The Character Who Most Screams for Mental Health Care
Pretty much every secondary character in Fake it Till You Make It? I don’t know if the real dating scene in Beijing is actually littered with so many narcissists, stalkers, rich asshats, wannabes and deeply insecure people with an endless supply of spy cameras, but if so, I’d rather be single.
That would be Psychopath Diary. While I’ve always liked the screenwriter, the premise sounded way too high concept to actually work and I’m not a fan of serial killers. And yes, there was definitely a serial killer, but the show itself was an absolute delight, mainly because it focused less on real crime than on sending up and celebrating movies about crime. Hands-down one of my favorite shows I watched this year.
Don’t forget the perfect ending. It was logical in a show which kept getting better episode after episode, but I’m grateful for it (one never knows with k-drama endings).
Well, if the slap would have propelled them off my screen and out of the show, I’ll give this prize to Jaden in The Kidnapping Day. There are lots of over-the-top villains in dramaland, but I’d prefer a show give me more than this whiny, entitled, trigger-happy stereotype of an ex-pat who acted like a B-grade American Psycho with a bad cocaine habit. Maybe I should kimchi-slap the writer instead.
Well, it wasn’t a romantic pairing, but my favorite love story of 2023 was the magical father/son combo of Yi Chan and Eun Gyeol in Twinkling Watermelon. Eun Gyeol helping his father grow into adulthood and Yi Chan helping Eun Gyeol finally cut loose and be a teenager was one of the most beautifully crafted dramatic journeys of the year.
If I’m going strictly on romantic tension though, I’ll just say that some couples have chemistry that should be illegal and some have chemistry that actually is illegal, and the insane amount of heat generated by the leads in Tsuiraku JK to Haijin Kyoshi falls into category two. I can’t say I was rooting for this teacher-student couple, but I would love to see these two actors opposite each other again in a show where they’re both playing adults.
Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 – I don’t necessarily mind tonal shifts, but this is one show that I wish had more fully committed to its campy ridiculousness. Every time it tried to land a “serious emotional moment” it lost me, and it also confirmed that zombie-style horror just isn’t my thing. On the plus side, I did want to steal everyone’s wardrobe, but that wasn’t enough to make me actually like the show.
The Drama I Love that Many Beanies Did Not
Hit the Top! – This one is older, and I know it’s polarizing, but it ended up being one of my favorite things I watched this year. I thought it would be a typical underdogs-make-good story, but it turned out to be more of a meditation on failure and about continuing on and finding joy in life in spite of it. It’s definitely messy, but I loved the humor, the music, the found family dynamics, and the fact that for once being childhood friends didn’t lead to romance. Also, this year proved that apparently I like shows that combine the 90’s, music, and improbable forms of time travel – who knew that would be its own k-drama genre?
Oh. My. Gosh. I LOVE Hit the Top!!!! It’s one of my favorite dramas, and I love all the things you mention. Now that you said that, 90s themed time travel is such a cool sub-genre?? 😎 ✨️👍
There is no time travel, but did you watch Twenty-five Twenty-one? Imo that was the Twinkling Watermelon of 2022.
(And not only because we have Choi Hyun Wook in both shows).
I have watched Twenty-Five Twenty-One and enjoyed it, although I don’t think I loved it as much as some Beanies, mainly because it felt like the real OTP was Hee Do & Yu Rim, but the production team was too scared to actually go there. On the other hand, because I always found the central straight romance awkward, the ending didn’t bother me, so there’s that.
I’m a fan of Hit the top (I watched it in the first half of 2022 and I will probably rewatch it someday).
I laughed a lot, I clapped, I was hooked (I binge-watched it as if there were no tomorrow), I love the OST…
I confess to having fast-forwarded through every moment of every single zombie scene in Tale 1938. I figured I would know what happened by who was still standing by the next scene 😂My favorite part of this series is the relationship between the two fox brothers (and the great costumes this time didn’t hurt either!)
Hit the top is a GEM. so ridiculous but so, so fun. Everybody did great, and I enjoyed how it felt like a different genre depanding on character pov. Great choice!
I’m going to C-drama land for this one and picking Tan Jian Ci’s mesmerizing demon in Lost You Forever. He lit up the screen in both his broody Xiang Liu and sizzling Fangfeng Bei incarnations, and while I wouldn’t exactly recommend him as a romantic partner, he was always riveting to watch on screen.
I’d say that his character sort of acts as a secondary male lead— whilst Cang Xuan & Tushan Jing are the actual male leads— and then Feng Long is definitely a support character, even though ALL 4 of them seem to be promoted as “male leads” from the production
If I’m including all the dramas I watched this year, that would hands-down be Yoon Shi Yoon as Yook Dong Shik in Psychopath Diary. He took a role that sounded virtually unplayable on paper and managed to be hilarious, heartbreaking, terrifying and everything in between. An electrifying performance by an actor utterly unafraid to be completely vulnerable and real in front of a camera, even in the most ridiculous of circumstances.
For 2023 specifically, I’d go with Lee Jae Wook in Alchemy of Souls. The show itself was all kinds of messy, but I always love seeing a frighteningly talent young actor come into their own on screen.
Love your picks!! I also watched Psychopath Diary this year, and was very impressed by his performance. It was an uncomfortable drama to watch, and his was an uncomfortable character to play, but he made it WORK. He was just outstanding. And I’ve been a fan of Lee Jae-wook since Do Do Sol Sol, and he was so good in Alchemy. It’s crazy how he has such a commanding presence on screen at his age… He can out-charisma pretty much anyone else sharing the screen with him!
“Unplayable on paper” is perfect description for the character and boy did YSY squeeze the juice out of it. 🤣
“Frightening talent” is again such a wonderful way to describe his impact onscreen. LJW again on paper seemed to young to “carry” the series but now it is difficult to image AoS without hie version of Jang Uk.
Female Lead I’ll Never Forget: Gil Chae in My Dearest definitely wins this category for me. It’s rare to see a female lead challenge conventions of “proper feminine behavior” so blatantly, especially in a Joseon-era saguek. She was a battle-hardened survivor willing to do make ugly choices if necessary to protect herself and her “people”, but she was also smart, capable, fiercely loyal, and morally grounded. I just wish the show had given her a more active role in the final episodes rather than have her spend so much time waiting for Jang Hyun to “return” either literally or figuratively.
She was really good! When I was in the last episode and watching her flashback as a young woman in the first episode, I realized that she did an incredible job in portraying a naive, young girl and a weathered, strong woman. I did miss a lot of her spunk in the last part, she could’ve done more if given the opportunity.
I definitely felt like there were more interesting K-dramas in the second half of the year than in the first, and there are several that are currently airing or about to air that I’ll probably check out if they get good Beanie buzz. Since I don’t live-watch all that often, as usual, many of the shows I watched were from prior years. While I may have watched fewer extraordinary shows this year than some past ones, there were a lot of solid, interesting ones doing cool, innovative things, along with the occasional disappointment/trainwreck. Also, I will continue to protest the fact that despite having a family Disney+ subscription I can’t actually watch Disney+ k-dramas because we live in the US – grrrr.
2023 K-Dramas
Alchemy of Souls (if this counts)
One Day Off
Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938
Miraculous Brothers
Twinkling Watermelon
My Dearest
The Kidnapping Day
Other 2023 Asian Dramas
The Starry Love
An Ancient Love Song
Lost You Forever, part 1
Tsuiraku JK to Haijin Kyoshi
Fake it Till You Make It
Pre-2023 K-Dramas
Under the Queen’s Umbrella
Psychopath Diary
Flower Boy Next Door
My Holo Love
Hit the Top
Queen Inhyun’s Man
Search: WWW
Train
Pre-2023 Other Asian Dramas
Old Fashion Cupcake
Mystery to Iunakare
The Rise of Phoenixes
I Told Sunset About You
The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty
Rainless Love in a Godless Land
I know there will be much discussion once the recaps post, but can I just say that episode 6 of My Dearest is one of the best (and hardest to watch) drama episodes I’ve seen in a long time? No punches are pulled and zero f**ks are given and it’s extraordinary.
There was alas no show that I watched this year that was both gloriously trashy and fabulously entertaining. I mean, Shanai Marriage Honey was trashy, but it skipped right over the entertaining part.
This was the year where pretty much all of my recommendations were non-K-dramas, which is definitely a first. Love Between Fairy and Devil was my favorite from this year, although I’d also highly recommend A Dream of Splendor and Reset. And although it technically aired late last year, Kieta Hatsukoi was pure rainbows and unicorns.
Well, the whole court lady secret society in The Red Sleeve was kind of weird. I think I might have bought into it more if they hadn’t hung out in a giant flaming arena that looked like Thunderdome Joseon. I mean, how do you hide something like that in a palace? Is it a Tardis?
While Love Between Fairy and Devil, A Dream of Splendor, and, of all things, Gaus Electronics had some great kiss scenes, my hands-down favorite this year was the kiss at the end of episode 5 of the Thai show Bad Buddy. It was heartbreaking and heartfelt and passionate and achingly real in all the best ways – a lovely example of a script and actors really earning a moment and making it count.
Yes, yes and YES! Episode 5 was the best. And the scenes leading to the kiss, the emotions, and the pain. So well done. And how it ended for both of them. And the start of ep 6.
This is probably one of best BL I have seen.
I totally agree – this was a show that understood that relatively “ordinary” human interactions can be extraordinarily powerful if you take the time to establish compelling characters and relationships. So many shows feel they have to add in lots of outside drama rather than just trusting that all the insecurities and vulnerabilities of falling in love can be interesting on their own.
There were actually quite a few best friends and friend groups that I enjoyed this year (the teen squads in 25-21 and Kieta Hatsukoi, Shang Que in Love Between Fairy and Devil and his hilarious facial expressions), but my favorite overall bestie was Sun San Niang in A Dream of Splendor. Not only was she always willing to whomp the bad guys upside the head with random kitchen utensils, but she was a rare drama example of a middle-aged female character refusing to be defined solely as a wife or mother and building a new, better life in her own way and on her own terms.
Well, if by “favorite”, you mean the one I most wanted to stab in the eye with an icepick by the end, that would be Ouyang Xu in A Dream of Splendor. A disturbingly well-written and acted look at how unexamined male privilege can cause things to go horribly, horribly wrong.
Well, it’s not very old (or Korean), but my favorite pre-2022 show I watched this year was the sparkly little Japanese gem Kieta Hatsukoi. It’s super short and not a whole lot happens, but it’s a delight watching an eclectic group of high school students support and celebrate each other’s quirky, awkward glory. The perfect antidote when you’re tired of school shows centered on bullying, cliques and brutality.
That would be Love Between Fairy and Devil, and I’m extremely grateful because normally when I see the words “love”, “fairy” and “devil” in a title I run. A great example of why it can be worth sampling shows that don’t initially sound like your cup of tea.
Adore might be a strong word, but I was surprised that what kept me watching Gaus Electronics was Kwak Dong Yeon and Go Sung Hee’s goofy but remarkably intense chemistry. This was certainly not a show I started watching for the romance, but that ended up being my favorite part.
Not Korean (that’s kind of a theme this year), but the OST that got permanently stuck in my head is Love Between Fairy and Devil. Although it’s not from this year, I also liked the main theme from Story of Ming Lan.
wonhwa
December 8, 2023 at 5:40 AM
#2023RoundUp
The Character Who Most Screams for Mental Health Care
Pretty much every secondary character in Fake it Till You Make It? I don’t know if the real dating scene in Beijing is actually littered with so many narcissists, stalkers, rich asshats, wannabes and deeply insecure people with an endless supply of spy cameras, but if so, I’d rather be single.
🌸 Cera (@Seeker) 🌸
December 8, 2023 at 7:15 AM
🤣
wonhwa
December 7, 2023 at 5:35 AM
#2023RoundUp
Drama Beanies Convinced You to Watch
That would be Psychopath Diary. While I’ve always liked the screenwriter, the premise sounded way too high concept to actually work and I’m not a fan of serial killers. And yes, there was definitely a serial killer, but the show itself was an absolute delight, mainly because it focused less on real crime than on sending up and celebrating movies about crime. Hands-down one of my favorite shows I watched this year.
Isa is always time travelling
December 7, 2023 at 6:41 AM
Don’t forget the perfect ending. It was logical in a show which kept getting better episode after episode, but I’m grateful for it (one never knows with k-drama endings).
wonhwa
December 7, 2023 at 7:05 AM
Yes, a good ending is always a glorious thing!
wonhwa
December 6, 2023 at 11:40 AM
#2023RoundUP
The Character that Deserves a Kimchi Slap
Well, if the slap would have propelled them off my screen and out of the show, I’ll give this prize to Jaden in The Kidnapping Day. There are lots of over-the-top villains in dramaland, but I’d prefer a show give me more than this whiny, entitled, trigger-happy stereotype of an ex-pat who acted like a B-grade American Psycho with a bad cocaine habit. Maybe I should kimchi-slap the writer instead.
Midnight
December 6, 2023 at 1:28 PM
Comment was deleted
Midnight
December 6, 2023 at 1:30 PM
THANK YOU A THOUSAND TIMES!
Perfectly worded.
He ruined the show for me. 😒
wonhwa
December 6, 2023 at 4:58 PM
Me too – there were other things in the show I wasn’t wild about, but he specifically drove me nuts.
🌸 Cera (@Seeker) 🌸
December 6, 2023 at 10:46 PM
🙇♀️ Thank you for expressing our thoughts better than we could think.
wonhwa
December 5, 2023 at 5:24 AM
#2023RoundUp
The OTP You Didn’t Think You Would Adore
Well, it wasn’t a romantic pairing, but my favorite love story of 2023 was the magical father/son combo of Yi Chan and Eun Gyeol in Twinkling Watermelon. Eun Gyeol helping his father grow into adulthood and Yi Chan helping Eun Gyeol finally cut loose and be a teenager was one of the most beautifully crafted dramatic journeys of the year.
If I’m going strictly on romantic tension though, I’ll just say that some couples have chemistry that should be illegal and some have chemistry that actually is illegal, and the insane amount of heat generated by the leads in Tsuiraku JK to Haijin Kyoshi falls into category two. I can’t say I was rooting for this teacher-student couple, but I would love to see these two actors opposite each other again in a show where they’re both playing adults.
Isa is always time travelling
December 5, 2023 at 5:44 AM
Yi Chan and Eun-gyeol are my favorite couple in 2023, hands down.
wonhwa
December 4, 2023 at 5:26 AM
#2023RoundUp
The Drama Beanies Loved that I Did Not
Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 – I don’t necessarily mind tonal shifts, but this is one show that I wish had more fully committed to its campy ridiculousness. Every time it tried to land a “serious emotional moment” it lost me, and it also confirmed that zombie-style horror just isn’t my thing. On the plus side, I did want to steal everyone’s wardrobe, but that wasn’t enough to make me actually like the show.
The Drama I Love that Many Beanies Did Not
Hit the Top! – This one is older, and I know it’s polarizing, but it ended up being one of my favorite things I watched this year. I thought it would be a typical underdogs-make-good story, but it turned out to be more of a meditation on failure and about continuing on and finding joy in life in spite of it. It’s definitely messy, but I loved the humor, the music, the found family dynamics, and the fact that for once being childhood friends didn’t lead to romance. Also, this year proved that apparently I like shows that combine the 90’s, music, and improbable forms of time travel – who knew that would be its own k-drama genre?
HopefulRomantic 🦋 Tigermoth 🦆❤️🦆
December 4, 2023 at 5:38 AM
Oh. My. Gosh. I LOVE Hit the Top!!!! It’s one of my favorite dramas, and I love all the things you mention. Now that you said that, 90s themed time travel is such a cool sub-genre?? 😎 ✨️👍
wonhwa
December 4, 2023 at 5:52 AM
Yes, give me all the sleds and enchanted music stores and 90’s hip hop and teens in a band please.
Isa is always time travelling
December 4, 2023 at 6:06 AM
There is no time travel, but did you watch Twenty-five Twenty-one? Imo that was the Twinkling Watermelon of 2022.
(And not only because we have Choi Hyun Wook in both shows).
wonhwa
December 4, 2023 at 4:59 PM
I have watched Twenty-Five Twenty-One and enjoyed it, although I don’t think I loved it as much as some Beanies, mainly because it felt like the real OTP was Hee Do & Yu Rim, but the production team was too scared to actually go there. On the other hand, because I always found the central straight romance awkward, the ending didn’t bother me, so there’s that.
Isa is always time travelling
December 4, 2023 at 6:09 AM
I’m ashamed to tell how many times I have rewatched some scenes of that drama 🤭
wonhwa
December 4, 2023 at 5:00 PM
It has some truly wonderful moments that just pop off the screen (well, it has Yoon Shi Yoon, so yeah . . . ).
Isa is always time travelling
December 5, 2023 at 12:33 AM
I wish he popped OUT the screen. Anytime, anyday 🥲
Isa is always time travelling
December 4, 2023 at 6:04 AM
I’m a fan of Hit the top (I watched it in the first half of 2022 and I will probably rewatch it someday).
I laughed a lot, I clapped, I was hooked (I binge-watched it as if there were no tomorrow), I love the OST…
zindigo
December 4, 2023 at 7:18 AM
I confess to having fast-forwarded through every moment of every single zombie scene in Tale 1938. I figured I would know what happened by who was still standing by the next scene 😂My favorite part of this series is the relationship between the two fox brothers (and the great costumes this time didn’t hurt either!)
🌸 Cera (@Seeker) 🌸
December 4, 2023 at 11:08 AM
Comment was deleted
🌸 Cera (@Seeker) 🌸
December 4, 2023 at 11:11 AM
I love the way you have created a genre for Hit the Top. Perfect. I loved everybody in it, even baby Cha Eun-woo.
Flix_Crusin
December 5, 2023 at 11:45 PM
Hit the top is a GEM. so ridiculous but so, so fun. Everybody did great, and I enjoyed how it felt like a different genre depanding on character pov. Great choice!
wonhwa
December 3, 2023 at 6:07 AM
#2023RoundUp
Side Character That Stole the Drama
I’m going to C-drama land for this one and picking Tan Jian Ci’s mesmerizing demon in Lost You Forever. He lit up the screen in both his broody Xiang Liu and sizzling Fangfeng Bei incarnations, and while I wouldn’t exactly recommend him as a romantic partner, he was always riveting to watch on screen.
Bebe | Nessa❣️
December 3, 2023 at 6:48 AM
I’d say that his character sort of acts as a secondary male lead— whilst Cang Xuan & Tushan Jing are the actual male leads— and then Feng Long is definitely a support character, even though ALL 4 of them seem to be promoted as “male leads” from the production
john
December 3, 2023 at 6:55 AM
Yes, I saw the topic, looked at my sad list of K dramas and thought I don’t have one.
Demon from Lost You Forever is perfect !
kiara
December 3, 2023 at 10:20 AM
Tan Jianci is love!
wonhwa
December 2, 2023 at 8:34 AM
#2023RoundUp
Male Lead I’ll Never Forget
If I’m including all the dramas I watched this year, that would hands-down be Yoon Shi Yoon as Yook Dong Shik in Psychopath Diary. He took a role that sounded virtually unplayable on paper and managed to be hilarious, heartbreaking, terrifying and everything in between. An electrifying performance by an actor utterly unafraid to be completely vulnerable and real in front of a camera, even in the most ridiculous of circumstances.
For 2023 specifically, I’d go with Lee Jae Wook in Alchemy of Souls. The show itself was all kinds of messy, but I always love seeing a frighteningly talent young actor come into their own on screen.
Midnight
December 2, 2023 at 8:50 AM
Agree on every point about YSY. He is truly a first rate actor.
HopefulRomantic 🦋 Tigermoth 🦆❤️🦆
December 2, 2023 at 9:53 AM
Love your picks!! I also watched Psychopath Diary this year, and was very impressed by his performance. It was an uncomfortable drama to watch, and his was an uncomfortable character to play, but he made it WORK. He was just outstanding. And I’ve been a fan of Lee Jae-wook since Do Do Sol Sol, and he was so good in Alchemy. It’s crazy how he has such a commanding presence on screen at his age… He can out-charisma pretty much anyone else sharing the screen with him!
wonhwa
December 2, 2023 at 10:26 AM
Yeah, no 23-year-old should have as much on-screen charisma as Lee Jae-Wook – it’s really not fair.
🌸 Cera (@Seeker) 🌸
December 2, 2023 at 12:40 PM
“Unplayable on paper” is perfect description for the character and boy did YSY squeeze the juice out of it. 🤣
“Frightening talent” is again such a wonderful way to describe his impact onscreen. LJW again on paper seemed to young to “carry” the series but now it is difficult to image AoS without hie version of Jang Uk.
Isa is always time travelling
December 2, 2023 at 1:29 PM
I couldn’t agree more with your choices. In fact Dong Shik (YSY) was one of my choices too, for everything you said 🙂
wonhwa
December 1, 2023 at 9:17 AM
#2023RoundUp
Female Lead I’ll Never Forget: Gil Chae in My Dearest definitely wins this category for me. It’s rare to see a female lead challenge conventions of “proper feminine behavior” so blatantly, especially in a Joseon-era saguek. She was a battle-hardened survivor willing to do make ugly choices if necessary to protect herself and her “people”, but she was also smart, capable, fiercely loyal, and morally grounded. I just wish the show had given her a more active role in the final episodes rather than have her spend so much time waiting for Jang Hyun to “return” either literally or figuratively.
Jellybn
December 1, 2023 at 6:17 PM
She was really good! When I was in the last episode and watching her flashback as a young woman in the first episode, I realized that she did an incredible job in portraying a naive, young girl and a weathered, strong woman. I did miss a lot of her spunk in the last part, she could’ve done more if given the opportunity.
wonhwa
December 1, 2023 at 9:03 AM
#2023 Round Up
I definitely felt like there were more interesting K-dramas in the second half of the year than in the first, and there are several that are currently airing or about to air that I’ll probably check out if they get good Beanie buzz. Since I don’t live-watch all that often, as usual, many of the shows I watched were from prior years. While I may have watched fewer extraordinary shows this year than some past ones, there were a lot of solid, interesting ones doing cool, innovative things, along with the occasional disappointment/trainwreck. Also, I will continue to protest the fact that despite having a family Disney+ subscription I can’t actually watch Disney+ k-dramas because we live in the US – grrrr.
2023 K-Dramas
Alchemy of Souls (if this counts)
One Day Off
Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938
Miraculous Brothers
Twinkling Watermelon
My Dearest
The Kidnapping Day
Other 2023 Asian Dramas
The Starry Love
An Ancient Love Song
Lost You Forever, part 1
Tsuiraku JK to Haijin Kyoshi
Fake it Till You Make It
Pre-2023 K-Dramas
Under the Queen’s Umbrella
Psychopath Diary
Flower Boy Next Door
My Holo Love
Hit the Top
Queen Inhyun’s Man
Search: WWW
Train
Pre-2023 Other Asian Dramas
Old Fashion Cupcake
Mystery to Iunakare
The Rise of Phoenixes
I Told Sunset About You
The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty
Rainless Love in a Godless Land
Isa is always time travelling
December 1, 2023 at 12:33 PM
You had a “full of Yoon Shi Yoon” 2023 😍
wonhwa
December 1, 2023 at 2:08 PM
Why yes, yes I did! I regret nothing.
wonhwa
August 19, 2023 at 7:59 PM
I know there will be much discussion once the recaps post, but can I just say that episode 6 of My Dearest is one of the best (and hardest to watch) drama episodes I’ve seen in a long time? No punches are pulled and zero f**ks are given and it’s extraordinary.
Snow Flower
August 20, 2023 at 5:22 AM
I am still processing it…
wonhwa
December 19, 2022 at 7:01 AM
Guilty Pleasure
There was alas no show that I watched this year that was both gloriously trashy and fabulously entertaining. I mean, Shanai Marriage Honey was trashy, but it skipped right over the entertaining part.
wonhwa
December 18, 2022 at 7:30 AM
Non-K-drama Recommendation
This was the year where pretty much all of my recommendations were non-K-dramas, which is definitely a first. Love Between Fairy and Devil was my favorite from this year, although I’d also highly recommend A Dream of Splendor and Reset. And although it technically aired late last year, Kieta Hatsukoi was pure rainbows and unicorns.
wonhwa
December 14, 2022 at 6:12 AM
Most Unnecessary Subplot
Well, the whole court lady secret society in The Red Sleeve was kind of weird. I think I might have bought into it more if they hadn’t hung out in a giant flaming arena that looked like Thunderdome Joseon. I mean, how do you hide something like that in a palace? Is it a Tardis?
Midnight
December 14, 2022 at 8:12 AM
I thought it was in a forest near the palace because they got to with through a secret tunnel. But it still didn’t make sense.
Eazal
December 16, 2022 at 9:17 AM
Most Unnecessary Subplot ever!
wonhwa
December 13, 2022 at 6:01 AM
Favorite Kiss
While Love Between Fairy and Devil, A Dream of Splendor, and, of all things, Gaus Electronics had some great kiss scenes, my hands-down favorite this year was the kiss at the end of episode 5 of the Thai show Bad Buddy. It was heartbreaking and heartfelt and passionate and achingly real in all the best ways – a lovely example of a script and actors really earning a moment and making it count.
Blue (@mayhemf)
December 13, 2022 at 8:19 AM
Yes, yes and YES! Episode 5 was the best. And the scenes leading to the kiss, the emotions, and the pain. So well done. And how it ended for both of them. And the start of ep 6.
This is probably one of best BL I have seen.
wonhwa
December 13, 2022 at 9:17 AM
I totally agree – this was a show that understood that relatively “ordinary” human interactions can be extraordinarily powerful if you take the time to establish compelling characters and relationships. So many shows feel they have to add in lots of outside drama rather than just trusting that all the insecurities and vulnerabilities of falling in love can be interesting on their own.
wonhwa
December 13, 2022 at 9:26 AM
I also love your profile gif, btw 🙂
wonhwa
December 11, 2022 at 8:43 AM
Favorite Bestie
There were actually quite a few best friends and friend groups that I enjoyed this year (the teen squads in 25-21 and Kieta Hatsukoi, Shang Que in Love Between Fairy and Devil and his hilarious facial expressions), but my favorite overall bestie was Sun San Niang in A Dream of Splendor. Not only was she always willing to whomp the bad guys upside the head with random kitchen utensils, but she was a rare drama example of a middle-aged female character refusing to be defined solely as a wife or mother and building a new, better life in her own way and on her own terms.
wonhwa
December 10, 2022 at 8:00 AM
Favorite Villain
Well, if by “favorite”, you mean the one I most wanted to stab in the eye with an icepick by the end, that would be Ouyang Xu in A Dream of Splendor. A disturbingly well-written and acted look at how unexamined male privilege can cause things to go horribly, horribly wrong.
wonhwa
December 9, 2022 at 8:15 AM
The oldie (not 2022) you loved the most
Well, it’s not very old (or Korean), but my favorite pre-2022 show I watched this year was the sparkly little Japanese gem Kieta Hatsukoi. It’s super short and not a whole lot happens, but it’s a delight watching an eclectic group of high school students support and celebrate each other’s quirky, awkward glory. The perfect antidote when you’re tired of school shows centered on bullying, cliques and brutality.
wonhwa
December 8, 2022 at 12:16 PM
The Drama Beanies Convinced You to Watch
That would be Love Between Fairy and Devil, and I’m extremely grateful because normally when I see the words “love”, “fairy” and “devil” in a title I run. A great example of why it can be worth sampling shows that don’t initially sound like your cup of tea.
wonhwa
December 7, 2022 at 3:14 PM
The OTP You Didn’t Thing You Would Adore
Adore might be a strong word, but I was surprised that what kept me watching Gaus Electronics was Kwak Dong Yeon and Go Sung Hee’s goofy but remarkably intense chemistry. This was certainly not a show I started watching for the romance, but that ended up being my favorite part.
wonhwa
December 6, 2022 at 6:29 PM
Best OST
Not Korean (that’s kind of a theme this year), but the OST that got permanently stuck in my head is Love Between Fairy and Devil. Although it’s not from this year, I also liked the main theme from Story of Ming Lan.