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 them out here: Sean, Deni+JJ, Natalia, Ele, j3ffc, MC, Elaine, ABV.

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

Diasporic Chick’s been a part of our little Patreon community for a while, but rarely has time to hang out with us, due to all the other commitments she has, just living life.

So, this EOY post feels like a nice chance to catch up with what’s been going on with her, I feel like.

Thanks Diasporic Chick, for taking the time to share your drama year! 😘

If you’d like to read more of Diasporic Chick’s writing, you might like to check out her EOY post from last year here.

I hope you guys enjoy!

~ KFG ❤️

Diasporic Chick’s K-drama Journey

I am now five years deep into Asian dramas, which means I have at least an AA or BA degree in unrequited love and family tragic separation film tropes. 

While I am quite satisfied nowadays with slice of life dramas – especially the adolescent school crush turned adult aged romances –   I am struck by the continuous flow of creativity coming out of studios in South Korea and China. 

Though my preferences veered more towards Chinese dramas this year, many Korean dramas rose to the top in my 2024 year end round up.

My top drama picks of 2024

Below are my top ten dramas this year, quite a binge worthy list if I might add.  

1. Will Love in Spring (Chinese)

This was my first Li Xian movie, and I was quite struck by his ability to portray the role of a mortuary owner in a small rural Chinese village who falls for a former schoolmate, masterfully portrayed by Zhou Yutong.

The flirtation and hot and heavy romance scenes are tastefully shot, and there is a lot of philosophical content which I appreciated the ephemeralness of life.

Zhou Yutong steals the show though with her ability to portray a charismatic and career-driven beauty who does not allow her prosthetic leg to get in the way of her success.

I know many will critique the abrupt ending, but I enjoyed it immensely.  

2. Family by Choice (Korean)

Being new to Hwang In Yeop, I was mesmerized by his portrayal in this remake of a Chinese series, Go Ahead, which I had watched a month or so prior to viewing this series.

His acting versatility and range of emotions is stunning, especially when compared to his already strong performance as second male lead in True Beauty.

Actress Jung Chan-Yeon was equally well cast and the two had really great innocent romance chemistry and steamy romance electric charge.

The entire cast was strong, and what I liked about this series was they reduced the number of crazy vengeful emotionally broken interfering mom scenes compared to the Chinese front runner. 

3. Amidst a Snowstorm of Love (Chinese)

This series made me be all on board with the Wu Lei train. He consistently serves up a come hither gaze; Lei be lookin’ at his female lead the way I look at crab leg dinner specials at a seafood buffet.

This transnational sports and romance series, was shot both in a very cold Scandinavian town and Shanghai, with stunning backdrops and lots of snow, mountains, water, sunshine.

I laughed, I cried, and the supporting cast was gorgeous. And I learned some billiards/snooker lingo along the way.  

4. What Comes After Love (Korean with Japanese cultural content)

Lee Se-Young the female actress who is cast as a Korean study abroad student in Japan is perfect in this role. Kentaro Sakaguchi is phenomenal, again with the eyes conveying a thousand words.

Beautifully shot, directed, scripted in six episodes.

The OST was extremely memorable and I have found myself listening to it on repeat while staring at the burning wood embers in my fireplace, wondering about the would-have, should-have, could-have of my study abroad youth.

And the cajones of the main male lead to document his love for the female lead in a novel that she would one day read and discover his true regret for their break up. There’s therapy for that! The scenes shot in Kyoto were just dreamy. 

5. Marry My Husband (Korean)

Takes the revenge plot in fantastical and futuristic ways, with a side of hot son of a tycoon.

I am always a fan of  Park Min Young (Rachel Park) and her rom coms, but this one was such a brilliant Korean-style Back to the Future with the tagline ‘I will expose you for what you are, you cheating cowardly sack of fermented bean paste.’

Na In-Woo was brilliant. The finale of the season was beautifully shot, and the OST was really good, especially the song Wounds of Time by Kim So Yeon. 

6. The Story of Pearl Girl (Chinese)

Not only was I excited by this new series starring my favorite Chinese actress Zhao Lusi but also pleasantly surprised by new to me actor Li Yuning.

Enslaved pearl diver turned jewelry business owner, this was a non-traditional revenge plot part John Wick part ill-fated lovers.

The supporting male lead here deserves acknowledgement too as Tang Xiaotian was ever the doting benevolent hero.

If you can’t handle blood, this isn’t the relaxing series for your evening enjoyment but I really found joy and beauty in many of the slow burn romance and redemption scenes.

I wish Zhao Lusi the best of luck in her recent health setback and I can’t wait for her to rest, recover, and then come back stronger with a less terrible entertainment agency. 

7. As Beautiful as You (Chinese)

This series introduced me to Xu Kai, whose work I want to see more of, and Tan Songyun who appears in Go Ahead. Tan is ever the spritely optimistic character in many of her female lead roles.

If you like workplace romance stories, this one is for you.

I tried to ignore the scheming and insecure second female lead vying for attention through deceit and underhanded dealings, but in spite of hard to believe plot twists, I still thoroughly enjoyed this series.

There are a few love in the kitchen scenes that make you go ummm. 

8. Smile Code (Chinese)

I was drawn into this novel plot about a male designer starring Lin Yi (who is also in Everyone Loves Me) who gradually falls in love with comedian played by Shen Yue (made famous for her role in Meteor Garden).

Though you would not expect it, this show contains both humor, romance, and a unique focus on the clinical psychology of someone who is traumatized to the point of being unable to recognize one’s own basic human emotions; love helped him learn to feel again.

The supporting cast is great.  

9. Love Next Door (Korean)

I really enjoyed two well known Korean actors cast in this rom com, starring Jung Hae In and and Jung So Min, and yes, two things can be true at once: adoration for the childhood friends turned lovers storyline, and a sense that the script did not play to the two main actors’ strengths, especially Jung Hae In.

Special shout out to the female lead character portraying an international student at my alma mater UC Berkeley. 

10. Fireworks of My Heart (Chinese)

I’ll watch anything starring Yang Yang, and this action packed series depicts rekindled romance between a fire battalion captain and a hospital doctor rehashed from school romance.

Yes, the female lead’s adoptive parents being overbearing and staunchly against their relationship because he wasn’t good enough for her is a tired trope and yes, I counted at least a handful of times Yang Yang carried Wang Churan’s character in his arms out of the ashes of a disaster zone.

Other Awards

Best Actor

Actress: Zhao Lusi (Story of Pearl Girl) or Lee Se-young (What Comes After Love)

Actor: Kentaro Sakaguchi (What Comes After Love) or Yang Yang (Fireworks of My Heart) or Hwang In-Youp (Family by Choice)

Best OTP 

What Comes After Love OTP

Best supporting actor

Tang Xiaotian, supporting male lead in The Story of Pearl Girl

Razzie Award

The Midnight Romance in Hagwon

Special awards

Actors who happen to also sing —

• Liu Yuning “Only Wish”
• Hwang In Youp ”My Beautiful Name Is You” 

~Diasporic Chick