Romantic-comedy drama recommendations
Since I’ve had a lot of requests for drama recommendations following You’re Beautiful, I thought I’d put this up as its own post. I may be spotty with some of the other genres out there, but I’m ALL about the trendy drama! The following is a list of my recommendations (and some that are not recs but merely possibilities) for trendies that have a similar tone and vibe to You’re Beautiful.
I’m sure many of you have seen many (maybe even all) of the dramas on this list. But some others who haven’t racked up as many drama-watching hours may want a guide to help them navigate the many, many offerings out there.
First, we’ll start with the other the Hong Sisters dramas…
DELIGHTFUL GIRL CHUN-HYANG (2005)
What it’s about: Modernized reworking of classic Korean folktale of a Romeo and Juliet-esque couple from Joseon times. Jae Hee and Han Chae-young are forced together at a young age, then fall in love as they mature.
Why you might like it: Jae Hee, Jae Hee, Jae Hee. Brilliant comic timing and heartfelt emotion. The situations are laugh-inducing and it’s a lot of fun; the couple bickers their way throughout but you can feel the love between them. Trademark Hong Sisters jokes — every episode ends with a sageuk parody that plays off the traditional folktale with a modern sense of humor.
Why you might not: This is my favorite Hong Sisters drama, but remember that it’s their first. If you’re watching it after seeing their others, keep in mind that what was fresh and new in 2005 may now seem common. Also, some people hate the second leads, particularly the male (even if it is a yummy Uhm Tae-woong!). Maybe it helps to remember that he’s based on the evil, possessive magistrate from the folktale.
MY GIRL (2005)
What it’s about: A girl who’s gifted at telling lies is hired to impersonate a long-lost granddaughter of an old, ailing rich man. Her warm, bubbly personality clashes with the old man’s cold, businesslike grandson, so naturally they fall in love.
Why you might like it: Super chemistry between Lee Da-hae and Lee Dong-wook. (Also: Lee Junki.) Lots of comedy, cute romantic moments, quotable lines.
Why you might not: I loved Lee Da-hae’s bubbliness, but some found her too much. The last few episodes get a little too angsty, and the big conflict is a little contrived. Still, it’s one of the better/best offerings in the trendy drama genre. If you liked You’re Beautiful, this is the first drama I’d recommend.
FANTASY COUPLE (2006)
What it’s about: Reworking of American film Overboard. A privileged, snobby heiress loses her memory, and the blue-collar worker she mistreated decides to get his revenge by pretending she’s his girlfriend. He brings her home and puts her to work.
Why you might like it: It’s less angsty than the other Hong Sisters dramas. Han Ye-seul completely reinvented her image with a great rich-bitch characterization; she doesn’t hold back and really goes for it. Quirky side characters like loopy Kang-ja add a fun touch. A subplot actively mocks Autumn Love Story.
Why you might not: The Anna & Chul-soo relationship is funny and cute, but not overtly romantic (perhaps this is a plus for some). I consider the directing to be the weak link, and while it isn’t outright bad, it veers into the slapstick. The writing is better than the iffy directing.
HONG GIL DONG (2008)
What it’s about: Fusion sageuk reimagining of Joseon hero Hong Gil Dong, a Robin Hood-like crusader for the poor. “Fusion” means that while the setting is in the 1600s, it has a modern sensibility and sense of humor.
Why you might like it: Kang Ji-hwan is awesome. He starts out a lazy, swaggering, troublemaking rascal, but that’s because Hong Gil Dong is an illegitimate son and therefore was unable to fulfill his dreams. His pairing with a cheery Sung Yuri is great, and she changed a lot of people’s minds about her acting, formerly deemed subpar. Jang Geun-seok plays a cool-headed prince. There’s comedy and wackiness, but also political machinations and a royal coup plot that adds complexity.
Why you might not: I liked the ending and wrote my big explanation in the finale recap, but many did not agree. Because this has more weighty plot matters, the humor scales back and the conspiracy takes over in the last third. I think it gets downright slow toward the end, before it picks up in the run-up to the finale. The humor is a little slapstick for my taste.
And then the rest, in no particular order:
FULL HOUSE (2004)
What it’s about: A girl’s debt-ridden friends sell her house for the money. She comes home from vacation to find that a surly movie star has moved in. Homeless and alone, she works as his maid to earn her keep.
Why you might like it: Rain and Song Hye-gyo are cute as a bickering couple, and this was one of the early “contract romance” dramas. It was huge in the ratings and is probably one of the most-watched early Hallyu dramas.
Why you might not: Don’t think too hard, or the logic might collapse (even the premise doesn’t quite hold up — your friends sell your house and you don’t fight back?). This is one of those “shut your brain off and enjoy” dramas; particularly toward the end, the plot stops making total sense in its efforts to keep the couple apart. The romance is cute but not necessarily romantic. Still, it’s an easy, mostly fun watch.
MY NAME IS KIM SAM-SOON (2005)
What it’s about: Like Bridget Jones, the lead is a 30-year-old who isn’t the typical pretty skinny girl that most guys go for. She’s loud, hot-tempered, and likes to eat. Her boss is a cold, unfeeling type with whom she agrees to a contract romance in order to get his mother off his back about marriage.
Why you might like it: It sounds typical, but the execution makes this great; it was a huge phenomenon and broke 50% ratings. At times funny, at times heartwarming, the writing is solid and Kim Sun-ah and Hyun Bin work great together. You should really see this drama if you’re a fan of rom-coms.
Why you might not: Maybe the hype has turned you off? I do think it gets built up too much, but it’s a very solid drama.
GOONG (PRINCESS HOURS) (2006)
What it’s about: Modern Cinderella story with a twist, in that Korea is imagined as a monarchy; a handsome prince is the source of every young girl’s fantasy. A normal girl is forced to marry the prince because of a decades-old pact between their grandfathers. She is brought into the palace, where she starts out clumsy and out of place as she is trained to be a princess. The awkward couple gradually falls in love.
Why you might like it: Beautiful visuals, gorgeous soundtrack, amazing costumes. Yoon Eun-hye shot to stardom, as did Joo Ji-hoon, and this drama was a huge phenomenon with its young fanbase. The intriguing twist (an imagined Korean monarchy) adds interest to the opposites-attract romance. A gentle, caring second male lead makes for a good love triangle as Yoon Eun-hye is caught between the nice prince and the cold one.
Why you might not: The extension surely hurt the pacing of the later episodes, and this drama got downright sloooow. The political conspiracy was drawn out and sucked fun out of the latter half. The ending (which is a puzzler) feels sloppy. But the other elements are strong enough that it’s well worth a look.
WHAT’S UP FOX? (2006)
What it’s about: A 33-year-old woman has a one-night stand with a guy 9 years her junior — her best friend’s brother. At first they agree to ignore it, but they start to fall for each other and she fights the attraction because the age gap is such an obstacle, particularly when she’s being courted by a handsome, charming doctor her own age.
Why you might like it: This comes from the writer of My Name is Kim Sam-soon, and like that drama, the writing is solid and the acting very strong by leads Go Hyun-jung and the adorable Chun Jung-myung.
Why you might not: It has a mellower, low-key vibe with a realistic air, and it isn’t as outrageous or outright comical as some other rom-coms. The chemistry is great, but some people have a problem with the age gap. (I think they make it work.)
SOULMATE (2006)
What it’s about: A light, humor-filled drama about the modern dating world, told through the relationships of six main characters. Each person has a different dating philosophy, demonstrated by how they view the concept of soulmates. (Is fate something that comes to you, or are you in charge of making your own?)
Why you might like it: Super, super editing and plotting. The storytelling plays with nonlinear structure, and in earlier episodes, one half of the episode tells something from the main girl’s perspective, while the other half takes the guy’s perspective, and we see how the two halves fit together by episode’s end. Clever writing, great dialogue. Lots of fun. It’s short and sweet at 12 episodes, and was completely written in advance of its broadcast.
Why you might not: I love this drama to pieces, but it may be a little slick and fast for some others. It’s a little risque and definitely not as chaste as most kdramas, but I think that’s a welcome thing.
BAD FAMILY (2006)
What it’s about: When a family is killed in a car crash, the only survivor is a little girl who suffers amnesia. Her uncle hires a “fake family” to act as her family to help her recover until he can get to the bottom of the car accident.
Why you might like it: Hilarious! The fake grandpa flirts with his fake daughter-in-law. The fake uncle starts to like his fake niece. They all have to juggle their regular lives outside their family performance. Comedy abounds and Kim Myung-min, in a rare comic performance, is fantastic as an uneducated ex-gangster; Nam Sang-mi is in one of her more adorable roles. Heechul plays a runaway hired to be the fake brother. This drama isn’t as romance-heavy (although there is romance), and is more about the wonderful shenanigans of the fake family as they go from fighting all the time to forming actual bonds.
Why you might not: I remember hating the first episode, which was boring. But after that, I fell in love!
DAL JA’S SPRING (2007)
What it’s about: Perhaps inspired by the j-dorama “office lady” genre, this series features the romantic foibles of a 33-year-old professional woman who’s unpracticed in dating; Lee Min-ki becomes Chae Rim’s romance coach.
Why you might like it: Funny, sweet, adorable. Chemistry is great, Dal Ja is lovable, and Lee Min-ki is perfect. Lots of pop-culture parodies and funny situations. Best of all, it explores friendships and working relationships in addition to the romance.
Why you might not: It was extended by two episodes, and while I almost don’t even notice, it does slow a teeny bit. Chae Rim’s makeup and hair takes a little getting used to. But definitely worth a watch.
COFFEE PRINCE (2007)
What it’s about: (As if I have to even tell you!) A tomboyish girl who is regularly mistaken for a boy takes a job at a cafe whose concept is to hire only good-looking guys. She falls for her boss, who falls for her too — while thinking she’s a boy.
Why you might like it: Gong Yoo’s portrayal of conflict is complex and nuanced. Jeremy in You’re Beautiful took a comic bent, but Gong Yoo’s exploration of his feelings is wrought with emotion. Yoon Eun-hye dove into this character and made it her own. The other “princes” are great to watch, and the director injects a breezy, refreshing air to the atmosphere. Fantabulous music selection.
Why you might not: The extension hurt the ending, and the tension drops off toward the end. Otherwise, this is one of the shining highlights of the trendy kdrama.
THE STORY OF HYANG DAN (2007)
What it’s about: What Shrek did for the Western canon of fairy tales, Story of Hyang Dan does for traditional Korean folktales. A modern comic spin takes us through multiple folk stories while centering the plot around the one about Chun-hyang and Mong-ryong (which is the basis for Delightful Girl Chun-hyang). However, this drama twists the tale to speculate what would happen if Chun-hyang were a selfish brat and Mong-ryong fell for her servant girl instead.
Why you might like it: You like irreverent, humorous reworkings of classics, and/or light-hearted fusion sageuks. Choi Shi-won (Super Junior) and Seo Ji-hye have cute chemistry, and this is low-commitment at a mere two episodes. Modern parodies (Love Actually, Prison Break) are included among the folktale allusions (Iljimae, Shim Chung).
Why you might not: This is not a serious drama at all. It’s purely a short, entertaining goof. But cute and sweet all the same.
WHO ARE YOU? (2007)
What it’s about: A dad dies in an accident and is granted 49 days by a sympathetic Grim Reaper to come back using the body of a young man in a coma. He gets three hours a day to do for his daughter what he wasn’t able to do while he was alive. The body he “borrows” belongs to a cold businessman, and the three-hour body-jacking episodes turn the unsuspecting businessman’s life upside-down.
Why you might like it: Yoon Kye-sang is awesome. He does the body-switching surprisingly well, and his relationship to his ghost inhabitant develops with unexpected warmth.
Why you might not: The romance is funny and sweet, but mostly because of Yoon Kye-sang — Go Ara is rather flat. The drama gets off to a silly start, but get past the first few episodes and you may discover a gem.
LAST SCANDAL OF MY LIFE (2008)
What it’s about: Cinderella with a twist. An ordinary ajumma with a cheating husband and a kid runs into her first love, who is now a movie star (and faking his age as much younger). The movie star is horrified at how she’s let herself go over the years, but as they spend more time together when she is hired as his housekeeper, he sees past that and starts to fall for her again.
Why you might like it: Funny, fast-paced, and sweet! Rom-coms are often stronger in plot than in acting, but the benefit of having veteran actors is that they can ACT! Jung Jun-ho is fantastic as the pampered movie star, and Choi Jin-shil is winning as the ajumma.
Why you might not: If you’re still saddened over Choi’s death, you may not feel comfortable watching her last work. I personally think it’s a great way to remember her. If you don’t like the idea of watching an ajumma in love, well, you’re missing out!
BOYS BEFORE FLOWERS (2009)
What it’s about: Korean version of Japanese manga/anime/drama Hana Yori Dango. Poor girl gets a free ride to an exclusive, uber-rich high school ruled by the bored, privileged “F4″ clique. She offends the leader, who makes it his mission to terrorize her and eject her from the school. Surprisingly, she stands up to him and fights back, and he falls for her.
Why you might like it: The premise is great. Lee Min-ho burst on to the scene with a star-making performance as the mean F4 leader, and the whole country fell in love with his character. He made the drama worth watching for me.
Why you might not: Out of all the dramas on this list, this is the one that I most hesitate to recommend (and it comes with a lot of caveats). Poor writing wasted the great source material. Often, it was riddled with poor acting. Poor directing. Middling musical selections were overused and badly applied. The production was so fraught with accidents that the live-shoot system exhausted everyone involved, and the time contraint really shows. Crazy, illogical plotting and a second half that drags make this a frustrating watch — but an addicting one. On the other hand, I don’t regret watching it, and the fandom craze was hella fun.
Other possibilities that I won’t/can’t vouch for, but that others surely will:
My Love Patzzi (2002): Jang Nara has two awesome guys chasing after her and the interactions are cute, but I don’t think you can take this drama seriously; it’s a real lightweight. It’s an update of the Korean Cinderella (Kongji & Patzzi), where the person everything thinks is the good girl is actually fake, and the rude, troublemaking girl is actually the one you root for. At 10 episodes, it’s a fast series.
Attic Cat (2003): One of the first dramas to have a couple cohabitate (or, as I call it, using the forced proximity device). If Jung Da-bin’s death interferes with your enjoyment of her roles, you may not want to watch. Like with many stories when the couple lives together, there are contrivances to get one of them to leave, then return, then leave again, which you may find tiresome.
Capital Scandal (2007): A little slapstick with the humor, this drama places leads Kang Ji-hwan and Han Ji-min in 1920s Korea at the time of Japanese imperialism.
Bottom of the Ninth with Two Outs (2007): The baseball motif works with the story of a 30-year-old single woman and her romance with her best friend. Low-key and naturalistic with strong dialogue, it may be refreshing for some or too slow for others.
City Hall (2009): Don’t listen to me, listen to the fervent praise of all the die-hard City Hallers! Strong, mature chemistry between Kim Sun-ah and Cha Seung-won make this one enjoyable if you’re hankering to see something more than the typical chaste trendy-drama kisses and hand-holding.
Brilliant Legacy (Shining Inheritance) (2009): Romance with plenty of dramatic, makjang elements. One of the year’s highest-rated dramas and a hitmaker, catapulting careers for Han Hyo-joo, Bae Soo-bin, Moon Chae-won and Lee Seung-gi.
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Tags: Bad Family, Coffee Prince, Dal Ja's Spring, Delightful Girl Chun-hyang, Fantasy Couple, Full House, Goong, Hong Gil Dong, My Girl, My Name Is Kim Samsoon, Soulmate, The Last Scandal of My Life, What's Up Fox
I’ve never wanted to watch Delightful Chunyang but since you recommend, I must concede–you’ve never failed us, Javabeans!
I do reeeeeally enjoy Smile–it’s cute, endearing, sweet, hilarious, etc. The leads make me SQUEEEE!
coffee prince!
my girl!
dal ja’s spring!
Great list – I agree with most of your choices, especially the Hong Sisters ones (minus Hong Gil Dong, though Kang Ji Hwan kind of makes up for everything wrong with that drama). It’s a shame I couldn’t get into You’re Beautiful.
Only one I would add is I Love You/Saranghae. Really adorable, feel-good drama. I guess the age gap might turn people off, but I thought Seo Ji-hye and Ahn Jae Wook had great chemistry.
This is a GREAT list, and gives me 7 dramas that I haven’t seen yet to choose from. I loved You’re Beautiful and I’m thoroughly enjoying Smile, You, but the downside is having to watch them live. The wait from week to week is excruciating! These choices offer immediate gratification, which is awesome.
Thanks JB!
Funny that you mention City Hall because that’s what I have been watching now. I still gotta finish You’re beautiful though.
Wow. The only one on this list I haven’t watched is WHAT’S UP FOX. I feel pathetic and old, lol. I just started Glass Slipper which is depressing beyond belief, so maybe I’ll go back and forth between these two when I can’t take the angst any longer! Thanks for the list!! ^_^
Woah, thanks for your recommendation list… Surprisingly I watched most of them especially the ones you recommended at the top… ^^… I think it is kind of my taste…
I didn’t watch City Hall, and the old dramas like Attic Cat and Love Patzzzi… I think I should watch Bad Family again as I dropped that drama after first 2 eps..
Great work, javabeans!!
After reading the reviews, I’ll try watching Soulmates and Bad Family. I know I’ll like Bad Family because of the cast. However, I’m apprehensive about Soulmates because I tend to like traditional heroines…kind, innocent, and young (Go mi Nyu is my all time favorite k-drama lead female). LOL. I am so indoctrinated by Confucianism it’s not even funny.
I don’t agree with Who Are You? because it wasn’t that funny or that romantic. It felt more like a drama than anything else and it was really awkward watching the father take control of the body of the man that his daughter will be dating. For some people, it seemed to work but it totally squicked me out. The secondary characters (the art dealer and his inferiority-complexed girlfriend) were very blah. I never got into their storyline even though the guy is supposedly the villain.
BTW, I was so surprised that your favorite Hong sisters drama was Delightful Girl. I felt for sure it would be Hong Gil Dong = )
lol, i’m such a K-drama addict. I’ve seen everything on this list except The Story of Hyang Dan >.<
How did i manage to watch so many K-dramas my whole life? XD XD XD. Now that YAB ended, im gonna start watching IRIS but i've never been a sucker for this genre though. Smile,you is really sweet and adorable so i'd recommend to anyone who likes light-hearted dramas and wants to have a good laugh. First few episodes may tire u out a bit but dont drop it! it gets better and better later on, and u might even find urself digging the lead couples more than TaeKyung-MiNam ^^
great recommendations…surprisingly, i have already watched most of them but there are a few in there that i intend on checking out (last scandal and what’s up fox). i’m even considering re-watching My Name is Kim Sam Soon again just b/c its just a classic and it never fails to make me laugh.
another trendy drama both full of romance and laughs i would add is Love Marriage (2008). i thought it was a pretty fun and zippy watch.
I love most of these dramas but I just thought I would push Capital Scandal on people. It might be slap sticky in the beginning but I don’t think it lasts through the whole drama and the last few episodes are definitely the best which I think is uncommon in most dramas where the endings can be either too dramatic or too boring. It is just very well done.
Also those of you looking in the comments for more recommendations: If you don’t mind jdramas, try Hana Yori Dango!
Nuts, I was hoping to see something I’ve missed, but I’ve either watched and loved, or started and didn’t really like that much, EVERY SINGLE DRAMA LISTED OMG
I didn’t think I’d seen that many, wow.
One not on the list is Biscuit Teacher! Gong Yoo plays a delinquent student, even though he is clearly too old lol, and he is awesoooooome! It’s from 2005 I think. Great watch. Lots of funny moments and great chemistry between GY and Gong Hyo Jin.
Anyone looking to branch off to Jdramas should check out:
Hana Yori Dango
Nodame Cantabile
Orange Days
Kimi wa Petto
Gokusen
Those are my favorites. (:
…I’ve watched ALL the afore mentioned Romantic-Comedies you’ve mentioned( & have them on dvds, so that I can rewatch them anytime!!!), also based on your previous recaps & recommendations, JB!!! They’re ALL GEMS or better still, CLASSICS for me!!!
…Thanks for your blogs, recaps & articles…I never fail to start & end my days w/ Dramabeans!!!
Ahhhhhhh! A list just in time to save me from withdrawal symptons after finishing Dal Ja’s Spring a couple of days ago. I’ve watched the first half of your recommendations already and will start on the 2nd half soon. Thanks a million!!!!!
you know when you’re addicted to dramas when you watched the most recommended here lol
the ones i didn’t watch yet was “What’s Up Fox?”, “Attic Cat” and “My Love Patzzi”
of the dramas you recommended i didn’t like “Boys Before Flowers”, even though i’m a HUGE FAN of Hana Yori Dango (jdrama, anime and mangá…yeah i saw it all lol), but the acting, the music and the directing was awful, i like the first 13 episodes then i quit, but i miss watching Lee Minho since he saved the drama for me sometimes.
the two of my favorites that people might not watch (since they not get the attention like the first ones lol) are “Bottom of the Ninth with Two Outs” sooo good, slow yeah but good and with great chemistry from the leads and “Capital Scandal” KANG JI HWAN honestly the man can do not wrong <3
ah i don't know if "Hello My Teacher" with Gong Yoo is considered a rom-com but OMG he was so great in it!! people who like him must watch this<3
thanks for the recommendations and I’m just happy that I’ve watched almost all of them or maybe I’m not that happy, since that means there’s only a few left for me to watch T___T But I haven’t watched Bad Family, I’m now adding it to my list of downloads ♥ as well as Last Scandal of my Life, however I don’t know why but I don’t really feel like watching Chun Hyang, sorry I know it’s your favorite
Among the recommendations, I liked Who Are You & Boys over Flowers the least
I just didn’t feel like watching them after a few episodes, it was nice but was forgettable 
didn’t make me look forward to watching future episodes.
SOULMATE. Definitely give it a try unless you hate any type of sex reference, and if that’s the case, I don’t know how you’ll get through life.
jkjkjkjk
I’d also like to vouch for Shining Inheritance. Some people might find it boring but I strangely found myself addicted to it. Lee Seung-gi is not one of the best actors but he is a pretty good one, and same goes to Bae Soo-bin. Han Hyo-joo overacted a bit in the beginning and Han Chae-young might seem flat, but I think they both did a great job with their characters. Especially HCY. I dunno why, she pulled off the inner conflicts pretty well.
Plot was a bittttttttt unreasonable and the whole “how-the-hell-can-Grandma-do-that?!” uproar was a bit exaggerated. Not to mention the dad…though it kind of made sense. Hwan’s family also annoyed the hell out of me. But that’s just me. And Eunsung’s stepmom. But she made sense.
I really think people should try it out though, it’s not for everybody and it’s not particularly special, but Hwan and Eunsung are adorable, Junse is so SWEET, and Seungmi…you could at least pity her. She’s not TOTALLY evil like her mom, at least.
Angst and crying scenes get a bit dragged out, too.
Wow. I’m terrible at reviewing dramas, dammit.
My favorites- aside from You’re Beautiful- are;
My Name is Kim Sam Soon
Delightful Girl Chun-Hyang
Full House
My Girl
Attic Cat
Coffee Prince
Bottom of the 9th with 2 Outs
I also liked Soulmate, Which Star Are You From?, Who Are You?, BOF, My Love Patzzi…
Mental note to self: Watch Bad Family and continue watching Fantasy Couple
There are only two dramas I haven’t seen on the list: Bad Family (which I’ve been meaning to b/c of KMM) and Capital Scandal (the setting sounds really interesting). Thank you for the recommendations!
I loved City Hall! One of my all time favorites.
I would also throw in That Fool. There is no sweeter love story than That Fool.
Wow, this list made me realize how many dramas I’ve watched since I started appreciating my Korean background (maybe 2 years ago?).
I’m currently watching Smile, You & Creating Destiny
Just to help others out, my personal favorites are (in order):
You’re Beautiful
Shining Inheritance
My Name is Kim Sam Soon
Last Scandal of My Life
Goong
Soulmate
Hana Yori Dango! (I don’t care if it’s a J-drama, it’s awesomeeeee)
I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can ever like Boys Before Flowers, My Girl, or Coffee Prince like the others. They were definitely entertaining, but eh, not my cup of tea.
And I agree with melica, That Fool was just delightful.
I have watched most of the dramas on the list. Delightful Girl Chun-Hyang and My Name is Kim Sam Soon are definitely my most favourite dramas. (along with Dal Ja’s Spring, My Girl, etc)
I think I am going to try watching What’s Up Fox, because MNIKSS’ script was awesome.
I watched Soulmate because i read your drama ratings, and man, it was such a good drama. I loved every little bits of it. I did think it took them way too long to meet each other :/ and it made me believe in soulmates more.
Thanks for your recommendations!
i have to agree with everything you recommended except for delightful girl chun hyang. i watched up to ep. 6 or 7 of it years ago, and i stopped. something about han chae young’s character (or maybe just her) really annoyed me and i couldn’t finish the drama.
I take offense whenever people say that Brilliant Legacy is full of makjang elements because I think it has one of the best writing I’ve seen and pretty contrary to the sudden rush of makjangs. There IS that one dimensional feeling to the characters (except for Hwan and Seungmi), but the story unfolds really nicely and the writer tries to explain the reasonings behind every plot twists she has.
But total nods on the list! I would vouch for Capital Scandal and 9 End 2 Outs as well.
This is great! Thanks, JB! I’ll do a dramathon on my Christmas break; I’ll refer to this list.
I actually liked Chun Hyang more than Full House, and it’s probably because of the plot differences. True, Delightful Girl Chun Hyang was very refreshing at that time because I remember that our local television was broadcasting most of the Tragedy dramas (Season dramas), and seeing this on my television every night was wonderful. It was fun, new, and exciting. And I admit, I’m one of the people who hate Uhm Tae Woong’s character. But this show is really worth it, it’s not a complete waste of your time.
I find Soulmate refreshing as well, for it’s very, very different from all the Korean dramas that I’ve seen. Too bad there’s no recurring season anymore.
Goong was okay, and honestly (please do not kill me), I actually find it boring at times. It was only Yoon Eun Hye and Jo Ji Hoon that I enjoyed watching, so I found myself fastforwarding it at times.
My Girl, meh. I like the couple, LDH and LDW, but it just wasn’t good enough for me to watch all over again. But I do think it’s enjoyable enough. Their scenes are worth it, actually. But the others, not that much (sorry about this).
Coffee Prince is a very enjoyable drama, and it’s one of those few out there that is worth watching all over again. At first the concept of a girl acting like a boy turned me off, but then the plot completely changed after a few episodes which has got me hooked. The set was just oozing with chemistry.
I was part of the Boys over Flowers craze when it was aired, and I gotta say, I was surprised JB when you included this drama in the list. I don’t think BoF is worth a recommendation, but since it is the Korean version of Hana Yori Dango, I guess that’s it’s only saving grace. The boys were lovely, I admit. But acting, directing, and the writing could have been better. (argh, I feel like I’m not still over it. But I think I am. It’s just a memory for me now when I look back at those crazy first three months of this year. Fun, but crazy.)
Which now brings me to one of my favorite Japanese drama: Hana Yori Dango. That pretty much says it all. I think this is the one drama that I could never get tired of watching. Everything was just excellent. The writing, directing, music, acting, heck, even the smallest detail was amazing. Shots and scenes were breathtaking (especially in Season 2), and the music was soothing. There were a few flaws, but it has better stuff so you can just shove it away and not think about it. (Hmm. In fact, Season 2 got me raised eyebrows for a bit of inconsistency, but decided to not mull over it.)
There are some good Japanese dramas out there if you are interested, and you can also start on what Lisa mentioned (although I’ve only seen Nodame and HanaDan).
Thanks for the list! Sooo many dramas X_X
Bookmarked for after I finish You’re Beautiful
As much as I love my trendy dramas, the melo’s are really where my heart’s at. I would seriously LOVE it if you, or maybe a guest reviewer could do some melodrama recommendations?
I can’t decide if it’s awesome or pathetic that I’ve watched pretty much everything on that list (most noticeable exception is Fantasy Couple..will get to it).
But of course I am proud to admit my trendy genre obsession! <3
Many thanks for this recommendation list, javabeans! I prefer romantic comedies more than any other genre, so naturally, my favorite dramas all come from this list. There are dramas listed that I’ve been meaning to watch but just haven’t gotten around to. I started the first episode of Bad Family but gave up, so maybe I’ll pick that up again.
Thanks for the great list! This is my personal list of favorite dramas, in somewhat of a best-to-less-best order.
- My Name is Kim Sam Soon (I love it for all the reasons that Javabeans mentioned, plus the adorable smiles of Hyun Bin. Watched it twice, no regrets!)
- City Hall (I saw this over the summer and it’s hilarious. The chemistry is wonderful and the plot is interesting, even though it’s political)
- My Girl (Funny! I’m one of those people who thought that Lee Da-hae’s bubbliness was over the top though. I didn’t notice it the first time I saw it, but the second time, I found it a bit overwhelming.)
Notable mentions:
- Full House (I saw this one a few years back, and it’s just too cute!)
- Lovers in Paris (I saw this a few years back too, and can’t really remember much except that I liked it for the most part. The music also really stuck with me.)
- My Fair Lady (It’s nonsensical at times and poorly written, but it’s also pretty to look at. The scenery’s great and the clothing choices were ostentatious but so cool to look at. I watched the whole thing despite my frustrations about the plot)
- Goong (My first Yoon Eun-hye drama. Very slow midway through the drama, but I still liked it)
I’ve also seen a few others, like Sweet Spy, What Star Are You From, I Really Really Like You…Which had fun moments but overall weren’t very memorable. With Boys Before Flowers, I agree with Javabeans. It’s an illogical drama but it sweeps you up. I stopped watching halfway though because of the illogical plot and addicting (in a bad way) music.
I’m watching IRIS right now, and I am in love. Even if you’re not an action-movie person, I think you’d enjoy it. The plot is tight and the actors are great, Kim Tae-hee included for the most part. I hope they keep up the good work though! And Coffee Prince is something I really need to watch.
I think all of my favorite Kdramas (Coffee Prince, Dal Ja’s Spring, City Hall, Gourmet, Soulmate) have been mentioned, but I wanted to add Long Vacation to the Jdrama list. It’s old, but good!
There are a lot of popular and well-loved dramas that I just couldn’t stand because they got way too overwrought or repetitive. Delightful Girl Chun-hyang was one (Jae Hee just barely saved it for me), and I also felt that way about Full House, Attic Cat, and Goong (maybe the worst offender). In all of these, I had a hard time buying the love between the characters, and a harder time buying the reasons they were kept apart. It’s worth mentioning that I absolutely hate clingy second leads as a continual plot device/relationship obstruction, which all of these had in full force. (In Delightful Girl Chun-Hyang, it was Jae Hee’s old crush, not the businessman, that I felt that way about.)
That’s just a warning to anyone who might feel similarly!
LL,
Yes, Chun Hyang had two awful second leads. The girl was too clingy, which got me really irritated, and the guy was just too evil for me. (which means they did a good job, because I really hated them).
Nothing much to say on Goong, I don’t really like it that much. It’s just one word for me: Fastforward. Again, YEH and JJH were great, but still, that’s what the FF button is for.
On Long Vacation: How could I forget this drama? This was my first Kimura Takuya drama and I instantly fell in love with him. The music was great though, wasn’t it? I was first turned off with the age gap, but then I already forgot about it by the second episode.
Love Generation is good as well. I mean, this starred Kimura Takuya and Matsu Takako, the Golden Combi of Japan.
I absolutely LOVED & ENJOYED every bit of You’re Beautiful. It was amazingly written and the cast was just perfect. Goong comes in second and I like My Name is Kim Sam Soon as well. I enjoyed th first 2/3 of Coffee Prince and quite quickly lost interests after the secret was reviewed and the tension dropped off. I just couldn’t finish the last few episodes (I tried and failed multiple attempts to finish th series). BOF, I enjoyd it somewhat towards the beginning (mostly because I loved the story and enjoyed Meteor Garden immensely) but quit watching after episode 12th. Jandi bugged me, Jihoo bugged me, the plot, writing, crazy music choices, everything seemed to bug me to the point that I stopped watching. LMH however, was great in it. Too bad he himself could not make me finish the rest….
Japanese drama-wise, Long Vacation is classic, and I love Love Generation and Pride as well–Kimura Takuya is one of my all-time fav j-actors.
luraaa,
Haha, I fastforwarded through many sections of Goong, too. After a while, If the scene didn’t have Yoon Eun-Hye and Joo Ji-hoon, I just skimmed through as fast as I could while still being able to read the subtitles.
Long Vacation did have great music! I loved Kimura Takuya in that as well… do you know of any other good dramas with him? I saw Pride, and I thought it was alright, but not great.
I agree with you about Coffee Prince – I think it’s the only drama I’ve seen that I’ve rewatched in its entirety.
As for Hana Yori Dango, I need to watch it again. I have to say I prefer Lee Min-ho to Matsumoto Jun, but I think in every other way, Hana Yori Dango is superior to BBF (except maybe in pure insanity).
Ive seen nearly everything on your list ;D
the ones i havent seen, I probably never will.
And a few I tried to watch and ended up dropping. For instance ‘DELIGHTFUL GIRL CHUN-HYANG’ , I tried to. Marathoned my way through episodes 1-13, and couldnt stand watching it after that.
Brilliant Legacy has such a dear place in my heart. It was the first drama I ever watched as it aired, so my emotional connection with these characters lasted months, rather than just a few days. The drama itself is far from perfect, but strangely satisfying when I finished it. This is probably one of the most frustrating dramas I’ve ever watched. I remember wanting to throw my laptop out the window at times, but even with that that, after the episode was over, I couldnt wait till the next week to see what happened. It’s not really my style either, I prefer (and by prefer, I mean 95% of dramas I let myself watch) light-hearted romance-comedies (though, I can still appreciate a deep romance, as long as there is no unnecessary drama), but this was very heavy. Very very heavy. Romance was definitely there, but I wouldnt call it the main focus. I still have trouble figuring out what the main focus was -not saying that they didnt know what direction they were going, because they did. It’s more like the it was there, I just have yet to put my finger on what ‘it’ is. I really dont know what it is that makes me love this drama. I dont even bother recommending it to my friends anymore, because I, myself, dont understand what’s so great about it. (That, and my cousin fell asleep after the first few episodes when I recommended it to her. haha) I dont know, but Brilliant Legacy made my year -and I dont even know why or how.
/rant.
I’ve watched a majority of the dramas recommended on this list and I gotta say, of the ones that I did watch, none of the humor in any of them were a match for that in “You’re Beautiful.” Maybe it’s because I’m freshly coming off from YB’s final broadcast, but I haven’t ever laughed as hard as I have for K-drama than when I watched a couple of scenes from YB. Sure some of it was intentionally slap-sticky and there was a lot of toilet humor, but man, YB was fun.
….writing all of that did not help fill my YB void at all whatsoever, lol.
I love your list!! and in a way I’m embarassed that I know every single one of these dramas.
A lot of these dramas are the ones that are sort of unbelievable and seem stupid, but you watch them and it just makes you all bubbly and happy inside. Would a bunch of men really need someone to tell them to figure out that their coworker is a girl? or that there can be such a school as Shinhwa where students can burn bikes and throw eggs at their classmates?
But I doubt anyone really cares. If a drama makes you smile (inside or out), it’s a (relative) success.
sangdoo let’s go to school (2003) is a really wonderful drama as well. it stars rain (his first drama!), gong hyo jin, and lee dong gun. rain’s acting is phenomenal, and i like to think that i am not biased. lol not sure if the series was a hit though, or how much press it got. i wasn’t tuned into kdramas or kpop back while at my very american high school.
it has some wonderful older actors as well, and it has some belly-achingly hilarious moments, but it is also a tearjerker. but it is extremely sweet and funny, and the lead actors give the drama such incredible charm. i always tell people to watch this drama!!
you totally read my mind! after i finished you’re beautiful; i’ve been desperately trying to find a new romantic-comedy drama to watch. you definitely saved my life with this recommendations list. thanks so much!
haha. i’m one of the people who thought lee da-hae was disgustingly overacting the bubbliness in my girl. i kind of hated that drama for the first 7 or 8 episodes, and it was only because i read all of the ending spoilers that i continued watching. i thought the only reason the drama was worth watching at all were the last three episodes. guess i’m a fan of the angst factor =)
I’ve seen most of the recommended list. Ha! (maybe since I’ve frequently used your list to pick dramas XD)Though i have yet to watch Fantasy couple.. but I will soon. Have to complete my Hong Sisters drama list right?
Coffee Prince, I’ve just started rewatching it for the third time (in celebration of Gong Yoo’s impending release from the army). I totally love this drama! My other favorites are Kim Sam Soon, My Girl , You’re Beautiful Bad Family, Briliant Legacy (Lee Seung Gi is just adorable here and so is Han Hyo Joo) and Dal Ja’s spring.
I didn’t really like Full House.. it was just meh. And Goong, well ot had its nice sides (and it was the 2nd kdrama I ever watched) but it was soooo draggy in the middle.
I dunno what it is with the romanic comedy genre.. the ingredients are usually the same (poor girl, rich boy, nice 2nd boy, clingy second girl, lot’s of obstacles to keep them apart, a time leap and usually a weak final episode), but it’s still my favorite genre.
As for a recent romcom that is awesome in my eyes: smile, you. I love the leads together. Such chemistry.
I just had a strange thought. What I thought was, wouldn’t Kang Ji-hwan make a great Monkey King for Journey to the West? Don’t ask me why I just thought it would be fun to see him in that role. Ending random comment!
I’ve seen most of the dramas on this list (or at least some of each one– I’m in the middle of Fantasy Couple right now) and my favorite is Last Scandal. I enjoyed that one so much! The chemistry was amazing, and I was so excited when they were going to make a sequel. *sigh* Such a shame about that
Coffee Prince and 2 Outs in the 9th are also very high on my list.
I’d like to add Sweet 18 to the list. It was fun and cute, and the chemistry between Lee Dong Gun and Han Ji Hye is also great.
Snow White/Taste Sweet Love was ok also, though their attempts to make Kim Jung Hwa look ugly were ridiculous ^^;;
Country Princess is another one of my favorites. It also has a lead guy who is cranky and surly, and a heroine who is outgoing and enthusiastic. I like the cranky type of male lead, which explains my love for Tae-Kyung in You’re Beautiful
And I agree that everyone should check out Biscuit Teacher/Hello My Teacher. Gong Yoo is great in it *_*
LL,
I don’t really want to compare Lee Min Ho and Matsumoto Jun on who was the best Domyouji, because I consider them completely two different entities. LMH was, is, and will always be Gu Jun Pyo in BoF, and there is no one who can play that role again. That’s the same case with Jun’s Domyouji. And yes, HanaDan is better than BoF.
On Kimura Takuya: I LOVE Pride, and I don’t know why. I love Kimura and Takeuchi Yuko together,although I feel like betraying some of my fellow fangirls who are fans of the Golden Combi, because I also love Kimura-Matsu. I’ve seen some of his dramas such as Hero (series/SP/movie) and A Million Stars falling from the Sky. I like Hero, it’s very entertaining, and as for Million Stars, it’s not your typical drama. It’s dark and angsty, and you’ll see a different Kimura here (and a sexy one, I might add. But then again, when was he never sexy?)
Alright, I’m digressing a bit. I apologize. But yeah. Rom-coms are feel-good shows when you feel like your life is bleak and miserable.
Thanks a lot. Here is a list of my favorite K-Dramas. I have seen them all! For some reason I stop watching US programing, so I am thankful to have found a better alternative, I have become a Drama Addict (Junky) Hell Yeah!!!!!!!
A Love To Kill, A Mans Story, Attic Cat, Autumn Tale, Cinderella Man, Coffee Prince, Delightful Girl Choon-Hyang, Full House, He Who Can’t Marry,, IRIS, My Fair Lady,
Phoenix, Que Sera Sera, Shining Inheritance, Smile, You, Stained Glass, Spring Waltz, Summer Scent, Surgeon Bong Dal Hee, The Vineyard Man, Triple, Winter Sonata, Witch Yoo Hee. You’re Beautiful.
I cant stop the madness, thanks for the “FIX” JB……… :O
Just had to jump in and vouch for Bad Family
A friend recommended it to me almost 2 years ago, but back then I didn’t even finish Episode 1, and left the rest of the drama lying in the hard drive… Recently I started to take an interest in Kim Myung-min, so I decided to pick Bad Family up again and give it a go. Boy was I ever glad I did! It’s such a little gem, and one that seems grossly overlooked when people talk about K-dramas. Even though it is a comedy, there is so much more going on if you look closely. I’m a sucker for stories where the main characters are all in their respective ruts in life, and are the least likely to help other people (coz they need as much help as they can get themselves), but they come together, and unexpectly help one another to become better people. I suppose it could be called “redemption.” Plus, I totally fell for Kim Myung-min in this series. How can he make a gangster so hot and attractive??!! I think it’s awesome that he’s done a comedy, and would love to see him do more. An actor who can nail both professional dramas AND comedies, now that’s the mark of a great actor!
Seems like I’ve watched most of your recommendations!
I love My Girl, Coffee Prince and Choon Hyang. Goong is ok but I was more interested in the deco and costumes.
I’ve watched almost all of those lists. And my most favorite are Full House, My Girl, Goong, Coffee Prince, Fantasy Couple, My Name Kim Sam Soon.
What I love from those firstly is the main role, like Rain & SHK, LDW & LDH, Hyun Bin, Gong Yoo ….
Currently I am watching the drama Partner (for the 4th times heheheee…). What makes me watch it because LDW and KHJ. After I watched Partner for the first time, I also loved the story, because it’s different from what I’ve watched of Korean drama before. But what keeps me watching Partner is because Lee Dong Wook. I missed Wookie
Anyway, thanks for the lists that remains me of them
CITY HALL !
after you watch this….any other drama wont be the same.
I like most of the dramas on here, but “Full House” and “MNIKSS” are both very overrated for me. They are heavy on emotional abuse and they have a lot of cheating going on throughout. It just leaves a bad taste in your mouth even if it’s just a show.
Other than that, I’ve seen almost everything and can heartily agree!
How addicted am I to Kdrama rom-coms if I’ve watched all of those and then some? LOL.
JB, you still haven’t watched City Hall?!!!?!!!
Listen, just give it a shot. Fast forward your way through ep 1-4, because starting with ep 5, things will change. It’s a really intelligent drama, just the kind of drama I think someone like you could wrap her head and heart around.
It’s great because the male lead is not only damaged but is also damaging and sinister. Most “damaged” male leads are actually good (Hwang Tae Kyung was the sweetest of them all–giving, caring, and nice), but the male lead in CH (CSW’s character) is actually not a good guy. He is a politician, and the writers do not sugarcoat the kind of moral compass you need to win elections. But he is not evil — just realistic. So when someone like that falls in love, it is a beautiful thing to watch. The love story is also really honest. Although Kim Sun Ah’s talents are somewhat wasted here (she was used well in MNIKSS, imo), she is just perfect against Jo Gook’s darkness. But don’t think that realistic and honesty translate to dark and dreary: the entire love story is hardcore fairytale romance. So it is still your fav genre of rom-com!
I wish you would watch CH, JB! It’s on Dramafever, so you don’t have to go through the hassle of downloading files and getting subs, etc. And the last episode, especially the last few minutes, are so good, you will want to weep, not just because it is a fitting end, but also because you appreciate the writers for giving you exactly what you needed. You know, kind of like meta-love for great fan service.
Thanks for the recommendations, JB… can’t believe I have watched most of it…
Choon Hyang is one of my all-time favorite, although every time I re-watch it, I always skip ep 13-14 and jumped straight to later part of ep 15 (can’t stand the ahjussi and separation scene…). But the ending was awesomeeee… and Jae Hee was great in it (not so much Han Chae Young…)
Soulmate is love. I love this drama to bits, although the meshing of the female lead’s perspective and the male lead’s take some getting used to. But then, it’s engaging the mind… ^^ The only thing I can gripe about it is the ending… it seems like they’re making it that way to prepare for a second season that never comes…
Last Scandal is another gem. Love the chemistry… it was fun, and the acting was fabulous.
The other dramas that I sometimes re-watch are Fantasy Couple, Coffee Prince and Full House.
Fantasy Couple: I love Han Ye Seul’s character there, and the story unfolded nicely.
Coffee Prince: I love the chemistry between the leads… and I like the supporting cast too. “My Chan” always makes me smile… ^^ although not really like the pace near the ending… or the ending itself…
Full House is a fun ride… as long as you don’t think about the logic…
Goong: watched it the first time and never went back to it. There are some parts I liked, the idea behind it is creative, but some other parts are excruciatingly slow…
BOF is a disappointment for me. I tried as much as I could, but I can only endure it until ep 20. It was messy and all over the place.
If we’re talking about J-dorama, Hana Yori Dango would be the top of my list. I don’t know how many time I have watched it, all season 1 and season 2. One of the dramas I put in my ipod so I can have access to it anytime there’s traffic jam…
(and somehow I prefer Tsukasa Domjoyi here to Gu Jun Pyo, and definitely Hanazawa Rui to Yoon Ji Hoo… 
)
I think I’m going to pick up Bad Family next… I dropped it off after the first 30 minutes, but maybe I have to give it another chance… ^^
Although at this time, I don’t think anything can top You’re Beautiful yet, seeing how obsessed I am by it… lolz… *this is the other drama I have in my ipod AND iphone besides HanaDan…
*
I guess I’m a romantic comedy junkie… I don’t watch anything else XD I’ve seen half of the things on that list and that pretty much fills up everything I’ve seen lol.
I actually didn’t like Lovers in Paris. I thought it was way too predictable, which took the fun out of the drama. Although the characters were lovable, especially Park Shin Yang. Yes the song was very very good… and it’s in a lot of drama parodies too! (like YB) haha.
Haven’t seen fantasy couple yet, but i must… from YB withdrawals. i’ve seen all of hong sister’s dramas except for that one… and i didn’t even know it was hong sisters until i was watching yb. i hope they come up with a new series soon
haha, I was just thinking after I finished YB today:
“What am I gonna watch next?”
but you answered that!
I might give City Hall a spin.
(I think i’ve watched over half of these!haha.)
Delightful Girl is actually one of my least favorite Hong Sister dramas. It started off really great but It gets way too melodramatic towards the second half. I had to force myself to finish as I just stopped caring what happened to these characters.
Soulmate, Hong Gil Dong, My Girl, Who are you?, and Last Scandal of my life are all a must. Java, I wish you had included Flowers for my life. No drama has yet to beat it in my eyes.
Guys, i’d recommend you stay away from Full House. Worst drama i’ve ever seen in my life and that’s saying something.
i didn’t see most of it though…
But i don’t like DAL JA’S SPRING …
or maybe is because i never been a big fan of those younger boy+older female story.
I remember i fell asleep while watching the first 5 episode(cause it is too boring but i manage to watch)
I was really happy when i laugh at the 5th episode lol……
But i got bored till episode 7 and i decided to skip
to episode 14…..
meh..episode 14 is boring fr me too…..
than i skip to the end….
the ending is also those really typical type of ending….
blah………
Brilliant Legacy is really nice….
But it is a totally different genre from You’re Beautiful.
I agree that when you watch until the middle,romance is actually not the main focus in BL.
The best part of BL is the changes of the lead male character…
His slow changes….
Thanks for the recommendations,
I decided watch bad family and story of hyung dan..
great recommendations JB
Now i’m in the middle of watching 9 ends 2 outs, and like you said i was in the ’some’ part that find it slow… i really do want to watched it though, hearing praises thrown everywhere on open threads… i really need to lose my dvd remote while i’m watching this
i’m curious to see What’s Up Fox, i never see it coz i wasn’t familiar with the cast then, maybe i’ll look up to it….
i’m surprised you didn’t mentioned Tamra n Sol’ Pharmacy JB, i’m sure many would like Tamra, and even though Sol’s Pharmacy is Hella LONG, but it’s the best weekend family drama i’ve watched so far…
Successful story of a Bright Girl aka Myung-rang So-nyu Sung-gong Gi is also good
Thank you! Am proud to say I have watched & enjoyed all of the above. Well, two just started – Soulmate & Bad family. My favorites & watch again are My Girl, Full House, delightful Girl CY, Fantasy couple, HGD. Yes, there are many out Kdramas to enjoy since I discovered the joy of Kdrama in 2007. I’ve even ignored many of my usual TV shows now to spend more time for Kdramas. Am glad SMILE is still there to enjoy. CREATING DESTINY is also fun to watch – ongoing now. Also enjoying INvincible Pyunggang, so far read read recaps only, it seems fun so am gonna go on watching that cos I love the cast.
@11 Eve,
ITA — Capital Scandal has that weird mix of slapstick and deadly serious. i think many people think it’s all silliness and jazz age-fashions, but it has a very dark side, and really, that’s the side i prefer.
@ 44 Emi,
Oh, yes, Country Princess! aka Funny Wild Girl. thanks for mentioning. One of my all-time faves. What a plucky heroine (Bae Doo Na). and cool hero (Shin Sung Woo). definitely not your basic pretty people.
omo omo !!! I have watch all these drama already !! They really are the best !! others that are not my favorite but are really great dramas … more drama-comedy
18 vs 29- alot of work couple
Snow Queen – tearfully wonderful couple
Goong S – heartbreak loveable couple
when its at night – funny couple
The world they live in – awesome couple
Wonderful Life – sweet couple
New Heart – best couple
Shining Inheritance – this is the lead Kim Rae Won not Lee Seung Gi
As for Boys before Flowers I did not watch it when everyone was going crazy for it but in the end i did and it will be a great memory
Jandi did not know what she want the whold show but her sceans with Lee min ho is worth the watch JD/JP couple is one of the best
I just finish watch Your Beautiful kdrama wow I loved everymin
TK/GMN couple rocks … i just melt when he says he name Go Mi Nam …@smile@
ICAM the best way to remember Choi Jin-Shil is to watch her @her best, as in Last Scandal. It’s what I did (though by accident), and it’s how I’ll always remember her–forever young, forever beautiful, and forever in love.
Sorry…..
Shining Inheritance – this is the lead Kim Jae Won not Lee Seung Gi
Shining inheritance’s lead is Lee Seung Gi, dramabeans is talking about the 2009 blockbuster, not the 2006(i think)’s show great inheritance
Is it sad that I’ve only not seen 3 of those dramas and two of the 3 are because they’re from before my k drama time and I didn’t know that they exsisted?
Javabeans, please give city hall a try, at about episode 5, I fell in love. Liked it more than coffee prince, and that was my first (and only), wake up at 5 am, call in sick to watch this drama.
I finished Fantasy Couple last night. It was pretty good, but I don’t think the plot stretched to 16 episodes. It felt like there was significant padding in there. The climactic ending scene did not feel especially climactic, either – I wonder if there were filming/location/time constraints that played in. It was fine, but it didn’t quite give me closure.
On the other hand, the drama took two characters that I basically despised simultaneously at the outset, and transformed them, and Anna’s character was the first one I’ve seen who is supposed to be a fluent English speaker that actually sounds like she might be fluent. (Full sympathies to the actors here, and normally I grit my teeth and bear it, but huge bonus points for making it work. The scenes with native English speakers are about as painful as usual, though.)
The supporting cast is quite good, as well.
I felt Hong Gil Dong’s ending keenly – I felt like somewhere the fluffy fusion saeguk I’d been promised had turned into an angsty tearjerker saeguk, complete with political machinations like whoa. The cast is excellent, but I couldn’t quite figure out how we got from bathroom humor, elephant mysteries and comparing styles of ghosts between countries to everybody dying in a manner I considered particularly dumb.
Shining Inheritance has an It factor for sure – it’s one of those dramas that shouldn’t work nearly as well as it does. The male lead is particularly reprehensible for the first, oh, fifteen or sixteen episodes, which is a fricking long time to have an unredeemed lead. The second male lead is basically awesome, and I think he gets treated pretty poorly all around. The main character only sort of takes decisive action to change her life. It definitely inspires shouting and throwing things, and involves one of my least favorite tropes – the illness ex machina. And yet – yet! – I really enjoyed it.
Delightful Girl Chunhyang is also my fave Hong Sisters drama. The storytelling was superb and the soundtrack was goosebump-inducing. And Bad Family is more of a family drama than a romantic comedy for me, but the family aspect was extremely touching. It’s the kind of stuff that makes you cry from being so touched. And the “second leads” (if they can be called that since this wasn’t really a romance) were a riot!
Delightful Girl Chun-Hyang is by a long run, my favorite drama. I guess becase it’s the only drama that made me stay up until three in the morning after watching the first episode, I couldn’t stop. =]
Soulmate is a favorite as well. I can watch those escalator repeats with the same song playing over and over and over again for hours.
[Off to watch Bad Family] Fake Granddad flirting with fake granddaughter had it for me.
It’s like a who’s who…
Wonderful list, I must say.
If had to choose the top TWO among the list above, as the top 2 k-drama romantic comedies evah, I would say:
1. Dal Ja Spring
2. My Girl.
Dal Ja Spring, to me, would be my pick for best k-drama romantic comedy. Every single episode is so great, so witty, so full of heart and so full of life, and Chae Rim is so wonderful in her role. Lee Minki is a perfect foil, calm and dedicated and worldly against Chae Rim’s neuroses and mother/grandmother baggage. In this scene, Lee Minki says, “if you ask me to leave, I’ll just leave….. but say something in the next three seconds, because if you don’t tell me to leave in the next three seconds, then I’ll take that as my permission to stay. One…two… three.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1NZ442df28
My Girl, on the other hand, I actually may like more than Dal Ja Spring (DJS is kind of a little too much female anthem-tique?). I would guess that the heart of this drama is the irrepressible spirit of Lee Da Hae, who is just perfect in this role. She is so delightfully sociopathic, and yet terribly open to being wounded by love – I could watch this drama again and again just to see her sing the Carrot Song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnNNKqbgGPk&feature=related
***
I know this seems a little bit arbitrary, but I can’t really call My Name Is Kim Sam Soon a romantic comedy, and the same goes for City Hall, Hong Gil Dong, Goong, Coffee Prince or even Bad Family.
To me, MNIKSS is a fairy tale set in modern times, and not really a comedy at all, although there are comedic elements. Hong Gil Dong is more of an action epic / love story, and Goong and Coffee Prince are more like a coming of age love story, rather than a romantic comedy. City Hall also, for me, doesn’t quite make the cut as a romantic comedy, because while it starts off slap-sticky, it evolves quickly into something else entirely. And Bad Family is sort of a comedy, with a love story, but not quite the same thing?
Anyway, I LOVE this kind of post by JB. So meaty, so juicy. It’s like a brined Thanksgiving turkey, hot from the oven.
thanks so much Java beans, i agree with Coffe prince (still the most perfect for me), at the begining (I mean the first ep.) I didn’t like, but then, i was totally fall for.
Since the end of “you are beautiful”, I fell empty, like so much others, and I was looking for something else to see… I was thought in “Bethoven virus”, just for JGS ^^, but i guess i have to start for Hong Gil Dong, in order to follow my inspiration…
Thanks again! and sorry for the English… I don’t know how to speak or write in it…
, but i try to do my best, since i found your page, and soompy… I think i’m so much better right now (about the learn) thanks to dramabeans.
bye!
javabeans, your taste is definitely mine!
your drama recommendation lists contain almost all of my favourite series.. hehehe..
really love Delightful Girl Choon Hyang and Bottom of the Ninth with Two Outs! it’s very refreshing.. super chemistry between the lead n too much laughable scenes!
@LL
I did really like the show though so I would recommend it. On the J-drama list I also just finished Buzzer Beat and I loved it. It is a romance and reminds me a lot of Long Vacation. Not Kimura, but with Yamashita Tomohisa who is also really easy on the eyes. Eye candy just abound in this one so I highly recommend it.
As far as Kimura Takuya’s show I just watched HERO and I really liked him in there. There is romance but it is not the focus as it is in Pride or Long vacation. But that’s okay for me since I am happy just watching him.
It is quite sad to me that I have watched almost all of the K-drama listed… maybe I really have an addiction problem my husband keep trying to not so subtly hint to me. Some other shows that are not on the list I have watched and pretty much stop sleeping b/c of them are:
Lovers- my first drama that got me started k-drama. A bit dramatic at the end but I still really like it.
Lovers in Prague
Queen of the Game
Surgeon Bong Dal Hee
Save the last dance- make sure you watch the scene after the credits at the last episod. Very important scene.
I personally don’t get how someone can recommend Full House, but not City Hall. I’m sorry but Full House was probably one of the worst dramas I have watched. It’s like all eye candy and NO substance, and by the middle you get a stomachache. Firstly there is no plot…NOTHING happens besides jealousy and then love. BI and Song Hye Gyo each get jealous like 29384723 times and then finally FINALLY admit they like each other, and bam, the end. Absolutely no creativity. And the set up to their meeting was dreadful. How can it be possible that the friends sell her house like that? And how is it she takes it all so well? There must be some legal consequences for actions like that yet nothing happens and she has to work for Bi in order to get her house back. That is total nonsense. The friends are probably the most annoying characters ever – and the girl never even got a stomach! And we are supposed to believe she was pregnant?!?! I hate dramas like this the most. Just one silly plot of jealousy-love and that is all. No undertone of other story lines at all, and it gets extremely repetitive really fast.
Whereas City Hall was so much fun. There were many phases to the story and really showed character growth. It started off with the characters in certain positions, living their lives, and how their lives slowly got mingled, and then the very exciting election, and so forth. There are so many things that happen besides the romance and that is what keeps a drama interesting. Of course we also get our fix of romance and kissykissy-ness, haha. The depth that City Hall has is much more complicated and interesting than Full House could ever pull off.
That’s the reason I like Shining Inheritance as well. It is quite outrageous in the plot but somehow it makes you believe it. Eun Sung was sometimes a teensy bit annoying, like at the end when she wouldnt accept Hwan for the longest time, haha, but mostly she was fine. And the subplots of the factory, the brother drama, and so on, made me seriously JUMP out of my seat. Every episode ended so fantastically that I immediately move to the next. Full House? No way. I could just guess what happened next. The only reason the drama is popular is because of the fact that Bi is popular. If this same plot were used with actors who were less popular, I bet the drama would have flopped. People would just start getting tired of the fact that the drama wasn’t GOING anywhere.
So my point is instead of wasting time on Full house, people should try Shining Inheritance or City Hall!
I would really like to hear someone’s opinions on why they don’t like Shining Inheritance or City Hall, or why they do like Full House.
I have watched the majority of the dramas. After YAB, I don’t think I’m ready for another kdrama. When I do come back around, I might try out Soulmates, Last Scandal of My Life, or What’s up Fox. To add to JB’s preferred list, I think I would recommend Tamra, Biscuit Teacher and Star Candy, Hwang JinYi, and maybe Exhibition of Fireworks. For those looking for recommendations outside of kdramas, here it goes:
Jdrama: Hana Yori Dango (Season 1 & 2), Nobuta Wo Produce (makeover for the creepy girl), Meichan No Shitsuji (butler falls in love with his master), Mr. Brain (all star cast w/ just interesting info like House), Hana Kimi (cross dressing to go to an all boys school to be with her idol), and Zettai Kareshi (girl who eventually falls in love with her robot lover).
TWdrama: Silence (girl loses voice due to an accident, meets boy as she recovers, looses contact – years later as adults, they can’t stop thinking of each other) and Fated to Love You (guy settles with the girl he accidentally impregnates and eventually falls in love with her)
@68 The reason why Anna sounds like she’s fluent in English is because the actress HYS was born in the US. But, yes, I know what you mean. When the character is supposed to have been born in an English-speaking country, you would expect the character to speak fluent English.
I’ve seen most of those from JB’s list. My two favorites are Delightful Girl and Soulmate. I just love everything about them. Jae Hee is wonderful, and the chemistry between the two leads is fantastic. Soulmate, everything works brilliantly: the OST, the actors, the storylines, etc.
I admit, I was one of those who watch BOF. I only watched it because of Hana Yori Dango. If it hadn’t been for the great Japanese version, I would have ignored it. Sadly to say, I never finished the Korean version.
Whenever someone asks me to recommend a K-drama, I always tell them to watch Delighful Girl Chun-Hyang and Soulmate. I can never get tired of watching these two.
thanks for the list! I’ve already watched a bunch of them but I really have to give a shout out to
BAD FAMILY, DELIGHTFUL GIRL CHUN HYANG, and LAST SCANDAL OF MY LIFE. Seriously. Watch them now!!! Especially, Bad Family, there is a scene where KMM dances like a mad man…i fell out of my chair.
I’ve yet to see What’s up Fox and Dal Ja’s Spring and Hyang Dan but the premise sounds great.
Why isn’t WONDERFUL LIFE and SMILE,YOU on here? On the other hand, BOF, My Girl (especially) and halfway through GOONG was pretty disappointing. I couldn’t take it anymore no matter the hype.
And Full House debuted 5 years ago? Snap. I’m old.
there is a facebook page for youre beautiful. it is yab international fan club.
you should join
@75 Unny -
Hehe, you wanna know something interesting?
I actually liked Full House.
Full House was one of the first box sets that I bought (the lavender Special Edition – Director’s Cut), and I guess there is a nostalgic element involved, along with the fact that it was one of the first k-dramas I watched so that I didn’t have very much to compare (and so at the time, it is possible that I thought it was better than it actually was), but I think Full House deserves some merit.
1. Full House had heart. All the ludicrous scenes aside, all the over-acting / yelling by Rain, all the ridiculous see-sawing between jealousy and angst, the characters got my empathy. And that goes a very long way to making something watchable.
2. Beautiful people help soften the blow. Rain, God bless him, is no Kim Myung Min. But what he did was act enough (or just be himself enough) so that I felt something, and while that “something” wouldn’t be equivalent to watching an award winning performanace, the fact of the matter is that Rain and Song Hye Gyo candied up the screen and I didn’t mind so much.
3. Really, Full House wasn’t about Rain, it was about Song Hye Gyo, and that girl can act. She isn’t the best actress in the world, but Full House needn’t be measured by those standards. She did a perfectly acceptable job given the writing and the story, and since the story and the writing was really about her, it was good enough to be watched.
4. The story, however silly, still made me want to see what happened. However it happened, somewhere along the way, Full House took my attention and kept it until the end.
5. And finally, Full House had enough cute moments that made the other less palatable moments bearable. If you pile on enough cuteness, enough of the 3 Bears Song reprises, or the cleaning / cooking scenes, you will soon forget everything else.
=)
Anyway, I can’t compare City Hall to Full House, as they are really different. But I think you can definitely appreciate (and like) both dramas without being inconsistent.
Tanx. It really help to follow K drama. I’m definitely going to start.
I pretty much agree agree with your list, Javabeans ~ although I was one of the very few who didn’t get into Coffee Prince. I watch almost the first half but lost interest afterwards…
How is Brilliant Legacy / Shining Inheritance… I like Lee Seung Gi and Han Hyo Joo… but I’m kinda turned off by the makjang elements.
@75 Unny
it might have been an oversight since there are a lot of rom-coms out there and I’m not sure if javabeans has even finished watching it yet. and it would be sort of weird to recommend something that one hasn’t finished watching.
even as a fan of city hall, I actually liked Full House. it was the first or second drama I had ever watched in full. Looking back, I don’t think it’s a great drama for the seasoned k-drama rom-com addict but it’s a great starter drama to kick off the kdrama obsession. it had all the great cliches you don’t see much in non-asian television. the leads are good to look at. acting is passable. there are some hilarious moments in the drama along with some really emotional ones. and i think there is something really poignant about a girl so attached to the house her father built. and the soundtrack is beautiful. the tracks are very recognizable. sometimes i may watch a drama and then forget how the music sounded like….but the ost for this really stays with you. it’s like the ost for you’re beautiful or my girl.
1) Choonhyang
2) Soulmate
3) My Girl
4) Attic Cat
5) Kim Sam Soon
i am a proud java-beaner!! i’m so proud to say that i HAVE watched ALL the dramas you reccomended, and some from the other (can’t vouch for) list! i watched a lot of the reccommended dramas while you were watching/recapping, and i truly think the reason i’ve come to appreciate so many of these dramas is because your efforts and awesomeness in explaining better the nuances of each episode you saw have made watching along not only enlightening and perennially insight-provoking, but also damn damn damn addicting!!!!!
i’m a…. 4 (?) year old java-beaner, even when this wasn’t your domain yet, and for AAAAAAAAAALLLLLLL the hard work, and the good times (and for my YAB addiction right now):
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOOOUU!!!
Whaaat? No 명랑소녀 성공기? 결혼하고 싶은 여자 (the original) is also underrated.
완벽한 이웃을 만나는 법 got bad towards the end, but I would put this on the list before half that crap.
Not exactly a lot of romance, but if you like comedy and can appreciate actors older than 35, you know, who are old, married and have kids and aren’t plastics, 강남엄마 따라잡기 was fun to watch.
thank u JB i was one of the first to ask you for recommendations. thank u for that descriptive likes and dislikes in every drama you are recommending….i really praise u. i dont know how you do it but you did!!!!!! i love your work…thank u for everything!!!!
thanks for the recommendations jb (watched only 7 out of your list). i have been marathoning korean dramas for the last 1.5 years (what took 5 to 7 years of airtime) and managed to more or less catch up at least on most of the key dramas. now i can pick and choose those that did not catch my attention the first time round.
lol, gotta point out the “hella”, NORCAL REP
i totally agree with your boys over flower review!
dalja’s spring!!!!!!!!!!
have to agree with the list! happy to say i’ve watched most of them (often steered away from sageuk dramas, but if i change my mind, i’ll refer back to this list)
seeing this list makes me feel old too, since i was able to watch them almost the same time it was aired in korea hehehehhe
JB, I love your list. And thanks for including “City Hall.” It really offers a mature relationship and the best drama ending (in my humble opinion, of course).
By the way, does “Alone in Love” count as a trendy drama? I’d recommend it too.
I’ve watched almost half in the list. and there’s some that I was hesitate whether to watch or not, but as you’re listing it, I guess I’ll give it a try later. am pretty sure it’ll be enjoyable. the ones that I’m following right now is Iris and Smile, You. Not disappointed at all at those two, at least for now.
CITY HALL!!! CITY HALL!!! CITY HALL!!!
I’m still waiting for the recaps, got stuck on episode 11, and my mom’s copy isn’t all that good (f***ing subs, so ungrammatical)
For Goong, it went like that since the manhwa is still not finished…
…and *spoiler* (sorry, can’t help myself), the divorce still went through, and Chae-gyeong left the palace (therefore not bingoong anymore).
But the conspiracy with the Daebi (Yool’s mother, the former hwangtaejabi) did (in a way) exist in the manhwa, Jungjeon (or in the drama Hwanghu; Shin’s mother) always suspecting her…
Yeah… I’ve seen most of those on that list too. I can’t believe I’ve seen so many KDramas… I love it. And who ever suggested Nodame Cantabile as a J-Drama is absolutely right. That drama and it’s special are AMAZING. Loved it.!!!!
I too would like to add my voice to those supporting Shining Inheritance/ Brilliant Legacy. I just finished it over on DramaFever and I have to say I thought it was amazing. I got super drawn into the story of all the characters. Besides Seung-mi’s witch of a mother, I never really felt that one character was eeeevil and the other was gooood. I felt they all had their flaws and vices which made it believable for me. (I was very surprised by this drama and it’s quickly become one of my favorite of all time.)
And if that’s not good enough for you… Bae Soo Bin is absolutely delicious. And I fell in love with him in this drama. I am now watching his new one because of it and I can’t wait to see Bisung either.
Finally… Someone who is older than I am to drool over!
ETA @93 Rovi… you can watch City Hall at Drama Fever with minimal ads. They have all eps.
@83 Annon- I totally agree with you. Full House was my first KDrama. And it was an excellent intro to this amazing world. I can’t ever get Rain doing the 3 Bears dance out of my head… hahahahahahahaha…
Like most of the people here, I’ve watched about half of the drama’s listed here. I’ve read your drama ratings and have been using them as guide as to what to watch. I’ve always loved your recommendations and although I might disagree with some of your analysis, on some I do agree with your views. I’m such an addict for Romcoms that I’m always scouring the net for new shows to watch.
Right before YAB finished, I was already wondering what drama to watch and so I checked the fansubbing sites and also the dramas that were currently recapped here. And I found that Smile, You to be the perfect follow up to my romcom addiction. After reading your first recap, I immediately downloaded the episodes. Reading dw4p and soyjoy’s weekly recaps were so much fun that I might have read each recap about 3 times. (I read your Story of a Man and YAB recaps almost the same number of times if not more) . There is something to be said about dramas that gets me hooked just by reading the summary or recaps (of course its also due to you JB, and your guest bloggers’ talents and skills in organizing, writing and analyzing the dramas, that I soooo wonderfully enjoy reading the recaps and watching the dramas). And so I want to thank you girls for taking the time and sharing with us your talents and passion for Kdramas.
Oh and I have to say, before YAB I didn’t know that 2 of my favorite kdramas were written by the Hong Sisters. I must have watched Delightful girl Choonyang and My girl over a dozen times. Although I get frustrated with the big conflict I’ve always loved the great chemistry between the leads. I am now adding YAB to that list
Thanks again!
“My name is Kim Sam Soon” is the BEST kdrama ever. The chemistry between the two leads (Hyun bin and Kim sun ah ) is so believable that I really thought or rather hoped that they were dating in real life. Also, kim sun ah really knows how to do comedy. I’ve watched the drama 3x now, and it still makes me burst out laughing.
As for the worst drama ever, I think I would give that to BOF. Yes you heard me. Although lee min ho is very yummy, the female couldn’t act for her life. Her acting was always over the top, and she seemed so weak. I thought the female lead was suppose to be strong!
Finally, I really enjoyed You’re beautiful. Very funny.
Shin woo oppa forever
if monicaaar is reading this…HI!!~~~~
Thanks for the list, you totally rock. I’m going through You’re Beautiful withdrawl symptoms and need another drama fix, hehe.
I had almost watch all the dramas that you had recommend here. Like Coffee Prince, Chun Hyang, Goong, MNIKSS, Fantasy counple, My girl, Full house, Bad family, BOF and ect And i agree with what you had said and the rating… kekekeke
Just yesterday, i was looking through you rating and recaps and to see what drama should i watch while waiting for something fun again… As I can see that we almost have the same taste in dramas.. ^^
So, right now… Im watching Soulmate since yesterday and planning to continue it again.. Its really really nice. One episode and im hook. I love it.. Can’t wait to finish it.. kya~~~~~
Thanks JB..
P.S:
Can’t wait to see on how you gonna rate You’re Beautiful.. I have been going to your rating page since its ending… Hahahaha Even before reading this post, i went and see it… lol
I mean this in the nicest way possible.
Way to kill whatever free time I had, Java. And here I thought, with You’re Beautiful ending, I’d actually get some work done… ;p
Wow. I’m drawn to wanting to watch Soulmate & Bad Family having read your description now. Thanks
Kim MyungMin as an uneducated gangster sounds like I HAVE TO watch it.
Personally I loved Coffee Prince loads.Best K-drama OST ever. Hands down. Even the non-official OST soundtracks. Great emotions running there, superb acting, great chemistry btw the leads & very nice writing there.
Wow, that’s a great list.
I haven’t watched some of them…by choice, because i don’t like the lead actors or the story…but I think I’ve watched 75% from the list! and I’m going to watch City Hall and Brilliant Legacy, soon!
I agree with some other recommendation : 18vs29, Sweet 18…and why you don’t include Bad Couple? Too much drama than comedy? I like it though.
Btw, will you make a melodrama recommendations’ list too? Please?
@75- I admit Full House has many flaws but despite that it holds a very special place to me. Full House was my first kdrama and I watched it when I was only fourteen years old. *time sure flies fast*. It may not be the best or good written drama; it was still enjoyable and fun to watch (for me that is). It was the first time for me to experience anticipating for the new episode to come out. If it wasn’t for Full House, I wouldn’t have been introduced to korean dramas so I’m thankful for that ;P
anyway, since you’re beautiful has ended, i was planning on watching other dramas to help me in my YAB therapy. LOL. I have watched almost all dramas in the list. and is planning to watch the Whats up Fox? and Shining Inheritance. Thanks for the list JB!
and also I think HANA YORI DANGO (jdrama) is good drama to recommend. It is DEFINITELY way better than BOF.
Hana Kimi JAPAN is good too but sometimes too anime-ish. 
or It Started With A Kiss/ ISWAK, sometimes draggy but one of the best taiwanese dramas out there (still praying for JGS to play the lead role in the Korean version, he would be sooo perfect for it!<3)
And I wonder where did my time go… I drown in K-dramas! I think watch more than 2/3 of the list up here… Some favs ever… My Lovely Samsoon, Goong, Coffee Prince, What’s Up Fox, My Last Scandal…
Great compilation JB!
other category of k-drama
is “PARTNER” its defferent from other k-drama its suspense, romance,comedy too.
Way to go JB!!! I will surely try to see all of this… when i thought i ‘ve seen it all, nah.. still i have long way to go!
Now don’t know which one to start?!!!!! yahooooo!
Great list! Thanks JB!
My take:
Delightful Girl Chun-Hyang – my mom likes it, but I’m just not a big fan of Han Chae Young…
My Girl – I’m also not amused with LDH, but it’s enjoyable. And I hate it for the same reason, the last few episodes are too angsty it feels like the nice mood it has on the beginning flipped over.
Fantasy Couple – a good one. nothing great. can be forgettable too. but will love Kang Ja (Boo Mi of City Hall) forever. It’s funny, but not really romantic at all (and yup, it can be a plus anyway)
Hong Gil Dong – I MUST give it a try! I promise I will!
Full House – no thank you, i’m just not into the SHK and Bi type of acting
My Name Is Kim Sam Soon – my first kdrama. my all-time top kdrama. i loved it even before knowing how popular it is/was. love love love Kim Sun Ah’s portrayal.
Goong – premise looks really really good and i feel bad for not watching it… but i’m also not into the YEH type of acting
What’s Up Fox? – love it! a big fan of Kim Do Wo (writer). It makes me love Ms. Go even before she became the great Mi Shil!
Soulmate – ???
Bad Family – i can’t wait to watch this, yeah first ep is really boring, but i know it gets better moving forward.
Dal Ja’s Spring – love the story. Even if i’m not a Chae Rim fan, i could care less. it’s a great drama. I love the message. Woman Power at its best!
Coffee Prince – hmm… yeah it’s nice… glad i watched it… but again i’m not so keen with YEH… i don’t feel the ending… and i expected so much from Gong Yoo and i think it hurts my watching pleasure.
Story of Hyang Dan – the mention of Shrek made me want to put it on my to watch list
Who Are You – awww, the underrated wonderful drama. yeah Go Ara’s acting is flat, but forgiveable coz of the warm storyline (and YKS’s smile)
Last Scandal of my Life – i hated the fact that i procrastinated watching it… i’m not very keen with Choi Jin Shil even if i know how good she is… (even before her death) but somehow after sneaking bits and pieces from my mom’s watching, i think i will love this (just looking for time to watch it)
Boys Before Flowers – oh no! pass… pass… pass… not really my cup of tea…
My Love Patzzi – Jang Nara? I’ll listen to her songs, but nothing can make me watch her act.
Attic Cat – a classic, i think da bin’s a very good actress, but yeah, her death can be quite disturbing
Capital Scandal – ???
Ninth with Two Outs – hmm, i always ignore this but it seems that this is something i will like (adding on my to watch list)
City Hall – i need not say anything… a drama beyond words (lol we spent almost half a year already praising this drama – and we still do) JB, the mention of “City Halllers” just made me smile. It made my day (and I’m sure the days of the many City Hallers hanging around your blog too)
Brilliant Legacy – pass…
It looks like what makes me like or hate a drama depends on my personal opinion of the acting of the leads (and mostly of the lead actress). I strongly consider storyline of course, but the lead actress’ acting ability, or the lack of it, is usually what makes or break a drama to me. (argh! my to-watch list is getting longer and longer and longer… but thanks to the recommendations!)
hi, thanks for the recommendations!
Since I was feeling kind of sad now that YB has ended. I decided to review my fave Hong Sisters early work. Delightful Girl Chunyang, and totally enjoyed seeing it once more. Now I want to do a review of the others in your list. But must agree, FH hold a special place in my heart. MNKSS and Goong too. But there are lots more in the list that should be included like Sweet 18 ( I enjoyed that one too. )
Wonderful list, Javabeans. I’ve seen most and now have a couple of new ones (Bad Family & What’s Up Fox) to add to my ever-growing Must Watch pile.
I was so glad to see Bottom of the Ninth, Two Out make the list. It’s a flawed series, but its moments of brilliance shone so bright, it’s easy to forgive it its faults. The basic outline is pretty simple: Facing financial difficulties, childhood friends Bong Nan Hee (the amazing Park Soo Ae) and Byun Hyung Tae (Lee Jung Jin) move into together much to the dismay of their significant others and doubt of their skeptical friends. In terms, plot I found Nan Hee’s relationship with her younger, baseball playing boyfriend to be boring and Hyung Tae’s love life to be even worse (and extremely repetitive) and we aren’t even going to bother talking about some of the B storylines. Keep your finger on the fast forward button. But those are the flaws.
The great thing about this series is Nan Hee and Hyung Tae’s relationship, which starts out as a close, unflinchingly loyal relationship and transforms itself into something more. It’s more like a newlywed comedy, since it’s all about two people learning how to share a life together, but since they aren’t a couple in a romantic sense, the UST is there too.
It’s the little things about this show that made it such fun to watch:
The way that Nan Hee and Hyung Tae slowly starting adopting each others mannerism the longer they live together.
It’s the look on Nan Hee’s face when she discovers that not only is Hyung Tae in the bushes outside their apartment hiding from her mother (who still doesn’t know about her daughter’s new apartment is actually Hyung Tae’s), so are her boyfriend and Hyung Tae’s latest flame.
It’s the entire scene when their circle of friends find out about their living arrangements. (Park Soo Ae and Lee Jung Jin are so in sync at this point it’s hilarious.)
It’s how during a major melodramatic moment between Nan Hee and her boyfriend complete with tears and proclamations of love, Hyung Tae gives up trying to remind the boy to take off his shoes and just does it for him.
It’s how throughout the series Nan Hee just starts randomly singing just because she’s happy.
It’s how I dismissed Nan Hee’s new, young, slu-*ahem* provocatively-dressed coworker as annoying, mean and even as the possible antagonist in the first episode, only to have her turn out to be one of the funniest, most open-hearted characters and an absolute joy to watch.
And, without giving too much away, it’s the second kiss in the last episode, the one by the door, which manages to be both sweet and hot at the same time.
If that doesn’t capture your interest, there’s Smile (aka Smile, You) that currently airing (and being recapped) and whole slew of others. And, seriously, if you haven’t watched Coffee Prince yet, what are you waiting for?!
Great recommendations! I’ve seen almost all except for Bad family and Last Scandal of my Life. I stopped the former after watching the first episode which I didn’t like and never started the latter as it sounded like a weepy melodrama!! =.=” I guess I’m going to watch these now.. ^_^
My personal recommendation is
Family’s Honor/Glory of the Family: family drama by definition and heavier on the romance than comedy but it is just soo cute that I’m thinking of rewatching it
What it’s about: Classical cliche story of snobby cold rich male meets virtuous female who changes him. However, it has more depth than that as it includes various other couples and stories.
Why you might like it – It is adorable and cute especially near the end. Park Shi Hoo (Iljimae) is just so dang yummy. The acting and chemistry between the cast is great. It has things in it for all generations and all types of people. It has multiple story lines (and love lines) that are interesting.
Why you might not like it – It starts out slow and is a fairly long drama (50-ish episodes). This is frustrating as you want the couple to “GET TOGETHER ALREADY” ! It has dramatic parts that are sometimes too dramatic and unrealistic. It has multiple story lines (and love lines) which takes time away from the ‘main’ couple..
Still even with its cons it is such an intersting and cute series that I’m thinking of watching it again… ^_^
Thanks for this. I’m relatively new to k-drama and finding a new (and good!) series to watch can get frustrating.
OMG- I’ve watched all of those dramas except Brilliant Legacy (Got really bored about half way in and couldn’t care how it finished)… So there’s where all my life gone!
Would certainly agree with JB’s list for Rom-Coms, although as everybody has pointed out- the ranking is all down to personal taste. Fantasy Couple, Full House, Soulmate, Da-Ja, Who Are You and BOF didn’t do much for me… fun to watch but I found them nearly instantly forgettable.
MNIKSS, Coffee Prince and CityHall were exceptional. Another one I thought was good was ‘What star are you from’ which I watched a couple of years back. But it has been awhile so my opinion might be tainted by my kdrama watching inexperience (i.e. along the lines of FullHouse- it was good to watch first time as it was only like my 3rd ever Kdrama- but on second viewing several years and several kdramas later, it was crap (relatively)).
I really think that lately Story of Man and City Hall has set the standards. I think I would have elevated YAB to stratospheric status if I had not watched those two before it. Romantic kiss scenes just don’t seem to be a)Romantic and b) kissing, anymore since CH.
LAST SCANDAL WAS AWESOME! God, such great actors!
Number 1 surprise: JB’s fave Hong sister work is Chung-hyang (I enjoyed the chemistry of the leads a lot myself).
Number 2 surprise: how many City Hallers are here. Just the most exciting and engaging drama I have ever watched. I also think that the writer must be atoning for one of the worst kdrama endings ever in Lovers in Paris by delivering the most amazing fan servicey my smile went on for days ending in City Hall. Just thinking about the last episode makes me grin like a mad fool.
@ 75 Unny
I also hated Full House for the same reasons as you, but I know lots of folks who love it so drama watching really is such a personal experience. But when I watched Full House, I was so tempted to smash the DVD to bits, but I couldn’t because I had to return it! But I can see why folks may love it. I don’t even put it in the same category as City Hall, it’s like apples and oranges. And I’m an orange girl.
Thanks for another super post, JB!
I am so a City Hall-er for life!! It is AWESOME!!! AWESOME!!! AWESOME!!!!
I am so in love with it that the song “Kurae naru midja” is my ringtone!!!! Just get past the first 4 episodes and you’ll be HOOKED!! HOOKED, I tell you.. for life.. !!!!
/rant
Also, I would totally back 9 ends 2 outs. It is very good! Coffee Prince and Soulmate are of course just phenomenal..
@jtinma – I loved Buzzer Beat as well. It’s a good watch for those intersted in jdramas like Love Generation and Long Vacation (both of which are to die for!!!)
@BOF recommendation – I didn’t finish it! =.=” Couldn’t stand it even though Lee Min Ho is one of my fav upcoming actors who is soo yummy.. he wasn’t enough to make me like the bad writing, directing, and acting.. I would not recommend it personally… but to each their own..
I just realized I sound like a mad raving rating idiot in the last post! =.=”
@Meix2 – I so believe you are right about City Hall spoiling us for the rest of the kdramas.. I always feel like chemistry (esp. the kisses!) is lacking between the main leads in all other dramas since watching City Hall. Dramas I found worthy pre-City Hall, now seem to be kid’s play.. =.=”
i loved coffee prince and dalja’s spring.they were cleverly written and well presented.
i also enjoyed goong, like most people i fast forward the political consciparacy parts though.
about full house i agree with JB. if you dont think much it is an enjoyable watch.
the thing about hong sisters’ dramas it starts so well that it raises ( my )expectations a lot but the later parts cant keep up with the level of expectation.
i enjoyed my girl but the ending was a flop no matter how i look at it.
i felt the same way about YB. it was by far the best drama i watched this year (should i say MFL and BBF . two huge disappointment) but the last episode of YB was so below the first parts that it is annoying.
i could never finish choonhyang and i attempted more than once. same with sweet 18.both start nice and get too draggy in the middle but i will try again .
kim sam soon was good but doesnt live up to all hype.
iwould love to have a jdrama recommendation as well
i watched HYD
Hana Kimi
mei chan no shitsuji
atashinchi no danshi
absolute boyfriend
i want to watch a jdrama now and i dont know which drama to watch this time.
any suggestions?
i love WHAT’S UP FOX! my oh my. i didn’t know what pushed me to buy the dvd and watch it but i did. and i loved it! the chemistry really is undeniable between the two. i was like squealing inside for the two leads to finally get together. oh. the memories of watching that series is just pure joy. i love it.
I absolutely love MY Girl. My very first Kdrama. And DELIGHTFUL GIRL CHUN-HYANG is my second favorite drama all for Jae Hae, nothing else matter. I didn’t realize they were from the same writer at the time. Luv It. They are not on my list of favorite cuz the list will get change in time as I watch more and more. But those two will remain special.
Great list. Couldn’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve rewatched My Name is Kim sam-Soon, What’s Up Fox, and whenever I need woman power my nail got painted black (Dal Ja’s Spring) kekeke. And of course City Hall no comparisone.
My sister have also recommended Last Scandal but I hesitated for the longest time. Since you recommended also and I just realize it’s from the same writer and director of Smile,You I will definetly watch it now. Just love Smile,You to pieces right now.
Definitely S O U L M A T E !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All time fav! n YAB!
Full House is must watch drama ! ^^ YB & Goong is also a drama dat must be watched xP
seriously speaking, i didn’t enjoy Delightful Chun-Hyang. It felt very draggy. When I finally finished, I was thinking “whew! what a waste of my life” Personally, I think they didn’t really take enough time to develop the protagonists’ romance for my liking. And before I am really convinced, they nose-dived into conflicts and misunderstandings one after another. sigh. The “conflict” they created … well it just didn’t make much sense to me. Perhaps I’d have enjoyed it more if I knew what the original folktale was about, and see their creativity in modernising the story. I didn’t mind the cheesy parts though. Haha, had a good laugh during the paradies of MISA and Winter’s Sonata etc.
so far, my favourite k-drama rom-coms are
Dal Ja’s Spring
9 End 2 Outs
My Name is Kim Sam Soon
Others that I enjoyed immensely despite some flaws
Fullhouse
Goong
You’re Beautiful
Oh, on those who’ve talked about Jdramas, yes I totally agree Hana Yori Dango and Hana Kimi were really enjoyable, though the spinoff movies and SP for the respective series were just unbearable … Long Vacation & Love Generation are classics! There are lots of nice romance dramas, but I find it hard to classify them as Romantic Comedies… PRIDE is my favourite drama series of all. Takuya Kimura is oozing with charisma. I also enjoyed Slow Dance, Love Revolution, Beach Boys, Nobuta wo Produce.
Well, looks like there’s a lot for me to catch up on. There are tons of dramas on the list that I’ve yet to check out. it’s gonna be my “project” for the holidays.
oh yes… I agree with you on 14 of these dramas.
Thanks for the recommendations, JB! Among the list, the ones I haven’t seen are Soulmate, Bad Family, Who Are You?, and Brilliant Legacy. BL has been in my to-watch list for months, and I’m now adding Soulmate and Bad Family thanks to your recommendations.
My personal favourites from your list, including those you haven’t watched, are Dal Ja’s Spring, City Hall, Capital Scandal, Fantasy Couple, MNIKSS, My Girl and What’s Up Fox? (in decreasing degrees of love, but I do love them all!). Dal Ja’s Spring tops the list because the balance of romance, friendships and working relationships was almost perfect. City Hall would have topped the list if not for the few cringe-worthy scenes where Mi Rae (Kim Sun Ah) tried to ‘act cute’ – I absolutely couldn’t stand those scenes, and luckily they occurred only a few times.
@112 Meix2 and 116 Icarusfalls:
Yes, City Hall has definitely raised the standards for romantic kiss scenes!! Every k-drama kiss I’ve watched since then (and actually, pre-City Hall with the exception of Hotelier if my short memory serves me right) have seemed lackluster in comparison, LOL. Even the highly-raved kiss scene in IRIS paled by comparison because I simply couldn’t feel the same intensity/chemistry between LBH and KTH.
Seems comedy/romance themed more than anything else, witch suit me fine as that is my fav type .
I well add successful Story of a Bright girl with Jang Nara.
Why well because it was the first of the light comedy romances that made it into the Mega hit status, breaking the run of those tear jerker melodramas.
I not saying it the best you will see, but themes from it are the basics of all the like shows made after it, so in many ways it is the blueprint of the Comedy/Romance.
As I say it may have flaws, Jang Nara acting while she gives 110% is rather on the raw side, but as she was one of the top pop princess at the time in korea her appearance in the show gave it the public attention..like perhaps an idol drama.
That added to coming out at the right time, when viewers where just getting tired of all the unhappy ending of the melodramas, it gained very high ratings like 43% for its run, making it the very first of is kind to make it to the mega hit stage.
Here I am again (I can’t resist
) . Eventhough, “You’re Beautiful” finished it final run, I came back to check you’re recommendation as I don’t know what to do with the empty spot left by the high and mighty YB and sure enough — You listed them to my delight. After reading your list. I think of you as my internet friend 
which is a weird description even from me. I said that because I have this weird feelings we have the same taste. I’ve watched most of what you listed (its really weird and I’m getting goosebumps right now!). The way you described each one of them is the exact same feelings i felt watching them (and I am not even korean and I mean that in a very good way). Basing from you’re list my top 3 rom com KDrama would be:
YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL
For non-stop fun in each and every episodes. Great acting, directing, screenplay and unbealivable soundtract. Its the top of the cream. Brought out the sweet 16 feeling out in me again.
GOONG
This drama will always be special for me as it is the first KDrama I’ve watched with my sister and got me addicted.
MY NAME IS KIM SAM SOON
I like Kim Sun-Ah a lot. And since I can really relate to her not only in age but in character, this drama is one of my favorite.
As for JDorama that some of you listed here. I also like:
NODAME CANTABILE
Hilarious indeed!!!! great chemistry, believable musical performance from the actors.
GOKUSEN
ahhhh…Yankumi is one heck of a teacher. I only like the first season. It got redundant with 2 and 3 season though.
HANA KIMI
another gender bender based on a japanese manga. It was one of my favorite and still is.
PROPOSAL DAISAKUSEN
Its a rom com that was considered average but since I’m a sucker for romance, I really went for it. Loved the sountrack too and the ending is really made up for it. its sooooo romantic.
HANA YORI DANGO
This was and will always be my favorite version amongst the rest. Great chemistry, great acting, believable storyline, well-paced, nice soundtrack by arashi and as always the one that really gets me is the happy-ever-after-ending…..Loved it soooo much!!!!
In terms of pure Rom-Com I pick “My Girl”. Its the one I can rewatch because the chemistry between the leads, acting and situations are hysterical. Who can forget the hospital scene when LDH meets the grandpa for the first time and the “beep…”.
Also as someone else mentioned I like “Country Princess” as well but mostly because I love Bae Doo Na and her quirky zany character.
I’m going to check out “What’s Up Fox” when I can come up for some air since the plot sounds interesting, probably won’t disappoint in the acting department and I find Chun Jung Myung really adorable.
I couldn’t finish “Last Scandal of My Life” or “Capital Scandal” since I couldn’t get into either one. Capital Scandal bored me even into episodes 8 and the only reason I preserved so long was because people kept saying it was great. I figured if I found it boring even into ep 8 I should just give it up. Last Scandal of My Life I might have seen 3 episodes. I didn’t find the plot interesting enough and though I love Choi Jin Shil’s work, I couldn’t relate to the character at all.
I’ve watched about 70% from the list. but here, i also recommend this:
Sweet 18 :
cast: Han Ji Hye & Lee Dong Gun & Lee Da Hae
What it’s about: Lee Dong Gun is a prosecutor who nearly hit his 30. His grandfather is the head of traditional family arranged his marriage with HJH, a high school girl who is immature and rebellious.
it was funny and cute. i love HJH so much. but like always, there’s some draggy parts. especially at the last episodes. but it still was fun to watch ^^
HJH & LDG become a couple after this drama, but unfortunately they had clash early this year…
@94, I can’t watch dramafever, i live outside US, and pertaining to my comment, I mean the recaps here in dramabeans, I’m literally stuck in ep.11
Out of topic comment…
I am watching out for Kim Sun-ah to do a sageuk (just like Go Hyeon-jeong, becoming infamous Go Mi-shil)
Note: just noticed that GHJ’s 2 last dramas has her surname GO…
thats funny. i’ve seen everything on your list and it made me realize that none of the romantic comedies are in my top 5 favorites.
flowers for my life
i’m sorry i love you
ruler of your own world
story of a man
someday
looks like the sad dramas are the ones that stick with me the most. but someday isn’t sad and it does have alot of comedy in the first half so i guess that might fit in with the theme. and the drawings are pretty good, too.
and from those list, what i love and think remarkable are:
you’re beautiful – i think this win 1st place in my heart
coffee prince – cute, great acting and chemistry, good script
fullhouse – funny and very cute. great OST
bad family – hillarious. i love it so much
fantasy couple – hilarious. damn, i become addicted to jajangmyun
my love pattzi – actually my 1st korean romantic comedy i’ve watched, i still enjoy it
what i dont really like:
my girl – i found LDH so overacting, and i cringed everytime i saw her
goong – i think the storyline is good, but the problem is everywhere, music background, acting?, it was too slow for me
those i dont list actually means i enjoy it very much, just not as remarkable.
woah! i have seen most of dramas in your list, JB!
i’m currently rewatching Last Scandal coz I needed something fun after rewatching the brilliant and intense Dr. Jang in White Tower.
among those in the list, my very faves are Goong (which really got me hooked into K-drama) and Bad Family (where I discovered the brilliant actor, Kim Myung Min!)
I admit that Bad Family is a bit boring in the first episode but it just keeps getting better and better. It’s totally hilarious and touching at the same time.
@Celest – ditto on the mad dancing by Kim Myung Min! LOL
Thanks for the list JB!
I’m watching Soulmate now, you’re right it’s different from the usual K-drama plot. But somehow I get the same feeling like when I watch J-dorama Love Shuffle. Can’t wait to finish the whole series
….
Wonder if anybody have watched Romance Zero. I find it to be a hilarious and addictive drama.
Tq JB for the list. I have seen most of the drama, but there are some that are still on my to watch list. And looking at the list brings back some joyful fun.. as some of the dramas serve a lot of “Firsts” to me.
Like many others, Full House was my first Kdrama (I was into Jdrama before), so despite it lacks of substance, I’ve going to give it the merit it deserved for introducing Kdrama to me. I wasn’t even going for heavy, dramatic stuff back for my first drama, so Full House is just perfect for its warm, funny and cozy feelings. I can get depressed easily over dramas, so I was looking for something that can cheer me up. And Full House was simply that! And I love the Three Bears song too! LOL! And I’m still going to recommend it for Kdrama first timers haha.
And I was introduced to D-Girl Chung Hyang later and it was the first ever drama that made me curious over a lead actor, as I went crazy over the adorable Jae Hee.. and started to watch all his dramas (yes, including the Witch). And all Hong sisters dramas too (except Fantasy Couple – yet to watch that). I’m into fun, quirky, crazy romcom so I’m all in even if dramas are a bit slapstic. Haha. Coffee Prince was the first drama which I really enjoyed the OST. And on BOF, it also deserves merit for the mere crazy fandom it created. I bumped into Dramabeans during those spoiler-craze BOF time, so I really do appreciate what BOF did to me – introducing the wonderful site of Dramabeans!
And You’re Beautiful remains the only drama that bring me out from the lurkerdom and into the roses-full world of fandom.. LOL!
Hi
My favourites so far You’re Beautiful, Coffee Prince, Kim Sam Soon, City Hall and Someday by Kim Min Joon, Lee Jin Wook and Bae Doo Na. Have you seen this before?
Someday is a romance drama but it was shown on cable only. I don’t think it has much romance comedy scenes, however it is very refreshing and heartwarming drama series, and very different from other types of typical kdramas.
Strongly recommended series!
Hello~ I’ve been reading your blog for a while but this is the first time I post — should have done so sooner just to thank you for your awesome awesome work!
First off, I watched Soulmates because you were recommending it. It was awesome, and I totally loved it. I wasn’t expecting to like it so much, and as many other fans I wish they made a second season.
I have watched most of the dramas you recommend on this list but I am very very surprised you didn’t add 9 Ends 2 Outs. I totally adore this drama and the chemistry and relantionship and acting of the two lead characters was brilliant.
Out of the Hong sisters dramas, My Girl is my favourite drama — mainly as you said due Lee Da Hae and Lee Dong-Wook. I must agree the ending was a bit disappointing and draggy but yeah, I had lots of fun watching that drama.
Delightful Girl was the first k-drama I ever watched! ( and done a lot of watching since then too XD) I was totally addicted to it and I loved it .. but mainly because I had not seen any other dramas before. I actually enjoyed the first part of the drama but later on it was very draggy ( imo) and the second leads were just outright annoying. I wouldn’t even list it as a favourite of mine now, but since this was my first, it’s kind of special.
am going on an indefinite break. no other dramas for me for now. YB will always have a spot in my heart as All In, Phoenix, Full House and The World That They Live In has. don’t even want to watch Iris anymore.
i miss the fun and excitement that YB has given me.
Ahh, thanks dramabeans! I’ll sure as hell check out the one or two dramas I haven’t watched from this list – or maybe even re watch those I liked the best, now that You’re Beautiful’s finished T.T
Coffee Prince – HELL YES. I can never get enough of this drama. Yoon Eun Hye’s best work so far. The story was different and fresh, & Gong Yoo is such a hottie.
My Girl was the very first Kdrama I watched.. and that started the whole craze. Now I’ve had a bit more experience with dramas, I have to say that it isn’t the best out there – but it was a great place to start at and it will always hold a special place in my Kdrama-loving heart. Very funny, very cute.
1. City Hall
- Best kiss scene ever and great happy-ending with a little surprise. Best romantic drama I ever watched, everthing was just perfect. Acting of Kim Sun Ah and Cha Seu Wong is the best.
2. A love to kill
- Even I did not like the pathetic endin and the main actress, it impressed me for days. So dramatic, wowww.
3. Coffee Prince
- Goong Yoo did it.
4. Smile You (currently airing)
- So sweet and times so hilarious. You can fall in love with beta-males.
5. Fantays couple
- Much better then U.S. version with Kurt Russel and Goldie Hawn (Overboard). I loved it.
6. Taiwanese Drama : It started with a kiss & They kiss again.
- They introduced me asian dramas and made me fall in love with Korean Dramas
7. Tamna- The Island
It was so refreshing, so different from the main drama plots, I liked it, enjoyed watching it and fall in love with Im Ju Hwan.
These are the ones I can immediately remember, but there a lot of more dramas I enjoyed a lot while whatching.
Thanks for the great topic.
Attic cat , Dalja spring and Bad family caught my interest, I am going to watch them too
Love your list..about 65% ofit i have watched and rewatched…but now i think i really have to watch Bad Family again..wonder where i put them??? watched until the 3 episode and then i stopped…don’t really know why actually,it was pretty entertaining and Hee Chul as the fake brother is cute! City Hall… maybe… love Kim Sam Soon though.
So, from the list there..i would probably say my Fav would be Coffee Prince (i’m really crazy for Gong Yoo… start to get in his fan group during this drama). Next would be You Are Beautiful, Goong (though i FF it quite a lot… i watch mostly during JJH and YEH and also when ever i can see Kim Jung Hoon), MNIKSS, Chun Hyang, My Girl (love the bubbly Lee Da Hae but it does seem to much sometimes and Lee Dong Wook) and Hong Gil Dong (i rewatched this again because of Jang Geun Suk but Kang Ji Hwan wins over him again and again).
If you want to get the same kind of sweet, cute, romance J-Drama, i would recommend (the same as the others above me…) Hana Yori Dango! The best of all the versions (including i’m a real fan of Arashi and Matsumoto Jun). Others that i love are Proposal Daisakusen (the SP is so much better), Love Generation, Nodame Cantabile, Gokusen (1st season only), Mukodono (1st Season only), Hanazakarino Kimitachi e (or Hana Kimi), Pride, Itazura na Kiss, Love Revolution and Zettai Kareshi.
Soulmate- I broke my own rule “never watch the sama kdrama more than once” for this one. I think because of the drama’s great GREAT soundtracks.
What’s up Fox – Chun Jung Myung was really REALLY great. I used “like you” from the OST, as my ringtone for 2 years straight! and if that doesn’t show how much I loved this drama, I don’t know what else can ^^
Javabean – I discovered your site about 6 months ago, when I was a newbie into the world of K-Drama. K-Dramas are like nothing I’ve ever seen before, British television is all gritty and a bit to “real” for my liking, unless it’s a period piece like Jane Austen, which I adore. Hmmm wonder what that says about me?
My first K Drama was “A Love to Kill” with Rain and it was all high angst and drama and I freaking loved it! On reflection it was ridiculously over the top and even a little silly and now I think….jeez will the chick ever STOP crying and was it really necessary for EVERYONE to die at the end???? But at the time it was new and exciting. As the months have gone on and I’ve watched all sorts for drama’s the bigger more famous one’s at first, to smaller lesser known but better quality I’ve come to realise that high angst and drama doesn’t necessarily mean good.
I’ve become so grateful to this site, because I can now say I’m a bonifed toddler in the world of K-dramas, I’ve a lot to learn, but through your recommendations I’ve been guided through a lot of the crap and found the diamonds in the rough. It’s been a real pleasure watching some of drama’s suggested and through you I found one of the genuinely original drama’s Que Sera Sera – what a cracking one that turned out to be!
My one complaint I would have about K-Drama’s is the women, I find them quite one-dimensional, and I mean they can’t all be virginally innocence’s or psychotic bitches from hell can they? Maybe it’s the drama’s I’m watching or how Korean society view women, but seriously even the woman in “the last scandal of my life” who had been married for several years had a sort of naivety about her which I found quite odd. – The one exception to the rule for me would be “La dolce vita” which I found very interesting and character’s quite refreshing.
Anyway, that’s my two cents – thanks again for this wonderful site which is now on my favourite list and has been for quite a while. Please continue to recommend and give your thoughtful insight to the world of K-Drama’s.
my all time favourite has to be coffee prince, because it was the very first kdrama that i watched it’s in entirety without fast forwarding and having any frustrating, long-drawn, ‘wft’ thoughts that accompanies a lot of kdramas. i’m still listening to the soundtrack 2 years down which is awesome. in any case, it was THE drama that introduced me to korean culture and it was THE DRAMA that brought me to this fantastic site dramabeans due to sarah’s incomparable summaries. i don’t just speak for myself, but for rest of the non-korean lurkers that were hooked on to dramabeans ever since coffee prince!
Thanks to the people who wrote about why they liked Full House
I am able to see the drama with a little less bias now. Although I still don’t like it generally, I do have to say it was rather cute at times. Plus the OST was good.
Dear JB, thanks for giving us this wonderful topic for sharing our kdrama love.
Rom-com is my favourite genre. What better way to ‘de-tox’ and ‘de-stress’ than watching a delightful rom-com. Here are my two cents and grades on the listed dramas:
“A+++” City Hall, City Hall, City Hall
Great dramas do not come by often, and I feel so lucky as a viewer to be served this mesmerising drama this year. Watching City Hall is like the bursting fireworks in Go Mi Nam’s head! Don’t get frightened off by the politics backdrop or give up if the first few episodes are not quite your thing, you will be rewarded once you settle in. If there is ever a perfect drama, this would be close to it because it is the combination of a truly outstanding script (just forget her less stellar previous works for a moment and savour the brilliancy in CH), the sizzling chemistry and intense romance played out by KSA and CSW, an all rounding superb supporting cast, well-paced plot development throughout all 20 episodes (which only gets better as each episode tops the previous one), excellent soundtrack, and a PERFECT ending! As said by @50 aqaurianunicorn, after you watch this… any other drama won’t be the same.
“A” Coffee Prince, You’re Beautiful, and My Name is Kim Sam Soon
I love these three dramas to bits. MNIKSS is my very first kdrama and will forever have a special place in my heart. What can I say about Coffee Prince? It was my number one drama until City Hall comes along. I simply love the refreshing and breezy feel of CP (just to quote JB’s description), and both GY and YEH gave us their career-defining performance. We are really blessed this year to have another excellent drama in YB. A most enchanting and cute love story between HTK and GMN, and their lovely ANJELL band mates and those surround them. This drama has somewhat the same shortcomings as other Hong sisters’ works: overwrought with emotion over a dragging (or seemingly forced) conflict. YB is in fact much better than others in this respect but the ending is kind of disappointing. I am so in agreement with nom_kitteh that they should refer to CH on how to make an ending work.
“A-“ My Girl, Last Scandal of My Life
My Girl is super, super fun. I think LDH’s overacting is in fact necessary and what makes this drama work. It would rate much higher if not for the prolonged grandfather conflict and the 2-year time jump. I love Last Scandal – another drama for mature audience with loads of charm. I didn’t have the heart to re-watch it because of the untimely passing of CJS, but perhaps I should just do so to remember her in her best.
“B+” Bad Family, Goong
Bad Family is strictly speaking not a rom-com but comedies are abound in this most heart-warming drama, and the romances are all so cute. KMM is fantastic in his rare comedic turn. I watch it without much expectation but, viola, what a happy ride it is to travel with that fake family. Goong is best watched with the pretension that the last 6 episodes do not exist (I think ockoala said this which is so very sensible). The parallel life of their going to high school and observing the palace etiquette is what makes this story fascinating. While none of the acting of the four main leads can be said as great, their youthful energy and good looks more than compensate.
Others
Who Are You? -YKS is enough reason to watch this! Can’t help thinking how much better it would be if another actress is casted in Go Ara’s role.
9 in 2 out, My Love Patzzi – Both are charming gems!
BoF – LMH is the only good thing about it, period.
Delightful Girl Chun-Hyang – I enjoyed watching the first half but it is so over melodramatic and draggy in the second half that I lost my interest. HCY is another turn off to me.
Fantasy Couple – Quite forgettable. I love Goldie Hawn’s original better. The acting of HYS and OJO is just so so and pretty lacking in the department of charisma.
Captial Scandal – Not my favourite drama. I find chemistry lacking in the main couple (although I love KJH and HJM individually). The second couple is the perhaps the best thing of this drama.
Brilliant Legacy – No offense to all the BL fans but I find it hard to finish this drama (and f/f a lot for the last 10 episodes). BSB and MCW surely outshine the main leads.
Full House – Seriously overrated but I had a good time watching it.
Those I can’t finish – Da Jal’s Spring (surprise, surprise, I don’t know why, I tried it twice but was not motivated to finish it on both occasions), Attic Cat
I’d like to recommend two rather underrated dramas here: Great Lawyer of Korea and Surgeon Bong Dal Hee although these two are not necessarily typical rom-com.
Lastly, could anyone tell me where I can watch Country Princess? I’ve been trying to find this one for ages but without luck. Bae Do Na – I’d watch anything she’s in!
^ I watched “Country Princess” on TV a while back and I haven’t been able to find it anywhere else and I also second “Great Lawyers of Korea” for the superb lead actor’s acting though I don’t consider it a pure rom-com.
Thanks Javabeans for adding City Hall to your recommended drama.
I`m a certified City Haller and we still spreading CH love everywhere.
I can see Inju Citizen here….wave….
To all K-drama addict, who will be a City Haller soon, you are very much welcome to join us in CH thread. Share your journey and lets all be happy in Inju City!
My Fave
MNIKSS
City Hall
Shinning Inheritance is also a good drama.
City Hall…..City Hall…BEST drama in 2009!
Wow i agree with all your recommendations… OH am drama geek
Ive seen all of them!!! What should i do, JB???????? Thanks for putting up the lost tho, maybe i should wathch them again before dying from missing YAB.
Thanks javabeans, for the great summaries!
As I read the comments, it really brought back fond memories. Full House got me hooked on to K drama and it used to be my favourite, until I watched MNIKSS. It was such a heartwarming drama! I loved every part of the drama, especially Kim Sun Ah. She portrayed the character to a T. A must watch K drama. Classic.
As for My Girl, perfect chemistry between the leads. I guess that’s when many of us fell in love with Lee Dong Wook! Agree?
Dal Ja’s Spring is also one of my favourite dramas. Chae Rim is such a good actress, a gem amongst the female actresses. Lee Min Ki did a good job too! Like what javabeans mentioned, this drama didn’t just have the usual romance element, I appreciated the interactions amongst colleagues and depth of friendship portrayed in the drama.
Looks like I’ve missed a gem – City Hall!
City Hall……………….
Brilliant Legacy (Shining Inheritance)…………………………
Hmmmmm?………………………….. Let’s cek it out…
Thanks Java Bean
I was surprised Golden Bride didn’t make the cut, despite any weaknesses it may have; but then I realized, we’re supposed to be talking about romantic-comedies, so…
I’m weighing out my options on this one. I’ve seen about a third of what’s listed: Full House, My Girl, Bad Family, Coffee Prince, half of Hong Gil Dong and a quarter of Soulmate. And Dal Ja’s Spring is my absolute favorite; it just hit all the right notes with me in regards to modern romance. I saw so much of myself in Dal Ja’s character that the dialogue exchange between her and her family (and co-workers) gave me the chills. Excellent show.
As for the ones I haven’t seen, once I’ve completed You’re Beautiful, I think I’ll do a double-feature on City Hall and Last Scandal. Can’t wait.
I’ve seen everything on the list except two.
@110:
I AGREE 110% about Family Honor! One of the best dramas I’ve ever seen.
I’m glad to hear that you liked Bad Family a lot, since it was pretty much my first kdrama and I loved it! Sadly you don’t have any recaps, I’m really interested in knowing how you saw each episode. But I will bookmark this and give most of them a try.
How could u not reccomend Que Sera Sera !, that drama was FREAKIN AWESOME !!!
Since Korean dramas, and Japanese dramas seemed to have been covered already, I decided to share my recommendations of Thailand dramas. You can find where to watch Thai dramas, called lakorns, with English subs at this website. http://iheartlakorns.com/.
Thai dramas can have great acting, great music as well. But a word of caution. Something that occurs frequently in lakorns is rape between the two leads. Conversely, outside of rape, there is very little sexual going ons between the two leads outside of usually chaste and often faked kisses.
Despite this, lakorns can be very romantic and funny at times.
My favorites are:
1. Rahut Rissaya – cool headed, strong willed Palai blackmails Siva into marrying her. Very cute, romantic, dramatic.
2. Oum Ruk – About an actress who gets pregnant. Great acting by leads, Anne and Ken, and funny to boot.
3.Roy Leh Sanae Rai – Sorta like a reverse My Girl, with a rich guy being a major liar and swindler to get money from the girl. But he’s a very charming swindler.
Others that I like include: Sawan Bieng, Jum Leuy Ruk and Sassy Love.
Golden Bride, Que Sera Sera, Story of a Man, Alone in Love, Family Honor, a lot of the dramas mentioned here in the “Why didn’t you include this in the list?” are not trendy dramas, and this post is about trendy dramas.
I also think one has to account for time and context when judging a drama… Watcing Full House in 2009, for instance, is not going to produce the same effect as if you watched it live back when it was a huuuuge phenom in 2004. Just a reminder to keep things in perspective…
@155
Que Sera Sera, is not a romantic comedy, it’s straight up drama.
Like javabeans says.
i really love your summary about boys before flowers…i only wish that people understood how bad the writing/acting is given such a great source…that is a good list of dramas, i recommend soulmate (because that one surpassed my expectations by A LOT).
Thanks for this post and a list of dramas to keep me going after YB.
I had a few recommendations to add, but I see your note that the list is really Trendy Dramas, not rom-coms per se.
Well, I’ll just whisper: I liked Accidental Couple and The Man Who Can’t Get Married. They weren’t fantastic but they were watchable and engaging (in Accidental Couple the male lead whose name I forget was wonderful, as was his younger sister and the female lead (she was in 200lbs Beauty but was pretty unimpressive here)’s younger brother; in The Man etc the 2nd couple–Jandi’s BFF from BBF and a young guy I hadn’t seen before were so enjoyable, plus the lead couple were fun).
question for you Javabeans or somebody else who knows: you know those drama parodies that the Hong sisters had in episode 16 of Delightful Girl Choon-hyang when Choon-hyang was making up reasons as to how she ended up in Busan instead of in Japan? I could only identify two of the dramas they were making fun of (I’m Sorry I Love You and Full House), but since I’ve never seen the other dramas they were making fun of I was wondering if you knew.
Delightful Girl Choon-hyang is my favorite Hong sisters drama too btw. I’m rewatching it now, Jae Hee is so awesome.
I’ve seen all of the recommended drama with the exception of City Hall ( no time right now) and Who are You ( can’t get past episode 1… attempted to watch it at least 5 times…just couldnt get into the drama)
Out of all the dramas in the list above, Hong Gil Dong takes the number 1 spot ( turned me into a KJH fan ) and Coffee Prince ( love GY) in the close second
theedie,
Haha. Your question actually made me watch that episode again, which brings back memories. I actually laughed when I saw the MISA parody again. Haha. Anyway. I only know the part when they were at the beach, and the music playing was from Winter Sonata (Yon-sama and Ji Woo-hime). Although that beach scene is typical in the Autumn in my Heart drama (Song Hye Kyo and Song Seung Hun), so I don’t know which of those two they were trying to show. But, this is both from the Endless Love series (which started this Kdrama fandom for me) so I guess it doesn’t matter. That’s why when I first saw Chun Hyang that time, it was very refreshing and funny. No more tragedy! Same with Full House. But Chun Hyang is better then FH, I think, if you compare it at that time.
Loved the list. I have watched the majority and enjoyed them. There are a few I will add to my evergrowing list!
City Hall. Coffee Prince. Soul Mate….cream of the crop.
What’s up fox? is a major favorite….the music I went and playlisted on Imeem!
I am still watching YB and find it sweet and engaging.
I loved the Jdrama version of BOF! watched it first and it still stands there for me…I recently watched the Chinese/Taiwan version ..not bad I mean it has Van Ness Wu!
also in japanese I loved Hotaru no hikari….just enjoyed it so much and my first J anything! a little hard to get into for me then Kdramas, but once I find one I usually like it to bits.
Full House…ehhh, wanted to know who this Rain/Bi fellow was….the house was lovely! oh and the ” 2nd” male lead…ahhhh can I say gorgeous….
JB ..let me add I love the site and spend a lot of time here….I like your straightforward approach paired with your own ” fangirl” style….smile
I always enjoy reading everyones responses whether I agree or not!
This is a fun and entertaining place.
Off to check out and add to that evergrowing list!
I truly, super love That Fool. It is so sweet, warm, funny and gosh, makes you feel so good after.
Definitely Smile. Between Smile and You’re Beautiful, I turned into a compete maniac stalking the sites until I saw videos and even watched them without subs.
Its funny that I have watched almost ALL of the dramas listed above. Makes me feel like a real drama addict LOL.
Like you, I really liked Delightful Girl Chun-hyang. There is surprisingly a lot of dramas here that I have heard of but haven’t had the chance to see yet and will slowly get to once my grad applications die down.
Goong was the first drama I watched in its entirety after seeing it advertised on Yahoo. Its a really solid drama, i didn’t know it was extended but that definitely explains why I felt it was a bit slow in the latter half after being absolutely wonderful in the earlier half.
Coffee Prince is a definite must watch if you haven’t seen it yet. It was the first drama I watched as it aired while I was in college and I loved every episode with the episodes always keeping you waiting for the next. Gong Yoo and YEH OWNED their roles in this drama and the supporting cast wasn’t to shabby themselves. YEH’s Eun Chan is one of the few girl-pretending to be- boy that is actually believable and it amazed me how much of a boy she looked like with minimal make up and the right haircut plus styling that if I didn’t know it was YEH I would of thought it was a boy. Don’t get me wrong PSH is adorable in YB but with her type of face you could always tell she was a girl even though her acting was good otherwise. Its a little less comedic but definitely a quality romance drama.
Bottom of the Ninth with two outs and Last scandle of my life are also really good dramas and I highly recommend them. Yes they are about 30 somethings and less trendy and more about real adult life but the writing and the acting is top notch due to the use of veteran actors in both.
Like another poster, I would also recommend I love you/ Saranghe, the age difference will bother some but the drama was adorable and a fun watch.
BOF–> a hot mess, but a highly addictive one at that. If you know nothing about the original story watch this with your brain turned off. If you know the story pass on this and read the book even if the acting was pretty solid in BOF it was highly disappointing.
oh and if you aren’t watching yet. Definitely watch Smile, You. Lee MIn Jung and Jang Kyung Ho are adorable together and have awesome chemistry plus the drama is just hilarious.
@ 145 Lastly, could anyone tell me where I can watch Country Princess?
You can find it on silentregrets, or lets-look.
Since it’s my first post here, I’d like to say how grateful I am to javabeans. The witty landlady is so much appreciated.
The same goes for the guests, with a special thought for Cityhallers without whose enthusiastic rants about City Hall I would probably have missed this superlatively exciting show.
I’d like to say a word for I Really Really Like You. It’s not only a rom-com, more on the fantasy side with also dramatic elements, but rom-com there is. In spite of its flaws, I really really enjoyed the interactions between Eugene and Lee Min Ki, the country bumpkin/city dandy conflict, the evolution of the two, as well as a bunch of funny or moving secondary characters and their subplots.
(Ouch! so difficult to write in English; please forgive the mistakes).
I came across this list yesterday and after reading through all your recommendations I decided to start watching “Delightful Girl Chun-Hyang.” I’ve already watched through episode 3 (I must limit myself our I’ll be up all night) and I think I love it already. Obviously I’m only at the very beginning so for all I know it might become slow and boring but right now I’m really really really enjoying it. Thanks so much for your recommendation Javabeans. I plan to watch some of your other recommendations later!!
Thanks for the recs! I’m watching Delightful girl Choon Hyang these days and I am now in episode 8 (i think)… I find it entertaining but not addictive (just my opinion ^^) … but it’s still too early for me to rate the drama so i’m giving it a chance …
I would like to comment on some of the popular dramas I watched:
Coffee Prince had a really good story and I enjoyed watching it; however, i wasn’t so satisfied with the ending…don’t know why…
Full House was just “okay” for me. I heard lots of good comments about it and I heard that the ratings were high so maybe when I watched it I expected too much. Just like what JB said : the plot is repititive.
Goong was interesting…at first.
I had fun watching BOF ^^. The F4 members were handsome and Lee Min Ho did a great job portraying Gu Jun Pyo. Ga eul and Yi Jeong’s love story was also engaging.
- I watched other kdramas but it might take me forever to comment on each of them^^
here are my top picks:
(note: these are dramas of all genres)
1. My girl
2. You’re Beautiful
3. Winter Sonata (loved this drama but I wouldn’t want to watch this over and over again for the mere reason that I don’t want to cry)
4.Shining Inheritance
5. Boys Over Flowers
6. Coffee Prince
7. Il Jimae
8. Green Rose
9. Take Care of the Young Lady
10. He who can’t get married
I also watch taiwanese dramas and jdramas, here are my some that I liked:
Fated to love you (tdrama)
Proposal Daisakusen (jdrama)
Frog Prince (tdrama)
Devil Beside You (tdrama- Mike He was soooo cute!)
Haha, I found that I have watched all the dramas of the Hong’s sisters! Their dramas never fail us. I also found that I have watched most of the dramas recommended by JB, leaving only 4 I have not yet watched. Surely I will watch them soon!
@161…
the drama parodies were as follows:
* (Actually, I couldn’t identify/don’t know the drama for the first one…though I liked both the BGM’s (reused in both My Girl and Dalja’s Spring)…for anyone interested, what’s the title of the BGM’s????)
* Mix of “Autumn in my Heart” (beach scene) and “Winter Sonata” (music of Cheoeumbuteo jigeumkkaji)
* (I also don’t know for the 3rd one…)
* “I’m Sorry I Love You”
* “Full House”
i say watch Coffee Prince, Capital Scandal, Dalja’s Spring, My Name Is Kim Sam Soon, Bad Family, Soulmate, & You’re Beautiful, if you haven’t cause they are awesome.
i also recommend He Who Can’t Marry, the lead male character is not normal, but it is very funny because of that. Also i started watching Smile You, the 2 leads are good.
To feed my YAB withdrawal, I have decided to re-watch Hana Yori Dango Season 2. I forgot how much I loved the the series. Rui…Makino…Tsukasa…
As I type, Episode 6 is on pause with this scene:
{Valentine’s Day} Tsukasa waits on the bridge impatiently for Makino to give him the chocolates. At her arrival and to his surprise, she’s come to give him back the Saturn necklace, which carries so much meaning. She explains that her decision was made with a lot of thought. {AHHHH!! Heck naw} He throws the necklace into the stream below. She has run to the other side of the bridge eying exactly where the necklace settles. Tsukasa does not hold back any feelings, “Don’t play around with me!! This doesn’t make me sad at all. Listen. I…I..I don’t want anyone…I don’t want anyone but you, MAKINO!” (‘The Flavor of Love’ plays in the background)
My first korean drama was GOONG! Eversince, I never stop supporting the KOREAN Drama Scene! Never will…
At this point in time it’s hard to imagine there would be any other drama in the past that would come close to what You’re Beautiful gave us.
Coffee Prince was enjoyable….the acting was superb….the ending flopped.
City Hall was excellent in its story….more stressful than I had anticipated…but the chemistry between Kim Sun Ah and Cha Seung Won was out of sight! Watching some of the “behind the scenes” films gave me the impression they were very attracted to each other.
Boys Before Flowers…..I believe that Lee Min Ho carried that drama and made it come alive! He really was Gu Jun Pyo!!! All the others were disappointing….especially the actress who seemed to be on a tangent in the way she acted and seemed to be angry and screaming all the time. I can’t see a sequel being done with her again unless they write her out of the script because she still won’t marry GJP to finish school. I can’t even imagine seeing her back!
The above….all based on my own opinion….and all I want to add is that after YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL and its excellent casting…..I’m happy with watching it over and over!
Wow – I too have seen A LOT of the dramas listed on there and I agree with nearly all of JB”s points. Watching Full House in 2009 definitely will not have the same affect as it did watching it in 2004, and I think the same with Delightful Girl CH. However, Delightful Girl CH is one of the very first K-dramas that I really really loved. I saw Full House before DGCH and wasn’t all that impressed with it… I just couldn’t get into the hype. Just remember to watch them with an open mind. A lot of times, these trendy dramas aren’t meant to be super deep or whatever, but for their own reasons, they tug at the hearts of its viewer in some place. I did end up rewatching Full House at the end of 2006, and ending up liking it at that time.
I also really loved My Lovely Kim Samsoon – just really good all around. 2009’s BOF, well, there were plenty of things that I disliked but dang it – no matter what, I love the JD and JP storyline in all 3 of the versions… and it was no different for the k-drama version. So even though, it had soo many issues, I still loved watching it and even rewatched the scenes like I liked. I really like The Last Scandal… I watched it while it was airing and would definitely recommend it.
I passed on Fantasy Couple (even though I like OJH) and HDG – just haven’t had a chance to watch it — and also a few others on there. I will try to find time for them.
My picks of the trendy k-dramas: 1) Delightful Girl Chun-Hyang 2) The Last Scandal 3) My Lovely Kim Samsoon 4) Coffee Prince 5) Full House/Goong/BOF
I loved YAB, don’t get me wrong but I don’t think it holds a candle to Coffee Prince. The subplots were all too familiar, most of the characters were far too one dimensional, typical love rectangle story and honestly far too little actual story. The acting and comedy saved the drama. Coffee Prince had heart and an emotional journey that YAB lacked.
I am so glad that JB ranks “Delightful Girl Chun-Hyang” as her favorite Hong sisters drama. I love “Delightful Girl” and heartily recommend it to trendy drama fans. The central romance is a slow burning kind of love and not the typical depiction of romance in kdramas, where Mong-ryong would suddenly get hit in the head by a falling object, making him realize he loves Chun-Hyang. Just joking, but you know what I mean– it takes a miracle for some of the guys in kdramas to realize they are in love with their leading ladies. Chun-Hyang is a strong and inspiring female character — admirable and winning, without being an ounce of annoying. The actress strikes just the right note, as there is something about the character that just seems so real, and not an idealization of a classic hard working girl. It is really touching that Chun-Hyang’s father-in-law saw her good qualities so clearly and predicted she would make his son a better man, even when the mother-in-law couldn’t stand Chun-Hyang. And yes, Jae Hee is absolutely wonderful. He is perfect at every point in the drama, whether he was being funny, kicking butt, or making us cry. What a talent. I know that your military duties are coming to an end soon enough, but come back, Jae Hee, come back!
Finally, ******spoiler****while I usually detest when a rom com ends with a big, lavish wedding, I think DGCH had the best ending ever. The wedding scene in DGCH is incredibly moving, as it cuts back and forth between the mythical couple and the modern couple professing their fidelity to each other in this beautiful speech, that is perfectly acted, driving home the fact that this couple is FOREVER, the very embodiment of monogamous and faithful love. So the wedding is forgiven, because even I have to admit that you kind of need a wedding in a show that it all about an eternal-love-that-never-dies.
This makes me sad. I’ve watched most of the dramas mentioned and yet all i want is more of “You’re Beautiful,”….the withdrawal syndrome is way too much…especially that viiki’s not working for me and all i have going is soompi and this site….waaahhh, can’t wait to have the DVD….
I’ve lurking on your site for a awhile and I adore your stuff ^_^ by the way are you fan of park chan wook who made the vengeance trilogy? I’m just curious I want to hear your take on them since I love him as a director!!!!!! although I’m disappointed he followed that whole vampire thing thats going on I enjoyed his originality on the vampire take and i can’t wait to see what he does next ^_^
Sue Jiro, am definitely with you……….GOONG did it for me, my first Kdrama and then I was hooked, Kdrama addiction all time high, I enjoyed Hyang Dan a lot, would like to see it again…….JB, where can I see it? thanks for all your recommendations, some on the list are a must see……others will be explored per your valued opinion, thanks
lol, I’ve only watched 1/2 of what you wrote up there but I’m glad it’s at least half because I don’t remember watching much kdramas…I’m gonna check out Soulmate though. Maybe it’s the layout of that icon…because it reminds me of the jdorama Last Friends….and the episode #, the plot, as you described it, sounds a lot like something from a jdorama. I guess it’ll suit my taste.
This is the list i like. Only Bad Family is the drama i did not watch. Thanks for a good post, I will recommend my friend.
City Hall.
:
:
:
Will I ever find a better drama than City Hall?
Dramabean . . . you forgot to include Success Story of a Bright Girl. I think it’s the first drama that couple lived together and also a romantic comedy.
Haha… I’ll vouch for City Hall and Brilliant Legacy! CIty Hall was a bit dull at the begining but then yummy Cha Seung Won…… *faint*
to me when a drama makes such a good impression on me, i will feel lost when I had finally finished watching it – like i’ve lost my best friend.
among the drama that makes me feel like that was:
1. Seo Dong Yo
2. Coffee Prince
3. Hong Gil Dong
4. City Hall
5. Bad Family
6. Who Are You
Ranked the ones on the list I have seen/am watching:
01. City Hall
Sizzling chemistry, romantic and absolutely addictive. Never in my life of watching Japanese & Korean dramas have I ever fallen as hard as I have for a drama as I have for City Hall. ♥ To be honest, I only watched it for Kim Sun Ah… and on the first viewing, skipped most of episode 1. However, I fell HARD by episode 6–to be exact, the scene outside of City Hall where Jo Guk wraps his jacket around Mi Rae’s torn dress! The beautiful, statuesque Cha Seung Won and his gentle, but intense gaze captured my heart forever… *sighs dreamily*
02. My Name is Kim Sam Soon
This was my first K-Drama romcom and it definitely holds a special place in my heart.
Kim Sam Soon is all about at-tit-ude! I loved her feisty nature, she was most definitely not the typical weak K-Drama princess. She didn’t need saving–in fact, the person on the other side of her attacks often did!
03. Coffee Prince
A few years ago, I absolutely DESPISED this genre, but decided to give Coffee Prince a try on a bored afternoon especially after reading so many raves about it. Needless to say, I fell in love with the drama and its bandwagon of fun characters. Can you say, “My Chan~”?
04. You’re Beautiful
Addictive & fun in the first half, but lost its charm once the romance started. Mi-Nyeo was a bit too naive for my taste, but I did enjoy the comical scenes and Jeremy is such a cute character.
05. Brilliant Legacy
Lee Seung-Gi’s family drove me absolutely nuts throughout the entire drama, but enjoyed Bae Soo Bin’s character and the romance building between the mains in the last half of the drama.
06. Goong
Don’t remember much of this drama except the evil mom drove me nuts… and what was up with the ending?!
*Last Scandal – Currently watching and am enjoying it so far, just hoping that the ex-husband DIAF.
* What’s Up Fox? – Watched episode 1 and found the heroine a bit annoying & naive (gynecologist’s office scene = irritating!). I might continue it at a later time though since it seems to be received pretty well.
* Soulmate – Might watch this one later, sounds interesting…
Thanks JB for the recs!
Wow JB I like you’re recommendations. I haven’t seen Delightful Girl Chunyang but my friend has been bugging me to watch it, after reading this, I might relent. Other than that, I agree on most of what you listed here. I am a huuugggeee fan of Soulmate too. I love the sound track, the story line, the execution, everything about it. I seriously think its one of the most underrated kdramas.
I am a big fan of Kim Sun Ah so I love most of her dramas. I stumbled upon Dalja’s Spring by accident and I absolutely fell in love with. Maybe because I can relate with her so much, I just need a hot, mature younger guy to complete the picture.
My Girl, My Name is Kim Sam Soon, Full House, Soulmate, City Hall, Dalja’s Spring, Goong, Coffee Prince, and yes BoF (purely because of LMH) are my go-to list of Kdramas. Now You’re Beautiful has been added on that list.
Oooh I forgot to add Partner. The last drama Lee Dong Wook did before enlisting in the army. I love the chemistry between the 2 leads. =)
OMG! I am sooo grateful you came up with this list. I’ve been really down since You’re Beautiful ended and I was really trying to find dramas which has a similar feel to it. I trust your recommendations.
A million thanks! ^_^
The List: (Not according to quality of writing/directing but merely based on personal preferences)
1. GOONG (nostalgic reasons- first K-Drama I ever watched and kicked off my K-Drama Obsession
)
2. Coffee Prince (GY and YEH really amazed me and since I can’t live without music, the soundtrack scores bonus points for this drama!)
3. DGCH (Just recently watched it and although it’s been 4 years since it aired it’s still very entertaining which says a lot about it)
But above all, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL TAKES TOP HONOURS! Never been so addicted and actively involved in forums until YAB came along and who can forget- JGS as an awesome HTK!!
@193 Xen
Totally understand how you feel!! The same reason why I checked out this list too hehe
YB FTW!!!
Brillant legacy was a craze too at its time but I couldn’t pass two episodes.
Am I the only one who think HYJ is a flat actress ? I feel too much she acts : when she cries, when smiles, when she shouts it doesn’t make me feel different. It makes absolutely NOTHING for me.
Finally someone has listed the problems with BOF. Thank you – I can quit doubting myself. I could not finish it. I have been trying to figure out what the fuss was all about. I agree that the F4 are adorable but that was it and I hated Lee Min Ho’s hair.
Assuming anyone is still reading this after 200 comments, I’ll add a few comments.
I liked BOF. From the get-go I knew it was going right over the top, so went along for the ride. I’ll admit it could have edited out about 4 hours of the middle, and it totally wasted the character of Woobin, unlike the jdrama, but honestly it was cotton candy.
I didn’t like HGD, DGCH or My Girl for some reason. Sue me.
I do like City Hall – yeah! – and I Really Really Like You – although one subplot in there could have used a quick and more logical rewrite.
Rom-coms not mentioned that I liked – Lawyers of Korea. For some reason, probably the lead actor who had a physical presence in this unlike 99.9% of kdramas, I really liked this. And it had a line near the end that I would bet real money was a throwaway line by the actor, that was just funny as anything.
I quite liked He who Can’t Marry – both the j and k drama versions. And That Fool, which I haven’t seen the j drama version of yet.
For j-dramas- other than the ones mentioned earlier – well, I’m a fan of Abe Hiroshi, so darned near anything with him in it, I’ll give a try.
But earlier this year Honjitsu mo Hare, Ijo Nashi really captivated me. Which is quite rare for a jdrama for me.
wow nice drama review!! i agree with u on all the dramas we’ve both watched..it took ur first soulmate drama review to get me to watch that series…and i loved it to pieces!! i’m STILL hoping for a 2nd series…just to confirm my wishes following the ending!
I have to say that after watching City Hall, You’re Beautiful seem too immature for me. You’re Beautiful has it cute moments, like the scene where Shin-woo call Mi-nyeo and end up following behind her around the Seoul’s Myungdong shopping district and make suggestion of places to eat noodles n ice cream. But overall, I did not like the main actress action and still think that Shin-woo should have got the girl
. No Korean drama has so far has top the romantic ending of City Hall for me 
. The chemistry between Kim Sun Ah and Ch Seung Won is amazing and made City Hall so much better than any Korean drama that I have ever watched.
That said, I did like He Who Can’t Married – a bit slow in the first few episodes, but it got really better n funny as the drama progresses.
Soulmate was fun to watch, and I’m also want a second season like Cate!! The one thing that I really like about this drama was that they had really great music and it fit the scenes so well.
As always My lovely Kim Sam Soon will always have a special place in my heart, since it is the first Korean Drama that I watch and became addicted to Kdrama and Kim Sun Ah
.
the majority of this list I have either seen or made a conscious decision not to watch tho I mite change my mind now
The ones I have not seen are hyang dan, and love patzzi so thanks for those
I agree with:
delightful girl
fantasy couple
hong gil dong
Soulmate: My all-time favorite kdrama, the soundtrack was amazing
Sam-soon: my first kdrama and I rewatch it frequently.
Dal Ja: really good but i am biased b/c I love Lee Min Ki
Last scandal: AMAZING
Bottom of the Ninth with Two Outs: I really liked this drama, not very plot driven so it may appear slow but i thought it was great
I saw the first episodes of bad family, who are you and what’s up fox and did not like them but if you say they are good i will give them another try
I suffered thru the first 6 or 7 episode of BBF and gave up. The acting was so bad, they played too much music in some episodes. I did not find their cast especially attractive except for kim bum (don’t hate me). It was just frustrating, I tried so hard to like it but alas I gave it up. I LOVE the jdrama HYD tho, so everyone should see that instead.
I do not want to watch my girl, there is a lot hype surrounding it and I do not want to be disappointed
The others are good but could be passed
@ 169 frac – Thanks for the head up for Country Princess!
@ 199 momosan – Lawyer of Korea is one of my favorites too. Just curious – which is the throwaway line by LSJ?
@ Faridah, MY GIRL is very entertaining rom-com, if you are into comedy and drama in one, MY GIRL is the best choice. The rest mentioned above also very good except BOF (the acting that actually put me down). But if you are not a fan of Lee Da Hae, I’m not recommeding you, because most of the show is about her and if your forward all the scene, you get nothing.
if anyone reads down this far…;D the first kdrama iever watched was stairway to heaven…and although that was little over a year ago it opened up an entire new world for me…:) soon enough i veered into other kdramas and thats when i discovered BOF ahh i was totally sucked into the crazy fandom that was BOF..ahhh good times and after doing background reading (wiki)lol i discovered LOVE…loved the jdorama version so much more but gotta give mad props to lee minho he owned his gu junpyo character and to the excruciatingly addictive soundtrack…guilty pleasure! ive seen all but 4 of the list! itend to marathon a little
kekeke and i also watched brilliant legacy live i dont know what it was the piqued my interest but it totally ruled my being at the time..lol similar to the YB effect..but the ANJELL boys totally trump the F4 boys in all ver.
gotta love rom-com kdramas they make you all giddy inside its like an epic long chick flick, and who dosent like a good love story, with a happy ending of course!
love most of the list, but im sure i wanna add sweet 18 there. hehe.. since its the 1st cute drama i’ve seen.
i love Fullhouse despite of all the draggy parts. because it was very entertaining, cute and funny.
also love Goong despite its slowness . i dont think its draggy, but i blame the director, music background and script. i think the storyline including the political conspiracy is concrete, just the story landed on a false hand.
also love BOF despite all the weakness. yes, the music, the directing, and i blame most on the horrible lousiness of it’s script. but AMAZINGLY i love it very2 much. I’ve watched Hanadan on the year it released, I agree Hanayoridango has more powerful script, music and directing but it failed to attract me and not addictive at all. BOF could be far better if it landed on the right hand and they didnt write the script in such hurry.
I love Brilliant Legacy very much too, but ehmm, i dont think its in the comedy list.
i love the other as well, MLKSS, fantasy couple, bad family, coffee prince, soulmate, the story of hyang dan, and some others. after being recommended, i’ll try city hall later
i dont really like my girl, coz the girl is just too much.
and lastly, i love You’re Beautiful most, for its good directing, script, cast, storyline, OST, and ummph.. everything. i dont mind watching it again & again.
Number 1 on my list SMILE, YOU
and the rest :
My Girl
Hong Gil Dong
Coffee Prince
princess Hours
Full House
Boys before Flowers
Go for Smile, you….a really good and sweet drama. The lead actor and actress really have great chemisty that makes you want to fall in love.
( I find it is better than You’re beautiful)
Try Thank you….heart warming and nice to watch
Queen of the Game. I watched it 3 times…nice plot. I am Lee Bo Young fan
Thanks to you suggestion I watched Delightful Girl Chun-hyang and I fell in love with this drama. I liked everything about it, except maybe the depressing parts near the end, because the leading characters were just so adorable that I couldn’t stand to see them apart anymore.
I think this drama may top My Girl for me, and this means a lot, since MG was my favourite rom com before this. Great humor, great characters, great plot.
A MUST WATCH, DEFINITELY!
Hong sister never disappoint!
@epyc – at the end of Lawyers of Korea – in yet another elevator scene (I swear half of the drama takes place in that elevator) where they are bantering back and forth about how many times he’s going to ask her questions, out of left field LSJ says “geez, I should have just made you pregnant.” Either line that was a throwaway on his part, or he delivered it really well, because it was so unlike any of their other back and forth about the questions.
@ 210 momosan
Thanks – I remember that line too! Throwaway line or not, this is quite typical of the character played by LSJ. He is the magnet attraction of that drama, although probably low on eye-candy factor. I didn’t plan to watch it but got the DVD upon the shopowner’s recommendation. Got drawn in after the first two episodes and then pulled an allnighter to finish it. Had re-watched it a couple of times already.
After reading this, i immediately started on What’s Up Fox. And it was AMAZING<3 awesome awesome drama. I usually dislike huge age gaps but the leads and the storyline made it work. Now i'm crazy about Chun Jung Myung and can't wait until his next project~ (I wonder what other dramas the writer wrote… because I LOVE her works – MNIKSS<3333)
I am definitely going to watch Fantasy couple next~
thanks for the suggestions i am taking them one at a time and i just finished watching delightful girl Chun-Hyang and i LOVED IT. It had one particuklar phrase that i heard in YAB the one about she seen him when he did not. I came back to look for more. See ya on to the next.
What do you do if you have already WATCHED ALL of the above? I mean, is there really nothing else?
I also can vouch that City Hall is a great drama. You won’t regret watching it. U can see the chemistry between CSW and KSA. Thumbs Up for City Hall. Wow I realize that I have watch 80% of the drama in recommendation list.
yea, I love Delightful Girl Choon-hyang, too..!!!!
Jae Hee is only the one who looks so eye-catching there, lol..
hmm.. I don’t really like Boys Before Flowers, (sorry.. ^^;)
Talking about Sassy Girl C-H, do you know the name of the song in episode 4 aroung 9 mins http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzJp3Bl0JQk
I hear it a lot (Sweet 18, Sam Soon, Xman) but can’t find the name
Thanks!!!
@211 epyc
That was another interesting thing about Lawyers of Korea – the real eye candy was the ex-boyfriend, who – let us face it – was yummy and had a killer smile. But Lee Sung Jae really carried that show with his character.
@ Saranga,
I loved Sangdoo, let’s go to school too. There were so many wonderful and sad moments in that drama. Ironically, it was Rain’s best acting effort even tho it was his first. I particularly loved the different love themes it explored – love between sangdoo and his female lead, unrequited love the floozy had for sangdoo, the father-daugther love between sangdoo and his Bori. I wept my heart out when he chose Bori over his lady love even though he learnt Bori wasn’t his biologicall daugther. And the brotherly love/respect sangdoo and the doctor shared, considering they started out hating each other’s guts. But the ending was just heartbreaking. All in, a great piece of writing
Here’s my list :
1) I loved and nothing will take its place
- My Lovely Samsoon
- Full House
- Que Sera Sera
- Bad Love
- Sangdoo let’s go to school
- A love to kill
2. I enjoyed
- Goong S (the sequel, not the original)
- Sassy Girl, Chun Hyang
- BBF
- Couple or trouble
- A Happy Woman (the KBS weekend drama)
- The Good Thief Hong Gil Dong
- All In
- Be Strong Geum Soon
- Dalja’s Spring
- Iris
3. I found passable
- Last scandal of my life
- Accidental couple (Kim Ajung)
- Yoo Hee the witch
- Which star are you from
- Worlds Within
- Love Marriage
- Capital Scandal
- Fireworks (Han Chae Young, Kang Ji hwan)
- Snow Queen
4. I hated
- Hello Miss
- My Girl
- Lovers in Paris
- Lovers in Prague
- Coffee Prince
Ok, I am so gonna get shot…………..
@ Saranga,
I loved Sangdoo, let’s go to school too. There were so many wonderful and sad moments in that drama. Ironically, it was Rain’s best acting effort even tho it was his first. I particularly loved the different love themes it explored – love between sangdoo and his female lead, unrequited love the floozy had for sangdoo, the father-daugther love between sangdoo and his Bori. I wept my heart out when he chose Bori over his lady love even though he learnt Bori wasn’t his biologicall daugther. And the brotherly love/respect sangdoo and the doctor shared, considering they started out hating each other’s guts. But the ending was just heartbreaking. All in, a great piece of writing but a real tear jerker – there were so many tender moments. I usually rewatch dramas I love – I’ve seen MLSS 4 times, Full House about 7, ALTK about 3 times but I cannot bring myself to watch Sangdoo again
The first time round, I went about with puffy cheeks and eyes the day after i finished the last episode
Here’s my list :
1) I loved and nothing will take its place
- My Lovely Samsoon
- Full House
- Que Sera Sera
- Bad Love
- Sangdoo let’s go to school
- A love to kill
2. I enjoyed
- Goong S (the sequel, not the original)
- Sassy Girl, Chun Hyang
- BBF
- Couple or trouble
- A Happy Woman (the KBS weekend drama)
- The Good Thief Hong Gil Dong
- All In
- Be Strong Geum Soon
- Dalja’s Spring
- Iris
3. I found passable
- Last scandal of my life
- Accidental couple (Kim Ajung)
- Yoo Hee the witch
- Which star are you from
- Worlds Within
- Love Marriage
- Capital Scandal
- Fireworks (Han Chae Young, Kang Ji hwan)
- Snow Queen
4. I hated
- Hello Miss
- My Girl
- Lovers in Paris
- Lovers in Prague
- Coffee Prince
Ok, I am so gonna get shot…………..
i would have to say that i most definintely prefer the japanese version of boys before flowers [hana yori dango] over the korean one.
i enjoyed the characters more, & it was alot better that the dorama wasnt as long. i felt that the korean drama was a bit slow in some parts. I also prefer the lead actress in the japanese version over the korean one too.
but the taiwanese adaptation was my least favorite.
i never really did like who are you.
i don’t know. it just seemed tooo slow.
and there wasn’t much chemistry between the two people
Please help me,
My favorite Korean dramas (romantic comedy only) are:
6) Rooftop cat
5)Full House
4)My Lovely Samsoon
3)Coffee Prince (I think some call it 1st shop Coffee Prince)
2)Couple or Trouble, a.k.a. Fantasy Couple
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NUMBER 1 IS: Get Karl! Oh Soo Jung!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I loved Get Karl, Couple or Trouble, Coffee Prince and Samsoon. I did not like Oh Phil Seung Bong whatever….
Please give me some more great titles based on my favorites. Thank you very much.
hey id like to ask which 3 dramas you could recommend me cause im watching autumn’s concerto atm and like its almost finished ive watched you’re beautiful too… any super good dramas that you can recommend me? thanks!<3
Did you not like Sweet 18? Because it rocks! Two words to describe it: simple and sweet.
I watched Last Scandal from your recommendation. I LOVE it. It’s really enjoyable. I finished it within 2 days. The chemistry between leads is really good. Like you said, they know how to ACT. Thanks for everything.
I watched Capital Scandal as per your recommendation!!! I LOVED it.. would definitely recommend it to others… even the side characters for this story are interesting… it is soo cute and hilarious.
Warning: Some parts are kinda too anti-japanese… and might be offensive. Just take it as it is…
I love your list Javabeans. I’d say Delightful Girl Chun Hyang has a special place in my heart since this is the drama that started my romance with Kdramas. Love, love Jae Hee. I didn’t like Full House for some reason since I found it such a silly movie. I’ve seen probably 80% of what you’ve lsited.
Other dramas that I like are what’s been listed and I’d add Lawyers of Korea. For Jdramas I really liked Hotaru no Hikari and Nodame Cantabile.
I’ll take note of others suggestions. Thanks peeps.
My favorite on this list is My Girl by far!
I think it’s just my personality but I just loved Yoorin (Lee Dahae) soo much! I found that she acted the same way that I do in situations. This drama made me laugh a ton, and cry at the end. In fact, it’s the only drama to have made me cry. But, my friend who watched it with me told me it wasn’t sad at all…
The chemistry was great, i really wished they were a real life couple. It was so much fun to watch!
Second favorite would be 9 end 2 outs or Goong.
-9 end 2 outs was sweet and cute. At times, it did become really really slow. But, I loved the main couple, and how they could be best friends and lovers. There was the often used over 30 ahjumma looking for love, but it doesn’t stay cliche.
-Goong was boring. but the only thing that made me love it more than almost every other drama was the main couple. I wish I could see what their child turned out to be like. I’m sure he or she is beautiful!
Dramas that I enjoyed but didn’t find extraordinary
- Couple or Trouble/ Fantasy Couple was great only because of Oh Ji ho. I thought he was hot! ok. and there seemed to be no chemistry. And anna still remained a “mean person.”
- Coffee Prince was a great drama, I just thought of it as too long. I found it really funny at times. I watched it a few years ago, so now I forgot some parts. But, I remember that near the second half I couldn’t bear watching it.
-My name is Kim Sam-Soon was not a comedy. I found Kim Sunah adorable. But this drama was not funny. It had few to no flaws, but it wasn’t interesting to me. It seemed quite bland.
- Soulmate was amazing! but too short for me to put in the category above. It was over so fast I could barely conceive a feeling for it. The ending SUCKED. I hoped sooo bad for a sequel. but no. It’s like reading a great book but never reading the last chapter. It’s great reading it, but it doesn’t completely satisfy.
(FOR ME) DON’T WATCH!
- Who are You? was not funny. Seemed incestuous (?) and was not really funny in most parts. I didn’t find the ending nice.
- What’s up Fox was disturbing. I found Park Chul-soo kind of ugly. The 9 years difference made me feel really gross. I just couldn’t stand how chulsoo still looked like a little boy when he pouted. I was rooting for the doctor even though he was soo feminine, cause i wanted the main actress to have a good life. I found the 17 year difference with the sister and her boss more likely than the 9 year difference.
-BOF. Obvious reasons. Everything went bad. It’s momentum was only kept up by fangirls. I hated Goo Hye-sun with a passion, which is bad considering that i shouldn’t be wasting energy hating someone who’s never done anything to me. well, other than be a bad actress. Her acting bothered me, and she seemed to me just like Bella Swan. Needy and selfish. Okay, this is just me ranting now. But I dislike male characters like Junpyo. They’re really arrogant and aggressive, but occasionally have a soft side. It’s NOT LOVE! oh well, if this drama ever had a sequel of like life after marriage. It would not go well for that couple. The only good thing was Soeulmates. They were cute.
Unfortunately, I watched partly all dramas above:(
The best ones for me were Capital Scandal, Soulmate, Who are you, Coffee Prince. Coffee prince is a little bit slow; while Who are you made me cry a lot (I will also question chemistry between main leads).
Thinking whether it worth watching Shining Inheritance…
Thanks Javabeans for the post:)
People usually associate rom-coms with happy endings. As this was a list of such, and most of what I’ve seen on this list does end that way, I expected the other dramas to end that way as well, save for HGD. A warning about Hong Gil Dong’s ending would’ve been much appreciated.
This post was the final push I needed to watch Last Scandal. This drama, in return, has become one of the best I have ever seen. Thank you for this very helpful website, Javabeans.