[2019 Year in Review] My Top 20 Dramaland Moments of 2019
by missvictrix
Everyone likes to close the year with lists and countdowns, so I thought I would bring that concept to my year in dramas. So, in no particular order, here are my top 20 dramaland moments of 2019. Fair warning: this list contains some in-drama moments and some personal drama-related milestones, but mostly just thoughts, feels, meta, and a side dish full of fangirling.
20. Books, books, and also books
Starting off my drama year with Romance is a Bonus Book was a pure delight. Dramas are often full of writers and writing, but it’s been a while since I met a drama that was so much about the love of books — every part of them, from the writing to the publishing to the reading. This drama breathed some new life into the English major bookworm that was in hibernation, and I love having a stack of books around me again, even if that means a couple less dramas (see #18).
19. I survived weecapping what’s probably The Biggest Drama Disappointment of 2019
Yes, I’m definitely talking about Melting Me Softly. And yes, I’m pretty sure everyone is done talking about this flop by now – and that includes me. Drama pitfalls aside, I actually had a lot of fun weecapping this drama, and wanted to thank everyone for all the stiff drinks, cookies, and awards that were offered over the course of several weeks in the comments. I enjoyed all of them.
18. Low quantity, high quality?
I didn’t watch as many dramas as I wanted to this year. While a good part of this is because writing about dramas takes up almost as much time as actually watching them, another more subtle reason is because I’ve been trying to manage my time better, and choose delicious quality dramas instead of devouring every drama in sight. Do I still want to devour them madly sometimes and spend a day binge-watching? Yes, I do. But I also want to cherry pick the dramas that make my heart explode. So, my drama year was very much about trying to find a good balance.
17. I made some new oppa friends
One of the many things I enjoy about following K-dramas is seeing actors make their way to stardom. Sometimes it’s one role and a rocket ship to leading man status, sometimes it’s a slow and steady progression of supporting roles that brought them to where they are today. In the past, I’ve loved seeing this with Jung Hae-in and Yang Se-jong (to name two faves), but this year, I’ve loved watching Wi Ha-joon, Jang Ki-yong, and Lee Jae-wook (among others) making their way. Some are in the skyrocket phase while others are still putting in hours, but these are some careers I look forward to following. More dramas, please.
16. The only way to know someone is to love them without hope
Every now and then there comes a hero that I love so much that it hurts. It goes beyond the actor and the story and drives into the very soul of the character, and that’s what happened with Kim Jae-young as Yoon Sun-woo in Secret Boutique. Kim Jae-young is finally getting some more roles and recognition — by gosh, I love him, and his performance as Sun-woo was one that will stay with me for a loooong time. I’m a sucker for stories of unrequited love and devotion, and the relationship between Sun-woo and heroine Jenny Jang was one for the books. The drama also chucked in a quote from Walter Benjamin that I’ve loved for ages (the title of #16), which was basically like the drama promising me I would love it through and through. And I did.
15. Product placement (PPL) round-ups
Writing regular PPL round-ups for Dramabeans has made my PPL experience all the more entertaining. Rather than getting irritated when the PPL is so loud it takes over a scene, paying closer attention to it actually made me enjoy it. How well was it integrated? Or how loud and incongruous was it? Could they turn it into meta, or would it just be left there as an elephant in the room? And most of all, did it push me to buy anything? [Answer: If I could afford that Dyson vacuum, it would already be mine.]
14. The times I cried over dramas this year
I don’t consider myself a big crier in real life, but crying in/over dramaland is a whole other thing entirely. Some of my best cries have been brought on by dramaland. There were tears for mowed down Jang Ki-yong in Kill It, even though the drama didn’t deserve it. There were tears for Romance is a Bonus Book, which was so moving in parts, with its old novelist and reconciliation element. Then there were some tears for the heart-rending reunions and renunciations in Secret Boutique, too. And lest we think all tears are for catharsis and sadness, what about tears from fits of insane laughter? This happened too. Thank you fish CPR from The Secret Life of My Secretary. Thank you cat CPR from Kill It. Thank you ripped duffle bag/pseudo murder scene in Psychopath Diary. I laughed till I cried.
13. My summer of classic dramas was an epic fail
I had the cool idea to lay low on current dramas over the summer, and just dig into some of the classics I have missed and been dying to watch, like Something Happened in Bali, Goong, Autumn Fairytale, and more. Well, that plan sunk. Something Happened in Bali was a rough one to get through, and I kind of stalled there. This project seemed like a pretty sad failure, but now I’m thinking maybe the winter is a better time for it. Short days, long nights, and the need for hot beverages and cozy blankets — this seems like a good time to drink up the slowness of some classic dramas. Will she try again? Stay tuned, folks.
12. A page from my heart
Did you ever watch a drama that seemed to peel a page from your heart and then make a drama out of it? At first, it feels like an affront (“Hey, that’s mine! Give it back!”), but later, it turns into an expression of something you wanted, needed, and craved to see expressed. That’s what One Spring Night did for me, with its subtle exploration of a couple coming together under complicated circumstances, and a woman who becomes a step-mom.
11. K-drama front kicks
I haven’t written about it much on Dramabeans, but I’ve got a secret penchant for the front kicks of righteous fury so often featured in K-dramas. While the all-time gold medal still goes to Lee Min-ho in Heirs (if you know the scene, you know the scene), this year the winner is Choi Kyu-jin as Lee Ki-hoon in Class of Lies.
10. Feed me carbs
I love the strong presence of food and eating together in K-dramas, and this year I think I was most affected by the depiction of neighborhood eateries — like the tiny udon place in Romance is a Bonus Book. Oh, for a little place around the corner to grab a bowl of hot noodles and sake and run into your neighborhood crush…
9. Dramas + social commentary
We’re all too familiar with dramas exposing webs of corruption, where the powerful prey on the weak. Whether it’s an attorney fighting through a wall of deceit to expose the truth, an orphan fighting to reclaim her rightful place, or any other K-drama scenario from this year’s dramas that you can cook up, these conflicts make for great storytelling. While it’s fine to enjoy these as stories, if there’s anything we saw this year from the disgusting scandals and corruption to the heartbreaking suicides, it’s that sometimes this stuff is all too real. Let’s not forget that for all the wonderful music and TV media that this industry gives us, there is a lot that is broken about it, too. And that above everything else — money, fame, success, entertainment, etc. — it is people’s lives that matter the most.
8. Fashion forward
A lookback at my 2019 dramas wouldn’t be complete without a comment on fashion! While I got my fix of high-end fashion in Secret Boutique and VIP, there’s no outfit that can beat the beloved red cardigan in The Secret Life of My Secretary.
7. Here comes winter
I’m not a fan of winter, and the season is settling in for keeps where I live. The bright side? Dramas with a winter setting that feature visible breath, a freezing cold city, and lots of great winter coat PPL. Watching winter stories while enduring winter helps me get by. I don’t know how it works, I just know that it does.
6. Digital lives/lies
There was a lot I liked about Love Alarm, despite the annoyance of waiting for Netflix to release the second half, but my favorite was the commentary on our digital lives. Love Alarm had a concept that let it delve into the repercussions of our cellphone/social media culture that not many dramas have had a chance to. Sure, dramas are full of timely text messages, and conveniently dead batteries, but Love Alarm had a lot to say about how we can rely on fake mechanisms to feel validated, and even to display and share our own emotions. Touché.
5. To all the dramas I left behind
Dear Justice, A Moment at Eighteen, and Be Melodramatic, you are the three dramas I most regret missing live this year. Please don’t take it personally — I really intended to watch each of you, and I promise I still will.
4. To all the dramas I dumped
I really hate to dump a drama, but sometimes it doesn’t work, doesn’t resonate, and doesn’t click. I feel slightly bad, but I totally off-boarded Reach of Sincerity and Search Query: WWW. And, if I wasn’t so invested (read: stubborn), there’s another drama I thought about dumping a few times, too (see #19).
3. Meta and magic
There’s a reason why “saving the best for last” is a thing. I could tell from the get-go that Extraordinary You was going to be a favorite drama this year. But, rather than gobble it up live and join in the weekly recap excitement and chatter, I decided to squirrel it away like a, uh, squirrel, and save it up to later devour. Which I did. No drama is perfect, but my favorite ones always wind up being stories that dig into meta, play with storytelling rules, and make me think about those rules and constructs in a whole new way. Extraordinary You did that for me, as did other favorites from the past like W – Two Worlds and Memories of the Alhambra.
2. The year of the heroine
Originally, this was going to be the entire topic of my year-end drama review, till I found I had too much to say, and opted for the Top 20 list instead. But, that being said, I flat-out adore the heroines I met in dramaland this year. They were imperfect, petulant, angry, and pushed to the brink — but they were also strong, hopeful, determined, gentle, and forgiving. In other words, these women were so easy to stand behind and cheer on from the drama sidelines. Some of my favorite headlining and secondary heroines this year were: Kim Sun-ah as Jenny Jang in Secret Boutiquee, Lee Chung-ah as Lee Hyun-ah in VIP, Jung Yoo-jin as Song Hae-rin in Romance is a Bonus Book, Dasom as Eun Ji-soo in That Psychometric Guy, and of course, Kim Hye-yoon as Eun Dan-oh in Extraordinary You.
1. One year anniversary + some Dramabeans love
I recently hit my one-year anniversary writing for Dramabeans! One year and over 100 posts feels like a huge accomplishment — and a huge blessing. I love this community, and I’m so grateful for all the lovely people that visit, hang out, and sometimes pitch a tent here. The drama bond is a strong one, and I find it so strangely encouraging to know there are other people out there (everywhere!) that appreciate the same things I do about K-dramas and their stories. Thanks everyone for such a fun year! ♥
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1 JustMe
December 7, 2019 at 12:26 PM
And Thank YOU miss v for writing for us. I've come to enjoy and look forward to all your little quips and opinions. Call me a fan ?
YAS girl, join the Extraordinary You love train!!!! (It's over, and I know it's not perfect but oh gosh I enjoyed it so much).
For a drama to be stand out of the year, it has to MOVE me and that's what Extraordinary You did.
And Bless your heart for Melting Me Softly, you gained loads of karma points. If not in this life, the next life. Some of us (me) tuned in to your weecaps just because it was you writing them. No wookie, I couldn't care less what was happening to your character (so so sorry).
This year was huge on spunky female leads and Im glad that in general, if there were faults to the drama, it wasn't because of the passive female lead but for other reasons.
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missvictrix
December 8, 2019 at 5:38 AM
@growingbeautifully Thank you :) And yes, if dramaland has taught me anything it's that dramas don't have to be perfect to be loved, enjoyed, and to speak to us! EY definitely did that for me.
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2 WishfulToki
December 7, 2019 at 12:28 PM
Congrats on your DB anniversary @missvictrix, and thank you for all your wonderful essays! I thought 2019 was a rough year, but there were indeed memorable moments and experiences. A few dramas were good, and many more were good to spazz/dissect/rave with other beanies. 😊
(Psst I didn’t watch WWW either but I became a Lee Jae Wook fan by following What’s Wrong With My Mother In Law on the fanwall. That seaweed slap is a 2019 highlight for me). 😆
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BedeliaJane
December 7, 2019 at 4:30 PM
Lol, i just love it when Lee Da Hee's character became invested in the makjang drama. My fav scene ever from Search WWW is from ep 7 (toward the end), when she met Lee Jae Wook's character. Here goes: http://www.dramabeans.com/2019/07/search-query-www-episode-7/
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3 purebristles
December 7, 2019 at 12:31 PM
Congrats on the one year work anniversary @missvictrix! Here's wishing you and your loved ones a wonderful Christmas season, and to 2020 and onwards - - let's always be working on things we love!
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missvictrix
December 8, 2019 at 5:13 AM
@purebristles Cheers to that! ^^
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4 SadKDramaLama
December 7, 2019 at 12:36 PM
Gone are the days where actors really set the year. For me, now It's the writing that determines the quality of drama year.
SK drama is now blessed with a deep wealth of talent across the generations...however their ability to really shine is now more limited by the writing and production (in the early Hallyu wave, it was the writing that was in advance of the acting)
After all these years, I can pick the moment when the writer stops telling their original story and you can feel the other market forces come into play. The "tells" are hilarious.
We all watch hoping for the next lightning strike drama...but I can't help notice now that SK drama has a fatal flaw...For so long the industry was deliberately supercharged - telling big stories in big ways. Now, as the Hallyu wave recedes and its old funding models dry up, its eyes are now bigger than its stomach. In the main, it has lost the memory of how to tell SK big stories through a smaller world it can afford. (Notable exceptions show a different route to success but they are yet to catch on).
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5 Bob
December 7, 2019 at 12:51 PM
My year in dramas? That moment I realized the actor who played the grumpy-but-nice director at the orphanage in 'be Melodramatic' was the same actor who played the psycho child killer in 'Mother'! Gasp!
Oh, if you like that actor hunt down the under-appreciated 2018 series 'Matrimonial Chaos' where he plays Lee El's cheating husband.
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Zestileigh
December 7, 2019 at 4:13 PM
Also detective Mun in Sense8! ♥️♥️♥️
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Bob
December 7, 2019 at 6:01 PM
I hopped you Youtube to check out the rooftop fight scene and dang it you're not correct! He works with Bae Doona again in 'Matrimonial Chaos'. I never realized there was a connection between the two.
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6 books7time
December 7, 2019 at 12:53 PM
Thank you @missvictrix for sharing your Top 20. It caused me to look back on this year--my first full year as a Kdrama watcher--with fond gratefulness. And congratulations on your one-year writing anniversary!
For me, the perfect drama is never technically perfect. Rather, it affected me perfectly. At the end it leaves me in the still moment where I feel the bittersweet parting from a drama that touched my heart, made me reflect on myself, and want to be a better person. And sometimes, just makes me grin giddily for a day straight (Le Coupe De Foudre).
Kdramas continued to fill my soul, but I also learned how to be more discerning about dramas and know that it is ok to leave food on my plate so-to-speak. This year is also when I found that Chinese youth dramas fill another part of my drama heart--differently than Kdramas. I discovered the imperfect, but delightful The Brightest Star in the Sky; the most adorable thoughtful youth drama in A Little Thing Called Love; and the wise, tender Le Coupe De Foudre. How lucky am I!
And most of all, my grasp of Korean and understanding of the culture--in large part due to Dramabeans--increased so that I can enjoy dramas on a new level and enjoy the inside jokes. The joy of understanding is greater than anything else. I look forward to future years and one day, hopefully, knowing the language well enough to watch without subtitles.
Thank you to a wonderful year, Beanies!
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missvictrix
December 8, 2019 at 5:14 AM
@books7time Yay for your year in dramaland! You'll never want to leave ;)
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7 Kairoskat 💐
December 7, 2019 at 12:59 PM
Happy DB writer 1 year anniversary @missvictrix 🎊!
Thank you for your essays full of insight and wit. I didn't watch Melty but read the weecaps 😂. I enjoyed your PPL roundups...as I type this I'm reminded of Emperor PPL aka coffee and Dyson Hyuk, also subway PPL in MoA. Hahahaha 😂
To many more years and many more fun and interesting writeups missV 🌻.
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missvictrix
December 8, 2019 at 5:18 AM
@katakwasabi Thank you! ^^ And thank you for the Emperor PPL reminder too lol
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8 Kurama
December 7, 2019 at 1:12 PM
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us! It's a pleasure to read your posts :)
Extraordinary You is one of my favourite drama! I can't help myself to find every scene so beautiful, to love Danoh for her spunky and cute character, to like all the classes and their lessons about life :D
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9 Kafiyah Bello
December 7, 2019 at 1:46 PM
Thanks for your recaps. Also thank you for reminding me about that stupid fish, lol. This was a great write up.
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10 Dorotka
December 7, 2019 at 2:12 PM
Nice reading. Thank you.
Also for all your hard work for us on Dramabeans!
And... 1 year! 🎉
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11 candycane
December 7, 2019 at 3:51 PM
@missvictrix - curious that you left out all the sagueks, maybe you don't like watching those? my biggest discovery this year is the fusion sagueks Tale of Nokdu and Rookie Historian, their endings have made me happy and i have been rewatching already because frankly there is no kdramas worth watching right now. The Crowned Clown is also excellent. Search WWW is entertaining. EY is super disappointing. Overall a very lacking year in kdramas and i have been going back to jdramas...
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missvictrix
December 8, 2019 at 5:22 AM
@candycane It was a sageuk-free year for me -- gasp!
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candycane
December 8, 2019 at 3:24 PM
haha, i am surprised it has been a saguek year for me as i normally won't pick sagueks to watch... EY has some saguek parts too, don't you enjoy that? EY has detoured so much from the webtoon which i find disappointing, i did enjoy the first half though.
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12 taekwoonadri
December 7, 2019 at 3:54 PM
Thank you for your hard work!!!!! Extraordinary you was definitely my fave this year!!!
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13 Lord Cobol (Kdramas, like water, flow downhill)
December 7, 2019 at 4:14 PM
I liked it too, but are we SURE it's going to be "the second half" and not just season 2 of 504 ???
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C
December 7, 2019 at 6:55 PM
Netflix generally doesn't go beyond 3-4 seasons no matter how popular the drama is. For Love Alarm a max of 3 seasons would be my guess. The 2nd season has 11 episodes so it might not even have a 3rd season.
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missvictrix
December 8, 2019 at 5:24 AM
@lordcobol Without access to any insider facts whatsoever, I'm fairly confident there is indeed a second half.
And if there isn't, there will be HTP ;)
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14 Lookie
December 7, 2019 at 5:11 PM
I devour everything you wrote, @missvictrix. Those insightful recaps make me appreciate kdramas that otherwise I would really have hated. Congratulations on your anniversary. Please continue being one of the beanies' suns.
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missvictrix
December 8, 2019 at 5:25 AM
So sweet -- thank you!
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15 OldLawyer
December 7, 2019 at 5:32 PM
Don't give up on watching the classics. My wife and I are finally watching GOONG ("Palace") which is listed on Viki as PRINCESS HOURS. It is a fun show.
Fashion was definitely on display in other shows- in particular HOTEL DEL LUNA (Lord Cobol referred to it as "the IU fashion show") and ANGEL'S LAST MISSION, where the costume people were finally given permission to dress Shin Hye-sun in a manner that would show off her beauty rather than hide it.
I plan on watching LOVE ALARM when I can finally see the whole thing.
Finally- thank you for your work on MELTING ME SOFTLY- you saved me from wasting my precious viewing time.
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missvictrix
December 8, 2019 at 5:41 AM
@oldawyer I'm glad you are enjoying Goong! There's something special about the classic dramas. I will definitely give my plan another chance!
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16 Teresa Rodriguez
December 7, 2019 at 5:39 PM
I loved I can hear and would like a part two and a little thing called first love that demands a part two.
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17 YY Chats with Toast Between Bites
December 7, 2019 at 6:00 PM
@missvictrix Congrats on your stellar one-year DB anniversary. I enjoy your articles, because you write about things that are dear to my heart, which I don't realise I feel so much for, until I read your posts, and then I go, "Oh, wow. THAT is exactly what I want to talk about". You vocalise things about Korean dramas that I care about. So, thank you for that.
My favourite dramas of the year are
1. Memories of the Alhambra - It made me fall in love with Hyun bin all over again. I had a crush on him in My Lovely Samsoon, but forgot about him after that. He was wicked and dashing and so gorgeous in Memories he literally took my breath away...I can't remember how long it'd been when a character did that to me.
2. The Light in Your Eyes - This was an incredibly moving story, it made me cry long after it had finished. NJH broke my heart. That final scene, of him stretching out his hand to her in the dying rays of the sun, will be etched permanently on my broken heart.
3. Extraordinary You - A refreshing and thought provoking drama. It made me think about the shadow world and the real world. And it gave me a badass anti hero to drool over. Baek Hyung.
4. The Last Empress - The over-the-top weirdness drew me in, but what was most important, was that it made me sit up and notice SSR, whom I had never watched before. With his rivetting looks, not traditional good looks, but more the hawkish and angular features that became an obsession with me, his deep voice, and that tall, lean physique, Hyuk careened into my heart, and I started rooting for the villain - good grief - and I became a conflicted viewer, revolted in the first few episodes to besotted in the rest.
Looking forward to Crash Landing. Watch out for me, guys. I cameo as a Strange Wind. Sorry for blowing my trumpet, but more and more beanies are fighting for cameos and threatening my alone time with Binnie.
@bbstl the parachute @wishfultoki @hebang @katakwasabi @mayhemf @msrabbit @leetennant the rope @ndlessjoie Something weird is happening. The edges are fast blurring. I started as a Wind, but I am no longer sure what I am now, exactly. The only thing I can be certain of is that I am a vapour of some sort. Yesterday, I was a mist. Today, I looked at the mirror, and I couldn't even see myself. All I saw was white. Then I realised what I had become. A fog.
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PakalanaPikake
December 7, 2019 at 9:41 PM
Psst, @yyishere... You're also portraying Binnie's dog tags, Chingu!
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18 Nessa (Bebe) 🌹
December 7, 2019 at 6:52 PM
<3 <3 <3 @missvictrix
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19 mugyuljoie is preciousss
December 7, 2019 at 6:54 PM
Congratulations on one year @missvictrix! You deserve ALL the awards for your tenacity in recapping the drama that didn't exist.
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20 pcch2345
December 7, 2019 at 7:46 PM
loved this article :-) so much i can relate to, thank you for sharing:-)
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21 ar_arguably romantic
December 7, 2019 at 7:49 PM
Congrats on the anniversary!! :)
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22 Edgar Pordwed
December 7, 2019 at 8:15 PM
Happy one-year anniversary missvictrix! :)
All of your articles are amazing! You put into words all that we drama watchers think and feel so well! Love your insights!
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23 Nissa
December 7, 2019 at 8:15 PM
But i love www 😄
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24 Edgar Pordwed
December 7, 2019 at 8:21 PM
There was a fish CPR too? Haha I thought the fish funeral was the best! The father throwing a bottle of water on scary Ms. Han also in Graceful Family was a good moment too!
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25 protect junwoo
December 7, 2019 at 9:11 PM
Thank you @missvictrix for sharing yet another wonderful piece, and congratulations on one year on DB! It’s been the greatest pleasure getting to read your wonderfully eloquent and thoughtful writing. You definitely made my year of dramas a more meaningful one ✨
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26 growingbeautifully
December 7, 2019 at 9:26 PM
Happy 1st Anniversary @missvictrix! Thanks for your articles that never fail to be interesting. I've had a pretty slow year in terms of kdrama watching, but I never fail to have a few kdramas being watched on the side, and I look forward to the year end reviews. Cheers!
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27 DoubleFault
December 8, 2019 at 12:10 AM
2019 was definitely a strong year for the ladies. I would add IU's Jang Man Wol in the list. Hopefully we get more in 2020, especially with upcoming movies such as Mulan, Wonder Woman 1984, and Birds of Prey.
Thanks for reminding me of Kill It. I almost forgot that I live watched it this year until its very unsatisfying end. It would be really great to see JKY in a sageuk, preferably set during the Goryeo era.
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28 javinne
December 8, 2019 at 12:14 AM
Wow, thanks. I felt identified with this line: "I find it so strangely encouraging to know there are other people out there (everywhere!) that appreciate the same things I do about K-dramas and their stories", because that is how I feel too!
Coming from literature, for me is the closest to a literary club, where everybody can talk about how much they love the books they are reading, and some may be reading the same book at the same time.
I understand in this modern times it is harder to do it with books, that is why dramas are my second best.
Thank you again! For all of you. 😍
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29 froyo
December 8, 2019 at 12:21 AM
i probably gonna say this on all my social media but this is drama that worth watching for this year imo:
Angel Last Mission, Designated Survivor, Class of Lies, He is Psychometric, Hotel del Luna, At Eighteen (hate the ending tho), One Spring night, Red Moon Blue Sun, Tale of Nokdu, Special Labor Jo Jangpoong, The Fiery Priest, Extraordinary You, The Lies Within, The Secret Life of Secretary, Welcome to Life, Partner for Justice S2, Sky Castle.
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30 Rumi~
December 8, 2019 at 12:45 AM
I was with you & nodded in agreement for everything till point #3....😅
I enjoyed reading it very much. If you have the time I'd love to read an expansion on #2.
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31 Dreamingdreams
December 8, 2019 at 8:01 AM
this post reminds me of all the dramas i've wached this year, and I realise I haven't watched as many as I usually do, and in fac there were a lot of dramas I had to leave just cuz I couldn't get myself to keep watching.
While I haven't watched that many broadcasted dramas, I was introduced to the world of webdramas this year and omg they are amazing. Ateen and failing in love are great.
i think the greatest thing for me this year were the short drama specials though. of everything i've watched this year, individualist ji young and if we were a season have left such deep impressions with me I may have to rewatch them every year.
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32 Ms. Rabbit 🐇
December 8, 2019 at 6:31 PM
Happy 1 year Anniversary, @missvictrix! Thank you for all your work and for always providing insightful thoughts. Looking forward to 2020 and hopefully more of Secret Boutique and less, or better yet NO, Melty.
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amruta1009
December 8, 2019 at 6:59 PM
Melty, what's that?
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LT is Irresistibly Indifferent and reminded of the slow march of death
December 8, 2019 at 7:02 PM
Annihilated in an antibean explosion.
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Ms. Rabbit 🐇
December 8, 2019 at 7:47 PM
🤣🤣🤣
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Kairoskat 💐
December 8, 2019 at 7:24 PM
Melty is the given name to Melt Me, the drama that I assumed melted many viewers into dollops of goo. Hahahaha
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amruta1009
December 8, 2019 at 7:31 PM
Doesn't ring a bell.
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Kairoskat 💐
December 8, 2019 at 7:44 PM
Ooopss...The english title is Melting Me Softly 😅
http://www.dramabeans.com/tag/melting-me-softly/
amruta1009
December 8, 2019 at 7:47 PM
I am only joking. Know what that is...
Ms. Rabbit 🐇
December 8, 2019 at 7:50 PM
Mea Culpa. This year already have NO Melty. Woohoo!!!! 👏🎊🎉✨🎈
Kairoskat 💐
December 8, 2019 at 8:43 PM
Oh no. I really thought you didn't know Melty 😥😆. I'm quite slow when it comes to jokes and sarcasm huhuhu
amruta1009
December 8, 2019 at 8:51 PM
@katakwasabi you have no idea how much the same thing tends to happen to me, heh.
33 Ally
December 8, 2019 at 8:29 PM
We’re half you’re here too!!! Thank you for your list!
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parkchuna 🍉
December 9, 2019 at 10:12 PM
ermmm sorry @ally-le, what are you saying?
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Ally
December 10, 2019 at 5:01 AM
*glad (typing on a phone with autocorrect—I don’t even correct the autocorrect anymore. Lol.
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parkchuna 🍉
December 10, 2019 at 7:14 AM
hahahaha ok!
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34 neener ~ Inside the Magic Shop ~
December 8, 2019 at 9:27 PM
Congratulations on reaching one year on DB!
I haven't finished Secret Boutique but I love Kim Jaeyoung in it! Thankfully he's in another drama (gasp 100episodes) so I won't miss him much after I finish SB.
For a great laugh,add the funeral for a fish in Graceful Family! xD
Melo Me has one of the best metas for PPL, I'm 100% you'd love it!
Thank you for all the write-ups you do on DB!
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35 Anna
December 8, 2019 at 9:57 PM
Yay for more Extraordinary You love! I've been falling off the k-drama train more and more the last year or two, but am glad that I happened upon EY. Definitely my favorite drama this year (sorry, The Secret Life of My Secretary, you've been replaced!). It was just very enjoyable to watch the love story unfold (not to mention how pure and unwavering their love for each other was!) and the extra element of being so meta was just the extra oomph that made it that much more enjoyable and interesting. Loved our three musketeers (Dan Oh, Haru, and Do Hwa) and their cute friendship.
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36 blessingwind
December 9, 2019 at 9:10 AM
Thank you @missvictrix for writing such a beautiful write-up on your views of the dramas of the year 2019. Many hearty congratulations for your anniversary of writing to dramabeans.
For me, its been two years that i have been watching less dramas compared to before. Main reason is due to lack of time, but i feel like i now really want to invest my time in those dramas which i feel are of more quality in content, writing ,direction and characterization.If a drama feels a special to me, i will watch it till the end.
This year my favourite k-drama jewels are:
1- Extraordinary You
2- Doctor Prisoner
3-Romance is a bonus book
4-Angel's Last mission Love
5-Touch your heart
6-Doctor John
7-He is psychometric
8-Designated Survivor 60 days
9- Moments of 18
I still miss some characters, some memorable lines from some dramas, some happy moments in dramas which make me smile from ear to ear, and remembering some sad scenes still makes me tear up.
I have loved some characters to the max and despised some evil ones. And there are some grey characters, which i kind of relate to some level and make me connected and it just leaves me in bittersweet turmoil.
I believe this year k-dramaland has left us with great dramas which will definitely be talked about for a long time. A well spent year in k-dramaland.
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37 Shari
December 9, 2019 at 9:26 AM
I initially had the same reaction to Search WWW when it first came out--watched a few minutes of the first episode and was totally turned off. The theme seemed dark and the characters bizarre.
Then just last week I gave it another try and by the end of the second episode I was hooked. I binge watched the entire thing in a couple days. Then went back and rewatched the best parts. Now I think it is one of the best dramas this year.
Give it another try, missvitrix! You might discover you've missed a gem.
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38 raekaddict
December 9, 2019 at 8:54 PM
Congrats on hitting your one mark!!! hope to see you for a long time in future...😄😄😄
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39 loveblossom🌸
December 9, 2019 at 9:11 PM
Congrats on your anniversary! Thank you for all your write-ups. Feels like you've been here longer than a year.
Thanks for sharing your list too. Happy to see Kim Jae Young get a spot of his own. ^^
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40 parkchuna 🍉
December 9, 2019 at 10:07 PM
Awww congratulations on your anniversary and here's to many more years coming! I've always enjoyed your writings and they often give me a new perspective on the topics you write about. Thank you for your hard work @missvictrix ♥♥♥♥♥
This is definitely the year of heroines as you said and I also just discovered Kim Jae Young through Beautiful Love - may check out Secret Boutique later.
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41 Kurama
December 11, 2019 at 11:04 AM
@missvictrix I was curious, how did you find the color palette of Extraordinary You ? Now you watched it.
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missvictrix
December 11, 2019 at 3:33 PM
@kurama AMAZING! And one of my favorite elements of the drama, along with the sound effects.
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Kurama
December 11, 2019 at 9:07 PM
I loved the fact the turned page was Kim Hye Yoon's voice saying sagak.
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missvictrix
December 12, 2019 at 4:35 PM
Comment was deleted
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missvictrix
December 12, 2019 at 4:37 PM
@kurama Oh, tell me more!! I hadn't heard about this.
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Kurama
December 12, 2019 at 9:00 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPk2Ncv_Suk
At 3:12
Kurama
December 12, 2019 at 9:28 PM
You should watch the BTS scenes! It's very interesting to see the actors making the scene themself, the PD gave them a lot of room to make it, to add ad-libs, etc. The way they had to handle the height difference was funny, Kim Hye Yoon is so small between her co-actors. The stunts with all the falling on Haru's back :p
missvictrix
December 14, 2019 at 8:30 PM
@kurama Thanks for posting the link that was the best thing ever!!
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Kurama
December 15, 2019 at 12:31 AM
You're welcome. I thought it was a funny detail :p
42 skittersmash
December 16, 2019 at 9:26 AM
hello?? did literally everyone forget about hotel del luna?? not even a mention??? for the best drama of 2019????? what
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43 Dreamerz
September 14, 2020 at 2:45 AM
I only watched 1 Kdrama out of all the dramas mention above.. and that was One Spring Night.. And i just LOVED it.. it's only 1 Kdrama and i am over the moon because i selected it.. Han Ji Min just proved me for the very first time why she is a Superstar.. Amazing acting, handling of subtle emotions.. i beleive.. the whole series was Amazing.. Jung Hae In was so good as well.
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