In in all, I’d hafta say that 2013 has been a big k-year for me. My biggest k-year ever, since I got on the k-train in 2007. After all, this is the year that I:
– experienced what it’s like to take care of a blog;
– discovered the awesome allure of Kim Woo Bin;
– went to my first fanmeet, ever;
– organized my first squee-fest (fun!)
and
– faced my first existential crisis as a blogger. (I survived. It’s all good.)
The downside of all that, though? I watched the least amount of drama, ever, since I got on the drama train.
Tsk. The irony, right?
I thought about not writing a year-in-review post, since I watched so few of the 2013 dramas. And then I thought, why the heck not? As a bona-fide resident of the dramaverse, I have every right to tell the dramaverse what I think, right?
And this is the season of giving. And forgiving.
So here’re my thoughts, all ye shows who’ve crossed my screen in 2013.
From the hearts-in-my-eyes accolades:
To the what-the-heck-were-you-thinking:
I’m gonna tell it like it is, shows. So that you’ll know how to do better next time.
Favorite Drama: School 2013
Aw. Looking back at the various 2013 dramas that I managed to watch, you really are the drama that captured my heart like no other drama did this year. (And I’m not even talking about Kim Woo Bin sneaking up on me and stealing my heart. Although that does give you extra brownie points for sure.)
Full of heart, with hopes and ideals and fears all mixed together in one kaleidoscopic world, and boasting my favorite bromance in all of dramaland, you, Show, are the unassuming little underdog who packed more of an emotional punch than many other big budget shows this year.
You were sweet, with just enough bitter to keep it raw and real; altogether lovely, and worth a second serve.
I ❤ you, Show.
Edit: Review is here.
Favorite Rom-Com: I Hear Your Voice
Show, I crown thee a noona romance to slay all other noona romances.
Yes, the chemistry between your OTP could’ve been more crackly, and yes, your legal system was cartoonish to a mickey mouse-ish sort of degree. But Lee Jong Suk sold this so earnestly and endearingly that I was very firmly rooting for him very fast. Plus, the wonderful theme of unconditional love that you served up gripped me by the heart and wouldn’t let go until I’d fallen over in complete surrender.
With the bonus of likable supporting characters and a wonderfully breezy, lovely OST, I was a happy camper willing to overlook all of your flaws.
Could I have a Park Soo Ha of my own, pretty please? Preferably in time for Christmas? No? Well then, how about in time for Valentine’s?
Edit: Review is here.
Most Illuminating Show: King Of Dramas
Satirical and cheeky, and peopled by an excellent cast, you gave us an unapologetic and unrelenting look at what goes on behind the scenes of our beloved dramas.
With enough realism and grit to make for an illuminating and fascinating watch, and enough campy to make it tongue-in-cheek and fun, all the while imbued with just enough whimsy to make it feel like a dreamy parallel universe, you, Show, felt fresh and unexpected and even a little daring, for poking fun at the k-ent industry while making plain some of the open secrets that we (mostly) already (sorta) knew.
You are by far the funnest and most thorough of the various dramas that have used the k-ent industry as a setting.
For giving us Anthony, and for forever changing the way I look at a drama, I forgive you, Show, for your weak ending.
Edit: Review is here.
Biggest Mental Workout: Nine
Nine, you are the most intelligently written of the time travel dramas that have graced our screens. Your time travel device and all of its accompanying ripple effects were one the most tightly written and well thought-out that I’ve come across.
You proved to be one big rollercoaster ride that kept me on the edge of my seat from episode to episode with all of your twists and turns, and I was always asking the question: “What will Sun Woo do now?”
Was it because I was too busy trying to keep up with the mental gymnastics? Or was it because your writers were too busy keeping track of their time travel device? My only beef with you is that I never felt fully engaged in an emotional way, even though there were times that actual tears left my eyes.
You’re a thought-provoking one. To put it mildly.
Edit: Review is here. Further dissection here.
The Underachiever: Flower Boy Next Door
An introspective watch disguised as a zany rom-com. At least, that’s how I like to see you.
When you were zany, you were so very zany. With a hero displaying the personality of an Energizer bunny, random flower boys populating the screen (and sometimes literally hanging from windows), and quirky sound effects to boot, one would be hard-pressed to not identify your world as manhwa-inspired.
Yet when you were introspective, you were so very thoughtful. We got to know a heroine who was a timid shut-in, desperate for the world at large to not notice her existence, and we followed her on her journey as she collided head-on with said Energizer bunny hero and was forced to take her first small, scary steps out into the world.
And if that had been your main arc and message, Show, I would’ve been such a happy camper. Instead, right towards the end, you decided to side-step our heroine’s eventual growth as an individual and feed us lots of treacly sweet couple stuff instead, which felt like noshing on empty calories.
You could’ve been so much better than that, Show. If only you knew.
Edit: Review is here.
Prettiest (& Most Disappointing) Show: That Winter, The Wind Blows
Oh, That Winter. You started off so well. Everything and everyone looked gorgeous and beautiful. Every scene perfectly lit and shot, backed with a wonderfully evocative OST.
Plus, you can even boast that you have the crackiest fauxcest I’ve ever seen in dramaland. Never before have I rooted harder for a “brother” to kiss his “sister.” Yes, Show. You did weird things to my brain. To all of our brains. I and all of dramaland felt the need for therapy as we ate up all the fauxcest you served up, and then craved for more.
But here’s the thing. Logic’s a really important foundation stone when you’re a drama. We didn’t expect you to be really strong in this area, but at least the semblance of some would have made a difference.
You left me bemused and very upset at your cop-out of an ending. But hey, at least you were oh-so-pretty while you were at it.
Edit: Review is here.
Weepiest Melo: I Miss You
OMG, Show. You got it all wrong. A drama doesn’t need to have tears in every single scene, nor go crazy with its plot and characters in order to qualify as a melo.
I tried to stick with you, Show. I really did. After all, you served up a very lovely Yoo Seung Ho with such delicious bedroomy eyes. But you made our heroine cry so much that Yoon Eun Hye’s face and eyes were constantly puffy. After a while, it just felt like you were trying to wring tears from me. Like you took actual pleasure in making your characters suffer, rather than in telling a coherent story.
Your manipulative penchant for suffering and tears is why I broke up with you after 13 episodes, Show. And I have it on good authority that I made the right decision.
Edit: Dropped post is here.
Most Underwhelming Show: Heirs
With so much hype preceding your arrival, it was going to be an uphill battle for you to live up to expectations one way or another. In that sense, I feel a little sorry for you, Show.
But really, you didn’t have to be that underwhelming.
Instead of fresh and zippy, you gave us slow and heavy. Instead of meaningful growth for our characters, you made us circle around the same things over and over. Instead of fleshing out some key relationships, you chose to gloss over almost every relationship. Instead of meaningful dramatic tension, you gave us one Big Bad Chairman Daddy and called it a day.
Still, for giving us Bo Na and Chan Young, who were the cutest thing about you, and for giving us Young Do, who was the most compelling person in your entire cast, I forgive you.
We may not always have California (and the jaw-droppingly bad Engrish to go with), but we will always have mesmerizing Young Do. ❤
Edit: Review is here.
Fun & Easy: Master’s Sun
Although I’m still dating you, Show, it’s been a pretty good 14 episodes that we’ve had together so far.
Overall, you’ve been a fun, easy, unchallenging watch. Sure, the story you’re telling is fairly simple, and sometimes I feel kinda disturbed by some of the hair-grabbing and other humiliation/mistreatment that your heroine’s had to bear, but you’ve got an OTP with excellent chemistry and a gorgeous OST that I really dig.
You haven’t been shout-it-from-the-mountaintops great, but you haven’t been all that bad either.
Just 3 more episodes to go. Don’t fail me now, Show.
Edit: Review is here.
Heartless City
Everyone swooned and waxed lyrical over your bad-boy allure so much that I approached you out of pure curiosity.
10 episodes in, you’re proving to be dark, twisty and mysterious, just like everyone said you were. It’s weird that I’m not head-over-heels smitten with you like everyone before me. You’re certainly interesting, though. And gritty. Yet elegant. And you sure know how to muddy up what’s supposed to be right and wrong, leading us into a glorious sea of uncertainty.
10 more episodes with you, Show. I might just fall in love with you yet.
Edit: Review is here.
Other 2013 Dramas I Want to Check Out:
Well, that was a short list of watched dramas, wasn’t it? Yes, there are a number of 2013 dramas that I’ve still got on my radar.
In no particular order, going forward, I’d like to go on dates with:
- Can We Get Married?
- The End of the World
- Mandate of Heaven
- Two Weeks
- The Queen’s Classroom
- She is WOW
- Reply 1994
The only problem, of course, is finding the time, with 2014 almost upon us, and whole slew of new dramas already invading our horizon.
Where is that time machine that dramaland served up last year when you need it?
A Slight Tangent:
On a somewhat related tangent, I did make time for some rewatches in 2013.
Chuno
This rewatch started innocently enough. All I was in the mood for, really, was to drool over some serious eye candy after telling everyone on my Jang Hyuk post that they should watch Chuno, if only for the shirtless awesome.
But then, a few episodes in, I was completely blown away by how good Chuno really is, and decided I needed to write it a proper review. 13,000 words later, I’m more convinced than ever, that Chuno is a masterpiece.
Sungkyunkwan Scandal
Recently, I started a rewatch of Sungkyunkwan Scandal, coz Michele and I wanted to try out a Skype Squee thing. The idea, of course, is to watch something together while connected via Skype so that we can squee together.
Even though Sungkyunkwan Scandal sits on my All-Time Faves list, I am still happily blown away by just how cracky it is, even the second time around.
It’s cute, it’s engaging, it’s (so very) pretty, and absolutely, thoroughly addictive.
Edit: I finally wrote a review for Sungkyunkwan Scandal! Check it out here!
Attention, Dramaverse:
Which begs the question: why isn’t the dramaverse serving up dramas like these anymore?
I feel like so many shows these days start out promising and then get completely derailed. And the casualty count only seems to be increasing as we go.
Is it just that I’m noticing it more now than before, coz I’ve started blogging about it? Or is this really a new (& very disappointing) trend?
So many people I know have spoken about drama fatigue. I felt it a little, too, this year. But now that I’m watching Sungkyunkwan Scandal, I’m convinced that it’s not me, Dramaverse. It’s YOU.
C’mon, Dramaverse. Give us the good stuff. We know you can do it, coz you’ve done it before. Make 2014 awesome for us all.
I’m rooting for you. Fighting!
