Hey everyone!
We’re having guest posts from the lovely folks on Patreon, to help us take stock of our drama years, kinda-sorta like what we had last year, woot! 🥳
We’ll be seeing about 2 guest posts per week, and this will unfold into January 2023, and that’s perfectly ok. AND, my annual year-in-review, which usually comes out in December, will also come out in January (or thereabouts 😅), after all the guest posts have been published.
If you missed our earlier posts, you can check them out as follows: phl1rxd, j3ffc, Uyen, Sean, Martina, David, Natalia.
Today, I’m pleased to announce that MC is sharing her drama year!
If you’ve been around the blog for a while, you might already know that MC hails from Singapore, just like me, and is wonderfully cheerful and friendly, and just a really nice person to talk to. I’m so glad that she managed to make time for this post, despite her busy schedule. Thanks MC!
I hope you guys enjoy!
KFG ❤️
HELLO THERE and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
(I know it’s mid-January but it’s still pretty early so here’s my new year wishes to you!)
Honestly I find it so hard to describe myself. So I’ll just say I’m MC and I started watching dramas in 2013 thanks to my mother in law (full deets here, if you’re interested!).
We would discuss all the ~drama~ of poor girls and rich guys, birth secrets, amnesia plotlines and of course everyone’s favourite Truck of Doom…
Interestingly enough it’s now end 2022 as I write this and on Boxing Day I found myself again watching a (this time Thai) drama with the mother in law and discussing the plot which was full of ~drama~ (this time it was -gasp- the son poisoning the mother and trying to frame someone else and she finds out and slaps him… (also, if you’re interested in the title of the show, ask me in the comments!)
I conclude that times change, we’re older, hopefully wiser, but we’ll always be bonding over dramas and the amazing storylines. Lol!
Ok that was a really long intro. Did I tell you that I’m very longwinded and full of stories? Ok, ok, I can tell you’re getting antsy. Let me get on with the programme….
So, 2022, right?
The world opened up (depending on where you’re based), we mostly went back to pre-pandemic times, I finally took a plane for a short holiday – all that, plus a full time job, taking care of a kid, house selling/ buying/ renovation, trying to exercise more, church commitments etc, meant that I’ve not watched many shows. Argh.
But still, I watched some really great shows and I have ALL the thoughts to share with you :
Best Drama (of 2022):
(in other words I have probably talked too much about you to my friends who are now sick and tired of listening to me over hyping these shows)
This show has appeared on many peoples’ list which is a testament to how good it is! My no. 1 for the year has to go to Love Like The Galaxy.
To better encapsulate how I felt about the show, here is a repost of my comment on Fangirl’s amazing review of the show as to just how obsessed I was with this show:
I am finally DONE with this WONDERFUL show.
I cannot even begin to thank the Patreon community and KFG because I didn’t know of this show and only tried it out coz EVERYONE was spazzing about it (and so many of you on Patreon told me to get right to it!)
So for that A THOUSAND THANK YOUS, if not I would have missed out on so much goodness. And Fangirl, this monster review was not monsterous to me but marvellous in making me revisit all the feels!
Was it perfect? No, I was legit annoyed with it at times, when the logic didn’t stack up (thanks, cuts…) and really did not like many of the vicious ladies.
BUT this show took my heart and took me on a rollercoaster of emotions – from laughing at the funny bits, squeeing and spazzing at all the romance, to tearing and crying at the sad parts.
I loved these characters, hated them, got angry with them, wanted to shake sense into them… you know that a Show is done well when you identify so much with the characters and they felt so very real and alive to me.
And all that is coming from a drama veteran who has been on a steady diet of dramas for the past 6 over years. For that, Show, you were so very very good.
Instead of telling you what I think about the show, which would be a poor rehash of Fangirl’s fantastic review, let me tell you instead how obsessed I got with this show:
– Many early mornings and late nights for “just another episode”. When I worked from home, all my lunch hours were devoted to LLTG.
– When I was sick and took my medication, when I felt the meidcine making me drowsy, I would keep my eyes open just to finish the episode
– I deliberately choose to take the subway/ train instead of bus ride so that I could watch on my journey (I cannot watch on a bus but I can on trains)
– On a rare free day, I spent the entire day holed up in my house watching and binging. When I could go out for a good dinner, I chose to eat nearby so that I had more time to watch
– I listened to the OST on Youtube so much that Youtube keeps recommending it to me and when I had to play a Youtube video during a major work meeting, I had to ensure I paused it towards the end because Youtube’s next video recommendation would be – you know it – more LLTG and I didn’t really want to show that to the big executives in the room!
– I wrote freaking ESSAYS in Patreon’s deep dive which is not something I usually do!
– During a recent lunch hour when I worked from home. I was so immersed and missed the time and…. I forgot that I had a 2pm meeting and only returned to the real non LLTG world late and joined my meeting late….
All that to say – this show really grabbed me well and proper and this was one of the drama highlights of the year for me. THANK YOU SHOW for being so very wonderful and thank you everyone for journeying with me!
Special Mentions:
Extraordinary Attorney Woo – I was very hesitant to start this, as I was worried how they would portray autistic people (plus at that point in time my kid was developmentally delayed and potentially needing more early intervention/ going down the route of possible autism. We still don’t know yet, but you can imagine why I was hesitant to be triggered).
But it turned out to be so warm and lovely. Of course not every workplace will be so supportive and she was a savant but it was nice to see that she found her own space and way ahead.
A Business Proposal – this one. Ah. So fresh, so funny, so flat out amazing all the way till the last 2 episodes. I won’t dwell on that, it still hurts lol.
My friend and I would wait eagerly till 11pm on Tuesdays for new episodes to drop, we would shout some of the best lines at each other, we would scour Reddit and other forums for peoples’ reactions… (ok maybe that was just me…)
Posting some of the best gifs here to relieve the feels – you’re welcome! 😀
Best Drama (non 2022 drama but watched in 2022):
(I know it doesn’t really belong in a 2022 review but I still want to squee about these shows please bear with me hahaha)
Definitely has to be Someday Or One Day.
I knew it’d be good coz Fangirl LOVED it – but I didn’t expect to love it that much too.
Again I was obsessed (erm seems to be a trend with me) – it made me think furiously and feel all the feels.
I’ll admit to being a bit less productive at work/ taking longer lunches in that season coz I was always thinking about the show, fitting in another episode during lunch etc. I had long conversations with Fangirl about it too!
Be warned – if you start this show, PLEASE GO IN BLIND DON’T READ THE SYNOPSIS! Trust us and just jump in. 😀
Also, you WILL probably need to chat about it – Fangirl’s Open Threads were so useful and helpful for me. Or if you join us on Patreon, you can scream about it in the Deep Dive – we will scream about it with you!
Special Mention:
This was thanks to the Group Watch we had earlier this year, if not I would never have dipped my toes into it. And what a pity it would have been because I would have missed out on something special.
Sometimes we all get caught up in the sparkle of a new show but this one truly stands the test of time – the writing is still tight.
At some key points in the show I’d wonder where else can this show go? And it would make the next leap to something that just makes sense so effortlessly.
Also, the acting was fantabulous and it brings all the feelsssss. Plus, younger Yoo In Na is adorable! Are you piqued enough? 😀
Best Actor:
(aka, you are magic and I loved you so much)
Hands down, this category goes to Park Eun Bin for her portrayal of autistic savant lawyer Woo Young Woo in Extraordinary Attorney Woo. I cannot give her enough credit and sing enough praises.
It must have been scary to even take on this role but after having watched it, I can’t imagine anyone else in the role.
Let me put it this way.
My 50 year old male colleague who is also into Kdramas watched Park Eun Bin here and proceeded to watch EVERY SINGLE of her shows – even Age of Youth, to which he said “it’s a show about women in their twenties, why am I even watching this”, just to see more of her.
There you go. Case closed.
Special Mention:
However having said that I think Lee Sung Min in Reborn Rich would give her a good run for her money.
I’ve not finished Reborn Rich so no spoilers please! But I’ve watched 6 eps so far and he is KILLING it in the role. It feels like he IS Chairman Jin.
I’ve loved him since I first saw him in Misaeng as grumpy and lovable Section Chief Oh Sang Shik but I really sat up and paid attention to him during Reborn Rich.
Best OTP:
[you made me SQUEE LIKE MADDDDDDDD SAVE MEEEEE (also I must have expressed all my emotions in FULL CAPS to fully express ALL THE FEELS I FELT]
My no. 1 pick has to be Cheng Shaoshang and General Ling Buyi from Love Like The Galaxy.
You two made me squee, laugh, cry, feel like shaking sense into you and made me care so very deeply about you both as individuals and as a couple.
Would I want such a dramatic love like that? Definitely not the life and death scenarios but that singleheaded utter devotion General Ling had for Shaoshang was so very swoonworthy.
Special Mentions:
I would like to also highlight one more wonderful pair – not of lovers but of friends in Choi Su-yeon and Woo Young Woo in Extraordinary Attorney Woo.
I thought Show would have Su-yeon jealous and fight for Lee Junho’s affections but I loved how it subverted my expectations and instead made Su-yeon such a great support and encouragement for our extraordinary attorney.
My favourite is the Spring Sunshine conversation – ah, it makes me want to be like a Spring Sunshine to the people around me too.
Best OST:
(what this means is that you appeared really high up on my Spotify Wrapped!!)
Both Love Like The Galaxy and Someday Or One Day had fantastic OSTs that amped up all the feels.
Love Like The Galaxy especially had wonderful instrumentals that made me sit up and take note.
And Someday Or One Day – I can’t listen to the songs without being transported back! Especially the opening lines of Wu Bai’s Last Dance.
Special Mention:
But since I’ve waxed lyrical enough about both shows, my special mention would be C-drama She And Her Perfect Husband.
I can’t say that it was the best show – in fact I couldn’t finish it (I’m sorry! It was sweet, just a bit too slow for me. Please love it extra for me!).
Apart from our cute Xu Kai, one of the best parts of the show was its OST – the songs just worked well for me and fit the mood of the show. Special shoutouts for Mao Buyi’s Don’t Worry and Excuse by Liu Xijun.
Sadly I can’t find the songs on Spotify so I’ve been playing it over and over on Youtube!
You can find the songs here –
The Razzie Award
(I’m so sorry, it’s me not you… I feel like I’m rejecting a very earnest guy here)
This sad award goes to Once Upon A Small Town. I thought I was in for a simple sweet show about a bright girl and countryside hijinks and cute animals, how wrong could you go?
But alas, it was trope city and I felt the ML was stiff and could not understand why one, let alone two girls were so in love with him.
If you liked this one – I’m sorry – please love it extra for me!
Ok whew I thought it would be short but it turns out I wrote 4.5 pages on a Word doc.
I really have too many thoughts and too many words to express those thoughts. Lol.
Hope you enjoyed and may 2023 bring us wonderful dramas!!
~MC
