#dramareview

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(via Review: ‘The WONDERfools’ K-drama (2026)

The WONDERfools!

Want to read more? Visit my blog!

Source: mblognation.blog

[tsubakistory]

Thoughts on 18 again: eps 9-10

Finally!! The corruption loop made by the basketball team’s coach is finished. There’s a lot going on in my mind when I watched this episode tho (lol). I think about how il kwon was broken because of his father. How he can succeed as a coach, I mean in my opinion he does LOVE basketball. But his father is the one who made him like that, corrupted.

I'm still extremely sad cuz the fact that il kwon's father, until the very end, until he see HIS OWN SON, behind the bars, looking hopeless but his father still label him as a failure. I mean, il kwon becomes like that because of YOU, dear il kwon's father. He wouldn't be like this if you don't start or join the corruption loop that has been going on there. Yeah, il kwon is a pain in the ass sometimes, but still, he didn't deserve that.

Unto the next, scary event, where Woo young got (or almost?) in a car accident. I don't why, though its not my place too judge, but i wonder. WHY THE HECK HE JUST STAY THERE :") Well though in real life it will happen pretty fast tho so maybe he don't really have the choice to run away or anything, so he can only thinks to at least minimize the danger for the little kid. But still! it's not as heart wrecking as most accident scene that i've seen.

Then again, in episode 10 we can see that Woo young suddenly TURNS INTO DAE YOUNG... As much as i was sad that maybe Lee Do hyun’s role has finished, I was very happy for the fact that Da jung, Si ah, and Si woo come to him, and even hug him. But then.. IT’S ONLY A FREAKIN’ DREAM!!! Oh my gosh, the script writer (+ the rest of the team) sure know how to play with our heart.

[tiktokpersoncent]

THEORY OF LOVE 

Everyone who is into Thai BL dramas knows one of the most famous pairings: Off and Gun. After seeing them in Puppy Honey, everyone just ended up wanting more of them including me. So, when I heard that they were going to be paired together again in another series called “Theory of Love” I immediately placed it in my waiting list! The good news is that the first episode is already out (two actually) and I was not disappointed at all. 

If you aren’t familiar with the series, here is the synopsis: 

“Third is a filmology major and a member of the Savage Team along with his best friends Two, Bone, and Khai, but he has a secret. Third has been secretly in love with his Khai for years. For three years he has kept his secret love in his heart, silently supporting and loving Khai while knowing there is absolutely no future between them since Khai is as straight as a streetlight pole and also an absolute player.” 

Here are the keypoints I want to discuss:

FILMING  This series did not receive the usual visuals of a thai drama, and I have noticed significant differences that really pleased me. The lighting was absolutely wonderful, and there were so many aesthetic scenes throughout the episodes that I found myself sometimes drifting away from the storyline just to admire the detail of how pretty they made the scenes. The colors went very well with scene moods as well, and they made very good color combinations for it. 

STORYLINE  With how Third falls in love with his straight best friend who is an absolute playboy, we already know how painful that’s going to be, but making painful scenes can be quite tricky to make. It’ll either be too over or too cliche, but with Theory of Love they made everything just the right amount of painful. I mean, yeah, they had a cliche shower scene of tears, but they were aware of its “clicheness” and turned it into a comedy. However, the painful scenes they gave for Third was simple. Simple, clean, and close to reality. It’s only the first two episodes but there is already a huge amount of SLOW BURN and I can’t wait for the next episodes to be released to find out more (especially for a scene where Khai gets jealous ‘n stuff... we all love a little jealousy amiryt)

ACTING I’ve been seeing comments on how people are saying that Gun’s acting wasn’t very good, but I would like to disagree. Gun/Third is found often not smiling throughout the episodes, keeping usually the same plain face, but if you think about it, but I believe it was on purpose. We all know Third’s character is someone who is very emotional, he is someone who feels a lot (especially with his movies) so why would he be so expressionless? It’s likely a defense mechanism that he keeps all the time especially since he’s always in pain because of Off/Khai’s actions that he has gotten so used to. We see him smile, we (rarely) see him laugh, and he jokes around, but it’s hard to keep up a face for so long. His crying scenes are also very good, especially the ones where he’s crying silently... slowly... and in pain. He’s so used to crying all the time that it just pours without a sound... but when he’s feeling too much, he let’s it ALL out. For Off/Khai you can see that his character is carefree and someone who goofs around a lot, so Off does his best to mimic that character. So far, he is so natural. Nothing looks like an act. My favorite scene that he has acted in is in episode 2 (SPOILER ALERT!) where Third imagines a scene where he is singing a love confession for Khai, and the way he just laughs and looks at Third so lovingly just melted my heart. So yeah, the acting so far is satisfactory. 

So far, that’s all I want to comment on. Who knows, maybe as I go through the series I will find more things I want to talk about! BTW, if you still haven’t watched Theory of Love then I encourage you to watch it right away. You won’t be disappointed especially with the first episode!

[kpopnkoffee]

Drama Review: Mask

Show: Mask

Starring: Soo Ae, Ju Ji-hoon, Yeon Jung-hoon, Yoo In-young

Genre: Mystery, Melodrama, Romance

Language: Korean

Availability: Viki

Episodes: 20

Synopsis: Byeon Ji-sook is a sales clerk at a department store where she suddenly meets her doppelgänger, Seo Eun Ha. While Ji-sook is stuck in crippling debt along with her family, Eun Ha is the daughter of a congressman and the fiancée of chaebol heir Choi Min Woo. Min Woo and Eun Ha are engaged to be arrange married and neither of them holds any affection for the other. Min Woo is a patient seeking treatment for his mental illness, but hopes to be named successor of his father’s company. After an unpleasant argument between the two, Eun Ha suddenly hangs between life and, to save her family, Ji-sook decides to put on a dangerous mask.

Review: This drama was really one of a kind. I’ve never watched such an intense drama with such amazing actors. They each conveyed their role in such a unique way that I found it difficult not to feel hatred for the villainous characters and affection for the protagonists. This is an incredibly intense drama that takes a lot of energy to binge-watch. It may be triggering to those with severe depression or anxiety, so please be wary before you watch this! Though it is classified as a “Romance” on Viki, I would really rate it more as a Mystery. There are things that you don’t find out (but probably suspect) until the last few episodes. With all the twists and turns in this drama, it gave me a new appreciation for KMystery Dramas.

Rate: 7.5/10

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

It took me a few episodes to wrap my head around what tf was going on.

Eun Ha is found drowning in a pool with Choi Min Woo waking up from unconsciousness. Nobody else is found around the pool and the immediate suspicion is that Min Woo, after an argument with his fiancée, pushed her into the pool and let her drown. The CCTV camera shows no evidence of this...because everything from after the argument to Eun Ha’s rescue has been erased. The biggest mystery then is who killed Eun Ha?

It’s a classic doppelgänger-switch movie, but what makes this interesting are the reasons behind the switch, and the main lead’s backstory. Min Woo is an illegitimate heir and he blames himself for his mother’s accidental death, but it’s interesting to see this unfold over the course of the series. There’s not too much backstory to Ji-sook or Mi-Yeon (the female characters), but Seok-Hoon seems to have some. His backstory isn’t revealed until the very last episodes, though we get glimpses of it near the beginning of the show.

I thought this was kind of a waste, because it would have been nice to know why he was going about murdering people and exploiting them- it would have given his character some dimension earlier on in the show.

The only real people I believe had any character development were the main leads (maybe). Ji-sook definitely showed incredible and beautiful character development as she goes from being a wimpy doormat to a confident, self-loving woman. I hated the way she dealt with the problems that came her way, but I liked her attitude near the end. She held no fear and did what was right knowing that it would put her in danger too.

Min Woo’s character development is kind of unusual and possibly inaccurate. He’s the typical “cold and arrogant” male lead and he meets Eun Ha (Ji-sook) and turns warm-hearted and kind. He suspects something’s not right and is intrigued by his new wife because she is not the arrogant and aggressive woman he first met. What’s unusual is his sudden decline in obsessive-compulsive behavior. Even if one is not diagnosed with OCD, it is difficult to completely get rid of that behavior. The sudden change without therapy, medication, or any obvious help from a professional doesn’t seem realistic or representative of those that experience OCD-like behaviors. But I suppose it was nice to see some representation of mental illness in this show (there is so much stuff going on here regarding mental illness!)

Mi-Yeon is an evil b**** through and through. She only has eyes for her husband and will do anything and everything to save her marriage, including sacrifice her brother and sister-in-law. You can see some possible character development near the end, but really I think she’s incredibly wishy-washy and I definitely disliked her (strongly). The actress who played this role was amazing, because I definitely felt all the negative emotions I was meant to feel. A lot of the times I skipped parts where she came on because I couldn’t stand her (and her absurd loyalty to her husband). She definitely needed therapy imo, and not from Min Woo’s original therapist either (you’ll get it when you watch the show). There were parts near the end where I sympathized with her, but I never really liked her.

Same with Seok-Hoon. There is some incredibly sudden “character development” in the last episode and I found it stupid. It came out of nowhere and I think the producers could have done better without it. Doesn’t seem to make sense and it just...leaves me feeling nothing for him? Like I think the last scene was supposed to make me feel sympathy and “oh he’s a nice guy after all”, but I didn’t feel that and just saw it as the writers not making a commitment with the character. I think it would have been nicer to see some signs of it in previous episodes or perhaps see some of this “development” in the beginning or something. This just came out of nowhere though and I was not a fan.

Overall this drama was really interesting and though the plot was kinda predictable, I thought it was cute. The male lead’s acting could have been better, the chemistry between the characters could have been more interesting, it could have been shorter, and the pacing could have been better. But I enjoyed the show. I would definitely recommend it to someone who needs a serious melodrama/mystery show to watch!

[thedramafilesblog-blog]

We’re not a blog that reviews music or KPOP, but because we both absolutely adore BTS and their music, we decided to do a memo-style review of their new album.

***If this is your first time browsing the Drama Files, please read The Rules on how our Memo-style reviews work***

***This song and music video  really resonated with us and we felt compelled to share our theories about what they could possibly signify, as there has been some speculation as to what it could mean. Our views are simply theories.***

Memo

Dear Reader,

There have been some questions regarding the recent release of BTS’s latest album, Wings: You Never Walk Alone, particularly:

(1) Whether BTS’s two songs, “Spring Day” and “Supplemental Story: You Never Walk Alone”, had personal references; and

(2) Whether the four new songs were cohesive.

Conclusion

(1) BTS’s two songs, “Spring Day” and “Supplemental Story: You Never Walk Alone”, very likely are very personal and very likely involve a death of a friend.

(2) There is a sense of cohesiveness between the four songs. However, the two songs, Not Today and Outro: Wings, seem more related to each other and the other two songs, Spring Day and Supplemental Story: You Never Walk Alone, seem more connected to one another content-wise.

Analysis

(1) BTS’s two songs, “Spring Day” and “Supplemental Story: You Never Walk Alone”, very likely are very personal and very likely involve a death of a friend.

“Spring Day” and its music video (MV) likely mean a death of a friend, possibly from suicide. The lyrics, themselves, hint that a friend passed away or committed suicide: “Yeah I hate you. You left but there was not a day I ever forgot about you.” Why would you hate a person who passed away? Likely because the person chose to end his/her life or somehow experiencing an unfair death.This reaction is quite plausible because anyone who has experienced the untimely passing of a loved one, experiences anger as a stage of grief.  Other verses include: “You know it all. You’re my best friend. Morning will come again” and “Will you stay a little longer?” 

The MV supports the notion that the friend has chosen to end his life. The MV opens with the “friend” who is portrayed by Jungkook in a white turtle neck sweater with black striped sleeves on one train, and Rapmonster on a different train. This could be symbolizing that they are on two different paths.

Jungkook playing the “friend”

Rapmonster on a different train

Rapmonster then heads out of his train and to a place called “Omelas”. Omelas is very likely alluding to the short story written by Ursula K Le Guin; “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas“. In brief, the story is about a place that’s like paradise, but to achieve that paradise, one child has to be subject to suffering and darkness. Later the citizens find out the truth about the suffering child, but some are afraid of change and choose to stay in Omelas while a few choose to leave. (That’s important for later)  After Rapmonster arrives at Omelas and meets a few other BTS members, we see Rapmonster walking by the “friend” who is still on his train. The lyrics also match because Rapmonster sings that he wants to “get to the other side of the earth holding your hand” but obviously he can’t because they’re on different paths.

See the shadow? That’s Rapmonster walking by the “friend”.

After walking past Rapmonster’s friend and heading out of a train, Rapmonster has a crown which could symbolize success. Everything is great because everyone is having fun at Omelas. You see the boys throwing cake and partying hard. However, to have this sort of paradise, there must be some sacrifice per the Omelas ideal. Hence, again we see Jin acting as the “friend” who seems trapped at the bottom of the stairwell and can only watch as the boys walk around him and climb up the stairs to more success.

If you notice carefully, Jin is wearing the same type shirt with the same design as Jungkook who acted as the friend on the train. None of the other boys wear the exact same design with the black stripes on the sleeves on a white sweater. This likely alludes to the idea that Jin must also be playing the part of the “friend.” The “friend” is also stuck in a barren place all by himself (See Jungkook by the blue rundown carousel), while the other boys are missing him and still in Omelas.

The boys continue their mundane, everyday life like brushing their teeth, getting their ears pierced, doing laundry, etc. Life goes on, but the “friend” is still on the train and all by himself heading somewhere else.

Life moves on again as we see more everyday scenes, but there’s always a hint of sadness. You see Rapmonster and V laughing, but you can tell that there’s some forced laughter. There’s a birthday celebration with Jungkook (not playing the friend anymore), and he is not very happy either. (In this MV, Jungkook seems to play two roles: one as himself and the other as the ‘friend’. When Jungkook is not wearing the white turtleneck, he plays himself.)

At the laundromat, we see that there are mountains behind Jin. Mountains in this MV likely symbolize “death”. (In an interview with Christian Boltanski, the artist of the mountain of clothes piece, he revealed that the mountain of clothes represented death)

Sad Jin looking to the mountains

Then the mountains lead to the scene with Suga being on a pile of clothes which is probably a reference to Christian Boltanski’s “No Man’s Land” which features a mountain of clothes and a crane beside it. (The link explains more in detail; there’s also this interview that gives more details about this.) The pile of clothes represents “an eternal afterlife of sorts”.

At this point, it’s likely symbolizing that the “friend” has actually passed away. Suga raps that he missed the friend, but he’ll erase him because it hurts less than to blame them. That also seems to suggest that the friend committed suicide (arguably because there’s no point in blaming someone who died unless he/she chose to die. At least that’s our take on it).

We see that the boys keep trying to find this “friend”. J-Hope is on top of the train, but obviously he can’t get inside. The boys are circulating around the “friend” who notices them and moves away to follow the boys. Notice how this scene is where the “friend” is in perpetual darkness with only the lights being behind him. An alternative theory that a friend pointed out is that the yellow ribbons likely signify the Sewol ferry tragedy. Alternatively, then it could be inferred that the “friend” may have unfortunately passed away from that tragedy (which moves away from our possible suicide approach, but i’s an alternative proposition). It’s more likely that the friend has joined the dead which includes those that passed away from the Sewol ferry tragedy.

It’s only after the “friend” joins the boys does the scene cut to Jungkook looking frantically for the other boys as if he has suddenly realized the truth about the suffering child/friend and wants to break free from this “paradise” in Omelas. The other BTS members walk out with Jungkook and they all have genuine smiles on their faces. (Notice how Jungkook is dressed in different clothing and has a more boyish haircut. He looks a bit older with the turtleneck as he is acting as the “friend”.)

All of BTS is set to find the “friend”. They’re running out of Omelas and towards the train that the “friend” has been on trying to get to him. (This is why I also say Jungkook is playing 2 roles in this MV because Jungkook sees the “friend”.)

But the friend is on a path that they cannot get to, as the train whizzes past them. The sad scenes that follow likely showcase mourning with the passing of the friend. Rapmonster is sadly staring on his train going in another direction from the friend’s. All the guys are sitting in the dark room and are watching as the match they light really doesn’t really light up the darkness they’re in. That action seems to symbolize their attempt to possibly understand their friend’s plight of having been the suffering child, or maybe even their own feelings of grief and loss.

The scenes following also show them on a mountain of clothes, which again, symbolizes death based on the art installation of Christian Boltanski, possibly reiterating the friend’s passing. The scene changes to Jungkook back to playing the “friend” again (he’s in the turtleneck sweater again), but this time he’s surrounded by all the guys on this train. This part was confusing. However, it’s likely that this is the deceased “friend” dreaming that his friends are actually with him on this journey. There is also the possibility that this scene represents how the BTS members feel. They would want the “friend” to feel that they are with him on this journey.

After getting off the train, they walk through a wintery expanse to a tree. It’s possible at this point that the two story lines are concurrent as we see that Jungkook is still wearing that sweater. This implies that he is the “friend” who is walking with them towards the tree. Another explanation is that they want to memorialize the “friend” and are hoping that he would be walking with them in that instance.

Jimin placing the shoes (tied shoes being strung on objects in urban mythology can have a range of meanings, some meaning death) on the tree probably symbolizes the finality of the friend’s journey and their coming to terms with his passing as the tree with the shoes stands in memory of their lost friend.

(2) The four new songs were generally cohesive.

It seems that there is more cohesiveness between “Not Today” and “Outro: Wings”. The two songs are about underdogs trying to prove to the world that they will succeed. On the other hand, the other two songs, “Spring Day” and “Supplemental Story: You Never Walk Alone” seem more linked together. “Spring Day” speaks to missing a deceased friend and wanting to see the friend again. “Supplemental Story” talks about sacrificing a friend to gain success and believing that the friend is also behind their success.

It seems like “Not Today” and “Outro: Wings” were written much earlier than the other two songs. Its quite possible that the incident with the deceased friend happened after these two songs were written. Plus, Rapmonster did reveal in the V Live Preview Show that “Spring Day” was written based on his and Suga’s personal experiences, and that the lyrics express their feelings. This is possibly a big hint that this song really was personal.

BTS did do a decent job trying to tie “Spring Day” and “Supplementary Story: You Never Walk Alone” with “Not Today” and “Outro: Wings”. There’s a reference to “wings” within the lyrics of “Supplementary Story: You Never Walk Alone”. It’s as if the friend is helping BTS fight to be successful. The friend has helped BTS have “wings”. Though we aren’t music experts, we did feel like there were traces of “Outro: Wings” in “Supplemental Story: You Never Walk Alone”. It was as if the latter song was an extension/remix of “Outro: Wings” in some ways. Moreover, the two have a faster tempo and a more upbeat/pop vibe.

Finally, the order of the songs in this album helped tie everything together. “Spring Day” plays before “Not Today”. Then, “Outro: Wings” plays and the album finishes with “Supplementary Story: You Never Walk Alone”. There’s sadness that comes with “Spring Day”, but “Not Today” reminds us to keep going and fighting. “Outro: Wings” continues that message of a fighting spirit. Finally, the “Supplementary Story: You Never Walk Alone” reminds us that we are all not alone and that the friend is also with them.

Here are some lyrics from “Supplementary Story: You Never Walk Alone”: (Credits goes to here for the translation)

At the end of this road you walk alone ….. That’s okay, I am by your side If you and I could be together I can smile

It’s as if BTS is telling the “friend” that even though the “friend” is alone, BTS will always be by the friend’s side.

I want to fly but I don’t have wings BUT your hand Becomes my wing

Your hand seems to reference the “friend”. The friend has helped BTS fly to success.

This is a sin I committed Even if all the lives Are the price of My punishment

We feel like this might also be a personal reference that goes back to the death of the “friend”.

Ayy I never walk alone If you and I can be together, I can laugh Ayy You never walk alone If you and I can be together, I can laugh If you and I can be together, I can laugh

In BTS’ mind, the friend and they are not alone anymore. BTS will be there.

The songs, although they seem to have been written at different at different points in time, do blend well together to create an overall cohesiveness with the themes of life, loss, temptation, and success.

Alternatively, this whole song could also be directed at fans supporting them. (LOL!)

BTS have really been stellar at creating music away from the traditional love song route by focusing on issues that people in different stages in their lives experience. Its because their music is so relatable that makes it amazing!

  Re: BTS Wings: You Never Walk Alone Album We're not a blog that reviews music or KPOP, but because we both absolutely adore…

[wordsbyher]

(via Review: ‘Happiness’ K-drama (2021)

“For you, it’s money. For me, it’s Sae-bom.” – Yi-Hyun.

“If I lose Hyun, I might lose everything.” – Sae-bom.

Source: mblognation.blog

[wordsbyher]

(via Review: ‘Descendants of the Sun’ K-drama (2016)

"Don't feel embarrassed just because I found out that you like me. Even so, it doesn't change the fact that I like you more..." - Yoo Shin-jin to Kang Mo-yeon. (Descendants of the Sun)

"Say it's just a strategic retreat. Tell me to wait for you, tell me you'll do whatever it takes to come back to me." - Yoon Myeong-Joo. (Descendants of the Sun)

Source: mblognation.wordpress.com

[thedramafilesblog-blog]

Welcome to our ‘End of Year Review/Awards’ post. Yes it’s in January because we’re doing it in line with Chinese New Year! So Happy New Year Everyone!

RedRosette J: Hey Everyone! we were really behind on the end of year reviews and awards posts that everyone was doing at the end of 2016, so we decided to do it in line with Chinese New Year because technically 2016 just ended (LOL)! We came up with random categories based on what we thought was deserving of a best/worst/whatever award. We also are basing this list off the dramas that we watched this year (we have not watched some of them so those aren’t included in this list). So….Enjoy!

Jubiemon J: We had this idea a while back but remembered it now! Yes, Chinese New Year ended recently. This is probably going to be a savage post, so let’s hope you’ll like this!

Best Couple

RR: So it’s really hard to say which couple is THE best, but there are a few strong contenders in the running for best couple. I wouldn’t award this title to one particular couple per se, but would award it to a few couples because I think that they were all ‘best’ in their own way. My picks for Best Couple are: Shopping King Louie, Descendants of the Sun, and Oh Hae Young Again. All of these couples had redeeming qualities. SKL was really all about their devotion to each other and the cuteness, DOTS was about two people who learned to be with each other while still remaining very much a part of their own established lives and OHYA was about two people overcoming their insecurities to be with each other (sort of). At least that’s what I got out of them. These are all qualities that a ‘best couple’ should have so, I’m choosing to award this title as a combo award!

Worst Couple

RR: I think the Worst Couple title should go to IU and Lee Jun Ki in Scarlet Heart Ryeo. If anyone is curious as to why we’re awarding this, please read our reviews on this drama. We go on ad nauseum about how badly these two are as a couple.

JM: Yes, the Worst Couple award goes to these two. I still think IU and Kang Haneul had more going on…. *face palm* Yes, we did extensive reviews about their relationship, so please check out those posts!

Other Contenders for the Title: Kim Woo Bin and Suzy in Uncontrollaby Fond and Hye Ri and Ji Sung in The Entertainer.

Cringiest Drama

RR: Scarlet Hear Ryeo. Ugh. Again for reasons see previous review posts.

JM: Agreed! Especially the awful editing and multiple versions floating around and . . . well, check our reviews.

Drama “that had shit going on and then shit hit the fan and everything died” Award

RR: This category was created specifically for W – Two Worlds because when it started out it was amazing and we were all glued to our screens and freaking out and yelling and gasping and it was awesome. Then episode 6 or 7 happened and everything just went south. All of a sudden, none of it made sense and it just became a hot mess so it gets its own special category.

JM: The title of that award came from me, just saying. ;) Sorry for the long-ass title, but I think it summed up W very well. We didn’t review this drama because we hadn’t started our blog yet. However, both of us watched it and like RR said we were literally SO into this drama INITIALLY. Then . . . he kept dying, reliving, the dad also kept dying, reliving, etc. Oh my god. No.

Worst Legal Drama

RR: If you’ve been following us, you will know how we feel about this drama….Woman With A Suitcase! It was so awful that we had to stop reviewing it halfway. If you decide to do a legal drama, make sure you have a legal consultant is all I have to say for this drama.

JM: I think what made Woman with a Suitcase awful was that the lawyers solved the legal problems in a very similar fashion for each case. More details can be found in our reviews.

Most Ridiculous Action Drama

RR: This is also a special category that we created for The K2 because it was just completely ridiculous. The plot was a big mess and consisted of ridiculously long action scenes, Yoona acting like an infantilized Bambi, and the evil Mother lady directing everyone from her secret supercomputer in an even more secret underground lair. Seriously? (We actually reviewed this whole drama too -_-)

JM: I have to be frank. I watched the first episode and saw that she was running for 90% of the ep. I knew that this action drama would be a mess. I don’t know how RR stuck with this drama. I fast-forwarded through the first episode and finished it in less than 10 minutes. All I got from it was this: she ran.

Most Pointless Adaptation from US TV Shows

RR: Entourage gets this award. Unlike the other adaptions which got better reviews (I didn’t watch those so I can’t comment on those), this was just an excuse to have penis jokes and watch dudes walking around in their underwear. The characters apart from Jo Jin Woong and Park Min Jung really fell flat and didn’t really do anything much. Most of the time the 60 minutes felt really long and pointless, hence it deserves this award.

JM: Ah, I tried to watch this drama too but then dropped it after the first few episodes. We were really looking forward to potentially reviewing this, but . . . no. The first few episodes were just the guys talking and talking and talking. Nothing really happened. *Yawns*

Most Underrated Drama

RR: When Age of Youth started out, I honestly didn’t see it going the way it did. I really liked the way it portrayed the girls’ friendships and individual struggles. They were all really relatable. Maybe it’s because I’m also a twenty-something struggling through trying to figure out life, but it really resonated with me. I liked how this drama also left the ending very broad and open, as if to say that the characters struggles continue on and it’s not something that can get wrapped up neatly in a bow at the end as how it is with life in reality. It was definitely the most underrated drama of 2016 in my opinion.

JM: Jesus, Age of Youth is SO underrated. I wished we had started this blog earlier so that we could review this drama. I have to say the ending was kind of rushed and could have had more, but overall I still really enjoyed watching this drama. There was just the right amount of suspense, gossip, mystery, friendship, love, and drama. This drama is perfect for those going into their late teens to mid twenties. So many of the problems that the characters face are realistic and interesting.

Best Remake

RR: Being a huge fan of the original drama, I was a little skeptical about the remake but 1% of Something really delivered and is totally deserving of this title. Ha Seok Jin and Jeon So Min were the perfect Lee Jae In and Kim Da Hyun. It was the perfect contract dating love story, and I think that’s where the perfection lies: in its predictability and normality. Plus Ha Seok Jin had much better hair than Kang Dong Won in the original. It was a really good remake. I’d recommend watching it if anyone hasn’t already.

Best Reverse Harem Drama

RR: I would award this title to Cinderella and the Four Knights. It was a bit all over the place and Ahn Jae Hyun spent most of it brooding over Son Na Eun‘s dull as ditch water character and Jung Il Woo was an ass for most it. But once you get over it and focus on the cutesies, it’s not awful. Its still a lot better than the reverse harem nightmare in Scarlet Heart Ryeo so I will give it that!

JM: Personally, I couldn’t get into this drama so much. Maybe in the end . . . where there were more cute fluffy scenes and I wanted to watch some cuteness. But yeah . . . this drama was kind of stereotypical? I did like the character who was the musician.

Worst Web Drama

RR: So I actually gave up watching Seven First Kisses after the Lee Jun Ki episode. NO ONE KISSED ANYONE!!! WTF?!?! How is this okay? You get all these hot guys and no one is kissing anyone? The title of this show is the epitome of misrepresentation! -_-

JM: This was the drama I watched when there was nothing else to do and I needed to pass around 10 mins of my time. I watched the whole thing because I wanted to know whether she would get kissed. I mean, the actors and the actress really got it easy for their roles. They didn’t even have to KISS each other. Even as an advertisement, this failed. I still have no idea what Lotte Duty Free is selling. A lifestyle? A romance? A fantasy that will never be fulfilled?

Contenders for Best Web Drama: High End Crush and The Miracle

Worst Character – The One You Most Want To Push Off A Cliff

RR: If I absolutely HAD to pick one character, I’d choose……IU’s character on Scarlet Heart Ryeo. I just couldn’t deal with the wishy washy-ness going between Kang Ha Neul and Lee Jun Ki  and just her attitude in general. Ugh. Off the cliff you go!

JM: Soo from SHR. Yup. She was super weak, flat, stupid, selfish and more. How could she not So even be with his daughter? Huh? That really boggles my mind. Guh.

Worst Mom

RR: Hands down the Mom in Scarlet Heart Ryeo is the worst drama Mom of 2016. I’m guessing that EVERYONE has seen this drama so it warrants no further explanation. If you don’t know what I’m talking about watch this train wreck and you’ll see.

JM: Oh dear. I forgot about her until RR mentioned her. LOL. I guess she was such a bad mom that I had to blank her out. I still don’t understand why she hated So. LOL.

a) Evilest Mother in Law

RR: As a sub-category under Worst Mom we’re doing the ‘Evilest Mother in Law’. This title goes to…….the Mother in Law in Happy Home who used emotional and psychological terrorism to subjugate the daughter in law. It was frankly quite terrifying to watch. Honourable mentions in this category should also be: Do Kyung’s mom (the money stealing mom) in Oh Hae Young Again, the whole in-law family (they killed the daughter-in-law’s mother and father) in My Daughter Geum Sa Wol and Gab Dol’s mom (abusive mother in law) in Our Gab Soon (this one is still airing though so it doesn’t technically count).

Second Leads:

a) Who Should Be First Leads

RR:  Hands down this title goes to Baek In Ho in Cheese in the Trap, although arguably this did happen for like half a second so…..But he gave us all the feels with the moping….

Other Contenders for the Title: Ryu Jun Yeol’s character in Reply 1988 and Lee Joon’s character in Woman With A Suitcase.

b) Best Male Second Lead

RR: The adorable Gong Myung’s puppy character with the crush on Park Ha Sun‘s character on Drinking Solo was by far the best second lead. And because you know that he can never be the equivalent of a first lead, it really was the one character that gave you a real case of Second Lead Syndrome.

Other Contenders for the Title:  Go Kyung Po’s character in Jealousy Incarnate, and Ohn Joo Wan’s character in Beautiful Gong Shim.

c) Best Female Second Lead

RR: I honestly can’t think of any second leads who are decent and not absolutely horrible people. Except maybe Shin Hye Sun’s character on Legend of the Blue Sea (but technically its not included as 2016 drama because it ended in 2017 so it doesn’t count)

d) Bitchiest Second Leads

RR: Most female second leads are by default absolute bitches so it’s really really hard to pick one particular character. For this reason, I’m going with a combo award again. I’m choosing Seo Hyo Rim (the sister) in Beautiful Gong Shim, Jeon Hye Bin (the sister) in Woman With A Suitcase, Park Se Young (the adopted sister) in My Daughter Geum Sa Wol, and Lee Sung Kyung (the twin sister) in Cheese in the Trap for the Bitchiest Second Lead title. Is anyone else sensing a trend with the evil sister thing in 2016?

JM: I concur. Bitchiest everywhere. Man.

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Worst Actor-Please Go Back to Acting Class Award

RR:  By far the Worst Actor title goes to Baekhyun on Scarlet Heart Ryeo. It was just terrible. Too much of everything. Please. Go back and get some acting lessons.

JM: I think they made him do aegyo WAY too much. I get that his character is supposed to be really innocent and cheerful, but . . . yeah. If he does pursue acting, I agree that he should take more acting lessons!

Candiest Candy

RR: I absolutely love Gong Hyo Jin, but her character on Jealousy Incarnate was the Candiest Candy character of 2016. Candy characters annoy me but oddly, I didn’t hate her version of Pyo Na Ri which I think is the point. She was dogged and clingy but not in a creepy or desperate way. Also, her fashion in this drama was absolutely on point so….Kudos girl!

Worst Kiss

RR: OMG. These were the absolute worst kisses in the 2016 dramaverse. The IU and Lee Jun Ki kiss on Scarlet Heart Ryeo (they were all horrible so you can choose which one you hate more) and the Park Shin Hye and Kim Rae Won in Doctors (also known as the ‘Dancing In The Rain Kiss’). These were all equally horrible in their own right. Mostly because a) the kissing was bad and because b) it was super awkwardly positioned. Ugh. How hard is it to mess up a kiss scene?

JM: SHR for me. RR actually showed the “better” kiss scene from SHR. I’m telling you, the worst kiss in that drama has to be the initial forced kiss from So. The director even filmed the kiss upside down so you couldn’t see much of the action at all. The kiss was reflected from a pond. LOL. (Yes I know LJK has said in an interview that he hasn’t been that good with kiss scenes in the past, so I was kind of looking forward to seeing some improvement on his hand for SHR. Unfortunately, those scenes didn’t show . . . much. I wished they had created better kiss scenes.)

Best Kiss

RR: Hands down, the best kiss of 2016 goes to……Seo Hyun Jin and Eric (also known as the ‘Wall Kiss’) in Oh Hae Young Again. This kiss is totally deserving of this title. It was very much what you would expect a real kiss to be; all the tongues and hands and feelings. So very realistic. An honourable mention should also go to Gong Hyo Jin and Jo Jung Seok (also known as the ‘Locker Room Kiss’) on Jealousy Incarnate. *fans face*

Best Makjang (Or worst depending on your approach to Makjangs)

RR: I would award this title to…..My Daughter Geum Sa Wol! It had a little bit of everything; fires, death, birth switches, birth secrets, love affairs, awful in-laws, noble idiocy, poverty, a Romeo-Juliet-esque love story etc etc. It was all super intense and very much in your face all the time and made you want to scream and/or pull your hair out. It was great.

a) Best Family Drama

RR: In line with the Makjang is the Best Family Drama title. I would award this to Five Children. It’s all about a blended family coming together and their extended family drama. If nothing else, the scene stealing Sung Hoon and Shin Hye Sun put this drama on the map with their super awkward ‘Supremely Obnoxious Jock Falls For Nerdy School Teacher’ love story!

Best Costumes

RR: The costumes in Moonlight Drawn by Clouds were absolutely beautiful!

JM: Yes. So pretty.

Worst Costumes

RR: The outfits and style choices in Lucky Romance were absolutely atrocious. They made Hwang Jung Eum look like some New York city bag lady. It was absolutely terrible! An honourable mention for worst costumes also goes to…..Hwarang: Poet Warrior Youth for its god awful drowned rat hair! (it’s technically still airing so it doesn’t count but I think it deserves to be included twice in this category for both 2016 and 17!)

Worst Script

RR: I mean there is no contest for this……Scarlet Heart Ryeo (If you want to know the reasons why please read our review posts on this)

JM: SHR!!!!! They had a NOVEL and a Chinese script to work with. Things shouldn’t have gone wrong.

Worst Editing

RR: Again, no contest….Scarlet Heart Ryeo

JM: SHR. Cutting off the actor/actress’s speech before the scene ended? Having multiple versions going on? What? No.

Worst Manhwa Adaptation

RR: When you basically make the Male Lead disappear and replace him with the Second Lead for half the show which is totally not what is in the Webtoon, you deserve this title. Cheese in the Trap, I’m talking to you!

JM: My God. The webtoon is SO MUCH BETTER. Guys just read the webtoon and ignore this drama. What a waste of Park Hae Jin. He’s a really good actor. (Watch him in Bad Guys).

Most Underused Talent Award

RR: Talk about a waste of talent. This title goes to Ji Sung in The Entertainer. This whole drama was pointless in the first place, but to cast Ji Sung and then have him do barely anything and give him have an awkward love line with Hye Ri? Really? That’s the best you could do? -_-

Actor Who Did A 180 Award

RR: Honestly, I didn’t see this coming. When UEE was cast in Marriage Contract, I must admit that I was less than excited. But, she totally proved me wrong by really killing it in the role. Oh My God. She gave me all the feelings. It was a job very well done. *applause*

Rising Star Award

RR: I didn’t really notice any newbies that really took my breath away in 2016 except maybe Kim Min Suk who was Private Kim Ki Bum and Jin Goo’s little ‘brother’ character on Descendants of the Sun. He also went on to play a cute doctor on Doctors later in the year as well. He’s doing quite well playing resident puppy roles. Keep it up!

Best Drama

RR: For me, this year’s Best Drama Award should go to Descendants of the Sun. In spite of some of its cheesiness, what I really liked best about this show was the characters’ dedication to their own lives and careers and choice to be with each other without giving these up. They remained very much their own person until the very end and were not willing to compromise things that made them, them. This is often not the case with most drama characters, so it was really refreshing to see a love story being portrayed in such a way. Its really the twenty-something struggle (love vs career) and these two really figured it out amidst the landmines and natural disasters.

JM: For me, the best drama goes to SIGNAL. If I could vote Signal for everything, I could try to squeeze it in for anything. ;) I’m sort of biased because I adore watching murder mysteries. I find the suspense to be fascinating. All of the actors were great. However, the younger male police lead (Lee Je Hoon) . . . he was decent but still not as skilled as the veteran actors. The cases were also very interesting and I heard they were based on real cases which makes the drama even more fascinating. I think the drama also brings on some social issues to light which is great. BRING ON A SEQUEL or another wonderful murder mystery drama for 2017. PLEASE.

RR: That’s it for our 2016 wrap up! Goodbye 2016! You will not be missed!

End of Year Drama Awards – 2016 Welcome to our 'End of Year Review/Awards' post. Yes it's in January because we're doing it in line with Chinese New Year!