2007 was a rich year for drama-land. There was something for everyone, whether your tastes ran toward dark thrillers (Devil), intense dramas (White Tower), heart-warmers (Thank You), off-the-wall eccentrics (Mixed-up Investigative Agency), trendy fare (Coffee Prince), romantic comedies (Dal Ja’s Spring), and so on.

2008, on the other hand… not so much.

Every drama has its good and bad points, but it’s a lot easier to decide how you feel about one when those qualities are expressed in the extreme — i.e., very good, or very bad. When everything is a muddle in the middle, though, it’s harder to draw the lines.

That’s why in contrast to last year’s “Best” and “The Rest” designations, this year I don’t really distinguish “good” versus “bad” — or even “favorites” and “hated dramas” — and can only grade on a spectrum. I call that spectrum “MEH” with the extreme poles representing “generally watchable” and “generally unwatchable.” It’s just been that kind of year.

SONG OF THE DAY

Painter of the Wind OST – “색” (Color) by JOO [ Download ]

O, the mediocrity >>

Filed under: Drama Reactions & Reviews by javabeans - 75 Comments →

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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Filed under: Drama Reactions & Reviews by Dahee_Fanel - 57 Comments →

How should one convey bad news in writing? By creating a buffer first. Avoid traumatizing your audience with the bad news all at once, but instead cushion the blow so that you can maintain goodwill. That textbook approach (business communication, by the way) would be dandy if the crop of 2008 dramas I watched was anything like the stellar quality of 2007. But no, this was a harvest to make one downright grumpy.

This time last year, eight dramas vied to be in my Top 3. Even the ones that disappointed weren’t half bad and at least I finished them. Not this year. I picked up around twenty dramas and dropped at least fifteen. “Dropped” is putting it mildly. I ran from some of them like a kid fleeing an apparition: hands in the air and hair standing on end. As the year wore on, my patience wore thin and my grumpiness increased.

So, no, I can’t use the buffer approach when reviewing this year’s dramas. Hedging doesn’t work for this grumpy cookie. I will present to you the worst dramas first, followed by the so-so ones, and then the few gems of 2008. Even though the year was overcast and gloomy, the sun broke through the clouds occasionally and when it did the effect was glorious. Let’s get the bad news out of the way and we can enjoy the good stuff, shall we?

SONG OF THE DAY

Jin Yi-han – “This is the Moment” which he sang (live!) in Episode 3 of Who Are You. [ Download ]

[Read more →]

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Won Bin — who’s kept a low profile in recent months (years, even) — surprised everyone by showing up to the set of The World They Live In to lend some moral support for his former co-star, Song Hye-gyo, and the staff of her current drama.

The series had been filming at one café in the Apgujung neighborhood of Seoul’s Kangnam district when Won Bin made a surprise appearance. As you may know, Won Bin and Song Hye-gyo had starred together in 2000 in the early Hallyu hit melodrama Autumn Fairy Tale, back when both were early in their careers. They’re currently represented by the same management company, and Won Bin is said to be good friends with the drama’s director, PD Kim Kyu-tae. One source said that Won Bin’s presence livened the atmosphere and encouraged them as they worked.

With a month left in the drama and the ratings down in the single digits (hovering around 5%), The World They Live In is at least being recognized for the quality of its writing and production, as well as Hyun Bin’s acting growth.

Via Star News

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• “World” gets a music video
• The World They Live In: Episode 1
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• The house that Won Bin built

Filed under: Drama Casting & News by javabeans - 27 Comments →

[According to this poll, more than half of you voted for continuing recaps for The World They Live In -- 9% wanted them fast, 26% wanted them well-written, and 33% didn't care as long as they continued. Two readers volunteered to continue with the series, so I'm happy to have their contributions, the first of which is Mararu with Episode 6. Please welcome her, and I hope you enjoy. --javabeans]

First of all I would like to thank Javabeans for allowing me to continue the recaps.

I wanted to continue the recaps because I believe this drama is worth watching. It may not be as dramatic, funny or have lots of action like other dramas but it has that reality touch. The couples act like real couples and the characters all have different problems that we sometimes face. I do admit that sometimes the episodes can get a little boring but the story is still good. So folks lets give this drama another chance because it deserves it.

I’ll start on episode 6 now.

SONG OF THE DAY

The World They Live In OST – “Lalala… Love Song” by As One, which is a version of the series theme song. [ Download ]

THE WORLD THEY LIVE IN Episode 6 >>

Filed under: Drama Recaps by Mararu - 54 Comments →