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, Diasporic Chick.
Today, I’m pleased to announce that TopTeenu’s sharing her drama year!
You might recall that TopTeenu was one of my blogoversary giveaway winners last month? Well, she’s settled in suuuper well over on Patreon, and is now even sharing her drama year with us! Woot!
Thanks TopTeenu, for taking the time to write! 😘
I hope you guys enjoy!
~ KFG ❤️
Hello everyone!
This is TopTeenu from the bustling city of Lagos, Nigeria, in the heart of Africa! Right now, we’re fresh off harmattan season (goodbye dust and chill!) and welcoming some warmth.
I’m new to the community and super excited to be sharing my 2024 drama year. Thanks, KFG and everyone for such a lovely community!
I work as a Corporate Trainer and Mental Health Coach, facilitating workshops for teams and organizations, especially around productivity, wellbeing and mental health.
It’s crazy trying to build a business and a family, but as I like to joke, a little KDT (Korean Drama Therapy) helps me keep afloat.
I began my Asian drama journey in May 2022. Before then I had been a long-time avid fan of Indian movies and watched a number of Filipino movies, but that was about it.
Of course, I had heard about Korean dramas, but I didn’t want to go there because I didn’t want anything I couldn’t finish in three hours or less.
And my idea of dramas was that they went on forever and you had to watch season after season of several episodes for years to have any kind of resolution.
But I remember getting so drawn in by the trailer of Business Proposal that I finally did a little research about it.
Only 12 episodes and I would be done with the story? I can do that! And so I devoured it!
A little What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim and Hometown Cha Cha Cha later, and I was hooked.
Korean dramas have opened a whole new vista for me and led me to a number of Chinese and Japanese dramas and even a Thai drama. And I haven’t looked back since then.
My 2024 Dramas
I watched 31 dramas in 2024, and most of them were older ones that were released before 2024.
As you’ll see, I tend to watch mostly romance dramas, but these days, I continuously get surprised by what I enjoy.
I’m sharing my Top Five Dramas from 2024 and my Top Five Dramas before 2024 (all of which I watched in 2024).
I’ll also share a few honourable mentions and hand out a few TopTeenu Drama Awards to some deserving folks.
Made-in-2024 Top Five
5. Eye Love You (Japanese with a sprinkling of Korean)
This drama sits pretty at my number 5.
It was so beautiful to watch and I fell in love with actress Fumi Nikaido. Interestingly, it was also my introduction to Korean actor Chae Jong Hyeop.
I thought their chemistry was beautiful and I enjoyed the easy story.
As a delightful fringe benefit, I also discovered the beautiful OST Iku Oku Konen (Billions of Light Years) by Japanese band Omoinotake. It’s on my special OST playlist now.
4. Doctor Slump (Korean)
Deserving of the number 4 position is Doctor Slump.
This drama touched me in all the right places, especially since I’m also in the mental health field. It gave drama words to so many things I was learning and teaching.
This was also my first time watching Park Shin Hye and I wasn’t disappointed at all; her reputation as a wonderful actress is well-earned. I also loved watching Park Hyung Sik play a blend of serious and playful.
Of course, I noticed the OST The Way to Love Myself (by CHEN) and it became my pick-me-up song for the better part of 2024.
3. My Sweet Mobster (Korean)
I fell in love with Uhm Tae Goo’s pictures online before I even watched this drama!
Of course, this drama was so much fun to watch. I had many laugh-out-loud experiences. I like that it portrayed a social issue very well – second chances for former inmates.
I loved the camaraderie of the Thirsty Deer gang, and I really liked the second love story.
I want to give a special shout-out to Yang Hyun Min, the actor who played Gwak Jae Su in this drama. He was a hoot!
2. Lovely Runner (Korean)
My number two spot goes to the worldwide sensation, Lovely Runner.
The FOMO was real while I was waiting for this drama to finish airing, let me tell you. And it didn’t disappoint.
A lovely storyline, beautiful actors plus a pinch of noble idiocy and it turned out to be the perfect formula for me and a whole lot of fans.
Like most of the world, I rediscovered Byeon Woo Seok (I had only seen him in 20th Century Girl before then) and discovered Kim Hye-Yoon.
I’ll just take a moment to swoon over Kim Hye-Yoon. For the first three or so episodes, I hardly noticed anyone else in this drama. She was awesome.
This seems like a good place to announce that the TopTeenu Drama Awards for the Best Actress from a 2024 drama goes to Kim Hye-Yoon. Her performance in Lovely Runner was phenomenal.
Likewise, the TopTeenu Drama Awards for the Best Actor from a 2024 drama goes to Byeon Woo-Soek. Playing an athlete, rock star, actor, student and actually singing the songs and making us go crazy for it all was quite a feat.
Needless to say, many of the songs in this drama have found their way onto my special playlist.
It also goes without saying that the TopTeenu Drama Awards for the Best OTP from a 2024 drama goes to Im Sol and Ryu Sun-Jae from Lovely Runner. I dare any other couple to beat three (or was it four?) timelines.
1. Love Next Door (Korean)
The coveted spot for my best made-in-2024 drama goes to Love Next Door.
How this drama made me feel is difficult to put into words. I loved the performances, I loved the two love stories, I loved the family connections and the small community feels. I loved the second chances and career reinventions.
It had many things that I could relate deeply to. It had real life issues and real life lessons. It had Mudflat Man. It had Choi Seung Ho and naughty deeds.
This drama truly hit me differently. I went all in – I watched and re-watched, I read posts about it, listened to blow-by-blow podcast episodes, and watched several behind the scenes and interviews.
Ooh and after being a silent reader all these years, this drama prompted me to leave my first comment on KFG’s blog! All hail my best made-in-2024 drama!
Honorable Mentions
1. The Atypical Family (Korean) deserves a mention for giving me an unusual, well, an atypical storyline. I didn’t enjoy every bit of it, and I was confused for a while, but it was fresh and it ended up being pretty decent.
2. Serendipity’s Embrace (Korean) deserves a mention because of the music. I loved every single OST in this drama and I have to say that the music stayed with me much more than the drama itself.
I may have forgotten scenes and plot lines, but you’ll find me singing along to Wonder (by Yechan Jeon) or Destiny (by 8TURN) or any other song from this drama at any given time. And of course, the entire OST is on my special playlist. You know it.
3. No Gain No Love (Korean) makes it to this list for the TopTeenu Razzie Award.
I was really looking forward to a good Shin Min-A drama, but it fell flat for the most part. I watched it, I finished it, but it was not memorable for me. It didn’t even give me an OST I could hold on to.
Pre-2024 Dramas
5. The King: Eternal Monarch (Korean)
People, I just had to go see what the fuss about Lee Min Ho was. And I tell you. I came, I saw and I WAS conquered.
This was my first Lee Min Ho drama and I was charmed very quickly and very definitely. I’m convinced no other actor can play a smart, charismatic king like him.
I also rekindled my love for Kim Go Eun, whom I had known and loved before. Plus I found Woo Do Hwan, one of the finest actors I’ve seen.
And as an extra benefit, I added the OST Orbit (by HWASA) to my special playlist.
4. Hot Stove League (Korean)
My number 4 pre-2024 drama is this extraordinary underdog-to-victory sports drama. This is the amazing drama I never saw coming and my first sports drama.
I watched it because I had just watched Korean drama My Dearest (not for the faint hearted) and I desperately wanted to cleanse my drama palate with another Namkoong Min drama. And preferably one that didn’t have a lot of blood and gore and distress.
And this drama delivered. His performance was stellar, the beautiful and uber-talented Park Eun-Bin was in it, and I binged it hard.
I love this drama so much; it had so many inspirational life lessons.
3. Mr. Queen (Korean)
This was an epic drama. It had romance, palace conspiracy, action, and lots of comedy. People, Shin Hye Sun is a master!
This drama left me in splits and on the edge of my seat. The storyline was initially not inviting to me (I tend to run from politicking), but I’m so glad I gave it a try in spite of that.
And a couple of the OST songs even made it to my playlist.
2. Healer (Korean)
My number 2 pre-2024 drama and currently my third best drama of all time is Healer.
What a story. What a cast. What an OST. This was great television, guys. This is one of the best time investments I made in my drama watching, my sanity and my enjoyment.
How this drama blended romance with action and intrigue and Ahjumma is nothing short of epic. And it had Park Min Young, one of my best actresses! Gosh! I feel a re-watch fever coming on.
I hereby present the TopTeenu ‘Can Never Do Wrong Award’ to actor Ji Chang Wook.
Receiving this highly coveted award means that for the rest of his acting life, no matter how horrible the story or how bad the acting, he will always be exonerated and loved by me.
1. Alchemy of Souls (Korean)
Sitting confidently as the number one pre-2024 drama that I watched in 2024 is Alchemy of Souls. It is also my second best drama of all time.
No story like this. Magic, check. Sword fights, check. Romance, check. Friendships, check.
I didn’t expect to like it, but I was curious enough to give this genre a go and I’m so glad I did!
This will also go down in history as the only drama I’ve been able to get my husband to watch. For someone who wasn’t interested in 12 or 16 episode dramas, he binged this 30-episode drama fast!
Honorable Mentions
1. Extraordinary Attorney Woo (Korean). The title says it all. Park Eun-Bin was excellent. Kang Tae Ho was swoony. The growth curve for our leads was well done. It had lovely female friendships. That’s it, it had me.
2. Lovestruck in The City (Korean). I know a million or so fans dropped this drama. But I loved it. And I found the interview format quite refreshing. Yes, Ji Chang Wook was a tad too whiny, but then he has the TopTeenu ‘Can Never Do Wrong Award’, so…
3. Perfect Marriage Revenge (Korean). This was my light introduction to the ‘makjang’ variety of dramas and I loved it! It was a crazy ride and I enjoyed every bit of it.
4. First Love: Hatsukoi (Japanese). This was such a rousing drama! A story of young love and reconnections. I found it very beautiful and very touching. I still remember actor Taisei Kido’s smile with such fondness. And I discovered Takeru Satoh!
Thank you, JJ, ABV and everyone who recommended this in the Patreon community!
And thank you for reading about my 2024 drama year! Here’s to a more awesome drama year in 2025!
~TopTeenu
Healer….ugh it hits all the right notes at the right time. Ji Chang Wook shines so bright and love his interactions with ahjumma.
Doctor Slump- the first few episodes hit right in the gut; so relatable! 😭
It was so relatable, Liz! Honestly, I relearned many things watching Doctor Slump.
And as for Healer, gosh! And his relationship with Ahjumma was awesome. It was one of the reasons I watched Welcome to Samdalri. Since they were both in that drama as well.
I am a bit late but here I am finally reading your EOY post.
Dr. Slump! Oh, I am so happy. It was a flawed drama but spoke to us personally so much. Mental health is the soap box I stand on fairly regularly so I enjoyed that aspect very much. The drinking drove me crazy because alcohol is never the solution to any problem.
We did watch Serendipity’s Embrace. I didn’t save the playlist but I am going to go give it a listen. Choi In Lee is the music director and as a rule, we like her OSTs so I am not sure why I don’t have any notes about it. We find sometimes an OST is enough the save a drama and maybe this why I rated this drama with two hearts.
Hot Stove League – we watched this as part of a Park Eu Bin track and what a joy it was. We particularly liked the instrumental “Stove League”
Love Next Door-we might brave this one. I just think Jung Hae In is terrific as an actor. The comments were so mixed over on Patreon we stayed away. We only watch after all the episodes have dropped.
Healer-Love it as love the OST.
30 but 17 is the only drama we rewatched immediately and only one of two that we’ve rewatched so you must add it to your list. Mr. Queen is the other one we’ve rewatched. Shin Hye Sun is a master indeed. We laughed so much both times we watched it, despite the politics which we despise.
We are going to watch No Gain No Love because it’s Shin Min Ah and we have watched everything she has done. Although sometimes that’s not enough….Shin Hye Sun in Hyeri got such terrible reviews we’ve not attempted it which is such a disappointment.
My Sweet Mobster-well said. When things are tough in the world, there is MSB and his gang. We also loved the redemption theme of second chances and I will always remember it most for that arc.
So glad to see you over in the Patreon community. It’s been just a year now since I joined and its my favorite place to hang out in the cloud. I have learned so much, found like minded souls, and felt at home. And a place to discuss Korean Music!!!!
Here’s to awesome 2025 dramas and amazing conversations over on the other side! Cheers.
Thanks, Deni! Great to read your comments! I agree, I love having like-minded drama comrades in the Patreon community. It’s so great!
Yes, Doctor Slump has its flaws, for sure, but we still liked it. And yes, the alcohol went past the typical drunk scenes you’d find in a k-drama. Oh, if you’re going to watch Love Next Door, I should prepare you: it had one too many drunk scenes, in my opinion. But they weren’t the OTP or anything so I could handle it.
Oh, I didn’t know the music director for Serendipity’s Embrace! Now that I do, I should look out for her and any other work she’s done. Because I love love love the music in that drama. The music certainly helped this drama for me; I just perked up anytime it came on!
Still 17 is certainly on my watchlist! It would be lovely to see Shin Hye-Sun again since Welcome to Samdalri. I didn’t watch Dear Hyeri, either.
I really like Shin Min-A, too and I hope you enjoy No Gain No Love better than I did!
May 2025 be filled with awesome dramas, beautiful music and lots of good things!
I loved your “Can Do No Wrong” award. I can bet we all have that one actor or actress that we feel deserves that award. To be honest, I have several 😊😊😊 (Hu Ge is one of mine)
Wow, you really watched some of the best older dramas last year. They are all strong classics and all very good.
Looking forward to 2025 dramas and peace to you this coming year. I hope you enjoy Patreon as much as we do!
Thanks, Phl1rxd! I’m enjoying the Patreon community so much!
And yes! There are just so many favorites! It’s great to have so many amazing actors in drama land.
I did watch a lot of amazing older dramas last year, hopefully this will be a great year as well. In dramas and in life, generally!
Ooh, hello there TopTeenu!!! I loved your post! I didn’t watch any kdramas this last year (too busy watching Chinese dramas!) but am going to try more kdramas this year – and your list helps pick out a few to start with!
So I was more smitten with your picks of older kdramas – yes, yes, yes!! Healer is stupendous and you’re right, Ji Chang Wook can never do wrong!! He seems like a very nice man too. For me still, Healer is his best!
Ah, Alchemy of Souls is great TV. I loved the world-building and found both seasons very immersive and entertaining. Definitely one of the best!
Mr Queen was stupidly funny but with so much heart. And agree, the OST for The King: Eternal Monarch is special.
Anyway, happy kdrama viewing – the best medicine indeed!
Hi Ele!
Chinese dramas are great, I watched a few of them last year, too. They hit quite differently, don’t they? And I have noted a few ones to check out from your list as well!
I really loved the older dramas, too. If I could create a K-Drama syllabus, most of them would be on the list of compulsory courses! And you gave the best descriptive word for Alchemy of Souls – immersive! Such an immersive, fictional world! I love it!
Hello and so glad you joined us on Patreon! it’s fun having you around even though I can’t keep up with the conversations sometimes haha.
Yay, I loved My Sweet Mobster, Healer, Lovely Runner – and enjoyed Extraordinary Attorney Woo and Perfect Marriage Revenge quite a bit too!
I have the other shows on my list! Hot Stove League, Mr Queen, etc… too many shows and so little time.
See you around more on Patreon and may 2025 be great!
Hear, hear!
Thanks, MC. May 2025 be great indeed. With more drama we love and zero ones we regret starting! It’s like you said, so little time…😀
Thank you for creating the “Can never do wrong award” and giving it to Ji Chang Wook. I had him there — just didn’t have a name for it!
Thanks, Linda! My absolute pleasure!! He’s awesome!
Terrific EOY post!! Lots of my favorites in your list: Healer, Mr. Queen, Alchemy of Souls, and (from your comment response) Hospital Playlist! I’ve got Hot Stove League on my watch soon list, and I just may have to do a rewatch of TKEM, just to see Woo Do Hwan again. I really enjoyed My Sweet Mobster too! Here’s to a great drama year in 2025!
Thanks, Deb! We do have quite a number of favorites in common. Hot Stove League was great. I hope you’ll enjoy it.
And I totally get the rewatch fever for TKEM; Woo Do Hwan was awesome! Doubly so, if you know what I mean. 😃
@TopTeenu – What a great EOY!! 🥰🥰🥰🥰 Love having you part of the Patreon Community. ITs been so much fun. Looking forward to more discussions and gems to watch with you 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
Eye Love You – I still have yet to finish this one even though I love Chae Jong Hypo!!! Oh a beautiful OST! Must look for the song and let you know 🙂
Oh YAY! Deni will be so happy Doctor Slump worked for you as the Drama worked for her as well. I liked parts of Doctor Slump, but overall the Drama didnt work for me at all. And I looooooooove Park Shin Hye!!!! Did you see Daily Dose of Sunshine which is about mental health as well? Its excellent! YAY another song to go find. Thank you 🥰
My Sweet Mobster 🥰🥰🥰🥰 A total ray of sunshine 🥰🥰🥰🥰
Lovely Runner. Love it. 🥰🥰 If you love Byeon Woo Seok then also check out Record of Youth which he is in with Bo Gummy and also Moonshine to see his comedic chops 🥰🥰🥰
YAY for the swoon for Kim Hye Yoon!! 🥰🥰🥰🥰
And they basically swept your awards. LOVE IT 🥰🥰🥰🥰
WOW! You really loved Love Next Door! So did ABV 🥰🥰🥰 I have stayed away from this one bc of the mixed reviews, but I love how much you love this one so now I am tempted 🥰🥰🥰
Atypical Family 🥰🥰🥰 Amazing OST
Ohhhh nobody has yet commented on the OST for Serendipity’s Embrace. Deni??? Did we miss a gem??? Must go listen. Thanks for pointing this one out for us 🥰🥰🥰
Ohhhhhh, I am so sad to hear No Gain No Love didnt work for you 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 Sniffle…
YAY!!! Another TKEM FAN!!! 🥰🥰🥰🥰 Take THAT Mr. Fletcher 🤣🤣🤣🤣 And someone else who saw LMH like I did, well P.Jasmine, too gets it with LMH 🥰🥰🥰
And love for Woo Do Hwan! Can you believe his baritone singing voice. Can we say SWOOOOON 🥰🥰🥰 If you want to see another very fine performance from him check out Joseon Attorney: A Morality. He is excellent as usual 🥰 And I looooooooooove love love love Kim Go Eun. Did you see the sweet movie Tune in for Love with Jung Hae In? 🥰
Hwasa is AMAZING and Orbit is flat out amazing 🥰🥰🥰
Hot Stove League – a total gem 🥰🥰🥰🥰
One day I’ll get to Mr. Queen. sigh…
Healer 🥰🥰🥰🥰 Need I say more?
WAIT ?!! WHAT??? Alchemy of Souls??? Did we talk about this masterpiece??? 🥰🥰🥰🥰
You are most welcome 🥰🥰🥰I am so glad. So so so soooo glad First Love: Hatsukoi worked for you so well 🥰🥰🥰🥰 It also holds up well on a rewatch 🥰🥰🥰
Thanks so much, JJ! And for your recommendations, too! 🥰🥰🥰
And I really love that you and Deni also take the drama OSTs very seriously, too! I’m always on the lookout for a music gem when I watch. Let me know if you like Omoinotake’s song from Eye Love You.
I haven’t watched Daily Dose of Sunshine, but it’s on my watchlist; I’ve heard great things about it.
I love Love Next Door! So so much! Maybe try the first few episodes and see if you’ll like it?
And please, check out the OST from Serendipity’s Embrace, I’m sure you’ll find something you like. I loved all of it. 😍
Yay for TKEM!! I loved it and I loved LMH and Woo Do Hwan. I’ll go check out Joseon Attorney: A Morality. And Tune In For Love.
Thanks, JJ! 🥰
@TopTeenu – You are welcome! I hope you like all my suggestions 🙂
OMO! We so do! We love our OSTs and musical gems. I pulled out all your song suggestions and already sent them to Deni so we can go over them. I mean we could have missed a gem or two!!!
Daily Dose is amazing in the way I wish Dr. Slump could have been and hoped it would have been for me.
I will try Love Next Door. You never know?!?!!
I love both actors in Serendipity’s Embrace, so Ill have to watch it now bc you talk so highly about the OST. I have this thing I cannot listen to the OST before watching a drama.
WOO HOOOOOO for TKEM!!! So awesome. Woo Do Hwan really gives a special performance in Joseon Attorney and I wish it got more love.
BTW – Here is my favorite song from Lovely Runner 🙂
N.Flying (엔플라잉) ‘Star’ LIVE CLIP ┃ 선재 업고 튀어 OSThttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dokaoupejA&ab_channel=N.Flying%28%EC%97%94%ED%94%8C%EB%9D%BC%EC%9E%89%29
JJ! 😍
I love that song, too! And I was just checking it out on YouTube now and realised that Lee Seung Hyub (the actor from Eclipse in Lovely Runner) is actually a singer and part of N.Flying.
This is brand new information to me! I love it! Your recommendations always lead me to new discoveries that I end up loving. 😍😍
@TopTeenu
Welcome to KFG’s blog and the amazing Patreon community. Hope you have a good time and looking forward to many drama discussions in 2025.
Now I straight up want to tell you that I love you for giving that “Can Never Do No Wrong” award to Ji Chang Wook. I am his solid in-house fan in this community and I have seen him many times in person and based on all that I can safely say that he is totally worthy of that award and more. He is really the apple of my eye and watching Healer in Sep 2020 has been one of the most life-changing event of my life. We talk more in Patreon for privacy regarding all that JCW love.
Also I am well-connected in his fan community and as far as I know all his fans liked him in LSITC. I personally liked that drama equally well. In fact, Park Jae-won is one of my fave characters of JCW. The interview format was unique and yes he was whiny and I thought that was the “premise” of that drama as all the 6 characters were saying something in front of the camera whereas in actual circumstances their behaviour was quite the opposite if any. Also I don’t pay much attention to what the “majority drama watchers” opinions. If I like a drama I like it and that’s about it.
Now on The King:Eternal Monarch: It is an excellent drama and LMH was amazing in it. tbh I had seen him earlier in “The Inheritors” drama which was mindless fun. But as you rightly mentioned in here: he came, he saw and he conquered me in that character (as the King, a mathematician, time-traveler, and a hopelessly in-love person) in TKEM. very memorable drama for me personally and hence happy to see that you loved it equally well.
On your 2024 dramas: I haven’t seen any of them for now as “rom-com” is not my preferred genre but all your listed top 5 dramas have been praised by everyone in this community and you seem to have had a good drama year with all this lovely dramas. Enjoy those memories
Of the non-2024 dramas: Apart from Healer and TKEM, I loved Mr. Queen as Shin hye-sun is one of my fave K-actress (the “can never do no wrong” – female version). I also have good regards for Nam-goong Min (brilliant in My Dearest) though I am yet to watch HSL. Have you seen him in Good Manager and if not I suggest that drama as he is simply superb in it.
Have a great drama year ahead and see you more in Patreon.
I love this! Thanks P. Jasmine! And now I remember reading your experience at JCW’s fan meeting here on KFG’s blog! Thank you for sharing that with us. He is awesome! A fantastic actor by any standards. And swoony 😍. He can do no wrong.
I truly loved Park Jae-Won in LSITC, too. And I had just watched him be a badass in Healer when I met him here, so it was really cool to see him so lovestruck! It’s amazing a lot of people didn’t like the interview format in this drama, but it was one of the things I really liked about it!
I did have a good drama year. And I haven’t seen Namgoong Min’s Good Manager, but it’s on my list now. Thanks!
Welcome to the fold, TopTeenu. 🙂 Isn’t this just a great community.
As KFG can attest, I am a bit of a contrarian in a sense that I’m quite often not in the least bit interested in the dramas that everyone else seems to be watching/being super invested in. Being a certified, hard to please Gumpy Old Curmudgeon I’m also quite often amused by the various recommeded dramas lists as so many of the dramas in them are those I would not recommend to anyone, ha.
From your list of dramas I’ve only seen Hot Stove League, Healer, Alchemy of Souls and Extraordinary Attorney Woo. Loved HSL and AoS, didn’t really care for Atty Woo. I’m also probably one of two people who wasn’t totally gaga about Healer. It was an ok drama but there are plenty of those I liked way, way more.^^
Thank you, Timescout! And yes, It is a great community!
I’m laughing so hard ‘certified, hard to please Grumpy Old Curmudgeon’. 🤣🤣
Yay for HSL and AoS! They were amazing! I’m interested to know your top dramas, the ones that passed your tests and which you would heartily recommend.
Mmmm… I don’t really rate my dramas anymore, there are just dramas I’ve liked in various degrees. Quite a few of my faves are old, as in several years old (started watching dramas in 2008 :D) and mostly hard to find these days.
So, if I had to pick some goodies from the past couple of years… Joy of Life (both parts), Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty (both seasons), Mysterious Lotus Casebook, Warm on a Cold Night, Kikazaru Koi ni wa Riyuu ga Atte, Forest of Secrets (boths seasons), Seirei no Moribito. Anyways, over the years I’ve probably written something about many of those I’ve liked in my blog. Feel free to browse. 🙂
Wow! Thanks for sharing these dramas, Timescout!
I haven’t heard of them, but now I’m so curious! I want to see what they’re like, these dramas that you’ve given a thumbs up! 😀
I’ll check them out and see which one I might like to give a try first.
@TopTeenu – So nice that you shared your EOY post. It’s been a treat conversing with you on Patreon, and what a fantastic list of shows you watched throughout the year! So many overlaps between us. Love Next Door, Lovely Runner, Mr. Queen, First Love: Hatsukoi, and Hot Stove League were on my EOY list too. I also watched and enjoyed Eye Love You, Doctor Slump, My Sweet Mobster, and The King: Eternal Monarch (JJ will be so pleased) in 2024.
Healer is a classic, and you just cannot go wrong with that drama. I was so happy to see some love for Perfect Marriage Revenge as well. I mentioned that and Healer in last year’s EOY post.
I think the two of us are in the minority who thoroughly enjoyed Doctor Slump, Love Next Door, and Lovely Runner.
The one show I haven’t watched from your top favorites list, and really should, is Alchemy of Souls. I’m also curious to know what your No. 1 drama of all time is. I’ve also not watched any of your honorable mentions on your 2024 list or Lovestruck in the City. I do plan to check out The Atypical Family, though.
Thank you, and I wish you a wonderful 2025.
Thanks, ABV! I noticed we have many overlaps and common favourites in our drama choices. No wonder I’ve really liked the shows you’ve recommended! Thank you.
And you’re right, somehow a lot of folks didn’t really enjoy Doctor Slump and Love Next Door, but I’m happy to be in camp of those who loved it.
Healer IS a classic. And Alchemy of Souls is great! It will take you on a wild and awesome ride. I think you’ll like it. My all-time best drama is Hospital Playlist! I have a personal rating system that I use for dramas and it’s still rated the highest. I love it so much!
@TopTeenu – You’re welcome 🙂
Indeed. I found both shows quite easy to watch too which is always a bonus.
I watched one episode of Alchemy of Souls with my brother last year but circumstances didn’t allow us to continue. Maybe we’ll give it a proper go this year.
Oh! Hospital Playlist is a superb pick. The cast of characters alone makes that one a treat. It was my first Jung Kyung-ho drama and he’s one of my favourite Korean actors.
Some recommendations: As a fellow Namgoong‐min fan, I do support the recommendations of both My Dearest and Good Manager as given by P. Jasmine. Those are two of his best works. And for Shin Hye-sun (another one of my favourites), I do highly recommend Still 17 if you haven’t seen it. It’s such a heartwarming and lovely show. Wo Do-hwan – If you can handle violence, I loved him in Bloodhounds alongside Lee Sang-yi.
@ABV, I hope you do give Alchemy of Souls a proper go this year, you won’t regret it!
And thank you for the recommendations! I have watched My Dearest and I have Good Manager on my list.
I’ll also like to watch Bloodhounds; it’s not what I’d typically watch, but I’ve heard good things about it and I like Lee Sang Yi, too. And yes, I haven’t seen Still 17 but I will watch it, for sure!
@TopTeenu – I’ll try my best. Need to see if I can have my brother join in. If not, I’ll try on my own.
You’re welcome 🙂
Bloodhounds is violent and not for the fainthearted. But it’s also thrilling and the bromance is fantastic.
Still 17 was a joy for me personally. Many on Patreon liked it too. Very pleasant watch.