If there’s anything that Santa has taught me over the years (other than a musical mnemonic about single-malt scotches), it’s that Christmas is a time of giving. Dramaland gives us so much throughout the year, that I thought it was finally time for me to stop being a grinch and give back, out of the goodness of my heart. *waits for credit*

So this year I’ve made a Christmas list, and every drama I’ve watched this year is on it. Because everyone deserves presents. Yes, even you, Show.

 
SONG OF THE DAY

The King 2 Hearts OST – “Hang-ah’s Dream” [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Dramaland: The gift that keeps on giving [Year In Review, Part 5] (8,856 words)

© girlfriday for Dramabeans, 2012. | Permalink | 138 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: A Gentleman's Dignity, Answer Me 1997, Arang and the Magistrate, Big, Faith, featured, Gaksital, I Do I Do, I Miss You, I Need Romance 2012, King of Dramas, Nice Guy, Queen In-hyun's Man, Rooftop Prince, Shut Up: Flower Boy Band, The Chaser, The King 2 Hearts, The Moon That Embraces the Sun, To the Beautiful You, Vampire Prosecutor 2, year in review

Looking at the buffet table of 2012, I’m left in awe at the vast array of possible selections before me. The sheer number of choices is growing every year and I feel like I have to taste-test the premiere and make a quick decision of whether to keep digging in or move on. Sometimes you don’t just know for sure until you’re left with the aftertaste.

And because some dramas that fall within the same genre can have unique flavors, I’m using a Taste O’Meter to assess this year’s dramas. Was it sweet, sour, bitter, salty, or savory? Maybe more than one?

Like any “Thanks to…” in a good Kpop album: My unending thanks to javabeans and girlfriday for the opportunity to let me write about what I love; to HeadsNo2 for the squee-fests and love of makgulli; to kaedejun for the laughs, hugs, and love of Oppa; and last but not least, to YOU GUYS for being awesome readers. I put in a good word for y’all with Santa but he may have used my note as a coaster instead. Or a tissue.

The series below include the ones seen in its entirety, listed chronologically(ish):

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Read the rest of A Variety of Flavors in 2012 [Year In Review, Part 3] (4,403 words)

© gummimochi for Dramabeans, 2012. | Permalink | 131 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Answer Me 1997, Arang and the Magistrate, Big, featured, Full House Take 2, Gaksital, I Do I Do, Marriage Plot, Nice Guy, Operation Proposal, Queen In-hyun's Man, Shut Up: Flower Boy Band, The King 2 Hearts, To the Beautiful You, Vampire Prosecutor 2, year in review

Review extravaganza time!

I know: Already? It feels like just the other day I was killing myself to corral all my thoughts in coherent fashion in a monster review of 2011′s dramas, and already it’s time to lose sleep wrangling my thoughts together for 2012. Time sure flies when you’re having fun, or old. Guess which one I am?

These days I shy away from blanket statements like “This was an awesome year” or “This was a terrible year.” Dramaland has been putting out so much material that all the nuance gets sucked out of a flattening statement like that. If anything, 2012 was the year it overflowed with variety—so yes, there were terrible shows, and there were awesome shows, and there were shows every step in between. But thanks to the explosion of cable programming—aided by the launching of not one, not two, but four new cable stations boasting big drama lineups—there was just about something for everyone.

 
SONG OF THE DAY

Shut Up Flower Boy Band OST – “Jaywalking” [ Download ]

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Read the rest of 2012: Something for everyone? [Year In Review, Part 1] (9,584 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2012. | Permalink | 260 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Answer Me 1997, Arang and the Magistrate, Big, Color of Woman, Dr. Jin, Dream High 2, Faith, featured, Gaksital, History of the Salaryman, I Do I Do, Ma Boy, Nice Guy, Oohlala Spouses, Queen In-hyun's Man, Rooftop Prince, Shut Up: Flower Boy Band, Standby, The Moon That Embraces the Sun, Vampire Idol, Vampire Prosecutor 2, year in review, You're Here You're Here You're Really Here

In our final hour of pregnancy, Ji-an pegs us with some lingering questions: What is the right path to take? How will we know it’s the right one? Maybe we can rest in knowing that we’ll never know what direction life is taking us but remain assured that once we take that step, that’s where real life begins.

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Read the rest of I Do, I Do: Episode 16 (Final) (3,776 words)

© gummimochi for Dramabeans, 2012. | Permalink | 154 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, I Do I Do, Kim Sun-ah, Lee Jang-woo

Can these two BE any cuter? Now in our final week we get sprinkled of what we’ve been missing out on these past few weeks. Decisions are never easy in this world and they’re not easily accepted either. If stomping over other people’s feelings for the sake of someone else isn’t considered Noble Idiocy then I’m not quite sure what is.

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Read the rest of I Do, I Do: Episode 15 (3,860 words)

© gummimochi for Dramabeans, 2012. | Permalink | 46 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, I Do I Do, Kim Sun-ah, Lee Jang-woo

We’re chugging along at a nice pace now as we set ourselves up for the show’s final week. Secrets come pouring out left and right while Tae-kang ponders over what it’ll take to become the Best Daddy Ever. ‘Cause he’s already a shoe-in for Best Boyfriend Ever.

Enough with the sweet gestures, good man – You had me at hello.

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Read the rest of I Do, I Do: Episode 14 (4,109 words)

© gummimochi for Dramabeans, 2012. | Permalink | 111 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, I Do I Do, Kim Sun-ah, Lee Jang-woo

HOT DAMN what a good episode. It’s emotional payoffs galore in this hour and nearly everything I ever wanted since Ji-an’s pregnancy gets shoved into the foreground. It’s like Christmas in July where Ji-an and Tae-kang are finally driven to the point where they’re forced to be honest to each other for one minute. What a glorious and wonderful minute that is. Who knew that love would be a dance that required so many steps?

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Read the rest of I Do, I Do: Episode 13 (4,115 words)

© gummimochi for Dramabeans, 2012. | Permalink | 96 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, I Do I Do, Kim Sun-ah, Lee Jang-woo

There’s some cute that wedges itself into this episode that keeps it from sinking too far deep. Ji-an comes out sexier than ever and Eun-sung actually acts within the boundaries of a normal human being. Well… sort of. Then the final few moments hint that we might finally be marching ahead. Also how adorable is Tae-kang in this photo?

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Read the rest of I Do, I Do: Episode 12 (3,709 words)

© gummimochi for Dramabeans, 2012. | Permalink | 114 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, I Do I Do, Kim Sun-ah, Lee Jang-woo

Never has motherhood faced so many challenges and poor Ankle’s probably been through more stress than other fetuses in its short 13 week lifetime. Ji-an is straddled between being a mother in her work as well as her personal life and finally takes that first defiant step.

This show is seriously dragging its feet elsewhere and I feel like we’re still looking into the same puddle over and over again, expecting that there will be a drop to disturb the monotony of it all.

EPISODE 11 RECAP

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Read the rest of I Do, I Do: Episode 11 (3,507 words)

© gummimochi for Dramabeans, 2012. | Permalink | 144 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, I Do I Do, Kim Sun-ah, Lee Jang-woo

 
Here we are with Part 2 of the very long Podcast #12, which concludes our talk about the current drama landscape. (Check out Part 1 here if you missed it.)

Podcast #12, Part 2

Running time: 61:56

In which we:

• continue the podcast with I Do, I Do;
• move on to Big (11:17);
• start a very long discussion about Gaksital (24:45);
• take a tangent on our personal experiences and understanding of the Occupation and Korea’s emotional response to Japan (27:21);
• return to Gaksital relevancy (34:01);
• and end with a brief(ish) detour on Joo-won, Tae-woong, and 1 Night 2 Days (51:44).

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Read the rest of Dramabeans Podcast #12, Part 2 (137 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2012. | Permalink | 83 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 1N2D, Big, featured, Gaksital, I Do I Do, Joo-won