Watched in 2024
DRAMA RATING SYSTEM (SORT OF)
- 1 - 4.5 - Garbage
- 5 - 5.5 - Watchable, but bad, very bad
- 6 - 7 - Okay
- 7.5 - Not a favorite, but close
- 8 - 9.5 - Favs
- 10 - the rare unicorn masterpiece
*obviously everything is pretty subjective because I'm not a critic, and I like what I like
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1. Drama Special Season 14: Confession Attack
Korean Special - 2023, 1 episode
I got give them credit for this getting the pacing right, for such a short drama, nothing felt rush given it short time frame.
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2. Bu Liang Zhi Nian Qing Chu Shi
Taiwanese Drama - 2023, 12 episodes
I enjoyed this - but I'm not sure if I'd classify it as 'a best drama of the year' kind of drama. Admittedly I was a little confused, since the ability he has isn't seeing ghosts, because they've aren't really human. However, they do help the trio solve some "grudges" left by the dead. And some of these grudges are just truly heartbreaking, as most of the time they are people that been forgotten by society. I enjoyed this twist on the superpower idea. Yi Yong doesn't come across as your usual hero, you'd think he'd be super unlikable - he's pretty much a punk. Doesn't care about school, doesn't really have a direction in life, gets in trouble a lot - but he's all heart underneath. He relates to people in a way you won't expect, even as he's dealing with his own grief. And by that way he's ridiculously like-able. Along with the rest of his crew. The mixture of comedy to balance out the heavy bits was a smart decision. However, I've never been a fan of how Asian dramas spilt up stories over multiple episodes, and the pacing was a little weird in palaces.
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3. A Good Day To Be a Dog
Korean Drama - 2023, 14 episodes
The airing schedule for this drama didn't do this drama any favors - especially with how draggy it got in later episodes. Which isn't to say that this wasn't enjoyable - because it was, the comedic bits helped - but at the same time quite dumb (especially the whole reasoning behind her family curse). Lee Hyun Woo stole the show - at times he was pretty terrifying. And Cha Eun Woo had some surprising moments, I'd kind of like to see him as a charming villain one day.
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4. Le mariage contracté par Park
Korean Drama - 2023, 12 episodes
I thought this might be a favorite, but alas. The plot kind got a bit lost in the end, didn't fully explain some of the more mystical elements, family dynamics and they definitely spent way too much time in the past in the last episode for a classic nonsense drama ending. The highlight was Lee Se Young, girl has a string of picking good characters. No matter where she was Park Yeon Woo knew who she was, and I may have enjoyed the culture shock of her trying to adjust to New Joseon and finding herself in this new world more then the other bits of the drama, and I was kind of disappointed they lost some of that. Bae In Hyuk is still a little rough around the edges, but not enough that it ruins the experience, and the secondary characters were a lot of fun.
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5. My Man Is Cupid
Korean Drama - 2023, 16 episodes
Boring. That's the only thing I can think of now that I've finished this. I don't necessary thing either of the actors are bad - but its hard to tell with this script (well, I know JDY isn't). The second lead was just annoying and problematic at times and the supporting characters didn't help and at. The plot could have been engaging but everyone knew who the killer was way before the reveal. Also, I pretty sure I've been reincarnationed out, lol. I do however, like that Baek Ryun was just herself, even if that self was just ridiculous at times.
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6. Retour à Samdal-ri
Korean Drama - 2023, 16 episodes
I thought I'd like this more then I did, I'm not sure where to point out what my problem was. Ji Chang Wook is still killing it, but there wasn't any doubt for me there, lol. Along with the actress playing the leads niece, as well. Maybe it was the writing, like sometimes hitting the right notes while also being off key. While the leads were meant to be these soulmates, sometimes the other characters stories were more interesting especially her sisters. There is a deep history with all the characters created but none is given enough time to really shine or relate to. Although the scandal created the drama that brought the lead back it could have been cut out to focus more on Samdal-ri's stories.
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7. My Demon
Korean Drama - 2023, 16 episodes
Another one that became a struggle to finish towards the end. I like Kim Yoo Jung and I thought the chemistry was great, and the relationship that Do Do Hee had with Chairwoman Joo, but the rest of it wasn't nearly as interesting. It got pretty cheesy at parts, and the it was like adding the suspense was afterthought.
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8. The Leaking Bookstore
Taiwanese Drama - 2022, 10 episodes
This is a lot darker then I thought it would be, since right off the bat you will be uncomfortable. Someone said this fit into the genre of thrillers of Western shows and I get that. The victims are all former cons of various sexual crimes and almost all the characters are suspicious and might have reasons to kill them. I generally didn't guess the ending, but at the same time there wasn't ever really going to be a happy ending here. It does have a bit of old school detective work but mixed into a dark realistic world. I don't think I'd be able to rewatch this again just based on the subject matter but it was a good one time watch.
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9. Ancestral
Korean Drama - 2024, 6 episodes
Definitely just one time watch, lol. Part of the reason the length worked because if it was longer it would have dragged out. However, I did like how they very slowly revealed who the killer was (that was a crazy twist), and combining it with elements of shamanism to build up some suspense. But man, was Yoon Seo Ha so frustrating and unlikeable. Girl made so many dumb decisions, the cops were way more interesting. I thought Ryu Kyung Soo did a great job, because despite mental heath, I could tell he wasn't the culprit. But yea, not the type of drama I'd rewatch.
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10. Gyeongseong Creature
Korean Drama - 2023, 10 episodes
This drama's main fault is with how messy it is. The writing was a bit all over the place, nothing is really explained, most characters aren't really fully fleshed out, which made it really hard to care about anyone . Such as Lady Maeda, who barely had a presence in the beginning of the story and then was suddenly the focus, but she just comes off as a bitter sad person rather then someone I should be scared of. All the Japanese military/police officials are basically one sided characters, with a few more monstrous then the other ones.
The romance between the leads was never really developed before it existed, and even though they are both pretty established actors I don't even feel like they were consistent with their acting. The whole concept of the Hospital and being trapped underground with a monster is interesting but as played out nothing made sense. Although, I will give it the creators the pain felt by the Joseon people during this time is clearly evident. -
11. Dame na Watashi ni Koishite Kudasai
Japanese Drama - 2016, 10 episodes
Okay maybe this isn't the best, but I really enjoyed it. First was just the lack of drama. The three women in the ML's life (the FL, his ex, and his widowed sister in law) have some reason to be bitter towards each other - but instead they are friends, and at times I was convinced his ex was was actively trying to push the FL towards him. In general there was so much space for nonsense drama here, but it never came, lol. The FL could be frustrating at times but she was really trying her best, so I don't think she's as useless as she thinks she is. Her only real problem was being lonely and a bit too nice for her own good. The ML is a bit of tsundere, that has some things to work through, but no one lends someone lots of money, live in his house for free, makes her food all the time, and runs across town if he thinks she's in danger if he doesn't care about her. They just had to get there first. I am a little sad they didn't develop anymore of the manga after that point since it was so chaotic and fun.
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12. Return Man
Thai Drama - 2023, 12 episodes
It's been ages since I've watched a Thai drama so I thought I'd watch something a bit different. This kind of reminds me of a Dean Devlin show like Leverage or The Librarians and maybe the kdrama Good Job. Like some one else said, just a easy watch, there is nothing super stressful or awardwining about it but somehow it's charming. Maybe it's the leads staring at each other like puppies.
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13. The Killer's Shopping Mall
Korean Drama - 2024, 8 episodes
I completely forgot about this when I finished it weeks ago. I guess that might say something? A one time watch. The action did keep me entertained. There is a bit of inconsistently with the writing, that isn't because the non linear storytelling. The acting was fine, Lee Dong Wook played his morally grey character well.
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14. A Killer Paradox
Korean Drama - 2024, 8 episodes
The strongest points of this drama were clearly the acting and editing, despite a few scenes that seemed completely out of place (sex doesn't always sell) but some of those transitions, like what. It did however shift it's focus in the later half making the lead a secondary character in his own origin story, which I'm not sure was the best decision. Although Choi Woo Shik and Son Suk Ku were on their A game, Lee Hee Joon stole the whole damn show.
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15. Mariage Impossible
Korean Drama - 2024, 12 episodes
This had a strong start but around the 9th episode I felt my excitement for it leaving party due to the inconsistency in the end. I hate me a carbon copy of anything, but they took out everything, which wasn't a bad thing, but there were some fun elements that would have been nice to see on screen. Some of the changes I did like was developing Ah Jung more assertive in her life verses the 'cinderella' she was in the webtoon. But Do Han was a missed opportunity. Besides his moment of bravery, they just made him a coward who was not capable of thinking outside himself. The sibling were stupid and completely unnecessary especially with the limited time run. However the leads were gold, they just fit together perfectly but the writer couldn't resist on bad cliches at the end.
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16. Goong
Korean Drama - 2006, 24 episodes
I wasn't mad at this at first. Sure it was dated, but still fairly entertaining but it just got so draggy towards the end and man, did the characters get on my nerves (well minus the FL surprisingly). The SML was just obessed and it felt like he thought he should 'own' the FL which was pretty gross especially since she told him she only thought of him as a friend. The SFL acted like she was damsel in distress, but was just being a melodramatic idiot (girl actually wanted to be Camilla, you know the one married to the King of England, because being hated is a smarter path than following your dreams). The ML was just emotional immature, he wanted the FL's love but was consistently chasing after his ex, shutting the FL down when she tries to talk to him about, and getting mad. I wasn't surprised she had no interest in leaning on him. It felt like it just went around in circles more than once. Sure there was a palace power play but I tuned that whole dumb plot line out. By the end I was just so exhausted by it.
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17. Koi wa Deep ni
Japanese Drama - 2021, 9 episodes
I feel like I should like this more, but there is just some thing about it that makes me go 'eh'. First I'm not sure if they should have played up the FL leads secret more or just left it more a mystery. Where they left it didn't feel right. Second the romance wasn't quite there. The strongest bit was differently the FL leads passion for the ocean. Okay for a one time watch but I don't think I'll be coming back to it.
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18. Flower Boy Ramen Shop
Korean Drama - 2011, 16 episodes
Is this the best thing written? Definitely not, Is it dumb fun that you can quickly get lost in? Yes. I flew through these episodes. Cha Chi Soo is one of the most ridiculous drama characters, but in a way he's still charming. And it's not completely his fault, his dad kind of sucks. Unfortunately some of the other characters besides the leads are pretty forgettable, there was plenty more room for even more silly comedy, and I'm not sure that twist was necessary.
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19. W - Two Worlds Apart
Korean Drama - 2016, 16 episodes
There was no logic to this, and at a certain point I just gave up trying to understand what was going on. Also the 'romance' made zero sense, and Han Hyo Joo's acting just wasn't it.
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20. Nightly Photo Studio
Korean Drama - 2024, 16 episodes
A drama that started out stronger then it ended, especially since they shifted the format from focusing on the story of the week (which were pretty strong on the emotional impact), to just being about the lead characters which wasn't really it's strong point. They did have a lot of potentional with the shows world building but it didn't really go anywhere. It probably could have been a few episodes shorter, and the last episode was pretty useless. Eum Moon Suk stood out a bit more than the leads and his character had a more emotional punch. I actually liked how the leads had a casual kind of relationship that didn't need to be over the top, and as much as I enjoyed the second couples antics, they are kind of star crossed lovers, soul mates that were clearly destined for each other but , there is literally no way this relationship is going to work for very obvious reasons, lol. Unfortunately I'll probably forget about this one in time.
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21. Beautiful Gong Shim
Korean Drama - 2016, 20 episodes
While this wasn't bad, it wasn't also good. First it was too long. I'm glad drama writers finally realize they don't need to be this long anymore, especially when they don't have the plot to drive it there. I also found Namkoong Min's character charming at first but later on the gimmick wore off. Everything was pretty obvious from the beginning so nothing was a surprise, and the one villain was so bad it was laughable. I'm not sure why the sister was listed as a main character since she hardly had a prescence except to blame Gong Shim for everything that went wrong in her life. And I'm not sure why Ahn Dan Tae's dad didn't get any flak for what he did, because it was pretty much a crime. I did enjoy how cute the leads where together, and that bond they formed, the puppy second lead, and a female lead who was for the most part just a normal person trying to find her place.
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22. Lovely Runner
Korean Drama - 2024, 16 episodes
It pains me to rate this lower when it will forever hold a small piece in my heart, but it was imperfect. Obviously one of the largest flaws was the 'serial killer' plot line. It was rather sloppy, since they never explained who he was or why he was doing anything. He remained this one dimension character to the very end, who's only purpose was to push the 'main' plot forward, which I get, but it could have been better. Some other problems were with the repetitive direction the drama took in later episodes, and Tae Sung (scene stealer) and In Hyuk who were utterly underused, and should have had their own stories outside of the their relationships to the leads. However the drama knew it's sweet spots: number 1 loser Seon Jae (who has became a standard no man could ever live up to), it's comedic bits, and the fluffy moments between the leads that I will and have already rewatched multiple times, lol.
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23. Frankly Speaking
Korean Drama - 2024, 12 episodes
This was all over the place - but I won't completely write it off. The writer clearly didn't know what they were trying to do here. It started off a comedy (but I guess they forgot about that) , then was a dating show, then they were focused on the leads and their trauma towards the end. However, the lead characters were pretty fleshed out. Go Kyung Pyo definitely shined here. He really has a knack for paying MLs who aren't your typically MLs but it's easy to see why the FL would love him. Ki Baek really seems like a actual person, with all his fears, awkwardness, and embarrassment. While the Jung Heon had his moments were we all wanted him to go away, the show really did deal with the negative sides of fame, with him struggling anxiety and burnout. Woo Joo also had her scars, and I really enjoyed her story with her mom. Overall the leads had great chemistry together, and made a great time so it's pretty easy to fall the two of them together. Also they weren't really consistent with the reason for the story - the ML's condition.
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24. High School King of Savvy
Korean Drama - 2014, 17 episodes
This was pretty much what I thought it would be, which wasn't great, lol. The FL was kind of odd and not super likeable, it had a bunch of annoying characters. I guess it was watchable, but I don't think I'd ever really think about it again. At least the teenagers acted like teenagers I guess, lol.
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25. Dreaming of Freaking Fairytale
Korean Drama - 2024, 10 episodes
I can see where this was trying to go, and it more or less was okay. It could have used a bit more polishing because sometimes the comedy just didn't hit right, but I did enjoy the narrator bits. The overall message was pretty strong, and I liked the leads together.
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26. Traitez-moi avec Négligence
Korean Drama - 2024, 16 episodes
Honestly, I was just so bored by the end of it. It was too long (this could have been condense into 10 or 12 episodes), I wasn't invested in any of the storylines. The leads could be cute (along with the secondary characters), but then the writers must have forgot about the romance part of it. They tried to spice the last episode up a bit but by the end of it I just didn't care anymore. There were a few times when I did like some of the writing but yeah, this was boring, and I had to force myself to watch the last few episodes.
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27. Birth of a Beauty
Korean Drama - 2014, 21 episodes
This was so bad it was interesting... I guess? Although I doubt it's interesting enough to watch again, especially since I had to skip through bits of it to finish it. There was no reason for this to be so long. Everyone was dumb and one sided awful, especially the second leads. You've got a brazen mistress with a awful comeback game (girl has got to stop causing fights she can't win), who laughs manically like she doesn't know that all her stupid plans will not end in her favor. It doesn't help that Wang Ji Hye makes the same stupid face for every emotion. A SL who is well, just trash, has no conscience and will quite literally do anything for his greed, propped up by his equally awful family , who aren't only terrible but useless. Well, to be fair his father isn't that bad, but for all his community work his first reaction is to beg others to cover up for his family. There are a few other awful people thrown in, like a power hungry legitimate brat, and his pet murdering mom. The only highlights are the leads who despite being very goofy, fit each other well, but like someone said in the comments, "the main leads have cute chemistry and funny scenes, but throwing these two dummies in a revenge plot was ridiculous."
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28. Mr. Queen
Korean Drama - 2020, 20 episodes
I feel like I'm missing something. While I did enjoy it, it really feels like a one time kind of watch.
The humor, Shin Hye Sun, and production values really did shine here, and a lot of the secondary characters were a bunch of fun, but outside of that, it was all just meh, and a little vague.
I kind of hate power plays, and literally that's all this is. But not in a good way. It's all like, "HOW DARE YOU BETRAY OUR CLAN." "YOU GUYS TRIED TO KILL ME!" "STILL.. HOW DARE YOU." I would have yeeted myself away from them as well, especially since they were all so stupid. The second male lead had some serious issues, that was hard to make me care about him at all, like he just existed to be obsessive with the female lead, and then would lose all sense of reality, I got so tired of seeing his face, that I kind of wished someone would have killed him, lol.
And of course the elephant in the room, it's refusal to clarify who loved who. Was he in love with the king or was it just her "influence"? In the end I guess they decided it didn't matter, but it was still annoying.
But yeah, humor good, everything else, eh. -
29. Oh! My Lady
Korean Drama - 2010, 16 episodes
Definitely a bit dated for sure, but I actually watched this fairly quickly and it was a bit addictive. It probably didn't need to be as long, and I get that the female lead is a ajumma in Korean society but she was only 35! There is no reason to make her seem so frumpy, and that haircut wasn't it. I don't really think this was Choi Si Won's best role, but his characters growth is really at the center of the drama. While I don't think he was quite there yet but he was getting there, which is more realistic then anything. I really didn't see the point of some characters and other were pretty one dimensional bad person. Bonus, one very cute smol kid.
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30. My Sweet Mobster
Korean Drama - 2024, 16 episodes
The Good: Uhm Tae Goo as Seo Ji Hwan, a awkward reformed gangster who has dedicated himself to helping former criminals by getting them work when no one else would. It's quite easy to see why this man has respect of his employees, who also double as family. He's also a bigger loser than Ryu Seon Jae. He's got the raspy mobster voice and the being the sweetest guy voice. Him and Eun Ha were the cutestest kdrama couple, the cringest at times too, lol. While I didn't hate some of the more melodrama moments later on, the comedy was definitely it's stronger point.
On the Negative Side: The SML wasn't it. The fact he was so annoying, slightly too obsessed with Eun Ha and so self righteous, was made all the worse since he had no personality. There was some character growth here, but it wasn't enough. They could have cut his time and featured more of the Thirsty Deer crew. We got glimpses into their past, but never a full story. Or even more the second couple. -
31. Miss Night and Day
Korean Drama - 2024, 16 episodes
(I finished this like weeks ago, but haven't felt bothered to write a review).
This wasn't meant to be Lee Jung's drama but it was. She unfortunately outshined the lead. It started strong, but failed to live up towards the end. The crime aspect of the drama, which took up most of the time just wan't that interesting towards the end, and the female leads timidness and refusal to come to clean to the guy she liked got really tiring. I understand that Choi Jin Hyuk was never meant to the the star here but they could have done more with his character. This unfortunately a drama that I will forget about in time.
However, I did really like the OST. -
32. Gu Family Book
Korean Drama - 2013, 24 episodes
Besides the absolutely vile Jo Gwan Woon gand Lee Seung Gi's 1000 watt smile, there isn't much here. I almost feel like that the "potential" second season tease at the end of the series would have made a better series with this show as flashbacks. I didn't get the romance here at all, and the ML's so called "family" were all just annoying. That and it was just too long and the wig was just terrible, and I know some of these actors can do better.
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33. No Gain, No Love
Korean Drama - 2024, 12 episodes
This drama had a much stronger beginning then end ( which was very obviously rushed). The comedic bits were definitely the highlight. And the lead ladies were probably my favorite. Hae Yeong who sure, was cold and calculating at times but she really had a huge heart. She was willing to lose her job to keep a child safe, constantly worried about fake husband, and would go to the ends of the earth for her foster sisters, despite the fact that her mom chose them over her. Ja Yeon was also a really interesting character with a pretty traumatic background who still tries to live fully despite it. Her dynamic with the SML was probably more interesting then the FL and ML, who wasn't nearly as fleshed out has he could be. There were other plot lines that weren't really devolved very well, like the relationship of the third sister and her boyfriend, and the FL's ex, which just gets dropped at some point. And of course, the rushed ending.
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34. Pimentez Notre Amour
Korean Drama - 2024, 2 episodes
This quite wasn't what I thought it would be. I almost wished they just adapted the webnovel since the first seventeen minutes really had me hooked. They really nailed the intensity. Unfortunately the character difference between the 'original' Ha Jun and the second Ha Jun was pretty evident. They didn't even feel at all like the same character. (Unless it was on purpose but they didn't really clarify it). Also I feel like it lost itself in the second episode. But for what it was (which honestly was more of a special), it worked a lot better than the original drama.
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35. Love Next Door
Korean Drama - 2024, 16 episodes
While I didn't relate to this on a personal level as some people in the feed/comments, it was still one of the stronger dramas of the years. While it wasn't quite the romcom I though it would be, but that just gave the drama a little extra, especially the male leads parents relationship. Jung So Min was clearly in her element but out shined her costar. I also enjoyed mature relationships with the ex's over the nonsense drama most dramas bring in. However, Jung Hae In's acting wasn't as strong, and as much as I loved the secondary leads, their story wasn't as strong.
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36. Happy Stigmatized House App
Taiwanese Drama - 2024, 14 episodes
Kind of a quick mostly fun watch, however some of the elements were not as well balanced. Sometimes it wasn't as spooky as it could have been, and the female lead made some questionable decisions. But the male lead while at first seems kind like a meh messy kind of guy, but he was a fluffy puppy.
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37. Witch's Court
Korean Drama - 2017, 16 episodes