There was a lot more time between dramas this year and except for 1, all of them were new to me this year. I ended up watching 9 dramas again, like last year. Here are the dramas I watched this year and I what I thought of them!
2nd watch – My sister and I watched this through winter break and finished early in the year. It wasn’t as fun as I remember it being in my first watch, but I still enjoyed it a lot. It took several episodes for my sister to be convinced that this was going to be worth watching. The fashion, camera quality, and acting hasn’t aged that well, but the music and desperation of youth still endures.
Hometown Cha-cha-cha (6.5/10)
1st watch – I have a love-hate relationship with this drama. I liked it a lot at the beginning and end, but once Hye-jin started on her whiny “Hong Banjang,” I kind of stopped caring about her character. The townspeople are quirky, yet lovable. I thought they did a good job fleshing out the character of the second male lead as well. I cried a lot in the final episodes of the show though! It’s worth a watch. “Romantic Sunday” is an excellent driving song on a sunny day, just throwing that out there.
1st watch – I had to watch this one in small doses because it was quite disturbing at times. The acting was very strong all around. If you’re like me and developed a crush on Wi Ha-joon after Squid Game, I’m happy to report that he’s looking as fine as ever, even though I wasn’t sure if I could trust his character (or anyone else, for that matter!). Had the show been the traditional 16 episodes, I would not have made it. 12 dark episodes was enough for me! If you like mystery thrillers, I recommend Little Women!
Crash Course in Romance (7.5/10)
1st watch – I liked a lot about this drama. Jung Kyung-ho and Jeon Do-yeon were fantastic and it was refreshing to see a cast with older leads (despite my initial hesitation). Sure, there were a few twists that felt a bit contrived, but it’s a K-Drama! What was I expecting? This is one where I couldn’t wait to start the next episode and find out what would happen next.
Mystic Pop-Up Bar (9.5/10)
1st watch – This was the highlight of the year for me. I loved the characters as individuals and as an ensemble. The casting was perfect, in my opinion. The overarching story was mysterious and the cases that Wol-ju had to solve were touching. One episode in particular had me bawling my eyes out. This drama is one that you can enjoy casually or one that could inspire you to reflect on your life and the people in it that you love.
1st watch – Sadly, I can’t recall much about this one. I remember that I liked the characters, especially the lead and how hard she worked. It had a nice balance of silliness and touching moments. One thing that I thought this drama did well was develop the female lead’s friends. They had their own side stories and shared a genuine friendship. And this show has a vacation episode, which I live for!
Crash Landing on You (7.5/10)
1st (full) watch – My mom and I tried to watch this one in 2020 and completely gave up on it after the first episode. I know in my heart not to judge a K-Drama by its first episode, so we gave it another try this year. It was really well done and the ensemble is fabulous. Seriously, if you only watch it for Captain Ri’s soldiers (or for Captain Ri…what a handsome guy), I wouldn’t blame you! While I had a hard time warming up to the second female lead, I thought that the way she was written had some refreshing twists. She's not the confident woman you'd think she is from her appearance and ice. The show made some choices near the end that I didn’t agree with, but it was an overall great watch. I’m glad I gave it another try!
1st watch – I loved seeing Yoo In-na and Lee Dong-wook back together again and with a happier ending than in Goblin! The drama was a little silly at times and took a while for me to get into, but I grinned a lot at their cute relationship. If you like seeing your leading male looking confused and lovestruck, this is a good one! Lee Dong-wook makes the most endearing faces.
Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol (4/10)
1st watch – I’m so sorry. I wanted to like this drama a lot and kept watching episodes hoping that it would grip me, but it just didn’t. There were a lot of plot elements that I couldn’t get behind and some that I flat out said, “that’s it, I’m not watching this show anymore.” Of course, I did finish, but it took everything in me not to give this drama up. I personally know someone who puts this as her top drama, but it just wasn’t it for me. Mimi the dog is too cute to be real.
And that’s it! I hope that you have a happy new year and that 2024 brings good things for you! Feel free to send me any drama recs!
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