My bean of greatness goes to our beloved summer, it was a drama i went in because I was expecting plenty of pettiness and though this was plenty, i didn't expect to fall in love with the leads as much as i did, cried when our ML went through the heartbreak of hell and even understood where our FL was coming from. A lot of my drama buddies don't understand my obsession with it but I went in for laughs but came out pretty much a fan of both leads and the writer.

Focusing on the word "greatness" in the title, I figure "great" is not exactly the same as "I enjoyed it". Vague terms like "socially relevant", "historically significant" or maybe just "hard to do" rear their heads. So this time the greatest are Extraordinary Attorney and Pachinko. Extra takes the lead on the FL's acting; Pachinko gains on greater (historical) importance but it needs a sequel or two to finish the story -- never thought you'd hear me say that, did you? We'll just have to see how I rate the whole series once it is completed (or cancelled???). So for this year, Extra is greatest.

This year, I do not know if any one show hits the Pantheon of Greatness. The one show that was consistent and delivered from beginning to the end was BECOMING WITCH, the dark comedy about marriage and relationships. It was funny, slapstick and over-the-top but it delivered what it said it would: a divorce, a pregnancy and a death. I think that takes my top spot this year.

SHOW WINDOW was this year's best written drama for its genre. It was well acted and had the twist of friends becoming enemies to frenemys. The one let down was how the show directed and edited: a lot of reveals opened the episode instead of ending it and the last episode was mostly filler.

In the deepest part of my heart, I wanted to give my bean of greatness to the currently airing Reborn Rich. It's not everyday that a drama managed to resurrect my excitement for the genre that I thought has been lost forever: Melodramatic revenge. But given that it hasn't finished its run yet and that I don't want to jinx its second half, I'll give it to another story.

My choice goes to Grid. It was a fine, satisfying experimentation on storytelling. Despite all my caution with its sci-fi genre, my fave writer still delivers in spades. Sure it could be written more comprehensively, but it was fine as her first foray outside her expected genre.

@missvictrix I concurred with your explanation on Bulgasal. I don't love it as much, but it still left me with more fond memories than I thought it would, what with the often nonsensical middle stretch. The core love story was deliciously tragic and epic, and I'm always a sucker for that.

@alathe and I might as well share a soul* when it comes to Alchemy of Souls. No other drama this year was as much fun. Thanks for this love letter (written in code, wrapped around a rock, and thrown from a bridge)!

And thanks, @solstices, for the tribute to The Sound of Magic, which I also loved for all the same reasons, although you articulate them much better than I could have. I don't claim that either of these was a truly great show, but I had a great time watching them.

*Offer not valid in Daeho and may not be combined with other offers bodies.

No competition, my Bean of Greatness belongs to My Liberation Notes, and it can take everything else I have too! This drama is... transcendent. And I would never say that lightly. The blend of absurd imagery and humour, frank reflections on the mundane day-to-day, and quiet oppressive sorrow. The religious coding of Gu-ssi and Mi-jeong's story of worship and sin and salvation, highlighted by that beautiful OST that played whenever they looked at eachother - if you saw it, then you know the one! The club of introverts who opened my eyes to why I'm so averse to eye contact in a throwaway scene! That's the thing about this drama, every scene is rendered perfectly, rich with details. I feel the blistering heat of the weekends farming in Sanpo, the melancholic rain watched through coffee shop windows, the flurries of snow that carry Gu-ssi to this strained little family. It's an epic without fanfare, and it has stolen my heart.

Alchemy of Souls, for everything Alathe said, with special emphasis on Crown Prince's eyebrows. And a very, very close runner up for me is Bulgasal, because I'm one of those ten people that missvictrix mentioned, and random dried bloodstains splashed all over the house they all live in still warm my heart.

I bestow my bean of greatness on Alchemy of Souls!

For bean of greatness, I'm thinking not just of fantastic performances, a very good ensemble cast, and an ending that wasn't a letdown. I think a bean of greatness should go to a drama that aimed a little higher. For me, that was Extraordinary Attorney Woo. Park Eun-bin gave a career-defining performance, the cast was excellent, and the ending was solid and consistent. Sure, there were some missteps. But there also were moments that don't get old after rewatching and rewatching: the moment Jun-ho saw Young-woo in the wedding dress, and the moment Young-woo asked her mother not to betray her brother's trust. Most importantly, the drama aimed a little higher than pure entertainment, and for me, it hit the mark.

My Bean of Greatness goes to My Liberation Notes. It's been a long while since I watched a movie whereby I never took cognizance as time passed by thanks to Hospital Playlist 1 &2. My Liberation Notes gave me that exact same feeling all over again. I don't know what charm it was that was into its total execution, but it did a good job of transporting me to a place where time does not exist and before I know it, an hour has gone by.

Also, just like many of us, I looked forward to Mondays cause of Business Proposal. However, MLN gave me a different look forward to. I could still keep my calm if new episodes of BP dropped 2-3 hours late, but MLN had me searching anywhere on the streaming sites for fresh episodes of MLN as my first go-to site began delaying in their updates. It was a nicotine addiction activated every Sat and Sunday and I wouldn't rest until I found the fresh updates.

For taking me to a place where time doesn't exist, and placing me in an addiction phase that got stronger week in week out for 7 consistent weeks, My Liberation Notes takes the Bean of Greatness from my end.

@quirkycase totally agree with. I loved 25,21 and had rewatched many scenes of it multiple times. It made me laugh and broke my heart. My feelings were deeply involved with the characters.
I also want to mention Yumi's cells 2 here. Despite its flaws, it was great to me.

Okay so I was being Grinchish about this, muttering to myself, "there was no Bean of Greatness this year". But after reading through everything and thinking it through, I think there is only one drama this year that was consistent, well produced, well acted, maintained its pace and tone, had something to say, and didn't collapse in its back half (the latter being almost everything I would otherwise be raving about at end of year, everything collapsed in its back half - My Liberation Notes, Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Business Proposal - everything).

So I'm going to have to go with Glitch. It's Glitch.

Thanks everyone for sharing the dramas that were the top of your lists and the reasons why they stood out for you. It was lovely to read.

I'm a list maker - dramas I've watched, am watching, plan to watch. The completed dramas on the list get colour-coded in a purely subjective way if I liked them enough to want to come back to them.

This year the only drama that was coded 'great' was Through the Darkness but like @solstices I've already talked a lot about why and how much I love the show. So I'll mention the one that surprised me with how very much I liked it - Alchemy of Souls. It may not be a 'great' drama but it was so much funnnn. I loved rewatching the funny bits and pieces. Loved reading everyone's comments and speculation on the fantasy elements and where the story would go. I even loved the ending!

If i had a kdrama bean of greatness to give...at this point, it would go to 2521. It definitely left an impression that just lingered. I even play Wonstein's "Your Existence" almost weekly.

I'm going to download Reborn Rich and start it on my flight this weekend, so my choice may change. And the final episodes of Alchemy of Souls may move it to being a stronger contender too.

Bean of Greatness 2022 for Under the Queens Umbrella, for keeping me truly interested in palace politics and landing its ending so well. Plus, it was stunningly beautiful, hilarious in parts and deeply touching.

A non-K-drama bean of greatness to Reset. One of the few dramas I've ever gone back right away & watched again.

For me, my bean of greatness will go to Yumi's Cells. I know it was not a favorite here. I am including 1 and 2 since I watched them all in the same year. Yumi was not a likable character. She couldn't find love because she was still finding herself. The internal dialogue with the cells was clever, thoughtful and at times even challenging. The show considered more mature topics and gave us a more mature, imperfect and not always nice heroine. That made her very relatable. And, it was laugh out loud funny.

There really isn't one for me, but I will say I was in love with both My liberation Notes and 2521. I loved everything about those dramas. Honestly, I think more than anything the actors saved both those dramas. All the actors showed me something new or in Kim Tae Ri's case, she was a revelation to me. So for those reasons 2521 and My liberation notes.

I can't give a bean of greatness to the few new dramas I saw this year, maybe just a bean of goodness, but will happily award it to the female cast of Pachinko. I felt the adaptation strayed from how the women anchored the story in the novel, but it did showcase great acting.

I'm with you @missvictrix! I had to give a bean to Bulgasal. I did enjoy the lore and fated relationships.

I had 4 dramas in mind for my Bean of Greatness. It was hard, but I'm going with Through the Darkness. It stands out from typical crime/cop dramas. I like the thoughtful, human side of it. The main lead was remarkable. The show never relied on extravagant moves and told its story in a grounded, consistent way.

I agree with the celebration of almost all of these shows- and accept that those I am not so enamored of (like BULGASOL) simply reflects my differing tastes.

There two separate mentions of BUSINESS PROPOSAL were certainly appropriate. I understand why Daebakgrits is a bit miffed over the writer's treatment of Grandpa in the one significant departure from the webtoon: Would it really have been so terrible to admit that Grandpa had had an affair and, from it a secret child? (with the result that the 2 ML really actually is his other grandson). It was also a mistake to turn the 2 FL's father into a a cold heartless calculating chaebol. The show would actually have been more comical- and even warmer- if those changes had not been made and could have kept up the comedy at the same high level to the end.

I sincerely hope that the second season of ALCHEMY OF SOULS will be as good as the first twenty outstanding episodes.

EXTRAODINARY ATTORNEY WOO was indeed extraordinary. Park Eunbin has never been better.

My bean of greatness goes to Extraordinary Attorney Woo and a close second is Twenty Five - Twenty One. These are not perfect dramas but these got me excitedly waiting for the next episode, devouring every article I could find about the dramas and their stars.

Attorney Woo is the one drama that I told my non-drama watcher friends to check out. As for 25-21, I never complained about the ending because it was clear to me from the start the couple will not end up together.

Can I be the grinch this year and keep my bean of greatness to myself? My candidates were Extraordinary Woo, Business Proposal and Reborn Rich - the only shows that made me look forward to their airing but in the end, I can't select any yet. Reborn Rich may be the closest contender but I have to see it until the end.

My beans of greatness go to My Liberation Notes and Gaus Electronics. They were the only two dramas I watched this year that I eagerly anticipated each week and was genuinely sad when they were over. I did enjoy many other dramas (Little Women, Business Proposal, Twenty-Five, Twenty-One, Extraordinary Attorney Woo) and was happy when their stories were over, but they didn’t leave me wanting more.

My bean of greatness goes to Never Give Up. It was the perfect blend of kdrama heart, a great ensemble cast and just enjoyable from start to finish. I didn’t really need romance this year, just people living life together and being happy by the end of it.

@mistyisles Are you convincing me to watch another Taec deama? You might very well succeed. I only need to know if it is in the horror genre.

My 2022 Korean bean of greatness goes to Extraordinary Attorney Woo because that's the only kdrama I watched from start to finish

My 2022 Chinese bean if greatness goes to Love like the Galaxy and New Life Begins ❤️

My Greatness beans belong to My Liberation Note, Mr. Gu and Mijeong relationship really make me happy butterflying ^^. It doesn't too much cheesey but make me full of happiness.

My beans of greatness goes to "business proposal " and "under queen's umbrella" mainly because rest everything was forgettable. There were very less number of dramas this year that you might revisit in the future years. I don't see myself revisiting any other drams that I completed this year in future.

My bean of greatness this year goes to F4 Thailand. It wasn't innovative or got me thinking but every minute of that show expressed love to the source material and to the characters while still keeping it contemporary. There was so much attention to detail, it was a great watching experience.

Honorary mentions to Gaus and A Dream of Splendor for that same attention to detail.

Can I give more than one?
My year started with *Our Beloved Summer* and I loved every episode of it. I'd wait for the living room to get empty, off the lights and play it on TV. Then searching up the OSTs and not be able to choose the top 3 coz the songs are just so amazing! This was aesthetic to a different level.
Then *25 21* was like the emotional rollercoaster I didn't knew I needed. The portrayal was just too good, and it's OSTs just give the feels iykwim.
*Alchemy of Souls* is the biggest gem seriously. At one point it just kept making the next episode so amazing I was scared they might ruin it; but thankfully they didn't and s2 is something I have marked in my calendar and announced to everyone around me.
And the underdog is *Love is for Suckers*; it's not very special or anything but idk why I just kept being drawn to it every week and desperately waiting for the next episode. And it did bring very satisfying closures too, so I'm happy.

There were so many dramas I loved this year: I am another of the 10 people who loved Bulgasal, Through the Darkness was riveting and Song Ha-young is the best thing ever, Our Beloved Summer nearly succeeded in making me nostalgic for high school (shudder), and Never Give Up made me want to move to their neighborhood immediately.

But in the end, there was a drama that seems to have had me in mind as its ideal audience member, and that was Alchemy of Souls. It was beautiful, it was epic, it was ambitious. It had the most complex love polygon I have yet encountered, with some of the best couples resulting. I loved its flawed parental figures, its headstrong younger generation, and their interactions as they all try to reckon with the mistakes of the past. I loved the growth of our two leads as they gain different kinds of power, and their amazing willingness to be pushed beyond their limits at every turn. The Beanie community in the comments where we analyzed every detail and argued about them and made doomed predictions was perfection. I am beyond excited for part 2, but even if they fail to stick this landing, I don't think it will be able to tarnish the experience of getting swept into part 1 so completely, and I will still be here to defend the Golden Fish as a plot device ;)

I'm also a lists maker, or more precisely a tables maker, so I have a set of data and several ranges of parameters to attribute notes to the dramas I've watched.
The numerical ranking for 2022 dramas is thus easy to get. I had little doubt that the most memorable for me is Love like the galaxie and I'm pestering a friend to watch it despite her reticence to cdramas and to costumes-settings.

However, we are discussing kdramas thus this bean goes to Alchemy of souls. Gorgeous cinematography, bickering, grimaces, reluctant love and adventures. The recapping and discussions in the comments also added to my enjoyment.

I have not finished, and fully evaluated, cdrama Unexpected falling but it deserves a mention, a bean of addiction, for the difficulties I have to stop watching this slow burning angsty love mystery.
Also, like @daebakgrits Business proposal was the highlight of a few weeks. But even if we have the real ending I cannot forsake the last episodes.

There were a few k-dramas that I truly enjoyed this year - to name a few: My Liberation Notes (profound yet mundane at the same time), Under the Queen’s Umbrella (Kim Hye-Soo, she slays as the Queen), ExtraOrdinary Attorney Woo (another great female character), 2521 (I could still remember the copious amount of tears I spilled and the visceral heartache I felt about the gold medal saga), Gaus Electronics (according to my daughter, I laughed like a seahorse while watching it, how she knows how a seahorse laugh still baffles me to this day). But the one that truly deserves my bean of greatness is Through the Darkness. I was going through a bad case of k-drama slump. For a few long months, nothing interest me -nothing! I thought that’s it! That’s probably the end of my k-drama love affair 😭😭 (I know, I’m being a tad overdramatic but still!) Until I stumbled across Through the Darkness. I found pockets of beanie’s enthusiasm about the drama but it wasn’t that popular or talked about that much on the beanies’ wall. I didn’t have high hope for the drama and I sort of made up my mind that it’s probably going to be another bleh crime drama series. I watched an episode maybe to prove my point but lo and behold, I was hooked from the get-go. Kim Nam Gil’s performance was heartbreaking, yet so mesmerising. And it was different - it was far from the typical crime k-drama that I’m used to watching. And from then on, my k-drama interest started to re-kindle, and I was pulled out of my slump. So thank you Through the Darkness, you gave me light when I needed one.

The only 2022 Kdrama I watched this year was Business Proposal, and I loved it (and the ending wasn't nearly as bad as I'd feared based on general reactions), so I'm happy to give it my Bean of Greatness.

Of the 2022 Cdramas I watched, my Bean of Greatness has to go to Love Between Fairy and Devil. It was the only drama I've watched this year that had that "crack drama" effect on me.

Mine was Bulgasal. It was great storytelling and the actors were great.

My Bean of Greatness goes to Business Proposal, even though I was disappointed that the ending did not quite wrap it up as well as I expected. (I'm looking at you, Grandpa, too.) But 2521 would have been a contender if the ending had been different and the older Hee-do hadn't lost her joie de vivre that so characterized the younger Hee-do.

Mine goes from From Now On, Showtime. I loved that drama so much. It made me feel a lot of things. It also had two beautiful love stories, one modern and one sageuk. I became obsessed with it and followed updates on Twitter in Korea, which is how I know I'm into a drama (I did the same with Let Me Be Your Knight (but the ending bitterly disappointed me) Love is for Suckers (but as you may know from my other comments, I only cared about a side couple), and A Business Proposal (which was a serious competitor for my Bean of Greatness but I still preferred From Now On, Showtime just by a smidge).

My bean of greatness goes to My Liberation Notes. Yes it was broody and slow paced (two things I'm not really a fan of in dramas) but this was soon addictive. Plus I've found a new swoony ML in Son Seok Goo

"the Crown Prince will enter an angsty arc wherein he shaves off his eyebrows in order to conceal his true emotions."

Maybe we can just get him to pull his topknot ponytail tighter and kind of freeze them in place? There's no prince without the omnipotent brows.

I have been thinking about which drama would get my "ultimate" bean... I mean, I already gave 10 to Alchemy of Souls but it's a strong contender anyway. I'm also one of those who enjoy a lot of dramas that seem to bore or annoy other people... but thinking back on what has had the biggest/most lasting impact on me this year brings up several.

I loved Business Proposal because it knew that it was completely awful and tropey and cringey and just didn't care, and I respect that.

I loved Alchemy of Souls because no other show left me screaming questions at the TV at the end of every. single. episode... and it was over-the-top pretty even in its darkest moments.

I loved Attorney Woo for its deliberate confrontation of social issues, and for those moments where Woo tried to give someone the evil eye and it made me giggle every time. I loved the ensemble - yes, even Min Woo - and the cherry on top is Kang Ki Young... I have been obsessed with him since Secretary Kim.

I loved Cafe Minamdang, only slightly less than the others. Let's say I loved it in the first half of the run, when it was energetic and weird and wonderful, and had the ability to make me laugh out loud. Less so in the second half... but it's still a very fond memory for the year.

I loved Love in Contract even though many people got frustrated with it. Is it my favorite PMY drama of all time? No. But it was a Go Kyung Pyo masterwork, and it made me rewind it and say, wait, what?? more than once so it kept my interest. Birth secrets and conglomerate children hiding in plain sight are well-worn tropes, but they work here. And I want a friend like Gwang Nam waiting for me at home. I also enjoyed the liberal use of snark.

I loved Love is for Suckers, and yes, I know many people hated that one too. Unanswered questions? Yes. Unnecessary angst? Yes. Unapologetic misuse of controversial issues, left unresolved? Yes. But... it was charming, and the characters didn't hide all of their damage from the audience or from each other, which made it more engaging. Plus, I give the show major respect points for the swoony romance between the pretty guy and the non-traditionally-beautiful girl.

Drama of the year for me goes to Twenty Five Twenty One. Even with the announcement of the drama, I felt like I wanted to watch a drama with 90's magic. The cast looked promising with the hint of highschool backdrop, I was ready for the drama to be aired. So from the beginning I was deeply invested in watching this drama and the show delivered it so perfectly. I loved the story of both Na Hee Do and Baek Yi Jin in the struggling days of the 90's. How they overcame the struggles and reaching the top, this was truly inspiring. The romance in this drama was simple, sweet and yet really left me so heartbroken at the end, that it took me time to accept the ending as it is. Even with an ending which I personally was not satisfied with , overall this drama captured my heart to the fullest. This show will be fondly remembered for many many years.

My Bean of Greatness goes to Under Queen's Umbrella 😍.
Even after so many years in kdramaland, a sageuk piece always have a special note in my rerun drama.
And this year, I couldn't be more excited to add another one 😉.
Apparently, I just noticed that all my sageuk favourite were about a great women in palace 😅😅😅... all hail to the ironclad ladies there ✌️

Bean of Greatness for 2022 goes to Alchemy of Souls. I looked forward to this drama so much each week, like others with a mixture of anticipation and terror that they would mess it up (rather like my feelings for part 2). A very close second was Business Proposal which made me look forward to Mondays for the first time ever.

Gotta agree with @alathe; Alchemy is at the top of my list (of two dramas I watched this year hahaaa). It has everything - humour, witty dialogue, great acting, beautiful actors, and romance. This was so good. I just watched the first episode of season 2 and idk what everyone was so worried about. So far, it has EVERYTHING I asked for in season 2 and more. I am literally so excited guys.

My bean of greatness goes to Through the Darkness. I am deeply impressed by this show - by the writing, by the acting of all the characters, by the general tone and atmosphere of it, by it's sheer capability to handle such a difficult subject in an adequate way. Kim Nam Gil delivered a masterclass of his profession here, but so did the actors that portrayed the culprits as well. The writing of this show was, in my view, extraordinary as it never admired the culprits' actions (as it does happen in many other crime shows) nor did it linger too much on the violence (as it also happens a lot in other shows). Instead it highlighted the interview sessions which were so well acted and explained so much, and we got to see an evolving police force with actual character development on my sides. What interests me about crime / mystery is not the violence but the psychology behind the culprits but that's also behind catching them, and that has been delivered in spades here. I was totally blown away by this drama and it's impact. It is hard to take in some instances, but that is fitting, too. Oh and did I mention Kim Nam Gil and his acting...? It deserves to be mentioned many, many times.

I always assumed dramabeans were coffee beans, but it appears they're actually jellybeans (at least that's what we call those colourful kidney-shaped sweets in Australia).

Any chance of bringing back the Beanie Awards?? I absolutely LOVED those, and it was great to feel a little more involved in the site. Plus, I generally used those to determine what dramas I need to go back to from this year that I missed live. The Bean Count and Bean of Greatness can help with that, but it really only gives me 12 people's opinions, while the Beanie Awards can give me dozens more!! Just a thought. :)