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 | 130 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

2012 was certainly a mixed bag: I saw plenty of action dramas and then I saw fluffy dramas that made no sense. There were dramas I loved, dramas that I liked enough, and then dramas that I hated. It was a tough year for me, and I felt I had bad luck in choosing which dramas to watch this year. But it helps to appreciate all the dramas – good or bad – because there are still plenty of life lessons to be learned from them.

One of my goals for this year was to watch a drama from every letter of the alphabet – HA! Like that really happened. But in the hopes that I did, the reviews will be in alphabetical order… with life lessons in between.

SONG OF THE DAY

“Might Gonna” from What’s Up OST [download]

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Read the rest of Life Lessons from a Mixed Bag of Dramas [Year In Review, Part 2] (6,225 words)

© kaedejun for Dramabeans, 2012. | Permalink | 147 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Answer Me 1997, Big, Faith, featured, Full House Take 2, Ghost, Haeundae Lovers, Hero (OCN), I Need Romance 2012, Love Rain, Padam Padam, Special Affairs Team TEN, The King 2 Hearts, Vampire Prosecutor 2, What's Up, Wild Romance, 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

Badass. So badass, in fact, that I immediately want to watch it again. I sort of wonder if they saved all their eggs for the finale this season, instead of doling out the awesome little by little, because the final episode is considerably better than the past ten. It’s go-go-go from start to finish, and I’m still reeling from the heart-pounding thrills. They drop everything but a grand piano on our hero in the final hour, and even still, I’m waiting for that piano to drop.

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Read the rest of Vampire Prosecutor 2: Episode 11 (Final) (4,986 words)

© girlfriday for Dramabeans, 2012. | Permalink | 101 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, Lee Young-ah, Vampire Prosecutor 2, Yeon Jung-hoon

Last week sure was a shocker, wasn’t it? It literally left me slack-jawed, and I was eager to see how the twist would shake things up for this episode. This hour continues the mad hunt to find the little girl, and also expands upon the moral questions of what it means to be a vampire in this dark, frightening world. Furthermore, the show finally connects some dots (a TON of them), answering a whole slew of questions we’ve been harboring, not only from the beginning of this season but also from the first.

SONG OF THE DAY

Primary – “독” (Poison) [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Vampire Prosecutor 2: Episode 10 (4,484 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2012. | Permalink | 55 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, Lee Young-ah, Vampire Prosecutor 2, Yeon Jung-hoon

Whoa. I don’t even know how to preview this episode without giving anything away. Let’s just say the Big Bad wages his war, and he’s not messing around. You might want to cover your eyes for this. Now that we’re entering the final three episodes, I think it’s safe to say: The showdown has begun…

 
EPISODE 9: “Cold Blood vs. Bad Blood”

Tae-yeon goes tearing into the house and the team runs in behind him. They scan the house and the surrounding woods, but there’s no sign of Ji-ae.

We actually find out her name is Ji-ae because Dr. Jo is sitting in his office back in the city, filling out the adoption papers. Oof. He signs them with a smile… and then he gets the call.

He runs out in a panic, and we see that his desk is now adorned with a picture of the soon-to-be father-daughter duo, where he’s stuck the band-aid Ji-ae put on his forehead. I’m not gonna make it out of this episode without crying, am I?

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Read the rest of Vampire Prosecutor 2: Episode 9 (3,697 words)

© girlfriday for Dramabeans, 2012. | Permalink | 75 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, Lee Young-ah, Vampire Prosecutor 2, Yeon Jung-hoon

I’m pretty sure that’s my favorite Yeon Jung-hoon face ever.

It’s a crossover episode! How fun. Today’s episode is a play on the multi-season tvN “reality-documentary” show Rude Miss Young-ae, whose cast, led by actress Kim Hyun-sook, are guests in this episode.

The format of Rude Miss Young-ae is akin to an Office style of faux documentary, though it isn’t as overtly comedic. It’s a scripted show, but the point is to feel like we’re peeking into the life of Young-ae—overweight and rude-spoken, like Sam-soon times ten—as she navigates her career and relationships.

So this episode isn’t just a simple parody of Rude Miss Young-ae borrowing its format, it’s actually a collision of both worlds. Fun fun.

SONG OF THE DAY

The Koxx – “사랑춤” (Love dance) [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Vampire Prosecutor 2: Episode 8 (3,833 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2012. | Permalink | 46 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, Lee Young-ah, Vampire Prosecutor 2, Yeon Jung-hoon

Why do I always get the scary episodes? Either the Big Bad is leaving a trail of bodies in his wake to get our hero on the hook, or Tae-yeon is just getting better at catching up to him. Whichever it is, it’s certainly working to keep me on pins and needles. Meanwhile, someone from Tae-yeon’s past comes back and throws everybody’s objectivity into question for the case of the week: Is Jung-in blinded by jealousy? Or is Tae-yeon blinded by trust?

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Read the rest of Vampire Prosecutor 2: Episode 7 (3,402 words)

© girlfriday for Dramabeans, 2012. | Permalink | 46 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, Lee Young-ah, Vampire Prosecutor 2, Yeon Jung-hoon

If I’m gonna get all the funny episodes, I am definitely not gonna complain. This is the kind of mystery I enjoy, where it lets you in on the guessing and makes it fun to play along. It’s not something this show’s more convoluted mysteries allow, because in twisting and retwisting their plots to keep you from catching on to the culprit’s identity, they shut you out rather than keep you along for the ride.

Plus, bromance and family bonding and a gussied-up Jung-in, who ultimately accomplishes more with that brain of hers than her made-over new hotness? All good things.

SONG OF THE DAY

Lee Hyun – “촌스러워서” (Uncool / Unfashionable) [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Vampire Prosecutor 2: Episode 6 (3,313 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2012. | Permalink | 51 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, Lee Young-ah, Vampire Prosecutor 2, Yeon Jung-hoon