Top 20 K-pop of 2021 [20-11]
This list is the epitome of my k-pop identity: a shawol multi-stan (don’t tell Taemin). I always have cut-remorse (sorry girl groups/solos; they had some awesome releases, but these songs just were so strong to me); but I highly recommend (G)i-dle’s I burn album and Epik High’s Epik High is Here, too.
20. Damage – Just B
19. Dad – D.O
18. Oort Cloud – Younha
17. Conversation – Twice
16. Make Up Your Mind – Ailee
15. Sad Kids – Taemin
14. Celebrity – IU
13. Period – Purple Kiss
12. Luna – Oneus
11. Eeeny Meeny – U-Know
Top 20 K-pop of 2021 [10-1]
10. Unthinkable – FT Island: the emotion in Hong-ki’s voice is matchless
9. I Really Want You – Shinee: my go-to pick me up this year
8. Back to You – Ha Sung Woon: great rhythm and melody
7. Happy Birthday – Oneus: light sultry; their voices and melody pull you in
6. Us – Moon Jong Up: not so light sultry; so catchy
5. The Real – Ateez: this really defines Ateez; this humble confidence
4. Waterfall – B.I.: this whole album is great; I love the repeating ohs
3. Helium – Key: Hey, girl. What’s up? All in English. So what. This counts to me cause it’s still very k-pop and is the epitome of Key’s sass and artistry
2. Atlantis – Shinee: this whole album was great; while other songs on the album are probably technically better, this just makes me so happy any time it plays and feels so Shinee and fresh
1. Way – Onew ft Punch: this song reached to my soul. Onew and Punch’s voices are great together. I side-eyed the final build up originally, but it comes in sooner than originally thought and now I love how it just all builds together.
Finished Memory (one with Junho, not the one with cats, though he\’d approve)! It was a good, though not easy, watch. I really loved the trajectory of all the characters (except the ML\’s dad; always frustrating to see dramas salvage scum parents). Seeing all the levels of evil was really interesting too. It was not a perfect drama but it was a good melo that had some really interesting commentary on grief, forgiveness, and what it takes to live as a better person. Now I\’m wrapping up the kdrama Life on Mars. I\’ll definitely need some fluff after all this.
I earned 1 whole bean this year…At least it makes it easy to choose (Imitation)…
If I were to count just all k-dramas/webseries/variety, I would get only a semi-pathetic 16.
Finished Jewel in the Palace! I loved the 1st half, but once the FL was bent on revenge for the entirety of the 2nd half and it was more politics than her learning her craft, I got frustrated. The ML was awesome though. And, he really rocked that facial hair.
To differentiate the two I refer to HOMETOWN: CHA CHA CHA as: CHA CHA CHA and Yoo Jae-myung’s drama as: HOMETOWN which I am hoping will be available on Viki.
(Also for obvious reasons I am referring to POLICE UNIVERSITY as POL U rather than PU.)
@waadmay Imitation behind the scenes: Ateez version! Figured you might not run into this unless you’re an Ateez fan. They’re so cute being so nervous but having fun.
I got to start my day with Shinee at their 13th anniversary vlive, so I thought I’d share one of my favorite videos. Shinee knows each other to the core and they often use that to harrass each other.
Revenge Note 2 is so bad. All the writer had to do was copy+paste from the 1st season with different actors. I just don\’t get how you can completely ruin the world you had already built.
My kdrama rankings for all the kdramas I watched in 2020. The blue highlighted ones will still have points going towards them for Stickiness (how well I remember the drama after a month or so). Once I condensed my list to just this year, I was a bit surprised by the rankings, but I would still agree with the order/scores (though take note that there are a number of ties). Life and Weather were the definite highlights of this year.
Top 20 K-Pop Songs of 2020 [Pt. 1]
I think I’ve listened to more music this year than ever before thanks to @kaleidoscopic and @infinitize. My picks are still pretty surface level, but these are the songs that stayed in my brain, that I found unique, and/or really captured something special to me.
20. Where the Sea Sleeps – Even of the Day (Day6): A sweet ballad with a heartwarming music video
19. What Do I Call You Now – Taeyeon: sweet sounding song that packs a punch
18. Wish You Were Here – SuperM: If the first line doesn’t hook you, then nothing will
17. The Melody – Super Junior: A nostalgic song appropriate for their 15th anniversary
16. Amnesia – Kai: The melodic rhythm is so entrancing
15. Wannabe – Itzy: A fun anthem with fun choreography
14. Play – Chungha: An upbeat, catchy song confidently delivered
13. Better – BoA: Queen is back in her natural habitat
12. All That Love – Changmin: A catchy beat by a veteran performer
11. Abracadabra – YooA: I really like her range of tones and wow, a female rap that isn’t that pitchy Nikki Minaj-style.
The rest of my list. I listed out like all possible songs I thought good this year then eliminated a number of them that didn’t quite make it to “great” then ranked, so I ended up technically with a top 38. Here’s the rest:
21. 2 Kids – Taemin
22. Swear – E’last
23. Burn the Floor – Super Junior
24. Then, Now, and Forever – CN Blue
25. Inception – Ateez
26. With You – SuperM
27. Happy – Taeyeon
28. What Are You Waiting For – Somi
29. LMM – Hwasa
30. Idea – Taemin
31. Back Door – Stray Kids
32. Dangerous Woman – SuperM
33. Fault – Zelo
34. Paradise – Eric Nam
35. Nineteen – Natty
36. Ex – Stray Kids
37. Remember – Winner
38. Afraid – Day6
Top 20 K-Pop Songs of 2020 [Pt 2]
10. The Stealer – The Boyz: Their choreography is no joke. The song is well suited for them and the choreography elevates it even further.
9. Strangers – Taemin: A haunting tune where you can hear the longing in his voice with a hint of dementedness
8. Zombie – Day6: A perfect anthem for 2020. The monotone sound works in this song because of the great vocals and performance.
7. Think of You – Taemin: This song is just completely “odorable.” The music video and lyrics just make you smile all day.
6. Big Chance – SuperM: [This feels little like cheating since this song is actually all in English but since it was still technically a Korean release, I let it contend for a spot] Such a catchy song! The harmonies are beautiful and their voices really shine here without all the electronics and overly-complicated structure of their title tracks.
5. Hello Stranger – Kai: The difference in tone between his singing and rapping voice is very distinct. It makes this song ever the more interesting.
4. Answer – Ateez: Another solid anthem song from Ateez. This song hooks you from line one and brings you along for the ride.
3. Eight – IU: A song of grief but cathartic in its beauty and rawness, making us fell not alone in grieving for any young person we have lost, celebrities or not
2. HOLO – Lee Hi: A perfect song for such a tough year, reminding us that this too shall pass
1. Criminal – Taemin: This is pure art for those who want art and a perfectly catchy song for those who just want to jam out. You can’t deny the charisma and talent Taemin demonstrates in his Never Gonna Dance Again series.
I\’m tempted to not watch Ep 12 of Gumiho until it returns in 2 weeks, but since I rarely live-watch, I should get the full experience of suffering through the pain of (self-made) pre-emptions.
The imoogi said Lee Yeong “took his place”, so it sounds like there’s a grudge there…
On the shallow side of things, if I were a demon, I’d totally choose Yeon’s body! Imagine being able to binge on ice-cream for eternity without consequences
Ooh right. And his obsession with marrying the girl he didn’t get to the first time. I wonder if them trying to get the princess away from him was why they ran to the countryside in the first place.
My motivation to watch FoS is at like -100 knowing it has a second season…I think I\’ll just wait for season 2 to be over then watch both back to back. Hopefully, I can continue to avoid spoilers.
I know :/ My original plan was to watch season 1 before season 2 started but then failed at that idea. I did avoid spoilers though for season 1 pretty well so I have hope. Text spoilers are pretty easy to avoid. It’s the screenshot spoilers that are harder to not see.
I have been well-fed with k-pop lately with Ateez, Hyo’s “Dessert”, Seventeen’s “Left and Right”, Somi’s “What Are You Waiting For”, Eric Nam’s “Paradise”, Hwasa’s “LMM”, Lee Hi’s “Holo”, etc. But my UB is baaaaack and I am now 1000000% perfectly happy.
How do y’all survive live watching shows?? I can’t believe I have to wait another week for BSR after that ending!!! I just love these two. The OTP romance is just perfect.
Right? I really wish I could just tweak (well really completely rewrite) the side characters. Both leads’ best friends really are the worst part of the show. I still cringe anytime he’s on the screen.
The parents are hit and miss too, but at least they have some deeper moments.
Jig
December 31, 2021 at 5:34 PM
Top 20 K-pop of 2021 [20-11]
This list is the epitome of my k-pop identity: a shawol multi-stan (don’t tell Taemin). I always have cut-remorse (sorry girl groups/solos; they had some awesome releases, but these songs just were so strong to me); but I highly recommend (G)i-dle’s I burn album and Epik High’s Epik High is Here, too.
20. Damage – Just B
19. Dad – D.O
18. Oort Cloud – Younha
17. Conversation – Twice
16. Make Up Your Mind – Ailee
15. Sad Kids – Taemin
14. Celebrity – IU
13. Period – Purple Kiss
12. Luna – Oneus
11. Eeeny Meeny – U-Know
Jig
December 31, 2021 at 5:33 PM
Top 20 K-pop of 2021 [10-1]
10. Unthinkable – FT Island: the emotion in Hong-ki’s voice is matchless
9. I Really Want You – Shinee: my go-to pick me up this year
8. Back to You – Ha Sung Woon: great rhythm and melody
7. Happy Birthday – Oneus: light sultry; their voices and melody pull you in
6. Us – Moon Jong Up: not so light sultry; so catchy
5. The Real – Ateez: this really defines Ateez; this humble confidence
4. Waterfall – B.I.: this whole album is great; I love the repeating ohs
3. Helium – Key: Hey, girl. What’s up? All in English. So what. This counts to me cause it’s still very k-pop and is the epitome of Key’s sass and artistry
2. Atlantis – Shinee: this whole album was great; while other songs on the album are probably technically better, this just makes me so happy any time it plays and feels so Shinee and fresh
1. Way – Onew ft Punch: this song reached to my soul. Onew and Punch’s voices are great together. I side-eyed the final build up originally, but it comes in sooner than originally thought and now I love how it just all builds together.
Jig
December 30, 2021 at 12:05 PM
Finished Memory (one with Junho, not the one with cats, though he\’d approve)! It was a good, though not easy, watch. I really loved the trajectory of all the characters (except the ML\’s dad; always frustrating to see dramas salvage scum parents). Seeing all the levels of evil was really interesting too. It was not a perfect drama but it was a good melo that had some really interesting commentary on grief, forgiveness, and what it takes to live as a better person. Now I\’m wrapping up the kdrama Life on Mars. I\’ll definitely need some fluff after all this.
Jig
December 14, 2021 at 7:51 PM
I earned 1 whole bean this year…At least it makes it easy to choose (Imitation)…
If I were to count just all k-dramas/webseries/variety, I would get only a semi-pathetic 16.
Jig
August 28, 2021 at 12:27 PM
Finished Jewel in the Palace! I loved the 1st half, but once the FL was bent on revenge for the entirety of the 2nd half and it was more politics than her learning her craft, I got frustrated. The ML was awesome though. And, he really rocked that facial hair.
dramalover4ever
August 28, 2021 at 6:55 PM
There should be a special t-shirt for people who finish it. Quite an achievement.
Jig
August 24, 2021 at 8:31 PM
It would be quite the shock if someone forgot to put \”Cha Cha Cha\” after \”Hometown\” before they started watching.
knewbie
August 25, 2021 at 12:06 AM
Hahaha so true.
bong-soo
August 25, 2021 at 7:39 AM
To differentiate the two I refer to HOMETOWN: CHA CHA CHA as: CHA CHA CHA and Yoo Jae-myung’s drama as: HOMETOWN which I am hoping will be available on Viki.
(Also for obvious reasons I am referring to POLICE UNIVERSITY as POL U rather than PU.)
Jig
August 25, 2021 at 4:15 PM
Yeah I have a feeling most will end up going with Cha Cha Cha. Double Dimples could work too hehe
Ha that is an unfortunate acronym
mugyuljoie is preciousss
August 25, 2021 at 7:28 PM
I’ve also seen Dimple Duo.
dramalover4ever
August 26, 2021 at 2:24 PM
Adopted. Hope viki have Hometown
Jig
July 24, 2021 at 8:37 PM
@waadmay Imitation behind the scenes: Ateez version! Figured you might not run into this unless you’re an Ateez fan. They’re so cute being so nervous but having fun.
Waadmay
July 24, 2021 at 9:36 PM
Thanks @crysta ,the things we do for Imitation
By the way did you see this ????!
https://youtu.be/gv7D6KEV71c
Jig
July 25, 2021 at 6:53 AM
Oh I had seen the first half but not the second half! So cute.
Jig
June 8, 2021 at 3:14 PM
My life motto (Jewel in the Palace; 7 episodes down 47 more to go!)
KSs Life = Kdramas ❤💜❤
June 8, 2021 at 11:35 PM
Jewel in the Palace.. my the most fav Kdrama ever…
Midnight
June 9, 2021 at 5:32 AM
I have watched this show at least 20 times. I love it so much.
Jig
June 9, 2021 at 5:45 AM
O_O! Wow I can’t imagine watching such a long one so many times. I really like it so far though.
Kudo Ran
June 9, 2021 at 9:02 AM
yay another one watching it ^^ . I watched it earlier this year and enjoyed it :). Tagging @peony who’s a fan of it 🙂 .
korfan
June 9, 2021 at 10:28 PM
Jewel in the Palace! A classic! Enjoy!
Netsuke
July 19, 2021 at 12:58 AM
This motto I like very much. Funny, but good.
Jig
May 25, 2021 at 10:09 AM
I got to start my day with Shinee at their 13th anniversary vlive, so I thought I’d share one of my favorite videos. Shinee knows each other to the core and they often use that to harrass each other.
CharmingKey
May 25, 2021 at 11:03 AM
This is one of my favorites too! Onew’s impression of Key gets me every time!
Jig
April 25, 2021 at 8:47 PM
Revenge Note 2 is so bad. All the writer had to do was copy+paste from the 1st season with different actors. I just don\’t get how you can completely ruin the world you had already built.
Jig
January 31, 2021 at 5:24 AM
Shinee is baaaack (back back back back)!! Another month until the full release but a great, new b-track to tie us over <3
Orientedstar
January 31, 2021 at 6:39 AM
Yes they are back. Thank you posting this. Shinee’s chorus is the best!!
Jig
January 31, 2021 at 8:33 AM
Those harmonies are gold.
Maq
January 31, 2021 at 9:41 AM
Love this!
Jig
January 1, 2021 at 6:21 PM
My kdrama rankings for all the kdramas I watched in 2020. The blue highlighted ones will still have points going towards them for Stickiness (how well I remember the drama after a month or so). Once I condensed my list to just this year, I was a bit surprised by the rankings, but I would still agree with the order/scores (though take note that there are a number of ties). Life and Weather were the definite highlights of this year.
Ayan
January 3, 2021 at 5:30 AM
So coool!!
Jig
December 30, 2020 at 10:41 PM
Top 20 K-Pop Songs of 2020 [Pt. 1]
I think I’ve listened to more music this year than ever before thanks to @kaleidoscopic and @infinitize. My picks are still pretty surface level, but these are the songs that stayed in my brain, that I found unique, and/or really captured something special to me.
20. Where the Sea Sleeps – Even of the Day (Day6): A sweet ballad with a heartwarming music video
19. What Do I Call You Now – Taeyeon: sweet sounding song that packs a punch
18. Wish You Were Here – SuperM: If the first line doesn’t hook you, then nothing will
17. The Melody – Super Junior: A nostalgic song appropriate for their 15th anniversary
16. Amnesia – Kai: The melodic rhythm is so entrancing
15. Wannabe – Itzy: A fun anthem with fun choreography
14. Play – Chungha: An upbeat, catchy song confidently delivered
13. Better – BoA: Queen is back in her natural habitat
12. All That Love – Changmin: A catchy beat by a veteran performer
11. Abracadabra – YooA: I really like her range of tones and wow, a female rap that isn’t that pitchy Nikki Minaj-style.
Jig
December 30, 2020 at 11:16 PM
The rest of my list. I listed out like all possible songs I thought good this year then eliminated a number of them that didn’t quite make it to “great” then ranked, so I ended up technically with a top 38. Here’s the rest:
21. 2 Kids – Taemin
22. Swear – E’last
23. Burn the Floor – Super Junior
24. Then, Now, and Forever – CN Blue
25. Inception – Ateez
26. With You – SuperM
27. Happy – Taeyeon
28. What Are You Waiting For – Somi
29. LMM – Hwasa
30. Idea – Taemin
31. Back Door – Stray Kids
32. Dangerous Woman – SuperM
33. Fault – Zelo
34. Paradise – Eric Nam
35. Nineteen – Natty
36. Ex – Stray Kids
37. Remember – Winner
38. Afraid – Day6
Jig
December 30, 2020 at 10:41 PM
Top 20 K-Pop Songs of 2020 [Pt 2]
10. The Stealer – The Boyz: Their choreography is no joke. The song is well suited for them and the choreography elevates it even further.
9. Strangers – Taemin: A haunting tune where you can hear the longing in his voice with a hint of dementedness
8. Zombie – Day6: A perfect anthem for 2020. The monotone sound works in this song because of the great vocals and performance.
7. Think of You – Taemin: This song is just completely “odorable.” The music video and lyrics just make you smile all day.
6. Big Chance – SuperM: [This feels little like cheating since this song is actually all in English but since it was still technically a Korean release, I let it contend for a spot] Such a catchy song! The harmonies are beautiful and their voices really shine here without all the electronics and overly-complicated structure of their title tracks.
5. Hello Stranger – Kai: The difference in tone between his singing and rapping voice is very distinct. It makes this song ever the more interesting.
4. Answer – Ateez: Another solid anthem song from Ateez. This song hooks you from line one and brings you along for the ride.
3. Eight – IU: A song of grief but cathartic in its beauty and rawness, making us fell not alone in grieving for any young person we have lost, celebrities or not
2. HOLO – Lee Hi: A perfect song for such a tough year, reminding us that this too shall pass
1. Criminal – Taemin: This is pure art for those who want art and a perfectly catchy song for those who just want to jam out. You can’t deny the charisma and talent Taemin demonstrates in his Never Gonna Dance Again series.
Jig
November 13, 2020 at 4:57 PM
I\’m tempted to not watch Ep 12 of Gumiho until it returns in 2 weeks, but since I rarely live-watch, I should get the full experience of suffering through the pain of (self-made) pre-emptions.
Jig
November 6, 2020 at 5:43 PM
I mean I don\’t blame the Imoogi for wanting LDW\’s body. Not a bad choice at all really.
neener ~ Inside the Magic Shop ~
November 6, 2020 at 10:34 PM
I’ve been wondering about the obsession and now that you’ve pointed that out, totally agree lol
Jig
November 6, 2020 at 11:19 PM
Really I wonder too. He’s not the only mountain spirit so why him? I feel like there must be something else that makes him particularly special.
Fly Colours
November 7, 2020 at 12:32 AM
The imoogi said Lee Yeong “took his place”, so it sounds like there’s a grudge there…
On the shallow side of things, if I were a demon, I’d totally choose Yeon’s body! Imagine being able to binge on ice-cream for eternity without consequences
💜🍍☠️ Sicarius The Queen of Melonia ☠️🍍💜
November 7, 2020 at 2:20 AM
*I’m still holding onto my Fool’s Hope of something to do with Dragons* *weeps*
Jig
November 7, 2020 at 6:39 AM
Ooh right. And his obsession with marrying the girl he didn’t get to the first time. I wonder if them trying to get the princess away from him was why they ran to the countryside in the first place.
neener ~ Inside the Magic Shop ~
November 7, 2020 at 1:28 AM
Being played by LDW is special xD
Jig
August 24, 2020 at 12:29 PM
When we get back into shaking hands, this could be our new greeting. (From Miss Hammurabi)
dee23
August 24, 2020 at 2:17 PM
…and hand out med cert instead of business cards 😅
Jig
August 13, 2020 at 6:10 PM
My motivation to watch FoS is at like -100 knowing it has a second season…I think I\’ll just wait for season 2 to be over then watch both back to back. Hopefully, I can continue to avoid spoilers.
LT is Irresistibly Indifferent, Dame Judi
August 13, 2020 at 6:12 PM
Season 1 is completely self-contained if that helps. It stands alone perfectly.
Lord Cobol
August 13, 2020 at 7:30 PM
You have little chance of avoiding spoilers
Jig
August 13, 2020 at 10:49 PM
I know :/ My original plan was to watch season 1 before season 2 started but then failed at that idea. I did avoid spoilers though for season 1 pretty well so I have hope. Text spoilers are pretty easy to avoid. It’s the screenshot spoilers that are harder to not see.
Jig
August 4, 2020 at 7:27 AM
I have been well-fed with k-pop lately with Ateez, Hyo’s “Dessert”, Seventeen’s “Left and Right”, Somi’s “What Are You Waiting For”, Eric Nam’s “Paradise”, Hwasa’s “LMM”, Lee Hi’s “Holo”, etc. But my UB is baaaaack and I am now 1000000% perfectly happy.
Jig
August 1, 2020 at 12:05 PM
How do y’all survive live watching shows?? I can’t believe I have to wait another week for BSR after that ending!!! I just love these two. The OTP romance is just perfect.
mugyuljoie is preciousss
August 1, 2020 at 1:32 PM
I love them too. I’d love to remake this one and totally change a certain character though.
Jig
August 1, 2020 at 2:14 PM
Right? I really wish I could just tweak (well really completely rewrite) the side characters. Both leads’ best friends really are the worst part of the show. I still cringe anytime he’s on the screen.
The parents are hit and miss too, but at least they have some deeper moments.
mugyuljoie is preciousss
August 1, 2020 at 2:16 PM
I agree with everything.