Painter in the Wind- I was also worried about the age gap, but they dealt with it in a very nice, subtle manner. One of the few dramas I enjoyed watching immensely this year, which I thought was extremely underrated. MGY's acting was superb.

Wow, so cool~
I've watched all the dramas that you've reviewed Sevenses!

You should also watch "On Air" and "Women of the Sun". =D

Looking forward to the other reviews!! :)

P.S I also watched Iljimae because of Lee Jun Ki.
I absolutely loved Painter of the Wind. (MGY was great~ Go YB& JH :) I hope they win best couple! It'll be noted down as k-drama history)
About Beethoven Virus...in the beginning, it was interesting to watch but I kinda lost interest in the middle...I've managed to finish the drama because of KMM!

thanks guys! i look forward to your year end summaries. it reminds me of what i loved and what i hated myself for watching.

Hey Sevenses,

Nicely done recap. Thanks!

Only caught Gourmet and Painter of the Wind this yr. Started on a few others but gave up after first few eps.

I felt Gourmet had a leeetle too much raw beef moments, and was grossed out by the graphic meat carving scenes. Otherwise, all was good.

Loved everything about POTW except the ending. ;)

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Sevenses!

HAHA, I really liked your comment about Kim Rae Won's boy-next-door charms xD.
I know my cousin wouldn't move either.
Comparing Iljimae to Spiderman was genius :D

School's been a bitch this year, so I didn't have time to watch many dramas.
But I did manage to finish (and enjoy) Beethoven Virus, The Last Scandal of My Life, and On Air.

Hope 2009 brings us many great dramas! (I'm highly anticipating Boys Before Flowers, keke.)

i love Kim Myung Min but i cant take Beethoven Virus too~i wasnt really sure at which esp did i stop ..maybe around esp 12! glad i wasnt alone because i was about to declare myself one of those werid one .who cant appreciate the so called one of the best drama . Kim Myung Min acting is flawless and stand up to the task of him as the pillar of the drama but the script and direction wasnt up to expectation , it was disappointing coming from PD Lee . it was those kind of disappointment when you know it shouldnt be so , that you feel like crying at what went wrong ..sigh

hope next year will be a better drama year .

you forgot the one I hate/yet love at the same time "My Sweet Seoul"!!!!!

I have been looking at your Year in review since I would like to know which dramas can be entertain and tear-jerking.

Anyway, I only watched two dramas out of five; Hong Gil Dong and Beethoven Virus.

oh yeaaaaahhhh! just what ive been waiting for!! thank you! waiting patiently for the other parts :P

I have been looking at your Year in review since I would like to know which dramas can be entertain and tear-jerking.

Anyway, I have only watched two dramas out of five; Hong Gil Dong and Beethoven Virus. Hong Gil Dong is a type of drama which gives me a lasting impression among the dramas I've seen this year. It is comical, sad and action. It talks about politics etc. I really like the ending and I agree it is beautifully done. It is much opposite to what the "5 years" in the episode one.

Beethoven Virus- I currently watching this now and it is a good drama. Kang Mae's character is much interesting to watch; how he deals with everyone around and how everyone has change him.

My personal top 3 of 2008

1: Painter of the Wind, maybe the best drama EVER! Enough said.

2: La Dolce Vita: Great Direction, great plots and great acting from the 4 main actors, I must say I was very ecstatic by the big improvement of Lee Dong-wook & Park Si-yeon.

3: Hmm let's says... Gourmet, I totally agree with the "comfort drama" sentence but Kim Rae-won perfomance was just stunning, I take my bet on him for the SBS 2008 Daesang.

Beethoven Virus is on top of my list. The drama, which I think focuses on pursuing one's dreams and passions, emanates a positive message. More importantly, I love Kim Myung Min and his performance is the best, as always. Kang Mae is one complex character - one would hate and love him at the same time. The classical music is something that I've enjoyed immensely!

Painter of the Wind is another good drama. At first, I was a bit apprehensive about Hong Do's (PSY) and Yoon Bok's (MGY) big age gap but all my worries came to naught. I found myself shipping for these two. LOL. PSY and MGY are both awesome here; the music is so touching. Oh wait, the King is one hottie as well!

I don't know but is Kingdom of the Wind included in 2008 since it's going to end in 2009? This is another must see!

the only drama i watched out of these five is Iljimae which was fun to watch but didn't leave me any lingering thoughts. 2008 was not a good year for me K-drama-wise.. I'll be watching the painters of the wind though cuz it seems like a good drama.

Great write-up, Sevenses! :D I savoured over every word. And hurrah for watching Iljimae solely because of Lee Junki's pretty face! :D

Only watched Gourmet and PotW but I haven't finished them. Once school hit me and I lost track of them, I couldn't quite find myself the same momentum of obsession into finishing them.

=_= Despite me liking LJ, I couldn't watch lljimae because it doesn't attract me. Bethoven Virus...the first 15 minutes ruined it for me and the background comparsion of it with Nodame Cantabile lurking at the back of my brain fairly forshake it into oblivion.

(By the way I don't quite like Atonement, even though James McAvoy is charming for the eye...it's too fuked up for my taste.)

"This show took great pains to tell me what I could do with my thoughts." LOL! (And so true.)

Guess what? We picked the same Kim Myung Min pic, bwahaha!

LOVE your review. Nothing superficial about it at all. ^^

truth to be told, 2008 was not a good year for me as the shows are just not oustanding enough for me to rant and rant and rant. most of the shows are just so-so. like what sevenses said, Gourmet was the comfort show and it still is for me... it is just not like my favourite Coffe Prince where i really hope to know what happens during the process when we all know where it's heading. but i did enjoy The Scandal of my Life (courtesy of Javabean) where it felt like a more in-depth and expressive Full House, with all the wonderful doings of a great script and acting. but death of CJS did damper my mood for it... upsetting right? New heart, so-called drama of the year, given Ji Sung's first since army, i tried and didn't really see the appeal of the show. it's blood and gore and lots of JS's great smiles. However, the story line just didn't work for me. somehow, something's missing, the links in between individual patients and how they made JS turn off the female lead's affections, not once but twice. appearance of Lee Ji Hoon was for naught cos it served no purpose, at all. he didn't pose to be any form of threat to the main couple, who don't really feel like one to me. The only effort to hold tight to the 'love relationship' was JS and it felt tiring to me. lastly, the way they made JS regain his use of his right hand during a surgery was kind of fake for me. but i enjoyed the infamous doctor, Choi Kang Gook, acted by Jo Jae Hyun, which made me want to see more of his acting in other genres.

of course, this yr's drama winner was taiwan drama - fated to love you - for me as it is everything that a person can ask for. it's the kind of quality that i thought taiwan dramas can never achieve. for those who are interested, pls try it and u'll know what i'm saying, especially if u've tried taiwan dramas before. of course, the regret there is that they actually extend the drama while it's hot and made my overall love for it to fall. BUT it's still a must-try cos i think the script and acting is something that comes very true from the script-writers and actors.

let's all pray 2009 is a good year ya?

Best drama this year:Hong Gil Dong.i've never head over heels over one actor except kang ji hwan.he did a great job as gil dong and made me track another series of him such as capital scandal,be strong geum soon,90 days in love,fireworks, host n guest movie.just watch kjh superb acting as soo ta the annoying movie star:-) looking forward his next project in 7 grade civil servant n drama series,triple. Many thanks 4 hong gil dong that introduce me with ji hwan ssie;-) nice 2 know him as a great actor to be!

I do admit that after thinking about 2008, Hong Gil Dong seems to be my drama of the year. (KJH! My man of the year) I've watched so many that I'm not even sure which one belongs to 2007 or 2008! Last Scandal, Gourmet (whenever I think about this one all I can say is :colours, food and KRW! Without him the series would probably be only 'decent', but with this guy on board you have to admit it was more) were really good, I was certain that the crew knew all along what they were doing.
Then comes the dramas I enjoyed from some weird reason. Like "The Lawyers of The Great Republic Korea" (still can't stand the title..). Lee Soo Kyung was irritating for me, the plot was average, music decent, but there was this guy - Han Min Gook, and I absolutely love weird guys with fobias, manias, etc. He was enjoyable to watch and that's why I made it through all episodes.
Women Of the Sun - one big drama for 20 eppies? I was surprised myself that while it was all about 1 happening, they managed to keep me interested enough to watch 20 episodes. I mean, ok, Shin Do Young's romance with Cha Dong Woo was like WHAT for me, but I really did enjoy Lee Ha Na's acting. Big talent, I'll surely be watching her future dramas.
Unfortunately, there were also times when I was expecting something good, but ended up suffering in the middle, trying to make it to the final episode. Like Beethoven Virus. I know that for some people it was THE drama, but for me even Kim Myung Min wasn't enough. At least I finally watched Bad Family, that's the guy's charm ( should I really call him a guy? Seriously, he deserves more respect and I can't go aroung calling him a guy! MAN! That's the word).
I also finished Powerful Opponents, but it just didn't feel right. I can't say what was wrong with it. I had no idea where the characters were going, and while sometimes surprises are good, here - certainly not. What the hell was the ending supposed to mean? Or middle? Or.. the whole plot? Can't give mark as I'm still confused. Just.. well, my dear dramabeans, you can skip this one for sure.
Did I mention Bad Love? BIG NO. Not mentioning, still trying to forget that.
There are also couple of dramas I watched but forgot and couple of dramas I still didn't finish, so no comments for them as for now :)

If I have to say what was 2008 for me in drama's world, I'd have to say it was all about people. I have to praise them. Kang Ji Hwan, Kim Rae Won, Kim Myung Min made me catch up with their older dramas. I also watched Son Yeh Jin's Spotlight for her, and Alone in Love for Lee Ha Na. Should I forget about our lovely comebackers? Kim Sun Ah, Yoon Kye Sang (the smile!)Moon Geun Young and Song Seung Hun kept me glued to the computer as well. And my beloved Choi Jin Shil and Eon.. just.. Can't say enough to describe how I'll miss them on the screen. Let's hope next year is better, had enough of sad news. Oh , and also Park Kwang-jung.. I think it was one of the most warm people out there.
Well, finally the end :) And dramabeans, have a great 2009, let's all hope it's filled with remarkable dramas. Thanks for your hard work, can't say how many times a day I visit your blog :) Hugs!

Iljimae was good n entertaining drama!love lee jun ki and lee young ah chemistry as yong n bong soon.and applause for lee moon sik as swe dol:-Di put iljimae in my 2nd fav drama thiz year.i'm not watching bv yet.coz i lost interest 4 KMM weirdo eyebrows.i'm not watching much new drama coz i prefer watch old dramas that ppl said were great such be strong geum soon n jumong.i have on air,worlds within,love n marriage, POTW,KOTW,on my list. N wait 4 Korean hyd,return of iljimae(MBC) n triple also in 2009.

@asik g: i give up watching GLORK,coz lee sun kyung 'over'acting. even lee sung jae n ryu so young cant even help me!and i have 2 put Women of the sun on my list i guess.thx!dramabeans thx a lot:-D i enjoy read ur blog everyday..

Thanks, Sevenses for your fun and informative review! (btw, how did you choose your name?)

@ JiHwan: I agree with you that Single Papa in Love was a really good drama. The acting was not fantastic but was well done overall, especially the cute little boy. And I loved the ending where the little boy is surrounded by all the adults in his life who love him as they watch Single Papa prepare for the fight of his life. I'm surprised that it got such low ratings and so little attention.

@SAM: I really enjoyed My Sweet Seoul, as well. What aspect of it made you love/hate it?

The year was so-so. The reviews were less than. I could do with a little less cutesy emoticon-speak, frankly.

i really liked beethoven virus. there's something about it that goes away from all the romantic stuff dramas offered nowadays. not saying that there aren't other better ones in terms of non-romance, but kmm did justice to the drama and though sometimes it got a little repetitive, i still like how the story flows for all the characters. and kang mae is just BRILLIANT!

>>22:
i find fated to love u a lil overrated. i don't disagree it took a different path from other idol dramas, but the only time i liked it was when she was still an ugly betty. the story dragged towards the end and the ending was a bit of a bleh. maybe it's just me, but i liked "they kiss again" more. maybe because i like serious, less kuso dramas more. :)

I agree about iljimae. I started watching it and although I can't claim it's good- I find I cannot tear myself away. It is just so much fun to watch, and lee Junki is so beautiful to watch even in that hideous mask.

and the only other recent Kdrama I watched was painter which I haven't managed to finish. Although beautiful I found it a little slow...I got a bit bored.

Hi Sevenses,

thanks for sharing your thoughts & insights with us. I've been looking forward to reading the year-end reviews here.

I've finished watching POTW and am half-way through Gourmet. Absolutely love POTW. The age difference between the two main characters did not bother me at all. The series built up / developed their growing relationship so nicely that it did not seem awkward at all.

MGY did a brilliant job here. I started to look for her previous works. PSY....I would recommend "Lovers in Paris".

Gourmet....it's "easy" & enjoyable to watch and I do not have the urge to really complete it since you more or less can guess how it would end.

Thanks again for your great review!

Hi Javabeans,

thanks for inviting Sevenses and your other guests to share their year-end review with us. Really looking forward to reading them in the next several days.

Happy New Year to you all and wish that year 2009 will be a great year for Kdrama!!!

tnx for the review....been waiting for the year end review to get some recommendations on some dramas I have yet to watch......and I must say we almost have the same taste....watching dramas for the sake of relaxation and avoiding the tearkjers (though in my case will watch it if the main lead is a cutesy like Ji Hwan and Jun Ki coz will still feel relax having to see their pretty faces for almost 16hrs and up *wink*).....will probably start watching Gourmet coz cutesy Kim Rae Won was there..... am still thinking about Painter coz I don't like sageuk that much, only watch Hong Gil Dong and Iljimae and it's not even totally sageuk.......if Painter probably has some cutesy actor will definitely not have second thoughts, but it so happen that I don't like Park Shin Yang (though I admit that he's a great actor, it's just that I don't see him as an eye candy type) but will probably watch this if I have some excess time on my hand......and Beethevon Virus....started watching this coz read some reviews that it's one of the best this year but wasn't able to finish even episode 1, got bore in the middle of it.....if only Kim Myung Min is as cute as he is on his Bad Family days and Jang Geun Suk on his Hong Gil Dong days, will probably able to endure it.....but it so happens that they bought have some weird hair do and thus wasn't such an eye candy for me and therefore I don't feel 'relax' and got easily bored......sorry folks....in watching dramas almost always I satisy my eyes first before my brain and only feel relax in this order.......but my current favorite this days.......A Star's Lover......of course it has a cutesy again.....my current fave eye candy Yoo Ji Tae.....

oops sorry....should have been 'both'.....not 'bought'.....wasn't able to edit on time.....

Hilarious write-up, sevenses. You have quite an imagination ;-) Oh, and I got no problems with your superficiality. I watched (the first 6 episodes of) The World They Live In just for Binnie and am currently watching Rivals to see Lee Jong Hyuk shirtless.

Yay for Part 1! Can't wait for the rest of 'em.

dramabeans, i love your yearly review..>__<
but how can you forget "east of eden"? that's like the most awesomest of all the most awesomest drama. *sigh, i guess it'll be posted next year since the series haven't finished yet...

Thanks Sevenses!
Your comments are hilarious. :)

I hope 2009 can be more colorful...K-dramas, no more fusion-type saguek. Pretty please?

"To my lasting surprise, I liked the ending. Well… the last few minutes, anyway. It was thoughtful, hopeful and subtle in a way that the rest of the show was not. But the general direction was just… very wtf."
Lol! I actually laughed out loud from reading that :)
I enjoyed reading your review and agreed in most parts. I haven't watched painter on the wind yet.., since you gave it good critiques I might just watch it.

I loved Hong Gil Dong, made me like Kang Ji Hwan even more but i really thought Capital Scandal was his best work so far, & it also made me see Sung Yuri in a different way, she's a good comedy actress. Beethoven Virus made me like Kim Myung Min, he really knows how to play a mean, talented guy with a kind heart, i'm watching Bad Family now, also i never knew an orchestra could have so much drama. i want to see Gourmet next just for the food cause i'm not too familiar with the actors.

OMG
I love your comments.
Happy new year to you too!

I love reading year end reviews, plus I would have to agree with your people, food does seem like a common subject with your writing, it works though. Hahaha... I also found a new line:

-A massive train of fail. (How can you not love it?)

You also got with your artistic skill being as good as a cat on acid.... That was GOOD! Hahaha.

I see you missed your reviews on Tazza...just started watching it...and i'm halfway...

I totally agree with Hong Gil-dong...it could've had a better ending...and KJH was just so adorable...

Iljimae was awesome, thanks to LJK...he's amazing nonetheless...

I've yet to watch Beethoven Virus...but I heard it was good...thanks to KMM...

Hopefully the coming year would be another great year for K dramas...

Hats off to you :)

just want to say thanks to all of you who put so much time into recapping and giving comments! happy new year!

I think almost everyone agrees that Painter of the Wind and Moon Geun Young have been really underrated this year. The drama and MGY deserved much much better and it's sad to see overblown dramas (cough East of Eden cough) win awards.

Plus i wanna say thanks! I'm gonna watch Iljimae. How can I not when you've put up the most adorable pic ever! (refering to Lee Junki rabbit pic) ^.^

I've gotta tell you, I love the way you write. I feel like I've just sat down and chatted it up with a friend! I just wanted to mention that I think it's so refreshing to have someone ditch "properness" in blogging. I mean, that isn't to say that I hate more "factual" posts, but I like your casual style.

ba8iu201rvspv5v4

인연

I agree with Sevensen's description of Painter of the Wind. I consider it the best overall drama of 2008. This sageuk is not too long, but classy, with good production and actors, interesting and with a different plot. (By the way, nobody mentioned Dae Jo Young

It's not a sin to be a little shallow and watch dramas just for the eye candy/hunky actors (I do it all the time, too). TV dramas are for our enjoyment and entertainment so I watched a lot of comedies, especially after watching heavy dramas like La Dolce Vita or Bad Love (which to my surprised, I liked a lot. I felt that it had a lot of passion).

There were quite a few dramas that I started and dropped (such as East of Eden and World Within). Others, I forced myself to watch them until the end (Gourmet, was my biggest disappointment).

Being a fairly newcomer to K-drama, I have tried hard to catch up with dramas of the past, and in 2008 saw many from previous years. One of them was 2003's Love Letter. My heart literally ached and I cried so much it made me a bit dehydrated. It now is at my top three favorite dramas of all time.

Someone mentioned the Taiwanese drama Fated To Love You. It was ok. I liked better Wish to See You Again and this year's (2009) Black and White ( I highly recommend this unpredictable action packed drama starring Vic Zhou.)

I hope that the rest of 2009 bring us good dramas worth spending our time and eyesight on.