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Finding merit in the mediocre [Year in Review, Part 4]



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 ]

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(Not in any particular order…)

THE LAST SCANDAL OF MY LIFE

(“MEH” scale: Very watchable)

RIP, Choi Jin-shil. You will be missed.

Last Scandal was one of the surprises of the year for me. I had written it off as a boring, stereotypical ajumma drama, and I was happy to find that I had been wrong. Is it original, inventive, wildly clever? Not at all (very few things are; and the truly original and inventive things are often also incomprehensible). It is, however, a fun, well-acted, and timely twist on the Cinderella story. It owed its success to the way it tweaked a very well-known tale just enough to give it a fresher take, spawning the “jumma-rella” (ajumma + Cinderella) genre. It is part escapist fantasy and part wish fulfillment for the largely female (and I venture to guess, mostly married) audience, who watched the ill-treated housewife stand up to her no-good, cheating husband (reflecting some of Choi’s real-life marital woes), come into her own as a person on the cusp of middle age, and find a real love who would cherish her as she deserved. And if that new love turned out to be a famous movie star, well, all the better!

The set-up was familiar, but the chemistry of lead actors Choi Jin-shil and Jung Jun-ho carried the drama. He constantly provoked her to gain her attention (and distract her from her woes), like an adolescent boy or overeager puppy, but met his match in this tiny, resilient woman. And it was nice to see a romantic comedy headed by two actors who could, well, act. Plus, it was funny.

I can see the point of people who find Choi Jin-shil’s character (Sun-hee) frustrating, and I hear that frustration. But perhaps this is where culture clash comes in, because Sun-hee is not an exaggeration of a beleaguered housewife who suffers at the hand of an overbearing husband. No, she is the reality for many women, and maybe this is a Korean peculiarity, but her character and her predicament (aside from the movie star romance) rang very true. In fact, I’ve long felt that the Sacrificing, Hard-working, Enduring Housewife is the backbone of Korean society, or at least the Korean family. Thankfully times are changing and women are certainly more independent than they used to be, and Last Scandal reflects this in a hilarious way.

Choi Jin-shil has long been recognized for her acting (and crying) talents, so she was reliably solid. (Her character started out weak with her husband, but grew a spine as she gained confidence and the series progressed, which was the point.) But it was Jung Jun-ho as the pampered actor who told stories with his longing gazes.

Unfortunately, due to Choi’s untimely death, plans for a second season have been tabled, and we will have to content ourselves with rewatching her here in her last work. Thank god it has a happy ending.

 
WHO ARE YOU?

(“MEH” scale: Fairly watchable, but could have used editing)

Who Are You OST – “Who Are You?” (bossa nova version) by Winterplay [ Download ]

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If a show grabs me or turns me off right away, that’s ideal — no need to waste time trying to decide. However, when the opening is tentative, I try to keep an open mind for several episodes.

Thank goodness I did with Who Are You. I could have dropped it at Episode 2 and forgotten about it, but something told me to keep going. It was Yoon Kye-sang switching manically between the stiff, cold CEO and the body-hijacking, jokey middle-aged dad that did it; he threw himself into both wildly contrasting roles, and then slowly, surely, brought those extremes together — all the while retaining a clear sense of which character he was acting at which point. No mean feat, and probably an exhausting one.

Yoon Kye-sang’s emotive acting kept me hooked, and it was a pleasure seeing his character evolve. Jin Yi-han is an actor on my “to watch” list, but he was too predictably written for most of the series (his only flashes of depth came at the very beginning and end, as a villain with a conscience). That was a flaw of making this series premise sustain seventeen episodes instead of the twelve or thirteen it probably should have been.

Two detractors keep this from being an outright hit: Go Ara‘s performance (passable, but sometimes flat) and secondary storylines that went on a little too long. I suspect this series could be a real winner in the hands of a fan with digital editing skills (and a lot of free time) — say, cutting four hours from the total running time and condensing the threads that were peripheral to the main story. (The main story being how the cold man opens up his damaged heart with the help of the happy-go-lucky goofball who inhabits his body and the goofball’s daughter, with whom he falls in love.) The ending was sweet but not saccharine, heartwarming, and satisfying (a rarity in the drama landscape this year).

 
HONG GIL DONG

(“MEH” scale: Fairly watchable, with sluggish segments)

Hong Gil Dong OST – “푸른 별” (Blue star) by Kim Hyung-joong [ Download ]

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Hong Gil Dong was too long. There, I said it.

The series started off fast and fun, and demonstrated the Hong sisters writing team’s love of cheeky humor and meta commentary. They do comedy well, but I think they’re edging too close to broad, slapstick fare. I loved Delightful Girl Chun-hyang and My Girl, but ever since Fantasy Couple, the Hongs have been outright corny. Yet the issue with Hong Gil Dong wasn’t the humor; it was when we got to the meat of the drama: the royal coup and establishment of a “new world.” The plot lingered far too long on the mechanics of the coup and got downright repetitive. I understand the need to lay out political machinations carefully, but when that translates to belabored conversations and repeated paranoid fits by an unhinged king, it’s time to move on. For a time, it felt as though we were stalling until the final stretch kicked in.

Undoubtedly, Kang Ji-hwan is the drama’s biggest asset. I can appreciate a good-looking star as much as the next person, but Kang’s appeal is in his (intense, completely invested) acting. In this drama, he took the slapstick, comic travails outlined by the writing team and turned the reluctant hero into a full-blooded person — flawed, conflicted, multi-dimensional.

I had issues with Jang Geun-seok‘s acting and the wooden way he conveyed the prince’s cool manner (he did better in Beethoven Virus). Sung Yuri held her own; this kind of exaggerated comic character suits her, because she’s fine with bold acting choices (subtle, mannered acting is where she runs into trouble).

The ending [SPOILERY] was controversial in that, well, we were expecting something more definitively happy. I wrote something of a defense in my last episode recap, and I still stand by it. However, with time to step back and think upon the series as a whole, I think there was a genuine expectation for a certain kind of ending, and the uproar was justified. The series went out on an uplifting note, but left a lingering bittersweet taste, and for that many fans felt shafted. [END SPOILERY-NESS]

As a fusion sageuk, this drama may not appeal to traditionalists, but it’s a great “gateway drug” for people like me for whom the traditional sageuk holds no appeal. I am still not a sageuk fan, but now I’m more likely to check them out, both fusion and traditional.

 
MY SWEET SEOUL

(“MEH” scale: Should have been Very Watchable, but turned out Unwatchable)

I’m still bitter about My Sweet Seoul. This should have been a good — possibly great — relationship drama, and I should have loved every minute of it, with its pleasant music, its contemplative pace, its pretty photography. Instead, it gave me nothing but aggravation because its main character was such a pill that she ruined everything else. I’ve liked Choi Kang-hee in the past, so it’s only partly due to her acting; the rest of the fault lies at the door of her self-centered, passionless, double-standard-totin’ character. I’ve already discussed my gripes in detail so I’ll let that catalogue of complaints rest here.

That distaste for the main character unfortunately colored my feelings for the rest of the drama, and by Episode 12, I couldn’t take it any longer. Not even my affection for Lee Seon-kyun (and, to a lesser degree, Ji Hyun-woo) could counter the pernicious effects of a hated protagonist, and I have never once been curious to know how the series ends. (From what I can tell, it’s a little bit happy and a little bit WTF.)

This is all too bad, because My Sweet Seoul was touted by SBS as a successful foray into a new subset of television shows: the “premium” drama. That means a higher focus on story and production quality, with perhaps less emphasis placed on gimmicks or manufactured twists/drama to keep the audience tuning in. A worthy endeavor as a whole; just not a success for me in this specific case.

 
LOVE & MARRIAGE

(“MEH” scale: Somewhat watchable; sweet like cotton candy, and disappears just as quickly)

I had a lot of fun watching Love & Marriage. I also recognize that it wasn’t really a “quality” drama, so to speak. I think the problem was that one key detractor of the drama was also one of its charms: that is to say, Kim Min-hee playing her character with over-the-top, bubbly enthusiasm. (Kim Ji-hoon didn’t do anything special, but he fulfilled his role as the handsome prime catch. I’m still waiting for him to break out and make bolder acting choices, since he caught my eye — and was much more interesting — in the darkly funny and poignant Flowers For My Life.)

The other issue would be the sugary storyline which satisfied my love of all things romantic, but kind of left me in overdose territory. You know, that vaguely dull feeling you have after eating an entire box of chocolates, not that I, uh, know personally what that’s like — I’m referring to how I assume one would feel after consuming such an appalling number of super-sweet confections.

This excessive cheeriness may tire viewers who like more conflict; after all, conflict is the heart of drama. As I mentioned with Last Scandal, a commonplace plot can often be made engaging with a twist. Here, however, the twist was not strong enough — romance with divorcées. It’s a fine jumping-off point, but I think the drama relied too much on that one conceit, which isn’t much of a basis for conflict.

So we got a happy, often amusing, lighthearted series that was easy to watch and left us unchallenged. Those who prefer their dramas more hardcore or intense will probably find Love & Marriage insipid. That’s cool. As for me, sometimes my mind wants to relax with something simple, and there’s value in that too.

 
GOURMET

(“MEH” scale: Easily, unprovokingly watchable)

Gourmet – “선물” (Gift) by Lee Juck [ Download ]

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Gourmet is another drama that was unchallenging but pleasant to watch. Filmed in beautiful locations around the scenic Korean countryside, it definitely benefited from shooting well in advance of its airdate. The plot never got terribly tricky or high-stakes, and there were no surprises — so I suppose in that context, it’s to the production’s credit that they still pulled out a well-made, highly rated drama. Even when the outcome is a foregone conclusion — as the many food battles of Gourmet were — a drama that makes the lead-up to that outcome satisfying has done its job. I mean, four episodes on a beef battle? Who would have thought that could be remotely interesting?

Perhaps because the plots themselves were mundane (e.g., the restaurant is in trouble, the chefs must please a finicky patron), it’s a good thing greater themes were at play, adding dimension to the stories. This aspect is probably the single biggest reason I kept watching Gourmet, and the “Food For Thought” sections in the recaps reflect that. The food competitions were repetitive, but at least they represented the character conflicts, so they served a purpose. The way food allows people to communicate with each other is a universal theme, and a foodie drama would be remiss if it did not acknowledge that.

Kim Rae-won — so engaging, so all-around appealing — was a highlight of this drama for me. He has such an easy, natural way of acting that doesn’t seem like acting at all, and he made his character entirely relatable. Nam Sang-mi was occasionally overacty but she did her part. A few peripheral characters were pretty exaggerated (the fey chef who measures everything; the Grand Chef himself, guardian of Korean royal cuisine), but I gave the drama a little leeway because it was a manhwa adaptation.

What this drama didn’t do, however, was engage the viewer on a gut level (or at least, I don’t think it had that effect — it certainly didn’t for me). The characters didn’t grip me personally: I never felt my heart leap/lurch/twist in response to their problems. Ironically, Gourmet is a drama about fancy haute cuisine, but it’s really more like a comforting bowl of chicken noodle soup. (Made with the best ingredients, and perhaps a pinch of a few unusual herbs, but still: chicken noodle soup.)

 
STRONGEST CHIL WOO

(“MEH” scale: Watchable, but only for the kitsch factor)

I am not certain what the makers of Strongest Chil Woo intended at the outset. Had they always aimed for a so-bad-it’s-almost-good effect? Or was that just lucky serendipity?

Because yes, this drama is ridiculous, but in a highly entertaining way. Villains were uber-villainous, the oppressed citizens were super-oppressed. Subtlety? HA! These assassins for hire had no use for diplomacy or savvy when they could just kill the villains, don’tcha kno? The first half was rife with such absurdities as horseback acrobatics, killer elephants, flaming bullwhips, and faux “skateboarding.” Not to mention Eric‘s getup as a mysterious masked Zorro — and his counterpart, the mysterious “Orroz” (my nickname given the backward “Z” the assassin carved into his victims’ chests). And we cannot forget those slow-motion, moonlight “transformation” scenes! So, so awesomely cheesy.

I did wonder what compelled Eric to take this role, especially coming off a pretty good turn in last year’s intense Que Sera Sera. Actually, I wonder what Gu Hye-sun was thinking, too, since she’s proved she’s better than this. (So is Kim Byul, but she’s a secondary character so the casting isn’t as big a WTF. Lee Eon (RIP) did not make a huge impression here in his last drama — he sadly passed away the night of the wrap party after filming the final episode — but he will be much more happily remembered as the adorable lunkhead Min-yub in Coffee Prince.)

Alas, the drama sobered up in its second half and lost some of its zaniness, which was the whole reason I watched in the first place. Interestingly, the real breakout of the cast was Yoo Ah-in, the baby-faced Antique Bakery actor who channeled into his assassin character such intensity that it was jarring, because he was at that point the only actor still trying. (Gu Hye-sun stuck it out too, but her character was annoyingly bland.) Eric totally phoned it in, but I doubt he could have saved this snark fodder even had he given his most focused performance ever.

 
THE WORLD THEY LIVE IN

(“MEH” scale: Watchable until you fall asleep)

I liked The World They Live In. At first. It was another “premium drama” that showcased high production value and a highly anticipated lead coupling with Song Hye-gyo and Hyun Bin. The fast dialogue kept conversations brisk, the salty language was a refreshing change, the voiceover insights were thematically constructed.

But yunno, you can only be SO thoughtful and insightful and staid and studied. Because while it was nice the first several episodes, after a while, it got tiring. The voiceovers that framed the episodes (promoting themes like “innocence” or “professionalism”) became intrusive and, frankly, were overwritten. They began to come across as precious, trying too hard to be meaningful rather than actually being meaningful. I know this is rich coming from me — she who never met a simple thought she couldn’t expand into a paragraph — but in a drama, we don’t want voiceover essays.

Song Hye-gyo got some flak for her acting, but I don’t think her problem is a lack of ability, but a lack of… willingness?, perhaps, to dig deep and expose herself through her character. When playing the cool, professional drama PD, she was totally competent. It was when anyone tried to get more emotion out of her that I had difficulty connecting, and when you can’t connect with the main character of a relatively low-key drama, you’re pretty much toast.

Eom Ki-joon was always the most compelling part of The World They Live In for me; his jackass PD character was realistic, acted with flair (I think Eom really dug playing the bastard), and entertaining. But I wasn’t willing to plod through a lot of zippy talkety-talk and slow-moving plot to get to his scenes.

I never grew to dislike this drama, however; just lost interest in it. Of all of the dropped series this year, World is probably the one I’d try picking up again at a later point.

 
BEETHOVEN VIRUS

(“MEH” scale: Surprisingly watchable as a casual viewer)

Here’s where I diverge from my usual pattern, because I only saw the first four episodes with my full attention, then stopped following the drama. However, I did catch it a few times when flipping through the television stations, and when I dropped by my parents’ home, this was the drama they were usually watching. So the perspective I have on Beethoven Virus is one of a casual watcher and channel-flipper — in short, your average Korean television audience.

My parents are very indifferent drama-watchers, and care nothing for the pedigree of writers, or directors, or production companies, or any of the things I tend to discuss when dissecting a drama on this site. They only know what catches their attention between 9:55 pm and the 11 o’clock news. They channel-flip at every commercial break, and thus rarely ever watch an episode of anything in its entirety. Yet that does not bother them, because television to them — the average viewer — is just a pleasant way to spend the after-dinner hours.

Because of the haphazard way I caught the later episodes, I don’t have a good understanding of the chronology or even all the plot points of Beethoven Virus. I only know that when the TV was on, my parents and I would catch the drama while conversing, eating, reading, and otherwise going about our lives. And as this kind of viewer, Beethoven Virus was very watchable, and enjoyable — because all you had to do was follow the general plot and tune in whenever Kang-mae (Kim Myung-min, whom my parents got a huge kick out of) launched into one of his outrageous tirades.

I have the vague sense from reading comments that the ending did not meet with general viewer pleasure, and I can imagine a whole slew of scenarios where that could be true. However, when I caught the last episode, none of us had been keeping up with the plot but we all liked the ending.

This is not how I typically watch a drama, and I think most people who come online to read, follow, and post about their favorite series are watching with more interest and higher expectations than the casual viewer. However, it could probably do us all a little good to remember what drives the drama-making machine back in Seoul. My experience with Beethoven Virus was actually a nice reminder to me to keep things in a little perspective.

 
EAST OF EDEN

(“MEH” scale: Unwatchable)

East of Eden OST – “운명을 거슬러” (Opposing fate) by SG Wannabe [ Download ]

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Oh, irony. I was actually prepared to revise my initial (negative) opinion on East of Eden, because while it had been difficult getting into, it did become more engaging than I had expected. (Ugly scenery, clichéd storylines, and overacted, yes — but it made you want to know what happened next. What will happen with the birth switcheroo secret? But he hates him! But he’s his brother! But nobody knows that! Oh, now he knows!) Of course, as soon as I had made that mental adjustment, East of Eden really DID fly into the crapper and turned into everything I had assumed it would be at the beginning: overwrought, confusingly written, and a hotbed for internal drama. Judging from your comments, many of you are fed up too.

In fact, what with the current kerfuffle over the state of this drama, the actual plot doesn’t seem as interesting, does it? Writer switches, actors sniping at each other, people dropping out, repeated budget cuts… The theatrics are much more juicy behind the cameras than they are in front of them. And at least the tantrums and heated debate behind the scenes make sense, which is more than you can say for the drama itself.

 

A Star’s Lover: I’ll keep this short because this drama is still airing, but at six episodes I think I can weigh in. So far it’s a typical romance drama with a dash of humor. The story is not extraordinary, but this drama is carried by the execution and lovely cinematography, and enhanced with score that adds to the dreamy ambiance. I’m holding out hope that the diminished whimsy of recent episodes does not mean it will go away entirely. Choi Ji-woo is at home playing essentially herself, and Yoo Ji-tae, the veteran movie star, does great in his drama series debut.

 
Rivals (aka Powerful Opponents): Simply put, this drama was a waste of Chae Rim. And Lee Jong-hyuk. When one hears of a drama centering around rival Secret Service agents serving the president’s son, one might expect a certain level of professionalism to be shown by said agents, mixed with some danger and intrigue. What we got was two adults bickering like hormonal high schoolers and a wild, uncontrollable First Son who deserved to be smacked around a bit. The series attempted more humor than I would have thought but never struck the right balance between its (attempted) comedy and the action.

 
Iljimae: There’s been a tendency for some to assume that me mocking Iljimae is me mocking lead star Lee Junki. I’d like to say: That’s not so. (That goes for all series, actually.) I was interested in Iljimae because it was pretty and I’ve liked Lee Junki in the past, when he’s not overacting. I also like Han Hyo-joo even though she has a long way to go as an actress. But I found the drama alternately too silly and too melodramatic, and the characters too stock. I am, however, looking forward to MBC’s take on the same character in Return of Iljimae.

 
On Air: Shrill, grating, like nails on a chalkboard. This is a drama that turned me off from the get-go. Yeah, it went on to be a big hit and featured lots of star cameos, but those were casting stunts and not relevant to the plot. I disliked every single character, to the extent that I found myself rooting for them to all tear each other apart to save us the trouble. Perhaps the characters went on to develop depth; I was not going to sit through any more aural torture in mere hopes that they would. Self-indulgent and self-congratulatory, this drama is slick and polished on the surface, but lacks soul. And heart. Ratings say this was very watchable for most; it was unwatchable for me.

 
Tazza: I kept expectations low, so the first few episodes were more watchable than I thought they’d be. But I just couldn’t get over thirtysomethings playing teenagers — for one flashback it’s fine, but spending multiple episodes in that time period pushed it too far — and I was out. Also: It’s amazing how much Han Ye-seul has improved her acting and yet remains so far from good. Or maybe the bad southern accent made her seem that much worse.

 
Robber: Forgettable, and an unmitigated flop. I think Lee Da-hae is a talented actress, and she got to show some of her crying abilities here. Jang Hyuk has, for several straight projects, been playing up his rascally side with scoundrel characters. Both were wasted, both went on to bigger dramas, and both will probably only look back on Robber as a distant memory.

 

When Night Comes: What I said for Iljimae also holds true for When Night Comes — bashing the drama does not mean I’m bashing its stars, Kim Sun-ah and Lee Dong-gun, both of whom have done much better work than this. Kim was nominated for one of those end-of-year awards, but it seemed kind of like a duty nomination — or worse, a pity nomination. She’s had a rocky path after Samsoon, and fans were thrilled at her TV comeback. However, Night struck me much like Rivals — big names, contrived plot. It wasn’t UN-watchable — but rather, what was the point?

 
I Love You: Seo Ji-hye is lower-profile than other actresses of her age, but she’s one to keep an eye on. This drama seemed sweet and simple — accidental pregnancy leads to love between a May-December couple (she’s 21, Ahn Jae-wook plays 35). I liked it, but it was so placid that there was nothing about the plot or characters that pushed me to keep me going, so I didn’t.

 

Three Dads, One Mom: Ugh. I get that people enjoyed this show, and I think that’s great. I don’t think badly of anybody who likes a drama I find horrible; I just marvel at their patience and chalk it up to personal taste. I was pretty forgiving of this series, and stuck through five hours despite feeling pretty certain that it would not improve. Eugene looked adorable, but her character sure was naggy. Jae Hee — whom I love! — affected a baffling nasally whine for his character (was it a conscious choice to remind us he wasn’t the main lead?) Jo Hyun-jae has done better; here he seemed to be acting halfheartedly. I wanted to like this drama, if only for my soft spot for male camaraderie, and the lead trio (rounded out by Shin Sung-rok) was prime male-bonding territory. But I found Three Dads clunky and poorly written and, ultimately, unwatchable.

 
Painter of the Wind: I probably shouldn’t even weigh in on this one because I am so woefully behind. By all accounts this is an excellent series with stand-out acting, and one of the most beautiful-looking ones of the year. Moon Geun-young made good on her early promise as one of Korea’s best up-and-coming actresses, and found a way to stretch her formerly cute kid-sister image playing the cross-dresser in a way she couldn’t as a sexy starlet or grown-up woman (her attempts to mature her image in her late teens were largely unsuccessful). Still on the “to watch” list.

 
In conclusion…

2008 was not a great drama year. It was not a great year in general for the world, actually, so maybe we shouldn’t feel too upset about dramas specifically. I think we’re all looking hopefully to 2009 for an upswing, and by golly do we need one. Let’s hope that these things alternate years, which means next year should be AWESOME. (…right?)

Once again, I give my wholehearted thanks to Sevenses, thunderbolt, and Dahee Fanel for participating in this year-end review! I hope you enjoyed it too, because I love reading their witty insights, even — especially — when we disagree. Because hey, I’m not here to get you all to think exactly as I do. That would be no fun.

 
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another year over... thanks for recapping! hopefully this year the dramas will be good so that we have something to cheer us up after all this doom and gloom!

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:T download for joo's song isn't working.

I actually thought the same about Hong Gil Dong

-sLaVe

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2008 was a bad vintage year for kdramas. I disliked most of the dramas or wasn't interested enough to watch. The only one I finished was "Who are you" which is strangely likable though flawed. Its a bad year when I can only pull out "Who are you" as your top pick. Nothing like 2007 which gave us greats like White Tower and Mawang and even Thank You.

I will watch POTW due to the recommendations but the 2008 pickings are slim. Like many people I might revisit some oldies but goodies.

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@Greenfreak:

Thanks for the heads up on the POTW subs!!:) I can finally watch it now!

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Half way through 2008, I was thinking what a bland year it had been... The particularly disappointing aspect is that many highly anticipated dramas simply do not deliver. I started a number of dramas but didn't finish in almost the same number: On Air, When Night Comes, Beethoven Virus, Love & Marriage etc etc. After watching a few L&M episodes, I have to say Javabean's recaps are more witty and enjoyable than the drama itself!

I am not a fan of Sageuk or Fusion (thinking Stephen Chow had already done the best you could out of this genre) and have not started Hong Gil Dong despite being a big KJW fan.

Then there are those that I did finish like Rivals and 1Mom 3 Dads. Rivals is enjoyable at the beginning but it turns 'schizo' from ep 7/8 onward. I finished 1M3D probably more for the adorable babies.

My top picks for the year are from the unlikely ones which I haven't thought of starting initially:
1. The Last Scandal of My Life
2. Lawyers of Korea
Both passed my personal measure: it has to be an 'all-nighter' that glues me in one go from beginning till the end. Dramas with engaging characters and plots that emote you. I'm glad to know Choi Jin Shil and Lee Sung Jae from these two dramas and now try to watch their earlier works.
3. Who Are You - My main issue is with Go Ara for the same reason as Javabean stated - she's OK but no match to Yoon Kye Sang.

The upshot is I managed to catch up on some older k-dramas and k-movies although my preference is having an affair with a 16-hour drama rather than a 2-hour movie. Just finished over the X'mas break Bad Family (which is fantabulous!) and Fashion 70s. Coincidentally, I'm also following the works of Bae Do Na who always manages to add an edge to her movie/drama.

One last spark for 2008 is from Terrior, though. I am so hooked to it is that watching it ontline became my first task after arriving home back from a 10-day holiday without internet. It is romantic and rates highly on my enjoyable meter.

Let's hope 2009 is a great year for us all.

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'Meh' is indeed hitting the nail on the head. Many thanks for the balanced and reasonable review. :D

I think it's telling that most people have not finished as many dramas as they did last year, though I have no personal data to compare with. The ones lined up for 2009 look promising (especially Triple, nom nom) so here's to hoping for a better year!

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Although many of you "old timers" out there think this is a blah year for Kdrama, I have to say it has been a good one for me. That is because I am new, there are so many excellent dramas to catch up, both recent and 'ancient" produced ones.(Javabeans, many thanks to your ratings and recaps!). And I just don't think I can pick a better year to become a Kdrama addict . Really, who wanted to spend time watching all those depressing news in 2008? So looking forward to 2009 and more great dramas. Go, Kdramas!

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Hmmm, does New Heart count as a 2007 or 2008 drama?

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2008 not a great year for the world??? HE;LLLO?? 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. OBAMA!!!!

And ON AIR was good. You should've stuck it out and finished it.

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dramas are dramas. They're like nice children storybooks. Something to watch when you're on break or bored. I think you expect too much out of them. Maybe if Koreans weren't so superficial, talented actors out there would be cast instead of hollow ones who don't want to put any effort or do any work (aka SHK).

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My fav of 2008 was Painter of the Wind. Yes, Park Shin Yang's acting wasn't that great but it was a beautifully shot, interesting sageuk. Who Are You was nice, if not very special. Gourmet was ok (I loved the food bits) but, to me, it was a stretched-out version of the movie which didn't have anything special to add. It was too drawn out when it didn't need to be.

I hated Eugene's character in 2 Dads 1 Mom so I couldn't watch it even if I like Jae Hee.

The World They Live In was just too boring. As you said, you somehow couldn't connect to the show. Which was too bad as I like Hyun Bin and I'm ok with Song Hye Go.

Thanks for all your recaps! It's a great guide for me to choose which drama to watch. Looking forward to more in 2009!

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Oops! Just realized I never wrote a reply to this excellent review! Forgive me?

Anyway, yeah! Awesome, awesome write-up...as usual. :P I, too, love when we disagree, and it was great to read your different POVs. Onward ho to 2009!

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Hi #60, though I see your point, I do think Kdramas are different to different people.

Some people watch kdramas one after another or even several at the same time regardless of quality. When they finish one, they replace with another one. For instance my aunt watches kdramas to fill the time in the evenings and weekends. I asked her why she watches so many and nonstop and she said she enjoys looking at all the young attractive actors and actresses. She likes East of Eden and Autumn Tales.

My sister watches Kdramas to relax since she is a ER surgeon and she gets really stressed from work. For instance she refused to watch white tower though I praised it to pieces when I was watching it and I thought she would be interested given her occupation. She will watch maybe 2-3 a year and she enjoys watching light hearted romantic comedies.

For me a drama has to have at least three of the following in order for me to be interested: great story, great writing, great acting, great production value, be enjoyable, somewhat educational and leaves an impression. Given my criteria, I don't watch too many dramas these days. Dramabeans have been a godsend so I can prefilter through the mass.

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i loved on air because it lacked the typical love fctor in all k dramas. there's lesser drama in the love area and it seemed so factual to me.maybe that's why it lacks soul to you

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Love ON Air n New Heart.

Maybe if you used to watch Japanese Drama, you won't think On Air plot as bad, cos it lack romance. MAybe the same thing applied to When The Nite Come cos it remind me of Japanese drama in the first 8 episode ( i only able to watch till 10) Anyway, it depend on individual preference.

Oh yeah, if u love New Heart then can try watch Japanese Drama Code Blue. Its also bout med intern but in A&E. Kdrama General Hospital 2 for me is kinna boring.

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2008 was a great, but not excellent year for dramas in general. Here are my reviews for the dramas that I've watched, barely watched and still watching..

First on my MUST WATCH list is Hong Gil Dong. I love the intensity of Kang Ji Hwan's acting as well as his sense of humor. Sung Yuri totally improved her acting too and she really does play the goofy, over the top role well. Also true that Jang Geun-seok's acting was mostly flat on this one. Or was it just his role that was supposed to be one-dimensional. Still one of the best dramas for 2008.

After Hong Gil Dong, I checked out Three Dads and One Mom because of Jae Hee (one of my favorite actors since Delightful Girl Choon Hyang). I actually enjoyed the bonding of the three men. They were hilarious when taking care of the baby and watching her grow up. What was bad about it was that none of the three men actually had any chemistry with Eugene. This is a should watch drama.

Also watched Iljimae afterwards since the summary was like Hong Gil Dong and starring Lee Jun Ki. I loved all the dramas he's done so far so of course I couldn't miss his new one. However, I was a bit disappointed at the drama (the editing was so bad I couldn't follow what was going on the first few episodes). The PD kept jumping all over the place. I did like the action scenes on this one especially acted well by Jun Ki. But again with the messed up ending. I mean what did happen.

Tried watching Robber because Jang Hyuk did so well on Thank You and Lee Da-hae from My Girl and wanted to forget her Hello Miss disaster. The beginning was funny. The acting was superb. What made me not enjoy the drama was the over dramatic storyline so I dropped it halfway through.

When those dramas ended or not finished, I didn't know what to watch next so had to look at D-addicts again for something. What I found surprising was Last Scandal. It totally belongs in the MUST WATCH list. It has all the cliches of a Korean drama, but the acting is top notch that I can't help watching the next episode. I started watching it after all the episodes have already been subbed. It's never too late to watch this awesome drama. And yes I am sad to find out that this will be Choi Jin-shil's last drama after her untimely death.

Then for the fall season, browsing through the Korean blogs news site, D-addicts, there were so many anticipated dramas. What I planned to watch were East of Eden, Kingdom of the Wind, Painter of the Wind, Beethoven Virus.

East of Eden belongs in the unwatchable or barely watched category. Yes I did try the first 4 episodes especially with most of the cast I've grown to like when seeing most of their older dramas. Found out about Kim Bum (cute Yi-jung of BOF's F4) here and his intense acting role. But even with the best of the best acting in a drama, it totally reminded me of many Korean tragic dramas which I've come to hate ever since I've watched too many of the early days (ok I'm talking about the first two years I've been watching Korean dramas in general so it's maybe not that long ago). Korean tragic dramas are those where the good guys always get treated so poorly and do not do anything for their circumstances while the bad guys prevail. Another aspect which totally made me drop the entire drama was the # of episodes planned for it. Dude, if I have to watch a drama with 50 episodes of crying, why not just scrap it now.

Don't need to say much, but Excellent for Kingdom of the Wind and Painter of the Wind.

However, this may be a shock to some people but Beethoven Virus so far belongs in the still watching even if it kills me list. Ok, I've only seen the first 4 episodes then stopped. I have all episodes downloaded but need to find the will to watch it. What got me annoyed was when Du Ru Mi suddenly started having a crush on the Evil Maestro (what did she see in him?). I'm talking about the episode where they had their first public concert and she didn't want him to leave. That was too early to be mesmerized because he only treated her like trash.

The still watching drama because the subs are going way too slow are Gourmet and Every Night. First Gourmet is a very unlike any Kdramas I've seen. It reminds me of Yakitate Japan, Hikaru no Go or Shounen sports animes where they have contests, rivalry and good food with an awesome cast. I haven't seen much of Kim Rae-won since My Love Patzzi (well I did try watching Which Star Are You From, but I totally need to make time for that and have the patience to watch something boring). Yet, this drama is enjoyable because of his honest, feel good acting.

Every Night with Kim Sam Soon and Lee Dong Gun belongs to the Watchable category. It also has a different take of Korean drama. The focus isn't on the love story (sorry must say that Lee Dong Gun and Kim Sun-ah didn't have much of a chemistry but their bickering scenes were hilarious), but Korean historical artifacts. I like learning about culture and restoring them has never been done in dramas before. It's different and unpredictable. I actually liked the mystery-ness of it all.

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to epyc # 55
im also enjoying watching terroir online... it's only episode 14 in mysujo.com. at first i did not like the acting of the lead female star but i kinda like her now
i like la dolce i got bored with on air too dragging... i wil start with star lovers and gourmet also who are you. i been reading the reviews so i become interested in watching it. i finished hong gil dong and ita was kind of fun and entertaining also chil woo of eric had fun for light entertainment. last scandal was also good i finished it in two days that means i enjoyed it . i had finished how to find a perfect neighbor well its also good i dont know when it was produced coz i just select from online drama's synopsis.
im a filipino but love watching korean japanese (esp. kimura takuya) and taiwanese dramas.

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I actually enjoyed a few of the dramas I watched this year. (I don't think there will be a drama that I love more than MNIKSS)
-On Air (although the pairing wasn't what I had expected), it made me love Kim Ha Neul as an actresses. I still remember this one scene where she had to bawl like a kid for Ticket to the Moon.
-East of Eden. Surprisingly, I didn't enjoy the first 4 episodes as much as everyone else did. I liked the story afterward. It's a big commitment to watch 56 episodes of a drama. I'm glad I stuck to it though (I didn't watch some episodes due to lack of time but I'm picking it up)
-When it's at Night. I'm not going to lie and say I thoroughly enjoyed this drama. There were some very boring parts because I really don't care much for retrieving artifacts, etc. The description of Sun Ah's character was sexiness, which I didn't see except in episode 5 where she dressed up. I watched this drama for Sun Ah. She's my favourite actress and I missed her since MNIKSS. It's disappointing to see her comeback drama to be a flop... I hope she will get better roles/dramas later on (City Hall!)

Now onto dramas that I couldn't continue on watching...
-I started Iljimae because of Junki, but I didn't continue after episode 4.
-Same with Powerful Opponents... it became less engaging after the 10th episode and not enough character development.
-Robbers, I like Lee Da Hae, she's the reason why I decided to watch it in the first place. I enjoyed her crying scenes, but I despised Jang Hyuk's character, so I couldn't continue.
-Worlds Within: this was a highly anticipated drama for me. The first episode failed to capture my attention. I tried watching it several times, still couldn't get into it.

I'm hoping for better drama in 2009.
currently anticipating City Hall

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ooo..love reading the reviews and all the comments. i am with most of you. Even those i didn't agree with, i had to chuckle.

i m a big fan of sun ah. i would like to think that 2008 is her final year in her degree course..timing wise, may to aug 08 might have been a school break for her, so embarking on WIAN at that time might have been a good idea to her...a mistake though not the biggest mistake in her acting career. She herself admitted that Naked Christmas was her worst project ever. WIAN was not an UNwatchable drama for me but it would have been better as a movie...purely for entertaining value and hence shortened the dull pain to a mere under 2 hr episode. It went downhill after ep 6.
I am glad though that she redeemed herself by taking on a short project with Rain.
Anyway, so looking forward to her upcoming dramas for 2009 : City Hall and After Wedding Banquet?

I can see why no one bothered to comment on You R My Destiny. I only caught it around ep 90+ and even then, i didn't bother to watch every episode...and probably dropped about 30 episodes. Then I happened to tune into one of those actors (Lee Jihoon) trying to promote it and said that the plot is thickening and getting better. I was a sucker and fell for it...my mistake. Picked it up again and I have never felt so cheated in my life. Watched the KBS Award and Yoona got the award for best actress in U R My Destiny?! For what!! Omo..i still have a splitting headache from this drama.

I sincerely hope 2009 has better dramas to offer. I am an escapist when it comes to dramas/movies. Dislike all the doom and gloom for a drama in a world where there is already plenty of it. Aza! Aza!

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For On Air, the series went on pretty well actually. i think you just judged from its beginning but its plot is tight in most of the part. :)
so hopefully you dont give its award for the cameos :))

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I really love HONG GIL DONG... At first, I thought it was boring because of the cover of it... I just watched it because I like Jang Geun-seok... While watching the drama, I fell in love with Kang Ji-hwan and hated Geun-seok for his role... anyways... I loved it very much... It surprised me that I didn't even pressed the fast-forward button of our dvd player because the flow of the story is so great... I'm a little disappointed at the ending... But I still loved this show! JIAYOU!!!

I miss Kang Ji-hwan, I hope, he'll make a new drama that will show again his expertise in acting... "I LOVE YOU" Kang Ji-hwan!!! Good Luck...

from your Number 1 fan in the Philippines
Claudette Faye R. Cartabio

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Go Beethoven Virus!!! AJA AJA!!

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I recently finished watching 3 Dads 1 Mom. After reading all the comments, I noticed that no one had watched that show or made any comments about it.

My brother... of all people... recommended it to me because he is a huge Eugene fan while I am a huge Jae Hee fan. I have to admit, the first part of the series was just plain annoying. Anyone who is stupid like Eugene's character should not be a mom... which is why she is so lucky to have 3 other guys behind her back. Overall, I know the story line at the beginning was not very good but I have to say, give it a chance, watch it all the way through because the story does pick up and get better! You see all of the character's change for the better just because the baby Ha Seon came into their lives!

For how I enjoyed it, I would give it an 8/10. It was definately hilarious! I laughed at every episode. For the drama itself, probably an 8/10 for the terrible beginning but it regained momentum at the end.

This drama is definately not the stereotypical Korean drama with romance, cheating lovers, unrequitted love, cancer, and amnesia. BUT I enjoyed watching 3 dads 1 mom because of the family values it emphasizes! Sorry for being old-fashioned but society these days has lost it's values and excitement in children for some reason.

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I was late in the whole Dramabeans thing.... but when I discovered the site, I was hooked. Let's say I visit more than I ought to.

East of Eden.... 50 episode was too much for someone who has a very short attention span when it comes to kdramas (I drop 80% of dramas I attempt to watch). Not to mention, birth switch, revenge, quadrangle, or was it a heptagon? However, Lee Da Hae and Han Ji Hye were my biggest motivation.. actually, mostly just Han Ji Hye. It started out frustratingly depressing, however Kim Bum's acting was amazing for his age and experience. As soon as he left, DongChul was never the same for me. Han Ji Hye, no matter how big of a fan I was, was horrifying with the bawling and the shrieking... reminded me of her "mother" in Likable or Not, who was too annoying, it made me want to pull my hair out. However, by ep 10-14, there was a change in the story, thus the sudden development in characters.. and HJH's acting turned 180 degrees. Their little love triangle story became unconventional, it finally started to get interesting. But then, as we all have heard of how PD and network may have favored one person's request over the other.. how they wanted to glorify the comeback of that certain actor.. the other little love story went in circles too many times that it left me all dizzy and bored. From experience of getting a sudden shock with 10-14, I was holding on and hoping it will get better.. 20 episodes later, nada.

Since there were many characters in the drama, there were many subplots that had to be covered. In the end, they were not covered.. they were forgotten by PD/writer and just slowly faded away.. later on, came up with some pathetic excuses. I wonder, do these neglected actors/actresses feel any insult by the change of plans and priorities? The only characters that I was holding on were sabotaged. HJH's victim turned determined wife/mother/business woman was turned to "shrewd," "ambitious", and "selfish" bitch..at least that's what the writer wanted to show.. then later turned back into a victim. Park Hae Jin who stepped up his game in the acting arena was marvelously getting better by each episode.. however, with the sabotage in his character (just one among others sabotaged too... Yoon Jeong Heon).. by ep 40+, he himself ended up confused with all the writing .. that once impressive actor, turned stiff/wooden/stoned..After putting up and understanding the little screentime they've got since they're not leads.. I can't believe that their characters had to be sabotaged to glorify the lead, to show he's the most loved, the most righteous, most loving, most selfless.. (etc) character in the entire history of kdramas. The last sentence is probably the best summary I could give you of EOE. And for someone who stuck through 56 long episodes (I was dying each time they announce it being extended)... I say this is an EPIC FAILURE.

I once rejoiced that Park Hae Jin's important scene is EOE's peak real time rating... out of all 56 episodes. You explained already why this drama is unwatchable. Rating-wise, maybe there are more ppl out there who just wanted to see this through the end after investing so much time. I should've known better that this is not an ensemble cast.. but it's a cast that would have to be sacrificed for the sake of one or two people.

As a fan of PHJ and HJH, it's a pity.. they did so well, and matured so much through this drama.. but I just hate the drama so much (both in front and behind the camera). I would end up just disregarding the latter half.. or just focus on their little story.. If not, explanation of why EOE suck will never end.

Not only did I find certain person/people distasteful.. but I'm actually scared at that person's power/arrogance/selfishness.. well, most scared of the power.. how far others have to go to please him.. scared for the future costars and colleagues.. very scared... Hopefully they will be well-liked so they don't experience being stepped on by some big name.

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i really love and enjoy everything on this site..can't wait for the review on 2009... it is indeed worth reading.. this served as my basis on choosing the next kdrama to watch...

thanks and more power...

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