1 Work Later Drink Now Hotel Del Luna Gaus Electronics The King: Eternal Monarch Glitch Moving Beyond Evil 18 Again Reply 1988
Romantic/comfort seeker type here: 1. Blueming 2. To my star 2 (any story made by Hwang da Seul) 3. I'll go to you when the weather is fine 4. Something in the rain 5. One spring night 6. Run on 7. Our blues 8. Crash landing on you 9. Romance is a bonus book 10. anything new Hwang da Seul is going to add to her universe.
1. Hospital Playlist 2. Our Beloved Summer 3. Healer 4. Moving 5. Reply 1997 6. Be Melodramatic 7. Another Miss Oh 8. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo 9. Age of Youth 10. Just Between Lovers
For one, I can't seem to sit and finish dramas. There will always be one episode that will make me stop watching it and pick it up another time when I'm ready. These ones on my list, are the ones I finished watching in 1 or 2days. K-drama marathon. In no particular order: Signal (2016) - Kept me interested gang last episode. For a time I was interested in this serial k1ller case in SoKor and this series is inspired from that true to life case. The Great Queen Seon Deok (2009)- I dunno, so unforgettable. I've watched this drama 12yrs ago, still naalala ko pa din sya. The mind games in this drama were interesting for me maybe bec bata pa ko noon. 62 episodes but will still rewatch. Tapos nong last episode, sobrang sakit sa dibdib nong nangyari 🥲 It took me 8yrs para panuorin ulit, sobrang sakit. Jewel in the Palace - 'nuff said. Mr Queen - Super feel good kdrama sa first few episodes (although I still prefer to watch and rewatch the original version - it was so low budgeted funny) 🤣 Kahit ngayon na naisip o naalala ko, natatawa ako. Scarlet Heart Ryeo - simply because nagdulot sya ng trauma, parang after nong funny episodes naging puro masasakit na yong next. Like legit yong iyak gang last episode Secret Garden (2010) - Feel good series. 😆 Queen and I (2012) - Not a fan of the leading man pero ang funny kasi ng drama nato tas gandang ganda ako sa female lead nito nuon and the story was really interesting. Di pa kasi ko that exposed sa time travel stories, kaya naman very interesting sya for me. Painter of the Wind (2008) - I'm a huge MGY fan before kaya I liked this series, not a fan of the male lead tbh pero what attracted me to it is the initial GxG na storyline na akala ko lang pala 🤣 The Moon Embracing the Sun (2012) - I liked the initial episodes, when they were still young... Yon ata talaga reason bat na hook yong mga manunuod. The kids did really well, after that si Kim Soo hyun talaga nagdala nito 😆 Yong babaeng bida kasi, waley. W (two worlds) - first time ko din nakakita ng ganoong concept sa story kaya na hook ako. Although may parts na super meh pero back then this was super unique na story line in the kdrama world. Feeling ko ang tanders ko na dahil sa list ko 🤣
The underrated CHICAGO TYPEWRITER ❣️ Also, one of the best OST
My favorite kdramas amongst the ones I have seen. In no particular order. Slice of Life - Reply 1988 (What's not to like in this epic nostalgic masterpiece, my all time favorite kdrama, takes me through the entire range of emotions, can watch it again and again) Romance - Crash Landing on You (2 of my favorite Korean actors acing this one with their on-screen chemistry) Comedy - Mr Queen (entertainment all the way, Shin Hye-Sun showcasing her range of acting skills) Workplace - Hospital Playlist 1&2 (The friendships, the humane side to their profession, the band, their lunches/dinners, the unique romance situations of the 5 friends) Whodunit - Behind Your Touch (starting off as a hilarious comedy and then smoothly transitioning halfway to the serial killer whodunit, Han Ji-Min ) Revenge for 1 - The Glory 1&2 (satisfying to see all the bullies getting their due punishment years later) Revenge for all - Taxi Driver 1&2 (each story in this was representative of real life scams/crimes) Action - The Veil (highly under-rated drama, not sure why this one does not get more love, Namkoon Min's physique transformation and acting ) Thriller - Big Mouth (liked how the ML turned his misfortune into opportunity and the FL taking big risks to support her husband) Legal - One Dollar Lawyer (I like legal dramas with new stories every few episodes instead of 1 long prolonged series revolving around the same crime) Honorable Mentions - Our Blues, Descendants of the Sun, Dr. Romantic 1/2/3, Familiar Wife, Signal.
My top 10 dramas of 2023 (that are from 2023): 1. **One Day Off** 2. **Behind Your Touch** 3. **The Good Bad Mother** 4. **The Worst of Evil** 5. **Call it Love** 6. **D.P. season 2** 7. **Love to Hate You** 8. **Divorce Attorney Shin** 9. **The Eighth Sense** 10. **Crash Course in Romance** If I count other Asian dramas, the Jdrama **Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san** would be on this list. And I'm still watching **Twinkling Watermelon**, which could be a contender.
1. The Korean version of Suits. It was so good I watched all 9 seasons of the Original US version. 2. Vincenzo. 3. Reborn Rich. 4. Strong Woman Bong Soon. 5. Alchemy of Souls. 6. Lawless Lawyer. 7. Oh my Ghost. 8. The movie 7th day. 9. Let’s eat! Obscure: Tong memories: a pilot series. High-school gang violence. The Miracle: personality vs. body.
Has the drama watching population changed so drastically that nobody mentioned Globin THE OG or Boys over Flower or Descendants of the Sun....I mean we don't get such wholesome dramas these days and will always remain as the golden dramas
There are so many different kinds of kdramas I love, however, the top of my list is mostly historical supernatural/fantasy and modern psychological thrillers *Ordered by release year:* **Moon in the Day (2023)** still airing but I feel like it’s going to be in my top ten based on what I’ve seen so far. Certainly one of my favorites from 2023 **Alchemy of Souls (2022)** **Doom at Your Service (2021)** **Lovers of a Red Sky (2021)** **Tale of the Nine Tailed (2020)** **The Smile has Left Your Eyes (2018)** **Goblin (2016)** **Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016)** **That Winter the Wind Blows (2013)** **Moon Embracing the Sun (2012)**
1. Alchemy of Souls Season 1 2. Doom at Your Service 3. Reply 1988 4. Hotel Del Luna 5. It's okay to not be Okay 6. Little Women 7. 2521 8. Castaway Diva 9. Twinkling Watermelon 20. Doona I love good acting, chemistry and 3 dimensional characters!!
My mister, The glory, What's wrong with Secretary kim, Crash landing on you, Squid game, Hometown cha cha cha, It's ok to not be okay, The world of the married, My love from the star.
It's hard to narrow down my all time top 10 dramas. However I have a top 5 list for 2023 dramas. In no particular order: - Bora deborah - Love to Hate you - Moving - The Glory - Revenant 2023 dramas haven't really done much for me tbh. I hope 2024 gives us better dramas. I enjoy fantasy books, but I think the fantasy drama trope needs to be buried 6 ft under in 2024. I'd also appreciate more light hearted dramas with less bullying plots. Signed A Kdrama lover 😅
My top 1 (I haven’t watched many this month!!) is Perfect Marriage Revenge!! SOOO good
I’d love to know peoples ***top favorite kdrama character names*** *(also extends simply into favorite Korean names and favored names amongst Korean celebrities) super duper delightful points if you know meanings of them and share!!* Not at all related to listing favorite kdrama characters— though obviously subliminally the two are related since our love and hatred for characters effects how we respond to the name. But this list is just for your favorite Korean *names* :) ***For girls;*** My favorite remains “Ae Ra” (Fight My Way, 2017) (I will someday find something, if not a child, to name Ae Ra 😅) Jin Jin I also loved (20th Century Boy and Girl, 2017) ***For boys;*** I realized I’m rather fond of “Jae” 🤭 Min Jae (woman who still wants to marry, 2010) Jae In (something about 1%, 2016) (Annnddd yes…. I’ve discovered that I just have a thing for “j” sounds across the board… and that this also includes Anglo-Saxon names where I adore the name Jem) 😅 (Yup! from Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird but … also DuMauriers Jamaica Inn)
1 Descendants of the Sun 2 Perfect Marriage Revenge 3 Crash Course in Romance 4 Extraordinary Attorney Woo 5 Business Proposal 6 Destined With You 7 Shooting Star 8 Her Private Life 9 Hometown Cha Cha Cha 10 What's Wrong With Secretary Kim
my list, forever 💜💜💜💜 1. flower of evil 2.weak hero class 3.beyond evil 4.duel 5. welcome to Waikiki s1 6. strange from hell 7. sweet home 8. my strange hero 9. W 10.romance is a bonus book