2024
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1. Meet Yourself
Chinese Drama - 2023, 40 episodes
A well done feel good show. All the characters were interesting and the plot didn't feel like it dragged on for too long. Loved it.
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2. Le Jeu de la Mort Partie 2
Korean Drama - 2024, 4 episodes
Really liked it but some parts were a bit too much or ridiculous. Loved some of the reincarnations and hated others.
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3. My Demon
Korean Drama - 2023, 16 episodes
Started very strong, but by the end I had to fast forward to finish it. Overall liked it but from episode 10, it really was a struggle to finish. Still love Song Kang tho.
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4. Bad Mother
Korean Drama - 2023, 14 episodes
Really liked it. Dragged a bit in the end but definitely worth the watch.
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5. Seen from a Distance, Green Spring
Korean Drama - 2021, 12 episodes
Spent years finishing it sadly. Loved it in the beginning but the last 2 episodes I spent a lot of time finishing. But definitely a show worth watching.
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6. Seishun Cinderella
Japanese Drama - 2022, 10 episodes
Cute, but nothing more than "it's fine".
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7. A Good Day To Be a Dog
Korean Drama - 2023, 14 episodes
Started interesting and then it just dragged on. Meh.
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8. Retour à Samdal-ri
Korean Drama - 2023, 16 episodes
Overall really liked it. Loved most of the characters and hated some. Over the top amount of alcohol drinking which became quite annoying.
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9. One Piece
Japanese Drama - 2023, 8 episodes
Solid adaption.
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10. The Killer's Shopping Mall
Korean Drama - 2024, 8 episodes
Masterpiece.
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11. Mariage Impossible
Korean Drama - 2024, 12 episodes
Loved it. Connected to the characters and they all felt real and interesting. Predicted the ending but was satisfied with the execution.
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12. Move to Heaven
Korean Drama - 2021, 10 episodes
Moving story. Not the biggest fan of the uncle backstory, since I loved the stories behind the cleanup cases.
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13. Doctor Slump
Korean Drama - 2024, 16 episodes
Started strong but became meh. Over the top drinking for doctors taking meds...
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14. Connect
Korean Drama - 2022, 6 episodes
Felt unfinished but overall liked it.
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15. The 8 Show
Korean Drama - 2024, 8 episodes
Loved it but holy shit, this show is messed up. Love the social commentary. Made to make you think.
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16. La Reine des Larmes
Korean Drama - 2024, 16 episodes
Started a bit meh, became good for quite a few episodes before back to meh. So I guess I would say "it was fine". Too much over the top for me.
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17. Will Love in Spring
Chinese Drama - 2024, 21 episodes
Overall loved it. Some parts felt dragged out but definitely worth the watch. Quite an interesting premise and execution.
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18. One Thousand Dollar Lawyer
Korean Drama - 2022, 12 episodes
LOVED IT. The humor was great (as someone very picky with humor). Should have been longer.
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19. Lovely Runner
Korean Drama - 2024, 16 episodes
Overall liked it. Not my cup of tea, but it was quite entertaining in parts.
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20. Sous le Feu
Korean Drama - 2024, 6 episodes
Meh, it was ok. Very low budget.
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21. Goodbye Earth
Korean Drama - 2024, 12 episodes
Loved it. Reflective and thought-provoking.
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22. SKY Castle
Korean Drama - 2018, 20 episodes
Spent over 5 years finishing it. Overall liked it but a bit too much for me. Liked the social commentary tho.
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23. Hierarchy
Korean Drama - 2024, 7 episodes
Missed potential. Too short that the characters felt shallow. Only at the end did I even like some of them and also their actions started to make sense sort of. Should have been longer with a bigger focus on fleshing out the characters to make us, the viewers, care for them. Meh
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24. Although I Am Not a Hero
Korean Drama - 2024, 12 episodes
ML of this show is in my top of "characters I genuinely dislike so f* much". I hated the grandma, the ML and tolerated the sister. Any plot with any of the other characters were great. But scenes especially with the ML was so bad I contemplated dropping the show multiple times. The only good scenes with the ML was with his daughter and that was barely any scenes.
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25. Eulachacha Waikiki
Korean Drama - 2018, 20 episodes
Took me over 6 years to finish it. A very good feel-good comedy show. As a chronic second hand embarrassment sufferer, it was at times too much and I skipped through a lot of scenes. But otherwise a solid show.
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26. Celebrity
Korean Drama - 2023, 12 episodes
Surprised over how much I loved it. The only major critic I have is the main actress. I felt she didn't have the charisma to fully pull of the character. Playing someone who seemed to be chic and effortlessly cool, while looking stiff as a stick just seemed wrong. But the plot itself and the rest of the cast did such a good job. Just wished they picked someone with more charisma (and would have been given a better haircut bc what was that hair).
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27. Blind
Korean Drama - 2022, 16 episodes
Overall liked it. My biggest gripe about this show was how the victim's got more punished than the perpetrators. The writer did do a good job with the whole ethical debate with "is there any crimes that could excuse another crime?". The answer in the show was evidently no, but at the same time there was barely shown any reprecussions to the first perpetrators. Realistic as hell, but for a fictional show one could only hope for something different.
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28. Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha
Korean Drama - 2021, 16 episodes
Took me almost 3 years to finish. The first half was very good, but the second half was meh. The momentum got lost and I found most of the episodes quite boring. But, overall I liked it.
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29. It’s Okay to Not Be Okay
Korean Drama - 2020, 16 episodes
Loved most of the show, but all the plot with the mom being not dead I HATED. I genuinely stopped watching for years bc of it. So overall it gets put in the "really liked it" category bc the whole mom thing was so unnecessary ugh
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30. Marry My Husband
Korean Drama - 2024, 16 episodes
Liked it kinda in the beginning, but disliked the FL and ML (they were boring). The best part of the show was the cheating dude and the best friend, and when the show added Yura it became unwatchable.
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31. I, a Gangster, Became a High Schooler
Korean Drama - 2024, 8 episodes
Overall I really liked the show. But at the same time I felt a bit conflicted. On one hand I found it so very enjoyable and interesting, but at the same time I did not really like the ending while also kind of liking it. The decision to remove the BL part was a weird one, since the show has such a heavy gay undertone, why remove it? The mains did a phenomenal job anyways.
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32. Pyramid Game
Korean Drama - 2024, 10 episodes
Overall I really liked it. Some parts I really loved but other parts I found ridiculous or boring. Took me quite a long time before I finished it, even tho it was only 10 ep long, bc I found the pacing a bit off. Really loved how the main character was morally ambigious, and the social commentary of hierarchy and how adults behave affects children. Solid show.
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33. L'école de la vengeance
Korean Drama - 2022, 12 episodes
I liked it but the ending was meh. The whole plot in the end with multiple personality disorder or something, and step sibling love I absolutely HATED. Didn't add anything to the story. The main characters had so much potential but in the end kind of felt flat.
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34. Tracer
Korean Drama - 2022, 8 episodes
Really liked it. Loved Im Siwan's character so much. The plot was interesting but at times I lost the thread. But overall very good and can't wait to continue with s2.
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35. Connection
Korean Drama - 2024, 14 episodes
I'm conflicted about it. Some parts I really loved and others I really disliked. Felt some of the plot was never really completly finished/explained (ex. the other cops backstory). Most of the show was very predictable but enjoyable. So overall I liked it.
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36. Reply 1988
Korean Drama - 2015, 20 episodes
Rewatch #9 (July)
Best show ever.
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37. The Light in Your Eyes
Korean Drama - 2019, 12 episodes
In the beginning I really liked it, but then I got an inkling of how the show could end and hoped I was mistaken (I was sadly right). From ep 7 I watched with 2x speed just to finish to see if my prediction was correct. Did not like the ending at all, even if I kinda liked the first half of the show.
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38. Flower of Evil
Korean Drama - 2020, 16 episodes
Spent almost 4 years on finishing it. Some parts of this show I absolutely love, and other parts I hate. The good parts are the ML, the kid and the main villain (even though the whole medical part was bs). I absolutely hated the FL lead and her police colleagues (except that one noob dude who was like a overgrown puppy) and the reporter. The show felt too dragged out and could have been finished with 12 to 14 episodes instead of 16. But overall I guess I liked it. The ML and villain really were the stars of this show.
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39. Si bien chez soi 3
Korean Drama - 2024, 8 episodes
Overall I really liked it, mostly bc I really like the world created in sweet home. Liked S3 a tiny bit less than s1 and s2, since the ending felt rushed and didn't really make fully sense. But I enjoyed most of it.
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40. To.Jenny
Korean Special - 2018, 2 episodes
Meh. Was curious since the cover of tiramisu cake went viral. A nice short drama special. Nice to pass time with but nothing much.
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41. My Sweet Mobster
Korean Drama - 2024, 16 episodes
"It was fine ig".
I felt annoyed a lot of the times when watching. Disliked the main couple and SML quite often. The side characters were the most interesting part of the show for me. But it's light entertainment so I understand why so many loved it. The show is not really for me but I enjoyed quite a few parts of it. -
42. Miss Night and Day
Korean Drama - 2024, 16 episodes
"It was fine ig".
Watched this show at the same time as my sweet mobster and had the same feeling towards the show. Enjoyed miss night and day a bit more but the ML was so annoying I originally dropped the show. Loved Eunji, her BFF and the idol dude tho.
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43. Tarot
Korean Drama - 2024, 7 episodes
Overall I liked it. It was very weird but I liked all the symbolism. Was a bit disappointed that there wasn't one full story but instead 7 shortfilms. Personally liked the story with the kids and moms the most. And disliked the lying dude going home. The delivery guy ep was just f*ed up.
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44. Devoir périscolaire
Korean Drama - 2023, 6 episodes
I liked it but man did I find most of the characters annoying. Took me a long time to continue watching after ep1 and at times it felt so slow and boring. Second half was much better than the first half.
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45. Duty After School: Part 2
Korean Drama - 2023, 4 episodes
Controversial opinion, I found part 2 to be more entertaining than part 1. The characters were still somewhat annoying but most of them have had character development that were interesting to see. I predicted the ending quite early but was still shocked over the scene. I overall liked the message about adults giving teenagers "adult work" and then do nothing to actually deal with the problems and trauma they've given the kids. If I can talk ages about the characters and their choices, I usually really like the show.
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46. Est-ce le destin ?
Korean Drama - 2024, 8 episodes
I liked it. Can be summarised to be cute, sweet and a tad bit boring. Enjoyable short watch.
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47. The Frog
Korean Drama - 2024, 8 episodes
I really liked it.
The beginning is slow but the payout is good. At some parts I felt it got a tad boring but overall it didn't hurt the story. The show itself felt like movie they kept adding to the story and suddenly they had 8 episodes. It does not mean it's badly written, but rather the opposite. The story itself is so good. But the truly shining character in this show is the sound design. From the scores, to music to the usage of silence was perfection and it made the show.
But yeah heavy on the movie vibes. Kinda similar vibes to strangers from hell but also wildly different. -
48. XX
Korean Drama - 2020, 10 episodes
A typical playlist drama. It was Ok. Liked one of the side character more than the main leads. In comparison with the other playlist shows it comes quite short. It felt more dull and slow. I get the whole former best friends who kind of learn to forgive and find each other as friends again (while giving all cheaters a big FU). But I just hated that part of the plotline. The romance overall was cute but also fell short in comparison with the other shows. It was sadly quite mid.
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49. Renai Battle Royale
Japanese Drama - 2024, 8 episodes
"It's fine ig".
I was intrigued by the synposis and the fact it was loosely based on a true story. I'm not sure how to explain it but the show just really disapointed me. It didn't really go anywhere and the storytelling could maybe have worked in an anime or something but felt short in a live action show. Also the pregnancy thing at the end was bleh. -
50. Romance in the House
Korean Drama - 2024, 12 episodes
Eh.
Was intrigued since I knew MinHo was in the casting list. Found most of the show boring, especially the scenes with the parents. The father annoyed me so much and he didn't really get much better at the end. Both the FL was meh. The only good part was the neighbours. Liked the relationship between Minho's and Naeun's characters. I strongly disliked the mom jfc. -
51. A Killer Paradox
Korean Drama - 2024, 8 episodes
I really liked it but I started watching in february but didn't finish it until september. That usually is a sign that I didn't really love it.
The show overall was very facinating. Overall I really liked the moral/etichal themes in the whole "if you kill someone but it turns out they were despicable, does it make it ok?".
I really liked the cinematography and I could see some similarities with Strangers from Hell, which both have the same director. But in contrast with strangers from hell, this show I felt had weaker writing. Parts felt rushed and unexplained. It's still an enjoyable show, but just not the best out there. -
52. Perfect Family
Korean Drama - 2024, 12 episodes
Contender for worst show of the year (that I've finished watching).
The show was so weirdly written. Like so many parts made no sense. It had heavy makjang elements, like birthsecrets, random murder and questionable morality. And it seemed like they tried to make it less makjang in the end by making it have a more happy ending, but it's just did not work.This show is an example of the plot moving the characters along and not the characters moving the plot. Rarely seen such one-dimensional characters. And even the ones who had a bit more meat on their backstory, their actions barely made sense. It was so ridiculous.
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53. Cinderella at 2 AM
Korean Drama - 2024, 10 episodes
Eh. It was fine ig.
The FL gave me nothing and the ML was too possessive/clingy/childish for me. Nothing really happened in this show. But the side characters were entertaining.
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54. The Tyrant
Korean Drama - 2024, 4 episodes
This is a spin-off from the movies the witch (part 1 and 2). And I've seen neither. That may be the reason I didn't really understand what happened most of the time. But the acting itself and the story by the end was good, and I overall liked it. Felt similiar to Connection with the show ending when it finally became Good.
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55. No Gain, No Love
Korean Drama - 2024, 12 episodes
I overall liked it. But I'm also quite mixed on this show. Parts I absolutely loved, especially Shin Min Ah's character. But most of the rest was meh. Especially a lot of the ending and how they ended up solving the issues felt hollow and shallow. Like you have a complex character that barely have had parental love, since their love went to foster kids, and she seems a bit mean but is under all very lovely. And they just brushed past her past. Like we knew, but nothing really happened.
I can't even get my words to make sense. But to shorten it, show had so much more potential than what was executed. The comedy was a bit over the top most of the time and with humour that's not really my cup of the most of the time.
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56. Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People
Korean Drama - 2017, 30 episodes
Started watching this in 2017 when it still aired and didn't finish it until this year (2024). That's not really a good sign. The show ended up dragging on by the end, which is why it took me 7 years to watch the last 5 or 6 episodes.
The show is quite good for an historical drama, and if someone likes those type of shows I would recommend it. But sadly historical shows are not my cup of tea. And the ML fell short a few times. Saw that Min Namkoong was offered the role at one point and man, this show would've been epic if he was the ML.
The best thing about this show is the original score and songs. Probably the best korean OST till this day. No skips.
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57. Entre nouilles et démons 2
Korean Drama - 2023, 12 episodes
MEH.
What a disappointment in comparison to S1. A lot of the rules and story building established in S1 was completely ignored. The introduction to the new character who just felt like a comic relief was unnecessary. The dude's whole schtick was "demons smell like poop", and it was juststupid. The comedy overall this season was just bad.
The focus on the counter family and Mun's own family (his grandparents and friends) went completely in the background for the new villain's relationship to Mun (*insert disgusted face*). Like the story is the chosen one basically, but c'mon don't ignore the good stuff from S1.
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58. Pimentez Notre Amour
Korean Drama - 2024, 2 episodes
What a fever dream. Tbh I contemplated not watching bc I was sure I wasn't going to love it, and I was correct. It was "fine" but holy s* I cringed 95% of the time.
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59. Love Next Door
Korean Drama - 2024, 16 episodes
Really liked it. I loved the first part, but when the ex got into the picture I started to find parts meh. Some of the characters just went from awful to suddenly having a braincell, so that was a bit weird. And the ML was quite childish. But the chemistry and the characters overall, were so charming that you could overlook most things. But the PPLs were a tad bit too much in this show.
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60. Snow White Must Die
Korean Drama - 2024, 14 episodes
Loved it. Contemplated getting the novel just to know what would happen next (and if my predicitons were correct or not). Such a good thriller.
A really good showcase of how ugly envy and jealousy could be, and how obsession can lead to misfortune. Overall such a solid show. My only (small) gripe, was that the ML was at times a bit too nice and almost naive. Like someone had to have killed the girls and it seemed he didn't even think the thought that any of his friends or their family could be involved. But I would say the ones who complained that he seemed blank, wtf are you talking about? The actor portraid so well how broken of a human Jeongwoo was after being in jail for over a decade for a crime he didn't even do. And constantly for that decade being called a monster.
So yeah, a solid af show.
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61. No Way Out: The Roulette
Korean Drama - 2024, 8 episodes
Perfect example of interesting premise, but lackluster execution. The show started interesting but halfway through got kinda boring, then just f* ridiculous. How can a relatively old dude, who has been to prison for 13 years and since then mainly just been drinking, be able to survive stabbing to the kidney, intestines AND heart, a car crash, walking around with multiple wounds still bleeding and not eating and drinking for days, and still be alive??
The main character who's a cop is the most infuriating character I've come across. Everything he touched got messed up and he was directly responisble for another lady cop's death but ofc with none actual consequences.
The focus on whatever fuckup the cop had done most of the time took the enjoyment out, together with the basically immortality of the criminal. Again such a interesting premise but what the F* was that execution. The main villain (the mask dude) was the most interesting part of this show ngl. Mr.smile plot was just random and a bit cartoonish.
I'm still giving it 6.5 and not 4 based on how much I did enjoy the first 2-3 episodes and most of the last episode. Except the epilogue. I'm deleting that one from my brain.
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62. Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo
Korean Drama - 2016, 20 episodes
Meh. Historicals shows are really not for me.
Started watching this one in 2017 and finished first this year. Can really not describe it more than "Meh".
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63. Our Beloved Summer
Korean Drama - 2021, 16 episodes
Originally watched it around airing time, but fell asleep during one of the episodes and thereby lost track of progress. Wanted to finish it so took my time to find where I was.
Overall I really liked it. The characters and their romance was interesting and sweet to watch. A unique portrayal of rom-coms with all the documentary aspects. Liked the SML character but the plot with his mom made me iffy.
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64. Love in the Big City
Korean Drama - 2024, 8 episodes
Probably this year big surprise for me. Ended up as one of my favourite shows I've watched.
Originally I did not expect much, since people have a tendency to hype up any shows with any queer aspects. One of the big reasons I don't really like watching BLs is because I find the characters often shallow. Ofc this does not mean every BL is like that, but the ones I've seen have kinda gone in that direction.
Love in the big city surprised me bc it just seemed like a drama with queer people. Yes, their queer experience was a big part of the show but so was just life. Life was the big factor in the show and how it affected someone who's gay in a society where it is not the most acceptable to be different. I also loved how the director and screenwriter assumed their audience was not stupid. You did not to be spoon-fed information. If you watched the scenes, especially the non-verbal ones, you'll see so much of the storytelling there.
I'm not a gay man, but I still managed to both relate so much to Go Yeong's story. Not necessarily in what happened in aspects of romantic relationships, but in how it was to live life. How loneliness and depression affects one and their close ones. The main character feels so complex and real by not being a perfect being. He goes from being a f**kboy to in the end realise what love is and how his action ended up hurting his loved ones. He needed to live for himself.
The show felt kinda like a very long indie movie. A very good one.
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65. Run On
Korean Drama - 2020, 16 episodes
I really like this show and technically should have a rating more closer to 9, but I spent a few years on it. I originally lost where I was and didn't feel like rewatching to find where I was before now.
This show is such a healing kinda show. And I'll always love Yim Siwan.
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66. Gyeongseong Creature
Korean Drama - 2023, 10 episodes
It's technically a meh (aka 5/10) BUT the worldbuilding, sets and costume bumps it up 1.
The story itself isn't bad but I've rarely disliked both main characters this much. Every time Han Seo Hee and Park Seo Joon was on screen I was super annoyed. Their chemistry was non-existent and the whole romance plot ruined everything. It was completely unnecessary.
The stars of this show was the villains and the costumes.
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67. What Comes After Love
Korean Drama - 2024, 6 episodes
A surprisingly enjoyable Melodrama. A bit confusing with all the japanese, especially since I use kdrama a lot for korean learning, but alas the show itself is really well done.
Lee Seyoung and Sakaguchi Kentaro did such a phenomenal job. I was convinced by their love story and their struggles. Made me wish to check out the novel this drama is based on.
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68. Fragile
Korean Drama - 2024, 8 episodes
First SKAM remake I've ever finished so that's a plus.
The show itself isn't the best. The actors and actresses are all basically newbies, which felt kinda obvious. The acting wasn't really that good, but some parts were okay :)
The plot followed SKAM pretty heavily as expected, with a few exceptions. And I must say all the people hating on the show for "removing the gay plot" while the show hasn't f*cking ended was just ridiculous. It's also a low production show so they are more likely to get away with less conservative plotpoints. So as I predicted the show had the gay parts but removed the underage drug usages and partygoing, and only one scene of underage drinking which is a lot less than the original.
Overall I liked the show, but it had a lot of potential for improvements.
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69. The Judge from Hell
Korean Drama - 2024, 14 episodes
I surprisingly really liked this show.
Originally I watched the teaser and trailers, and I was not convinced of the plot. I just scrunched my face and moved on. I then came over a scene from one of the first episodes and it intrigued me, so I started watching. I went in with zero expectations which helped a lot.
There were definitely parts were I was bored but overall I really enjoyed it. The best parts were the ones that were more psychological. Like Park Shin Hye's character punishing the perpetrators by letting their awful actions be done against themselves. The satan plot made my raise my eyebrows a bit but I've seen worse.
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70. Mr. Plankton
Korean Drama - 2024, 10 episodes
From the synopsis the show was not what I thought it was going to be. That itself isn't a bad thing though.
The show did such a good job to showcase how much you can be broken by family. And how your childhood have an effect on you as an adult (and the issues you may have). Truly showcasing "What is a family? And what's the meaning of a family?".
Woo Do Hwan's character was such a refreshing character. He was neither a typical "good" person and neither a complete asshole (though some could disagree here). He was a surprisingly complex character and the same could be said by a lot of the characters. Definetly WDH's best perfomance as an actor though.
So overall this show made me cackle laugh and cry the next scene. So much acting is just from the actors' and actresses' eyes. Many of the most emotional scenes came from no dialogoues. The music and sound design also helped a lot.
Also "Mr. Plankton" more like Mr. Daddy-issues. -
71. Hellbound
Korean Drama - 2021, 6 episodes
If I'm going to be honest, any shows that truly dips their toes into morality and ethics are usually shows I end up liking no matter what.
Hellbound is definitely an interesting watch. The show seemed kind of split with the first 3 episodes focused more of the unknown events and the beginning of religious fanaticism, while the last 3 focuses more on the power aspects when said "religion" end up basically in charge.
I did find the religion and cults aspects very interesting, but I always wished they would've dwelled more into it. Explored it more. When I realized the show was more about the dangerous power of cults and religious fanaticism then I stopped caring about the "Why are people getting murdered by those creatures?" aspects of the show. But I can see why a lot of people are annoyed by the lack of answers.
The rise in fanaticism and how people would use their belief to justify their actions are very topical and relevant situations even today. I'm interested to see how S2, especially with Kim Sung Cheol as Jin Su instead of Yoo Ah In, would continue the whole worldbuilding they started in S1.
Overall I really liked it, but there's a lot of room for improvement. Not surprisingly with each season being just 6 episodes.
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72. Doubt
Korean Drama - 2024, 10 episodes
I overall liked it. The best episodes were episode 9 and 10, which is not necessarily a bad thing but when it's a 10 episode drama and you only truly start liking it by the end then something was done wrong.
I love Han Seok Kyu and he did a phenomenal job together with Chae Won Bin, but I personally felt something was lacking in the script. HSK was supposed to be a genius profiler and most of the time we didn't really see any of that. We saw him actually screw up and make mistakes, and at times come with statements that supported his "geniusness". Like he was convinced the villain was another person long before anyone else, but we didn't really see HOW he reached that conclusion before later when he tried to half-arsed convince the rest of the police. We mostly just saw him standing emotionally around and do stupid choices.
Part of my problem with this show is that I had a certain expectation based on the synopsis I'd read beforehand, which makes me at fault. I genuinely thought this would be a show where the father and daughter had a good relationship beforehand and then throughout he would catch clues that she may be a killer. And not barely any relationship at all... But I did like that the daughter basically had an antisocial disorder but she wasn't a crazed killer. A nice and fresh take.
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73. A Virtuous Business
Korean Drama - 2024, 12 episodes
Started so f* solid. The emotional investment and the feminist message was so strong. When I watched the first half I genuinely thought this show could be a contender for drama of the year. And then second half happened. Damn I got disappointed.
First of, the whole plot with Oh Geum Hui being the mother to Kim Do Hyeon made me give the show a major side-eye. I hated that plot. I would've loved it if she was his aunt or something. Why can't a female character just not want kids? And not just saying it bc you're traumatized af? It made me kinda dislike every scene those characters were in at the end. And the ending felt super rushed. None of our questions got really answered. Like what happened with the ex-bff who got pregnant with FML's ex husband? What happened with the kids? What did they do the last 4 years except that they opened up a store that day?
Everything else with this show is mostly just *chef's kiss* so I did love it. The friendship and kids are the stars of the show. Kim Sun Yeong bringing the same energy as she did in reply 1988 so those friendship felt kinda similar, which was nice. Also the feminist message did last throughout the drama.
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74. Hellbound Season 2
Korean Drama - 2024, 6 episodes
Overall I liked it, but I did like it less than S1.
One of the big differences is that the character Jung Jinsu is played by different actors in S1 and S2. I like both actors but they both did portray the character quite differently. In S1 Yoo Ah In's portrayal gave me the kind of "pastor" or "leader" charismatic type of character. You wanted to hear what he said and it was logical that he ended up establishing a cult. Kim Sung Cheol in S2 on the other hand had a more sinister and way more manipulative take on the character, which felt kind of odd. I personally like characters portrayed like KSC's more but in relation to the whole show YAI's portrayal made more sense.
It also was ridiculous how they had a character die in S1 and he got resurrected in S2, and did not utilize that he could've come back in a different body or something when they "had" to cast a different actor. Instead they tried to make KSC seem like he was in S1, which never works.
The show itself isn't bad but I like the premise more than the execution of it. I think focusing on how easily cults and fanaticism can happen, especially when something unexplainable happens is super interesting. Also showcasing how easily a "church" can gain power in uncertain times and showcasing how power is more important for them than the certain faith they claim.
At the end most of your questions have not been answered and to be honest you sit with more questions by the end. I know this show is based on a webtoon, but had the webtoon isekai elements? Which worlds were the resurrected people talking about? I ofc have theories but it would've been nice to have some confirmations.
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75. Family by Choice
Korean Drama - 2024, 16 episodes
I loved this remake so much!
I would firstly say that Go Ahead is one of my favourite cdramas and no matter what I will compare FbC with GA. FbC is way shorter than GA, which I actually found to be a small problem. I genuinely wished the show either was one and a half hour instead of one or extended episode count to 20. Certain parts of the story felt very rushed, since they had a certain story to tell before the end.
I would say that FbC had an overall better story than GA. It felt more cohesive, less toxic and portrayed certain parts of reality in a better way. Which is also probably why I wanted it a tad bit longer to truly make everything feel more natural. But the emotional connection I felt during GA was missed. It may be because I already knew the story beforehand, but GA spent longer on the emotional parts and truly made them hurt. One of my favourite (sad) parts from the original is how you see them lose contact with each other. On how the lack of contact hurt. In the remake they made it somewhat work but it didn't hit as much emotionally for me. And those type of scenes usually always affect me.
So overall a solid af remake, that sadly was a tad bit too short in length to truly become a masterpiece.