My Pre-2021 Drama List
Dramas I've watched from the year 2011 to 2020. Dramas from position 4 to 10 are in rough chronological order since I'm not quite sure what order they were in when I watched them.
My opinions are mentioned, but some dramas I haven't watched in a while, so they might not reflect how I feel if I were to watch them again.
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1. Boys Over Flowers
Korean Drama - 2009, 25 episodes
Pros:
- Makes me feel nostalgic, but even after re-watching, it's hilariously entertaining.
- In a single episode, there's so much to laugh or smile at.
- Old-school charming.
Cons:
- Characters are either obnoxious or illogical (but it doesn't bother me too much).
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2. Healer
Korean Drama - 2014, 20 episodes
Pros:
- The first drama I ever willingly clicked on based off of a recommendation and watched start-to-finish because it was so addicting.
- Ji Chang Wook is entertaining on screen. His character is fun.
- The romance is cute.
Cons:
- Can be cheesy.
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3. I Hear Your Voice
Korean Drama - 2013, 18 episodes
Pros:
- The cases and the backstory were interesting, and the incorporation of the ML's powers into the lawyer aspect was nice.
- 2ML is so good, he gave me SLS (Second Lead Syndrome).
- Low fantasy, not too much to swallow.
- Case-of-the-week style drama that challenged the FL to do her best.
Cons:
- The age gap of the characters creeped me out.
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4. The Bride of Habaek
Korean Drama - 2017, 16 episodes
Pros:
- First few episodes were entertaining.
- Nam Joo Hyuk is pretty to look at.
- The 2ML is the best part of the drama for me.
Cons:
- I didn't really like the characters.
Would not recommend.
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5. Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo
Korean Drama - 2016, 20 episodes
Pros:
- Made me like sageuks.
- Time travel made things easier to get into.
- Had some funny situations that arise from a modern girl being in Goryeo at first.
- Emotional story that made me cry.
- Many characters to get attached to.
- Beautiful OST.
Cons:
- Not as great as I remember upon re-watching.
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6. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
Korean Drama - 2016, 16 episodes
Pros:
- One of the best in terms of chemistry.
- The jokes are spot-on.
- Feel-good drama that fills me with joy with every rewatch.
- Character development happens for nearly every important character. Both leads are fleshed out and have a story.
Cons:
- "Swag" is used way too often, and it makes me cringe.
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7. Kobold
Korean Drama - 2016, 16 episodes
Pros:
- Lives up to the hype.
- Fantasy that is not hard to get into.
- Bromance that is superior to other bromances.
- Made me ugly cry.
- Secondary romance is not only funny, but it's better than the main romance. May be my favorite romance ever. Maybe.
- Top-notch acting.
- Cinematography is an art of its own here.
- Emotional and beautiful OST.
Cons:
- Some people don't like the age gap. I only minded it a little bit.
- Main romance didn't resonate with me much.
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8. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon
Korean Drama - 2017, 16 episodes
Pros:
- Really entertaining. It's very comic book style and ridiculous.
- Super light.
- Romance is really solid.
- The ML is one of the most adorable ones out there.
Cons:
- The villain. Wouldn't mind this if the drama was of a different drama, but he is genuinely so creepy that he makes me shiver every time he was on screen. It's a sharp contract against the light tone.
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9. Touch Your Heart
Korean Drama - 2019, 16 episodes
Pros:
- Easy to watch.
- It's cute and the romance is, too.
- Some good side character.
- Great cure for after finishing Goblin.
Cons:
- Lots of forgettable moments.
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10. While You Were Sleeping
Korean Drama - 2017, 32 episodes
Pros:
- One of the most well-paced dramas I've seen.
- The cases that the characters deal with have a good amount of time spent on them.
- Backstories of characters are important and made me attached.
- Love the villain in the sense that he felt like a human in some scenes. Some.
- SLS is real strong here. Woo Tak is precious.
Cons:
- One plot-twist felt underwhelming considering the buildup.
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11. Buitengewoon Jij
Korean Drama - 2019, 32 episodes
Pros:
- Got me back into kdramas after a long gap of not watching any.
- The actress, Kim Hye Yoon, won me over. She is so good in this role with her charm and her energy.
- Rowoon is gorgeous. He looks like a super model.
- Loved the drama poking fun at Boys over Flowers. Feels like an inside joke between the viewers and the show.
Cons:
- ML is bland.
- It gets repetitive after a while.
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12. De Koning: Eeuwige Monarch
Korean Drama - 2020, 16 episodes
Pros:
- The first episode is solid. It gives you a reason to care.*
- Kim Go Eun's character starts off cool. **
- Kim Kyung Nam's character, in terms of backstory and complexity, is my favorite.
- Fell in love with Woo Do Hwan in this drama. He nails the adorable AND the badass roles.
- Enjoyable if you don't take it seriously.
- One of the best OSTs from the dramas I've watched.
Cons:
- Plot is convoluted and things tend to not make sense.
- Gets frustrating at times.
- * The reasons go away after a few episodes.
- ** She loses her sense of self, in my opinion, after a short while.
- Lee Min Ho wasn't good in this role, and his character had more potential to be angst-y and interesting.
- Chemistry between the leads was not there, and the romance was rushed.
- Wished Woo Do Hwan and Kim Kyung Nam would've had more screen time.
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13. 18 Again
Korean Drama - 2020, 16 episodes
Pros:
- Well-written and has heart.
- In a single episode, I laugh, cry, feel good, feel sad, feel all the emotions buried within.
- Lee Do Hyun got a Baeksang for this role, and it shows.
- ML feels so human and is the best. He grows so much from his experience.
- The relationship between the ML with the FL and the kids is so precious.
- Has one of the best 2MLs ever. The love triangle is so good, and by the end of it, I just want the best for all three of the characters.
Cons:
- Some plot lines were unnecessary.
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14. Mad Dog
Korean Drama - 2017, 16 episodes
Pros:
- Some solid performances.
- Managed to make stories about insurance interesting.
- The relationship between the two MLs is amazing.
- The intro of Woo Do Hwan's character is a highlight.
- The found family aspect is cute.
- Choi Won Young is amazing in everything, including here.
Cons:
- The plot doesn't hook you the moment you read about it, and I almost didn't watch because of that.
- There's only a hint of romance. I don't really need it, but I disliked the writers teasing us.
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15. Thuis best
Korean Drama - 2020, 10 episodes
Pros:
- An entertaining drama with monsters and action.
- Song Kang's role is one of his best.
- Lots of solid actors.
- Lee Do Hyun plays a really interesting character.
- Fun if it's not taken seriously.
Cons:
- CGI is garbage.
- Sound mixing and choice is bad.