100 Days Celebration: Absolute Favorite Dramas

[stroppyse]

Do you have dramas that you love so much and always recommend to friends? The dramas you watch time and time again, even if it's just a couple of episodes when really you should be doing something else, like study or work? Let us know!

 

Share up to your TOP 5 dramas that you would recommend to everybody to watch! They can be k-dramas, c-dramas, or any other dramas, but you have to limit yourself to 5, and you need to give us a short explanation of what makes you recommend those dramas. Part of the challenge is to be able to limit yourself to the 5 that you feel absolutely everyone should give a try. Looking forward to everyone's picks! 

 

[stroppyse]

My picks

 

Healer

This is the drama where I fell in love with Healer (Ji Chang Wook) and Chae Young Shin (Park Young Min), and their de facto uncle Kim Mun Ho (Yoo Ji Tae). It is ultimately the story about two virtual orphans who grow up under very different circumstances and yet are both brave and true to themselves. I also appreciated that this was one of the first kdramas where there was never any doubt once the OTP met and acknowledged their feelings for each other that they were going to stick together come hell or high water. It's full of action, comedy, and romance, and the first four episodes even had some nice special effects, but unfortunately, the first 4 episodes drained their SFX budget. YJT is an accomplished actor and watching him as the conflicted figure between his guilt over the actions or his younger self and not knowing how to make things right even though he wants to was pure joy. This drama sported an all veteran cast in the major and major supporting roles, and it showed as they elevated a good story into a timeless classic. Special shout out to the Ajumma Hacker! You have to watch it to understand all the delight that "ajumma hacker" generates in those of us who watched and loved "Healer". The last few episodes of the broadcast were unfortunately a bit of rush job which the Director's Cut cleaned up for better pacing and flow. Still, love this drama and recommend it all the time.

 

School 2013

Lee Jong Seok and Kim Woo Bin have a bromance for the ages. They play besties and the best fighters in their schools before they had a falling out. They meet again when CWB's character transfers into LJS' high school, and they finally resolve their issues face to face. This is not a rom-com or a comedy at all. As with the previous "School" series, it's a slice of life for students dealing with their own issues in high school with a cast of talented young actors before they hit it really big. When this was released, LJS was the most well known name, but it also featured Shin Hye Sun and Park Se Young as well as KWB, and helmed by the teachers Jang Na Ra and Choi Daniel as well as a venerable veteran cast. It's well acted, well paced, with heart warming stories that grab you by the heart, especially since, like true life, it's not a matter of happy endings, but of surviving another day and finding happiness in your friends in the face of uncertain futures. It's good.

 

Hospital Playbook

Five friends who grew close to each other in medical school all go on to become different types of surgeons, but still stay close. One of them, the son of a family who owns a hospital, brings all of them together into the same hospital where they work together to run a teaching hospital that is also ethical and caring. In the meantime, they also re-form their band from their med school days. It's very much a slice of life drama from the Writer-PD pair who brought us the "Reply" dramas and Prison Playbook. Their magic is in making the small, every day things special and engrossing to watch. While I love all of the dramas from this pair, this one has a special place in my heart. Part of it has to do with the cast, who were drawn mostly from veterans this time, rather than newer, lesser known talents. They establish a believable, easy chemistry as friends and colleagues. It's also the richness of the plots that wind episodic patient cases along with overarching arcs for all of the main and supporting characters. This drama will have you laughing and crying, frequently in the same episode, but at the end of the day, makes you wish you could work with such good friends like these.

 

Love O2O

This C-Drama does something that I don't think any other movie or drama have managed to do. It makes a drama about gamers pretty entertaining and engaging. Though, it's not really about gamers or gaming, even though a large part of the story happens in a VR like environment which is supposed to be proxy for interactions in a fantasy RPG called A Chinese Ghost Story. It's really a love story about a handsome, genius computer science major who also happens to be athletic and good at everything and a beautiful, genius computer science major who also happens to be demure and practical. So, not really reality then. On the other hand, it's a gorgeous drama full of warmth and a feel good story about young people who take charge of their lives and their futures and live on their terms. Also, there is a movie version of this material which has better acting and just as good a production value, however, this drama version takes its time to tell the stories of the supporting characters, including cute twists. Oh, and it doesn't hurt that the drama stars Yang Yang who is a very beautiful man.

 

Moonlight Drawn By Clouds

The only sageuk on my list, and it's a fusion sageuk rather than a historical sageuk. The story of how a young prince Lee Young matures within an intrigued-filled palace and grows to love a eunuch named Hong Sam Nom who is actually a girl (Hong Ra On) in disguise is a gorgeous, moving, and fun drama starring Park Bo Gum as Lee Young and Kim Yoo Jung as Hong Ra On. An adaptation of a popular romance web novel, the drama manages to go from strength to strength in telling its story and is ably supported by two other new talents in Jin Young as LY's best friend who is also in love with HRO and Kwak Dong Yeon who plays the head of LY's palace guards, as well as an array of accomplished veteran actors in supporting roles. It's almost a romantic comedy, but as a kdrama, there is plenty of angst to go around, and especially with Park Bo Gum's deft depiction of a complicated young prince who is warily feeling out the limits of his power even as he is torn between various values, there is a lot of raw emotion that is displayed. Only the ending is a bit of a letdown since it never solves the central question of whether LY would choose his love or his kingdom. The production was clearly in a tough spot and chose a safe option. Still, it's a drama that I go back to time and again to watch, and one of the reasons that I'm so in love with PBG, despite some weaker outings since then.

[NiteWalker]

 

Under the Power

One of the best period dramas, though some poor CGI. Still, totally love how the story evolved, the Female Lead (JinXia) was no damsel in distress. She never just waited on her feet to be rescued; she always found ways to make it out on her own.

 

Besides these, the whole cast actually came together very well, and for the first time, I find the antagonist to be really cute. Never in my history of watching dramas have I not loathed the antagonist.

 

Go Ahead

A very different type of family, where usually the mother has the glory in raising the kids, in this drama, it is the fathers who are the heroes of the family, raising the kids single-handedly.

 

Not to mention, it is also shows the true meaning of being a family. You do not have to be related to be a family. As long as you care enough for each other, you're family regardless what others may say.

 

Depression was also highlighted in the drama itself, where it was not hushed up or treated as a taboo.  Instead, it was acknowledged and tackled, and we got to see it.

 

Face Off

The determination of the young makeup artist who wanted to make it to the top and wanted to learn from the top notch master who had just returned back from US. Finally, love sparks between the master and the student.

Of course, there are some misunderstandings between them before they finally get back together. It also show how the student succeeds in the field that she had always loved.

 

All About Eve

One of the very best Kdramas I have watched, though it was years ago. It is also one of the Kdramas that introduced me to Kdrama-land.

 

I loved the determination of the small newscaster played by Chae Rim. Her chemistry with Jang DongGun is also top notch for me.  I am still re-watching it till today.

 

Prince of Tennis

I had always loved the manga, and also the anime when it was first released, so when the C-Drama version of Prince of Tennis was released with Song YiRen as Sakura, I decided to watch it, especially as I like Song YiRen and want to support most of her projects. I had very low expectations for the CGI, however much to my surprise, the CGI for Prince of Tennis is really one of the best. Also, to my pleasure, the flow of the story pretty much follows the manga storylines closely.

 

Peng YuCheng really played one of the best Ryoma I've seen and all of his moves are really very close to the anime and manga I love. Honestly, it would be good if they came up with S2 with the same cast.

 

[SnowBlob]

Hot Stove League

The best Kdrama in 2020 for me. The story about how a baseball club evolves to be a strong contender in the field thanks to the shrewdness of the new appointed general manager (played by Namgoong Min). The drama has the formula which I truly love (check the review written by 40somethingahjumma and the discussions that follow afterwards here in JH). 

 

Kingdom

I don't like scary movies (that includes zombies...although I did love Train to Busan) but this drama is that good that I'm willing to overlook the scary bits (and I think it's not that scary after all). Set in Joseon period, it tells the story of Prince Lee Chang's journey as he tried to fix the downfall of the country by trying to gain power. But of course the opposition was there trying to stop him. Adding to this conflict was the spreading of zombie pandemic. Both seasons managed to keep me at the edge of my seat all the time! And I love it perfectly blends real and fictitious stories and characters.

 

Crisis

My favourite action police Japanese drama. The story follows a group of 5 security police officers. Each episode shows that each character has his or her own dark past and in the present trying their best to carry their duties while at the same time doubting whether they re serving the country or instead higher-ups' agendas. 

The fighting scenes are soooo good I have not seen the same level anywhere in K dramas I watched so far. Love the 2 main actors: Oguri Shun and Nishijima Hidetoshi. Even if you don't like Jdramas but you love action dramas, please check this one out!

 

Go Back Couple + Familiar Wife

(I can't choose between the two so I'm posting both!)

Two dramas with a very similar concept - married couples who're given a second chance to change their past so the outcomes of their present lives might be better. Both dramas start with the couples being unhappy in their marriage in the present time. They were thrown back into their pasts and at first what they all want is not to end up with their current spouse (as to avoid becoming unhappy again in the present time). GBC focuses its story on the past and how the main leads tried to make different choices only to end up realising their love for one another again in the past timeline. FW focuses its story in the present(s) - we're shown what happens in the present times as they changed their pasts a few times. 

Happy ending for both dramas and both also made my heart flutter 

I love the main leads in both dramas: GBC - Son Ho Jung and Jang Nara; FW - Ji Sung and Han Ji Min (and what more..the age gap between the leads aren't that great irl!)

 

 

If only I could add some more I would add:

Rurouni Kenshin (all three parts) for its action scenes, actors and acting. 

 

Surprisingly, as someone whose favourite genre is procedural/detective/lawyer/forensic ... none of the Kdramas of this genre made the list ( I do like some but they can't beat the list)  Although you could say Crisis can be considered one :P 

 

Happy reading~

 

 

 

[Darkarcana]

💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟

Sohn: The Guest

💠🎵“Please save me from here, far away. Please take my hand, closer way. Somewhere how far away, I wait for death, please take my hand.”🎵💠

My very first official drama which I love so much. The mysterious being and the never ending trip of finding out who is the holder of the spirit. Guest brought to us the idea of fate being intertwined and how through that fate it will bring three souls together to save the day. Watch it if you are into a horror flick!

 

Strangers From Hell 

aka

Hell is other people

타인은정말로지옥인가? 

💠🎵“Hey, it’s over. I won’t try to run away anymore. Hey, you’re pushing me to a cliff I’m gonna flip you over and ruin you. The tension is increasing, my breath trembling. Miserable memories washing over me.”🎵💠

Oh...staying with a friend and getting gaslighted by them. The fear and transition from a normal boy to a psycho that is what I love and I hope that people will do! The moment he step in to the goishiwon, that’s his end. So if you are interested give it a swirl. Can I say....This is one of those drama that doesn’t have a female lead! 
 

When Dong Wook states “Honey.” It makes the shippers and me cheer with  happiness lol!

Spoiler

 

Voice 3

💠🎵 “Even withered flowers breathe, deep nights are blue. The sound of the songs grow smaller, but it doesn’t disappear. So if you know the right way, don’t stop, keep walking. I hear a melody in my quiet heart.”🎵💠

 

About a broken man who chose to solve cases instead of helping himself out mentally. This is that one series that I advertise hardcore while crying. It’s one of the heart pain drama that watches a hero fall to someone’s demise. Watching him struggle makes it more entertaining, but sad at the same time. Then again, I will recommend people to watch Season 2 & 3.

 

Outbound Love

💠🎵“The sky became grey, closing my eyes, forgot the rainbow, no sunny day. Under the darkness, love is immersed by tears, i’m not strong enough to prevent it. The memory that hurt the most transformed to rain."🎵💠

 

A painful past romance that made him lost his sense of creativity in writing songs and ironically another painful romance spark his creativity back to life. Here is a story about a man who hides his tears and pain as he goes abroad to become a tour guide. Leaving his country and his job, Liu Gong Zi (Sixth Prince) went to Penang and thus meeting his rival/lover. There he fell in love again and thus being able to produce songs again. This is one of those dramas that I would watch. Now I am not really a romance type of person, but I have to say, this is a very good and charming drama to watch over. How he swoop into the girl's back and pull her closer to him and kissed her. That is like the best part! Recommend to watch!

 

💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟

[abs-oluteM]

Only 5 ....I have so many...but I believe that these are some I will rewatch in time to come.

Let me list them here ( will give a synopsis later/ why I love them)

1. Life on Mars

2. Prison Playbook

3. A Poem A Day

4. Because This Is My First Life

5. Signal 

eh how...I wanna list a few more ..hahahaha...

 

C drama 

When a Snail Falls In Love

The Blooms of Ruyi Pavillion

 

[katakwasabi]

5 dramas. 

 

Perfume

The Last Empress

Return

Reply 1994

Life on Mars 

 

Perfume and TLE are fixed. The last 3 subject to change. I want to include Kairos in my 5 dramas, but it only has 6 eps so far 🤣. Explanation will come....soon lol

[Tofu]

I have many dramas that I've thoroughly enjoyed but the three below are the three that I've recommended many times in the last several years (a few months for one of them). 

 

The Hours of My Life (Boku no Ita Jikan -- Released: 2014, Genre: Melodrama)

Before I was an avid Korean drama watcher, Japanese dramas were my favorite. I loved that a completed series averaged around 9-11 episodes, which meant there was no need to drag out certain storylines, everything got resolved quickly. Out of all the Japanese dramas I watched during that time, The Hours of My Life was one of my top favorite. It's a bit interesting because I try to avoid melodramas as much as I can. I can be an emotional wreck watching them and emotional wreck I try not to be. Haha! However, this drama is truly inspirational and Haruma Miura was amazing beyond words as Takuto Sawada. The drama is about the life of a college student who started experiencing loss of muscle control. He's diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). What I loved most about this drama was that despite having this incurable disease, Takuto was determined to not let it take control of his life. He lived his life to the fullest, doing all the things he wanted to do. He, eventually, allowed himself to love and be loved. As we watch Takuto navigate through all the happy, sad, angry, and heartbreaking moments in his life, the drama kept a central theme asking, what's the value of life? I started asking myself that question as I watched the drama and even well after I finished it. I actually re-watched this a few months ago after hearing the news of Haruma Miura's death. Knowing that he is no longer with us, makes this drama that much special to me. 

 

I couldn't find the trailer for the drama with English subtitles so the following is a video of the romance in the drama. It gives you enough details of Takuto before ALS and what happens after he gets it. The part where he says, "It's not that I don't want to die, I'm scared to live" will always make me cry buckets of tears. 

Spoiler

 

Signal (Released: 2016, Genre: Crime, Mystery, Supernatural)

My all time favorite genre is crime especially cold cases themed ones, which means that Signal tops my list of favorite dramas I recommend. In fact, it is actually the drama I recommend whenever someone ask me what Korean drama they should watch. This is partially due to preferences being subjective when it comes to romantic dramas, not everyone likes the same type of romance making them a little harder to recommend. I feel like with crime dramas, they are a little easier to recommend. Everyone wants the bad guys to be found and punished, which is the premise of crime shows. Signal is about a magical walkie talkie that allows a detective (Lee Jae Han played by Jo Jin Woong) in the year 1989 to communicate with a criminal profiler (Park Hae Young played by Lee Je Hoon) in the year 2015. Together, they help each other solve the cases that have run cold. The pacing, how seamlessly the two years blended together, the grunginess style of how the drama was filmed, the acting, and everything about this drama, I just loved. I also really enjoyed that the cold cases in the drama are based of real life crime cases. 

Spoiler

 

 

Itaewon Class (Released: 2020, Genre: Coming of Age)

I tell myself that I dislike coming of age dramas, but I find myself watching them time and time again. I don't know what's wrong with me?! Haha! Itaewon Class is a coming of age drama starring Park Seo Jun as Park Sae Ro Yi. He has always tried to live a honest life without any regrets. He goes through a dramatic transformation when his dad died in a hit-and-run accident. Park Sae Ro Yi is full of determination to climb to the top of the food corporate world, to beat the person that marginalized his dad's death. The drama has an underdog feel to it and it makes you cheer on Park Sae Ro Yi in his quest to be the best. There were some parts of Itaewon Class that I did not enjoyed, but overall, I really had a fun time watching it and I think others will too. I loved that Park Sae Ro Yi's team (who helped him along the way) was full of people just like him -- the misunderstood, the people that society often overlooked. 

Spoiler

 

 

[bai]

Here we go..~

 

 

 

DRAMAS BRING US TOGETHER FOR THE HAPPINESS, SORROW, HEALTHY, SICK..

WHAT A VOW?!

Fact is, once you dive in, it is addictive and good reason for entertainment hours, especially when I can find right community to talk it and find some new analysis, perspective, or just simply squealing together. It's like you have watch buddy and also can learn so much from it. I'm kinda surprised how dramas can bring us up to some point, so exciting!✨

 

 

My top 5 recommendations that I watched by far..

(oh this is hard. I even haven't watched many dramas yet but I can feel why too omg there is so much various theme that come up great)

1. R e p l y  1 9 8 8

Maybe not that perfect show, but goosebumps for the concept. Their 80s editing + the act directing awe me. The way how Reply 1988 offers a very humane feels that somehow reminds me a lot this creature can be so amazing with the kindness can bond. Family, friendship, to love. So rewatchable when you want something warm but legendary.

2. S i g n a l

Crime fantasy drama that just...🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

3. I t a e w o n  C l a s s

Surprised myself to like business drama based revenge this much. But it hits me up in many ways. It can feels a bit draggy but there are much greater reason to keep up, for example the idea that IC offers is idealist with some balance. There is romance, but they did it after the business things, so on the priority side is really makes sense here. Love it.

4. I t ' s  O k a y  T h a t  I t ' s  L o v e

Psychology theme drama that I adore so much. Crazy how can we didn't really know about our closest person (and believe it or not, it is really possible).. The communications between OTP is worth to watch.

5. S a v e  M e

One of a kind drama theme that crazy but brilliant. Not rewatchable but highly chance it will left you with remarkable feels.

 

We are already here???! Can I mentions some honorable like Incomplete Life (Misaeng), Mr. Sunshine, Prison Playbook, Circle: Two Worlds Connected, Stove League, My Mister, When The Camellia Blooms, Healer.. Etc etc lol

 

 

Love to read top 5 of yours too, peeps!

Please write it up here, who knows I find my another awe moments of drama from those lists right~

looking forward to it.

 

[bluepebbles]

Having a hard time filtering here is my list —

KDRAMAS

 

The Fiery Priest

Life Of Mars

Six Flying Dragons

Flower of Evil

A Piece of Your Mind

 

 

 

C-DRAMAS

Nirvana in Fire

Nirvana in Fire 2

When a Snail Falls in Love

Love me if You Dare

Battle of Changsha

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[abs-oluteM]

@bluepebbles when  i see your list I wanna add summore - Fiery Priest, Hyena, Tunnel 

[Lynne]

I'm glad there's no time period we have to choose from... LOL 

I'll choose the ones that I keep re watching the OST every now and then...

 

- Pinnochio

- Monstar 

- Ashes of Love

- Autumn in my heart... 

- Go Ahead (More Recent)

[SnowBlob]

@bluepebbles I thought we can only choose 5  hahahaha

[mademoiselle]

It's hard to choose a top 5 which I'd recommend to just about anyone since everyone has different taste. Therefore the list would change depending on who the person is; however, I'd not hesitate to sell the first top 3 to anyone with utmost confidence of their quality.

 

1. Nodame Cantabile (2007 - 2010)

 

The production team of Nodame Cantabile literally brought the manga characters to life in this drama. Sure they've to make some modifications but I have so much respect with the amount of details they put into this live action. The show was so unique, quirky, funny, colourful and entertaining. And did I mention it introduces us to the world of beautiful classical music? 

 

2. Reply 1988 (2015)

 

Unlike its predecessors Reply 97 and 94 which focused on friendships and romance, Reply 88 encompassed not just friendships between the Ssamungdong kiddos, the parents but also on family. Love the humour. Love the friendships/family relationships. Love the Ssamungdong families. Love the coverage of the history of that timeline. The 80s settings was sooo interesting and nostalgic.

 

Reply 1988 is just L♥VE.

 

3. Signal (2016)

 

Is there anyone that doesn't like Signal? An impressive crime fantasy thriller that was really well-made and presented through 3 fantastic actors. Even more interesting is that the crime cases are adaptation from real crimes from South Korea.

 

Refer to Tofu's post for more details

 

4. Duel (2017)

 

Duel was a very underrated OCN crime suspense thriller that I wish more people are aware of it. The drama explore the idea of human cloning and the ethical reason of why this area should never be explored via the leading actors. Duel is a personal favourite because of the (1) suspense (2) the bromance and (3) outstanding performance from a rookie actor who plays 3-4 separate roles.

 

5. Misaeng (2014) / City Hunter (2011)

 

Similar to Signal, I believe Misaeng is also a drama that should not be missed. A drama that once top the TV ratings when aired due to its relatability to the office workers. Misaeng was about the daily lives of office workers in a company and I had never thought this kind of story can even be thrilling and interesting to watch for almost every single episode. BUT, it is! However it may not be everyone's cuppa as the story can be quite heavy (yet rewarding at the end).

 

I therefore also included City Hunter, purely because it's an easier watch - an action/romance/vigilnte (Batman) sort of genre. Dad definitely loved it. Plus City Hunter is a show that's never going to get old as the topic covered is/will forever be "current affairs" as long as there's politicians. My favourite quote of City Hunter comes from Yoon Sung's conversation with the President about their own version of "Dae-Yi".

 

City Hunter: “Because of faith. The faith that citizens have that the politicians they elect will act in good conscience. The faith that soldiers who enlist to protect their country have that their country will protect them. The faith that universities will turn out talented people, for the sake of our next generation. The faith that businesses will both suffer with and grow alongside their workers. And the faith of twenty-one men who were promised by their country to be met off the shores of Nampo. Protecting that faith is my cause.”

Edited November 28, 2020 by mademoiselle

[NiteWalker]

On 11/24/2020 at 11:27 PM, abs-oluteM said:

@bluepebbles when  i see your list I wanna add summore - Fiery Priest, Hyena, Tunnel 

 

i think we all have more than 5....

 

i was warn by @stroppyse to reduce my list hahahahah

 

[stroppyse]

33 minutes ago, NiteWalker said:

 

i think we all have more than 5....

 

i was warn by @stroppyse to reduce my list hahahahah

 

 

Not so much warning. Just asking. Thank you!

Asked @bluepebbles, too, but she's just better at ignoring me.

[NiteWalker]

11 minutes ago, stroppyse said:

 

Not so much warning. Just asking. Thank you! Asked @bluepebbles, too, but she's just better at ignoring me.

 

**ahem** okie okie....asking...

 

[Tofu]

2 hours ago, NiteWalker said:

i think we all have more than 5....

I still have two available on my list, you can add to it with yours. 

[Unnie0110]

My TOP 5 K-DRAMAS OF ALL TIME

 

1. All about Eve

2. Reply 1988

3. Princess Hours

4. Moon embracing the Sun

5. I hear your voice

 

Japanese Dramas

1. Hana Yori Dango

2. Nodame Cantabile

3. Proposu Daisakusen

4. Rikuoh

5. Mare/Asa ga Kita

 

Taiwanese/Chinese Dramas

1. Meteor Garden

2. Down with Love

3. A little thing called first love

4. Playful Kiss

5. Hana Kimi

 

 

[Tofu]

@Unnie0110 - I love that Hana Yori Dango made it to your list for favorite Japanese and Chinese dramas but not for your top favorite Korean dramas. Hahaha! I do agreed that the Japanese and Chinese versions are superior to the Korean version.  

 

Also, YES to Proposal Daisakusen and Down With Love! I loved these two too. 

[Unnie0110]

Hello @Tofu! I love the Japanese Hana Yori Dango, it's my number 1 version among the many because I was not irritated with Makino in this haha the other "makinos" were frustrating haha sorry;)

 

 

[HerManyShows]

Super hard to pick just 5.  

 

Enjoying everyone's responses, they are all so varied.  And find myself reminiscing about what I was doing when I was watching the drama listed below, who recommended them to me...

 

1 - Story of Yanxi Palace - after a friend telling me about the show for months, an English subbed version became available and watched most of it while recovering from illness.

2 - Ashes of Love - give me a demon realm, mortal realm, heaven realm story any day of the week please.  This one's got some serious filler problems, but the chemistry of OTP and Deng Lun in particular keep me coming back for rewatches.  

3 - Fight My Way - Love the humor and story and Taekwondo ready Park So Joon ain't bad either, a t-shirt and track pants never looked so good on anyone.

4 - Crash Landing On You - Wasn't going to watch this one, it just didn't appeal to me.  But EVERYONE seemed to be recommending it, so set some time aside on a plane trip (my last trip before quarantine) and after second episode, I was watching every BinJin video on Youtube.  And it was something family members used as a distraction during the early days of quarantine, so it will always mean a lot to me for helping out in a difficult time.

5 - Qing Qing Zi Jin - I watch a lot of silly shows.  Sweet and fluffy has been important to me during COVID or maybe Royal Nirvana really wrecked me and I'm not ready to go back to serious stuff yet. This is a favorite and don't think enough people know about it, so mention it whenever possible.  Main OTP is super cute with great chemistry and any show that has an execution platform marriage proposal and wedding is a 10 out of 10 in my book.  

[stroppyse]

@HerManyShows, I loved 'Fight My Way', even if it didn't make it into my top 5 this time. I have to say that my top 5 floats around a lot depending on my mood. Liked CLOY until the action moved to Seoul.

 

But, what I really like about your post is how you relate them to what else was going on in your life and how that gives them extra meaning! Thank you so much!

 

Also, I don't watch a lot of C-Dramas, but I'm always on the lookout for cute and light without a lot of angst, so I'm going to check out Qing Qing Zi Jin. You make it sound like a lot of fun. So, thank you for that as well!

[40somethingahjumma]

Not in any particular order really... (5 is an impossibly small number)

 

1. Nirvana in Fire 1 -- The Count of Monte Cristo travels back in time and lands up in Ancient China.  He plots and his schemes with the help of friends to get justice for himself, dad and a whole lot of maligned dead soldiers. Brilliant masterpiece -- possibly the gold standard in C dramas. 

 

2. Life on Mars -- Jung Kyung Ho gets run over and travels back to the late 1980s and shakes things up at the local law enforcement agency. So what's going on with him? He's hearing voices and people from telly are talking to him... is he going completely off his rocker? A fantastic adaptation of the original BBC series.

 

3. Firefly -- Possibly Yours Truly's favourite sci-fi drama of all time. Humorous, heartwarming and inventive. The brain child of Joss Whedon and Tim Minear sadly cut short due to poor ratings at the time. Set in some dystopian future where people curse and swear in bad, tone deaf Chinese in terraformed planets. It's the Wild Wild West meets Han Solo. Brilliant concept that could have gone to all kinds of places. Followed up by the movie Serenity.

 

4. Prison Playbook -- As near a perfect K drama as one will ever get. Laughed and cried. Laughed and cried. Wonderful use of an ensemble cast about a baseball star who ends up in jail for a year. He makes new friends and touches the lives of different ones in his new environment.

 

5. Chuck -- The first four seasons in particular. Nerdy tech boy gets recruited by the CIA and he falls for his beautiful handler. A bit of a spoof of the espionage genre. There's even the odd James Bond reference now and again. Hilarious doesn't even begin to describe it. Features the wonderful Zachary Levi and Adam Baldwin.

 

[JenL]

Hmmm, I feel like my list will be fairly recent dramas because of the fact that series always replace other series as I watch....and I have short term memory!  

 

But also only 5 allowed and I thought I wouldn't overlap too much with some of the more mentioned dramas and offer some variety.

 

Top 5 dramas in no particular order (Mix of K-Drama & Taiwanese Dramas)

 

1. Kingdom - (Korean drama, 2019) I hate horror as a genre, but I have a reaaaaal soft spot for zombie films, particularly Korean zombie films. This was one of those dramas where everything was so sharp and on point every step of the way. I won't describe the plot as @SnowBlob has done it above....So I'll just talk about why I love it - The pacing was fast, but steady, characters were interesting, had their own strengths, flaws and development and the plot was interesting and was a good study of: human behaviour during times of crisis and corruption in power.

 

2. Someday or One Day - (Taiwanese drama, 2019) This is a  time-travel, body swapping, nostalgia romance drama. At first the idea sounded strange. But I watched it and loved it so very much because of how reflective and poignant the story was. A woman who is grieving over her boyfriend who passed away a few years ago finds a picture of him and her online....except the girl is not her! She goes to investigate who her doppelganger is and it leads her to a different time. The drama won for Best Drama, Scriptwriting, Production and Best Actress at the Golden Bell Awards this year and has been a hit in Taiwan, Japan and Korea. It's only 13 episodes long, but the story is pretty well woven together, the leads had great chemistry and the acting is pretty good as both actors had to play 2 different characters at several different life stages and their acting was nuanced enough for you to differentiate the characters. There's also something charming about the way they portrayed Taiwan in the 1990's. 

 

3. Weight Lifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo- (Korean drama, 2016) This is a rom-com sports drama. I don't normally love sports dramas, but this one was fun. I think it was light-hearted and had great humour, but also looked at issues like depression, feeling lost with your life choices, family issues. The pacing was so point with this series - issues arose but were resolved relatively quickly and logically. The romance was also pretty damn cute (haha, might have been because the leads were actually in love at the time though!)...But also the side characters were all super likeable! 

 

4. Yong Jiu Grocery Store - (Taiwanese drama, 2019) A slice-of-life, small community/ family drama. When I read the plot, I didn't think it sounded interesting...but I was so wrong. The story is about a man who quit his job in the city after his grandfather falls ill to look after his little grocery shop in a rural village, but it's more than that...it really looks at the lives of all the villagers and how they support each other. At only 10 episodes, the story has no drag and weaves seamlessly in and out of different timelines and character's lives giving you a complete picture of how important community really is. 

 

5. Age of Youth/ Hello My Twenties - (Korean drama, 2016) A slice-of-life, housemate drama. It's kind of weird because I thought I'd put down something else....but I feel like this one left a deep impression on me and I recommend it in passing a lot. I think I like dramas where there's a strong sense of community, but this one was fun because it was realistic - the characters don't immediately like each other. They have to learn to get along and it was nostalgic following that journey of bonding with housemates. I found the characters to be flawed but likeable and the story to have the sense of coming-of-age, discovering-yourself feeling that I like.

 

* Just realised that I start off by saying for each one that I didn't think I'd like them...so maybe a drama has to surprise me for it to be on my favourites list 

Edited November 29, 2020 by JenL