Dangermousie's Worst and Most Overrated 2009 Dramas List

[dangermousie]

Two Special Fangirl Awards:

Knock Knock Loving You I have nothing against this drama itself - it's not that exciting but it's not abominable. However, the fangirls who hated the heroine for not ending up with the secondary guy? My God. How dare she not love him after he blackmailed her into giving up her boyfriend and getting engaged to him! How dare she not love him after he almost raped her because she's been meeting with said boyfriend - it's all her fault for leading him on and not seeing his superior manhood! AHAHAHA. I laugh otherwise I will punch something.

I normally wouldn't mention East of Eden anywhere on this list because it's a 2008 drama (not only that, but it's a drama I liked a lot) but it did finish its run in 2009 and I simply must register my loathing for the fangirl attitude of "why can't Han Ji Hye forgive her husband and love him back? He only got her and her boyfriend tortured, then brutally raped her. After all, he married her after this once the rape got her pregnant, and he looks good shirtless!"

Comments

[cranberrysheep.livejournal.com]

I think my top three are roughly the same (for kdramas, I was disappointed in every jdrama I watched this year and have no idea how I would rank them at the moment) just in a different order.

The first half of BOF was so much fun and even the craptacular second half resulted in so ranting it was never not fun for me.

YAB... (sigh) is a perfectly mediocre rom-com. Tae Kyung was a great character and the show kept me entertained for the most part. But it hardly deserves the RABID fanbase it has. I guess we're just getting old.

My Fair Lady on the other hand... I just can't forgive anyone who was involved in that mess. How can you have a cast that strong and a plot that should be pretty easy to have fun with and come out with that boring of a drama? I was SO looking forward to it and kept holding onto it as a matter of principle but just couldn't make it through. I really hope YEH gets a more charistmatic role and a WAY better script next time.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

MFL - I was so looking forward to it and the plot could have been so easy to do, you are right. And when I think of that cast (!!!!) But I think I dislike YAB/BOF more because of the rabid fanbase the two had - at least MFL wasn't suffuced with hordes of fangirls declaring it the best thing ever. Or maybe because I realized by ep 1 it was going to be a mess and lowered my expectations. Or maybe because of the 3, I wasted the least time on it (I lasted 10 eps in MFL until bailing, as opposed to finishing BOF's 25 or watching 14 of YAB).

Re: YAB. I think the age thing is a factor. 10 years ago I may have liked it more. Or not, you never know. Tae Kyung was a great character but sort of stuck in a rut - he never really felt like a real person but always a character, if that makes sense (not the fault of JGS but the script, IMO). I am so disappointed in YAB though because I went in with such high expectations due to the Hong Sisters and I kept hoping Minam would grow up but...

Re: BOF. I had fun ranting about the second half and made a lot of on-line friends through BOF but honestly - I think my bitterness is that of an abused fan-spouse - it's like you start dating this great guy - feminist, and witty, and so very compatible. And then when you emotionally invested and let down your barriers, he turns out to be an abusive nutcase.

[uisceros.livejournal.com]

How did you manage to finish Meteor Shower? I wasn't able to find subs past episode 6.

I never watched it, but all the bad press I heard about Take Care of the Lady saddened me. A waste of good actors!

I have to totally and completely disagree with you about Triple though! Triple was probably my top drama of the year ;P

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I didn't finish it - I don't need to finish a drama to be judgmental about it :)

Re: Triple. It doesn't go into bad but disappointing cateogry for me - it was just - there was no plot! I can't live without plot! And the stepsiblings did not hook up. And they made Yoon Kye Sang into a creepy stalker. Etcetcetc.

[ambergold.livejournal.com]

Lol. I utterly agree with every one except for YB, which I have preserved my love for by avoiding(or attempting to avoid) all fangirl commentary on it and by er, not watching the last two or three episodes(don't tell anyone). I stopped loving it when I realized Minam was going to remain a dishrag, but I still like it a lot. And. It did have conflict. It just didn't have plot.

also, having learned from experience that dramas do occasinally turn around(and being forced to watch enough of it for DF to see a few faint glimmers of hope) my plan for Hi My Sweetheart is to pick it up again once Show stops being the embodiment of fugly. I'll give it one episode then and see if it's developed an emotional heart yet. Otherwise, I am out(what the frell is WRONG with some drama producers? How can you put so much talent, beauty, and screen presence in MFL and HMS, respectively, and yet still produce a drama without a single redeeming quality?)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I never finished the last 2 eps of YAB either so I won't tell if you won't tell :)

Let me know id HMS magically gets better.

[moth5dream.livejournal.com]

I actually enjoyed YB too. Sure, it could have been a lot better, but it was still fun (for me) to watch. I love ridiculous stuff that makes me laugh. Can't help myself.
Minam is actually so much better in the last 2-3 eps. If only she could have been like that around ep 6. Also, the ending seemed rush. I think they dragged things out in the middle and then had to make up for it at the end.

[darkeyedwolf.livejournal.com]

But you never actually watched Triple! I call foul!

My vote goes to Friend Our Legend. I was so excited and the censoring was just too much for me to take by the third episode.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

If dramabeans can judge Capital Scandal from 5 minutes, so can I judge Triple from same :)

Re: Friend. Every time I think of the suits at MBC, I see red. I loved it anyway but wtf with buying a gangster story to blur it all out? I can't wait to see a clean copy.

[mishane.livejournal.com]

Aw, Triple wasn't that bad. I mean, yeah it was slow, but I loved the fake-cest, even if they did cop out on the ending.

I'm still intrigued by Hello My Sweetheart.

I need to finish You're Beautiful. I didn't hate it but i didn't rave about it like everyone else. For some reason, as much as I love my strong characters, Minam (?) didn't annoy me as much as I thought she would. Maybe because I see her passive-ness as part of her personality and upbringing, instead of being for the sake of a man. However, I've only seen up to episode 8 so I could be deadly wrong.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

A bad ending can ruin everything - see Powerful Opponents which I adored through ep 15 and then came the last ep.

I don't find Minam's passivity unrealistic, but I do find it very offputting. I probably would have chalked the drama up to 'meh' if it wasn't for crazed fangirls which pushed me over the edge.

[mishane.livejournal.com]

Also. I remember while BOF was airing, EVERYONE on my f-list was talking about it. Everyone. I just sat back, skimmed the entries, and smiled to myself, being content with my j-drama adaptation.

And look at me. Being right. Hehe.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

BOF was just - argh. Seriously, such an abusive boyfriend, luring you in with cuteness and then beating you around the head.

[bzoppa.livejournal.com]

I like Liar Game 2 :D It's so bizarre and weird, but I love the little swindles and manipulations. I'm seriously drooling over Matsuda Shota.

The first season I was really annoyed but this time I just laugh at the wtfness.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Matsuda Shota really helps a long way towards making me reconciled about LG existence.

[clairiere.livejournal.com]

Think you might get a kick out of this (kept meaning to share then forgot):


KBS2: Kingdom of Winds / KyongSuk's Father (4-part drama) / Again My Love / ? / Partner / My Fair Lady / IRIS
MBC: General Hospital / Return of Iljimae / Cinderella Man / Triple / Hon / Heading to the Ground / ? / Hero
SBS: Star's Lover/ Cain & Abel / City Hall / Swallow the Sun / You're Beautiful / Will it Snow for Xmas

It's a ratings chart of the entire Wed-Thurs line-up in 2009 (via DCgall), done two weeks ago (ie. missing IRIS' best performances to-date, eps. 13, 15-16). In a nutshell, there's IRIS, and there's everyone else.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Heeee. *gloats*

Thank you!

[scanky-chops.livejournal.com]

You know, i think the difference between BOF and YAB is that the fans for BOF sort of know that the second half went to pot while the YABers are still getting over the hype.

Personally, i found BOF way funnier for the lulz it brought so that's why i'd have it in my top 5 and not my number 1 disappointing drama.

It also brought me a lot of friends here on LJ so that's a plus. XD

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

BOF did give me a lot of LJ friends, true. Yay!

Yeah, many people would agree second half of BOF sucked - so I suppose YAB fangirls are even more delusional?

[boycottbananas.livejournal.com]

Triple was the ballerina or ice-skating drama, right? (I always confuse it with jdrama!Triangle, no idea why. x_x;;) My cousin watched that and I think she enjoyed it enough, but idk.

I'm not surprised about the top 3. XP No recognition for Mei-chan? Or it's overrated, disappointingness wasn't as big as the rest? :o

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Ice-skating.

Was mei-chan even this year? LOL - I forgot. Ehhh, I didn't like it but since I had no expectations going in, it wasn't a loss :P

[vierran45.livejournal.com]

I completely agree with you on BOF, in fact I haven't even finished it yet, since I'm dreading all the badness. Though I might still it just ogle Kim Hyun Joong :). But yeah, the way the drama transformed Makino from the kickass, never-give-up character into the weepy mess was just unforgivable :P.

I quite like You're Beautiful, but then again, I do like fluffy dramas every now and then and don't expect that much from them. I suspect the rabid (mostly teen) fangirls might have beena bit annoying at times, however.

I like Triple for being a quiet, slice-of-life drama and even though the romance is very slight, I still like the chracters and the plot for what I've seen (I haven't finished it yet).

Liar Game I watch mostly just for the cinematography (the fluorescent colours and funky shoots sometimes produce gorgeous imagery), but I also quite like Matsuda Shota and Toda Erika as well. But mostly it's pretty silly and forgettable. But Erika & Shota look great together :D.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

BOF - it's 25+ hours of my life I will never get back, alas.

I confess I am about the worst person for fluffy dramas - Sweet 18 is about the only one I ever liked and the cuteness of the set-up really won me.

[astrothsknot.livejournal.com]

I adore the layout of this page.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I aim to please :)

[ifruity.livejournal.com]

I actually liked Meteor Shower. I thought the acting was amazing, from Zhang Han's part, not so much on the rest of the cast, but they weren't terrible. The storyline did drag, but I thought it did well as a drama alone, but not a remake (because it really sucked as a remake).

I liked You're Beautiful because it was fun. It wasn't emotionally-moving enough that I cried, but I did like it a lot. Mostly for He Yi because I thought her character was hilarious, especially with Tae-Kyung :P

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I wanted a drama about He Yi, actually, and her becoming a real girl instead of a fake fairy. She'd have made a more fun heroine than weepy Minam.

[sodahands.livejournal.com]

Lmao I love your list.

I can never forgive BOF for what they did to Makino. Not only was she a complete dishrag who was always a weepy mess and needed rescuing from anything and everything but she also lead on a guy who was so obviously in love with her and even proposed to her. UGH! And this drama has also ruined Kim Hyun Joong for me. I'm sure he's great and it's not his fault but I just can't stand to see him in anything without it reminding me of BOF and it spiralling down a shamehole.

I was going to leave YAB alone because I only made it 10 minutes into the first episode before I had to stop (I can't watch a drama where the heroine thinks of turning off a device by laying on top of it. WTF?!) but the fangirls and their digs at IRIS pushed me over the edge. Now I will freely hate on it for having one of the worst female characters ever and according to the db recaps she never grew out of her childish bs. Seems like none of the characters did. If there's one thing I hate in a drama it's lack of character development which both YAB and BOF suffered from.

And Metero Shower. Lol that drama. It made no sense and the horrible acting and fug people definitely did not help. I think I might've gotten whiplash from the commenters on viikii mocking the drama to becoming devoted fangirls in 3.2 seconds.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

the fangirls and their digs at IRIS pushed me over the edge. Now I will freely hate on it for having one of the worst female characters ever and according to the db recaps she never grew out of her childish bs. Seems like none of the characters did. If there's one thing I hate in a drama it's lack of character development which both YAB and BOF suffered from.


Word word word word. That is basically me, except that I suffered through 14 eps of this before calling it quits.

Is it better written than BOF? Heck yes - a 5 year old's first writing sample is still better than BOF. Doesn't make it good though.

[prismatic-star.livejournal.com]

I agree with your list wholeheartedly.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yay!

[village.livejournal.com]

Your rage-yness when it comes to YB is perplexing. Is it so bad that it's BOF levels of gross? I'm watching it off and on, as other things are more awesome and it's just so young sometimes, but there's nothing about it that I find particularly offensive. So what's the deal? ;)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Re: YAB. Three reasons:

1. I had super-high expectations for it because I adore Hong Sisters - three of their dramas are in my all-time fave list (HGD, DGCH, My Girl) and even though Fantasy Couple didn't click with me, it was a good, funny, clever drama with an awesome heroine. But YAB, while not objectively awful just had no plot or point and sort of meandered aimlessly at a crawl. It was also much too fluffy for my liking - granted, I am an angst junkie, but YAB is the fluffiest drama I have ever seen in my entire life! If I checked it out randomly not expecting much, I might have been more charitable.

2. The heroine - I can forgive most anything to a drama except for a heroine that irritates me. I liked Minam early on because I thought she'd change and grow but no luck - when I saw that, I got pretty annoyed.

3. The fangirls - I know fandom shouldn't affect my opinion but I can't help it. If it wasn't for them, it would never go on my fave list but it's probably be off the 'naughty' list either - it's just my irritation with the craziness in fandom made me get more and more irritated with the source materual.

[bodea.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen a lot of these simply because I could tell they were no diamond in the rough. I've got this thing going on;I just know!

And well, you know how I feel about Shota and Liar Game.I have to finish the last two eps of YAB. I agree that it's over rated though. If I din't love Park Shin Hye, I would have never watched it.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

YAB is just - if I were 14, I'd have probably loved it, but I could theoretically have a 14-yr-old kid, if i started early enough, so no...

[bae-mac.livejournal.com]

I agree with this list EXCEPT for YAB.

teehee! I just adore it so much and maybe I am bias because I love Geun Suk so much and that in this drama, I became a PSH fan.

* and because BOF tops this list, Jan Di throws herself into a pool! *

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

LOL - poor Jandi, she must make a habit of drowning :)

[moonyka.livejournal.com]

I so agree with you with Boys Over Flowers. Is Overrated from tip to toe. I don't know how people can like it when it doesn't even have some awesome heroes. Makino is weak and weep and Doumyouji can't stand for himself. I thought that because it was a korean adaptation and koreans have amazing heroins and heroes these would be something else. But no. It dissapointed me in many levels.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yeah - I had such high hopes and then it all went splat.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

add a herouine who sets feminism 20 years back by existing

My logic circles still shortcut in trying to understand why you liked "Hong Gil Dong" so much and hated YAB so much (this is a big logical mystery to me). Mi Nam, and Yi Nok basically two copies of the same herouine with the slight differences:

1. Stupidity:
Yi Nok - stupid
Mi Nam - not so much, just naive and gets over it

2. Hopelessness:
Yi Nok - hopeless and accident prone but thinks she is smart
Mi Nam - hopeless and accident prone but gets over it eventually

3. Cuircimstances:
Yi Nok - leaving on the streets, survival is illogical
Mi Nam - just out of monastery, naivety is explainable

4. relationship with the partner:
Yi Noks- Hong Gil Dong always mocks her and calls her a "stupid girl".
Mi Nam - TK is condescending at first but it changes at the end

The rabid fangirl part is definitely there - I don't think that YAB is a masterpiece, but it is the best in what it is designed for.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I think we'll just have to disagree on this one :) I didn't find Yi Nok either helpless or meek - one cannot help being stupid (especially if one is brought up without education or development tools) but one can help the other two. Did Yi Nok get caught and need rescue? Occasionally. So did HGD himself. Minam needed rescue constantly from small domestic appliances and medicins. Was Yi Nok capable of getting out of the way of something like a bidet where all you need to do is sidestep or gluing her fingers together and not being able to unglue them herself (that last one was the scene that singlehandedly sent me over the top)? Probably. Minam clearly wasn't.

Yi Nok used to be a swindler, can fight with a sword, is useful on missions etc - clearly she is another category from being helpless in front of a girl with a mean tongue, needs to imagine men as cherubs to walk past them when they are undressed, it's a good idea to stop mp3 player by jumping on it, and yeah, glue your fingers, Minam.

Plus, Yi Nok actually had character growth (she is different in the end than in the beginning), not so Minam - she is the same naive helpless idiot by the end (caveat - she may have grown in the last 2 eps - I haven't seen them - in which case I take my point back but still have no interest in watching those eps, the drama lost me).

I also didn't find what HGD said to Yi Nok as putdowns but we had that discussion before so I won't rehash it :) We are never going to agree on that one :)

Also, I can take a lot more in a woman in 1300 (or whenever HGD was set in) than in a woman in a modern world, with those opportunities.

Ultimately, it comes down to this - I like Yi Nok just fine (she is never going on the list of my favorite heroines, but she's OK) but for me HGD's love story was secondary (which is why HGD remains the only kdrama my husband watched - he was not interested in the OTP but he liked the comedy and the politics and the intrigue aspect and would get a bit imatient when shmoopy stuff started) - I love HGD so much because of stuff it has to say about rebellion and hierarchies and idealism and radicalism and meta. Plus swordfights. Even if I hated Yi Nok, the other stuff would still keep me well-occupied. YAB has no plot. There is nothing else other than Minam Minam Minam Minam Minam. So if you do not like Minam, you are out of luck. (Then there is a matter of Tae Kyung - I have nothing against TK - he is a fun character - but he doesn't feel truly real, more like an endearing sketch that you can't imagine in RL).

Ultimately, even if I had liked Minam (e.g. she was spunky or whatever), YAB would still never get on a favorites list even if it would come off this one - nothing happens in it! I need plot or at least conflict, unless the characters are truly exceptional or the world feels very real (Worlds Within or Bara no nai Hanaya have little plot (though conflict aplenty in the latter eps) but it's my favorite dramas because I feel as if I am peeking into real people's lives and I love those people so much I could happily watch them eat sandwiches and brush their teeth). I can tolerate a plotless and "unrealistic" drama with a dim heroine for a minidrama length - if this was 4 eps, I would have thought this was breezy fun. But for 16????