Bells or Buzzers - 2023 Drama Reflections

[JenL]

On 12/7/2023 at 3:02 AM, abs-oluteM said:

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.

 

Hahahaha, yeah, I was confused! But maybe I heard from the people who were so annoyed at Chae Soo Bin's character that they dropped the drama and never watched the good bits. I guess Lee Je Hoon's character was also a little annoying at times towards the end when he wouldn't listen to his mentor and was like, I just want to be a normal guy so she'll like me (she already liked him and would have preferred he was not going to die trying to be a 'normal guy'). 

 

But on the whole, it was a pretty enjoyable drama with a good mix of action, mystery, romance  and I had a lot of fun watching it!!! 

 

BTW, I would like to change my answer to this: 

 

A Drama you wished you'd watched sooner

 

I HAVE A BIGGER REGRET. I wished I'd watched Alice in Borderland sooner!!!! I love death grames as a genre and I don't know why I didn't feel like watching it sooner when it was in full hype. I think I probably had a lot on when it came out. Luckily I still had my sister to watch it with. And it was a good topic to chat about with a guy-I-used-to-like 

 

@SilverMoonTea It's because I finished Alice in Borderland that I went through to other japanese seres like Turn to me Mukai Kun and Zom100 ...and that's how I came to adopt Eiji Asako! Like Taiwanese series, Japanese series have also improved heaps and become so much smoother and less cringey. 

 

Your favourite relationship in a drama

 

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I didn't have any drama couples I was really into this year. No pairing I was obsessive about. Again Park Bo Young and Park Hyung Sik's married Min Min and Bong Bong cameo was probably the greatest romance moment of this year  (I laugh but I'm not joking ) ALSO another reunion I loved was Alice and Greg for the Someday or One Day movie. 

 

Hmmm, but if I had to pick from all the couples I've seen this year, I'd say Nam Soon and Hee Sik from Strong Woman Nam Soon was cute and Ki Ho and Mok Ha had a good overall storyline and kisssss  Park Eun Bin and Chae Jong Hyeop looked soooo comfortable and cute off-screen, though their characters had such a muted romance on-screen, which is opposite to how she was with Kang Tae Oh in Extraordinary Attorney Woo Young Woo 

 

On 12/7/2023 at 3:02 AM, abs-oluteM said:

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 

  Reveal hidden contents

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

 

 

Hahaha, I'm tempted to check this out for the favourite couple now 

 

Also do I spy Shing Jae Ha?  I love that man even though he played wayyyy too many evil characters this year. 

Edited December 7, 2023 by JenL

[mademoiselle]

@abs-oluteM @JenL I actually liked Where Star Land when it was airing. And to clarify, it wasn't because of Rowoon (he didn't get adopted here). Yes, people dropped the drama because they were annoyed with Chae Soo Bin's character. They were too quick to judge. They didn't want to give her character a chance to grow! And it was only a couple of episodes at the start, too! She was totally fine and awesome after that. It was the same with A Piece of Your Mind. If I hadn't endured 6 episodes of bloody Jisoo, I'd not have seen the good parts of Chae Soo Bin and Jung Hae In's relationship.

 

My own watching experience of this was quite funny because I took the Korean title of this drama (Fox Bride Star) literally, thinking Lee Je Hoon played a Gumiho or something, and so was very intrigued with his "super power". Turns out he's just a bionic kind of man. Hahaha. But the conflicts he experience was good.

[SilverMoonTea]

2 hours ago, JenL said:

 

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

 

 

I'll be preparing  to watch with. But hope you guys sorted it out on 12 episodes, I can't do 40 eps 

 

I checked Mukai Kun and this Eiji guy last time was the 2nd lead that I hate in Ishiko & Haneo drama. So I will pass 😂 I might be watching Silent J drama that @Tofu like one day. 

[OsmanthusTea]

 

I'm with @liddi on The Gong Bros but I want to throw in their Big Sis.

[IpohBanana]

@Tofu @SilverMoonTea @OsmanthusTea I can't recall who here thinks Miles Wei is eye candy... or maybe none of you BUT I just wanted to say that I am currently watching I May Love You (对你不止是喜欢), where he stars with Huang Ri Ying AND he is STILL such eye candy. 

 

 

And there are a few scenes where the character is soooooo endearing. He's typecasted into CEO roles, and lately he was in one other drama as a ML + a few other supporting characters (not remarkable roles). But it's so nice to see him appearing on screen - someone on YT said he must be easy to work with because he gets jobs easily. I didn't think of him much in the other one where he starred with Xu Lu (Hello, I am at your service) though it was a fun watch AND it must have done well because now the both of them are casted into another costume drama. But this drama, his character is much more thoughtful and the feels I get is like when I saw him in Perfect and Casual. Is anyone watching so we can drool together???

[OsmanthusTea]

@IpohBanana

Not sure about @Tofu and @SilverMoonTea but Miles Wei is hot!! 😎😎 Miles and Luo Zheng are both typecast into 霸道总裁. Miles has a kind of contract with Mango TV while LZ with iQiyi. 
 

I planning to watch I May Love You. Saw many snippets.

[IpohBanana]

1 hour ago, OsmanthusTea said:

@IpohBanana

Not sure about @Tofu and @SilverMoonTea but Miles Wei is hot!! 😎😎 Miles and Luo Zheng are both typecast into 霸道总裁. Miles has a kind of contract with Mango TV while LZ with iQiyi. 
 

I planning to watch I May Love You. Saw many snippets.

Oh, do watch so we can swoon together. haha  Do tell me when you start watching! I don't particularly fancy Luo Zheng, if you ask me, I'd much prefer Liu Xue Yi, now that fella is one 霸道 character!

 

But Miles isn't as 霸道 as Dylan Wang, there's this 温柔 and 斯文 manner about him, also a very peculiar way in which he delivers his lines... the last few words kinda get softer and more slurred (probably not very good) but it makes his speech very distinctive. Sigh, I can't tell you how many times I wish I was the one in the FL's role , what I would do to see him in real life and have a coffee with him. Though I think in real life, he won't be as easy to get along with as compared with people like Dylan (more outgoing). I suspect Miles is a bit more introverted, have you come across any news or interviews with him in this regard? 

 

Oh, he has a contract with Mango? Hello, I am at your Service was by iQIYI and the upcoming one 披荆斩棘的大小姐, no idea. [To be objective, his face fits modern drama better, the few times I have seen him in costume, it doesn't quite jive... LOL]  

 

[OsmanthusTea]

@IpohBanana

Miles has a reality show with a bunch of other men, Call Me By Fire.

 

 

I didn't watch much only some snippets. I found Miles to be very introvert bout his personal life maybe because his status as a divorcee. My fav CP of him is Xu Ruo Han in Mr. Perfect and Miss Casual. They have a perfect natural chemistry both on and off screen. I watched majority of his 霸道总裁 genre where he is the lead. But I have never watch his other dramas where he wasn't the lead like the one with Dylan and BL. I like his drama with the little autistic son too. That little boy is adorable.

 

I agreed that he doesn't looks good in wig but Luo Zheng is the ugliest man in wig I have ever seen in my history of drama watching..... 

 

I love Dylan but his voice and how he delivers his line in Only For Love ruins it for me. He looks totally as a 霸道总裁 as long as he zipped his mouth.....  Luo Zheng and Liu Xue Yi are perfect 霸道总裁. I watched LXY in Love At Night, that drama has zero substances but his chemistry with Zhang YuXi was sooooo good and I finished it without skipping, talking about guilty pleasure....

[mademoiselle]

38 minutes ago, OsmanthusTea said:

I love Dylan but his voice and how he delivers his line in Only For Love ruins it for me. He looks totally as a 霸道总裁 as long as he zipped his mouth..

HAHAHAHA! This statement is hilarious. Calling @Chocolate. Do you agree?

[OsmanthusTea]

1 hour ago, mademoiselle said:

HAHAHAHA! This statement is hilarious. Calling @Chocolate. Do you agree?

 

It's like expectation vs reality for me..... As DFQC he was dubbed, his real voice is like a chirping bird.

[Chocolate]

1 hour ago, mademoiselle said:

HAHAHAHA! This statement is hilarious. Calling @Chocolate. Do you agree?

 

Yes! So it's not me when I said there's something wrong with the way he is saying the words. I hope to never watch another Dylan Wang drama 🤣

 

 

[SilverMoonTea]

3 hours ago, IpohBanana said:

Sigh, I can't tell you how many times I wish I was the one in the FL's role , what I would do to see him in real life and have a coffee with him.

This line cracked me up I'm also fellow introvert maybe I can get along with him just fine 😂

 

I did try this Miles new drama, but the FL seems a bit aggresive so I didn't continue. Was busy too with Journey To Love. 

 

[IpohBanana]

41 minutes ago, SilverMoonTea said:

This line cracked me up I'm also fellow introvert maybe I can get along with him just fine 😂

 

I did try this Miles new drama, but the FL seems a bit aggresive so I didn't continue. Was busy too with Journey To Love. 

 

Eh, if I have limited time only, and he is an introvert, it means he will need time to warm up to me, then how much time do I have to get to know him??? Which is my main concern. Actually, I am an ambivert, so I am also half introverted, hhhmmm maybe I can sit and stare at his face the entire time?   

 

yah... tbh, she is not only aggressive, but after he turns around to woo her (due to a belated realisation on his part), she behaves like she is 刁蛮 and 发脾气 a bit unreasonable...but the reason I can relate with her character is when I was younger, I also went after a guy, but then later, I also behaved somewhat like her, had a lot to do with pride and the feeling of "I sacrificed so much and threw so much into this one-sided relationship that I dunno if you really feel that same way about me, as in do you feel the same intensity as I do". So for people who cannot relate to her behaviour or cannot understand where she is coming from, she can seem very unreasonable and childish.

But the ML has great lines.... and if I met someone who told me the same thing when I was younger, I would buckle over and give in entirely. LOL

 

@OsmanthusTea he is a divorcee? really? when? to whom? Ah, that explains why he probably can deliver some lines better than some other male actors. He's been in a marriage, and a divorce means he probably went through some rough patches, so he understands what those emotions mean, the silver lining in the cloud I guess. Hhmmm, I'll give it some thought, I am not sure I want to watch him with other men, but I'll give it a try. 

 

I know what you mean about the minute Didi opens his mouth. I found his relationship with Bai Lu, the characters I mean, in Only For Love, odd. The person who wrote the script, or perhaps followed the novel too closely, needs some help with script writing.

 

As for Liu Xue Yi and Zhang Yu Xi, it was hot, I agree! Now that's another man I have thoughts about too, other than Miles Wei. @SilverMoonTea Actually drinking coffee is G-rating, if it's P18, it's definitely something else 

Edited December 8, 2023 by IpohBanana

[OsmanthusTea]

3 hours ago, IpohBanana said:

 

@OsmanthusTea he is a divorcee? really? when? to whom? Ah, that explains why he probably can deliver some lines better than some other male actors. He's been in a marriage, and a divorce means he probably went through some rough patches, so he understands what those emotions mean, the silver lining in the cloud I guess. Hhmmm, I'll give it some thought, I am not sure I want to watch him with other men, but I'll give it a try. 

 

 

https://www.cpophome.com/who-is-miles-wei-girlfriend-did-he-get-married/

 

If you didn't know Miles is a divorcee, do you know that Liu YuNing also a divorcee??

[stroppyse]

Topic 5

 

Sorry, everyone. I was a bit under the weather, so I lost a few days. As for this question, unfortunately, there always seem to be some dramas which I wait for with a lot of anticipation which I end up dropping for different reasons, and there seemed to be a lot this year. Anyway.

 

 

[liddi]

Q5 - What drama did not meet expectations?

Um..... I'm not so sure whether this has to do with meeting expectations, or the drama genre itself. It feels unfair since the drama has not finished airing yet, but I really wanted to love Love Me Love My Voice because it has Tan Jianci, voice acting and cooking, plus there is a segment where the characters are in historical garb, but I did not even manage to continue past Ep1. While the drama itself has beautiful soundtracks, overly saccharine sweet dramas were never my cup of tea, and it seems not even Tan Jianci and his gorgeous voice could overcome my aversion for this genre. For the moment, I have not felt the inclination to watch, so am just waiting for the historical segment to be broadcast before I jump in again, and hopefully be able to stay on after that.

[IpohBanana]

@OsmanthusTea YESH! I knew LYN was a divorcee because I follow a YTber and I recall watching one episode where it was reported that he came right out to clarify the situation when people tried to dig dirt about him - such irresponsible behaviour, dragging the ex-wife into the media. And I recall, he did it very promptly, so the matter died down quickly. As someone who has his own channel, I suppose he had no qualms about making that clarification in his campervan, and in his costume (perhaps, it was the drama with Song Zu Er that he was shooting then...), with a phone - very decisive of him and assertive, he told them off for bringing this matter up.

 

After you told me, I went online to do some research. Well, I suppose it took WZM years to start making some money and living in a 30sqm apartment must have taken its toll on the relationship, particularly if perseverance and thrift are NOT their innate traits. Read somewhere that the other half was getting friendly with another celebrity, oh well, if there's any truth to it. 

 

Btw, has anyone got any updated news about LYN and Song Zu Er? Heard that there's still some hope left for Prisoner of Beauty (I saw the trailer, and LYN looks really bad-*** there). Also, for Crystal Yuan, any hope too?? I am dying to watch her with the hot guy (Liu Xue Yi - Love Never Fails) and the older but still fairly hot guy (Wallace Chung in The Emperor's Love).

 

@liddi my friend loves TJC, and is singing praises about the drama you mentioned. The FL is extremely sweet, so that helps too.

[liddi]

@IpohBanana Yes, I know people who love it and those who are not as enamoured about LMLMV. I love TJC - he is pretty much an all-rounder which is such a rare occurrence in the industry these days, and his work ethic truly impresses me, but I just can't get into this particular drama. It may possibly be due to the fact that I have very little patience for cavity-inducing dramas and perpetually starstruck female leads with male leads who are too unrealistically good in everything, which invariably ends up with me rolling my eyes to the back of my head. I will revisit the drama again at some later stage, when his Gu Yun-esque persona makes his appearance, and we'll see if I manage to overcome my knee jerk aversion to such dramas then. Fingers crossed.

[mademoiselle]

Q5: What drama did not meet expectation?

 

The Uncanny Counter 2 - It almost feels like I'm watching a new series because this writer's world-building and rules are disconnected from what we've seen in S1. The new Counter is super boring. Villains were great but makes So Mun, supposedly the most powerful, sadly look like a loser. The Show tried to be funny, but I don't find it funny at all.

 

Deluxe Taxi 2 - The whole story just not as satisfying as S1. The villain was too easy to guess. ML acts foolish all the time, rather than going deeper into each case and link to the backstory of the main characters.

 

The Perfect Stranger - At first, it looks like a romance about a divorce couple reconciling, which they did (and they love each other too), but they still break up in the end. I remember it wasn't a satisfying ending because their decision to not be together was a bit WTF...? 

 

Sweet Home 2 - Too many new characters and their side-stories. The story-telling is broken up, it is therefore difficult to know whether these new characters play a significant role in the bigger picture. There are 3 episodes where we don't even see the main, leading characters, which is weird. CGI is not great, considered how popular S1 was, you'd think they would spend a bit more to improve the CGI.

 

Spoiler

King The Land - First, I've to apologise to those who love/like/enjoy this drama. Regretfully, I don't feel the same. I was anticipating Lee Jun Ho to wow me like he did in The Red Sleeve. So I was shocked that he gave me this wreck this year, even though the ratings are good. The story and characters have no depth. If we want to say it's a brainless show, then I'd say this is way too brainless. It's the worst romance I've seen because there was nothing to save the show, not even the main leads' romance because I felt no chemistry between them. That said, I'm fully expecting the day Dispatch report Jun Ho and Yoona are dating, because apparently my real couple radar is broken since the romance in DotS or CLOY did not charm me

 

Edited December 10, 2023 by mademoiselle

[OsmanthusTea]

2 hours ago, IpohBanana said:

Btw, has anyone got any updated news about LYN and Song Zu Er? Heard that there's still some hope left for Prisoner of Beauty (I saw the trailer, and LYN looks really bad-*** there). Also, for Crystal Yuan, any hope too?? I am dying to watch her with the hot guy (Liu Xue Yi - Love Never Fails) and the older but still fairly hot guy (Wallace Chung in The Emperor's Love).

 

There is no real news about SZE's case yet but I think very little possibility for PoB to airs...what a waste! PoB is my most anticipated drama since they were filming. I was also anticipating Deng Lun and NiNi's drama Night Wanderer, another hopeless one.

 

While Crystal Yuan is a total goner.

[SilverMoonTea]

8 hours ago, stroppyse said:

Topic 5

 

 

South Wind Know My Mood 

Was waiting for ages for it. Despite all the prettiness the story was so lame, lost count on how many times ML sick. It's depressing as heck and I just gotta stop watching it despite my deep love for CY. 

 

Mysterious Lotus Bookcase

I know many people love this. Again despite all my love in the world for CY I just can't get into this drama. Was annoyed with the immature 2nd lead character too. I so want to like this but after few episodes I just still not tune with the drama so got to drop it. 

 

King of The Land

I thought what can go wrong with Junho in nice suit, but everything about it just so wrong lols. I stopped at episode 3, the FL character really didn't enjoyable for me. I know many people love this, most of the time I'm just often not going with the mainstream. Sometimes it did feel a bit lonely 😅

[stroppyse]

Topic 6

 

Yes, yes, main leads are important, but so often, the parents are key drivers for both good and evil! Yep, I'm looking at you 'The Good Bad Mother.' Anyway, it seems that k-dramas and c-dramas seem to be leaning into the trope of having a good father and a mean mother, but there are still definitely gems of parenthood out there still. So, who is your daddy or mama?

 

[mademoiselle]

Q6: Who was the best Appa and/or Omma?

 

LOL! I'm going to take a guess at @Tofu's answers for this first. Drum rolls... Tu-dum...

Spoiler

Actor Choi Won Young from Twinkling Watermelon

The character, Lee Wook (Kang Appa), from Castaway Diva

 

This year's best Appa and Omma are:

 

Ra Mi Ran in The Good Bad Mother is both a bad mum and a good mum.

 

Also, worth mentioning some cool Appa and Omma because these superhero parents had to go the extra miles protecting their children from the baddies. They are none other than Moving's Han Hyo Joo, Ryu Seung Ryung and Kim Sung Kyun.

 

I foresee in Welcome Samdalri, Kim Mi Kyung will be a good mum too, just that the drama only just started so it's hard for me to tell. But she's always my Kdrama's Best Mum, so I cannot not give her a shout-out.

 

Honourable mention:

 

Lee Dong Wook, Kim Bum and Hwang Hee in The Tale of Nine-Tailed 1358 - There were an episode of 3 men and a baby. I absolutely loved it.

 

Choi Won Young in Twinkling Watermelon - Wish there were more father and son's scenes.

 

This question should have been asked a few years back too (did it?) because then I could shout out Lee Do Hyun in 18 Again! xD

 

Edited December 11, 2023 by mademoiselle

[liddi]

Q6 - Who is the best Appa and/or Omma?

Oh dear... this is literally slim pickings from the crop of 2023 dramas I watched, when most parents/grandparents/parent figures are either downright evil (looking at you, Na Byunghee aka Yeom Haesang's grandmother in Revenant!), nasty (Xue Yuan aka Xie Wei's father in Story of Kunning Palace) or just plain useless (that would be Gu Sanyeong's mother, who needed to be mothered rather than mother her daughter, again from Revenant).

 

If I really had to pick someone, I guess Jiang Xuening's father from Story of Kunning Palace is a viable candidate. He is supportive, tries to bridge the gulf between his wife and daughter, and comforts her as much as he can. I love too how he is protective and proud of her, even when others despise her as a country bumpkin.

 

The other parent who gave her all to protect her son is Yeom Haesang's mother, even though she was against insurmountable odds, and would lose her life in the process.

 

Such a sad list.......

[Tofu]

On 12/7/2023 at 2:42 PM, JenL said:

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

Hahahaha! I would just give in because I avoid anything that's stressful. 

 

On 12/7/2023 at 9:57 PM, IpohBanana said:

But this drama, his character is much more thoughtful and the feels I get is like when I saw him in Perfect and Casual.

I like Miles and this comment is enough for me to watch it. Si Nian is one of my favorite Miles characters.

 

Agreed with you and @OsmanthusTea that Miles does not match costume dramas. I much prefer him in modern dramas. I feel the same with Luo Zheng too. I don't mind Luo Zheng, but he does get typecast and it's always in some tsundere type role. For Dylan, I have never watched him in a modern drama. I've only seen him in costume dramas and a big part of that is, I know his voice will most likely be dubbed. 

 

Question #4: Favorite Relationship

@mademoiselle Never! I set this up so I can answer Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938. Haha! The fox brother's relationship is one of my favorite bromance in Korean dramaland. Both actors have a great relationship on and off screen. Kim Bum recently visited the premiere/press conference of Lee Dong Wook's new movie to support him. 

 

In Chinese dramaland, my favorite relationship so far this year has been between these five men in A Journey to Love. Words can't express how much joy they bring. They banter constantly, but they are so supportive and willing to do anything for each other. 

 

Question #5: What Drama Did Not Meet Expectations 

The Uncanny Counter Season 2 - I don't know what happened but the heart of the first season was missing. 

Taxi Driver Season 2 - I think my expectations might have been too high for season two. It wasn't a bad drama, but season one was better including having a better villain. 

Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist Season 2 - It dragged on for too long. 

Mysterious Lotus Casebook - I might be in the minority with this drama, but some parts just became redundant and dragged on. At one point, I think I skipped an episode or two and felt the storyline didn't move forward much. 

 

Question #6: Who was the Best Appa and/or Omma?

17 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

LOL! I'm going to take a guess at @Tofu's answers for this first. Drum rolls... Tu-dum...

Hahahaha! You know me so well! 

 

My favorite parents this year has been Ha Yi Chan (the older version played by Choi Won Young) from Twinkling Watermelon and Kang Appa from Castaway Diva. These two appas love their family unconditionally and do so much to protect their families from harm. 

 

Honorable mention to Grace from To the Moon and Back (Thai lakorn). He is a transgender father who raised his daughter (female lead) alone after being disowned by his family for his lifestyle. The female lead is a little bit on the quirky side and he is so supportive of her. Definitely one of the best phaaw (the word for dad in Thai) I've seen in Thai lakorns.