I've been pondering once again the wonder that is INAR and its measly 3%. I. just. don't. get. it.

While I don't think it was technically the best drama of 2018 - that's probably reserved for My Ahjussi - it was the best for me because it excited me viscerally, intellectually and emotionally. It's the one I can rewatch and the one I remember the most fondly. It was the one that excited me week-to-week and didn't entirely let me down in the final hour.

This was definitely INAR's year.

PS - I think Secretary Kim was a great film. Shame it went for more than 16 hours.

Yay ! Thank you for sharing! I, too, fell hard into a drama slump once My Ahjussi ended and had to watch 3-4 dramas at once to fill the space once filled by one drama (it didnt work).

I definitely do think you should give Still 17 a second try. It was a drama about character developement, accepting whatever life gives you and forming relationships. It was funny when it needed to be. It's by no means perfect but it still has something special. It wasn't about the plot but about our female lead's acceptance of what happened to her and finding refuge in what she loves. I wouldnt classify it in the WWWSK category because it felt like outward fan service.

Radio Romance and Pretty Noona Who Buys Me Food were definitely sinkers.

Awwwww Thank you, @sailorjumun for the write up 😁😁😁😁 I love your little blurb about INAR and I couldn’t agree with you more about it 🥰🥰🥰😘😘😘😘 It’s also the ONE drama that pops up in my mind when I look back at 2018 of dramas, and actually, every time I think back upon this drama my heart could actually BURST from loving it so much 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

I'm Not A Robot was so cute! The OST, especially "Words of Your Heart" by Kim Yeon Ji was really good.

I need to watch INAR again at some point. I really liked it but not loved it. Because of all the Love for it I feel like maybe I missed something.

My Ahjussi was my favorite this year. I'd almost suggest not trying to binge it. I love a marathon, but I'm glad I had to enjoy this one just one chapter at a time.

I have to finally get to Boyfriend, but am loving Memories of Alhambra.

I'm Not a Robot is just one of those dramas I still cannot believe I adored, especially considering how nonsensical the plot is. I'm not sure how much of it was due to Yoo Seung-ho's fuzzy sweaters (😅), but there certainly were a lot of squeals shared on the Beanie wall. lol

How are shows that are 5 episodes in on a year end list. It makes no sense.

Hwayugi - definitely a sinker for me. I loved its first half...... loved its OSTs to death too. But then at some point, I honestly don't remember where now, it lost its momentum for me, but I still kept going cuz, as you said, I also was way too far in, and I was hoping for at least an ending I deserve for wanting to see it end............ I should have known better. I have no one to blame but myself for wanting to trust in Hong sisters who gave me my first drama obsession, You're Beautiful, who gave me dem old good dramas like My Sassy Girl Chun Hyang, My Girl, The Greatest Love, Master Sun..... But I should have known too that they were also the ones who wrote Big and Warm and Cozy too. Sigh. I honestly don't even remember what the ending was like.

Misty - Sigh. This is tough. I didn't really want to admit it because I loved this drama..... Or at least I wanted to love this drama to the end..... But yes, darn it, I`ll say it - this drama *sniff* was a heavy sinker for me. I loved the dynamic between the "estranged" couple who eventually found their way to "love" each other again. I loved (well I still do) my badass girl Hye Ran. She really didn't need a man IMHO. That was a big mistake of mine for rooting her to be with a man, but boy that husband tho........ I was hoping... praying to the gods that this drama/HE wouldn't betray me. My guts were saying it/he would, I didn't listen. I kept going. I didn't know how to drop it..... and yep, I got burned by it. So bad. It hurt. My girl, Hye Ran, and I will be forever be living in misery after seeing that ending. Dem those boys. Get out of our lives.

My ID is Gangnam Beauty - My lifesaver. The one that brought me out of drama slump for 8 straight weeks. It wasn't a perfect story, but hey, which K-drama was? It had its flaws, but this drama made me so crazy about it the way I used to about K-Dramas. I've been in drama slump since 2017. I wanted to say that was because real life got in the way that I haven't had the time to check out any dramas. But after discovering My ID is Gangnam Beauty, that busy-excuse of mine was basically bull. I eventually found a way to make time for this drama, spazz about it, spent hours and days on Dramabeans to talk about it with beanies, and forced to find my way through dcgall/daum/naver for more news about this drama. So yeah, I realized it doesn't matter how busy I am with real life, I always make time for dramas that catch my interest :)

My Ahjusshi, Come and Hug Me - My 2nd lifesavers <3333. Loved these two series, but I didn't want to put them on the same level as My ID is Gangnam Beauty as my thirst to see them every week wasn't as bad as the latter. But never once had I thought of dropping them. Each episode kept me on the edge, my heart hurt in a good way for the characters. And I loved their endings. For all the stress and heavy emotions they brought me, they gave me HEA. <3 That's all the reason why...

I am still scratching my head about this year: there were more options than ever before, and yet I was unable to choose dramas that would keep me out of the slump. Why?

Actually, I know what happened in my case. My go-to genres are sageuks and solid rom-coms. Problem: There were three historical dramas this year, and that's including Mr. Sunshine. Alas, the rom-coms I tried were mostly fluff and had nonsensical plots (SINKERS: Evergreen, Rich Man Poor Woman). I did try Life on Mars and branching out into thrillers, but nope I couldn't handle it. :(

BUT I agree! I think 2018 kept all of the cool dramas for the end, so here's a toast to you @sailorjumun and best wishes for 2019! May you watch several lifesavers and few sinkers. Thank you for your review :)

Ah, perfect wording — sinker or lifesaver. Dramas definitely fall into these two categories for me also.

I’m wondering now about my taste in dramas. Everyone seems to be saying 2018 was a slow year, or a slump, but I’ve watched and enjoyed more dramas this year than any other.

I Need a Robot really makes your heart so full. It's one of those shows. Plus the main couple communicated! D': They had a misunderstanding and they TALKED IT OUT. Ok. If that isn't ROMANCE? Lolll

Now, these dramas picked me up, slapped me in the face, and yelled, “Get a hold of yourself, soldier! I’m gonna deliver some feels!” Thank you, lifesavers. You made my year.

This was so funny, my drink spilt on me. @sailorjumun you're commentary was GOLD!

Why is no one mentioning Life on Mars? For me it was one of the best dramas of the year. The plot, the mystery, the characters, the acting, that final episode that keeps you thinking so long after you have finished it.

Thank you for putting into words what I feel every year - I don't touch bad dramas, but there's nothing worse than having sky high expectations and being someone bitterly mundane. I dropped over twenty dramas this year for that reason - that includes Secretary Kim, Let's Eat 3, Fox Bride Star, Beauty Inside...

Just Between Lovers is totally a lifesaver category. I usually avoid melo sad drama like a plague, but JBL was one of the best drama I've watched this year.

Thanks @sailorjumun for a great post. We seem to be in sync. I pretty much agree with your take on the 2018 watched dramas we have in common: INAR, WOK OF LOVE (for some reason I prefer that title), 30B17, and TTC. I watched and enjoyed 3 on your Honorable Mentions list: AYHT, HMSFTS and RR, but, the best and most hilarious line in your essay is this about Park Bo-gum in BOYFRIEND:

Not gonna lie–the only reason I was interested in this drama was because it was Park Bo-gum’s comeback and I love the boy like a son (even though he’s older than me).

I loved it. So on that note, how about 2 sons?
The only drama I have seen PBG in is HELLO MONSTER/I REMEMBER YOU (2015) which is one of my favorites and I am sure you have seen him in it. He is in my all time favorite cast party pic which is from that show. Indulge me once again. (I probably post this at least once a year.) Here is Park Bo-gum and Hong Eun-taek (Adult and child Min):
http://66.media.tumblr.com/1e916d4a4852713837fd3977069ab363/tumblr_nsydji0VLZ1to1fhoo3_1280.jpg

Agree with WWSK & 30 but 17(I really really liked this but...I can't quite decide).
Can't decide on Boyfriend because the I DO NOT LIKE THE MOMS, but OTP is great so yay(?)
Oh btw Sailor, you are younger than PBG & such a nice recapper already... how nice ^^
And I hope to survive MoA because I'm a scaredy cat, but it's interesting too! >.<

apart from this I think my lifesavers were:
1. APAD. It's amazing how a couple of shows this year helped me indirectly & in more ways than just pure enjoyment of a kdrama. This show definitely made me more interactive on DB & remember those long lost poems that I used to love.
2. Waikik. This show actually brought me out of a very LOOOONG slump, hence I'm grateful.

Sinkers:
Pretty noona: Oh why did you do that to me~~~
3rd charm. I wasn't ready for the shift in tone. The End.
TBI. I see that my sinkers are the shows that couldn't appeal to me from the second half. THE END
Plus many more that I dropped & just read the recaps or something.

Now, a third term I'd like to use, THE BUOYS. I can't think of anything else, they almost became lifesavers but now just bob somewhere in the middle for me.
Gangnam Beauty: I really liked the psychological kind of analysis it did on the characters' mind in the show except for the lead guy. He....could've been more(?)
LoM: I enjoyed it SO much.....save for the finale. I'm scratching my head till date.

Thank you for recapping The third charm, SailorJumun. I don't think it has a place in my favourite dramas list and I definitely would never watch it again! But in a year where I kept dropping dramas left and right, I finished this one and I would remember it for a long time, also, the beanie discussions were wonderful. And I am not robot is definitely awesome, I am thinking of rewatching it.

😁 SailorJumun, thank you for these very useful and evocative terms "sinker" and "lifesaver".

Love you too, girl. Also, Just Between Lovers is absolutely a lifesaver - definitely go back to it!

This year one of the most frustrating kdrama watching experiences for me was YOUR HONOR. My heart wants to place YH among the Lifesavers but my head tells me no. It certainly does not belong among the sinkers either. I will put it in that kdrama limbo with many other dramas that should/could have been much better.
I place the blame squarely on the shoulders of SBS executives who reduced the YH episode count from 40 to 32. (30B17 faced the same situation but because of the way its plot was structured it was able to handle the hurry up ending much better than YH.)
It is kind of strange but YH is the only drama that I felt like I had a personal interest in its success. At the time I said I was in Producer mode. A little background.
I became a fan of Yoon Shi-yoon while watching GRAND PRINCE which was my first YSY drama. Our friend @pakalanapikake pointed out during GP's run how YSY had suppressed his natural charm in portraying Lee Hwii. So YSY's next project was the totally different YOUR HONOR. I was on board and waiting with anticipation.
Then the first 2 (30 mi.) episodes aired on July 25, 2018 and after watching them I was shocked and I wasn't the only one. My reaction to YSY's portrayals of the twins Judge Han Soo-ho and his convict brother Han Kang-ho was along the lines of OH MY WORD. YSY's portrayals was over the top. I didn't know what to think. I was really concerned that YH would crash on take-off. Well a funny thing happened. It seems I should not have been so concerned. YSY and Director-nim knew what they were doing.
After some shaky early episodes things settled down and YH turned into a fine drama. There was great chemistry between YSY and his costar Lee Yoo-young appearing in only her second drama. LYY was terrific in her first drama TUNNEL.
Once I accepted YSY's interpretation of the twins I really started to enjoy YH. The South Korean viewing public certainly liked what they saw. YH had good ratings for its entire run.
I loved seeing (fake) Judge Han Soo-ho hunched over the bench with tie askew throwing one curve ball after another.
Then came the episode cut and the necessity of a hurry up ending which a lot were disappointed in. Last night I re-watched episode 24 which was one of the best (30 min. available on Kocowa/Viki.) You get to see YSY's portrayal of both brothers. I will wrap this up with a 3.54 min clip of episode 24 on YouTube. A couple things. There is a wonderful exchange between (fake) Judge Han Soo-ho and evil Prosecutor Hong Jung-soo wonderfully portrayed by Heo Sung-tae (who has played some great bad guys.) About 1.55 in YSY gets to utter one of my favorite lines in the drama: PROSECUTION! LISTEN UP!
Apologies for the rather long rant/rave.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXU98-9X0TU

I'm glad INAR gets the love it deserves here on DB. The 3% rating must have traumatized the people involved though, which is a shame given how heartfelt and sincere the drama was. And Secretary Kim was all fluff and no substance, making me kind of want to stay away from the two leads' works from now on. I really should watch My Ajuhssi but the premise just doesn't really excite me lol. People keep talking about it though so I guess I should really give it a chance.

The Sinker for me this year has definitely been Fluttering Alert ,I have never seen a drama that just seems so static and I kept falling asleep while watching. Sky castle is my lifesaver in disguise I sure hope things don't change because so far it is brilliant.

Thank you for the post and the categories from which to frame this discussion! ;)
For me at least 2018 was a good year for K dramas. One of the better ones actually. But I'm one of those people that don't watch everything (haven't got the time frankly) and I am forced to be selective. It's the year of Prison Playbook, Live, Life of Mars, My Mister and A Quiz from God... how bad can it be? ;) APAD turned out to be a surprising and rather lowkey "lifesaver" for me and I've watched parts of it several times over. No doubt though that PP is my top pick for the year. So good... a wonderful handling of a large ensemble cast. Made me laugh and cry all throughout in a way few K dramas can.

The biggest "sinkers" this year for me were definitely Misty and A Korean Odyssey especially because they both started well. Misty was actually very good until the last two episodes when it became a kind of nihilistic hatchet job. Not sure what happened to AKO after the halfway mark. Did they run out of money? It begs the question. Loads of good actors to be sure but the whole prophetic thing re: Samjung went nowhere.
I bailed out of Pretty Noona really early because the writing was on the wall quite early so thankfully I didn't waste too much time on it.

Fox Bride Stars/Where stars land is a total sinker for me. I hate when show pulls me in with good episodes and then went downhill in an infuriating way you hope ToD will appear and end it early. Nope

MoA is on hold for me. Sounds good, looks good but the pessimistic in me wont let me take the first step until it is over. Hopefully it is good until the end so I can binge watch it.

Life is probably more of a sinker to me than a lifesaver...? It just tilts slightly to sinker area, I still enjoy watching it but I just don't understand the purpose of the love line (both of them). Happiness can be achieved thru other way and even when you are solo though.

My personal lifesaver is definitely The Guest. Good characters, good editing, probably more than enough of the scare factors, not perfect but perfect enough to be my crack drama. My excitement from watching this drama spills to other drama which is also good since drama slump is not fun yo~

Lifesavers:
My ID is Gangnam Beauty - I watched this very warily because my friend wanted to look at Eunwoo's face, and I ended up falling totally in love with its depiction of double standards and self-esteem. Plus Mi Rae and Kyung Seok own me! Now I'm obsessed with Soo Hyang and am working my way through her filmography.
Are You Human Too? - Despite Rora's ending bothering me, I will forever love this drama for giving me a difficult and complex female lead whom I adored with all my heart. And of course Nam Shin III, the sweetest bean there ever was.
The Smile Has Left Your Eyes - Another one I watched with my hands over my eyes, because I knew how the Japanese drama went. But the leads won me over with their performances and chemistry, and I found the tragedy to have a bittersweet poetry to it.
Just Between Lovers - Technically started in 2017, but I didn't watch it until this year so... Just a perfect and painful story about two people learning to cope with loss. Great performances, touching romance and family stories, and a lot of lovely side characters.
Still Seventeen - It was so sweet and soft, and I appreciated the healing process. It was no MIIGB in terms of romantic squees or JBL in terms of deep introspection, but I appreciated it all the same.

Sinkers:
What's Wrong With Secretary Kim? - How are you gonna start a drama with the female lead wanting a new job and her own life only to have her end up at the same job with her life still revolving around the male lead? There was so much cuteness and fluff in this drama that I almost forgave it, but like 5 or 6 episodes with no plot was way too many.
Where Stars Land - I enjoyed the security team so much and I liked the arc of growth for Chae Soo Bin's character, but then it just lost the plot once the leads got together. Who cared about the gangsters and why did we have to see them? And how could they get away with such messed up views on living with disability?
The Ghost Detective - I'm mad because this show started off with so much promise, full of chills and thrills, and then it took a sharp left turn into a world where absolutely nothing made sense and there were no rules left to follow.
100 Days My Prince - Am I the only one who didn't like this drama, lol? First, I thought D.O.'s performance was surprisingly one note. But more importantly, I felt like his character learned nothing from his time in the village aside from the fact that he loved Hong Sim. And they dragged out his amnesia once he got back... Plus my sideship got a terrible ending, so I'm bitter.
The Third Charm - TOTALLY dropped the ball on Young Jae's interiority, and when they did show her it was with an almost sadistic pleasure in her misery. By the time it ended, I didn't even want them together.

I watched many more, but the rest all fall in between!

Not to offend anyone but for Me definitely What's wrong with Secretary Kim wasn't a Sinker rather was a Lifesaver. I mean what plot? Plot or not it made me feel Happy. It made me feel Good. That's all I want from a drama! To feel good instead of being frustrated due a "Plot's" plot holes and flaws and unrequired twists and turns. Also, Third Charm for me was a Sinker. A Big One! I tried to watch it but couldn't get past 8 episodes even after skipping and jumping in between. 'Are you Human Too?' was also a Sinker(in disguise) for me. Besides I don't get why people hop on a Hype-train? I mean certain shows like Come and Hug Me or for that matter Hwarang? And miss Hidden gems like Prison Playbook? I didn't see a single post featuring that show despite having High TV Ratings and IMDb rating.

Thanks @sailorjumun! I agree about INAR. That was my #1 Lifesaver because it totally engaged me. It made me laugh, cry and I was very satisfied with the ending. I don’t look for perfect dramas, I watch dramas to relax me after a long day. YSH and CSB nailed their roles.

WWWSK and Wok of Love were lifesavers too. Yes there were flaws but I still loved these. PSJ, PMY and Jang Hyuk carried the drama.

Honey, 30 but 17 is closer to a lifesaver than a sinker.
My Ajusshi is absolutely a LIFESAVER. If you didn't watch it in 2018, there is still 2019.
And Pretty noona is a sinker totally. Sadly. Very sad, because I love Jung Hae in, but that's the way it is.

I’m Not a Robottttt! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ I agree with you completely except about the pace (EVERYTHING ABOUT IT WAS PERFECT, FIGHT ME)

...other than that, I love your summation of the year. Some of these sinkers are real stinkers, but after reading your take on Mr Sunshine, I think I'm going to give it another shot. Also Boyfriend! Why so cute! It is killing me!

PS, you know my secret name for you now is You who stole Yoo Seung-ho from me, right? ❤️❤️❤️

Mr. Sunshine 😍😍😍

There were seriously so many duds this year in dramaland. I dropped so many dramas this year. Probably a new record for me. NEVER have I stopped watching so many, or even not watched so many dramas. I think I finished watching.....two dramas this year (both of which I watched on a whim after watching the teasers)? Which two you may ask? The Great Seducer (I know, don't ask) and A Million Stars Falling from the Sky.

This year was just a really weird year where not a lot of dramas interested me. I watched a few half way through and then dropped them...those include Pretty Noona Who Buys Me Food (which I'm glad you mentioned as a sinker, because it def was for me...I hated the mom so much and Jin-Ah was starting to annoy me with how she was treating her bf once the complications started) and What's Wrong with Secretary Kim (plot? what plot?). I THINK I tried watching like half an episode of Just Between Lovers and skipped through some episodes of I'm Not a Robot, but couldn't get into them. Granted, I didn't give them that much of chance.

This year was just zzzzzzzzzz, but here's to hoping next year is better.