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, JJ.

Today, I’m pleased to announce that Sean is sharing his drama year.

The more I get to know Sean, the more amazed I am, at how Sean is a man of many  – many!  – interests and talents.

It’s so cool that dramas is one of his interests, because he applies his wide-ranging interests, and meshes it with his out-of-this-world ability to bend time and space, to all of his drama-watching.

You’ll see that the result is quite astounding, in terms of the number and scope of dramas he’s watched.

Which means that more than likely, he’ll mention a drama (or five) that you might’ve never heard of otherwise. 😁

Sean also writes about management and leadership on his own blog, which you can visit here.

I hope you guys enjoy!

~ KFG ❤️

A Little Bit About Me

I started my Kdrama journey in 2016, when I was the CEO at the Shire of Sandstone, in the outback of Western Australia (Desert country), 650 kms from home (or 750 kms, depending on which road you travel).

Sandstone is prime gold country and I spent many a Friday night at the local pub, where the local prospectors would show me their finds for the day.

Yep, they would casually lay down on the bar anywhere between $30,000 and $100,000 worth of gold nuggets for me to look at. But I never, ever touched them, even when they say it was okay to do so.

Sandstone is beautiful country. Despite its isolation, I always found someone to talk to. The stars at night there are amazing. The Milky Way is a full on tapestry.

On my nightly walk, I would need to sometimes dodge kangaroos or racehorse goannas (yes, both species can get a bit feisty).

One Sunday morning I’m slaving away at the office. I would normally work from 5:00 am until about 11:00am and then drop in at the markets on the way home.

Anyway, I felt someone watching me. I turned around to see a group of Japanese tourists who had stopped by to look at the gardens surrounding the Shire office. I guess they were curious regarding what I was up to. I gave them a gentle wave and then discreetly lowered the blind.

Then, one night, as I was going through Netflix, I thought I would take a look at a Kdrama.

That experience then led me to start a search for reviews on other Kdramas and the rest is, as they say, history. This led me to meeting kfangurl and of course the gang on The Verdict and Patreon.

What A Year It’s Been

I have found 2023 to be one cracking of a drama year.

I have watched way, way too many dramas. Not all of them completed of course.

I did have thoughts of writing a post by country, but in the end the simplest way was to put it all out there.

So, what did my watch look like for 2023? Broadly, my statistics across all drama types and formats ended up being:

Initially, I thought Kdramas would start out strongly in the new year. However, I found Cdramas and Jdoramas dominated my watch instead.

It wasn’t until the last quarter of this year when Kdramas roared back into contention, popping up like a game of whack-a-mole. And haven’t we had some good ones!

In the end, my breakdown of dramas watched by country turned out to be: South Korea 41%, China 48%, Japan 7%, Taiwan 4%.

I haven’t watched any Thai or HK dramas this year, but I have come very close.

Best Picks by Genre

Because I got to look at so many dramas this year, I thought I would mention some of my best picks by Genre or category. They are:

Romance

Hands down for me Call It Love was the stand out modern day romantic drama. The best historical romance was My Dearest (Parts 1 and 2). If you want to know more, see my Top 10 regarding both shows for 2023 below.

However, where would we be without the very fine Cdrama: When I Fly Towards You. Both Zhou Yi Ran and Zhang Miao Yi were an absolute delight.

Then there was Nothing But You with Leo Wu (Wu Lei) and Zhou Yu Tong. The show turned out to be an intelligent discourse on how to address age gaps in relationships.

Rom/Com

I really enjoyed Bo Ra! Deborah or True to Love.

It was a brave choice by Yoo In Na to do this show, but only she could have pulled it off! She is wonderful as the hidden, serious, but ditzy Bo Ra. Who hasn’t had those moments when it all goes wrong and then there is one disaster after another!

Family/Life/Legal

There are a range of stand out shows in this category:

• Meet Yourself. Here was a show where I would hang out for the latest daily release. I just loved everything about it taking an idyllic countrified lifestyle for our leads to meet themselves. Take a peek at my Top 10 for 2023 to see some further comments;

• Divorce Attorney Shin. This show in the end, did quite well. Cho Seung Woo (if you haven’t seen Stranger 1 and 2, you must) was once again awesome. Han Hye Jin was very good as was Kang Mal Geum along with Kim Sung Kyun;

• Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san. Kfangurl gave a wonderful review on this show, and it is just that wonderful. This show is in my Top 10, so you can read a bit more about it there;

• Ishiko to Haneo: Sonna Koto de Uttaemasu. Although from 2022, this Japanese legal drama is superb and the cases are absorbing, especially the one I refer to as the Casablanca Couple – neighbours who loved each other’s company, then who had a falling out through no real fault of their own. I watched this drama in two sittings 😊

I liked Family: The Unbreakable Bond but Jang Hyuk and Jang Na Ra couldn’t pull off what was a very brave experiment in family dynamics against an interesting backdrop of both leads being assassins.

Politics

This category belongs to Wave Makers, a very fine Taiwanese production. Some of my favourite actors are in this production – Hsieh Ying Shiuan (The making of an Ordinary Woman) and Aviis Zhong (Iron Ladies).

This production explored what it takes to pull a presidential election campaign together set against a backdrop of changing values in Taiwan.

In short, there were some very brave themes going on here.

A close second is the Kdrama production: Queenmaker. This show was only 11 episodes in all, but Kim Hee Ae and Moon So Ri absolutely rocked it.

What we have is a powerful fixer who uses her skills to transform a civil rights lawyer into the next Mayor of Seoul.

Both actresses are firm favourites of mine and I am looking forward to what they are in next: The Whirlwind and Hellbound Season 2, respectively.

Spy/Thriller/Mystery

Some of the best shows in this category are:

• Payback: Money and Power. I enjoyed how clever this Kdrama was. Lee Sun Kyun (Mr Tonsils) was excellent as the CEO playing the revenge long game over many years;

• Mr & Mrs Chen, a Cdrama set in about 1938 Shanghai and depicted events quite accurately, and what an excellent, rollicking spy thriller it was. This is another one fo may Top 10 shows for 2023;

• The Kidnapping Day. This was a very good thriller, with a wonderful performance by Yuna. She is only 12, but a standout actress in everything she has undertaken so far. Yoon Kye Sang as the bumbling protagonist was almost unrecognisable. Kim Shin Rok was turning in a fine performance, but I have to agree with Beez, the choice in costuming for her was disastrous!!!;

• Then we have Anna. What a performance by Suzy (who was just as awesome in Doona). Do you need to watch the extended version I hear you ask. The answer is no.

Business

Without doubt, this category belongs to Agency a 10/10 Kdrama, and yes, it’s in My Top 10.

Other good business dramas included Lady’s Character a Cdrama that plotted the trials and tribulations regarding the impact of relationships in a business setting.

Then there was Alliance, another Cdrama that could have been great. The female leads were fantastic as they got together to bring down scumbagosaurus (treachorous ex-husband and boyfriend to all three female leads).

There was also Turn on the Right Way to Life, which for the most part was very good, but lost its way in the last 12 episodes as too much needed to be resolved – but it was a fine commentary on an executive who represents the sandwich generation and the impact this has on someone who just spread himself too thin trying to support everyone and keep them happy.

Culture/History

The stand out show in this category was Hi Producer and it is also in my Top 10 for 2023. So, please scroll down further to see my comments there.

Of course, Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san can also be included in this category too as it gave a wonderful depiction of what it takes to run a geisha household.

Then we have Song of the Bandits. The show was beautifully made and written. In short, a classic western reminiscent of High Plains Drifter. It has been another good year for Kim Nam Gil.

Medical

I watched so many medical dramas this year, including a number of very good ones including:

• Romantic Doctor Season 3. How good was this show. It’s the favourite season out of the three so far for me and the third Lee Sung Kyung drama I watched this year;

• Fantastic Doctors. This show is a very faithful remake by the Chinese of the Kdrama: Good Doctor, unlike the American version. Also, at least ten other countires are now making their own version of this show;

• Daily Dose of Sunshine. A wonderful and powerful show with superb writing that portrays mental health as it is.

Spooky Horror

Hands down, this category is dominated by the Kdrama Revenant, and is another show that made my Top 10 for 2023. Kim Tae Ri was sensational. She gave the ghost from The Ring a real run for its money. And what about her hair. Wasn’t it phenomenal!

I enjoyed Island Part 2 – it was a fabulous send up of the horror genre. Could Lee Da Hee’s (aka Scarlett) eyes get any bigger! Of course, Kim Nam Gil was superb at sorting the Jeju monsters out.

Sci-Fi and Time Travel

There were a number of good sci-fi productions this year:

• Parallel World. This is a Cdrama that also made my Top 10. It has great mythology and world building mainly set within the Yumen Pass;

• Black Knight. I liked this Kdrama well enough, even though it was short. It was a fabulous concept but could have done with a bit more oomph;

• The Three Body Problem. This story is one of the great science fiction stories. Not only did Cdramaland make a version of it this year, but Netflix has a production coming out soon as well. I guess I will be making a comparison. Perhaps phl1rxd might be too.

And no, I haven’t watched Moving (I wasn’t a fan of Heroes, but my family loved it) nor Twinkling Watermelon or A Time Called You.

Then there is Sweet Home Season 2 which was very disappointing. The awesome sauce from Season 1 just wasn’t there.

Police/Military/Firefighting and Bodyguards

I found DP Season 2 to be disappointing compared to Season 1. I still gave it a good mark, but it just didn’t hit the high notes of Season 1. The shows to take a look at in this category are:

• Shadow Detective Season 2. The second season was better than the first and stars the incomparable Lee Sung Min. This was another Top 10 show for me;

• The First Responders Season 2. This is one of those shows that JJ found challenging. I know there was a lot of comment out there re what happened to one of the main male leads. However, it worked for me and Season 2 gives CIS a run for its money! There is some wonderful forescenic stuff going on.

Then there is the police Kdrama Not Others starring Jeon Hye Jin and Choi Soo Young a Mother/Daughter drama well worth a look. It’s very adult and at times very funny.

On another note, I started and dropped quite a few military and policing Cdramas this year.

Best Actor

I am pleased that I can this year, award this category to both a male and female actor. Hands down, they are:

Best Actor – Namkoong Min

Yet again, NKM delivers in My Dearest. He has become the most diversified of male actors. He has done it all now: comedian, CEO, huckster, romantic point of interest, action hero and historical heavyweight.

Best Actress – Ahn Eun Jin

What a delightful actress she is. Two big performances this year and she held her own against NKM in his ascendency. Both could do no wrong in My Dearest. Ahn Eun Jin also put in a wonderful performance in The Good Bad Mother.

The One True Pair

There are a number of contenders in this category and they are:

• Zhang Lu Rand and Su Zai Zai from When I Fly Towards You. What a great young couple they were. We had a level of maturity and depth that leaves many other much older and established couples in their wake;

• Zuo Shuang Tao and Chen Jia Ping from Mr & Mrs Chen. Guan Xiao Tong (Chen Jia Ping) is Cdrama royalty who has proved that she has what it takes to put in a superb performance and not rely on her famous mum and dad. Zuo Shuang Tao plays up to her beautifully. Such a deft hand at acting;

• Lee Jang Hyun (Namkoong Min) and Yoo Gil Chae (Ahn Eun Jin), were stellar in My Dearest. Don’t be fooled by those who said this story is a take on Gone with the Wind, because it’s not. Their relationship is simply breathtaking;

• Ye Liu Xi and Chang Dong in Parallel World. Ni Ni (Ye Liu Xi) absolutely smolders in this show and the menfolk need to have a fire extinguisher handy when watching it. Bai Yu plays the bewildered focus of Ni Ni’s attentions to perfection.

The OTP gong goes to Namkoong Min and Ahn Eun Jin. Both put in a superb performance in My Dearest and are a couple for the ages.

The Hidden Gem

As we say over here (well, we used to), you need to do yourself a favour and take a look at the fabulous Kdrama: The Matchmakers.

Cho Yi Hyun is an absolute delight as the Joseon matchmaker Jung Soon Deok. She is the widowed daughter-in-law of the Left State Councillor, so she leads a double life.

Rowoon plays Shim Jung Woo, a scholar who is the “Agent of Love.” He was married briefly to the former princess, who died on their wedding day.

Both characters come together to solve the very difficult wedding dilemmas, bringing couples together in the most enjoyable way. You are not going to find a better pairing anywhere. So, they can be added to the OTP list.

Also, if I was to put this show into my Top 10 for 2023, I would have to put it down at 4.5.

The Best OST

Without doubt for me, the best sound track this year belonged to Castaway Diva. Here is the delightful Eun Bin singing Someday (Beyond the Park):

The Razzies (or Supertankers)

Was there a show that really, really disappointed this year? Unfortunately, there are a number of contenders this year, and some of them started out so well:

1. Apple of My Eye. This was a daily Kdrama of some 121 episodes. We have a doting father whose wife left him and their daughter a long time ago. I dropped it with ten episodes to go;

2. Castaway Diva. Sadly, show didn’t go in the direction I would have liked. The female leads were terrific. The music was awesome. I dropped it at the hallfway point;

3. Crash Course in Romance. Now, this was frustrating because I really like the leads and their characters. This Kdrama just run out of puff for me;

4. Prosecution Elite. A legal Cdrama starring Dilraba. Can she do no wrong? Sadly, yes. Even I snoozed through it.

5. Royal Rumours. I liked the gentle comedic approach of this Cdrama for the first 12 episodes. It’s a shame because Jeremy Tsui is a favourite of mine and I found it all meh. The theme song is terrific though.

6. The Real Has Come is a 50-episode Kdrama weekender. So, a show that is onscreen for the best part of six months. It started off so well, a fine commentary on single mums, the challenges of pregnancy and the stigma of senior’s education, only to nose dive into a ground hog day type existence between the leads re their contract marriage;

7. Sweet Home Season 2. I found this show so disappointing, I canned it early on. After the first episode in fact.

8. Pandora: Beneath the Paradise. This Kdrama could have been a ripper of a show. The leads were terrific, but I was really disappointed with the big reveal early on. Not original at all.

9. The Longest Promise. What can I say. My wife asked me about this show again the other day, because she was enjoying it. I said I dropped it with eight episodes to go as it was going round and round. Up until that point, it was quite good. I don’t think I gave the right answer, though.

10. Copycat Killer. A good Taiwanese thriller until the eighth episode. I couldn’t be bothered with the last two episodes, because like Pandora, the big reveal undermined the story for me.

And the winner is (I’m not sure if that’s the best way of describing the outcome here) that not only hit an iceberg, but nose dived into some sort of makjang family vortex: The Real Has Come.

The Show That Should Have Done Better Than It Did

Well, here’s looking at you King the Land. Need I say more! We have two fine actors who were given a script that really needed much more depth. Yes, it was pretty to look at, but I felt in the end it was like opening a door only to find a blank wall behind it.

The Most Valuable Player

The MVP award goes to the Ocean/Valley Guardian, a rooster who is the saviour of the day in the very good Chinese sci-fi production Parallel World.

Chickens and roosters often pop up in many shows and in fact this year have appeared in Live Your Own Life (a very good, classic weekend Kdrama) and The Story of Park’s Contract Marriage. Speaking of the latter, Sa Wol I think is a very worthy contender for the MVP title. Not only is she Yeon Woo’s maid and friend, but the handler of rampant chickens.

The Best Villain

Hands down for me this goes to Park So Hyun in The Matchmakers. I found I couldn’t help but like her.

Played by Park Ji Young, who has been in all types of Kdramas – a tour de force performance. You might remember her as Head Court Lady Jo in The Red Sleeve.

The Most Over Used Trope IN 2023…

Hands down, the most over used trope for this year is the drowning trope. I couldn’t tell you how many times I saw this in a production I watched this year.

Perhaps the one time I enjoyed it most though was in The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract. LSY popping up in the hotel pool from the past was comedy gold.

Then there is the falling blossom from the cherry trees, but to be honest, I always enjoy watching the raining petals.

The shows that have done this trope a bit different in 2023 are My Man is Cupid and Welcome to Samdal-ri. In the former, to have good luck in love, you need to catch the petal on your finger. In the latter, Sam Dal steals the petal from Yong Pil.

Best Short Series/Web Drama

Both Kdramaland and Cdramaland produce short dramas, that are often web based. They can be as short as 2 or 5 minutes through to 15 minutes or so.

This year’s award goes to the Cdrama short: A Familiar Stranger. There were 18 episodes at 10 minutes each. It is a face swapping costume drama and done exceedingly well. In fact on MDL it had nearly 7,000 watchers and 3,500 users that gave it a rating of 8.4. I gave it 10/10.

PS: The Invincible (Evil) Stepmother may have given A Familiar Stranger a nudge, but it was still showing at the time of writing this post.

Best Opening Credits

The best opening credits belong to The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract. So many details are covered off in the cartoon inspired embroidered tapestry. It’s beautiful and every part of the tapestry has relevance and meaning regarding the show.

Best Movie

I watched a number of movies this year. My favourite was the SK sci-fi robot juggernaut: Jung_E. Kim Hyun Joo was fantastic as the warrior mother android.

Jackie Chan also made a worthy comeback to form in the Chinese movie Hidden Strike. It’s a good action adventure that sees a father reconnect with his daughter.

The Top Ten

As it stands, 2023 deserves a Top Ten. My list includes shows from South Korea, China and Japan. The finalists are:

10        Revenant

Revenant was a superb Kdrama on the supernatural. KTR picked another great show to be a part of.

This show had a fabulous cast all round, great music and marvelous, though sad tale that was beautifully told.

Of course, Park Ji Young was also in this production as San Young’s mother. I think Trent liked this one too.

9          Shadow Detective Season 2

I mentioned earlier that Lee Sung Min stars in this show. What a great actor he is. Also, his side kick Kyung Soo Jin played an awesome role in both series. It’s not always about the glitz and the glamour when it comes to the ladies.

This show deals with a seasoned homicide detective who has come out of retirement to help with a case. But of course, as soon as he starts making waves, he gets sent to the women’s issues unit. The ending was superb.

8          The Good Bad Mother

This show made me cry. Ra Mi Ran was superb as the mother to her injured son, Kang Ho, a no nonsense, but corrupt prosecutor with an iron heart (or was this all for show?).

I have already mentioned how wonderful Ahn Eun Jin was as the young mother of those fabulous twins. She was superb in pulling her life back together with Kang Ho.

As for the bad mother herself. What an amazing person and how she transformed those around her as she tried everything to make sure her son had a better life.

7          Hi Producer

The Cdrama Hi Producer is the one to watch regarding all things cultural in China.

Despite the quirky goings on of the FL producer – Yu Zai Zao (played by the delightful Zang Nan), the show embraces China’s cultural history through a compendium of stories that explores filming a master from Chinese opera, Chinese dancing, pottery, Hanfu making, painting, jewelry design and so on.

Then at the end of each story there is a real life interview with a national master on the subject just covered off in the drama.

6          Mr & Mrs Chen

Who would have thought that the Chinese would have produced a good old fashioned rollicking spy drama from the pre-communist era. Normally, they are very serious, very talkie, very preachy and also quite tragic.

Not so Mr and Mrs Chen. We have two top spies from opposing agencies who really want to be together and help each other out.

The various descriptions comment that this show is based on Mr and Mrs Smith, but I can categorically say it is 1000% better than the Brad Pitt and Angeline Jolie movie.

That being said, I am looking forward to the Canadian tv/streaming version of Mr & Mrs Smith in February 2024.

5          Call It Love

What a breath of fresh air this show was.

It had everything: disruption at a funeral, plans for revenge, a conscientious CEO betrayed by others, a scummy mummy (played ever so well by the delightful Nam Ki Ae), a father figure that likes camping and a couple who once they find each other’s orbit begin a journey of delightful self discovery.

4          Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san

If it wasn’t for the next three shows, the Makanai be my number one for the year. This is the type of show that the Japanese excel at.

It is beautiful, heart warming and shows off the best of human nature. Maiko means geisha apprentice.

We get to see the inner workings of a Maiko house and how two friends end up there. One becomes an apprentice, the other the cook. The joy that Kiyo as the young, bright and cheery cook brings to those around her is nothing short of delightful.

3          Agency

I wrote about Agency in my post back in June this year on CEO’s in Kdramas.

Here we have the most amazing executive who is, shock, horror, gasp – a woman. In fact, Go Ah In (Lee Bo Young) is so good at her job, she is undermined at every turn by her immediate boss.

So, what we see is the battle for the top job waged between these two executives. Their war is beyond a fight to the death.

Ah In learns to be a team player and lead her team. Her boss on the otherhand continues to abuse those around him and grovels before the higher ups, expecting the same grovel-like behaviour from those below him and alongside him.

Meanwhile, the actual CEO, thinking about retirement, has been treading water for the last ten years, totally powerless, a lame duck. However, as events unfold, he takes on a Yoda type disposition and eventually does what a CEO should do 😉

2          Meet Yourself

This show early in the New Year hit my screen when trawling through YouTube. Like my number one pick, I couldn’t wait for the next episode of this show to come out.

Crystal Liu was fabulous and Li Xian did a great job too. It’s true what one reviewer said about this drama: it will make you cry, it will teach you about life, it will give you hope and it will give you happiness.

Wasn’t Granny Xie marvelous too! Perhaps she should be on the MVP list as well.

This is one of those dramas where the romance develops naturally. Just by being in each other’s orbit sees our OTP grow close through the experiences they share in Zhi Yao’s hometown, which at the same time is trying to find a future for itself.

I have worked with and developed many rural communities over a long period of time and what we see in Meet Yourself is typical of every hamlet, village, town and city in rural areas throughout the world.

There is declining population, people move away to find better jobs, those that stay behind try to be innovative, then there are those who don’t want change or improvements for the better, services are reduced.

However, if they get it right there are those who will invest in these local communities, whether its tourism, art, culture, remote working and so on.

All in all, a delightful show and I enjoyed the music too.

1          My Dearest (Parts 1 and 2) 

My Dearest is my number one pick for 2023, but there isn’t a lot in it. In fact, not even a fingernail between this Joseon heroic tale and the modern day Meet Yourself.

Where do I start with this 21 episode fable regarding Lee Jang Hyun and Yoo Gil Chae.

None of the descriptions out there do this show any justice. Not a moment was wasted. The OTP was sublime and the filming and production values were outstanding (which I know is something that phl1rxd would have appreciated.

Was Jang Hyun an anti-hero? Initially, this is how he was portrayed, but as we got to know him, we find out that he is a modern thinker at a time when Joseon took a retrograde step. His actions, words and deeds were quite heroic as the tale unfolds.

Then there is Yoo Gil Chae. Miss Popularity that has her eye on someone and can’t believe she doesn’t reel him in. As the story progresses, we get to see perhaps the most delightful transition ever of a character from a self centered individual to one who thinks of others.

When Lee Jang Hyun spots Gil Chae for the first time, he is literally stopped in his tracks. This is something of a running gag (there were others, but I don’t need to mention them here) between our OTP throughout the show.

Gil Chae would rib him each time they met about whether Jang Hyun thought she was beautiful and he would often react with a sarcastic remark.

My Dearest was very strong in addressing the cowardice and self destruction of the King and how he treated the Crown Prince and Princess.

Jang Hyun’s character was used as the barometer regarding the royals and the nobility. Although he was a noble himself (it would seem he purchased his title), he saw their role in society as a folly.

Gil Chae’s character as a Lady was the barometer regarding the treatment handed out to those captured or put into slavery and then later repatriated to Joseon.

One of the most delightful aspects of this show was how Jang Hyun and Gil Chae would find each other, time and time again. The show was a masterpiece in this regard. They either were reunited or they missed each other by a hair.

The ending kept the watchers very happy. If it had been any other outcome, there would have been a petition to the Blue House, I can guarantee it.

My Dearest achieved a nationwide rating of 12.9% in the final episode. It was the most watched drama on a Friday night.

The challenge for me now is how to fit this show into my Top 10 of all time.

The Final Word

So, there we have it. An overview of my viewing year including a range of shows that caught my eye.

I am not sure how I am going to tackle my drama watching in 2024. One thought I have had is to cut my watch right back to only those shows that kfangurl is following.

May all your drama viewing be enjoyable and interactions with the kfangurl family continue and thrive into 2024 and beyond. A very Merry Christmas to all!

~Sean