Part 5 is here!

As in past years, we here at Dramabeans owe huge thanks to guest bloggers — thank you, kaedejun and Dahee Fanel! — for participating in the review series, as well as HeadsNo2 for contributing to our Picks. You guys are awesome and make this time of year extra-special, providing lots of good stuff to read, think on, and, yes, sometimes disagree with. It wouldn’t be as invigorating without a little friendly debate, would it? We’d also like to extend our gratitude to thundie, who was a key part of our selection crew in voting for our Picks below. Much love to all of the reviewers, as well as everyone reading.

On to the Picks!

SONG OF THE DAY

Dear Cloud – “반짝이는 밤, 메리 크리스마” (Twinkling Night, Merry Christmas)
[ Download ]

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Read the rest of 2011 Editors’ Picks [Year In Review, Part 5] (4,602 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 375 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Athena, Best Love, City Hunter, featured, Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Girl K, Lie To Me, Me Too Flower, Miss Ripley, Paradise Ranch, Scent of a Woman, The Princess's Man, Thousand Day Promise, Warrior Baek Dong-soo, year in review

 
Wow, another year of dramas, come and gone. Where does the sanity go? I decided that for this year’s review, I would learn to be impartial and precise, and give systematic mathematical ratings for every show. Because numbers are fun. But then, I found that trying to rate a year’s worth of dramas was a lot like comparing apples and oranges and giraffes. It made my brain hurt and then I was all sleepy. So I did what anyone would do. I built a machine to do it for me.

Meet… the DramaMeter (patent pending): a highly scientific, totally foolproof system of computation, fine-tuned to measure any drama in any circumstance. It uses complex algorithms, longitudinal matrices, and other mathy things, to calculate a drama’s rating with exact precision, every time, without fail. I know. It’s likely to blow your mind. So without further ado, the dramas of 2011:

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Read the rest of The DramaMeter: highly scientific and foolproof [Year in Review, Part 4] (8,317 words)

© girlfriday for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 180 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Best Love, Can't Lose, City Hunter, Dream High, featured, Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Girl K, High Kick: Counterattack of the Short Legs, I Need Romance, Lie To Me, Man of Honor, Miss Ripley, My Princess, Myung-wol the Spy, Scent of a Woman, Thousand Day Promise, Vampire Prosecutor, Warrior Baek Dong-soo, year in review, You've Fallen For Me

The other day, I sat down and thought long and hard about all of the various dramas that I’ve seen over the course of my life. I remembered secretly turning on the T.V. as a small child and pressing my nose against the glass, fascinated with the powerful, forbidden emotions at play somewhere inside that magical box (forbidden because my mother had deemed that I was too young to watch a story about cheating husbands and raging women). I remembered how, as a preteen, I would rent boxfuls of dramas at a time, taking out one video tape as soon as it was done and putting in the next, the addiction overpowering silly needs like food or drink.

And I looked at how I’m approaching dramas today. How the initial addiction has worn away, and how that magic sheen that had coated my eyes is long gone. I am no longer capable of returning to those golden days when I watched everything and anything without judgment, and always with a sense of pleasure. It’s a frame of mind that is lost to me. This sense of having slipped into a different viewpoint when approaching dramas has never been as strong as it was this year.

Because you know what? I took a look at the list of dramas that have aired this year. I remembered every twinge of disappointment, every flicker of anger. And I thought, “It’s no friggin’ wonder I’ve become so grumpy. 2011 SUCKED FLAMING CHICKEN BALLS.”

But for the sake of space and time, I will not mention the dozens of dramas that I tried to watch (and love), and ultimately ended up abandoning out of sheer disgust. I will not mention Shitty Hunter, Can You Hear My Bowel Movement, Smile Diarrhea, Best Lard, or Lie To My Bladder. Instead, I will stick to the dramas I stuck to (although that will require mention of a few duds), and try to shed light on some shows that I feel were tragically ignored this year. Because despite this being one of the worst years for K-dramas in recent memory, there were still a few gems that appeared out of the blue, and helped me to endure what has been the most tiring and frustrating year for me as a K-drama fan since the terrible year that was 2008. Maybe this means that we’re due for another good year? While the current crop of dramas airing right now don’t exactly support that view, there’s always hope…

The following are arranged in alphabetical order, and are divided between long dramas and short dramas.

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Read the rest of Somewhere Over the K-Drama Rainbow [Year In Review, Part 3] (4,670 words)

© Dahee_Fanel for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 219 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Drama Special, Dream High, featured, Girl K, President, Scent of a Woman, The Duo, The Princess's Man, year in review

First off, I have to deeply thank – and bow to – Javabeans and Girlfriday - it’s an honor to be included with the most respected K-drama writers for this year. Compared to these fine people, I am an utter noob.

Speaking of being such a noob, I shall now complain: It’s so hard to write a year-end review! It requires going back to all the dramas I have seen in the past year and then come up with something intelligent to say about them. Can’t I just say, “Me Likey!” “Me No Likey?” and be done with it? No? (I can feel the death glares coming from Javabeans and Girlfriday right now…*SQUEAK*)

OK – I’ll start in chronological order, because I have no other way to do it. This year, I became a truly picky watcher. I have not watched a lot of dramas this year because I don’t just consume everything and anything like I used to. This time, if I don’t like a drama, I stop watching it, rather than painfully suffer to the end. I was vicious with the chopping block – with Lie To Me, Queen of Reversals, A Thousand Days’ Promise, Greatest Love, Spy Myung Wol, and even The Princess’ Man suffering the sad fate. (Although I may resuscitate The Princess’ Man for the winter break, it won’t make it to this year-end review.)

Here goes!

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Read the rest of The Good, The Bad, and The Hmmm… of 2011 [Year In Review, Part 2] (6,090 words)

© kaedejun for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 254 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 49 Days, Athena, Best Love, Birdie Buddy, featured, I Need Romance, Myung-wol the Spy, Paradise Ranch, Romance Town, Sign, The Musical, Tree With Deep Roots, Vampire Prosecutor, year in review, You've Fallen For Me

Time for another Year In Review series! How did a year pass by so quickly? I guess when you’re busy watching dramas, time flies.

This is my fifth year (eek) doing this series, which means you basically know the drill by now. (You can refer to the year-ender tag to catch up on past posts.) You had a chance to vote for your favorites of 2011, and now it’s our turn to weigh in on the dramas we’ve seen.

This year I’ve tacked on a little stickymeter to my reviews, based on the discussion girlfriday and I had in our last podcast about “drama stickiness.” Which is to say, regardless of a drama’s quality, how much of an impression does it leave three, six, twelve months down the line?

As in past years, you’ll notice I didn’t watch every series that aired this year, despite my best attempts to swap sleep for dramas. Also, I’m not reviewing shows that I haven’t seen fully (with the exception of those that are still airing). However, looking over the series that’ll be covered in the upcoming Parts 2 through 5 of the review series, I can assure you that we’ve got a pretty good spread covered, so please keep an eye out for the posts to come.

SONG OF THE DAY

Me Too, Flower OST – “Sunset Street” [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Measuring 2011 on the Sticky Scale [Year In Review, Part 1] (9,317 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 199 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 49 Days, Baby-Faced Beauty, Best Love, Can't Lose, City Hunter, Dream High, featured, Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Girl K, High Kick: Counterattack of the Short Legs, Lie To Me, Manny, Me Too Flower, Miss Ripley, My Princess, Myung-wol the Spy, Poseidon, Scent of a Woman, The Princess's Man, Thousand Day Promise, Tree With Deep Roots, Vampire Prosecutor, year in review

It’s that time of year again: Polls, polls, polls!

To keep up the Dramabeans year-end tradition, here we are with the Best, the Funniest, the Crackiest, and yes, also the Underwhelmingest dramas of the year. (To see how past years shook out, take a look at the 2007 Polls, 2009 Polls, and 2010 Polls. Yes, I skipped 2008, which was a decidedly unpopular decision, so who am I to mess with tradition?)

As in years past, this also kicks off our annual Year End Review Extravaganza. In the coming weeks, we’ll be rolling out our wrap-up reviews summing up 2011′s offerings, so keep your eyes peeled for them! Past years can be found with this handy-dandy Year In Review tag.

But for now, it’s time for YOU to cast your votes and tell us what rocked your socks, buttered your toast, and tickled your fancy this year.

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Read the rest of 2011 Beanie Awards: Vote for your favorite dramas of the past year (298 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 455 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, year in review

Here we are, Part 5!

As girlfriday said in her review, I’d also like to thank guest bloggers Dahee Fanel and thunderbolt for participating in this year’s year-in-review roundup. A particular thank-you goes out to GF herself for being so game to jump into this whole world of crazy with me, and I think you’ll all agree when I say that Dramabeans is better for her addition to it. I never fail to get a huge kick out of her wicked humor, or for Dahee’s frank and bold insights, or thundie’s thoughtful eloquence. We don’t always agree, but that’s exactly why I love hearing the differing points of views.

Most of all, thanks to the DB readership — that means you! — who have been so supportive, vibrant, and often laugh-out-loud funny. We don’t take you guys for granted, rest assured, and are honored by the community you’ve built here. It’s like a second home, which sounds like a metaphor but actually isn’t because with all the hours I spend here, it really IS one.

So here’s the last of the reviews! With that, we bid adieu to the past year and look forward to lots more laughs, craziness, and yes, head-pounding-WTF-ery in the new year. Bring it on, 2011.

SONG OF THE DAY

Standing Egg – “First Christmas.” The song’s a day or two late, but no matter: Hope your Christmas (or other seasonal holiday) was merry! [ Download ]

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Read the rest of 2010 Editors’ Picks [Year In Review, Part 5] (5,374 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 379 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Baker King Kim Tak-gu, Cinderella's Sister, Coffee House, Eom Ji-won, featured, Giant, Jang Hyuk, Jejoongwon, Joseon X-Files, Jung Bo-seok, Kim Gab-soo, Kim Hyun-joong, Lee Mi-sook, Micky Yoochun, Moon Geun-young, My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho, Personal Taste, Rain, Runaway, Shin Mina, Sohn Ye-jin, Sungkyunkwan Scandal, The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry, year in review, Yoo Ah-in

I have to say, 2010 was a downright awesome year. It was the year of bromance, the year that Santa came in August, the year when guys had perms and noonas ruled, the year of the sparkly tracksuit and hoi-hoi, the year that makgulli made a comeback. But most importantly for me, it was the year I joined Dramabeans and got to know all of you. So thanks, for all the encouragement, the thoughtful commentary, the dissenting voices, the snark, and of course…the fangirling. It’s been a helluva year for this recapper, and I for one couldn’t ask for anything better for Christmas than one giant, crazy, Dramabeans family.

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Read the rest of Objects in mirror are closer than they appear [Year In Review, Part 4] (8,432 words)

© girlfriday for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 153 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Athena, Bad Guy, Baker King Kim Tak-gu, Cinderella's Sister, Coffee House, Dr. Champ, Drama Special, featured, God of Study, I Am Legend, Mary Stayed Out All Night, My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho, Pasta, Personal Taste, Playful Kiss, Prosecutor Princess, Queen of Reversals, Runaway, Secret Garden, Sungkyunkwan Scandal, The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry, year in review

This has been an exceptional year for kdramas. Just ask Kim Gab-soo, if you can catch him in an idle moment, that is. The man appeared in ten dramas this year, a number that is mind-boggling in itself and one which is bound to make Bae Yong-joon’s fans wail.

But it isn’t just the sheer volume of Kim Gab-soo awesomeness that we could feast on that makes 2010 a heady year. No, for me it was how many dramas were jostling for first place that makes this year especially exhilarating. Not since 2007 have I seen such quality or liked so many dramas in a span of just twelve months. Altogether I watched more than twenty but will exclude from this year-end review the ones that I dropped or put on hold after 1-3 episodes. That leaves me with fifteen dramas, arranged from least-liked to the one that owns my heart this year.

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Read the rest of Heady with a chance of ho hum [Year In Review, Part 3] (9,579 words)

© thunderbolt for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 145 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Chuno, Coffee House, Comrades, Dr. Champ, featured, Giant, Jejoongwon, Joseon X-Files, Mary Stayed Out All Night, My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho, Oh My Lady, Secret Garden, Sungkyunkwan Scandal, The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry, Wish Upon a Star, year in review

What a fascinating roller coaster of a ride this year has been. There were many disappointments (most of which I stopped watching halfway, because Life Is Too Short For Bad Dramas (copyright Gangsta Kitteh and hjkomo)), but also so many unexpected gems that shone with a light that proved impossible to stifle. Maybe it’s just the swan song before an untimely death, but in 2010 at least, K-dramas had their moment of rebellion and glory. And I. Am. Ecstatic.

The following are divided between long dramas and short dramas, and are in alphabetical order.

SONG OF THE DAY

Comrades OST – “친구여” [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Finding the gems among the stones [Year In Review, Part 2] (7,162 words)

© Dahee_Fanel for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 174 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Chuno, Cinderella's Sister, Comrades, Drama Special, featured, Gloria, Joseon X-Files, My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho, Pasta, Sungkyunkwan Scandal, year in review