Thanks to everyone who took the time to vote on The Poll!
The results are in, and, as promised, I’m here to announce the winners – and also, tell you where my votes would have gone, if I’d voted.
Come see? 😃
A total of 5,273 votes were cast by more than 350 voters, to get the results that I’m sharing in today’s post. WOW. That’s a lot of votes! 🤯
Thanks so much for playing, and without further ado, here are your results!
Best Drama: Mr. Queen
Votes cast in this category: 1,512
Number of voters: 349
Mr. Queen came in on top, with 109 votes, while Hospital Playlist 2 came in a close second, with 107 votes. Hometown Cha Cha Cha was in third place, with 104 votes.
Editor’s Picks:
You guys already know from my 2021 Year In Review post, that Navillera was my drama of the year, so my pick for Best Drama is a no-brainer.
It just so happens that I had ten A-rated dramas in my “Worth making time for” section, and so, I’ve done a forced ranking, to rank them in order. This is where my votes for this section would have gone, if I’d been voting too. If you’d like to know more about what I think of each of these shows, you can either visit my Year In Review post, or click on the individual reviews!
1. Navillera
3. Youth Of May
4. Lost [Human Disqualification]
5. Yumi’s Cells
7. Beyond Evil
9. Squid Game
Best Actor: Song Joong Ki, Vincenzo
Votes cast in this category: 439
Number of voters: 284
Song Joong Ki for Vincenzo, came in on top, with 82 votes. Tang Joon Sang for Move To Heaven was a distant second, with 47 votes. Kim Seon Ho for Hometown Cha Cha Cha was a close third, with 46 votes.
Editor’s Pick: Ryu Joon Yeol, Lost
There were many excellent performances in the dramas that I watched in 2021, and among the ones I saw, I have to say that Ryu Joon Yeol’s outing in Lost was the one who that really lingers with me. His reaction faces were subtle and restrained, but so layered and expressive, that I was completely mesmerized.
Best Actress: Shin Hye Sun, Mr. Queen
Votes cast in this category: 383
Number of voters: 263
Shin Hye Sun for Mr. Queen was a runaway favorite with 129 votes, while Jeon Mi Do for Hospital Playlist 2 came in second with 68 votes. Park Eun Bin for The King’s Affection came in third with 49 votes.
Editor’s Pick: Shin Hye Sun, Mr. Queen
I have to agree with the majority of voters, that Shin Hye Sun in Mr. Queen deserves the Best Actress crown in 2021.
Among the leading actresses in the dramas that I watched last year, Shin Hye Sun had the most opportunity to display a wide acting range in her role in Mr. Queen, and the range that she served up was nothing short of outrageously good. I completely believed that there was a manly Bong Hwan on the inside, perplexed over how to live the queenly life.
Best OTP: Kim Seon Ho & Shin Min Ah, Hometown Cha Cha Cha
Votes cast in this category: 426
Number of voters: 264
Our Hometown Cha Cha Cha OTP came out on top with 77 votes, while Jeon Mi Do and Jo Jung Seok for Hospital Playlist 2, came in second with 57 votes. Coming in third, with 47 votes, is Park Hyung Sik and Han Hyo Joo for Happiness.
Editor’s Pick: Won Jin Ah & Rowoon, She Would Never Know
It was a hard fight between the winning Hometown Cha Cha Cha OTP, and the OTP from She Would Never Know, honestly.
I decided to pick the OTP from She Would Never Know, because this romance had me completely invested. I loved that both leads felt like real, down-to-earth people, and I loved that the romance felt earthy, yet sweet and whimsical, at the same time. Show had me flailing all over the floor in big puddles of squee at points, and that definitely counts for something!
Best Supporting Actor: Im Chul Soo, Vincenzo
Votes cast in this category: 327
Number of voters: 217
Im Chul Soo for Vincenzo came out on top with 63 votes, while Hwang In Yeop for True Beauty came in second, with 54 votes. Lee Duk Hwa for The Red Sleeve came in third, with 47 votes.
Editor’s Pick: Im Chul Soo, Vincenzo
Im Chul Soo’s been a favorite of mine, since I first noticed him in 2020’s Crash Landing On You. Ever since then, I’ve perked up every time he’s shown up on my screen, and this role in Vincenzo really gave him the time and opportunity to showcase his comic timing and acting range. He was absolutely fantastic in this, managing to steal just about every scene he appeared in – even from Vincenzo himself.
Best Supporting Actress: Jung Ho Yeon, Squid Game
Votes cast in this category: 329
Number of voters: 216
Jung Ho Yeon for Squid Game came in with the most number of votes, 81. Kang Han Na for My Roommate is a Gumiho came in second with 66 votes, while Cha Chung Hwa came in third, with 61 votes, for Mr. Queen.
Editor’s Pick: Lee Bong Ryun, Hometown Cha Cha Cha
Lee Bong Ryun had several very difficult scenes in Hometown Cha Cha Cha, where I felt that she delivered brilliantly, which is why she’s my pick for Best Supporting Actress. There’s what feels like an effortless depth of emotion, with multiple layers and facets, in those scenes, and she makes it all land in such a raw and natural manner. Really impressive.
Best Ensemble: Hospital Playlist 2
Votes cast in this category: 368
Number of voters: 244
The crew from Hospital Playlist 2 came out on top with 141 votes, and in second place, the gang from Vincenzo ended with 92 votes. The residents in Hometown Cha Cha Cha came in third, with 62 votes.
Editor’s Pick: Hospital Playlist 2
I had to go with Hospital Playlist 2, because the Main Five has wormed their way into my heart as an intact group, and seeing them together on my screen, never fails to give me warm, cozy, found family feels.
I know we’re not likely to ever see a Season 3, but if it ever materializes, I will be so, SO happy to see my Fabulous Five share the screen again. 🤩
Best OST: Hospital Playlist 2
Votes cast in this category: 288
Number of voters: 201
Hospital Playlist 2 came out on top with 53 votes, while Hometown Cha Cha Cha came in second, with 48 votes. Vincenzo came in third, with 29 votes.
Editor’s Pick: Hospital Playlist 2
I confess that the OST from Hospital Playlist 2 doesn’t exactly live rent-free in my brain. HOWEVER, with the Fabulous Five singing and playing practically everything on the soundtrack, listening to it makes me smile. Watching them sing and play it together, automatically gives me a case of the goofy grins. For that reason, I can’t not give them Best OST.
Best Song: Bong Hwan A, Mr. Queen
Votes cast in this category: 227
Number of voters: 154
Bong Hwan A for Mr. Queen came out on top with 32 votes, while Romantic Sunday for Hometown Cha Cha Cha, came in second with 25 votes. Run To You for Run On came in third, with 24 votes.
Editor’s Pick: Romantic Sunday, Hometown Cha Cha Cha
This is the song that lives rent-free in my head, long after I’ve finished my watch of Hometown Cha Cha Cha. I think that’s a pretty solid reason for me to pick it as Best Song. That, and it immediately gives me breezy, seaside vacation vibes, just from the opening riff alone. I do love that.
Most Underrated Gem: Navillera
Votes cast in this category: 324
Number of voters: 223
Navillera came out on top with 60 votes. Youth Of May came in a rather distant second, with 46 votes, while Happiness came in third place, with 36 votes.
Editor’s Pick: Navillera
I feel like quite a lot of people gave Navillera a pass, and since I love it so much (it is my drama of the year, after all), I want everyyyyone to watch it. To my mind, the feels in Navillera are deep and wonderful, and very likely more accessible, compared to the feels in other excellent underrated gems like Lost and Youth of May. That accessibility is why I give my vote to Navillera.
The Razzie: Doom At Your Service
Votes cast in this category: 324
Number of voters: 212
Doom At Your Service came out on top, with 79 votes, while Sisyphus came in a distant second, with 56 votes. In third place is Nevertheless with 48 votes.
Editor’s Pick: Doom At Your Service
I was hoping Doom At Your Service would manage to do more with its set-up, but the more I watched it, the less sense it made, despite my best efforts at lens adjustments. What a waste of a great pair of leads. Seo In Guk and Park Bo Young have done better – and deserve better.
Most Worthy of a Rewatch: Mr. Queen
Votes cast in this category: 326
Number of voters: 213
Mr. Queen came out on top with 56 votes, while Hometown Cha Cha Cha came in second with 50 votes. In third place, Yumi’s Cells came in with 34 votes.
Editor’s Pick: She Would Never Know
This was a tough one. I rarely rewatch shows anymore, so it was particularly hard to select a show that I could see myself rewatching.
While I could see myself maybe reaching for Hometown Cha Cha Cha when I next want a virtual seaside vacation, I have to admit that when it comes to the actual unfolding romance between an OTP that I’d like to re-experience, it’s She Would Never Know that I would pick.
..And that concludes our 2021 Year End Awards!
Thanks so much to everyone for voting – you helped to make these Awards possible!
And here’s a big standing ovation for all of our winners – led by our charismatic Vincenzo leads themselves. 😉
Thanks for playing, everyone! ❤️