Bells or Buzzers - 2023 Drama Reflections

[OsmanthusTea]

5 hours ago, SilverMoonTea said:

I was waiting for Osmanthus to call me out about that 8 abs pack oppas 🤣🤣🤣

 

I wasn't disappointing you......

 

 

Btw @Tofu when I said DouYin mini series it's not the ones like A Familiar Stranger that short but produced by big studio like Tencent or Youku and aired by them. But those mini budget dramas that solely aired by DouYin and some in Youtube. Ex.

 

Edited December 4, 2023 by OsmanthusTea

[ktcjdrama]

On 12/3/2023 at 12:00 AM, Tofu said:

Tagging others to join in too:

Thanks for the tag. I'm pretty sure I watched fewer dramas this year, accompanied by an increase my drama-dropping rate  That said, I still have problems reviewing all my 2023 dramas. Don't be surprised if I copied some of the answers above, lol... Be back asap (but not so soon too, lol, as I happen to have a deadline to meet this week)

[gilaswan]

Oh gawsh… I’m trying to remember what I watched this year. I started on many but also gave up on many…

 

Most were stumbled upon.  Was unexpectedly drawn into Destined With You. Loved Twinkling Watermelon for the Back To the Future x CODA storyline. 

 

Doona was the one I actually recommended. There was something very raw and unpolished about the story that felt very honest. I actually quite liked that one. Didn’t think I would. 

 

Tried hard to find a C-drama I would enjoy this year but nothing kept my interest… hmm… A somewhat slow drama year. 

[OsmanthusTea]

 

 

I have to say, I am Nobody. Saw a snippet, try it out and hooked immediately. I'm sure none of you here watch it..... Also A League of Nobleman, no one recommended it, didn't see any snippet BUT the moment I saw Jing Boran's name attached to it, I AM IN!! Totally satisfied!!

Edited December 4, 2023 by OsmanthusTea

[stroppyse]

Topic 3

 

There is always a drama that you passed on initially, but watching later, you wished you had watched sooner. Perhaps because you would have found more people to discuss the drama with, watching in real time. Or just because it would have taken you that much sooner to your happy place.

 

[gilaswan]

4 hours ago, stroppyse said:

Topic 3

 

There is always a drama that you passed on initially, but watching later, you wished you had watched sooner. Perhaps because you would have found more people to discuss the drama with, watching in real time. Or just because it would have taken you that much sooner to your happy place.

 

I’m wondering it it would be “Matchmakers” for me. The thing about watching a drama after it’s done and dusted and enjoying it, is that there’s no one to spazz with during your own watch. 😂😂😂

[OsmanthusTea]

 

Tale of The Nine Tailed 1938, I watched it few weeks after it done airing. I was enjoying it so much and laughing my ass off, ALONE......

[mademoiselle]

Q3 – None.

 

None for me because I have been the guinea pig for others in trying out new dramas.

[Tofu]

@OsmanthusTea We (as in @mademoiselle, @stroppyse, and I) would have talked about it with you! We all like the fox brothers. 

 

I wished I watched When I Fly Towards You sooner. This drama aired at the same time as Hidden Love so it flew under the radar for many including me. I'm not a huge fan of youth dramas but every so often, I find myself watching one that turns out to be a gem. It was a sweet and heartwarming drama with the loveliest main couple. As @themarchioness mentioned, this drama introduced me to Zhou Yi Ran, who was great as the quiet male lead who lacks confidence in himself. He slowly starts to change after meeting the female lead, who is more of an extrovert and someone who lights up the room wherever she goes. 

 

14 minutes ago, mademoiselle said:

None for me because I have been the guinea pig for others in trying out new dramas.

Your sacrifice does not go unnoticed. Thank you for always experimenting with us! LOL! 

 

 

 

[SilverMoonTea]

6 hours ago, stroppyse said:

Topic 3

 

 

My Man is A Cupid! Everyone watch this! I was few days late lols... Actually there is good chance I will never try this drama. Cos the premise so wacky, but just by 2 episodes I love everything about the show and of course JDY ! And the cute dog ! I have 0 expectation watching it, but overall the flows and the comedic is done so well I have my eyes glued all the time ( I fell asleep with My Demon, and I often losing concentration too with Park Marriage for comparison, I think I have drama ADHD 😅)

 

[OsmanthusTea]

@Tofu @mademoiselle @stroppyse

 

I will watch LDW in practically everything, fox or no fox 😂😂 

 

Next time he has new drama, poke me!!

[mademoiselle]

4 hours ago, OsmanthusTea said:

@Tofu @mademoiselle @stroppyse

 

I will watch LDW in practically everything, fox or no fox 😂😂 

 

Next time he has new drama, poke me!!

He has one coming → https://asianwiki.com/The_Killer's_Shopping_Mall

Oh, and he's got a movie with Im Soo Jung too "Single in Seoul".

 

I just remember, @40somethingahjumma I know you like Lee Sung Min, so are you watching A Bloody Lucky Day? https://asianwiki.com/A_Bloody_Lucky_Day

Edited December 5, 2023 by mademoiselle

[liddi]

Q3 - A drama I wish I'd watched sooner? 

 

Hmm... nothing from this year comes to mind. 2022 Cdrama Under the Skin is probably it for me.

I caught snippets of it when it was airing back in 2022, but only properly sat down to watch it this year, and wish I had done so when the thread was still active. Although the last case felt a bit of a let down, I still loved the overall drama so much that I rewatched it again soon after I finished it the first time. Am so thrilled that S2 is confirmed, and will start filming in Apr 2024, sans all the previously rumoured changes that would have ruined the drama for me.

cr. Dramawiki

Edited December 5, 2023 by liddi

[JenL]

I'm here and catching up!

 

What Drama brought you joy?

Strong woman Nam Soon! Especially the Park Bo Young Park Hyung Sik cameo!!! 

I think the strong girl series is just so fun. It made me laugh a lot because it's so silly and wholesome and cute. It's probably closer to one of my favourite series this year as I don't think I found anything compellingly addictive.I also loved the Park Park cameo because who else could have brought so much chemistry to a reunion. I want them in another drama. 

 

A Drama you watched and enjoyed without any recommendations

 

There was this Japanese drama called Turn to me, Mukai-Kun which I picked up because I was bored and Netflix showed me a snippet which looked fun (Haha wait. Does that mean Netflix recommended to me?! I mean no one here recommended it to me). And it turned out to me great! Super relatable and funny and very reflective of modern dating. I loved the two main actors - Haru is so cool and pretty and she was great at being both independent and sassy, but also a little insecure. Was totaly crushing on Eiji Akaso 

 

@SilverMoonTea you would be proud that I watched a Japanese drama! Have you seen this one before??? I highly recommend if you haven't also very cute mild, mild romance

 

A Drama you wished you'd watched sooner

 

I finally watched both My Mister and Where Stars Land this year? There's always dramas that you miss the year they come out or because you weren't interested in the story at the time but you change yoour mind later on. I'd heard 'bad things about Where Stars Land  for awhile so avoided it even though it had 2 actors I really liked (both Lee Je Hoon and Chae Soo Bin). But I finally watched it and it was great - fast paced and enntertaining and not that irritating! Gotta take people's opinions with a grain of salt sometimes. 

Edited December 5, 2023 by JenL

[SilverMoonTea]

10 hours ago, JenL said:

A Drama you watched and enjoyed without any recommendations

 

There was this Japanese drama called Turn to me, Mukai-Kun which I picked up because I was bored and Netflix showed me a snippet which looked fun (Haha wait. Does that mean Netflix recommended to me?! I mean no one here recommended it to me). And it turned out to me great! Super relatable and funny and very reflective of modern dating. I loved the two main actors - Haru is so cool and pretty and she was great at being both independent and sassy, but also a little insecure. Was totaly crushing on Eiji Akaso 

 

@SilverMoonTea you would be proud that I watched a Japanese drama! Have you seen this one before??? I highly recommend if you haven't also very cute mild, mild romance

 

@Tofuisnt that one of your crush too? I think Tofu and Jenl will definitely go for same man if they meet irl 😆

 

It got translated so maybe one of the day I will check this. I do like Haru, she's amazing, have quite broad range of emotions. 

[Tofu]

1 hour ago, SilverMoonTea said:

isnt that one of your crush too? I think Tofu and Jenl will definitely go for same man if they meet irl

Hahaha! It appears @JenL and I have very similar taste. 

 

This year, I am grateful that a lot of streaming services picked up Korean dramas. I would say a good portion of the dramas I watched was because it's on Netflix or Hulu. I didn't have to use a third party streaming website for that many dramas. 

[themarchioness]

Was there a drama you watched this year where you went in not knowing much and ended up really liking it?

 

At the risk of sounding like a one note, When I Fly Towards You and The Love You Give Me were both two dramas that I knew nothing about when I started them.  I suppose technically I knew Wang Zi Qi (male lead of TLYGM) from "Imperial Coroner", but I didn't walk away with the strongest impression of him from that drama (it wasn't my cup of tea, personal taste sort of thing).  I watched both WIFTY and TLYGM because their respective streaming platforms kept pushing them onto my newsfeed.  The little video clips soon caught my attention and I decided to give them a try.  I'm so glad I did because both dramas, at the time I was watching them, brought me so much joy each day.  I was also introduced to actors/actresses who I now keep an eye out for and recognize.  They were a real treat in 2023.

 

(And @Tofu, if you now like Zhou Yi Ran too (those dimples!!), give "You Are Desire" a try.  The first half is great.  The second half... people have their complaints. I fully admit that, but I loved all of it.  I found the characters interesting and complex, and the story meatier than WIFTY which is like cotton candy fluff.  And that's not to say that cotton candy fluff doesn't have its value; it does.  We all need a light and easy, breezy watch sometimes.  But YAD just tugged at my emotions more, if that makes any sense.  Just make sure to also watch the special episode, if you do.  Otherwise, the drama will feel really incomplete.)

 

There is always a drama that you passed on initially, but watching later, you wished you had watched sooner. Perhaps because you would have found more people to discuss the drama with, watching in real time. Or just because it would have taken you that much sooner to your happy place.

 

Most of the dramas I watched this year were currently airing ones, but I did watch a handful of older dramas, and if I had to pick the best among them it would be The Day of Becoming You - which is about the leader of a boyband and an entertainment reporter who fall in love after their lives keep intersecting because their bodies keep swapping.  I'm pretty sure this one blew me by when it aired because the body-swapping bit sounded so hokey.  Little did I know, it would be the very thing I needed in my life!  It was hysterical.  And both Liang Jie and Steven Zhang were so good in in their roles as the other person.  I wondered if they studied each other as part of their preparations for this drama because they had each other down to their mannerisms.  Steven Zhang, especially, impressed me with his acting and so I was thoroughly entertained.  If you're looking for something fun, light, and quirky, I'd definitely give it a try.  

Edited December 6, 2023 by themarchioness

[gilaswan]

I’m now following this thread and going, “O! Recommendation list!”

[stroppyse]

Topic 4

 

We usually root for the romance, fated or doomed, but dramas show us so many different types of relationships, and we want to celebrate them all!

 

 

So, name of the drama, of course, but also your fave relationship and why it hit you the way that it did.

[mademoiselle]

Topic 4, @Tofu is setting up for me to answer Hidden Love first, and that smaller disclaimer below hinted the answer must be Tale of the Nine Tailed 1358 for the Foxy brotherhood. In addition, I would also add Castaway Diva for Mok Ha and Woo Hak (Chae Ho)'s friendship/camaraderie.

 

@gilaswan Do you think our cute Octopus couple (Destined With You) qualify, too? The octopus attack made a strong impression!

 

Maybe by the end of My Demon, Kim You Jung and Song Kang may qualify, too. Hard to say for now, but they sure make a pretty OTP!

 

P.S. I'm only naming 2023 dramas. If it is of all time, that might become a longer list.

Edited December 6, 2023 by mademoiselle

[SilverMoonTea]

43 minutes ago, stroppyse said:

Topic 4

 

We usually root for the romance, fated or doomed, but dramas show us so many different types of relationships, and we want to celebrate them all!

 

 

So, name of the drama, of course, but also your fave relationship and why it hit you the way that it did.

This was last year drama, but I just remember about this couple. So here we go :

 

I love introvert couple which falling in love very organically in Summer Strike drama. This not the most passionate romance but more like very calming, more possible happening irl (but also not 😆) The ML is quite quiet and calm and he bought her shoes and bring her book. A total green flag in man. I have too many doomed and toxic ship. This is the healthiest among all of them 

 

 

[gilaswan]

9 minutes ago, mademoiselle said:

@gilaswan Do you think our cute Octopus couple (Destined With You) qualify, too? The octopus attack made a strong impression!

 

Maybe by the end of My Demon, Kim You Jung and Song Kang may qualify, too. Hard to say for now, but they sure make a pretty OTP!

 

Octopus for sure, and My Demon looks likely too. But I’m putting up all 8 hands for Octopus!! 

[liddi]

Q4 - Favourite relationship in a drama?

 

Lost You Forever S1 - Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao. Love their every interaction, both in the drama and in the novel, though it is fraught with pain, and promises to be even more heartbreaking in S2. 

 

My Journey to You - Gong Shang Jue and Gong Yuan Zhi are the epitome of sibling love that I hope to see among my own children, and brought me to tears more than once.

 

Revenant - the dynamics between Gu Sanyeong, Yeom Haesang and Lee Hongsae is arguably the best thing in the drama. I love how their distrust evolved into a bond where there is utmost trust, going to all lengths for each other. And the budding relationship between Sanyeong and Hongsae is so precious, especially as she slowly prepares herself for an impending life of darkness.

[abs-oluteM]

On 12/5/2023 at 9:39 PM, JenL said:

I'd heard 'bad things about Where Stars Land  for awhile so avoided it even though it had 2 actors I really liked (both Lee Je Hoon and Chae Soo Bin). But I finally watched it and it was great - fast paced and enntertaining and not that irritating! Gotta take people's opinions with a grain of salt sometimes. 

Taste can be very subjective. Personally this wasn't so bad. I watched it as an ongoing drama and yes, I was annoyed with Chae Soo Bin character at first but I think it was alright later.

 

I can't answer Question 3 @Tofu @stroppyse as there are no dramas that I felt I should have watched sooner. I am always watching a whole bunch. In fact I am sometimes stressed when we have a bunch of dramas airing all at once. My FOMO acts up 

8 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

Castaway Diva for Mok Ha and Woo Hak (Chae Ho)'s friendship/camaraderie.

Oh yes....arghhh. WH was sweet and considerate all the way of everyone's feelings.

 

With regards to Question 4, I am not sure if this sort of relationship should be celebrated ahahah but my favorite one is a rather dark and twisted relationship between two men in Evilives because their constant trust and distrust of each other drove the plot of the show and made such a good watch. SHK as we know is a brilliant actor but KYK was creepy good here too. I put the synopsis here 

Spoiler

Han Dong Soo is a livelihood lawyer. He randomly picks a prisoner to visit and picks up a case. He is usually rational and reasonable, but deep within his mind exists a dark side. Something triggers him to cross the line and step into the world of evil. His younger half-brother is Han Beom Jae. Han Beom Jae works at a second-hand computer shop and he also acts as a case broker for Han Dong-soo, bringing him clients. One day, Han Beom Jae notices that Han Dong Soo has changed since he brought him a case. That case involves Seo Do Young who is the #2 ranked member of a crime organization. He is a former baseball player and appears nothing like a typical gangster. Behind his handsome looks, he hides a cruel and unpredictable madness.

And no, this is not a BL drama ahhahaah but check out this MV of them

Spoiler

 

 

[JenL]

On 12/6/2023 at 11:23 AM, SilverMoonTea said:

@Tofuisnt that one of your crush too? I think Tofu and Jenl will definitely go for same man if they meet irl 😆

 

It got translated so maybe one of the day I will check this. I do like Haru, she's amazing, have quite broad range of emotions. 

 

On 12/6/2023 at 1:04 PM, Tofu said:

Hahaha! It appears @JenL and I have very similar taste. 

 

This year, I am grateful that a lot of streaming services picked up Korean dramas. I would say a good portion of the dramas I watched was because it's on Netflix or Hulu. I didn't have to use a third party streaming website for that many dramas. 

 

Hahahaha @Tofu just has good tastes, that's why we often like the same oppas   

 

I think we do like a lot of the same ones though don't we - Chae Jong Hyeop, Lee Jae Wook, Jasper Liu... and now Eiji Asako  I'm sure there's more I've forgotten. 

 

Could you imagine if we did like the same guy in real life ?! It'd be me and Tofu in a Kdrama love triangle  

 

On 12/5/2023 at 12:02 PM, OsmanthusTea said:

Tale of The Nine Tailed 1938, I watched it few weeks after it done airing. I was enjoying it so much and laughing my ass off, ALONE......

 

Ahhh so relatable!  I've been behind in my drama watching this year...everyone has finished spazzing about the episodes and I'm still like 3 episodes behind 

 

On 12/5/2023 at 12:48 PM, mademoiselle said:

Q3 – None.

 

None for me because I have been the guinea pig for others in trying out new dramas.

 

Hahaha it's because you're too up to date 

 

You're like my drama watching guru - if I need to check if a drama is worth watching, I always consult you