The K-drama world rolled into 2008 still riding the high that was 2007, a year in which a startling number of quality dramas were made, and enjoyed. Maybe it rolled in too fast. It ended up getting smothered by the waves of its previous success. In fact, you could say that it even got hit on the head by a stray surfboard, and sunk to the bottom of the ocean.

Depressing enough intro for ya?

But seriously, 2008 was a dark year for the K-entertainment industry, with not only dramas, but also movies suffering and generally showing poor quality. And not only that, but the economy went kablooie, and we suffered a sobering amount of tragic K-celebrity news.

Personally, this was a supremely frustrating year for a longtime and devoted K-drama fan like me. Before this year, I always gave dramas the benefit of the doubt, and would usually watch at least a certain number of episodes before I passed judgment on them, and decided to continue or discontinue watching. But this year, with every stomach-churning dud, I became more and more impatient, and started going through drama episodes like a vulture searching for roadkill. And boy, did I find a lot of roadkill.

I’m pretty sure 2008 was a record year for me in terms of abandoning dramas. And to think that I used to be the girl who would finish every drama she started, no matter how bad or how boring they were! But the older I get, the less patience I have, and the more critical I become. Besides, I’ve now realized just how precious my time really is. I don’t want to waste it on useless pap, thankyouverymuch.

Still, despite all that, there were a small handful of quality dramas this year. None of them quite matched the heights of some of the dramas of 2007, but still, any kind of quality was more than welcome in this gloomy year.

SONG OF THE DAY

La Dolce Vita – “사랑 꽃” (Love Flower) [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Dahee Fanel’s 2008 Review [Year in Review, Part 3] (4,255 words)

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Post tags: A Star's Lover, Beethoven Virus, East of Eden, I Love You, Iljimae, Kingdom of Wind, La Dolce Vita, My Sweet Seoul, On Air, Rivals, Spotlight, Strongest Chil Woo, Tazza, The Painter of Wind, The World They Live In, When Night Comes, Who Are You?, year in review

 
The following article from OSEN takes a look at the difference between the types of dramas on the air these days. I find a lot of mainstream entertainment press to be oversimplified (I’m sure I’m just not looking in the right places), but it’s something to chew on, for those of us who are curious about the relationship between ratings and the popularity/quality/success of a drama — as much as we all like to say it doesn’t matter.

Popular Dramas, Buzzworthy Dramas — There’s a Difference

There are dramas that bring in high viewership ratings but don’t get talked about much. On the other hand, there are also dramas that don’t pull in strong ratings numbers but are constantly being discussed. A drama’s content, actors, and its PR are all potential factors in drawing attention, but they don’t necessarily correlate to good ratings. Because there are many ways to watch a drama these days, the significance of ratings is gradually receding, but it’s still the primary factor in deciding advertising, and is the standard for measuring popularity. …

SONG OF THE DAY

Gourmet OST – “너에게” (To you) by Casker. I’m still trying to catch up on Gourmet, but for now I will say it has a standout soundtrack. [ Download ]

 
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Read the rest of Popular vs. buzzworthy dramas (1,537 words)

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Post tags: drama ratings, Gourmet, Iljimae, La Dolce Vita, Lee Dong-wook, manhwa adaptations, mania dramas, My Sweet Seoul, Oh Yeon-soo, Sohn Ye-jin, Spotlight, Strongest Chil Woo, When Night Comes, You're My Destiny

I was thinking how I’ve been watching lots of first episodes of dramas these days, but haven’t found anything to dive into since the end of Who Are You? It’s starting to feel like going on a string of disappointing first dates — measuring up expectations versus performance, anticipation versus letdown, etc.

You know, there’s that date you’re really looking forward to, so you get dressed up and put on your heels and makeup and count down the hours, and he turns out to be a total dud. Or the date you agreed to because it was easier to give the guy your number than to try to invent an excuse not to because those excuses always come out embarrassingly half-assed — like you say you don’t have a phone and then it rings, or something — but then you end up having a good time.

I didn’t exactly intend to go off on an extended metaphor, but when I thought about all the recent dramas I’ve caught, they all seemed to fit (more or less).

SONG OF THE DAY

G.O.D. – “Falling” [ Download ]

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Read the rest of First-date dramas (1,378 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2008. | Permalink | 111 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Bulhandang/Robbers, Coffee Prince, Hong Gil Dong, I Love You, Iljimae, La Dolce Vita, On Air, ranty/ravey, Rivals, Spotlight, The Last Scandal of My Life, Tokyo Showers, Who Are You?, Why Did You Come To Our House, Yi San

I think I’m pretty fair with drama ratings, in that I don’t add anything to my Ratings Chart that I have not watched in its entirety. If I have not seen every single episode of a drama, I don’t think I’m qualified to give a totally objective opinion on it, so I refrain. That’s why there are a lot of series missing from that list, although I HAVE seen many, many more series than those named; I just haven’t finished them and therefore won’t grade them.

Fair enough, yeah?

Of course, that doesn’t mean I won’t ever weigh in with my opinions on a drama at any given point in its run — I just won’t couch it as a comprehensive review. For instance? I still hate On Air. I still think Three Dads, One Mom is benign but dumbed-down. And I still am totally comfortable skipping shows that are supposedly good that don’t somehow grab me on a more gut level. Because enjoying something with my brain is only fun when I’m also enjoying with my emotions. (The converse = also true.)

Here are a few shows I’ve started but have, for one reason or another, put on the back burner. Think I should continue? (Or drop?) Let me have it.

SONG OF THE DAY

Why Did You Come To Our House OST – “다시 시작해” (Start Over) [ Download ]

 
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Read the rest of Dramas currently on hold (1,253 words)

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Post tags: I Love You, La Dolce Vita, Spotlight, Why Did You Come To Our House

Taking up the time slot previously occupied by Who Are You?, MBC’s next big series is gearing up for its broadcast: Spotlight, starring Sohn Yejin in her return to television (she was last seen on TV in 2006′s Alone in Love, after which she acted in three movies: Open City, Nak-rang Club, and My Wife Got Married). The cast was at the press conference on May 8 to talk about the upcoming drama.

Directed by Kim Do Hoon and written by Lee Ki Won, the new Wednesday-Thursday drama centers around the world of television news, with each of the four leads playing news reporters at one broadcast station. Sohn Yejin is a newb reporter who’s just joined the station after beating out fierce competition, while male lead Ji Jin Hee plays a local news reporter already at the station (he’s sure got the standard news-anchor helmet hair!). Rounding out the cast are Jin Gu as a junior reporter who’d gone to university with Sohn’s character, and her rival Jo Yoon Hee, who’s moved from the politics department; their eyes are fixed on an anchor spot as the ultimate goal.

I think the series may get initial On Air comparisons merely by virtue of revolving around television, but I don’t think it’ll share too many similarities (at least, I hope not). Actually, from the description, it really sounds more like a reworking of All About Eve — but can they improve on a kdrama classic? (And is it weird calling something classic when it’s just eight years old?) The series premieres its first episode on May 14.

Via Hankyung

SONG OF THE DAY

Brownie Speaks – “Late Afternoon.” Brownie Speaks is a new groove-electronica group that sounds a lot like Casker and Fanny Fink. Melikes. [ Download ]

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© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2008. | Permalink | 21 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Ji Jin-hee, Sohn Ye-jin, Spotlight