These kdramas and Korean movies aged poorly. I’m not talking merely about their visual effects, but the plot, content, message, and/or actors involved in the project have become unacceptable over time.

That’s why Shakespeare rules. Even after four centuries, the Bard’s works endure because his insight into our human existence is timeless, universal, and relevant. When I pour over a kdrama and study its themes and characters, I do it in the hope of finding a spark of Shakespeare in it. I’m searching for the screenwriter’s reflections on life. I want a writer who has acquired enough pearls of wisdom to string together into a drama that engages my mind and soul.

Ultimately, I judge favorably a kdrama that has enriched my understanding of the world. I can’t tolerate writers who write junk because a) they subject me to mental pollution and b) they waste my time. Those are cardinal offenses in my book.

Here’s my incomplete list. I’ll add when I remember more.

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1. “Boys Over Flowers” (2009)

Starring Lee MinHo, Goo HyeSun, Kim HyunJoong, Kim Bum, and Kim Joon.

Tell me you know nothing about toxic masculinity without telling me you know nothing about toxic masculinity.

And please don’t give me those, “B-b-but he was redeemed” and “Love conquers all” excuses. He needs to go to therapy.

Note: It doesn’t help too that the female lead is psycho. The way her marriage disintegrated in public has only led me to believe that in real life, she’s as toxic as the male lead in the drama. And that Kim HyunJoong? Trash.

2. “My Sassy Girl” (2001)

Starring Cha TaeHyun and Jun JiHyun

Instead of toxic masculinity, this is about toxic feminism. I wrote about this before.

I’m a minority. I’m one of the few viewers who disliked the movie “My Sassy Girl” from the minute the female lead (played by Jun Jihyun) vomited on the poor elderly man on the train. But I forced myself to endure the next two hours to see what the hoopla about this blockbuster was all about.

There were certainly memorable romantic scenes. But they weren’t enough to counteract and justify the abusive relationship between GyunWoo (GW) and the nameless sassy girl.

Ha! Her name was never revealed in the movie although the movie title was about her. It. Was. All. About. Her. But shhhhh… her name can’t be uttered like that He Who Must Not Be Named in Harry Potter. In my opinion, the psychology behind her namelessness is to reinforce the fear factor. Not only was she a stranger to him the entire time, but she was a scary and brutal stranger.

It was clear to me that the screenwriter was trying to justify the psychopathic relationship as a *necessary* bloodletting. The sassy girl’s emotional and physical torture of GW was justified because:

a) she was suffering from a survivor’s guilt that MUST BE assuage
b) she was testing to see if GW was as good and noble and loving as her dead boyfriend.

😄😄😄😄…😡 (Hahahaha…NO!)

That’s how this screenwriter tried to rationalize the female lead’s psychopathic behavior. Her unfinished grieving was the reason for her despicable actions.

Gosh! I never thought “sassy” is the new word for “brutal.”

For me, had the roles were reversed, and Chae TaeHyun’s character had been the one acting sassy (or “tsundere”) instead of Jun Ji-hyun’s character, the plot would’ve been easily recognizable for what it was: abuse. But because the scapegoat in the movie was a good-natured male bumpkin, the sassy girl’s abusive and unfunny actions were excused as comedic… and feminist.

🤦‍♀️ See that stupid writer’s sexist logic? An abusive female isn’t really abusive because heyyyy! her actions are empowering and liberating.

Sure, the Apologists and Enablists could scream that the screenwriter has the “creative license” to write whatever she wants.

My reaction:

Yeaaaaah, right. If you can produce the show yourself, with your own money, for your target audience, in your own country, in your own imaginary universe, then by all you means, exercise your creative license.

But I question the sanity of anybody claiming to adore this movie. Like the boy in the fable “The Emperor’s New Clothes.”

3. “My Little Bride” (2004)

Starring Kim RaeWon (did you read my post on 2024 Leading Actors?) and Moon GeunYoung

One word: grooming.

4. “She Was Pretty” (2015)

Starring Hwang JungEum, Park SeoJoon and Choi SiWon

I believe the drama gods are listening to me. When I called out the unacceptable maltreatment of the junior member by the male boss (played by Park SeoJoon), the fangirls howled in protest. I pointed out that they were normalizing such hostile and toxic behavior in the workplace because they were blinded by the handsomeness of PSJ.

Nowadays, we no longer see male leads act as bosses who publicly berate and humiliate their female underlings. Nowadays, the “bad boss” behavior is relegated to villains only. (Check out “Marry My Husband.”) Nowadays, the hero as a savage alpha male is frowned upon. I say it’s about time.

5. “Playful Kiss” (2010)

Starring Jung SoMin and Kim HyunJoong (see “Boys Over Flowers”)

Another toxic male.

As soon as I saw Baek SungJo’s callous behavior when Oh Hani delivered him the love letter, he was in the doghouse. Even the ending was a disappointment. He didn’t grovel enough.

What really annoyed with me this drama was the infantilization of the heroine. The ending came just when she was on the cusp of growing up and maturing.

But I blamed it on the original source, a Japanese manga called “Itazura Na Kiss” and the Japanese’s penchant for anything “kawaii” (or cute). They think it’s fashionable to dress up, look, speak, and act cute. Ugh! I’m just appalled by the feigned cuteness and naivety.

6. “SungKyungKwan Scandal” (2010)

Starring Park MinYoung, Song JoongKi, Yoo AhIn and Park Yoochun

I can’t blame the writer for this one.

This kdrama was ruined for me by the real-life scandals of the leading men, namely, Park Yoochun and Yoo AhIn. Just say no to drugs, danggit!

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What’s on your list?