Minarii's Top 5 K-dramas of 2019

Hello, fellow drama watchers! 2019 was not the best year for me (though I watched quite a lot of dramas), but I hope it was a great year for you all! I managed to complete a great number of dramas that aired this year, but if I have to be honest, I was disappointed with at least half of them. That's why I believe that 2019 was not a good year for Kdramas. Yes, we had some very good productions, but we also had too many mediocre shows and also flops.

In this article, I will be talking about my top five favourite Korean dramas that aired in 2019 and why you should check them out. 

     SYNOPSIS:  Kim Hae Il (Kim Nam Gil) is a Catholic priest. He makes spiteful remarks, and he can be rude to others. Koo Dae Young (Kim Sung Kyun) is a detective. He talks a lot, and he is also timid. Park Kyung Sun (Lee Ha Nui)  is a prosecutor. She is smart and beautiful. She is also ambitious as a prosecutor and good at her job. The three of them team up and work together to solve a murder case involving a senior Catholic priest. 

     PERSONAL OPINION:  You know how most of the Korean dramas are more or less similar to each other, and it's scarce to see something different. But The Fiery Priest is precisely that - something very different and unique. I was very hesitant whether to watch it or not, it just didn't seem like my cup of tea, and I didn't know any of the lead actors. But after reading a lot of positive comments, I decided to check it out, and it turned out to be such an enjoyable ride. It mixes a lot of genres, yes, which is quite risky. But the drama does it so well. I am not a fan of action dramas, but the action scenes here were sooooo freaking good! The characters are all fun to watch, but they are all more or less flawed, and the drama is not afraid to show their negative sides so beware that you'll find some of them quite annoying at times. (especially Kyung Sun who was a sassy queen overall, but once or twice I lowkey wanted to punch her face haha) The acting is amazing, of course, loud applause for Kim Nam Gil for portraying Hae Il with such passion. So overall, The Fiery Priest is a hidden gem you should not miss.

     FLAWS TO CONSIDER:  There aren't that many, but the drama has specific comedy tricks you might find a bit too much and over the top. Also, the drama is more of a slow-paced one, and it was kind of hard for me to get through the first few episodes. It does get a bit draggy in the middle, but after that, it got better. :)

     SYNOPSIS:  Oh Yoon Seo (Yoo In Na) is a popular actress. She is famous for her beautiful appearance, but her acting is bad. She gets involved in a scandal with the son from a chaebol family. Her acting career declines precipitously. Oh Yoon Seo hears that a famous screenwriter wants her to play the lead female role for a drama series. The character works as a secretary for a lawyer. To gain experience for the role, Oh Yoon Seo is required to work as a lawyer's secretary for a few months.

Meanwhile, Kwon Jung Rok (Lee Dong Wook) is an attorney for a law firm. He is arrogant and cold-hearted. One day, his boss asks Kwon Jung Rok to let actress Oh Yoon Seo work as his secretary for 3 months. He is not happy about the situation, but he has to accept.

     PERSONAL OPINION:  I've read quite a lot of opinions about this show, and some people say that Touch Your Heart is a fan service drama. They are absolutely right. And I am one hell of a fan! To be honest, Touch Your Heart is a typical Korean romantic-comedy drama, and it has a lot of cliches. But does this make it less enjoyable? No. In my opinion, if a cliché is done right, it can be entertaining enough. Touch Your Heart made me happy, and this is what I want when I approach rom-com. I don't want any pressure and stupid drama (and we all know that Korean scriptwriters looove that). But in Touch Your Heart, you just watch two people falling in love in the cutest way possible. If you are a rom-com fan, don't hesitate and watch this fluffy show!

     FLAWS TO CONSIDER:  I didn't really like the last two episodes. They dragged some things too much. And Kim Se Won and Yoo Yeo Reum were quite useless (although I admit that Lee Sang Woo's charm is undeniable!)

     SYNOPSIS:  Yoon Jong Woo (Im Siwan) is a young guy in his 20s, who moved from the countryside to Seoul after his college friend, Jae Ho, offered him a job. While looking for a place to live, he stumbles upon Eden Gosiwon, a cheap apartment that shares the kitchen and bathroom with other residents. He is not thrilled about the quality of the place or the other abnormal residents, such as his next-door neighbour Seo Moon Jo (Lee Dong Wook), a charismatic dentist. Nevertheless, Jong Woo decides to put up with it for 6 months until he saves enough money to move out. However, mysterious events start occurring in the apartment, causing Jong Woo to start fearing the apartment's residents. 

     PERSONAL OPINION:  Strangers from Hell is a very well-made thriller/horror drama that keeps you on the edge of your seat till the very last minute. Each episode ends with a cliffhanger and it makes you want to watch more and more. The characters are very complex and twisted, you don't know who is sane and who has gone crazy, you are suspicious of literally everyone. You keep making theories, and you try guessing who's gonna die next. I loved Strangers from Hell quite a lot, and I was very sad when it ended even though the ending was very satisfying. And the actors were superb, too! Lee Dong Wook was creeping me out, he is perfect for this type of roles. He gives you all the chills!

     FLAWS TO CONSIDER:  Well, the drama is quite slow-paced, but that's not a flaw if we consider the storyline. But if I have to admit, there were times when I wanted the story to progress more quickly. Also, the drama is not for people who can't stand gore, there are a lot of scenes that are a bit hard to digest, so you've been warned. 

     SYNOPSIS:  A case involving the hidden truth behind the law prohibiting double jeopardy. When Choi Do Hyun (Lee Jun Ho) was a boy, he had a heart disease. He spent most of his childhood in the hospital. He miraculously had a chance for a heart transplant. Right after the successful heart transplant surgery, his father was accused of murder. His father received the death penalty. To investigate his father's case, Do Hyun now works as a lawyer. 

     PERSONAL OPINION:  Okay, maybe I'm a little biased when it comes to this drama since it includes one of my favourite genres - law and thriller, combined with mystery and investigation. But I truly believe that Confession is a hidden gem and a masterpiece. Yes, it looks like your typical law drama and, at first glance, is very similar to Remember: War of the Son. But it's not so similar, and in my opinion, Confession is what Remember should have been. Very well-written plot without any (noticeable) plot holes, intriguing characters, all of them being indispensable and phenomenal acting. It never got distracted from its main point. There are a lot of shocking plot twists, too. And Ryu Kyung Soo's acting in this is so far the best acting I saw this year. He was absolutely stellar! You won't be disappointed if you decide to watch this, I promise. It is very underrated.

    FLAWS TO CONSIDER:  I don't think there are any. 

     SYNOPSIS:  Im Jin Joo, Lee Eun Jung, and Hwang Han Joo are best friends who are  30-years-old. Hwang Han Joo (Han Ji Eun) is the head of a marketing team for a drama production company. She is a single mother who struggles to balance her work and personal life as she is raising a kid. Im Jin Joo (Chun Woo Hee) is a drama writer with a lot of emotional ups and downs. Her personality is unique, talking to a luxurious purse at times. Even though she is a drama writer, she tries to write her scripts in a literary style.  Lee Eun Jung (Jeon Yeo Bin) is a documentary director. She runs her own production company, although she's the only employee. One of her documentaries surprisingly becomes popular overnight. 

     PERSONAL OPINION:  Be Melodramatic is a hidden gem which, for an unknown reason, didn't do well in South Korea. I don't know why it's so underrated but it really hurts me. The drama is so different, so unique, so heartwarming. It makes you laugh, cry, it makes you feel all the emotions. It's everything that one should want from a Korean drama. It is realistic, the acting is very natural and you could never guess that these are actors. The couples were nice, the sismance was on point. The characters are engaging, it takes time to get to know them, but when you do, you start loving and appreciating them. And yet, this masterpiece never got under the spotlight. People should seriously start paying more attention to jTBC dramas, they are really producing excellent shows lately. Everyone should give this a try, I'm sure you'll fall for its charm very quickly!

     FLAWS TO CONSIDER:  Be Melodramatic doesn't know the word 'flaw' exists. 

Sooo these are my favourite dramas that aired in 2019. I hope you liked my article and you'll check these dramas out if you haven't. I'm sure you won't be disappointed! :)

Which were your favourite dramas this year? Have you seen the ones that I mentioned in the article and did you like/dislike them? Was 2019 good for Korean dramas in your opinion and why/why not?

THANK YOU FOR READING! ♡  - @ minarii