Drama Bucket List
See also Top 13 Dramas
Currently watching:
Ojakgyo Brothers
Me Too Flower
Can You Hear My Heart
A Thousand Kisses
To Watch/Finish:
Scent of a Woman
Taiyou no Uta
Material Queen
Strangers in Vigilante Masks
Perpetually on hold: East of Eden -eps 6-11, 15-16, 18-20, 22-29, 38-40, 45, 48, 50, 52, 54-56 A Man's Story
To See
Kdramas:
Someday Stranger than Paradise
Good Job, Good Job-DF
Capital Scandal
Successful Story of a Bright Girl
Daemang
Dal Ja's Spring
Damo-DF
Sandglass-DF, only 24 eps Que Sera Sera -DF
La Dolce Vita-DF
Ruler of Your Own World-DF
Jdramas
Innocent Love
Good Luck-an awesome big-old-hitter, great romance, great female character, great main character (Takuya), happy, great secondary OTP - mishane
Smile Orange Days,
Beautiful Life
Bara no Nai Hanaya
Mukodono
Trick
Ice World
Liar Game
Summer Snow
Densha Otoko
Twdramas
Say Yes Enterprise
Possible, but star actors I don't like:
Prince turns to Frog
Ying Ye 3
In Love with a Rich Girl
Seen:
Kdramas: (34)
9 End 2 Outs -4/5
Best Love-3.5/5
Boys Before Flowers -2/5
Dream High - 4.8/5 Goong -4.5/5
Fireworks/Exhibition of Fireworks-3/5
Full House-4.9/5
Hong Gil Dong - 4.9/5
Heartstrings -4/5 - first 7 episodes are boring and dull. The rest has hands-down the cutest OTP I've ever seen, including that of DBY and Playful Kiss
I'm Sorry I Love You (MISA) - 3/5 - great OTP, but wall-to-wall angst in the last 6 episodes, and the writing, while consistent and with occasional flashes of magic surrounding the OTP, is unoriginal
King of Baking Kim Tak Gu - very, very well-written and addicting, plus great performances
Last Scandal -4/5
Lawyers of the Great Republic Korea -4.5/5
Lie to Me - 3/5 - first half is awful, second half is really cute. Plot is rubbish but insane, unheard of amounts of OTP chemistry
Mary Stayed Out All Night - 2/5-OTP of a cute to kill for, but zero plot in the first half and horrible plot in the second
My Girl-5/5
My Country Calls-2.5/5
Partner -4/5
Pasta-3/5 Personal Taste-3/5- the second half was much better than the first and the acting and chemistry between the main leads was excellent, but it was a very standard drama - the plot took no risks and it just didn't really have that deep emotional element or extra spark of magic for me
Playful Kiss-3/5- super low-key but oh, so, so adorable. A very light, lovely, warm little drama that was the perfect anti-stress for while I was busy
Prosecutor Princess - 4.5/5 - solid solid solid plot, writing, and OTP, with fantastic chemistry between Kim So Yeon and Park Shi Hoo. From the same writer as Brilliant Legacy and possibly an even better drama(starts out fluffy and a bit uneven and gets so, so good as it goes on). A romcom take on the revenge story.
Robbers -3/5 - highly romantic but too slight to be really memorable.
Shining Inheritance -4.5/5 - wonderful. The plot, writing, and OTP is solid solid solid and it's super addicting and just so much fun to watch. Highly recommended.
Snow White-3/5 Soulmate -4/5
Surgeon Bong Dal-Hee-4/5 - I never thought I'd get into a medical drama, but this turned out to be incredibly well-written and wildly addicting, and Dal-hee is one of the most awesome kdrama heroines I've ever seen. Unfortunately, I HATED about three-fourths of the final episode, and even though the last one-fourth saved and still gave all concerned a happy ending, I thought that it resorted to a cop-out to get there and was wildly annoyed. Still worth watching overall however.
Thank You -5/5 - one of the most brilliant and well-written dramas I've ever seen. I can't rave enough about this drama. Whatever you think it's about, it's not about that. Just go watch it.
The First Shop of Coffee Prince -5/5
The Legend - 5/5 - leaving aside the first four and last four eps (the former were a little dull and the latter were deeply flawed) The Legend is probably the most brilliant drama I've ever seen. I can't even talk about how good it is because words can't express it. Go see it and then you'll see why and fall madly in love. When It's at Night - 3.5/5 - watched this because I heard it had a similar vibe to Partner and it did indeed in the second half, but I loved it simply because after a draggy first 3 episodes it amazingly picked up speed and then the tension just built and built until the very end. Such a solid OTP and it introduced me the amazing hotness/wonder that is Lee Dong Gun. Not a great drama but an excellent, entertaining ride and great chemistry between leads. Note: sodahands did an excellent pusher post here
Who Are You? -4/5
Winter Sonata - 4/5 - absolutely delightful and classic first half, but the second half devolves into repetitive, self-referential angst. I surprisingly madly loved the OTP though, especially in the first half. The only one of the Four Seasons dramas I recommend
You're Beautiful -3.5/5
Jdramas: (17)
1 Litre of Tears - 5/5- I avoided this for a long time because I thought it would be tragic/angsty beyond reason, but I was so glad I watched it after doing so. It's neither manipulative nor an angstfest, but rather a very straightforward, compelling, intensely well-acted story of a girl and her family (and the boy she loves). Absolutely lovely and the romance with Ryo kept me going- mmm, the long smoldering glances!! it's funny, wistful, and very near perfect (and yes, heartbreakingly sad at times). Highly recommended.
Anego -3/5 - really well-done office drama that becomes surprisingly charming/addicting after a low-key first episode or so (and I'm not much of a one for office dramas usually). Good romance between Shinohara and Jin but the romance lines get hopelessly muddled in the last 3 eps and the ending was very silly. I recommend it overall, but don't expect greatness
Aishiteiru to Itte Kure-5/5 - stunningly acted, super romantic, and consistently well-written, Aishiteiru was both a non-tragic love story and one of the three most heartbreaking dramas I've ever seen, right up there with 1 Litre of Tears and Silence - its pain was simply so real and raw and human. Highly recommended, but be prepared for something of an emotional rollercoaster, especially in the second half.
Buzzer Beat - 4/5 - a surprisingly lovely, adorable drama about two refreshingly well-adjusted and adult people who meet and fall in love. The OTP is really well-acted and there's a lot of magic in the way it's portrayed. Pointless and predictable angst in eps 8-10 led me to skip those, but the finale was good and the rest of the drama was excellent (even the supporting characters were really endearing and hilarious). Definitely recommended - it's neither cracky nor super angsty, and that middle ground, especially well done, is hard to find in jdramas.
Hana Yori Dango 1 - 5/5 - does this even need commentary? An enduring classic in its own right, there's just something about this, as flawed as it is(it's not nearly as perfectly-written as say, 1 Litre or TattaKoi) that has a spark of complete and utter magic. It's very very hard to not at least like HYD.
Hana Yori Dango 2 -4.5/5 - the second season surprsied me by being almost as good as the first. The tone, plot and characterizations stayed very consistent and true to the first one Hanazakari no Kimi Tachi e -4/5
Itoshi Kimi e - 4/5 - a slight drama, but lovely and luminous with one of the most breathtaking endings I've ever seen.
Love Shuffle-5/5
Nobuta wo Produce - 5/5 - I came late to the NwP fandom, but fell for it so hard when I did that it instantly became my favorite jdrama Nodame Cantabile-2.8/5 - ugh. I liked this just enough to finish watching it and no more, and have regretted doing so ever since. I have a reasonably high OTT tolerance, but this was just too much, and the female lead annoyed me and the male lead was as wooden and stiff as ever I've seen
Pride-5/5
Proposal Daisakusen-3.8/5
Tatta Hitotsu no Koi-4.5/5-giddily romantic and lovely with a superb soundtrack, this is one of the most beautiful and well-shot dramas I've seen, and Kame is a wonder as always. A Japanese take on Romeo and Juliet about a ship mechanic and a rich girl who fall in love. I'd recommend it for jdrama or drama newbies
Tokyo Dogs - 3/5-tongue-in-cheek and hilarious, the best thing to do with this drama is not take it too seriously. It's great brain-candy and ridiculously fun escapist crack. Expect bromance, romance, hot! Shun, hot! Shun in a suit and with a gun, cheeky, hilarious, adorable Mizushima Hiro, and Yoshitaka Yuriko in an OTP that would be awesome and angsty as hell in a kdrama and is still addicting and adorable in a jdrama
Tsuki no Koibito - 4/5 for the first 6 eps, 5/5 for the last 2 - a schizophrenic drama if there ever was one, but oddly, both parts of the drama are really well-written - it just shifts focus and tone entirely a little more than halfway through. I was glad of the change however because the last 2 eps of this dram are two of my favorite drama episodes EVER - it's 3 hours of almost perfect television. I can't recommend this drama enough
Yamato Nadeshiko/Perfect Girl Evolution-4/5 - not too deep or angsty but oh such a fun, fun, lovable, and quirky riding, with amazing casting for the OTP. Yamato is in some ways the quintessence of a jdrama in that it captures very well the Japanese obsession with the quirky, the oddball, the offbeat and the downright dark - but it gives it all such a light touch that the drama as a whole is much more funny than angsty. Stubborn, silent, horror-loving Sunako has hid herself behind a cloak and a love for skeletons, knives, and horror movies ever since being deeply hurt in high school, but all that is about to change when she moves into a mansion with four playboys who are determined to change her into a lady in order to pay her rent. She and the leader of the boys, the violent, beautiful Kyohei who puts up a front of callous carelessness and hides behind violence after being deeply scarred because of the ramifications of his beauty, forge a deep connection. The two outsiders, ostracized for entirely different things, are drawn instinctively together.
Twdramas: (18)
Autumn's Concerto - 3/5-waste of my life. How a drama could be so excellent and giddily romantic in its first one-third and then head straight downward to determined speed to hit an all-time low of anticlimatic stupidity by the end is beyond me. My advice? Avoid, or only watch the first 5 or so eps.
Corner with Love-4/5
Devil Beside You-4.5/5
Hana Kimi-3.5/5
KO One-3/5 - so cheesy and so, so wildly addicting. One of those awesome cracky dramas
Love Keeps Going- I had a one or two big quibbles with this, but overall it was a surprisingly romantic and addicting drama
Love Storm-2.5/5
Mars -5/5
Meteor Garden -4.9/5
My Lucky Star -4/5
Mysterious Incredible Terminator - 3.5/5 for plot, 4.9/5 for the OTP Romantic Princess -3/5
Silence-4/5
Smiling Pasta -4/5
Sweet Relationship-3/5
ToGetHer-4/5 Wish to See You Again-4/5 Why Why Love
Abandoned:
1% of Anything- such a lovely drama but it's just too long 49 Days -really really good drama - until the ending. I dropped about three-fourths of the way through
A Star's Lover - tried one ep, seemed sweet but unexceptional Cain and Abel - ugh, the pace and the obsession with the bad guys
City Hall - this was a little like Fated to Love You for me - the OTP surprised me by being amazing and teh drama itself became intensely addicting as a result - and then Kim Sun Ah went back to playing the same girl she played in KSS(who was also the reason I dropped that drama) and started carrying on an affair with an engaged man and so I dropped it in utter disgust. At this point, When It's at Night is the only reason I don't avoid KSA dramas like the plague
Calling for Love - there was no one thing that was particularly bad about this drama, it just had such a lack of imagination and just felt so lacking to me Fated to Love You - I got sucked in, only to realize halfway through that I utterly hated what it had become
Fantasy Couple - I've tried a good three separate times to watch this, and I just - can't. I really want to - I love the movie it's based on and I like the actress - but something about it just doesn't work for me. It just felt - awkward. I stopped feeling guilty about not liking it after I heard a similar reaction from a flistie.
Hello Miss-ditto to above Heading to the Ground - I really wanted to like this, and stuck it out for a good third of its run. But even the leads' chemistry and rather lovely romance couldn't save this ridiculous story Hot Shot - the main girl is a blip and while the sports/male rivalry was excellent, I need at least a bit of decent romance to pull me through
How to Meet a Perfect Neighbor - The first one-third of this drama was unexpectedly and utterly adorable and I quickly got addicted(the OTP was so quirky and unexpected and who can not love a drama in which they change the OTP because of the leads' chemistry?) - and then I read spoilers for the rest of it and realized that it devolved into a horrific adultery affair(the guy is engaged, not married, but same difference). I HATE cheating of any kind above all else and so dropped this like a hot brick
Kamisama Mou Sukoshi Date-this seemed very well-written but God so depressing, and very sexual Kurosagi - when I heard the only romance was of the UST variety, I lost interest, especially because from their first scene together I shipped them so hard I knew it would break my heart
Long Vacation - I tried really hard to like this, because the premise is great and Kimura! but a first episode never seemed so long. I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong with it - I do hate the muted, low-budget look and feel of older damas, but mostly it was just that I realized I felt pretty much complete indifference toward both main characters. Also the premise was very awkwardly handled and forced. Love Buffet - I will always and forever be bitter about this. The first half was one of the most lovely Twdrama love stories I've ever seen - it's no secret that I adore Aaron Yan and the actress was so pitch-perfect. Then about halfway through I realized to my horror that I wasn't going to get the OTP I wanted, and the drama ended up with one of those ridiculous open endings. Ugh.
My Fair Lady - a glossy mess that was an entire waste of the talent and money that went into it My Princess-super cute OTP but the plot was so very token and the stakes weren't high enough. When I say that a drama was too angstless for even me, you know it was pretty angstless.
Marrying a Millionaire - when you get bored halfway through the first episode, you know it's not a good sign
Momo Love - a schizophrenic drama if there ever was one. I loved the delicate romance and the adorable OTP and the thread of wistfulness that ran through it, but when they threw out all remaining threads of cohesiveness and narrative logic halfway through, I lost patience and gave up Rolling Love - I love Jiro but it just didn't take and I hate stories in which the OTP is a blind girl Snow Queen- too angsty, and I just could never quite warm up to Sung Yuri's character
Sunao ni Narenakute - ugh. I don't even want to talk about this. Adorable first two eps led straight into horrific writing and an OTP consisting of a bastard (Eita) and a pushover (Haru). My entire flist hated this and we all dropped it at around the same time.
Spring Waltz - ughh, I hate childhood stories and this felt so lacking in heart to me. Felt like a slow-moving artwork instead of a human tale. Sweet 18-the premise is so adorable and Lee Dong Gun! but the first ep was so, so dull, and according to flisties it stays that way the whole drama Time Between Dog and Wolf - I enjoyed what I saw, but it's just not my thing Tazza-great concept and good actors but poor writing & pacing ruined this Dr. Champ - great actors couldn't save this from having a boring plot and the wrong OTP :(
Temporarily Abandoned: The Outsiders - so angsty, and I could see the doom coming from a mile away Black and White - I got sidetracked at some point and haven't picked it up since Sapuri - sidetracked by other, better dramas
To Avoid:
Cinderella Man - looks and sounds so utterly boring
In Soon is Pretty - I love Kim Hyun Joo but I heard the plot is bipolar Triple - I'm in dramas for romance and resolution. Triple does not qualify.
Miss No Good - ugh ugh ugh, one of maybe two dramas which I dropped five minutes in. The worst kind of frenetic, extreme, over-the-top Taiwanese dramas My MVP Valentine-30 episodes!!
Love or Bread - tried the first episode and just - no
Bull Fighting - flisties hated it Gokusen -
Gourmet-ugh. food is just not my thing. Hotelier - sooo boring. Loving You 1000 Times - much as I love Lee Soo Kyung, I hate adultery storylines even more. No. Akai Ito-see this post Hotaru no Hikari - apparently there's adorable UST but no overt romance to speak of I Really Really Like You - I figured this could be either fluffy cute or YAWN. Based on flisties' descriptions, it's the latter. Also girl stops being plucky and becomes emo mess which is my most hated turn of events(see: BOF) Something Happened in Bali - way, way, way too angsty. (plus, mishane says the heroine is selfish and wishy-washy)
Calling Love - mishane says it's dumber than rocks and you know what? I believe her. Magic Ring - mishane said the heroine was a bitch to everyone, including her OTP Stairway to Heaven - read the entire plot summary on Wikipedia, couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry, and decided to never watch that drama
Calling for Love - not to be confused with the aforementiond Calling Love, this one stars Charlene Choi and Mike He. See this post for why I dropped it Love Generation - has Kimura Takuya but my flisties universally said it was horrible beyond reason and really boring
Currently watching:
Ojakgyo Brothers
Me Too Flower
Can You Hear My Heart
A Thousand Kisses
To Watch/Finish:
Scent of a Woman
Taiyou no Uta
Material Queen
Strangers in Vigilante Masks
Perpetually on hold: East of Eden -eps 6-11, 15-16, 18-20, 22-29, 38-40, 45, 48, 50, 52, 54-56 A Man's Story
To See
Kdramas:
Someday Stranger than Paradise
Good Job, Good Job-DF
Capital Scandal
Successful Story of a Bright Girl
Daemang
Dal Ja's Spring
Damo-DF
Sandglass-DF, only 24 eps Que Sera Sera -DF
La Dolce Vita-DF
Ruler of Your Own World-DF
Jdramas
Innocent Love
Good Luck-an awesome big-old-hitter, great romance, great female character, great main character (Takuya), happy, great secondary OTP - mishane
Smile Orange Days,
Beautiful Life
Bara no Nai Hanaya
Mukodono
Trick
Ice World
Liar Game
Summer Snow
Densha Otoko
Twdramas
Say Yes Enterprise
Possible, but star actors I don't like:
Prince turns to Frog
Ying Ye 3
In Love with a Rich Girl
Seen:
Kdramas: (34)
9 End 2 Outs -4/5
Best Love-3.5/5
Boys Before Flowers -2/5
Dream High - 4.8/5 Goong -4.5/5
Fireworks/Exhibition of Fireworks-3/5
Full House-4.9/5
Hong Gil Dong - 4.9/5
Heartstrings -4/5 - first 7 episodes are boring and dull. The rest has hands-down the cutest OTP I've ever seen, including that of DBY and Playful Kiss
I'm Sorry I Love You (MISA) - 3/5 - great OTP, but wall-to-wall angst in the last 6 episodes, and the writing, while consistent and with occasional flashes of magic surrounding the OTP, is unoriginal
King of Baking Kim Tak Gu - very, very well-written and addicting, plus great performances
Last Scandal -4/5
Lawyers of the Great Republic Korea -4.5/5
Lie to Me - 3/5 - first half is awful, second half is really cute. Plot is rubbish but insane, unheard of amounts of OTP chemistry
Mary Stayed Out All Night - 2/5-OTP of a cute to kill for, but zero plot in the first half and horrible plot in the second
My Girl-5/5
My Country Calls-2.5/5
Partner -4/5
Pasta-3/5 Personal Taste-3/5- the second half was much better than the first and the acting and chemistry between the main leads was excellent, but it was a very standard drama - the plot took no risks and it just didn't really have that deep emotional element or extra spark of magic for me
Playful Kiss-3/5- super low-key but oh, so, so adorable. A very light, lovely, warm little drama that was the perfect anti-stress for while I was busy
Prosecutor Princess - 4.5/5 - solid solid solid plot, writing, and OTP, with fantastic chemistry between Kim So Yeon and Park Shi Hoo. From the same writer as Brilliant Legacy and possibly an even better drama(starts out fluffy and a bit uneven and gets so, so good as it goes on). A romcom take on the revenge story.
Robbers -3/5 - highly romantic but too slight to be really memorable.
Shining Inheritance -4.5/5 - wonderful. The plot, writing, and OTP is solid solid solid and it's super addicting and just so much fun to watch. Highly recommended.
Snow White-3/5 Soulmate -4/5
Surgeon Bong Dal-Hee-4/5 - I never thought I'd get into a medical drama, but this turned out to be incredibly well-written and wildly addicting, and Dal-hee is one of the most awesome kdrama heroines I've ever seen. Unfortunately, I HATED about three-fourths of the final episode, and even though the last one-fourth saved and still gave all concerned a happy ending, I thought that it resorted to a cop-out to get there and was wildly annoyed. Still worth watching overall however.
Thank You -5/5 - one of the most brilliant and well-written dramas I've ever seen. I can't rave enough about this drama. Whatever you think it's about, it's not about that. Just go watch it.
The First Shop of Coffee Prince -5/5
The Legend - 5/5 - leaving aside the first four and last four eps (the former were a little dull and the latter were deeply flawed) The Legend is probably the most brilliant drama I've ever seen. I can't even talk about how good it is because words can't express it. Go see it and then you'll see why and fall madly in love. When It's at Night - 3.5/5 - watched this because I heard it had a similar vibe to Partner and it did indeed in the second half, but I loved it simply because after a draggy first 3 episodes it amazingly picked up speed and then the tension just built and built until the very end. Such a solid OTP and it introduced me the amazing hotness/wonder that is Lee Dong Gun. Not a great drama but an excellent, entertaining ride and great chemistry between leads. Note: sodahands did an excellent pusher post here
Who Are You? -4/5
Winter Sonata - 4/5 - absolutely delightful and classic first half, but the second half devolves into repetitive, self-referential angst. I surprisingly madly loved the OTP though, especially in the first half. The only one of the Four Seasons dramas I recommend
You're Beautiful -3.5/5
Jdramas: (17)
1 Litre of Tears - 5/5- I avoided this for a long time because I thought it would be tragic/angsty beyond reason, but I was so glad I watched it after doing so. It's neither manipulative nor an angstfest, but rather a very straightforward, compelling, intensely well-acted story of a girl and her family (and the boy she loves). Absolutely lovely and the romance with Ryo kept me going- mmm, the long smoldering glances!! it's funny, wistful, and very near perfect (and yes, heartbreakingly sad at times). Highly recommended.
Anego -3/5 - really well-done office drama that becomes surprisingly charming/addicting after a low-key first episode or so (and I'm not much of a one for office dramas usually). Good romance between Shinohara and Jin but the romance lines get hopelessly muddled in the last 3 eps and the ending was very silly. I recommend it overall, but don't expect greatness
Aishiteiru to Itte Kure-5/5 - stunningly acted, super romantic, and consistently well-written, Aishiteiru was both a non-tragic love story and one of the three most heartbreaking dramas I've ever seen, right up there with 1 Litre of Tears and Silence - its pain was simply so real and raw and human. Highly recommended, but be prepared for something of an emotional rollercoaster, especially in the second half.
Buzzer Beat - 4/5 - a surprisingly lovely, adorable drama about two refreshingly well-adjusted and adult people who meet and fall in love. The OTP is really well-acted and there's a lot of magic in the way it's portrayed. Pointless and predictable angst in eps 8-10 led me to skip those, but the finale was good and the rest of the drama was excellent (even the supporting characters were really endearing and hilarious). Definitely recommended - it's neither cracky nor super angsty, and that middle ground, especially well done, is hard to find in jdramas.
Hana Yori Dango 1 - 5/5 - does this even need commentary? An enduring classic in its own right, there's just something about this, as flawed as it is(it's not nearly as perfectly-written as say, 1 Litre or TattaKoi) that has a spark of complete and utter magic. It's very very hard to not at least like HYD.
Hana Yori Dango 2 -4.5/5 - the second season surprsied me by being almost as good as the first. The tone, plot and characterizations stayed very consistent and true to the first one Hanazakari no Kimi Tachi e -4/5
Itoshi Kimi e - 4/5 - a slight drama, but lovely and luminous with one of the most breathtaking endings I've ever seen.
Love Shuffle-5/5
Nobuta wo Produce - 5/5 - I came late to the NwP fandom, but fell for it so hard when I did that it instantly became my favorite jdrama Nodame Cantabile-2.8/5 - ugh. I liked this just enough to finish watching it and no more, and have regretted doing so ever since. I have a reasonably high OTT tolerance, but this was just too much, and the female lead annoyed me and the male lead was as wooden and stiff as ever I've seen
Pride-5/5
Proposal Daisakusen-3.8/5
Tatta Hitotsu no Koi-4.5/5-giddily romantic and lovely with a superb soundtrack, this is one of the most beautiful and well-shot dramas I've seen, and Kame is a wonder as always. A Japanese take on Romeo and Juliet about a ship mechanic and a rich girl who fall in love. I'd recommend it for jdrama or drama newbies
Tokyo Dogs - 3/5-tongue-in-cheek and hilarious, the best thing to do with this drama is not take it too seriously. It's great brain-candy and ridiculously fun escapist crack. Expect bromance, romance, hot! Shun, hot! Shun in a suit and with a gun, cheeky, hilarious, adorable Mizushima Hiro, and Yoshitaka Yuriko in an OTP that would be awesome and angsty as hell in a kdrama and is still addicting and adorable in a jdrama
Tsuki no Koibito - 4/5 for the first 6 eps, 5/5 for the last 2 - a schizophrenic drama if there ever was one, but oddly, both parts of the drama are really well-written - it just shifts focus and tone entirely a little more than halfway through. I was glad of the change however because the last 2 eps of this dram are two of my favorite drama episodes EVER - it's 3 hours of almost perfect television. I can't recommend this drama enough
Yamato Nadeshiko/Perfect Girl Evolution-4/5 - not too deep or angsty but oh such a fun, fun, lovable, and quirky riding, with amazing casting for the OTP. Yamato is in some ways the quintessence of a jdrama in that it captures very well the Japanese obsession with the quirky, the oddball, the offbeat and the downright dark - but it gives it all such a light touch that the drama as a whole is much more funny than angsty. Stubborn, silent, horror-loving Sunako has hid herself behind a cloak and a love for skeletons, knives, and horror movies ever since being deeply hurt in high school, but all that is about to change when she moves into a mansion with four playboys who are determined to change her into a lady in order to pay her rent. She and the leader of the boys, the violent, beautiful Kyohei who puts up a front of callous carelessness and hides behind violence after being deeply scarred because of the ramifications of his beauty, forge a deep connection. The two outsiders, ostracized for entirely different things, are drawn instinctively together.
Twdramas: (18)
Autumn's Concerto - 3/5-waste of my life. How a drama could be so excellent and giddily romantic in its first one-third and then head straight downward to determined speed to hit an all-time low of anticlimatic stupidity by the end is beyond me. My advice? Avoid, or only watch the first 5 or so eps.
Corner with Love-4/5
Devil Beside You-4.5/5
Hana Kimi-3.5/5
KO One-3/5 - so cheesy and so, so wildly addicting. One of those awesome cracky dramas
Love Keeps Going- I had a one or two big quibbles with this, but overall it was a surprisingly romantic and addicting drama
Love Storm-2.5/5
Mars -5/5
Meteor Garden -4.9/5
My Lucky Star -4/5
Mysterious Incredible Terminator - 3.5/5 for plot, 4.9/5 for the OTP Romantic Princess -3/5
Silence-4/5
Smiling Pasta -4/5
Sweet Relationship-3/5
ToGetHer-4/5 Wish to See You Again-4/5 Why Why Love
Abandoned:
1% of Anything- such a lovely drama but it's just too long 49 Days -really really good drama - until the ending. I dropped about three-fourths of the way through
A Star's Lover - tried one ep, seemed sweet but unexceptional Cain and Abel - ugh, the pace and the obsession with the bad guys
City Hall - this was a little like Fated to Love You for me - the OTP surprised me by being amazing and teh drama itself became intensely addicting as a result - and then Kim Sun Ah went back to playing the same girl she played in KSS(who was also the reason I dropped that drama) and started carrying on an affair with an engaged man and so I dropped it in utter disgust. At this point, When It's at Night is the only reason I don't avoid KSA dramas like the plague
Calling for Love - there was no one thing that was particularly bad about this drama, it just had such a lack of imagination and just felt so lacking to me Fated to Love You - I got sucked in, only to realize halfway through that I utterly hated what it had become
Fantasy Couple - I've tried a good three separate times to watch this, and I just - can't. I really want to - I love the movie it's based on and I like the actress - but something about it just doesn't work for me. It just felt - awkward. I stopped feeling guilty about not liking it after I heard a similar reaction from a flistie.
Hello Miss-ditto to above Heading to the Ground - I really wanted to like this, and stuck it out for a good third of its run. But even the leads' chemistry and rather lovely romance couldn't save this ridiculous story Hot Shot - the main girl is a blip and while the sports/male rivalry was excellent, I need at least a bit of decent romance to pull me through
How to Meet a Perfect Neighbor - The first one-third of this drama was unexpectedly and utterly adorable and I quickly got addicted(the OTP was so quirky and unexpected and who can not love a drama in which they change the OTP because of the leads' chemistry?) - and then I read spoilers for the rest of it and realized that it devolved into a horrific adultery affair(the guy is engaged, not married, but same difference). I HATE cheating of any kind above all else and so dropped this like a hot brick
Kamisama Mou Sukoshi Date-this seemed very well-written but God so depressing, and very sexual Kurosagi - when I heard the only romance was of the UST variety, I lost interest, especially because from their first scene together I shipped them so hard I knew it would break my heart
Long Vacation - I tried really hard to like this, because the premise is great and Kimura! but a first episode never seemed so long. I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong with it - I do hate the muted, low-budget look and feel of older damas, but mostly it was just that I realized I felt pretty much complete indifference toward both main characters. Also the premise was very awkwardly handled and forced. Love Buffet - I will always and forever be bitter about this. The first half was one of the most lovely Twdrama love stories I've ever seen - it's no secret that I adore Aaron Yan and the actress was so pitch-perfect. Then about halfway through I realized to my horror that I wasn't going to get the OTP I wanted, and the drama ended up with one of those ridiculous open endings. Ugh.
My Fair Lady - a glossy mess that was an entire waste of the talent and money that went into it My Princess-super cute OTP but the plot was so very token and the stakes weren't high enough. When I say that a drama was too angstless for even me, you know it was pretty angstless.
Marrying a Millionaire - when you get bored halfway through the first episode, you know it's not a good sign
Momo Love - a schizophrenic drama if there ever was one. I loved the delicate romance and the adorable OTP and the thread of wistfulness that ran through it, but when they threw out all remaining threads of cohesiveness and narrative logic halfway through, I lost patience and gave up Rolling Love - I love Jiro but it just didn't take and I hate stories in which the OTP is a blind girl Snow Queen- too angsty, and I just could never quite warm up to Sung Yuri's character
Sunao ni Narenakute - ugh. I don't even want to talk about this. Adorable first two eps led straight into horrific writing and an OTP consisting of a bastard (Eita) and a pushover (Haru). My entire flist hated this and we all dropped it at around the same time.
Spring Waltz - ughh, I hate childhood stories and this felt so lacking in heart to me. Felt like a slow-moving artwork instead of a human tale. Sweet 18-the premise is so adorable and Lee Dong Gun! but the first ep was so, so dull, and according to flisties it stays that way the whole drama Time Between Dog and Wolf - I enjoyed what I saw, but it's just not my thing Tazza-great concept and good actors but poor writing & pacing ruined this Dr. Champ - great actors couldn't save this from having a boring plot and the wrong OTP :(
Temporarily Abandoned: The Outsiders - so angsty, and I could see the doom coming from a mile away Black and White - I got sidetracked at some point and haven't picked it up since Sapuri - sidetracked by other, better dramas
To Avoid:
Cinderella Man - looks and sounds so utterly boring
In Soon is Pretty - I love Kim Hyun Joo but I heard the plot is bipolar Triple - I'm in dramas for romance and resolution. Triple does not qualify.
Miss No Good - ugh ugh ugh, one of maybe two dramas which I dropped five minutes in. The worst kind of frenetic, extreme, over-the-top Taiwanese dramas My MVP Valentine-30 episodes!!
Love or Bread - tried the first episode and just - no
Bull Fighting - flisties hated it Gokusen -
Gourmet-ugh. food is just not my thing. Hotelier - sooo boring. Loving You 1000 Times - much as I love Lee Soo Kyung, I hate adultery storylines even more. No. Akai Ito-see this post Hotaru no Hikari - apparently there's adorable UST but no overt romance to speak of I Really Really Like You - I figured this could be either fluffy cute or YAWN. Based on flisties' descriptions, it's the latter. Also girl stops being plucky and becomes emo mess which is my most hated turn of events(see: BOF) Something Happened in Bali - way, way, way too angsty. (plus, mishane says the heroine is selfish and wishy-washy)
Calling Love - mishane says it's dumber than rocks and you know what? I believe her. Magic Ring - mishane said the heroine was a bitch to everyone, including her OTP Stairway to Heaven - read the entire plot summary on Wikipedia, couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry, and decided to never watch that drama
Calling for Love - not to be confused with the aforementiond Calling Love, this one stars Charlene Choi and Mike He. See this post for why I dropped it Love Generation - has Kimura Takuya but my flisties universally said it was horrible beyond reason and really boring