Reflections on 2020 - Dramas, Dramas, Dramas

[Maya]

22 hours ago, Tofu said:

1. Who was an actor/actress you discovered this year that blew you away?

2. Who was the most memorable character you watched this year? 

3. What drama did not meet your expectations? 

4. Was there a drama that did not have a big following but you thoroughly enjoyed it? 

5. Was 2020 a good year in drama land? 

 

My completed list is very short really, can be counted in five fingers, as I only started to watch dramas this time of the year last year. I hope to complete more in the coming year.

 

1. For actor, Mark Chao. Actress would be Li Qin.

2. Dong Hua and Bai Feng Jiu. Si Ming with his beautiful speaking voice. And the arms dealer in Princess Agents. 

3. Princess Agents. It's not just the ending, but there are way too many fillers. Going by the novel it's based from, it could have been finished in 60-70 eps, and not have a half ending.

4. Eternal Love of Dream was bashed so much in the initial episodes, but it redeemed itself -  the web drama is Tencent's top grosser, it was broadcasted in other countries, and has won multiple awards.

5. Yes, it was a good year, because people were mostly indoors at home and have time to watch different drama genres.

 

Edited December 30, 2020 by MayanEcho

[mademoiselle]

Since most members have posted their list, here are some questions that I'm curious about for everyone:

 

1. Who was an actor/actress you discovered this year that blew you away?

 

 

• Lee Do Hyun (I didn't discover him this year but he impresses with a breakthrough performance in 18 Again and continued to do so in Sweet Home.)

• Seo Ye Ji (Also didn't discover her this year but again, she was amazing in It's Okay Not to Be Okay).

 

2. Who was the most memorable character you watched this year?

 

• Han Ji Pyeong (Start-Up), kind of difficult to forget with what's been going on and it all because it is Kim Seon Ho. Let's make waves 🌊

 

 

• Chae Song Ah & Park Joon Young (Do You Like Brahms?) - it's been a while I meet an on-screen couple that was able to flutter my heart with just their happy dimpled smiles; with a hand-holding; with a BOBO... with their shyness. It's also been a while as an individual character that faces hardships, pulled through and had so much growth by the end of the finale. A drama with an above & beyond satisfactory ending.

 

3. What drama did not meet your expectations? 

• Alice
• Hospital Playlist
• Secret Forest 2
• The School Nurse Flies

 

4. Was there a drama that did not have a big following but you thoroughly enjoyed it? 

• 18 Again
• Do You Like Brahms?

 

5. Was 2020 a good year in drama land? 

• Pretty good albeit the world/South Korea was challenged with COVID-19 and so many times the dramas had to be postponed. Actually, it's too good that I've gotten exhausted following over 9 dramas in one go. Ha-ha.

Edited December 31, 2020 by mademoiselle

[SilverMoonTea]

Since most members have posted their list, here are some questions that I'm curious about for everyone:

 

1. Who was an actor/actress you discovered this year that blew you away?

 

2. Who was the most memorable character you watched this year? 

Asaba Takumi - tsundere rule the world as per @jeijeisaid 😂 But I think its also because the OTP pair is lovely and their visual on another level for me. 

 

3. What drama did not meet your expectations? 

Secret Forest, CLOY, Find Me Your Memory, Brahms, Do Do Sol La La Sol, Meow and many more... I'm out of breath! Haha.... 

 

4. Was there a drama that did not have a big following but you thoroughly enjoyed it? 

All dramas that I love is mostly in this category. You often will find me talking alone in the thread 😂 

 

5. Was 2020 a good year in drama land? 

Not really, many Kdrama didn't satisfied me this year. I need to make a mental note next year to check J or C foreign land for a changes. 

 

[Jane]

 

1. Who was an actor/actress you discovered this year that blew you away?

Shin Hyunbeen, Kim Seonho, Jeon Mido, Seo Yeji. This is definitely the year that I learned so many more actors' and actress' names. Haha!

 

2. Who was the most memorable character you watched this year? 

Han Ji Pyeong!

 

3. What drama did not meet your expectations? 

More Than Friends, Was It Love.

 

4. Was there a drama that did not have a big following but you thoroughly enjoyed it? 

Do You Like Brahms? I don't think it had a small following in JH but online and compared to the other dramas I watched, this was the smallest.

 

5. Was 2020 a good year in drama land? 

Personally for me, it was great! But I haven't watched as many as some of you so my standards are quite low. I was impressed with the wider range of stories and characters. Also I am amazed that production was able to keep on going for most of the year. Situation doesn't look as good so fingers crossed!

[jeijei]

 

1. Who was an actor/actress you discovered this year that blew you away?

Hwang In Yeop - snatched my wig; Ryan Ding 

 

2. Who was the most memorable character you watched this year? 

Ki Seo Gyeom and my Dong Jae

 

3. What drama did not meet your expectations? 

Meow, Secret Forest 2 

 

4. Was there a drama that did not have a big following but you thoroughly enjoyed it? 

Yes, XX 

 

5. Was 2020 a good year in drama land? 

Nope. Only a handful of notable ones, others started good then crashed hard. 

 

Edited December 30, 2020 by jeijei

[Tofu]

@bluepebbles - Woo Do Hwan in My Country was my favorite character he's played. I think playing Seon Ho was a shining moment for him. Whenever I see Alice, I feel so bad for everyone. I remembered all reading all the comments about it. Maybe Joo Won will have a better project soon? 

@MayanEcho - Mark Chao's name has come up quite a bit for me now. Everyone has been recommending his dramas. I didn't even know he started doing them again because he hadn't done one in so long! I'll have to watch all the ones that's come out. 

@mademoiselle - 18 Again is still on my list of dramas to watch. There's so many that's been recommended to me that I feel that list of mine just keeps getting longer and longer. 

@SilverMoonTea - Umm...what drama did you watch from beginning to end in 2020? 

@Jane - More Than Friends...sigh. 

@jeijei - I agreed that Ki Seon Gyeom is lining up to be a very memorable character. He's so deadpan sometimes, I love it!

 

 

Here are mine! =)

1. Who was an actor/actress you discovered this year that blew you away?

Chen Zhe Yuan and Zhao Lu Si. They are both young, but are truly great actors especially Chen Zhe Yuan. I really enjoyed watching all the projects I saw them in and I can't wait to see more! (gif credit)

 

2. Who was the most memorable character you watched this year? 

There were a lot of memorable characters this year (like Ko Moon Young) so I'm going to go with the one that made me laugh the most, which was Xiao Yu'er from Handsome Siblings. I watched some of his scenes over again a few times because they were so funny. (gif credit)

 

3. What drama did not meet your expectations? 

More Than Friends. I wished I had more words for this, but I don't. The second would be Record of Youth. This drama started off pretty strong and had so much potential but halfway through, it just lost its spark. 

 

4. Was there a drama that did not have a big following but you thoroughly enjoyed it? 

Mystic Pop-Up Bar. I hope to live a meaningful life doing good things so I do not become an insect in my next life. I need to get at least a B in this life because I can settle for a chicken in my next life. (gif credit)

 

5. Was 2020 a good year in drama land? 

Considering that we're in a pandemic, I think it was a pretty good year for dramas. I definitely discovered a few gems that I've re-watched already. 

 

Tagging some of the members that's answered the first prompt to let us know about their favorite discovery this year too. @abs-oluteM @NiteWalker @stroppyse @LaLa @JenL @40somethingahjumma @SnowBlob @ktcjdrama @Chocolate 

 

[stroppyse]

Thanks for the tag @Tofu.

 

1. Who was an actor/actress you discovered this year that blew you away?

 

It wasn’t really a case of discovering actors as it was gaining some new respect for actors who I hadn’t really had time for before. So, my two picks are Son Ye Ji and Go Ara.

I had always thought of Son Ye Ji as a good actress, however, with the exception of Save Me, her projects were a bit lackluster, and even with Save Me, SYJ wasn’t the reason that I kept watching that drama. In It’s Okay To Not Be Okay, however, I felt that she really came into her own, making Go Moon Young a complex, multi-dimensional character who was absorbing to watch. She had loads of chemistry with both of her co-stars, and really anchored the drama even as her character anchored both of the brothers in the drama.

I didn’t really think much of Go Ara as an actress previously. It’s telling that her season in the Answer Me series was my least favorite, and her other dramas were either not memorable or cringe-inducing. However, she did 2 roles in 2020 that caused me to pay attention to her and actually enjoy her performances. The first was her cameo in Hospital Playlist. It was well done and her character came across as both approachable and aware of the neuroses of being a star in K-ent land. As expected, her character was also likable and the actress came across as having a good sense of humor.

It was really her role in Do Do La La Sol Sol La, however, that really caused me to want to watch her, both in this drama and probably in her next drama. She embraced her character with such gusto without any of the awkwardness in her previous roles. I’m not sure if this was a fortunate happenstance where she clicked with the role of La La, or whether she’s becoming more comfortable as an actress, but I thought that she handled all aspects of the role well, including the comedy as well as the more emotional scenes.

 

2. Who was the most memorable character you watched this year? 
Ki Seon Gyeom in Uncanny Counter
Go Moon Young in It's Okay To Not Be Okay

3. What drama did not meet your expectations? 
Record of Youth. I really, really, really wanted to like it.
Crash Landing on You. I totally crush on Hyun Bin, but the set up of this drama had problems including the idyllic portrayal of NK life, plus it actually lost steam as the setting change to SK.

 

4. Was there a drama that did not have a big following but you thoroughly enjoyed it? 
When My Love Blooms - Loved this drama so much!
Mystic Pop Up Bar - Ditto to what @Tofusaid about it.

The Good Detective - I watched this one recently based on @40somethingahjumma's review and thoroughly enjoyed it. So, thank you @40somethingahjumma!

5. Was 2020 a good year in drama land? 
Given the pandemic, yes. Compared to other years, maybe not so much. Having said that, because of the pandemic, I feel that I watched more kdrama in a year than in any other year.

[NiteWalker]

1. Who was an actor/actress you discovered this year that blew you away?

 

Me is Tan SongYun, she blew me away with Li JianJian from Go Ahead, she made me believe that she is 16 years old again despite her real age of being 30s, her chemistry with the whole cast is too awesome for me to miss....

 

she had never fail to amaze me, and her chemistry with Ren JiaLun had me thoroughly enjoy Under the Power too

 

Another one will be Zhang ZheHan, despite being pair up again with Ju JingYi in Ruyi Pavilion, he managed to bring out another sides of himself in the drama that had us enjoy it all over again

 

Also ChenYao in Maiden Holmes, totally love the way she analyze things and how she portray her characters in the drama....together with the newbiew - Zhang LingHe who star as her partner in the drama, he is another gem that I discover in this unexpected short falling drama

 

2. Who was the most memorable character you watched this year? 

Zhang ZheHan as the PrinceQin

Tan SongYun as Li JianJian in Go Ahead and JinXia in Under the Power

Ren JiaLun as LuYi in Under the Power

Zhang LingHe as Prince Pei in Maiden Holmes

ChenYao as a Constable in Maiden Holmes

 

3. What drama did not meet your expectations? 

 

4. Was there a drama that did not have a big following but you thoroughly enjoyed it?

 

5. Was 2020 a good year in drama land? 

ahahaha i have to agree with what @stroppyse said

[abs-oluteM]

Ooo thanks for the tag @Tofu

1. Who was an actor/actress you discovered this year that blew you away?

These are brand new discoveries . Because I watched a record number of dramas , I also discovered many actors some veterans , some new faces but these truly stood out:

k-drama : Lee Do Hyun in 18 Again
c-drama: LinGengxin in To Love

2. Who was the most memorable character you watched this year? 

k-drama : 

18 Again - Lee Do Hyun playing an almost 40 year old father trapped in the body of an 18year old . LDH is the actor to watch.
Hyena - Kim Hye Soo playing Jung Geum Ja , the most unapologetic in your face lawyer who had sizzling chemistry with Ju Ji Hoon (despite their 11 years difference) . I approve this noona romance and bad fashion

Hospital Playlist - Dr Jang - I have never seen so much heated & polarizing discussions about a secondary character & rooted as much for a drama ship as I did for Winter Garden.

C-drama - To Love: LinGengXin played an undercover cop with a lot of secrets to hide. I had doubts throughout the drama about his true personality & motives. So good

The Blooms of Ruyi Pavilion - Zhang Zhe Han really up his acting game here

3. What drama did not meet your expectations? 

 Awaken - don't ask me why I am still watching . I was rather hyped up for the drama because of Nam Goong Min

Secret Forest 2 - it is not a bad drama by all accounts but I think it lacked the suspense of Season 1

Start-Up - cries...my poor JiPyeong heart

4. Was there a drama that did not have a big following but you thoroughly enjoyed it? 

Oh so many ...but top of the list (taking into account rlelatively low domestic ratings and small international following)

k drama - 18 Again! , When My Love Blooms, Oh My Baby, Run On ( still ongoing- quite underrated domestically & internationally.)

c-drama - To Love ( if not for the lack of subs this drama would be a hit online)

5. Was 2020 a good year in drama land? 

Yes. I enjoyed many dramas & wrote countless comments . Lol! But I think given this crazy year, I appreciate how difficult it was to film- so hats off to all the cast & crew. 

 

@movingwheel @UnniSara @Unnie0110 @Darkarcana @Lynne @cherrhys88 @Just_Me @eNDe @Celebrianna @liddi @gilaswan @HerManyShows @Yana @im0202 @kimberlyamor @Tothestars @JeannieBean  @bairama  come share your thoughts

 

 

[40somethingahjumma]

On 12/29/2020 at 4:48 PM, Tofu said:

 

1. Who was an actor/actress you discovered this year that blew you away?

2. Who was the most memorable character you watched this year? 

3. What drama did not meet your expectations? 

4. Was there a drama that did not have a big following but you thoroughly enjoyed it? 

5. Was 2020 a good year in drama land? 

 

 

1. The first one that really impressed me was Toby Lee who played the male lead in Miss Truth (a C drama). I'd never seen in him anything previously but he had the ability to flesh out the character and convey nuanced emotions even when there was no dialogue. One knew exactly what he was thinking in a given scene. The second was Chen Zheyuan from Handsome Siblings (see @Tofu's post). That kid is a rising star. I've seen him give a fairly lengthy speech (something like a TED talk) and was super impressed by his confidence. From Kdramaland it was Kim Seon-ho. I had liked him in Two Cops but yeah, the camera (or the director) adores this guy. He is a highly accomplished actor and incredibly charismatic. He often reminds me of all my favourite British actors and I think it's his theatre background that makes him just too good to be playing second fiddle to younger up and coming actors. The other one that's a bit of a standout has been Jo Byung-gyu from Hot Stove League and The Uncanny Counter. He's really one to watch. 

 

2. One of them would have to be Lin Gengxin's Yan Jin from the C drama, To Love. He's not your typical male lead. Talkative, glib, charming, smart and extroverted. His pairing with Cass Gai was casting magic. Their chemistry is one of the best I've ever seen. Another would be the Christian guy from Sweet Home, Jae-hun. He was a really lovely character with an unexpected skill set. Like many, I also thought that Son Ye-ji's Ko Mun-young was a groundbreaking female lead character.

 

3. Number 1 would have to be Alice, sadly. It started so well. I still don't know what happened after the half way mark. What a colossal waste of a good premise. Not far behind is Awaken. Again, lots of good ideas but the script isn't strong enough to pull them all together coherently. Start-up was a minor disappointment because I think I was expecting the show to be something else but the first episode didn't impress.  It felt like they were setting up a melodrama and that's not what I was expecting in a show about tech entrepreneurs. Forest... well, another example of wasted potential. Great cinematography, competent cast but the script was uneven and ludicrous. It's a similar kind of problem to Awaken. You have to wonder what they were smoking or drinking when the script was being cobbled together.

 

4. Lots of them including Mystic Pop-up Bar and The Good Detective. Just about all the OCN dramas that came out this year. Not to mention a handful of China produced detective dramas. The Light-on series on iQiyi has very good offerings. Some of you here might like The Kidnapping Game and/or Bad Kids.

 

5. I thought it was. Maybe because I had more time to go hunting for good ones. To me the best shows this year were the ones not hyped on drama platforms or social media. They tended more to be sleeper hits or ones that aren't helmed by A list actors. It's probably more the case in C dramaland but I find that the shows with the better scripts are the ones that aren't highly anticipated.

 

Oooh... by the way... Like a Flowing River S2 is out. If you like the thought of nerdy Wang Kai, you should check out S1. It's a historical gem which focuses on the post-Mao period, when Deng Xiaoping and the Pragmatists took over and tried to reform the mainland.

 

 

 

Edited December 31, 2020 by 40somethingahjumma

[JenL]

Thanks for setting up these great questions @Tofu!

 

1. Who was an actor/actress you discovered this year that blew you away?

Well, this one will be fairly obvious if you follow me on Twitter or if you know which threads I post on...

 

K-drama actor - Lee Jae Wook 

It's weird to think I only watched Extraordinary You like 6 months ago? Time has been really distorted this year! Aaaanyway, I'm going to say he's my fave new actor for this year because I really see him being an up and coming star. He has a good naturalness to his acting and his strength is making his characters believable through getting all the minor nuances right - tones of voice, subtle expressions etc. I like that when he plays a character, he said he's a spokesperson for that character and wants to express their thoughts and feelings correctly. I've only really seen him in romances this year, which is lovely, but would be interested in seeing him branch out as he continues acting. 

 

K-drama actor - Oh Jung se 

This one maybe less obvious (since it's not like with LJW where I think he's a good actor, but am also a little too charmed by his charisma). I'm pretty sure I've seen him in movies before as I've seen things like Extreme Job and Swing Kids which he's apparently in? But just never noticed his existence continuously until this year. His role as the complicated baddie pulling all the plugs on the Dreams baseball team in Hot Stove League but also his very believable portrayal of the autistic brother Moon Sang-tae in It's Ok to Not Be Ok made me think damn, if I was an actor, I'd want to have this level of versatility and be this good.

 

TW-Drama actor - Greg Hsu 

I was shocked to discover that this was his first lead role despite being in the industry for like 10 years?? He'd always played a side character before this...so not even really second lead?? His role in Someday or One Day required him to play 2 characters at several different points of their lives and he did really really well in portraying all those characters in a fairly complicated story. Although he didn't do a second drama this year, he released an album and therefore a music video with a story (his character is in love with his friend's wife) and even though it's not a lot of dialogue and mostly expression, I feel like you could really understand the situation from his acting there too. I feel like he's a force to be reckoned with if he picks some good projects next year (I also feel like he's going to be swallowed into the Mainland acting industry too because they loooove him!)

 

Other actors or actresses I've come to really love and look forward to seeing again: Simon Lian, Jo Byung Gyu, Kim Se Jeong, Kim Seon Ho

 

2. Who was the most memorable character you watched this year?

 

Han Ji-Pyeong from Start Up 

Haha, what is 2020 if not the year we were introduced to the tragic Han Ji-Pyeong?

 

Goo Lala from Dodosolsollalasol  

I initially thought I'd dislike her, but she was so heart-warming with a natural quirkiness! Also the Cher from Clueless vibes.

 

3. What drama did not meet your expectations?

 

K-drama: Abyss 

Was sad that Park Bo Young's last drama was a train wreck. Literally so many things did not make sense. Didn't like the inclusion of random grim reapers either when they didn't appear again in the story. It was a waste of her good chemistry with Ahn Hyo-seop. 

 

K-drama: It's Ok to Not Be Ok 

This one is complicated - I definitely do like a lot of things about it, but I think I had high expectations for drama, so if you're asking if this met my expectations, I would say no. There was lots of good things about the story - it explored mental health issues, it was Kim Soo-hyun's great return project, Oh Jun Se's  and Seo Ye-ji's acting was amazing, it gave Seo Ye-ji such a step up. But I did feel at times that the mental health issues were a little too sensationalised, but also a little too neatly resolved at the same time that I found it a bit hard to suspend belief. While Ko Moon Young was an interesting character (and one well loved by a lot of people), I did feel like I found all the female characters to be painted more 'flawed' than male characters, which took a bit away from it.

 

TW-drama: Falling into You 

I was expecting a drama with Puff Kuo after Before We Get Married to have some quality and not fall back into old 2000's slapstick Taiwanese dramas...but that's what it did. It's a bit sad because she's done very few projects of late and I was looking forward to seeing her take on a very tomboy role, so it would have been fun....but the cringe level was too great.

 

TW-drama: Lost Romance 

Another complicated one - I really liked the second lead and the drama actually had some interesting ideas, but I found the first leads to be irritating on a few levels which is a shame because I'd been looking for a Vivian and Marcus project for years...but their characters just annoyed me so much. Perhaps this is how people felt about Start Up. Also the last 4 episodes were soooo draggy.

 

Then there's stuff like The Ghost Bride and More Than Friends and Lovestruck in the City which I tried and didn't care for, but also didn't have expectations for 

 

4. Was there a drama that did not have a big following but you thoroughly enjoyed it?

 

Dodosolsollalasol 

This drama was so lovely in so many respects. I do admit to being totally into the main pairing because they were very cute...but more than that, it was a drama about how the little things in life are healing - community, good food, friendships, gardening, pets, music and love. But it did also have a writer that decided on a very stressful final arc and ending for the main couple, so the fan base for basically got quartered during the run of the show due to various twists and turns...but we somehow managed to bring all the fans who really liked the show to Janghaven which is how we've managed to talk about it for awhile yet  

 

18 Again 

I'm surprised this one didn't get a bigger following given how good Lee Do Hyun was in his role! I suspect it was the age difference/ lack of younger female actress. But I did find this drama to be very heart-warming. And it was a story that looked at the perspective of all the different characters, not just the main character. It also had a very satisfying ending :)

 

5. Was 2020 a good year in drama land? 

For K-dramas, it's a bit hard to say as I wasn't so involved in K-drama land in the past year - I think I only really watched the big projects like What's Wrong with Secretary Kim?, Hotel Del Luna, Her Private Life etc. So I wouldn't be able to judge for the K-dramas, except to say I watched a lot of things this year and really enjoyed most things I saw! For TW dramas, I will say this year and last year have been some of the best drama years I've seen. The script writing is getting better and there's so decent projects out there...as a whole they're also moving toward slicker projects.

 

Edited January 1, 2021 by JenL

[mademoiselle]

6 hours ago, Tofu said:

18 Again is still on my list of dramas to watch. There's so many that's been recommended to me that I feel that list of mine just keeps getting longer and longer. 

Hahahahaha how can we help to move it up your To Watch List? How about 2 more posts mentioned about it from @abs-oluteM and @JenL? Maybe I'll tag @ktcjdrama , @Alice Wonderland and @LaLa to assist too.  It'd have been nice if it was readily available on Netflix. Pray it appears miraculously on the new list next year SOON.

[eNDe]

 

@abs-oluteM Thanks for tagging me! Not sure I'm qualified to show my tiny list of dramas watched this year. Haha. 

 

But I've enjoyed reading everyone's posts listing theirs that it helped me decide to put The Good Detective into my watch list! 

 

And I certainly been grateful to have a space to share thoughts and learn more about a current drama and everything in between that I normally won't as I usually watch finished dramas. In this case, kdrama. 

 

Here's what I've watched in 2020 but not necessarily broadcasted this year: 

• Beautiful Love, Wonderful Life (2019-2020) - I watched this when it aired, not knowing I will actually follow through it, week by week till its 50th episode even though it started because of Seol In-Ah and Kim Jae-Young being the main leads. However the important heavy topics (mental health, bully and suicide) within the story got me invested into the characters to know their endings. This drama also holds a special place in me because it kept me company during a hard time in real life. It felt like a marathon to watch this and life is also a marathon so I stopped watching dramas for a while after this. Haha. 

 

• Rugal (2020) - I was anticipating to watch this from watching its trailer and the good cast however, I didn't quite enjoy as the series went on. I certainly did not like the female villain role here so I'm not sure if she was written the same way in the webtoon. 

 

• Mystic Pop-up Bar (2020) - decided to watch this because of Choi Won-Young, in a role that I can root for him instead of the bad guy roles I tend to find him in. Then it turns out to be such a wholesome drama that I love all the characters and the chemistry of all the cast, the stories and pacing...even the ending was satisfying.

 

• He is Psychometric (2019) - a surprise find, not the most memorable drama but anything with a mystery to solve and keep me going towards the final piece, is still good. 

 

• Hot Stove League (2019-2020) - My favourite sports-themed kdrama thus far. Everything about it is just absolute gem. I used to watch a lot of sports live matches for tennis and soccer, love watching sports commentary during matches etc. so to have a kdrama that go deeper into the management side of sports is so needed and refreshing to me. I also love the title! 

 

• Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol (2020) - the so-called Rom-Com that I thought I would be watching, ended up putting me on a rollercoaster ride but in a good way that the real ride never did for me. Some of its ingredients are quirky, funny, love, family, friends and even foe could turn out to be a good person in the end. Unpredictable and at the heart of this drama is the music that binds and the chemistry of the main leads that made me stay during its airing time. 

 

• Designated Survivor: 60 Days (2019) - once in a while, I will watch political drama so this was in my watch list for some time and when I finally watch it, I was hooked. So happy that I could watch it as a finished drama haha. I would vote for Acting-President Park if he runs for the next term! 

 

• Kkondae Intern (2020) - another from my watch list that I finally watch. No expectation except that I wanted to see Park Hae-Jin in a relatable character, neither good or bad but just a person who has a job or in the earlier part, wanting a job. It was a good surprise to see how well he fit into his character and I really like him in this role. This also turns out to be an enjoyable office drama combined with a small twist in the plot that I totally didn't see it coming that it was fun to watch. 

 

Still watching but also might wait till it finished to continue: The Uncanny Counter. 

 

 

On 12/29/2020 at 2:48 PM, Tofu said:

1. Who was an actor/actress you discovered this year that blew you away?

2. Who was the most memorable character you watched this year? 

3. What drama did not meet your expectations? 

4. Was there a drama that did not have a big following but you thoroughly enjoyed it? 

5. Was 2020 a good year in drama land?

 

1. Joe Byeong-Gyu in He is Psychometric. He may have played a smaller role but I always remember his performance as the best in this drama. Then while watching Hot Stove League, kept wondering this face looks familiar and realised it’s him! Finally, now seeing him in The Uncanny Counter, I feel so happy for him with his progress and choice of projects. 

 

2. Gu La La of Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol. She may seem naive, princess-like but when put to the test with life hardships, she shows her courage and strength with positivity and possibilities. She is aware of the level of her piano skills and her current situation which is a good sign of a sensible character for a female lead that may seem at first a damsel in distress. But I would add her dog Mimi as well because Mimi is damn smart and talented! Put them together, you have the perfect heart and brain of characters. 

 

3. Rugal as mentioned above on my watched list. 

 

4. Mystic Pop-up Bar! There's a lot to love with this drama, from its setting, cast and storytelling. It's like a neat packaging with its content of 12 episodes inside. 

 

5. Perhaps it is as I love what I've found to watch so far. Looking at the list from everyone's contributions, it surely is! haha. 

Edited January 1, 2021 by eNDe

[im0202]

Got tagged a couple of times, finally sharing mine! Thanks for the tag @abs-oluteM @SilverMoonTea

 

Kdramas I enjoyed from start to finish, not in any order:

Chocolate (2019/20)

Crash Landing on You (2019/20)

Hot Stove League (2019/20)

Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim 2

Kingdom S2

Hospital Playlist

Flower of Evil

Secret Forest 2

Hyena

18 Again

Sweet Home

 

Dramas I struggled to finish:

Do You Like Brahms

Start-Up

Alice

Hi Bye Mama

 

Dramas I dropped:

(no offence if you’re a fan of these dramas, but I just couldn’t get into it. Most dramas I drop after 2-3 eps)

My Holo Love

Record of Youth

IOTNBO

Itaewon Class (watched about halfway through. The OSTs were really solid though.)

TKEM

 

Now that I’ve listed them out, I really didn’t watch a lot of dramas this year. In fact, I spent a fair amount of time rewatching the ones I loved.

 

Adding on to satisfy @mademoiselle’s curiosity:

 

1. Who was an actor/actress you discovered this year that blew you away?

Lee Do Hyun (18 Again)

Jeon Mido (Hospital Playlist)

 

2. Who was the most memorable character you watched this year?

Han Ji Pyeong (Start-Up) - He gave me my worst ever Second-lead syndrome

Jung Geum-ja (Hyena) - bish pls this woman is too much of a bada**

 

3. What drama did not meet your expectations?

Alice

 

4. Was there a drama that did not have a big following but you thoroughly enjoyed it? 

CHOCOLATE (loved it except for the forced separation period at the end.)

 

5. Was 2020 a good year in drama land?

Yes indeed. We had some gems.

 

Edited December 31, 2020 by im0202

[LaLa]

@TofuThanks for tagging me. Here is my answer:

 

1. Who was an actor/actress you discovered this year that blew you away?

- Jeon Mi Do. I only knew her because of Hospital Playlist and here I am currently managing her thread in here (thanks to @bluepebbles who is the original starter). When I heard about her name for the first time, I was curious because she is new in K-drama world even though she is a veteran musical actress. I'm glad that she joined the casts of Hospital Playlist and got the role of Song Hwa. Can't wait to see her in season 2 and her future projects. (For those who likes her too, I welcome you to join me at her thread in Havenites Shrines  *poke @Jane and @im0202 who mention her as their answer for number 1)

 

- Kim Seon Ho. I have watched him at his first drama (Chief Kim) and several of his projects (Chief Kim, Strongest Deliveryman), but his role as Han Ji Pyeong is definitely a role that lead him to a big hit. He is one of the reason I can finish watching Start Up xP Looks forward for him in his next projects.

 

- Seo Ye Ji. Her acting as Go Moon Young were the best. I've heard of her name but It's Okay to Not be Okay was the drama of her that I watched. 

 

2. Who was the most memorable character you watched this year? 

- Jung Geum Ja. A one of a kind female lawyer

- Go Moon Young. Another powerful female character with complicated personality but has her own charms

- Lee Ik Joon and Han Ji Pyeong A great male character that was made as an almost perfect human, but shows that they have their own flaws and willing to admit it and grow to be better person.

 

3. What drama did not meet your expectations? 

Alice. The trailer and preview were great. First few episodes were interesting but then it started to feel weird and I dropped it.

 

4. Was there a drama that did not have a big following but you thoroughly enjoyed it? 

(How to define whether the drama have a big following or not? By the hype from both Korean and International Viewers?)

- Mystic Pop Up Bar. Postponed watching it live and binge watching this drama instead. A warm and fun drama.

- 18 Again. I'd recommend it for those who want to watch a light, comedy but meaningful drama.

- Diary of Prosecutors. It might feel boring for some but it just shows that prosecutor too are just normal human being.

 

5. Was 2020 a good year in drama land? 

To me it was. We have several good dramas in 2020.

 

[gilaswan]

13 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

 

1. Who was an actor/actress you discovered this year that blew you away?

 

2. Who was the most memorable character you watched this year? 

k-drama : 

 

3. What drama did not meet your expectations? 

 

4. Was there a drama that did not have a big following but you thoroughly enjoyed it? 

 

5. Was 2020 a good year in drama land? 

My first post of 2021 and response to this -

 

1. Kim Seon Ho, because Han Jipyeong!

2. Han Jipyeong

3. Start-up

4. Don’t think so...

5. Yeah. I reckon so. Here’s looking forward to another good one this year!

 

[Alice Wonderland]

Well.. before 2020 really over.. 

 

I will share some of 2020 dramas that I enjoyed watching from the start to the end... 

Kdramas:

 

1. Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim 2. 

Why I love this one? Simple good casting and storyline. The evil never gets what it wants no matter how hard he tries to scheme people. I think that's so fun. I enjoy every bits of the evil raging furiously for every failed scheming attempt he did. And the romance part are so lovely!! Woo-Jin and Eun Jae! And the nurse and intern doctor couple!! Their any song dance is just so amazingly cute.

 

2. Chocolate

At first dunno why I tried this but it ended up really worth watching. I like the whole series narration. It's a healing drama. And they featured us with those tasty looking foods, cake and chocolate. 

 

3. Itaewon's class

Falling for the Jo Yi Seo who has anti-social disorder, but so endearingly charming with her clever talents and honest feeling. Learning a lot through Park Sae Roy about how to keep living a good life no matter how hard your life is. Never giving up your dignity and pride. Being such a righteous is never easy. Risking your whole life to be upside down in a day but that doesn't stop you from trying to get up and start from the beginning, getting better and stronger. Plus it has lots of interesting topics of the society problem brought in to the storyline. Make it rich and meatier. 

 

3. Hospital Playlist

The band who doesn't thing that good vocal is a must. You sing for your soul not for pleasing people. The life of a doctors and their patients in a daily basis. Looking just so so but turned out to be so best in storyline ever. I think everyone is waiting for its sequel in 2021, which is just a few hours from now.

 

4. The King Eternal Monarch

Cheesy lines, heart fluttering romance, handsome guys, yeah.. kim eun suk writer nim is the best to combine this formula for every dramas she penned on. I honestly watched it for LMH at first but then the story becomes really fun and intriguing. Time travel theme with two different worlds in sync. I think this is the best work that I like from KES along with DOTS. 

 

5. Hi, Bye Mama

I think this is the best tear jerker drama I have ever watched in 2020. I thought one little of tears is the saddest one. But this one is more that that! Got tri ked by the bubbly romance of the main OTP  but end up crying from ep 1 to the end. Do you think why I let myself got tortured like this. Because it's worth watching that much. I know I would end up getting a swollen eyes every week but I kept going through all the episodes. And it ended so bittersweet. It's good. Somehow you learn that spending time with your most beloved family when they're there is the thing that really much valuable than anything in this world. 

 

6. It's Okay Not To Be Okay

A psychological disorder is quite booming near end year. After Jo Yi Seo in Itaewon's Class we have children story writer Ku Mun Young here. She's bold, a bit eccentric and beautiful. It was set in suburb OK Hospital where the caregiver nurse deals with patients with mental problems. Nice storyline and not that heavy. Many good quotes and moral messages in each episodes. 

 

7. Start-Up

I think there is a public disputes out there because of this dramas. But whatever is that, we all civil and mature. So we watch with calm here. Lols. Park Hye Ryun is one of the trusty writer in kdramaland. I like most of her works before Start-Up. I like what she writes, it always has a fresh theme for the plot even the love story is quite uniform. I like the spirit of the young entepreneurs that she transfers through her characters here. Witnessing their journey from nothing to be something, from amateur to be professional. It's just really good feeling. I feel like entering their world, celebrating their fruity work after all those hardships. 

 

8. 18 Again

I am glad that there is a drama that talking about divorce and marriage life with kind of eccentric plot, is it the right word. Err.. well.. what I mean is it is good and unique. Haha

Loving each episodes of this and it ended so well. Getting a second chance and trying to put everything back in its rightful places. I think this drama gives you something on point, seeing in different perspectives helps us to minimize some unnecessary misunderstandings. Growing matured with 18 again!

 

And I start watching Cdrama again... here's the list that I have done watching. 

 

1. Go Ahead

I was a bit hesitated at first because of the episodes number. It is a long series of 40 episodes. Lol. But guess what after I started watching, hey can be extended at least to 100?? I think I am so glad to keep watching it even it goes more than that. What is it about? Well, you can read the review here somewhere in Cdrama section review if you want to know. In short, it is superb! Watch it, don't miss it. Lol

 

2. Professional Single

Just recently done this one. Intentionally

watching it slowly. This drama actually is about a simple and ordinary university students of Sculpture department. Again there is a complete review for this for you to read more. Haha.. I just can't write better here. This is also awesome. You feel like eating ice cream and cotton candy with this drama. I can't stop even it is really sweet. It taste better in every bites!

 

Those all above are done and there are some others I'm currently watching as they're still ongoing until 2021. 

 

And honestly I watched lots of dramas this year than last year. But I narrow down the list to be  less as seen above. Haha.. so yea.. what about yours guys??

Edited December 31, 2020 by Alice Wonderland

[HerManyShows]

1. Who was an actor/actress you discovered this year that blew you away?

 

I didn't discover him this year, but I think Park Seo Joon and his chestnut hair cut in Itaewon Class and how he actually made it work, blew me away.

 

2. Who was the most memorable character you watched this year? 

 

Han Ji-pyeong - or what we call him in my family - Good Boy from Start Up.

 

3. What drama did not meet your expectations?

 

Itaewon Class - I like a lot about this drama especially Ahn Bo-Hyun's acting. I kept thinking is this guy really making me feel sorry for this character?  I think the last minute (IMO) addition of romance between the leads really left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

 

4. Was there a drama that did not have a big following but you thoroughly enjoyed it? 

 

Into The Ring / Memorials.  I just completed a re-watch. The chemistry between the leads is fantastic and loved the story of characters trying to do the right thing, when maybe the right thing isn't so black and white and at times failing.  

 

5. Was 2020 a good year in drama land?

 

It was a good year in drama land, and I'm thankful for everyone who worked on productions this year given the pandemic - it could not have been easy, but I'm so appreciative of their efforts.

 

Next up for me is 18 Again - it's been mentioned so many times I feel like a fool if I don't watch it.  Also - need to watch Go Ahead.  I see a post in my future where I'm saying "why oh why did I not watch this earlier?"

[Unnie0110]

Happy 2021 Janghaven people! thanks for tagging me @abs-oluteM, here are my answers.

1. Who was an actor/actress you discovered this year that blew you away?

   Actors:

   Lee Do-Hyun - I knew he's a good actor and I liked him in Still 17 but this year he showed  

   great range and versatility in his different projects (18 Again and Sweet Home), he's definitely an

   actor to look out for:) 

 

  Song Kang- I thought he's ok in Love Alarm and another pretty face but I was pleasantly surprised

   in Sweet Home, I am definitely looking forward to his other projects.

 

  Nam Joo-hyuk- I liked that he took on roles that were diverse and different from each other and    

 showed how much he has matured as an actor. His role in the Nurse Files made me sit up and took notice of him as an actor but his earnest portrayal as Nam Dosan did the last round for me to take it to home run and made me a new fan;)

 

Actresses:

Go Ara- I liked her in Reply 1994 but was never really a fan. I thought she's just another pretty face in the throngs of many in Kdramaland but I was happily contradicted with her great performance as DDSSLLS's Rara. She is the heart and soul of that drama;) She has been overlooked by many in Kdramaland for many years but ROMCOM is definitely her forte, I even question now why was she not chosen as the lead for the Koren adaptation of Nodame Cantabile, she would have rocked that role;) I hope GA continues to improve herself and show the Kdramaland what a gem she truly is.

           

Suzy- I always thought that she's overly hyped by Korean media (looks wise and acting wise) but her Start-Up's Seo Dalmi made me smile, good job Suzy!;)

 

2. Who was the most memorable character you watched this year? 

  Kingdom S2's Prince Chang -He was the king that never ruled but was the best king in the land;)  

 

  Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol's Gu Rara -she's so bright and quirky that she gave a lot of sunshine in the

 last days of my 2020

 

 Seo Dalmi's father in Start-up -what a tragic character, I still cry for his what could have been (such

 brilliant acting from the Kim Joo-hun)

 

3. What drama did not meet your expectations? 

    The King the Eternal Monarch and Record of Youth (let us just say that I have waited and

    anticipated these dramas for months then ....)

 

4. Was there a drama that did not have a big following but you thoroughly enjoyed it? 

    I'll come to you when the weather is nice- such a quiet and contemplative drama, it deserves more

    love;)

 

    Mystic Pop Up Bar- so much laughs, heart and sweet moments;)

 

    Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol- the potential of this drama makes me sad, if only....

 

5. Was 2020 a good year in drama land? 

    I think so, despite the fact that we are in the midst of the pandemic but productions still went

    ahead and gave us a lot of comfort in these uncertain times, they were the distraction and the pill

   that we needed to escape even for a while so we can hope and prepare for better days;)

   Cheers for all the actors, actresses, staff and crew for 2020's productions, cheers for 2021!

 

 

 

Edited January 1, 2021 by Unnie0110

[UnniSara]

 I have watched so many drama and dropped a lot of them. I just kinda lost interest after a while but there were some that had all my attention all the way.   

                                                                         Kdrama and Drama

Flower of Evil -Completed

Go Ahead  - Completed

Hunting    -  Completed

Itaewaon Class - Completed

Lie after Lie - Completed

The Blooms at Ruyi Pavillion - Completed

Fatal Promise -Dropped

Gracious Revenge  -Binge Batched and disappointed

The Good Detective -watched a few  and skipped and watched the last episode

The Victims Game. Watched 4 episode and watched the last episode not hooked enough

It’s Okay Not to be Okay- Completed

Detention  NetFlix - Watching Now

Sweet Home -Completed

Graceful Friends - Watched and then watched the ending  Storyline was good but it still felt flat

The Wolf - Dropped

Postpartum Care Center-  Dropped

Tale of Gumiho  Watched 13 episodes and then didn't complete

18 Again - Loved and will rewatch  

Forest of Secrets Season 2

The Eight - dropped

The Game : Towards Zero -  On Hold

Brilliant Heritage

Mom has an Affair  Completed  it was good and I was obsessed

Song of Glory  Dropped

The Great Doctor - rewatched 

The King Dropped

The Lies Within- Loved and Completed

The Rugal- Dropped

Was it love - Completed and I am shocked .

Kingdom Season 2  Watched 4 episode waiting to see if it will be renewed and then complete it

Chocolate  Watched because favorite actors were in it and it was sweet and so satisfied.

@abs-oluteM here is my list 

 

 

[liddi]

Thanks for the shoutout @abs-oluteM. To be honest, I really did not watch a lot of dramas in 2020, so can only base on what little I've seen. Since real life is truly calling with a vengeance, very quickly...

 

1. Who was an actor/actress you discovered this year that blew you away?

Kim Bum, whom I sat up and took notice in Tale of the Nine-Tailed. His nuanced portrayal made Yi Rang far more than just a one-dimensional misguided, hurting character and I ached for him long after the drama was over.

2. Who was the most memorable character you watched this year?

Jang Pan Seok from Missing:The Other Side. His is the one character I consistently hurt and rooted desperately for throughout the entire 12 episodes of the drama, willing him to find happiness or closure, yet my heart was still shattered when his long, long journey came to an end. A well-written character which Heo Jun Ho's masterful performance brought to life and seared my heart.

3. What drama did not meet your expectations? 

Forest of Secrets 2. That's probably unfair because I still have yet to complete it, but I'm basing it on the fact that when other dramas beckoned, it took a backseat and never quite held enough allure for me to revisit. Perhaps I'll give it another go this year.

 

4. Was there a drama that did not have a big following but you thoroughly enjoyed it? 

Missing:The Other Side and 平凡的荣耀 Ordinary Glory.

Missing:The Other Side seemed to barely register among viewers until much later in its broadcast, but I knew I would watch once I learnt of the premise and Heo Jun Ho's casting. I loved it from the get-go and the drama consistently delivered all the way to the end. Bravo.

Ordinary Glory is an excellent adaptation of Misaeng, produced in 2018 but only broadcasted in 2020. It is similar yet different to the source material, well-customised to the local culture and boasted excellent ensemble performances. Perhaps the lack of English subs might have contributed to its lacklustre following among international viewers, but I truly love it, far more than I did the 2016 J-adaptation Hope.

 

5. Was 2020 a good year in drama land?

I don't think I am qualified to answer this since I watched so little. What little I did complete, I mostly enjoyed if not truly loved. I must applaud the actors and production team who are still working tirelessly in extreme circumstances (and hopefully a safe environment) with a pandemic looming over all of us. For that alone, I believe their dedication deserves respect.

[Celebrianna]

@40somethingahjumma, I thought you would have liked The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty more than Ancient Detective. :) I prefer Ancient Detective too. I enjoyed it from start to finish. 
 

@abs-oluteM, I just finished Private Lives after it was on hold for a while. I liked the OTP too. However, I was practically chomping at the bit to see the GK director’s demise so I forgive the writers. Well, I also really liked Sophia Chung and I was glad to see Kim Jae Wook didn’t exactly get off unscathed after killing other people in his revenge scheme. I also just found out about the OTP in Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion. Their second time as OTP. That was a pleasant surprise although I’m waiting for the show to start on that streaming channel. 

[abs-oluteM]

2 hours ago, Celebrianna said:

@abs-oluteM, I just finished Private Lives after it was on hold for a while. I liked the OTP too. However, I was practically chomping at the bit to see the GK director’s demise so I forgive the writers. Well, I also really liked Sophia Chung and I was glad to see Kim Jae Wook didn’t exactly get off unscathed after killing other people in his revenge scheme. I also just found out about the OTP in Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion. Their second time as OTP. That was a pleasant surprise although I’m waiting for the show to start on that streaming channel. 

Happy new year! I watched Private Lives when it was airing. It wasn't a bad show but I think my expectations for more of the main OTP scenes affected my interest. JTBC was hard-selling them a lot but we got very little of them until perhaps the third act. Also what I felt would have made the show better was that they should have made it clearer about the timelines. Some of the flashbacks made it very confusing.  

 

The Bloom of Ruyi Pavillion was pretty nice - a lot better than I had expected. It was very popular for us here on the thread & it was lovely to relive the chemistry of Zhang Zhe Han & Ju Jing Yi. I hope you get to watch it. 

[abs-oluteM]

On 1/1/2021 at 5:52 AM, HerManyShows said:

4. Was there a drama that did not have a big following but you thoroughly enjoyed it?

I completely forgot about this show till you mentioned it. I enjoyed this as well. But I could tell the following was small . I thought that the leads had very good chemistry & it was such a unique show because it combined romance & local politics

On 1/1/2021 at 12:40 PM, Unnie0110 said:

Happy 2021 Janghaven people! thanks for tagging me @abs-oluteM, here are my answers.

1. Who was an actor/actress you discovered this year that blew you away?

   Actors:

   Lee Do-Hyun - I knew he's a good actor and I liked him in Still 17 but this year he showed  

   great range and versatility in his different projects (18 Again and Sweet Home), he's definitely an

   actor to look out for:) 

 

  Song Kang- I thought he's ok in Love Alarm and another pretty face but I was pleasantly surprised

   in Sweet Home, I am definitely looking forward to his other projects.

LDH is my favourite discovery for 2020! Gosh I really think he's such a talented actor and Song Kang was a revelation too in Sweet Home. Come by the drama thread & chat. I just recently finished this and it is fresh on my mind. Must thank  @mademoiselle who kept asking me to watch.

[40somethingahjumma]

3 hours ago, Celebrianna said:

@40somethingahjumma, I thought you would have liked The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty more than Ancient Detective. 

 

I wonder why. 

I love the male leads -- all three of them -- but the cases were fairly straightforward, ordinary. Nothing I hadn't seen before. It was an easy watch with decent fight scenes. The bromance was probably the best part. 

 

Ancient Detective was actually trying to do something quite different within the wuxia genre. In fact, it turns a number of wuxia tropes on its head. A male lead who has lost his memories, doesn't know martial arts and relies on his wits to get out of various  predicaments in his travels around jiang hu. There's no protracted  push and pull with his female love interest and she's the one who is actually skilled in martial arts. The individual cases are quite sophisticated paying homage to golden age detective fiction but with an ancient Chinese flavour. There's also some nice twists in the third act.  What's also impressive is the kid who took on the lead role. He turned out to be a great fit and comported himself with elegance. The structure and plotting was very well thought out. To me it's one of the best C dramas of 2020.

I think if it didn't suffer from some of usual editing problems associated with C dramas, it would be even better.