Happy 2024!
Here’s to a new year filled with…
kdramas by screenwriters and actors we like,
cdramas with less than 24 episodes,
doramas with leavening content,
understanding friends,
caring family members,
loving spouses,
good health,
good fortune,
gpod times,
memorable trips,
happy reunions,
spiritual renaissance,
sunlight and moonlight,
chocolate and seafood,
our favorite things,
peace and joy,
unexpected blessings,
fulfilled dreams,
more bitchesoverdramas,
more rewatches by @GB, @WEnchanteur and the Saturday gang,
more finished reviews by yours truly (lol)
more Bitchesoverdramas’ Best Boyfriends inductees (I haven’t forgotten about KiHo, @BethB)
more oldtimers returning (hi @Arihsi! Where are you, @nrllee and @Fern?)
and more of you all.
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@Welmaris, I’ll transfer your post here. It’s a great idea to reflect on this year’s drama offerings and assess which ones were worth our time. Thank you.
@BethB, looking back over the dramas I completed in 2023, there are some that stand out to me as being more engaging than others. They had scripts that made sense and were engrossing, good production, and excellent acting. For one reason or another they weren’t discussed much on BoD. Here’s some from 2023 I think deserve a look, if you missed them:
Love Me, Love My Voice
Miraculous Brothers
Divorce Attorney Shin
Road Home
Love to Hate You
Meet Yourself
What about you?
Happy 2024 to my BODs Family!!! 🥳🥳🥳
Praying for a New Year filled with love, joy and peace. 🙏🏼 May God continue to guide us to the right path and for us to have good and kind hearts. ❤️
My top drama is Hidden Love. 😍 My first never finished drama is King The Land. 😂
I’m currently enjoying The Last Immortal with Rosy and Wang Anyu. ☺️
Hi @pkml3 and all on BOD,
I wish you a blessed and healthy New Year!
I wanted to go through some of the shows I’ve watched, but got side tracked. I’ll perhaps be back later to list some shows and what I think of them.
Here’s my favourite wish to all from the Book of …
Numbers 6:24-26
The Lord bless you and keep you!
The Lord let his face shine upon
you, and be gracious to you!
The Lord look upon you kindly and
give you peace!
Happy New Year to one and all on BoD. I hope that this holiday was truly enjoyable for everyone.
@packmule3, I’m here. Have been away to a ‘best yet’ family reunion with my American relatives. I was too busy before and during to watch or write. Lots of fresh air, fabulous sunsets and delicious food. I hope you had lovely Christmas.
I have a lot to catch up with. Just finished Love Me Love My Voice this morning.
P.S. @agdr03, Hidden Love was my favourite of 2023 as well. I also liked the Japanese film version of My Happy Marriage.
@Growing Beautifully, thank you for that wish from Numbers! It says it all.
My List of Selected Notable (to me) Shows
Jdoramas
I seem to have preferred more Jdoramas than ever before, and especially after @FGB introduced me to some good thought provoking ones. Thanks @FGB!!
First Love: Hatsukoi (2022) – My fave of the lot but the rest are good too.
Grace no Rireki (2023)
Silent (2022)
Shitsuren Meshi (2022)
Sono Onna, Jiruba (2021)
Kdramas
I’ve not really gotten into that many kdramas this year. But I did really like:
One Day Off – a sweet, relaxing travelogue of sorts and a coming to terms with a truncated relationship.
A Time Called You – based on Tdrama, Someday or One Day. Much longing and tugging of heart.
Call It Love – Loved the way the irreconciliable differences could be resolved.
Soundtrack #2 – Good because it was short and better than the #1.
Cdramas
I believe I really enjoyed more cdramas than kdramas this year.
A Journey to Love – fraught ending but the whole production was really good.
Echo – Interesting psychological ‘thriller’ of sorts.
Lost You Forever – @Kate and I had a ball with this one. Waiting for Season 2!!!
Three-Body – Soooooo slow but then it got really good and blew me away.
Love Me, Love My Voice – Notable for being 100% conflict-free and a non-drama LOL. Looks good, sounds good, food porn looks great… watch to de-stress.
Meet Yourself – Beautiful and healing. Another one to relax to.
Parallel World (2023) – This one needs my patience. I would have preferred a more sequential way of story-telling because the subs didn’t capture what or why from time to time and I was left puzzled for too long before finally getting some backstory here and there. I feel the novel and the series was incredibly creative but it also tried to pack in too much. Not enough lead up to some stuff but on the whole interesting, imaginative, good production values.
Happy new year, BODers !!
I wish you love, because it sums anything all.
My resolution: unless I die, I end the rewriting of my kdrama W2 four worlds.
Happy New Year!
My favorite dramas of 2023:
Unlock The Boss
The Secret Romantic Guesthouse
Twinkling Watermelon
Castaway Diva
The Kidnapping Day
The Matchmakers
Wishing everyone good health, happiness, and many quality dramas to enjoy!
Happy new year BoD! Thank you for the good wishes, @pm3 and the rest of the gang here. Love, love, love!
Happy New Year!
@Packmule3 thank you for letting us into your little queendom and having a safe place to communicate for another year!
My favorite 2023 KDramas:
Moving
Twinkling Watermelon
The First Responders S2
Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938
Missing The Other Side Season 2
See you in my 19th Life.
And Death’s Note that I am waiting the last 4 episodes for it to end.
I know that:
My Dearest
The Glory
Miraculous Brothers
Taxi Driver S2
The Deal
The Kidnapping Day
are pretty good as well, but I practiced JOMO and I am happy with myself for that!
P.S. Love to Hate You
It is one show that made me laugh and gave me comfort so, I would like to add it here, because 2023 is Teo Yoo’s year… Along with the movie “Past Lives”!
Happy New Year Everyone!
My list:
K-drama favorites:
1. Not Others
2. Love to Hate You – even thinking about certain scenes makes me laugh still.
3. Forbidden Marriage
Chinese Dramas:
I don’t think this was a great second half of the year for modern c-dramas but I enjoyed:
1. Road Home for the sweeping romance and ML
2. Meet Yourself
3. Fake It Until You Make It
And honorable mention goes to
F-4 Thailand – this was a really engaging highly watchable adaptation of Boys Over Flowers and I really enjoyed the discussion on the blog.
Happy New Year to all BOD’s🎉 @Cleopatra, yes to Love to Hate You. My first intro to Teo Yoo and also saw him in Past Lives. I also liked the second leads also. Some other favs were:
Twinkling Watermelon
Moving
Perfect Marriage Revenge(which I almost quit after episode 1)
Love Rain 2012
Dr. Romantic 3
Wishing a blessed 2024 and hopefully lots of great dramas to enjoy and analyze. 🎉
@Packmule3, I love the way you’ve expressed your wishes for the upcoming year.
I’ve enjoyed too much chocolate (is there such a thing?!) this past week, having an abundance in the house due to the holidays. The other thing I’ve been binge eating this week is potato chips. We don’t usually buy them, but got a big bag for a party. That bag seems bottomless!
My list to @BethB that you transferred to this thread are 2023 dramas I watched that I enjoyed without discussing them much here on BoD. If I enlarge my reflections to all the shows I watched in 2023, regardless of when they were released or if they received commentary on BoD, I’d add Our Blues and Hidden Love.
Since I’m waiting for more episodes to be released of The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract and A Good Day to Be a Dog, I’ve watched on Netflix a few episodes of the reality show Love Like a Kdrama. It’s the fourth season of a Japanese show previously entitled Falling in Love Like a Romantic Drama. The premise is that actors vie in teams for leading roles in drama episodes that include passionate kisses. The question is whether or not the actors will fall in love in real life. The show’s host, the panel doing the commentary, and the female actors are all Japanese. The show is filmed in South Korea with Korean directors and crew for the drama episodes. The male actors are all Korean, and the scripts are in Korean, so language barrier is a factor for the female actors. I find it interesting to watch how the pieces of the drama episodes are put together: rehearsal, selection of cast, filming. The finished episodes are entire dramas distilled to a few minutes!
Am happy to say good bye to 2023 which was not a good year for family health
The good thing about the year was the great needed distraction of Asian dramas. They were my respite and much appreciated.
There were so many including Hidden Love(the leads were so engaging and beautiful and the young actors playing the leads younger selves were a good match for the main cast).
Castaway Diva was so enjoyable to me
I am a big fan of Park. Eun Bin, an actress who just nails her roles. And she can sing! I’ll watch anything she’s in. I also have loved Castaway stories like Robinson Crusoe and Swiss Family Robinson(although Lost In Space didn’t make it for me-I think it was too glossy).
The Glory elevated the revenge drama and Song Hye Kyo proved she is not just a pretty face. I have an antipathy towards her ex-husband, the much adored other Song. I enjoyed Vincenzo, it just find that he rubs me the wrong way
I think he tried to eclipse his ex but he failed. His personal life definitely has colored my perception of him. And Reborn Rich left me cold.
My favorite power couple is Son Ye jin and Hyun Bin. They are a class act.
Am now enjoying Shin Hye Sun and Ji Chang Wook in Welcome to Sam Dalri. One of the things that fascinated me about the drama is the portrayal of the women divers- such a dangerous job done by women, not men,
And a new to me, favorite Teo Yoo
The man is also a polyglot being fluent in English and German too
His English has a tingue of German accent(I studied German in college and was taught by native speakers
Loved the vocabulary but hated the grammar
I got to read a lot of German literature that was just so good but in translation
But back to Teo Yoo-he is so talented I’m an understated way. I want to watch more of his work. There is something hypnotic about him and he is also down to Earth-a winning combination.
And final gripe. I had Disney+ but found that shows I wanted to watch were actually on Hulu. Drat! I hate false advertisement. So far I find that Netflix and Viki are the most reliable streamers.
I hope the coming year brings the NOD community good health, a good quality of life for all and their family and friends. And of course, I wish you all great dramas to enjoy all year. This is a wonderful community brought to us by the wonderful, extremely ethical and charismatic #packmule3 to whom I send heartfelt thanks.
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Happy New Year 2024 !! to all BOD members and casts who dissect and direct dramas to one’s heart content. Love all the production that comes out of our BOD team.
To the list that I watched this year
* Blues – liked it, but watched it only with the corner of my eye. Not something that I would watch again.
* Matchmakers – loved it – especially the lady, but actually the lead and just about every body in the show. This was my 2nd Rowoon show this year.
* King the land – was too soapy for my preference. FF’s most of Junho’s cheesy scenes.
Currently watching
*Live your own life. – like Uee in it – her acting is great, but really hate the direction. Love Jun ha’s acting too.
Wish our community, friends and family, a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year 2024!!
🎇🎇🎇🎇🎇🎇🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈
My dramas 2023.
Best:
– Death’s Game
Top:
– The glory
– Castaway Diva
– Arthdal chronicles, sword of Alarum
Uneven:
– Moving
– Escape of the seven
Nice:
– Bo Ra! Deborah
– Soundtrack #2
– Perfect Marriage Revenge
Hi @WE, it really affects the momentum that Death’s Game stops for 3 weeks before giving us the 2nd half. I have practically forgotten everything I watched in the first half!
Happy New Year to all BoD-ers!
@packmule3
Love your list of wishes! My wishes too are similar:
Kdramas with more meaningful relationships, logical interesting plots, and heartfelt kisses💋
Kdramas with less aegyo-ism, less chaebol politics and no truck of doom (which is now almost a 3rd lead in 90% dramas😝)
Kdramas with eye candy but sophisticated Best Boyfriends to bring with us to Shallow Island😍
Kdramas which drop at least two episodes per week on a regular basis or better still, are on Netflix as a mini-series which airs all episodes at one go
Kdramas which do not go for a Season 2/3
Kdramas which are short and sweet, preferably below 14 episodes.
For a year 2023 recap, it was a very busy year for me, as I was caught up in my second country-to-country relocation which left me very little time for drama watching. I have a long list of dramas to catch up on. From the ones I did manage to watch, I liked:
Love to Hate You (like many others here, I liked Yoo Teo)
See You in My 19th Life
Destined With You
But my favourite dramas this year were two older dramas I finally managed to watch last year (not from last year)
Chocolate
Extraordinary Attorney Woo
Thank you @packmule3 and everyone for all the interesting drama discussions here last year and looking forward to more in 2024!
Wishing everyone a very Happy and Healthy New Year! May this new year bring hope and better days. Sorry for the late posting; My aunt was taken to the emergency room on New Year’s eve, and we have been back and forth to the hospital ever since.
My Year in Dramas 2023:
I didn’t complete as many dramas this year as in years past. There were fewer Korean dramas that caught my interest this year, and of those, some I lost interest in part-way through and dropped.
Here are the Korean dramas that I enjoyed watching AND completed in 2023. I make no claims on their overall quality, it is just my personal enjoyment level, so it’s totally subjective.
Love To Hate You- the rom-com I needed
Call It Love- the romance drama I needed, although the ending could have been a little more satisfying.
Behind Your Touch- The mystery/crime drama with a major dose of comedy I needed.
Perfect Marriage Revenge- The Melodrama I needed. Fast-paced, with a nice romance and plenty of twists and turns.
2023 Korean Dramas I have NOT completed yet, so were not part of my list:
A Good Day to be a Dog- Waiting to binge this one due to the weird airing schedule
Story of Park’s Marriage Contract- So far, so good
My Demon- Approaching the halfway point.
2023 Chinese Dramas I enjoyed AND completed:
Please Be My Family- I watched this contract marriage rom com 3 times. Objectively, it’s rather average, but I loved it. The cute kids probably were a major factor.
The Love You Give Me- Watched for the main leads, and they did not disappoint. The little boy who played their son was also a major factor in my enjoyment.
Fake It Till You Make It- I enjoyed it as a slice of life drama that included a nice romance.
@Table122000, I’ve watched most of the dramas you listed, liking them well enough to stick with them through the end. I agree with you that there’s a need for dramas that don’t scare us, anger us, and/or wring our hearts with sad endings. I have chosen to watch several dramas this year because of their calming effect.
@Table122000, I hope that your aunt is okay. What a difficult time of year to be hospitalised! I’ll send wishes and prayers her way.
I’m finding it’s hard to catch up because my eye gets caught by this or that while I’m online. I’m almost done with Castaway Diva now.
I’m sorry to hear about your aunt, @Table122000. I hope she gets better soon.
Take care of yourself, too. I know you always end up as the primary caregiver of your extended family.
I’ll take a lot at some of the Cdramas you mentioned.
@Fern 🙌🏻 😍
I’m happy you feel the same for HL. It’ll be interesting what’s in store for us drama lovers this year. Let’s see how we go. 🤞🏻
@Table122000 I hope your Aunt will heal quickly. 🙏🏼 You’re an angel to your family. God bless you.
I enjoyed The Love You Give Me as well. The leads were great together and the kisses were great too. 🥰 I love the little boy who played their child, he was awesome. 🤩
I ended up watching the other drama that the leads made before TLYGM.
I subscribe to all your best whishes. Happy 2024!!!
First, thank you to everyone for your best wishes for my aunt, and your encouraging words. I so appreciate it. She has surgery tomorrow.
@Welmaris: Great minds think alike. Yes, now more than ever, I need some light and breezy dramas to watch. I’m watching dramas to help me de-stress and relax as real life is stressful enough for me at the moment. I really hope that 2024 will bring some good romantic comedies for us all to enjoy. Happy endings required, and nice kisses a must.
@Fern: Thank you for your thoughtfulness. Yes, it’s never good to be sick on holidays.
@packmule3: Thank you for your kind words. Much appreciated. I hope that you will enjoy the C Dramas. As I said before, “Please Be My Family” is a rather average drama, but there was just something about it that really engaged me. You may or may not find it engaging.
@agdr03: Thank you for your positive thoughts and blessings. Yes,”The Love You Give Me” the lead couple was great and the child actor playing their son was so talented. He was definitely one of the best parts of the show.
I enjoyed “Once We Get Married” as well. The two leads are so fun to watch. Much as I enjoyed their performance in that drama, I felt they were even better in The Love You Give Me. I think having worked together before really helped them to be comfortable with each other and trusting, which always helps with performances.
@Table122000, may your aunt’s surgery go smoothly and be successful. May you and the rest of her family be comforted as you wait during her procedure and recovery. Before, during and after, I pray your aunt’s whole medical team is at the top of their game.
@Table122000,
Happy New Year! I do hope your aunt’s surgery will be successful!
And take it easy as well. I read what @Packmule3 told you above.
Sending Hugs and Positive Energy!
@FGB!
Happy New Year Chingu! My best wishes! I do hope you are okay!
Are we posting our favorite dramas of 2023? Here are mine (my list includes descriptions, but I love doing stuff like this):
Favorite Korean (and one Japanese) shows of the year:
• The Kidnapping Day (Prime) – A kidnapping that turns into an odd and surprising partnership. The child actress in this show is wonderful.
• The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House (Japanese/Netflix) – A lovely show about two friends who set off from their small village together to become geishas. It’s about finding community and one’s place in the world.
• One Day Off (Viki) – A quiet, meditative short series about a school teacher who goes on one-day adventures around South Korea.
• Love to Hate You (Netflix) – Not a masterpiece by any means but so much fun. The FL is unlike any I’ve seen in a kdrama before — athletic, strong-willed, and outright sexual.
• Castaway Diva (Netflix) – This one gave me all the feels. A story about overcoming childhood trauma. Fantastic casting/matching of the child stars with the adult actors and some good songs too.
Runners Up:
• Crash Course in Romance (Netflix) – This would have been a great middle-aged romance story just by itself but they had to throw in serial killer (which was somewhat central to the plot, but, still, I wish it wasn’t there).
• Death’s Game (Prime) – Intriguing storyline but so gruesome that I had to fast forward through a lot of the initial episodes or watch on a very small (iPad) screen.
• Our Blooming Youth (Viki) – I liked the storyline, but the FL was weak, especially in the beginning.
• The Matchmakers (Viki) – I really liked it, just didn’t love it.
Reality
Love Village (Netflix) – A charming Japanese reality show that seeks to set up middle-aged adults while they work and live together in a country house.
Reality Guilty Pleasure: Singles Inferno
• Kdramas I meant to watch: Twinkling Watermelon; My Dearest; Oasis; Call It Love.
• Dropped kdramas: The Glory (can’t stomach physical bullying); The Good Bad Mother (overly maudlin), The Heavenly Idol (terrible), Destined with You, A Time Called You (confusing, may revisit), Family The Unbreakable Bond (blah), Doona! (listless), Gyeongsong Creature (too gruesome), Kokdu, Moon in the Day (1st episode was awkward)
•WOFF-ed kdramas (Watched On Fast Forward): King the Land (very little plot), Perfect Marriage Revenge (liked it, just busy and wanted to see how it was going to end), Park’s Marriage Contract (I might drop it, the last few episodes have been disappointing), My Perfect Stranger (watched most of it, thought the ending was blah), My Demon
@BethB, I forgot about The Makanai. I found it refreshing, calming, enjoyable. Thanks for mentioning it. The rest of your list is very similar to my watching habit last year but a bit larger. This is the first year I started and dropped so many dramas.
@BethB, thanks for your nice long list. I like that you also mention the reasons you dropped those shows. They are mini-reviews that tell me what I didn’t miss because I, too, chose not to watch some of those shows, or dropped them.
The ones that you dropped which I did watch are A Time Called You (I liked it and found it better in some ways than Someday Or One Day) and My Perfect Stranger (but I can’t say I actually liked it much. I just wanted to see the ending).
Of the list you watched, I particularly enjoyed One Day Off. There was a whimsy in it while it was still so grounded. I liked that the regrets were resolved in those thoughtful journeys and that our teacher made new discoveries in herself, just as she discovered so much nice bread.
Castaway Diva was not bad. I liked the music and the family.
I’m steeling myself to watch the next episode of Death’s Game… I’ll mute the sound and play it very fast to avoid those difficult scenes!!!