Hey everyone!

Like what we did for the past couple of years, we’re having guest posts from the lovely folks on Patreon, to help us take stock of our drama years, yay! 🥳

We’ll be seeing about 2 guest posts per week, and this will unfold into January 2023, and that’s perfectly ok.

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: Ele, Natalia.

Today, I’m pleased to announce that JJ is sharing her drama year.

If you’ve read JJ’s posts before, you’d know that JJ’s a bundle of positive energy. You can feel it, just by reading her, no exaggeration.

JJ’s also one of our MVPs over on Patreon, for being so forthcoming, warm and welcoming, whether you’re a newcomer just stepping foot into the space, or a longtime member who’s just found your way back after going MIA for a bit, or an everyday hanger-outer who never went anywhere.

Thanks for sharing your positive energy with us, JJ!

I hope you guys enjoy!

~ KFG ❤️

Hey Everyone!!

Where did this year go?

Seriously! How did we fly through 2023 so quickly? 🤔

Wasn’t it just the end of 2022 and we were discussing Alchemy Of Souls Part  2 AND First Love: Hatsukoi??? 

Well, anyways, here we are with another Drama Year under wrap to discuss our favorites from the year.

Many, many, many,  thanks as always to KFG for allowing us to put our words on her space that she created over the past eleven years. 11 YEARS PEOPLE !!! Amazing, isn’t it?❤️

Congrats to you KFG on a very fine accomplishment ❤️❤️❤️

Alrighty, time to get serious. Lets go!!!!!! I gots lots to say 🤭

Oh wait, right! Before I get going KFG wanted us to say a little about ourselves.

A Little Bit About Me

Here’s my real quick CV- I am the self appointed resident Sci/Fi Fantasy Guru around these parts 🦄

KFG has kindly let me write several times for her blog and you can find them here and here, as I get my shameless self promotion out of the way along with my Fantasy Favorites in my former posts.

Yes, TKEM ❤️, I am talking about you again, Sean.

You mostly can find me over on Patreon in the Deep Dive Zone chit chatting away with everyone about everything and then some.

With the mini introduction out of the way, lets Dive in!!!

My Drama Year

What an interesting Kdrama year it has been for me as I have a HUGE list of favorites and a mixture of Japanese Dramas, Kdramas, Cdramas and even Taiwanese Dramas on my list.

So buckle in as we speed through my list at break neck speed cuz I have LOTS to say and lots of dramas to cover.

Ready????

Go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am going to get straight to the point and let everyone know my absolute favorite for 2023 is the Kdrama Moving. 

Wow. 

What an intense ride that Show was for all of us discussing Moving in the Deep Dive Zone and with KFG.

I made the mistake of watching Moving as the Show aired instead of being patient and waiting for all episodes to drop.

But, boy, I am glad I did not wait and just put myself through the wringer waiting each week for new episodes so we could talk about what we just saw in the last episodes.

We sure were active in the Deep Dive weren’t we for this one? Many thanks to Trent for braving the waters and being first in our community to check out this Drama giving me a heads up when to hide my eyes!

And real quick about the violence in Moving. It’s there and does not pull any punches for sure.

And would I rather watch a Show with no violence? YES!!!!  But, I would have been very sad to miss Moving because they did not sensationalize the violence.

The Show used the violence to tell an important story and none of the violence ever felt gratuitous. Did I use FF and mute? Most definitely.

I did prefer the quieter moments though and, thankfully, we had lots of those moments in Moving.

I am not even sure how to talk about this one because there is so much ground to cover on Moving because the Show got everything right at all times.

From the casting (Thanks, Naksu!!!!) to the writing, to the production, to the delivery, to, to, to. Really, I am just not that technical person who gets into the plot devices used or the tropes or did they connect the dots, etc.

I am all about the emotions a Show can drag out of me. And this one had it in spades all over the map and then some.

Here goes the Spoiler Section, so hide your eyes if you have not seen Moving, yet. And, if you have not seen Moving, yet, get going!!!

SPOILER SECTION – I still am not over the one scene that ruined us all – “Teddy Bear Daddy funeral scene”. I forgot who named him Teddy Bear Daddy, but it sure wasn’t me, but I am using it here though if thats ok? 🥰

What a moment. What an actor. What devastation.

I am getting choked up just thinking about that entire sequence. Who wasn’t hoping for somehow a happy ending for his wife to survive even though we knew from the start she was gone. I was! I know I am not alone, right?

How the actor, Ryu Seung Ryong, pulled off the whole episode is something I thought about a good amount for a couple weeks after the episode.

I wanted to search for the Behind the Scenes on this one, but decided against my normal let’s go find more view on this one.

I wanted that moment just to live in that episode. I am sure a gaffer or two, extras, director, sound guy, well, just anyone on set did not have a dry eye on during THAT Scene. END SPOILER

Why is Moving my favorite of 2023? I am sure most of you can guess the answer, right? Because the Show was all about Love. Plain and simple. Love in some of its many different forms all across the board. ❤️ Need I say more? No ❤️

Just Go watch Moving, please ❤️

Now, we will move on to my favorite OTP of the year 🥰🥰🥰

Many thanks to Sean for this previewing this one and giving the Go Ahead (uyen did you notice what I just did 😇🥰) before I dove in myself.

Oh, and just a side note, sniffle, Im still so bummed phl1rxd that the Show did not work for you 😭😭😭

But, we will always have “TAIFU !” won’t we? ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

Ok, Ok. Rambling. Here I am getting back on track.

My favorite OTP is from a Cdrama called Parallel World. And the best part it’s a Sci FI Drama. Yesssssss! Sci Fi for the Win!!!!!!

As I told my Sci Fi buddy Adrian (Hi, Adrian 👋), this is light Sci Fi, but it’s still Sci Fi!!! YAY for us Sci Fi Fans. And what do I mean by Sci Fi Lite?

Well, the Show does not delve deeply into World Building or the whys and hows of everything we see as is done in some Sci Fi Shows/Movies.

We get just enough to get a feel of where we are and why certain things are happening or will be happening, but not to the level of detail Sci Fi Fans love in a movie or Show.

And, that totally works here, well, at least for me,  because the characters, main and supporting, are so excellent, they keep your attention the entire time.

The Cdrama is based on a book written by a female author who writes strong female leads in her novels. Even SHE, the author, LOVES the Drama based on her Work.

*SQUEAL* Read for yourself here 🥰

The actor, Ni Ni, knocked her character out of the park and then some and then came back over and over AND over again for more knocking it out of the park.

What an actor.

I am so blown away by her performance she is now one of my favorite all time Sci Fi Female Characters EVER.

Ni Ni now shares the spot with Claudia Black who is an Aussie (Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!) who has been my Sci Fi favorite since her performance as Aeryn Sun in the fantastic Aussie Sci Fi Show Farscape which aired OVER 20 years ago.

Farscape Season 1 Trailer just because 🥰

Coming back to the Cdrama , Parallel World,  after that wonderful digression down Sci Fi memory lane, the partner to Ni Ni in Parallel World is Bai Yu who already stole my heart in the Cdrama The Bond ( Hi Bestie🥰)

Bai Yu continues to prove what a fine actor he is in the varied roles he takes on during his ongoing and hopefully very long career – The Long Night, Suddenly This Summer, Love 020, Thank You, Doctor and so many more.

Bai Yu’s character, Chang Dong, is an excellent partner to Ye Liu Xi. No damsel in distress there. No needing to ride in on a white horse and save Ni Ni.(Who started that by the way? )

They work together as partners and find their way into each other’s hearts where they belong 🥰

Bai Yu knows how to be still and quiet in his acting. He does more and says little even if his character has lots of lines. He is a fine acting partner to Ni Ni as you could see in this interview together 🥰

Of course, my favorite OTP probably ever (except for Farscape’s John Crichton and Aeryn Sun) has a great OST, too. 🥰

Especially the main opening song. Give a listen  🥰

Well now that we have addressed those two important items we can move on to the most important section!

My Stats for the Year! 

My Stats for 2023, (not that’s it’s a competition Mr. Fletcher) (aka SEAN aka Drama Time Lord) even shocked me a bit that I managed some rewatches (TKEM) while watching new Dramas 🥰

I am wrapping up the year with 100 Dramas under my belt with ZERO (yes, Kate, ZERO) and I mean ZERO drops. YAY ME! Ok, there were some indefinite pauses and pauses with good intentions of going back, but no officials drops (Kate, you serial dropper you😝).

I have had one official drop in my Kdrama history and thats Be Melo which apparently “I” am the only one around here who wasn’t a fan of the Show 🤨

BUT, I am giving the Show a special shout out for all my Kdrama friends (including Merij and Leslie) who loved this one because they all say that the Show was pretty special. Maybe if they had a unicorn walking through a scene or two, I would have been Ok with the Show. Doubtful, though….

Anyways, the break down is as follows Sean aka Drama Time Lord aka Mr. Fletcher, again NOT a competition….

50 – Kdramas

20 – Cdramas

4 – Japanese Dramas

3 – Thai and Taiwanese Dramas

2 – Movies

5 – Rewatches (You know it TKEM 🥰)

And wrapping up the stats section, I decided to throw everything into a trusty old excel spreadsheet to tally up the episode count because it IS a competition Mr. Fletcher and I am at 1,917 episodes at the moment. Ha!

Ok. Sooooo, there might be a +/- 10-20 error ratio on the total episode count. Pssst…Princess Jasmine, I threw that in just for you being the Maths Queen 🥰 But whats 10 or 20 episodes amongst friends?

Whew. Thats over. Always soooo “fun” to have a Math moment, no? My brain hurts now 🥴

So back to the fun stuff! The moment everyone has been waiting for me to discuss 🥰

My favorites of 2023!!!

Here they finally are in no particular order. Only organized by country because again who likes to be picked last on the playground?! 🥰

Kdramas

Hit the Spot – Many Thanks Uyen 🥰🥰🥰🥰

Had no idea what to expect from this Show except I remembered Uyen said NSFW.

WOW! Was she right and um, yeah. Those opening 10 minutes 😳🫣 I applaud the writer and director for making this Show and for the cast jumping in and delivering such amazing 10 episodes.

Show that had so much to say and said so well. Kdramas really can do it all, can’t they? (I think I borrowed this line from someone in the Deep Dive Zone, thank you!! Leslie? Was it you?)

Call It Love – Thank you so much, Alexandra 🥰🥰🥰🥰

I definitely would have passed Call it Love up if Alexandra had not raved so beautifully about the Show on the Deep Dive. She spoke so lovingly about the Show, I thought I must give this one a chance. And I am sure glad I did.

What a beautifully made Show with a great soundtrack and beautiful cinematography. I plan on a rewatch of the Show one day soon that’s how much I fell for Call It Love 🥰

The Good Bad Mother  – Thanks Sean for promising me I would like this one. You were so right! 🥰

I did not think I would like this Show and ended up LOVING Good Bad Mother and as usual wanted more time with the characters. I loved seeing Veteran actor Ra Mi Ran have a lead role 🥰

I kept thinking our Lee Do Hyun was so lucky to be acting alongside such a Veteran actor. They must have had such fun with their roles and their scenes together.

At least, I hope they did?!

I would love to see the Behind the Scenes of this Show with those two. Elaine? Can you find some please ? 🤭😉🥰

And our second FL, Ahn Eun Jin was just a delight. I last saw her in Hospital Playlist and she so impressed me here. Then, I heard, she knocked it out of the park with My Dearest!

I’ll watch that one much later when I want my heart ripped out of my chest and stomped on. I don’t need another Red Sleeve December, thank you very much 💔

And can we just talk about those child actors? Could those twins be any cuter? Gosh loved them so much ! And all the lines they had. Well, done you two. Well Done ❤️

See You in my 19th Life –  Stand out and I picked this Show myself thank you very much 

Y’all. I LOVED THIS SHOW. And I am so sad not more people love this Show. 😭😭😭

Netflix only gave the story 12 episodes and I think the Show would have benefited from the typical Kdrama format of 16 episodes. They had so much story to tell and I think for that reason we lost some of the story especially the ending.

Regardless, I loved the Show and the FL.

I could not wait for the next set of episodes to drop especially as they knew how to use cliffhangers, ARGH !!! And, I immediately downloaded the OST!

It’s my favorite OST for the year. Well, ok, I have two other favorites, so THREE Favorites in total 🙂 Ok, probably way more than that, I’ll have to go back and count 🧐🤨😂 Princess Jasmine? Can I send you the numbers and you do the math for me 😉🤭😂

King the Land – I heard everyone talking about this one and come on its Junho aka Mr. Red Shirtless. How could I not peek? ❤️

While this did not work for viewers or many on Patreon, I just loved the predictability and fun the actors had with this one.

I smiled most of the time and just had fun watching two veteran Idols do their acting thing. You could tell they were having fun the entire time. Kudos to them and thank you for the smiles and laughs. I loved ya both ❤️

Twinkling Watermelon – ❤️

I was so excited from the moment KFG dropped the trailer for this Show! I, also, was a bundle of nerves that I might have only fallen for the trailer and the Show wouldn’t deliver 😬

Luckily, the Show lived up to the premise and provided endless smiles throughout the Show. I may have wanted more in some areas and less in other areas. But overall, I just smile when I think about this one 😊

And y’all you want to talk about Bromance and Chemistry Ryeoun and Choi Hyun Wook have it spades and then some.

Carry on gentlemen. Carry on! See you in your next outing together. Maybe you will be like Goblin and Reaper doing commercials before we know it ❤️

Cdramas – ❤️❤️❤️

What a year for Cdramas! I sense a change in them or is it me that has changed? It’s always the other person who has changed, right?! Buuuuut, it really doesn’t matter because they made up a good portion of my Watchlist and favorites this year.

(Ele – so excited we have some of the same Cdramas on our lists!!! Especially one in particular 💜)

Most of my Cdramas are all because of phl1rxd!!! And maybe 1 or 2 from Sean. Buuuut, phl1rxd gets ALL the credit!!!!

❤️❤️❤️ Thank you phl1rxd! ❤️❤️❤️

If phl1rxd! mentions a Cdrama to watch, I am off especially if its wuxia!!!! And if phl1rxd suggests to find something else, I am off to find something else than the Cdrama I had been considering.

My only sadness with phl1rxd for this year is that Parallel World AND Some Day One Day did not work for phl1rxd 😭😭😭😭😭. Sniffle….. TAIFU!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️

But ALL these Cdramas worked for me and mostly suggested and verified by phl1rxd our resident Wuxia expert ❤️

The Starry Love – (Ele Look – Samesies 💜)

Let me tell you people, I did not know what to expect from this Show, but when that opening music rolled I was HOOKED by the OST alone.

Because of the opening music,  I had been hopeful I’d be in for a great ride. I still though kept my expectations set kinda low and pretty much “knew” the storyline and where we were headed until I DIDNT!

What an awesome surprise to have a fabulous, feisty, spunky, interesting FL who was not in any shape or form a damsel in distress.

AND BIG SPOILER – she has a great relationship with her twin sister. Such a nice change not to have women or sisters pitted against one another. And both female leads just nailed their characters so well, I loved when they were on screen together. SPOILER END

So for the FL check this one out and just enjoy the ride. Yes, there is romance and I thought the ML did a great job with his characters. But, I stayed with the Show for the two sisters. Well done, ladies, well done ❤️

Oh, but, BTW it’s one of those open ending ones you want to throw your slippers at the screen. But other than that the Show gets my seal of approval 🦄

On A Warm Cold Night – ❤️❤️❤️

Honestly, I took a moment or two to warm up to the Show.

I had to go a bit beyond my normal give Cdramas a 6 episode chance before pausing. I may have kept going because of phl1rxd because she said to keeping going and this has happened before with other Shows.

I am so glad I did though because once, I settled down a bit I got into the swing of things I had such fun with this Show. And of course, the OST helped a great deal.

By the end of the Show,  I wanted more episodes and just more time with the cast as they really did have more stories to tell.  Well done team ❄️🥶🦄

Nothing But You – Thank you Natalia for the heads up on this one ❤️❤️❤️

WOW! After my Nirvana in Fire Binge last December or my Love Like the Galaxy watch, I did not expect to see Wu Lei like this in a modern drama; a Noona Romance no less! Where is his long hair??

I believe Natalia put this one on my radar. Many thanks she did because I enjoyed the Show thoroughly for being a mature Noona romance.

Take that Something in the Rain! No, I am still not bitter. Really I am not…just another short digression down memory lane…..Merij I know you are down this bitter lane with me!

Til the End of the Moon – Somehow either I told Kate or Kate told me and phl1rxd verified this Show – ❤️❤️❤️

Ok. I am going to have a hard time adequately describing this Show.

As of my writing of my EOY post, I still have the last five episodes to watch of the Show.

Yes, I know how the Show ends and I have spoiled myself terribly over the Show. I just cannot bring myself to finish the Show and go through that heartbreak ESPECIALLY when I know the book ends differently (hint- happily).

Show is worth every minute of your time with the gorgeous costuming, the sets, the actors, and of course, especially, the ML. It’s really just his Show.

Meet Yourself – ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Now what could Til the End of the Moon and Meet Yourself have in common for me? Well, I still have the last five episodes of Meet Yourself to watch as well 😂

I had so much fun in this village hanging with all the peeps and the story. So I am draaaaaaaaagin’ out my watch even if I know the ending.

I’ll get there…eventually. But thats the vibe of the Show? A quiet meandering pace of life, no? Don’t rush me people, I’ll get there 🥰

Oh BTW, the first episode though, if you have not seen the Show, is quite intense and most raved about Episode 1. Deeply poignant and intense. Powerful ❤️

Here is the OST just for you Kate so you can relive the memories of those songs 😘😂

Lost You Forever – ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I guess I am pretty lucky because I had not seen the FL in any of her other dramas prior to this one, so I had no frame of reference for her work. I am glad this was my first time seeing because I loved her performance so much from the get go.

Totally sucked into the Show from the opening scene and now hanging on the last scene waiting for Part Two to show up whenever that might be when the Cdramas powers decide.

Sigh. I can wait? Right? No, but what choice do I have? I know REWATCH time 🤭

*I searched in Mandarin thanks to google translate to find the full OST for Lost You Forever and so glad I did. However, here is what is on YouTube though. Enjoy 🥰

My Journey to You

How do I even describe My Journey to You? Complete and Total Sensory Overload. Such a visual feast.

Did they stick the landing for all of us? No not really and I am ok because the Journey to that point worked so well for me, I’ll allow the last episodes with all our unanswered questions and that ending.

However, THE most fun part of the Show was over in Patreon with Natalia’s comments on KFG’s Episode notes. Classics. Never laughed so hard consistently 😂 Well done, Natalia! Bravo! Gold Star for you 💫

Alliance – Thanks again Sean for another great suggestion. Loved this one – ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I did not know what to expect with Alliance. Initially, I had mixed up the description with the Kdrama “Agency” with this one somehow. And Sean said positive things about Alliance, I decided to take a peek. So glad I did!

We had three Fabulous Female leads leading this Show that kept me engaged the entire time.

And another one just when I thought I knew what I would be watching, the Show decided to surprise me and threw some fantastic character twists I could not be more pleased with during my Watch.

I hesitate to say anything more except just give this one a chance ❤️ Honestly, I am still bummed it was only 36 episodes. Sniffle.

I did enjoy the music during Alliance and the first song “She” is my favorite on this OST.

Mr. & Mrs. Chen – Oh is that you again Sean suggesting another fabulous Show to me? Thank you ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I took a chance and decided to watch a 1900’s period piece which is not my normal choice because of Sean.

A beautiful period piece with gorgeous costuming that I kept focusing on in every scene.

Look at those suits! The women’s hats! Their dresses! All of the costumes. Beautiful.

The fabrics they had to have used must have felt fantastic in the quality, but might have been a bit itchy because I believe lots of the fabric from that time was wool? Someone correct me if I’m am wrong 🧐

Aside from the costumes, we have a fantastic female lead who is stunning in those costumes and delivery of her performance. Equally matched is her ML.

Another great team has been born and they keep your attention when they are together or alone. I get a little fidgety when neither is on the screen.

For certain, this is not an easy subject and we do have some very unpleasant scenes that require mute and FF ! However, the Show is not to be missed.

Here is a MV for Mr & Mrs. Chen instead of the OST! If you are adverse to spoilers look away…Leslie 🥰

And the Cdrama section would not be complete without my saying Lots and Lots and Lots of Thank you’s to KFG, Elaine and MC for all their Chinese translations and context. Completely invaluable and deepens my Cdrama watching all the time !

❤️❤️❤️  谢谢 ❤️❤️❤️

Jdoramas (Nope! It’s not a typo. Sean says this is how we spell it 🤭)

Silent

What a special little Show that I rolled into watching right after First Love – Hatsukoi having only a slight idea about the premise of the Show. Only 11 episodes and worth every minute of each episode.

All about relationships, friendships, and family.

Just watch it. Trust me 🥰

Hold My Hand @ Twilight – Uyen again for the Win! 🥰

Fun and quirky shows are usually just not for me. Somehow this little Show won me totally over and put smiles on my face. Oh, buuuut, there is one curve ball (Again so sorry Merij 🫣) at the end, but the Show remedies itself mightily by the end 🥰

Make sure you watch until the end of each episode the credits AND through the dance sequence. The main leads are adorable doing their dance with a different ending in each one that ends up with them giggling at their final pose. 🥰

Phl1rxd? You saw this one, right? 🥰

Taiwanese

Someday or One Day – Movie – KFG & Crew ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Well, the Someday or One Day movie was the highlight of the year especially since KFG asked a group of us to watch and comment on movie.

What fun we had in this group effort with KFG, Leslie, Michele (podcaster extraordinaire!), MC, Elaine and I. ❤️

And you MUST check out Elaine’s slide diagrams when you watch this movie to keep it all together. She did an amazing job. Thanks again, Elaine ❤️

Lost Romance – Kate ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I would never have found this one if not for Kate ! Thanks Kate 🥰

We laughed and laughed and laughed some more. A fun creative Drama making good natured fun at the typical Kdrama tropes we all know and love or get irritated with (yes I am ending with a preposition, deal with it, I am 😂)

The two leads whose chemistry is so undeniable that you want to see them again in a serious drama.

Give it chance, y’all! Oh and FF through the villain story line to get to the good stuff!

What Kdramas do well/Honorable Mentions

I think all of us have commented we felt a wane in what we loved about Kdramas so well in the earlier part of the year ☹️

Well, that disappeared in this last quarter it seems! What a way to finish out the year Kdramas 🥰

I have listed out the the ones I really enjoyed and just reminded me of what made me love Kdramas originally – Castaway Diva, Daily Dose of Sunshine, Park’s Marriage Contract, My Demon, Moon in the Day and Matchmakers to name some of my end of year favorites.

Now it’s time for me to go get started on my next 100 Dramas for next year ❤️

I might have to up my game because I can hear Mr. Fletcher hot on my heels already for next year’s “Its Really NOT a competition until it IS a competition watch” 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣

Thanks for hanging in there with me until the end 🥰

Well…. that is if you are still here 😂

And if you are still here, a big thank you 🥰🥰🥰

Oh, one last thing before you go, please do enjoy this Mashup of two songs from Someday One Day Drama because its just that awesome every time I listen to the Song ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

’Til 2024, then 🥰

~JJ 🦄