2012 dramas so far - my take.

[dangermousie]

Now that we are more than halfway through 2012, I thought it would be fun to discuss all the dramas I've seen so far and where they stand. I don't have to have seen every episode of every drama on the list, just enough to form an opinion...



27. K-Pop the Ultimate Audition



Aaaand, we have a winner for the worst drama of the year so far! Appalling production values on par with a local high school production, a plot that is guaranteed to murder few of your braincells in an appalling fashion, a cast that cannot (or is not bothering to) act, all led by a leading lady who should never ever, for the sake of my sanity, be allowed on screen again. This was supposed to be a cute and poppy teen romance, a sort of poor man's take on You're Beautiful, with crossdressing gals who join idol groups. In reality, it turned out to be the kind of work that should be banned by the Geneva Convention.

26. I Love Lee Tae Ri



Where, oh where, to start with this one? A borderline-illegal premise (a 14-yr-old in a 20+yr-old body is still 14 and having him romance a late-20s woman is creepy), a script so lackluster, it seems to have been written by people who washed out of a community college writing course 10 years ago, and actors who rage from talentless to downright horrific.

25. Color of Woman



I am no big fan of workplace dramas or workplace romances but this one had a competent cast (Jae Hee!!!) so I decided to check it out. All that left an impression is heroine's horrific perm and fake glasses. This drama was just so pointless.

24. Fashion King



Good cast and writers who previously gave us the gem that was What Happened in Bali. A pity they must have been hitting themselves with hammers between the end of Bali and now because even the cast cannot save this overwrought yet strangely boring piece of nonsense. At the end, one of the main characters is shot by someone as he is lounging in a pool in a furcoat (yes, you read this right) and we do not know by whom. It's that type of drama.

23. Ghost



This cybercrime procedural has its fans and may have become brilliant. But I will never know because the first episode was the most ridiculous hour of celluloid known to man and I will never get enough nerve to go back.

22. A Thousand Kisses



Rarely has a family drama started this promisingly and this sweetly to disintegrate into such a mess. This isn't lower because the secondary couple was adorable. But seriously, I do not know what the writer was thinking. This put a ton of fangirls off Ji Hyun Woo forever. Or would have, if he didn't do the marvelous Queen In Hyun's Man later in the year.

21. Korean Peninsula



This isn't even awful in a particular way. It's just boring. The story of reuniting Korea and scientist lovers on opposite sides, sounds like it would be amazing. Instead, it's deadly dull. What a waste of its excellent cast.

20. Dr Jin



Objectively, this is a truly horrible drama - written by crack monkeys, acted (largely) by robots, and done by a director with visual impairments. It should be rated a lot lower. But its very horribleness rescues it - it's so bad, it becomes entertaining, in an MSR3K way. Still, if you want a drama about a time-traveling doctor, you are better off with the Japanese original.

19. Moon that Embraces the Sun



A period love story between a fictional King and a shaman, this is simplistic, surprisingly dull, and with a leading couple who have negative chemistry with each other. Not to mention that the male lead is Kim Soo Hyun, one of the very few Korean actors I dislike. However, objectively, it's better than the hot mess like Dream High 2 or empty hole of anything that is Big. The reason Moon has this particular low place in the rankings is due to its absurd close-to-50% ratings (why? why? why? WHY?) and the fact that KSH won the Daesang over a whole slew of truly deserving actors. Well, that, and the fact that Moon had the temerity to steal a pivotal scene from Tree With Deep Roots, a truly amazing drama. I shall stop, as Moon/Sun makes me ragey.

18. Dream High 2



I enjoyed the first season but this is utterly pointless, full of people who can't act, no coherent story, ship wars and no proper ending of any sort (romantically or professionally). Loved the soundtrack though.

17. Big



An 18-yr-old and a 30-yr-old switch bodies as a result of an accident. I can't say anything spectacularly bad about this drama - it's competently acted, the writing is semi-decent, nothing is particularly offensive. The problem is I've seen walls that are more entertaining. This is so very boring, it needs a special category of its own.

16. Fermentation Family



Good cast, good cinematography and I'll probably return to it some day, but I dropped it because it was much too mellow. But then, it's a drama about kimchi, what else could one expect?

15. History of the Salaryman



A perfect example of a good drama that is not my thing. I don't share a sense of humor with most kdramas but this is well-written and acted.

14. Rooftop Prince



The first few episodes were funny and cute but the drama bogged down in following its boring villains and even more boring corporate shenanigans - you have a time-traveling King AND a murder mystery and that is what you fixate on? - so I ditched. It's not offensive but romcoms and time travel have both been done better elsewhere.

13. Operation Proposal



This was fluffy and adorable and silly and fluffy and romantic and fluffy and...ultimately, it was so cute I was ready to overlook its flaws. A sort of a Groundhog Day situation where our hapless hero travels back into the past to win his best friend's heart. It won't change your life, but I can think of less pleasant ways to spend 16 hours.

12. I Need Romance 2012



About a long-term on-off couple, this is a modern romance. The main leads' story is fascinating, full of chemistry and realism and make-outs not seen outside of cable. Every other character is somewhat lacking, but I find it hard to care about it with an OTP that compelling.

11. The King 2 Hearts



This drama started out very strong but I confess to losing interest by the end. Its strengths lie in the performances of its leads, of the leads' complex characters and chemistry. Its weakness is that whenever it tries to delve into world politics, terrorism or any interactions among state actors or foreigners, it becomes so ridiculous as to be laughable. Sadly, it tends to do the latter a lot.

10. Soldier/God of War



Excellent and grim sageuk set during the Mongol invasions, I loved the acting, the unusual period, the look at the horrors of the world. It's rated quite highly by me, but I will never finish it because the grimness and the violence (the torture!) spooked even more, especially with no hope on the horizon.

9. The Equator Man



A dark thriller/revenge drama about two former best friends who become enemies, this had a hate-it-or-love-it direction (I loved it), hate-it-or-love-it score (I hated it) and some great performances. This is not as perfect as Mawang or Resurrection, but it's still damn good.

8. Ojakgyo Brothers



I am pretty picky with my family dramas (it's a lot harder to stick through 50+ eps than your average 16) but when they are good, they are wonderful because they give you so much more room to breathe and develop this story. OB centers around a young heiress whose father disappears at the same time as her fortune and her interactions with the family that lives on the farm that is the only possession left to her. I confess to skipping through every single storyline except for one - the love story between our heroine and the adopted brother of the farm family, a reserved (but issue-laden) police detective played by *gasp* Joo Won. They are sweet and wonderful and so shippy it hurts.

7. What's Up



A story about a bunch of misfits pursuing a musical theater degree, this is more about what makes us tick and live and dream than it is about the music per se, but it has an incredible soundtrack and performances. This is probably the most underrated drama on the list.

6. A Gentleman's Dignity



A sharp, star-studded tale of 40 and 30-somethings looking for love, this is funny and romantic and with its incredible cast giving it all it has. It just makes me happy, it lifts my heart, it makes my weekends wonderful.

5. Love Rain



An old-fashioned melodrama about two sets of lovers - one in the 1970s (a shy painter and his muse) and one in the present (a sharp-tongued fashion photographer and a quirky gardener), this is a perfect example of the genre - wonderful performances, angsty and romantic situations, and cinematography that puts most movies to shame. I rooted for the lovers so badly. It's an unabashed example of its genre - luckily, I love the genre. They don't make them like that any more, more's the pity - except this one did.

4. Padam Padam - the Sound of His and Her Heartbeats



This drama largely flew under everyone's radar despite starring Jung Woo Sung, Han Ji Min and Kim Bum. Those who did watch it, found it polarizing. I am in the 'firmly full of love' camp (come to think of it, this was the same thing with the writer's previous drama, Worlds Within). The story of a wrongly-convicted man, a standoffish veterinarian he falls in love with, and a troubled young man who claims to be the convict's guardian angel and may or may not be what he says moves to its own pace, anchored by wonderful performances and dialogues that stay with you. Despite the unusual premise, it feels as if you could pass these people on the street. The story makes me think of magic realism, especially Jorge Amado's novels, with his delight in dwelling on underworld, marginalized figures, and his hard-won optimism.

2. (tie) Bridal Mask



Think Batman meets 1930s Korea. A story of a tormented vigilante in occupied Korea, this has adrenaline and twisty plotting galore (and, oh, did I mention the costumes?), but its real appeal lies in its tormented, complicated characters, often at odds at each other, twisted by the brutal world and tricks of fate, trying to survive. The drama lives and dies on Joo Won's performance as Lee Kang To, an idealistic young man turned a brutal enforcer for the Japanese regime turned a guilt-ridden vigilante savior of the same Korean populace he helped to oppress (only he still oppresses them as he hasn't taken off the uniform), and luckily for us, Joo Won's pulled out all the stops and his considerable chops make the performance unforgettable, and my favorite performance by an actor this year.

2. (tie) Queen In Hyun's Man



This story of a romance between a 17th-century scholar and 21st-century aspiring actress can be described simply as a perfect romance, by turns funny and heartbreaking. Its strength is a creation of a contained world that feels believable even as it involves time travel (gorgeous cinematography helps). But its reason for existence is its couple - each of whom is an unforgettable person apart but becomes something entirely else, something unique and precious and perfect together. He is the soul of the drama and she is its heart and they make you care desperately. I had hysterics from crying so hard at one point and at other points I was literally running around like a maniac, shouting my delight.

1. Shut Up Flower Boy Band



My drama of the year. Who knew that a drama about a high school rock band, starring a cast I have never heard of before would win my heart? This is a perfect drama - there is nothing I would add, change, remove. It managed to make me cry, laugh and care. It balanced an amazing friendship, multiple love stories (three!), growing up, conflicts, issues, and everything else effortlessly. Ji Hyuk is by far my favorite hero of the year and his relationship with his bandmates and Soonah (where both of them are grown up and lovely and functional) were the highlight for me, but not one of its dozen characters felt short-changed or unimportant or unfleshed-out. How a drama managed that incredible feat, I do not know. I am just thankful that it did.

Comments

[shirley huang (from livejournal.com)]

I've been incredibly picky about kdramas these last few years. When you're an adult, drama-watching time is precious and rare so I don't want to waste my evenings :)

Anyways, A Gentleman's Dignity will be my #1 drama of the year because it just "completes me"....and the awesome story and acting with a veteran group of actors does wonders. I absolutely heart Yoon and Me Ahri. A drama that makes me emotionally invested in two couples is just thumbs up :)
#2 Queen In Hyun's Man (no words need to be said)
#3 Love Rain (my middle school years were all about the seasonal dramas so this one was quite nostalgic...my fave JGS role/performance to date!)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Love your Top 3!

AGD just makes me plain happy by existing.

[(Anonymous)]

OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

You are brave! You rank MTBTS so low and you actually said you disliked KSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you know how I tried to watch the show but couldn't. Then I tried to watch short clips of supposedly great cuts/scenes post by fans on YT and I don't get it. I tried tried tried very hard to get into KSH cuz the whole world loves him(at least until I read this post) and I couldn't. I haven't given up cuz I thought so many people cannot be wrong,right? Honestly, I blamed myself becuz I couldn't watch him more than a few minutes so it's not fair. And partly my reason why I watched him is because he is always said to be one of the finest actor in his generation and he beats Joowon, whom I adore & respect like no other. So I was checking out who is this great actor who beats my bias. Anyway, I will perserve to watch more MTBTS, just to satisfy myself.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

There are people who think KSH beats Joo Won? People ARE different. Leaving aside my opinion on the relative acting skills of the two (I think Joo Won is arguably best of the young 'uns, unless that title will go to Song Joong Ki, but I can think of a dozen young actors who I think are better than Kim Soo Hyun), these people should get into comparisons when KSH actually does a complex role like Joo Won in Gaksital or Jung Il Woo in Return of Iljimae or Song Joong Ki in Tree with Deep Roots or Kim Bum in Padam Padam or Lee Min Ho in City Hunter or Yoon Si Yoon in Me 2 Flower (whatever one thought of the drama itself) or Jang Geun Seok in Love Rain or Yoo Seung Ho in Warrior BDS before thst drama fell apart or...should I really go on? A bunch of childhood portions of dramas, a singing teen idol drama a la Dream High, and the simple-as-plank role in Moon (in which he put me to sleep) are not much of a comparison.

[rectherapyfreak.livejournal.com]

I think you were too nice to Big!!! lol!!
Shut Up Flower Boyband was a great drama SO much better than I thought it was going to be!

I have only watched 9 off of your list. Here is my order.
9. Big- Was just so boring that I fast forward lots of parts. I have never done that before for a first time of watching a drama. I had such high expectations!
8. Dr. Jin-I really love the parts where they are figuring how to heal people but I am not really into the relationships of the chracters that much.
7. King 2 Hearts- I loved this drama up until the 2nd to last episode. The villians power just annoys me. I get he has a lot of money but I don't see so many countries being afraid of one man they could easily kill and replace...
6. What's Up- I loved everything about this drama.
5. Padam Padam - I have never watched a show where the non lead cahracter is SO freakin awesome (Kim Bum) and yet does not out shine the lead who is also awesome. The characters/acting were so freaking awesome in this drama. I liked the ending too.
4. Shut Up Flower Boyband - Great music, great characters, great acting. And I LOVED the realistic yet happy ending! It could be one of my favorite Kdrama ending ever!
3. Rooftop Prince- I am a fool for time travel dramas and the stupid culture shock stuff never gets old for me. I loved this drama from begining to end. I loved the twists and I love how it turned more serious near the end.
2. Love Rain- I am not a huge fan of the season dramas but I LOVED this drama. The acting/the chemistry!! LOVED it. Loved the relationship so much with the leads. I loved all their happy scenes together. The music was beautiful! Beautiful filming. I liked the ending. I did not expect to love this drama so much.
1. Gaksital!!! -I love revenge plots and I am learning that I really like period dramas a lot. This one is so different not being in the present and not being a "really "historical drama. I like the characters, And Joo Won is freaking awesome!! The music is great! I look forward to every new episode!! I had to stop watching because I was just goign crazy waiting for more!! I will start to marathon what I have to watch soon!! I want t obe update at the end so I am not behind when it ends! So good!!!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I just don't care about Big - I washed my hands off it a long time ago.

You have no idea how excited I am that someone else on my flist loved and watched both What's Up and Padam Padam!

[iheartkleenex.livejournal.com]

Shut Up Flower Boy Band forever!!! I still remember my reaction at the end of the second episode.

I am still in rage about Big though. UGH! It started out so well but the fact that all the important stuff happened OFF screen certainty didn't help. Not even my love for Gong Yoo could have saved this drama for me.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I'd probably be more ragey about Big if I cared about the drama even a bit but it pretty much deadened every nerve ending.

[spazzy06.livejournal.com]

I watched Shut Up Flower Boy Band about a month ago. I was surprised at how good it was.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that one was definitely a dark horse.

[mookiehyun.livejournal.com]

Wowsa, I didn't expect a fluffy cute thing (I'm assuming) to win over all the #twos on your list! Gosh, the wait for my SUFBB is more painful now that my expectation just shot up another several folds. This drama is shocking for me already on the fact I truly have not heard one unsavory word about it.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yes, SUFBB, while not 100% fluffy (but then I honestly can't think of a single drama that is) is not a dramatic angstfest like 2-5. It's pretty shocking for me to love something so relatively light and light-hearted. But it really did sneak past all my defenses. Plus, even though I am not a Korean boy, it did throw me back into my own youth and friends and fun. And it felt a little manga - manga in the way I loved manga when I was a teen and it made me grin and swoon a little.

[hamster428.livejournal.com]

SUFBB did one thing most kdramas don't, which is staying true to what it is. It doesn't try to be "I'm smart, I'm deep, I'm heartwrenching, look at me look at me, yoohoo over here!" For a drama about growing up, it sure knows where it was going and has reachable goals. Plus it wears its heart on its sleeves. Did this thing really air this yr? I feel like I'm talking about a classic oldie haha.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yes - it set out its story, its goals and parameters and stuck to them. It wasn't a drama that bit off more than it could chew. The fact that it made me love the cast was a bonus.

[timescout.livejournal.com]

I'm really bad at rating the dramas I watch. I either like them or not, LOL! Soooo, my favourites this year so far:

God of War, The Equator Man, Hero (OCN), Ghost, Fermentation Family, Queen In Hyun's Man and Shut Up Flower Boy Band

The last two are the top of the heap for now and I love both dearly. :) I've got couple of more already aired ones lined up so the list may get slightly longer once I've watched those.

I ended up dropping several popular dramas (e.g Bridal Mask and AGD) as they just weren't my cup of tea in the end.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I kept meaning to get to Hero and never did. One of these days...

About FF - does it ever get less mellow? It's fine if it doesn't, I just want to know because if it's mellow throughout, I need to be in a different mood.

[once-a-weaver.livejournal.com]

I hadn't thought about What's Up in a while. I did love that one.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

It had a very indie feel.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Your thoughts on King 2 Hearts are so accurate—I never finished it, which is a shame because I really liked the leads.

The thing about Love Rain is that I’m not a melodrama fan, and yet I loved that drama from start to finish. I’m so glad I took a chance on it!

I love realism, so I’ll have to give Padam Padam a try at some point.

Your top three are perfect choices. I’m way behind on Bridal Mask, but I almost feel okay with that—when I catch up, I can do it in big chunks!

I think Queen In-Hyun’s Man may be one of the best romances I’ve ever seen. So, so wonderful. Romance at its best!

This is a perfect drama - there is nothing I would add, change, remove.

YES. except that I kind of wanted to see Yerim and Hyunsoo shove each other up against a wall and make out but that was never going to happen so I won’t complain.

How a drama managed that incredible feat, I do not know. I am just thankful that it did.

I cannot get over how emotionally satisfying and resonant this drama is. I find myself thinking about it often, and whenever anything about it pops up on my dash on tumblr, I fall in love all over again. I just wish it had a better name—I keep trying and trying to convince people to watch it and so far I’ve managed to get one person to do so. People don’t seem to believe me when I tell them that there’s no way they won’t love it. *sigh*

I'll definitely be rewatching it again soon.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I've been rewatching bits of SUFBB repeatedly and it's a drama that holds its own no matter how many times you rewatch. I wanted Yerim and HS make outs too but oh well...Korean TV and all. I just want to adopt all the band guys and their girls.

QIHM felt as intense and romantic and beautiful as a grown-up fairy tale. I've actually just been rewatching the ending for the umpteenth time.

I hope you like Padam Padam. It's magic realism which is a genre I love in literature but dramas don't normally do. I felt I knew these people. On a shallow note, shirtless mess galore.

[your-insomnia.livejournal.com]

You reminded me that I need I still need to watch Love Rain and Whats Up and finish In Huyn's Man (I'm on episode 3!)

I agree with you on King2hearts - it started out so well but lost me completely at the end. The romance was amazing but the politics were nonsensical.

Also, ditto on Ojakgyo Brothers. They are still my favorite OTP of the year (even if SUFBB took the place of favorite drama).

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I still haven't finished OB but I loved every second of them together so far.

K2H - they should have stayed out of politics or kept it within the Koreas. Because any political stuff made me roll my eyes too hard.

[shadowkeeper.livejournal.com]

So a whole lot of really terrible fare with brief bursts of brilliance? At least there are some exciting ones coming up in the 2nd half of the year.
I've seen/started maybe half of these? Shut Up Flower Boy Band was next on my list to catch up on, but I did love Queen InHyun's Man more than I thought was possible.

Also, Operation Proposal- I heard that they remade the Yamapi jdrama, but I didn't realize they had already done it.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Nah, The top 10 ranged from good to amazing, It's been a pretty good drama year so far.

OProp is very fluffy but for some reason I loved it.

[spunspider.livejournal.com]

man, the way my drama-watching has taken a nosedive. ;\ i'm still attempting things from last year, i did half of scent of a woman last week.

i'm slow~ly downloading SUFBB from rapidshare so i'll get to it eventually. the way everyone talks about it, if i don't love it i'll feel like there's something inherently wrong with me. gaksital, too, i'm waiting til it's done but oh man the way everyone raves. i'm usually down with whatever ppl obsess about so i'm sure i'll love it, except me and new dramas lately ain't that tight.

what's up was so fucking good. doori/sun-man are one of my favourite drama otps ever to be and jo jung seok is perfect to me (reading his fate in k2h i will never touch that shit). that kind of smart, relaxed indie vibe needs to be attempted by more dramas (and they got cancer in anyway!).

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

SUFBB! YAY!

[(Anonymous)]

My best ones:
1)AGD (love, love, love it!)
2)Queen InHyun's man (roooomance over the centuries!)
3)What's Up? (Keep on dreaming!)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I love your list!

[sisterjune.livejournal.com]

My faves from this year so far are definitely Gaksital (provided it doesnt fall apart in the next 10 eps) and Shut Up Flower Boy Band. I enjoyed History a Salaryman alot too since its exactly my type of humor (dark and slightly absurd) altho its not higher up in my esteem because I didnt like the trajectory it took near the end, (for various reasons) but aside from that I enjoyed it quite a bit. Also Queen Inhyun's Man was really lovely. Even tho It didnt make as big an impression on me as it did you. That said I feel like there was alot of disappointments for me this year: Moon embracing the Sun, Big, Rooftop Prince, King 2 Hearts, Fashion king, I Do I Do were all dramas I was really looking forward to and in the end they all fell flat for me. The irony is I had no interest originally in watching History of a Salaryman or Gaksital but they turned out to be spectacularly entertaining. and while I was excited for Shut Up Flower Boy Band I had about the same expectations that it would be good that I have for To the Beautiful You being good. Which is to say, none at all. and Yet it turned out to be well done and one of the few truly well done stories about youth and music and dreams and I just loved it and while I wouldnt call it perfect its definitely earned itself a place in my list of fave dramas of all time. So its funny how things surprise you sometimes.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

LOL, Fashion King was not even a disappointment, it was a special pocket hell dimension of its own. Kdramas should leave fashion alone because whenever it's a subject, the dramas transform into a pile of suck. Except for Fashion 70s.

Ah, SUFBB!

[lyrayoo (from livejournal.com)]

1.Queen In Hyun's Man
2.A Gentleman's Dignity
3.Bridal Mask
4.Love Rain

Top 5 supposed to be but i am reserving the slot for SUFBB. I heard a lot of awesome feedback about this drama. Im about to watch it yet. hihi.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

OMG, let me know how you like SUFBB - it was my drama drug!

[(Anonymous)]

im happy that OJAKGYO BROTHERS, BRIDAL MASK and QUEEN INHYUN's MAN are part of TOP10!! waaaaahhhh

--maricar♥

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

They are all wonderful

[(Anonymous)]

yes

[(Anonymous)]

So agree about Love Rain. Just perfect. And so gorgeously shot, lovely to look at. Also found Flower Boy Band surprisingly good. I nominate for everyone's consideration Me Too Flower, which I found quirky and really enjoyed - but the 'second' woman was extremely annoying so took it down a notch from top rank for me. The two quirky, damaged leads were perfect for each other. NAd lastly, I recommend Protect the Boos - a great deal of com in this rom com, perfectly carried out.

[(Anonymous)]

I only watched a few and here is my order:

1. Bridal Mask
2. Queen In Hyun's Man
3. Moon That Embraces The Sun (can't believe it's 19 on your list. this one is good)
4. A Gentleman's Dignity
5. The Equator Man
6. The King 2 Hearts
7. Rooftop Prince
8. Ghost
9. Operation Proposal
10. Big
11. Love Rain
12. Dr. Jin
13. Dream High 2
14. Fashion King

and currently I'm watching Shut Up Flower Boy Band and I'll see if that can one can tied up or even win over my precious Bridal Mask :)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Fashion King was terrifyingly bad, wasn't it?

I think Moon was very polarizing - plenty of people loved it (as evidenced by ratings and soompi thread) and then there were curmudgeons like me which hated it.

[wickedwondrous.livejournal.com]

Just wanted to ask, because it's been so long since you posted about Love Rain, what do you think of the ending? And those kisses!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I loved it! So adorable and made me so happy!

[cleobulle.livejournal.com]

Couldn't find the time to watch as many dramas as you did so I can only do a Top 5.

1*Bridal Mask. If the last episodes are as good as what we've already seen, this will be my n°1 drama. Nothing will even come close to it. But there's the risk of that you-know-what ending we talked about recently. If that happens, it'll only remember it as a very good drama that I can only bear to rewatch while completely ignoring the last episode.

2*The Moon that Embraces the Sun. I, for one, loved it. The dialogues were awesome. I was always in stitches when translating the scenes between the king and his ministers. Such wit and irony. Brownie points to Hwon who faithfully waited for his Yeon Woo and was smart enough to navigate the dangerous waters of the palace with the little power he had.

3*Love Rain. Gorgeously shot and with a lot of heart. It lost a bit of steam in the last 4 episodes but I'll always remember it fondly.

4*Ojakgyo Brothers. I feel like I'm cheating by putting it in the top 5 because, like you, I used the fww button quite a lot. It's a testimony to how much I loved TH and JE's storyline that I'm including it here.

4*Queen In Hyun's Man. I didn't love it as much as many people did ( I never really got involved emotionally) but it was smart, charming and knew where it was going.


I dropped King 2 Hearts as well. There was nothing wrong with it per se but I lost my enthusiasm for it about the time our two leads sleep together. That was a WTF moment. I continued for a few more episodes and then stopped. I'll need to finish it some day.

Tried to watch What's up but gave up pretty early on. Nothing wrong with it but it didn't grab me and didn't make me want to continue watching it. It might have been different had it aired when it was supposed to and I was all eager to watch it.

Stayed very far away from Big and I'm sooooo glad I did. Hong sisters... your next drama better be good. Why don't you try to write a fusion saeguk again?

Do I need to watch SUFBB? It didn't even register on my radar. I'm iffy about musical dramas in general (and a high school one is even a bigger risk) and I'm not sure it would be my cup of tea.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

If the ending of Bridal Mask is what we discussed, it won't lower it in my estimation, but the rewatchability factor would certainly go down.

Yeah, even though I stayed with K2H through ep 18, I lost interest at around the sex incident - probably the first time I typed that particular phrase :)

Re; SUFBB. It's not a musical. There is no dancing and very few singing performances. And those performances all further the plot, as in pivotal things happen. Plus, trust me, you'll love it on the shippy front - the main OTP and the two secondary OTPs are awesome. Especially the main OTP - they are like something of a favorite shoujo manga, with him being her black knight and her being so awesome and just - guuuh. Plus, if leads never liking anyone else and being devoted is your thing, this is the drama for you.

Seriously, the lead OTP is only losing to Bridal Mask and QIHM in being my favorite OTP of the year. They have scenes like this:

http://dangermousie.livejournal.com/2444609.html

[momosan.livejournal.com]

I also dislike Moon/Sun intensely. In fact, my Mom, who is a noted sageuk addict, also hated it, and for the first time in my memory, actually BAILED on that show.

And it's not often you get to say this, but - I miss the Mongols. The action portions of God of War were the highlights so far.

And, as you know, Padam Padam lost me sometime about the third Groundhog Day event, although I kept watching to see what would happen to Bummie. At least no one killed the dog. Equator Man was such a disappointment to me. 8-( The horrible music was just the last nail in it's coffin.

The directing and writing of AGD annoys me. Of the lead actors, it's Lee Jong Hyuk as Lee Jung Rok who I like the most here.

Fermentation Family had me for the food porn. 8-) It was a weird combination of genres, but I actually enjoyed it once.

So far, for me, SUFFB and A Wife's Credentials are at the top of the heap, but I haven't watched all of Queen Insoo yet. But then, Bridal Mask and QIHM are up there enjoyment-wise. I'm actually NOT a Joo Won fan, but it's a decent show. QIHM's last episode annoyed me, but I can live with it.

At least I listened when you warned me about K-POP. I have no doubt it's just as bad as you say!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I wonder if the music director of TEM was related to BOF one. The music was awful.

I'd love to watch Queen Insoo but no subs!!!!

[watchumlots.livejournal.com]

Mousie!

Loved (loving) Gaksital
Loved Queen In Hyun's Man
Loved Soldier/God of War (until midpoint), had to quit because it's depressing like Gyebaek.

Liked Shut Up Flower Boy Band, even if it has a really stupid name.

Liked Thousand Kisses until midpoint when couple broke-up, afterwards it became predictable.
Liked History of a Salaryman until last few episodes.

Liked Okjakgyo Bros. It kept my interest and I liked all the actors and their characters.

Moon Embracing the Sun was going somewhere, until it went south. Finished the series, but it took a lot of wine.

HATED Love Rain, will never understand why: people being rude and obnoxious, characters saying things that make no sense (wife trying to reconcile with husband gone for 10 years and won't "approve" of his new love), horrible acting (actress playing lead girl's mother) horrible characters (lead guy's father being whimpy and ... limp, lead guy's mother being crazy), all the throw backs to Love Story, are appealing. The original Love Story was a pile of crap, this certainly even worse. I looked, and watched, and read the reviews, and couldn't find anything to like. Seriously, reading the gushing posts made me wonder if I was watching the same series.

HATED Big. Watched the first episode, FF through most of the second episode, FF through 3, skipped to the last episode and didn't miss a thing. Main Female characters being clueless doormats has become really boring; give me someone with some spunk!

Rooftop Prince: I just didn't get. What happened at the end?

Started Equator Man and dropped. Gloomy, not interested in the obsession with revenge.

Started Queen 2 Hearts and dropped. Everyone loves Ha Ji Won but me; she does nothing for me. I think she is plain-looking and a bad actress, it seems the majority of viewers LOVE her, think she is ravishingly beautiful. Wonder if I am thinking of same actress as the fans.

After reading your reviews of Padam, Padam and A Gentleman's Dignity I am dying to watch them.

Reading comments and reviews are part of the fun of watching dramas!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I love HJW but K2H just didn't work for me...

Love Rain is a really idiosyncratic drama but luckily it fit in perfectly with my tastes.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Oh, I love the sound of "Bridal MAsk" as I adore Jon Won. Please spoil me for the end though., I like my Joo Won happy at the end. And if it is not too much trouble - what is the end for " Queen In Hyun's Man" (that one looks really good too)?

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Bridal Mask is airing its final eps this week so no idea yet. Crossing my fingers.

QIHM had a happy ending - they both ended up together, in the present time.

Out of the airing dramas which are not on the above list, I recommend Faith and Arang and the Magistrate :)