Favourite dramas

Wow. WOW. The weirdest, wackiest drama which develops into something gritty, sordid and troubling. The atmosphere is so intense, the suspense chilling and let's not forget about the insane twists. I loved the characters, they were all psychos yet fascinating, and the ending does not disappoint.

This was a 10 from the get go, and so it remained until the end. One of the very few dramas I wanted to watch without any pause. Each episode was thrilling: they seemed to end much more quickly than the hour they lasted. And I cried too. I was not expecting that with such a dark storyline, but the emotions rounded off a perfect plot. Easily in my top 3 favourite dramas of all time. 

A tearjerker with flawless acting from all actors, a plot that never dragged, costumes and location stunning, and music that remains long in your head. Pure perfection. My first ever 10 rating given.

The feels, the feels! Each episode is better than the last, and the music just hits you right there. The message is also beautiful, and acting flawless, right down to the support actors. The story comes from a well known American novel: I haven't watched the Western versions, but this one is fantastic.  Hankies at the ready though...

Tragedies are always more memorable than comedies, and this one is no exception. Everything was superb from the acting, to the costumes, the plot, and the production. The OST could have been a little stronger. 

But I have to say that the male characters were some of the best ones ever written: each one was complex, multi-faceted and they all grew/shone/changed in front of our eyes. Kudos to the actors.

What a feel good movie. Plenty of sad scenes for you to cry, but the heart-warming moments really win over them. The whole story is refreshing, perfectly paced and manages to mix romance and murder mystery smoothly. The happy ending is one of the best I've watched. Acting is fabulous from everyone, and not once have I wanted to fast forward anything. 

I was not expecting to like this that much. I was expecting a fluffy, cute comedy, and this wasn't that. It broke my heart more times than I could count, and the cute moments repaired it wonderfully. The happy ending is not rushed and ties all the loose ends (bar one). The OST is beautiful and still remains in my head to this day. I am also happy to say that every single Korean actor is great in that show, which is rare! (The English speaking ones are as atrocious as expected).

What a ride. Stellar cast, stellar plot. The supernatural is handled maturely, and doesn't go into gratuitous gore abundance or cringy spooky scenes. The main leads are flawless; they carry the whole series in 3 perfect equal parts, but above all, their friendship is so exceptional and raw it made me tear up a few times. This drama is thrilling, gritty and makes you guess until the end. A must watch.

An original story, full of emotion and engaging characters. Some moving twists too, and a perfect, yet bitter sweet ending. Some unrealistic behaviours every so often, but they're easily glossed over through the wonderful acting, soft pictures and melodic music. A heart felt drama.

It took maybe 4 episodes to get me into the story, but once I was in, it did not let me go. I got seriously attached to the main characters, with their strengths and their flaws. Humour is omnipresent, as are dramatic scenes. More importantly, justice prevails in this show, always in clever, unexpected ways.
Without spoiling it, episode 15 is heart breaking though.

I gave this show a 9.5 right from the get go, and kept this rating til the end. Then I thought...what is it that doesn't make it a 10? I could not find anything. Acting was fantastic (goodies & baddies were exceptional), plot was perfectly paced and thrilling, music was catchy, and ending...well, I won't spoil it, but I loved it too. Some might not, but to me, it added another dimension to this drama. 

This series has many flaws: the ML is presented as a saviour too often, some situations are far-fetched, others are saccharine sweet, most villains turned out to be good, and the prop of a newborn premature baby was laughable.
And yet...it is a 10. Because the 20 episodes flew by in no time, every character is engaging and adorable, the fluffy plot is played with such conviction that I didn't even realize the somewhat unrealistic tone: it was felt dream-like, enchanting and heart-melting. In one word, this drama is a big awwwww.

One of the best couples I've seen, where neither is a stereotype., but realistic and engaging. The plot has many twists especially in the second part, and the thrill kept me on the edge of my seat. A wonderful story expertly acted by all the actors. The friendship is evident, and the love story is slow burn as I like it!

The filmography is eerie, all in dark, subdued colours giving it a fairy tale atmosphere. Acting is excellent, plot and music melancholic and beautiful. I loved that the male lead was such a normal, sweet but not boring guy, and that the romance wasn't fluffy-corny but mature and sincere. A must watch.

This drama is cute, cute, cute. There are no baddies here, no huge drama, everything is simple, realistic, and down to earth. The lead couple is just adorable, and the children as well. A truly heart warming, sunny series. Missed the perfect 10 because the ending is a little underwhelming, but still good enough not to spoil the whole enchanting and feel good vibe. I loved the credit song too.

What a thriller. Yang Se Jong is phenomenal here, his acting of 2 clones with opposite personalities blew my mind. His bromance with the policeman (who's excellent too by the way) was so sweet to watch, and resembled more a father-son relationship. The only downside was the prosecutor and the chairman: they were too much like caricatures. But this series is worth the ride for all the twists and turns, and the best broken villain ever.

The first episode was below average, but boy does it get consistently better after that. I was expecting a lighter tone throughout, but no, it's dark, edgy, thought provoking and atmospheric. I LOVED the ending. I only removed 0.5 because it's not as good as the fantastic Strangers from Hell, but otherwise, without that comparison, it would be a perfect score.

I completely fell for this feel good drama. In spite of its odd premises, the relationship between the leads is realistic and touching. The nephew is a great energetic addition, and his friends are hilarious. The main couple is down to earth, a bit awkward, and very adorable. A few tears here and there, but nothing to stop the sunny happiness of the overall plot.

Original storyline with cold cases all connected to each other somehow. Amazing acting, a few twists and no boring moments. Lots of emotion. Ending a little underwhelming.

Edge of your seat thriller. Many twisted twists (yep!) and non stop action. High energy, dark background and characters from all way of life make this drama a high octane, heart pumping must-see. I only gave it a 9.5 instead of a 10 because apart from the 3 friends, we didn't get the chance to know more about other, just as important characters: more episodes were needed for this. What you gain in action you lose in emotion.

A little sweet and fluffy, with a plot relying on convenience. Far from Oscar worthy, the story is simple, without any surprise. But somehow, the characters are so well played, they are adorable. I felt like I watched a fairy tale: I couldn't wipe the smile of my face

Emotions run high in this drama, with both leads as engaging as each other. One of my, if not, my favourite pairing. Broken souls, learning to live again. Very human, character centered plot.

This was a perfect 10 until the last 2 episodes. I loved the progression of the show, the progression of the 3 relationships and the maturity of the dialogues. However, the conclusion of the storyline for the main couple left me confused and unsatisfied. It felt too contrived and too dramatic to suit the overall poetic tone of the drama. Still, I am suffering from withdrawal symptoms, so I do consider it as a must watch.

A feel good movie, a la Zenkai Girl. No villain, just a slice of life where everything and everyone ends up happy. a rose tinted glasses spot. Misses the 10 because the last few episodes were a bit boring and unnecessary.

The music and acting made the whole drama. Very atmospheric, and a cliffhanger at the end of each episode. I liked the villain's back story, because it made me pity him a little, in spite of his atrocious behaviour. His very last words are gut wrenching.  I guess no one is completely black or white.

This one grew on me. Started as a solid 8, then about 1/3 of the way through, my rating began increasing to reach 9.5. I have to mention  the stereotypical way some villains were played. The main couple though...oh how I adored them, both of them.

Definitely more plot driven than character driven drama, but that allowed no boring moments or draggy scene. All actors were perfect, as was the ending music. Too many deaths, it was sad, but at least the team won at the end, ready for season 2??

This drama started slowly, but then it picks up, and the fireworks don't stop. Many twists, many emotional scenes and edge of your seat suspense. All of the actors are great, especially the younger ML.

The main male characters (the "bad guys") were beautifully crafted and skilfully played by all four actors. I truly loved them, with their own back stories, quirks and dreams. The main female character was more bland, which was a shame from the writers' part. The pace of the drama is perfect: everything happens for a reason, at the right time. The last few episodes were a bit of a let down for me, including the ending which was underwhelming; the twists were expected instead of being surprising. But nevertheless, I loved the bromance, the characters' growth and the overall dark, thrilling tone of the drama.

One of my favourite couples, if not my favourite, is in this drama. Their characters light the screen like no others, it's all about them and boy is it sad but beautiful. Their relationship is so mature, so raw, their acting (especially the ML) so vivid that I lost myself in this series. It keeps you on the edge of your seat episode after episode, and doesn't let go til the final scene. Some parts are slow going though, I fast forwarded them.

This drama started slowly, but when it found its pace, it became  a real gem. The atmosphere is quite subdued, grey and oppressive, which I loved. I had trouble at times with the lead actress though, as her reactions could lack dynamism. I wanted to shake her at times, to stop her acting like a zombie. The 2 lead actors though?  They made the show, and they redeemed the disappointing predictability of the plot. The last 3 episodes are the weakest, but until then I was totally gripped. It's really a 9.25/10

I haven't watched season 1 as I had seen too many previews and felt that I already knew too much to be be interested. Anyway, I really enjoyed season 2. Teacher Kim is an incredible character, to whom Han Seok Kyu breathes life, charisma and authenticity.  He is simply a masterpiece of a character.
Also, not one moment did I think of fast forwarding or take a break, the plot moves along without unnecessary scenes. The main couple is engaging, just like the support actors.  

Escaped the 10 for 2 things: one, the leading actress was too stiff and I had a hard time connecting with her, and two, the series dragged badly for the last third. The rest was exceptional, and this drama was the first I suffered from withdrawal symptoms (ah, memories...). Objectively, Lee Seung Gi carried the whole series on his shoulders, his cheeky, hot headed, wonderful character acting increased my rating by itself. Oh, let's forget about the cheap CGI at the end, shall we.

Starts as a cringy comedy, then develops into a complex drama with tears and cute moments. 

Very good drama, well paced, and engaging, realistic characters. A few twists, some expected, some unexpected.
However, the romance is kept low (TOO low) and the ending is underwhelming, hence why it's not a 10.

Very cute, very sweet, very fluffy, and above all, very entertaining, and a perfect ending. One to watch when you need a quick dose of romance.

For pure entertainment purposes, it would be a 10/10. The lead couple's scenes and chemistry  are sizzling, and their kissing is the most passionate I've seen so far in a series. The plot is far from being witty or complex and the baddie is so OTT he ruins the mood, but I had a great time watching this.

Started as a light, funny drama that then turned progressively darker and more mature. All the characters were engaging, and the happy ending wasn't rushed so that all sub-plots could be tied in a neat bow. 

Fast pace, lots of thrills and twists. Boring does not apply here, each episode comes round quickly. The ending is perfect too. However, it's not a 10 because I guessed who the villains were before they were exposed. They were just too obvious, and it's a shame.

8.75:  the 1st and last episodes are the strongest ones, the first for the unbelievable twist (one of the best I've seen), and the last for making me cry for the only time in the whole series. Verygritty plot, with dark, shadowy colours throughout. The light seem to follow the characters'moods.

What threw me and stopped this from being a 10, was the unsane number of names. Even near the end I still couldn't associate a face with a name, or recognize where I knew them from. . So I've missed parts of the plot and that was frustrating. I'll even have to heck some points I didn't get. The last episodes reveal so much , so quickly.

Short and sweet. No extra rubbish or lengthy fillers. With a happy ending, a cliche storyline (but played well),  some engaging characters and a light tone, you have everything to give you a pinch of romantic entertainment.

Such an entertaining drama, I never, ever felt the need to fast forward any part. Boring does not apply here. The music is all in English and is excellent (the main song in particular). Performances from the leads are good, although the ones from Sung Dong Il and Ryu Deok Hwan are stellar, not that this is any surprise as these two never disappoint. It would have been a 10 save for 2 things: one, the LF is irritatingly narrow minded at times; and two, personally, I would have liked the romance to be explored a little more towards the end: I love a slow burn, but if leads to a dull crackle rather than banging fireworks, it leaves me unsatisfied.

The Japanese really  know how to write realistic plot and multi dimensional characters . People are at the heart of the story,  which explores the different faces  of lying and friendship. This drama is rich in suspense and emotions, and with muted colours and soft lighting throughout, it creates a very melancholic atmosphere that remains in your mind long after the ending.