Beanie level: Noble idiot

#2023RoundUp
10 – Your 2023 crush.

Jung Ji-Hoon, better known as Rain 😍 He wasn’t in a 2023 drama but I did watch Welcome2Life and Full House (yes, really) this year.

Top notch dad moves:

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    I couldn’t make it through Full House, but I loved him in Ghost Doctor! I keep forgetting I have Welcome2Life on my list to watch!

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      And I have Ghost Doctor on mine! Yeah, it was a chore getting through Full House but I persevered because Rain. 😀

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    RAIN! 🤩 One of my favorites for over a decade!

    Such a lovely surprise to see him mentioned as a 2023 crush!

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#2023RoundUp
9 – Your non k-drama recommendation.

Did I even watch a non K-drama this year? Wow, I don’t think I did. 🤓🤭

However, if Netflix doesn’t screw up the upcoming second attempt at a live action version of Avatar: The Last Airbender, I will definitely be watching that next year.
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    Second time’s the charm? 😅 Hopefully it’s a good surprise!!

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    Oh I hate everything about how it looks so far lol. And don’t think it needs to exist. So I won’t be watching it 😅😅😅

    Also I just finished rewatching the original and rarely find interest in animated to live action remakes.

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      It seems to be a rare feat successfully converting an animation to live action, especially one as beloved as Airbender. On the other hand, that’s exactly why I’m so interested in it. 😀

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The way they keep saying each other’s names…
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#2023RoundUp
8 – Second lead syndrome.

Note: Changing up today’s entry for some light Friday fun.

So… I’m usually practical when it comes to K-drama relationships. I don’t waste my time hoping an FL will end up with the SML. I just accept as fact that she won’t, and move on.

However, every now and then, I get a little twitchy when the actor in the role of the SML is outshining the one playing the ML to such a degree that I just can’t ignore him.

Such was the case this year for me with Seo Ji-Hoon in Useless Lies. (I refuse to call it by the ridiculous English title they marketed it with. It didn’t even make sense.)

While there were many reasons to be bored distracted while watching this series, I can’t be the only one who couldn’t take their eyes off our noble idiot SML, wondering if his gloomy demeanor had more to do with career déja vu and less about being in character.

Why-oh-why is this man still playing second fiddle in (non-youth) romances? 왜?!
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#2023RoundUp
7 – The drama Beanies convinced you to watch and you can’t be grateful enough.

Makjangs aren’t really my thing (or at least, they haven’t been!), so it’s unlikely I would have watched Perfect Marriage Revenge without the raves here on DB. Thank you Beanies!

It was a such a fun journey live-watching with all of you. Your creativity and writing skills were on full display and entertained me no end. I can’t tell you how many times I sat with my morning coffee reading your comments and laughing until I cried. What a ride.

May 2024 bring another series as pitch-perfect as PMR!
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Another new drama today. 😮‍💨 It’s been the Publishers’ Clearing House version of K-drama releases these past few months.

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Speaking of Korean music, if you haven’t yet listened to this amazing song from SF9’s Yoo Tae Yang, click now!

This man can sing and I don’t mean just a cute little tune. I mean SING.

Oh, and it’s NOT K-pop.

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Bwahahahahaha! From my Apple Music annual “replay” report (where the app summarizes your year in music in various ways). What a surprise… not! And I venture to guess that K-pop being #1 is only because so many OSTs are mislabeled as K-pop.
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#2023RoundUp
6 – The character that deserves a kimchi slap.

As always there were many characters this year that deserved (and sometimes got) the ubiquitous kimchi slap, but I dare say none was quite as satisfying as the one given by Cheong-Ah to her wicked stepmother in Twinkling Watermelon.



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#2023RoundUp
5 – OTP you didn’t think you would adore.

I love it when an unexpected pairing lights up the screen! In 2023 that surprise couple was Han Hyo-Joo and Zo In-Sung in Moving. This was a drama I struggled to complete because of the insane amount of violence (ff’d through A LOT). But one of the major highlights was Han and Zo’s (almost) star-crossed relationship. It was unique, exciting, and magnetic courtesy of the actors’ rapport and a great story arc. Even off-camera their chemistry was chemistry-ing. Anticipating how their story would play out is what kept me watching to the end. (I wasn’t disappointed!)
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#2023RoundUp
4 – The drama you loved, but Beanies didn’t / The drama you didn’t love, but Beanies did.

☺︎
I loved the moody melo that was Doona!, but there was a lot less love for it on DB than I expected. I found the story and characters appealing and the sets, wardrobe, direction, and cinematography exceptional. Bae Suzy was perfect for this role. Could she do any role well? Probably not. But she’s perfect for this one. I loved her chemistry with Yang Se-Jong, who was also well cast. I also loved the could-go-either-way ending. Doona was a standout series for me this year.

☹︎
My apologies to fellow Beanies who loved King the Land, but I really didn’t.
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#2023RoundUp
3 – Side character that stole the drama.

If you watched Behind Your Touch, there’s no denying that the “Unnie Guy” (portrayed by Kim Yong Myung) absolutely stole this show. You won’t find a funnier, more devoted suitor in 2023’s releases. What made this role, and Kim’s characterization, so great was that he never over-played it. Instead of being an annoying side character (too common in dramas, unfortunately), he was a delight every time he was on-screen. And his chemistry with Joo Min Kyung — the woman of his affections — was fantastic and so fun!
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    And that dance.💃 🕺
    And the TV custody thereafter.
    iykyk

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      The utter panicked way he searched for her in the final episodes having only the FL’s sense memory to go on. Even though this drama was an utter hate-watch for me, he had my heart in those scenes.

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        In trying to keep up the suspense till the last week, a lot of characterizations needed to be sacrificed. I don’t think it can be a rewatch. What the did to poor Suho was an abomination.
        Unnie Guy (perfect name) was a rare bright spot with eminently watchable videos/ compilations on YT.

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        Yeah, this series definitely fell into the category of “strong start/failed ending.” I kept watching for the Unnie Guy and his lady love. There WERE some very funny moments sprinkled throughout this series. That’s what makes these the worst kinds of dramas because you end up hate watching to the end, hoping somehow the latent magic will show up and save the day. And then it doesn’t.

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#2023RoundUp
2 – Male lead you will never forget (for better or worse).

There was something really special about Yoon Kye Sang‘s portrayal of the bumbling kidnapper in The Kidnapping Day.

Down-trodden, struggling, abandoned by his wife, and desperately trying to save the daughter he adores from a dreadful illness. We can understand what drives him to agree to the kidnapping, but nothing is as expected, from picking her up on the road after she collapses to the battle of wits with her genius, and the love and care with which he treats her, ultimately becoming a father of sorts even from prison… It was just a great story and YKS was utterly charming and believable throughout. A terrific and memorable performance!
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My first Fan Wall post!

#2023RoundUp
1 – Female lead you will never forget (for better or worse).

The unquestionable standout female lead / actress / character in 2023 is Ahn Eun Jin as Gil Chae in My Dearest.

I did not mind at all that this role (and the story in general) were inspired by Gone With the Wind and the iconic character of Scarlett O’Hara. What’s not to love about the journey of a spoiled, conceited girl into a courageous woman who protects her loved ones against all odds through sheer grit and wit? It’s a rare female character in K-drama and I think the writer beautifully molded her into Korean history within the context of this story. Gil Chae is not perfect but that’s what makes her so relatable and inspiring at the same time. She refused to quit or regret. She just kept plowing forward. Loved this character, loved this portrayal. A real treat in 2023!
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