It’s officially EOY season, which is when we look back on our drama years, and decide which dramas were worthy of our love, and which dramas we maybe shouldn’t have spent as much time on, as we did. 😁

As before, we’ll be seeing up to 2 guest posts per week, and this will unfold into January 2025, and my annual year-in-review will come out in early 2025, after all the guest posts have been published.

This way, by putting all our experiences together, we get a more wholistic view of Dramaland in 2024. Pretty great, yes? 🤩

If you missed our earlier posts, you can check it out here: Sean, Deni+JJ.

Today, I’m pleased to announce that Natalia’s sharing her drama year!

Last year, I told you guys about Natalia’s forthright honesty, and this year, I’ll add to that by saying that Natalia’s therefore also quick to let a show know if it’s not working for her – by dropping it. 😁

Yes, Natalia has a bit of a reputation over on Patreon, as a serial dropper (pun kind of unintended, but turns out to be quite perfect, yes? 🤭), and I had so much run reading about her 2024 drama adventures, while prepping this post. 😁

If you like Natalia’s style and want to know what she thought about dramas last year, you can check out her post here!

I hope you guys enjoy!

~ KFG ❤️

Old friends, new friends, greetings.

Another year has passed; I believe it was my fifth year actively following the lovely (K)Fangirl and her passion for K Asian drama.

For those of you who don’t know me yet, my name is Natalia and I live in Athens, for now. Moving around has been kind of a routine for the past twenty years, but as years go by I feel that I am getting to old for traveling.

Simple (and easier) things please me more, these days.

And this applies also to the dramas I watch, I think. I used to like much more complicated, demanding stuff. Now I just want a comfort watch to unwind in the evening, most of the time.

2024 was the year I decided to keep notes of dramas I watch (or drop), and I did, by month.

So, my notes say that this year I have started watching 57 dramas, including Shogun on which I am torn whether it is Asian or not (Sean is pretty clear on what he thinks about that, cf. his own EOY post). Of those, I have completed 17, including Shogun.

Shogun was great, by the way.

Anyway, that means that I dropped less than 40 dramas (there are some I am still watching from those 57, like In Blossom, Blossom and Blossoms in adversity, I kid you not).

Less than 40 dramas means less than 70%. Which should mean (by my own serial-dropper standards) that 2024 was a great year.

It doesn’t really, though, because the shows I loved loved were not that many. Or were 2023 shows. Which brings me to my first section, on:

Honorable 2023 mentions

I started 2024 with 2023’s Oh No! Here Comes Trouble! (Taiwan). It was a great start. This show made it to my top 10 of all time and taught me one of the two Chinese phrases I never forget: “Bang wo!” – that is “help me”, that all the supernatural beings try to make the lead character do.

The other Chinese phrase I have learned after watching so many dramas is “Sha!” 🔪 but I bet this is not something that can come in handy next time I am in China. I hope.

I watched 3 more 2023 dramas this year (all three from China), and I liked them all, a lot.

Three Body was a fascinating adaptation of a fascinating sci-fi novel. I am so looking forward to the second part that I hope they will produce, at some point.

Fake It Till You Make It featured such a relatable, real-life OTP. Good leads, too.

And the premise of The Spirealm was excellent, even though the execution (in particular acting and voice acting) was so and so at times.

I recommend all three (the first and third only if you are into sci-fi or fantasy/horror, respectively).

I would thus like to give out two belated “best” awards: Best Drama, to Oh No! Here Comes Trouble! / Best Actress, to the amazing Wang Zi Wen, starring as Earth’s greatest villainess in Three Body, although Chen Jin, playing the same character, the fatidic Ye Wen Jie at her older age, was equally impressive.

But, let’s move to this year’s shows. Here’s a recap, by month: 

January

I started 13 shows in January. I was convinced that this year I could beat Sean, Trent and ABV (all friends in Patreon, who seem to possess supernatural powers in drama-watching, along with our new friend, the lovely Deb).

Anyway, the best one among the dramas I actually finished (that is, a pathetic batch of 4 – not even close to Sean, Trent, ABV or Deb) was undoubtedly Knight Flower (K).

I hadn’t watched Honey Lee in anything before, but she had such spunk in her portrayal of a ninja widow, I just had to love her. Again, Sean has explained the reasons why Knight Flower, and Honey in particular, are such a good watch.

On the downside, boy was I disappointed by Dr. Slump (K)!

It was double cruel, actually, because episode 1 was instant love for me. Park Hyung Sik, Park Shin Hye, in high school attire (only for some flashbacks, though), I felt I was going home after many many years.

It was like Heirs, without having to put up with Lee Min Ho. But. Such a poor script and such poor directing of two so lovable actors. I am still mad. But I love you, you Parks.

February

February was a slower month. Four dramas started, two completed, not bad.

A shout-out to A Killer Paradox (K).

Short and effective, kind of lost it a bit in the middle, but Choi Woo-Sik saved it (he can save anything, like a true superhero), and Kim Yo Han had an impressive outing as Roh-bin. Too bad those two are not in Squid Game, they would have been so good in it.

On the other hand. I have long been a proud fanmom of Wu Lei (fanmom is fangirl for more mature girls with maternal, not romantic feelings towards young actors that they’ve known since they – the actors – were like 12).

But his outing as Lin Yi Yang in Amidst a Snowstorm of Love (C) was enough to momentarily turn me from a dedicated fanmom into a wicked stepmother. Momentarily, I said. I still love you, LeiLei.

March

Four shows again, but this time I only finished War of Faith (C).

Lots of positive points about this show. It keeps you at the edge of your seat, the acting is good, 30s Shanghai looks great (minus some wardrobe issues for westerners – those of you in Patreon may remember me nagging about some crinolines going around in nightclubs).

But then again, it has its fair share of propaganda and some pretty illogical stuff happens in the second half of the show. But still. Good enough. A special shout-out to the graphic designer that made this:

By the way, I ended up dropping Queen of Tears (K).

It wasn’t angry dropping like Dr. Slump. I just lost interest in all this extended cast that stole screen time from the show’s biggest assets, namely, the leading couple. Not that the supporting cast wasn’t good. I just didn’t care about what happened to them.

April

April was the month of “Sun Jae!!”

Lovely Runner (K) and its OTP stole my heart as it did to so many others. I didn’t even mind the serial killer trope which normally is a big no for me. So, I just have to post this here:

May

The only May show I completed was Ready, Set, Love (Thai).

I enjoyed it and appreciated its effort for social commentary (effort that completely failed in the other Thai drama I tried to watch this year, Master of the House). But everything was kind of green, from the acting to the writing to the directing.

Still, the most interesting May show for me.

June

I started four shows in June, completed 2. That’s 50%, like February, and I think that’s my highest success rate…

I loved Regeneration (C). It was my top 2024 show until November.

The idea of approaching the same character, Fei Ke (portrayed by Jing Bo Ran, doing a great job), through the eyes of a different person in every episode was brilliant, I thought.

Too bad the ending was obviously censorship-adjusted. But not to the point of canceling my very good opinion of the show.

The other show I completed was The Double (C). I found it addictively ridiculous. It was crazy successful – emphasis on “crazy”. Just watch one episode, you’ll know.

July

July I was on holidays, so six dramas – 1 completed, and that was The Spirealm mentioned above.

I dropped the well-beloved (by others) My Sweet Mobster (K) and Miss Night and Day (K) and I scoffed at how silly Snowfall (C) was – I was silly too, for expecting something more from a Chinese vampire show.

The other two are not even worth mentioning.

August

August was the one.

Are You The One (C) was love at first sight. Which is weird, because this is really not my type of drama. I guess I needed a well-made, light and fluffy love story with two capable leads, Zhang Wan Yi and Wang Chu Ran.

On the other hand, I was very disappointed by Love Next Door (K) and I angry dropped The Frog (K). I think I dropped that one the 12^th time someone asked the “tree that falls in the middle of the forest” question. Burn that stupid tree.

September

October

I tried out 5 shows, I only finished one, Kill Me Love Me (C) and that was because one cannot easily take one’s eyes off of Liu Xue Yi. The show unfortunately made no sense in its second part.

November

And then came November and Mr. Plankton (K). I wholeheartedly recommend this show to anyone who hasn’t watched it.

I was sitting bored at an airport waiting for my delayed flight and I randomly pressed play. Next thing I knew, I had watched the whole show in 3 days.

A plot with no holes; a competent director; relatable characters; and amazing cast, main and supporting.

Also, although we know from episode 1 that Hae Jo, the character played perfectly by Woo Do Hwan, is dying, the show still managed to have its light moments and stayed well on track until the very end. I wish there were more shows like this.

December

Well, the only show I will finish (one episode to go) is The Trunk (K).

It didn’t start well – I angry watched the first 2 episodes during a flight thinking to myself “what is this nonsense” and regretting I hadn’t downloaded anything else.

But after reading the first two episodes notes in Patreon, I thought let’s watch a bit more, and eventually the leads won me over, though I am not sure whether it was the show that got better or the fact that Gong Yoo and Seo Hyun Jin are good, likable actors.

I can’t say the final verdict was very positive on the show though. To quote the Fangirl, the show tries too hard to look clever (without being stupid in itself).

I also have dramas I am now currently watching, like all those Blossoms, and Love Game in Eastern Fantasy, and I do mean to take up When The Phone Rings, at some point, although it is Squid Game time, so I might be busy for the next few days…

And now, it’s awards time!

Best Drama – you have guessed it, its Mr. Plankton. That includes best script and best director. Second best, Regeneration.

Most Comfortable Watch – Are You The One. We need more shows like this.

Biggest Disappointment – I think it was Love Next Door for me. Also, I wish I could have stuck with Queen of Tears. Someone tell me what happened in the end – not here, in Patreon’s deep dive!

Fastest Drop – I dropped Brewing love after ten minutes, or maybe less.

Biggest Stinker – That would be The Impossible Heir.

Best Actor – I am torn between Woo Do Hwan and Choi Woo Sik. I will go with the latter, because he had to defend a weaker drama and he still shone in it.

Also, a big shout-out to Li Xue Yi who absolutely nailed those scenes of physical weakness around episode 13 of Kill Me Love Me. First (and probably last) time I have seen this in a drama like that. I could feel his deep mortification and despair.

Best Actress – The lovely Miss Honey Lee.

My second best would be the equally lovely Lee You Mi (Mr. Plankton), with whom, I must say, I had fallen in love in just  those ten minutes she was in Squid Game 1. I think I cried more for her there than any other in the cast.

Best Supporting Actor – once again, Oh Jung Se (Mr. Plankton).

Best Supporting Actress – I simply loved Lee El (Mr. Plankton). She’s one of the actors I wish I could watch more often.

Best OST – I will say Kill Me Love Me, but then again every time California Dreamin’ was on in Mr. Plankton, I couldn’t help but think that this is the greatest song ever written.

Oh, this is the opening title for Kill Me Love Me:

The OST includes many other remarkable tracks, and of course Liu Yu Ning, for the fans here.

Best Human Being – of course Heung, in Mr. Plankton. Such a sweet, unselfish person. If I can pick a second one too, it would be the foodie Empress in Are You The One.

Worst Human Being – I have to give this to the despicable Shen Yu Rong in The Double.

The actor, Liang Yong Qi, did great in portraying such a deep and complicated, but utterly awful, man. His was the best role in a drama that did not particularly excel in fleshing out its characters.

Most Badass Character – Definitely Cho Yeo Hwa, Zorro/Widow in Knight Flower.

Best Villain – I will say Zorro’s father in law. Such an evil person. However, this year there was shortage of really enjoyable villains.

Best OTP – My heart goes to Liu Mian Tang and Cui Xing Zhou in Are You The One.

Most Uncomfortable OTP – That just has to be the OTP in Lovely Runner. See picture above. Now imagine the neck pain. For their sake, I hope they didn’t have to shoot these scenes too many times.

The second most uncomfortable OTP but for completely different reasons would be the Emperor and Concubine Yang in Kill Me Love Me. Just look at this. What were they thinking.

Best Sleeper OTP – it just has to be No In Ji and Han Jeong Won in The Trunk. They started out totally unlikable and by the end I really rooted for their couple. I think this is thanks to the actors, but also to the …

…Most Slappable Character – Hands down, Lee Seo Yeon in The Trunk, played by Jung Yun Ha. Ms Jung does an amazing job making the audience really feel the urge to punch their tv screen.

She had strong competition by Su Ronqing in The Princess Royal (no hate on the actor but his character and how he portrayed him was probably the principal reason I dropped the show) and the Crown Prince Murong Xuan Lie in Kill Me Love Me.

Now, Kill me love me did not get an award in this category, but it certainly does in…

…Best “I ignore how problematic you are because you are so beautiful” Character – Of course, Liu Xue Yi as Murong Jing He. Just look at this:

Murong Jinghe is problematic due to the source material, but also to the awful writing in this show. Still, Liu Xue Yi wins the award for Instant Fangirl-Acquisition as well.

Top Highlander Award goes to the lovely Wu Jinyan: in The Double, she was buried alive and dug herself out of the grave. In Kill Me Love Me, she got buried under a bed of flowers and stayed dead for a week before waking up again.

Please, if you are too young to know who the Highlander was, don’t say a thing. Getting older by a year is already hard as it is.

Most Dramatic Drama Queen – I would think Princess Wan Ning in The Double, but Murong Jinghe also made an impressive raucous going in picnics and romantic boat trips with a corpse.

Most Heartwrenching Death – Yang Cai Wei in In Blossom, or rather the original actress playing her. Unfortunately, she swapped faces with Ju Jing Yi. Now, I actually find Ju Jing Yi cute, but her cuteness made her totally weird for this role.

Worst Title – Mr. Plankton gets that one. I saw the explanation of the title given in the show, but I still don’t buy it. I mean, this isn’t Bikini Bottom.

To conclude, Most When-will-you-be-on-screen-again award goes to Xiao Zhan because well, it’s been too long and I am kind of fed up with all the high fashion stuff. So there you go, my most anticipated drama for 2024:

In conclusion

So, dear friends. 2024 has come to an end! Thanks to the Fangirl for hosting my EOY review this year too and for providing us with such a toxic-free environment. And thanks to all of you for being such good mates.

To each and everyone, may 2025 bring you joy and happiness, just the way you want. And for the couple of you that had some rough times lately, my deepest, warmest wishes to get over them soon.

~Natalia