[2018 Year in Review] If dramas were emotions

by Guest Beanie

Hundred Million Stars From the Sky

By Foglia

I’ve had less time to indulge myself in K-dramas this year and maybe that’s why I savored every single moment I spent with them. In the end I added new names in my top K-dramas list once more. Since I fancy anything progressive, daring, unusual, and innovative, my 2018 list includes some controversial deal-breakers. Out of the shows I relished, I will share four that are significant to me. Each of them had a different after-taste. Each of them triggered different feelings. I hope that there are many viewers who enjoyed them as much as I did.

Hundred Million Stars From the Sky

EXCITEMENT
Hundred Million Stars From the Sky

Just after watching the first episode of this meticulous remake, I immediately watched the original and began waiting for the surprises that the new version had in store for us. I was thrilled. I was mesmerized by Seo In-gook’s portrayal. The dangerous-looking, reckless, yet broken young man stole my heart immediately. It was a captivating experience from beginning to end.

Sure, the criminal side of the story was quite strong and disturbing. However, the romantic promise of the drama was so strong that it gave me goosebumps. It wasn’t a “no touch, no kiss” kind of unrealistic relationship. The intimate moments that Seo In-gook and Jung So-min shared were very intense, very deep. Seo’s relationship with his lover’s brother, Park Sung-woong managed to be antagonistic but touching at the same time. Hundred Million Stars From the Sky gave me high-voltage excitement.

Familiar Wife

TRUST
Familiar Wife

I have never like black and white descriptions found in old-school fiction: devils and angels, losers and champs, characters you either totally love or totally hate… as if that’s possible.

I’ve always preferred protagonists that are carefully carved. Realistic. All people have flaws. All people have features that they’re proud of. They can be very considerate in one area, but very insensitive in another. That’s the main reason I enjoyed Familiar Wife. It was the story of a married couple that was marinated with time-travel sauce that took an objective approach to its protagonists and it was fun to watch. Neither the Han Ji-min nor Ji Sung was “the villain,” neither one of them was “the angel” either.

I loved the x-ray of that “promised relationship” and reconstruction of the marriage. It was funny, rational, and mostly not sexist. It made me think that it is possible for a couple to solve even the most difficult issues as long as there is love between them. Familiar Wife reinforced that trust in me.

Pretty Noona Who Buys Me Food

HOPE
Pretty Noona Who Buys Me Food:

In the beginning we were a large group of people cherishing this contemporary story. A heartwarming, unconventional noona romance, rich dialogues, and a very cute male lead all came together and won our hearts. (I should admit that I get strongly irritated by the term “noona romance.” Do we call it an oppa romance when the male is older than the female? It’s almost 2019. Anyway…) When the love between Yoon Jin-ah and Seo Joon-hee was in the honeymoon stage there was only joy and excitement. Then began her battle: a strong opposition on her mother’s side and sexual harassment at the office killed the mood, and loyal K-drama fans began protesting against the drama.

Before her newly-found love, it was her family protecting and leading her. Then her young boyfriend intended to take that role. However, although she kept loving him very much, she chose to save herself instead of being saved. Instead of taking shelter under his wings, she preferred fighting for herself. I loved every single minute of it.

Yoon Jin-ah’s mother was a real pest and she had to endure being mobbed at the office. On the plus side, she did have a really adorable boyfriend. In the end, I loved her choosing the hard but self-satisfying way. The happy ending in the finale was a very well deserved one, I think. Pretty Noona Who Buys Me Food gave me huge hope.

The Third Charm

EMPATHY
The Third Charm:

This drama was one of the rare pieces in K-dramaland in that it didn’t comply with the usual-style happy ending rule. The Third Charm offered us a realistic, thought-provoking modern love story. Seo Kang Joon’s male lead was affectionate, devoted, plus very handsome. However, the female lead, Esom seemed unwilling to settle for that and she left him. Subsequently, they went through some tough life experiences. Why did she leave him?

In a romantic relationship, the one who is more dependent on their partner may subconsciously be afraid of losing their partner. This can cause decay in the relationship because it can cause that person to feel uneasy, somewhat guilty, and continuously indebted. The one who loves too much may not leave enough space for their partner to show affection or love. It can take the heat out of that relationship and greatly reduces the excitement. Eventually, one party leaves. In The Third Charm we witnessed something similar. Actually, we experienced it not once, but twice. It made me think over the “formula of love” a lot.

What I loved most about the drama was that the women were unorthodox. There are tons of dramas telling us that women are obsessed with marriage. That they always passively wait for a proposal and even a simple wedding ring makes them die of happiness. In Third Charm women didn’t wait for the other party to initiate the relationship. They chose, they told, they took action, they started, or they terminated relationships when they felt like it. I loved encountering a drama that took a non-conservative view of women in relationships.

—

This is my tribute to 2018. There were a couple of weekend marathons lasting more than 10 hours. There were a few long holiday nights celebrated with drama parties. Some dramas had particular aspects that stole my heart. Some dramas I loved from A to Z.

The Third Charm

 
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