Dramas Watched/Completed in 2018

Watched this for Vill. Nothing really impressed me.

You'll have a greater appreciation for this drama if you know about members of the YG Family. There's definitely a lot of inside jokes that you might miss if you don't have some basic background of the cast.

Ok, here's the thing...I hated the first 16 episodes.  It's just not for me.  As someone who is not a fan of the ISWAK storyline, it was torture to get through. I dislike seeing a dumb girl in a hopelessly unrequited love. To make it worse there was a second lead with a heart of gold by her side.  It was quite painful to watch. I almost felt like someone stabbed  my heart with a knife.

That being said, the rest of the episodes were fantastic.  I loved how she was able to grow and they made her less dumb. I loved seeing their relationship progress.

I didn't watch this for Mike He, but it was really refreshing to see him in this role.

if you've ever been on a vacation packaged tour, you will totally relate. xD

If you are a binge watcher, you may want to consider waiting until March to watch this.  They split this drama into 2 seasons...this is the 1st part.  Season 2 will air in Feb/March.  Not that this season has a cliffhanger ending or anything.  It was a good standalone season.  Just thought I'd let you know because  would've waited had I known otherwise.

That being said, I think fans of the unTouchable webtoon will be satisfied with this Live Action adaptation.  It's cute and enjoyable.

The drama was somewhat poorly written and unrealistic (even for kdrama standards), but it still managed to pull you in. Also, Dong Ha's acting was worth watching (as expected).

2018 Watch Challenge: Drama with less than 1000 members....this drama is pretty underrated.

Guan Gabrielle slayed in her role as Peng Jiahe.  This was one of the higher quality modern cdramas.  It had a bunch of touching moments that were well written too.  Even the American actors were great.  I probably would've rated this a bit higher, but what irked me was the exaggerated representation of Americans as jerks.  

I get what they were trying to say...it's really difficult as an immigrant (especially a POC immigrant) to come to the U.S. and make it from the bottom up.  Sometimes, people will not be friendly and welcoming.  However, the ratio of jerks to good people was really unrealistic...especially for a city like Seattle.  90% of the non Chinese people were shown as RUDE.  I'm almost questioning if this was some kind of propaganda against Americans.  Also, there were a lot of flashbacks to America and I wish they had used younger actors because a 40 year old trying to look/act young wasn't cutting it for me.

So that's my two cents.  I loved the drama.  I loved the father/daughter relationship that develops between Lu Yuan and Peng Jiahe.  The only thing that put a damper on my rating was the American scenes.  The other annoying minor things could be looked over.

This was your standard family drama.  It has its good moments, but nothing really impressed plotwise.  Some actors were better than others (veteran actors did a solid acting job).  This is probably not worth checking out unless you're a fan of the cast.  Speaking of which, Dong Ha and Hong Bin are quite notable from the supporting cast.  This was Hong Bin's first drama, so his acting is a little weak here.  It was amusing to see Dong Ha in his role.  If you ever want to see him play the adorable, mischievous maknae, you might want to check this out (if you're okay with a 44 episode drama, that is).

super cute and fluffy. :3

I started this drama when it first aired, but decided to hold off on the rest until it hit Netflix, so I could be an HD snob and fully appreciate everything. Now that I'm done I can go back and read all of your spoiler comments.  

I absolutely loved this drama.  I loved how well written the supporting characters were.  Not just the inmates, the guards as well.  You had the one guard who was a stickler for rules and another who liked to bend them for the better good. And of course there was the drama inside and outside the prison. It was an extremely well balanced show.

The soundtrack was amazing.  I thought I was going crazy when I heard Woo Wonjae's voice.  The OST playlist that I was listening to didn't have his song on it.  I was so glad to find out his song Nostalgia made the soundtrack.

The show is really deep.  The plot is slow paced, but it fits perfectly with the theme of healing from the past and dealing with pain.  It really comes down to if you're into that sad and painful plot or not.

I would've never guessed the actress's age.  I thought she was younger the main actor, but it turns out she's 9 years older!  She did a really good job of acting out her young character (but i suspect the hairstyle they gave her helped a lot as well).

Now that I'm finished all three seasons...seasons 1 and 2 had waaay too many rapists. O_O i liked season 3 a little bit better, but i'm giving all three seasons the same rating.  Overall, I enjoyed it.  It's a decent live action.

Also, Evan Li (Si Bai) is South Korean??? Why haven't I seen him in any kdramas yet or any other dramas for that matter?  The only thing on his bio page is the Memory Lost series.

This started off pretty promising, but started to drag and get really annoying by the end.  It probably isn't worth watching unless Ken is one of your biases.  Evil Ken is really attractive in this and his acting is great.  Although his role in this drama is nowhere as near as bad as his role in Sawan Biang, he still plays a dick and it gets really annoying to watch after a while.  I loved how Yada is a strong female character and does not let Chakrit walk all over her.  She puts up a good fight.  As a side note, the storyline between the younger siblings is pretty cute and worth watching.

I think this drama hits close to home.  10 years ago I was about their age.  Speaking of which, my 10 year high school reunion is  coming up this year.  Just what have I been doing with my life!?

The plot was like a 6.5, but it had its golden moments.  I actually did like the ending and thought it was creative, but like most of the comments said, the ending was kind of confusing and had a few plotholes.   I did like how it threw me off guard with the twist though.

1. +.5 for Melvin as Bo Bai
2. This was like Liar Game (Jdrama) but for nerds.
3.  Multiple season drama?

The first 3/4 was pretty addicting and bingeworthy for a slap/kiss revenge, but then the last 1/4 everything went batshit crazy as usual. Still enjoyed this couple and love how they started out as childhood best friends. :3

This pairing is my OTP. So glad to see them back on screen together again after I Wanna Be Sup'tar.  I looooved Gypso in this drama. Loved how her character was a smart, independent woman (and fashionable too). Anyways, the main storyline was really good.  The side plots were annoying for the most part and could be skipped.

This was disappointing for a Hong Sisters supernatural drama and tvN does not exactly have the best track record for its adaptations.  I  wanted to give this a 6.5 or 6.75, but there are certain elements I loved because it was a Hong Sisters drama.  Their use of social commentary, the symbolism, references to other stories (wendy and peter pan), and their excellent use of product placement (kakao talk) all just made me really appreciate this drama.  So although, the plot was like a 6 (this drama had an identity crisis among the big name cast and not knowing what direction to go in), I still had to give it +1.

Old, but gold.  This is at LEAST my 4th time rewatching this.  I think it's because it has so many of my fave guilty pleasure tropes.

Another rewatch lol.  This was actually kind of crappy the 4th time rewatching this, but I guess I was in the mood for brooding/angsty Peter Ho who did an amazing job acting.  Actually, the entire main cast did. I think this drama was really good for its time.

This season was probably a 7, but I decided to keep my rating a combined rating for both seasons. Not bad for a live action, but season 2 did stray from the webtoon, I believe.

This started out as a solid romcom, but went downhill after 10 episodes. It's like the writers changed or something.  By the end you could totally see this was like one of those trashy daily airing makjangs, but disguised as a weekend drama.  Not that have anything against daily airing makjangs....I just have a higher standard for weekend dramas.

Solid good romcom.  It had an excessive amount of manhandling, which I found to be irksome (i've watched enough kdramas to ignore it, but it was hard to ignore in this drama for some reason).  Also, did they forget about Jason!??

Not bad.  I loved the first 3/4, but the last quarter...some characters did a complete 180 and went psycho. This is based off a manhua that I haven't read, so I can't say much about the plot.  Main couple was adorable (but not the kind that makes you cringe).

A+ soundtrack and great plot.  The first 10 episodes had great pacing, but the last 5 episodes dragged. :/

It took me forever to finish this because I watched the first half on Netflix and it takes longer to watch dramas on there for some reason, and then I switched over Viki and just breezed right through it.  The second half IS more addicting, but thank god for the 10 second fast forward button.

reaally good sports drama for Thailand.

Such a great drama that depicts depression.  I loved the way this was filmed.  Side note: I'm officially adding Toni (the guy who played Simon) to my favorite actors list.  He's such a versatile actor.

Although it falls under LGBT, it is not a BL or romance in general. Just a bunch of misadventures of a group of gay friends.  It's also pretty hilarious.

I just couldn't get into this...i was forcing myself to watch it from episode 1.

Thank you for being my happy pill over the past couple of weeks.  It's been a really long time since a drama made me laugh out loud so much.  I know a lot of people weren't used to the drama format, but it was perfect for a comedy.  It had many mini episodes/segments within an episode, so you could take your time finishing it.  

To sum it up: This is like Age of Youth male version on crack.  I'm really going to miss these guys.  I hope they release a special BTS episode soon.  I NEED to see the footage. xD

Meh. This was pretty much a snoozefest with eye candy in the form of the ML. Bonus for the Chuck and Blair duo with their rich bored people schemes. Oh, and bonus for the dope film-esque cinematography.

oops, got distracted from my currently watching list and ended up binging this in 2 days.  this was pretty cute. unfortunately, there are only 4 episodes subbed so far, so I ended up watching most of it raw. it didn't help that the audio kept cutting out either...made it twice as difficult to watch.  hope it gets fully subbed soon. i loved Ivy Chen in her role and glad to have discovered
Wang Zi Qi through this...a solid debut for his first drama.

Solid good drama.  I'm going to miss these two dorks.  It did get a bit draggy toward the end and  ep 23 was totally a filler episode. Regardless, I still enjoyed it for the contract marriage trope. FL was such a refreshing character imo.  She genuinely liked ML for his country bumpkinness.

This was a well made drama production wise, but it was really confusing to follow.  There were tons of characters, which is fine.  However, I wasn't too familiar with this time period so it was extra confusing to figure out the motives for each family/army/organization.  There seemed to be a lot of plot holes, though they did touch upon many of the things in the last few episodes, but by then it was kind of too little too late with the slow revelations.  

I also couldn't figure out the characters and how they could suddenly turn against each other...they were so EXTREME in their decisions and reactions. xD I know this is based off a novel, but the drama showed little progression on how/why characters made some MAJOR decisions.  They would just turn on each other and I'd be like, "what just happened? weren't you best buddies like 2 minutes ago?"  I wanted to give this +.5 for the costumes, but now I'm just being petty and going with my overall plot score.

Really good high quality cdrama. I'd say this slice of life needs to be savored rather than binged. Either way, it is rather enjoyable and wholesome to watch.

Great cast, but average plot. It really dragged. What could've been done in 20 episodes was stretched out into 46. The "big" secret was revealed way too late on in the series. I ended up fast forwarding through most if it.  The lead cast had great chemistry though.

This was basically a 2nd chance at love drama, but animal themed.  I like how Mike He has been switching up his roles lately and not playing the typical cocky rich guy.  In this he plays this shy guy with a childhood crush.  The FL's character really annoyed me.  I actually liked the second couple's story more than the main one.

Pretty sure I watched this when it first came out, so this was a rewatch.  I don't really think it stood the test of time because some things made me cringe. HOWEVER, I loved it for the old school twdrama nostalgia.  Also, the story was a pretty decent idol drama and didn't drag.  The concept would be unoriginal now, but for its time, it was good.

Masterpiece. 'Nuff said.

Still good, but season 2 got more serious and i wasn't the biggest fan of the ending.

Favorite twdrama of the year (so far).

I decided to watch this because I was in the mood for melodrama and @AmastrisDratwka's reactions made me really curious as to how bad this was.  For modern cdrama standards, this was pretty average.  I've seen quite a lot dramas that start out like a romcom, but then turn full on trashy melodrama (that tries to throw almost every trope in the book at you).  I went in mentally prepared in advanced, so it wasn't that bad of a watch.  The trick to getting through this drama is skipping scenes...a lot.  Like all the annoying, sabotaging characters - skip their scenes or you won't survive. When they try to revive a character and try to make them a decent person after they were the scum of the earth for numerous episodes, it just leaves you with a bitter taste in your mouth.

Ep 1-22: 6/10
Ep 23 - 82: 4/10

Almost wanted to give this an 8 just for the ML's sidekick friends, but I know after a cooloff period away from this drama had a few flaws.  That doesn't mean it wasn't entertaining though.

It took me a really long time to figure out that one of the main songs from the ost is also the opening song to The Perfect Match. xD  It was really bothering me because I knew I was sick of the song (though I liked it), but I couldn't figure out which drama I heard it from.

Solid sports drama.  I liked how the ML wasn't perfect or rich.  The FL sort of bothered me...it's not that she was dumb, but her skillset was in her analytical skills and not her athletic.  That being said, the love storyline didn't bother as much since the drama focused more on fencing than it did the love story.

I hate to say this, but the main thing this lakorn had going for it was Push.  The FL was TSTL.  In fact, most of the female characters were annoying and unbearable to watch. The lakorn just felt very lacking as a whole.  It was average and fairly predictable.  There was little of that guessing element that makes things interesting.   From the comments, it looks like many people had a difficult time finishing it.

Pretty good for a webdrama. It had potential to be an 8, but some of the acting (supporting actors) felt a bit unnatural.

 LOVED this lakorn.  It's a royal action/romance that stars my favorite koojin and is about a princess who KICKS ASS.  I wanted to give this an 8, but had to deduct .5 for some minor plot holes, some awkward/confusing scene transitions, and a few draggy scenes.  Other than that the scenery for Hrysos is gorgeous!  Plus, you gotta love Nadech and Yaya. They are my OTP.

You get what you expect...which is basically Dome in a manhandling ML role.  This was pretty typical and average for a lakorn.  Probably not worth watching unless you're in the mood for seeing Dome on screen.

pros: cast, acting, ost, ACTION, antagonists, grey characters

cons: plot...it had a great start, but it was somewhat draggy and inconsistent. the main characters would seem super smart about something, but then suddenly become naive and get outsmarted by antagonists over things that were pretty predictable.

I get that that this is a completely different drama from the first, but did it even have the same writer?  I just couldn't get into it and I wasn't a fan of the story flow.  The second half was definitely better than the first.

But yeah, if you want to watch a show involving epic corruption and prosecutors, I would recommend Punch over this any day.

I'm freeee~~!

But I gotta give credit where credit is due.  The timeclock thing brought something new to kdramaworld. Plus, LSY and LSK are both on my fave actors list so there's that.  It's a pity this had so much potential and they just kind of dropped the ball while obsessing over the pain and agony part of it.

Probably a 7.5, but my heart says 8 for the following reasons:
+ super cute main couple that made my heart flutter
+ food drama that actually made me want to cook
+ adorable kitten

I think this comes down to matter of preference.  This kind of reminded me of Just Between Lovers. If you don't like slow plots or sad/gloomy characters wallowing in guilt, this is not for you.  Come and Hug Me is also one of those rare dramas where the second half is better than the first.  Things definitely pick up and get more interesting, especially with the character development.  I kind of wanted to rate this a 6.5 because the lack of security for characters in danger was so stupid and unrealistic (not to mention other minor flaws).  However, I'm rounding up because I was touched by the growth and development of the characters.

♪ Tiramisu cake! Tiramisu cake! ♪

Great music.

I think the reviews are pretty spot on for this one.  This is less about revenge and more about growth of character and that's why I loved it so much. I'm giving this +5 because I'm slightly biased about the main cast/acting.  However, this is a temporary rating until I go back and rewatch the 2nd half with subs. Other reasons why I loved this lakorn:

5. No evil exes.
6. No screaming banshees/unnecessary catfights.

Not bad for an almost 50 ep. cdrama. This was mainly worth watching for the main couple...the rest I could've cared less.  Although, is it odd that I actually loved one of the villains?  The last 10 or so episodes kind of dragged, but that's typical for these kinds of dramas.

Overhyped. Technically the plot somewhat sucks, but it's worth checking out for the acting (Seo Kang Joon's acting was superb, but other actors were great too).

Also, I imagine being in a relationship with a robot is somewhat like dating a psychopath, but you just gotta roll with the story and imagine this is something like Pinocchio.

I was hooked.  Technically nothing new, but I loved this couple and their fights (i know, it's an odd thing to say).  Also, considering the emotional roller coaster I went through due to the subbing situation, it was worth the wait.  The ending had a lot of fillers i guess, but I barely noticed cuz of the fanservice.  Maybe I just have a weakness for babies. Idk. The ML is adorable.

This started off okay.  It was your typical Taiwanese office romcom. However, you start to realize that there is  very little plot.  The office related drama was incredibly boring to watch  and the second half dragged so badly that it was a struggle not to drop this series.

I basically loved all the characters.  I know this is a loose adaptation of Girls in the Wild.  I haven't read too much of the original, but I really did enjoy this.  It was cute and fun.  I think Luhan didn't seem like a good fit for his character, but I ended up growing attached to all the characters.  I LOVED the younger siblings of both of them. XD And of course the couples B and C were great too.

The plot was really dumb. This was mainly worth watching for Hawick, who's acting was amazing as expected. Actually, this had a pretty great cast in general. It's just unfortunate it had a lame plot and poorly written characters. Most of the characters were inconsistent. They'd go back and forth (or were easily manipulated) and it was difficult to tell what their stance was.

Unexpectedly really cute. I went in with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised.  This is a short and sweet webdrama with a little bit of a low budget vibe.  It had many newbie/green actors in it. At times the acting was somewhat bad, but passable.  The main male actor seemed like an odd fit for the tsundere type role, but like I said before, he managed to get the job done. I loved the 3 witches.

The first half was great, but the second half was disappointing. It just got super cliche and had 2-3 major drama tropes too many (even for a family drama). I did like the character growth of some characters, particularly that of Moon Shik. I must say he was my favorite character. Overall, this was a decent drama. Not bad, just okay. This had the potential to be as good as Five Children.  I watched this drama eagerly every week, but by the time I got to the end, I was so over it.

A bit too slow placed for my liking, but great production and great cast.

I loved how they portrayed the president as a grey character.  I don't consider myself an evil corporate person, but I related with him the most, especially when he first started working at the hospital.  That culture shock of coming from a business world to a hospital setting.  And then there's the factor of being on the administrative side and the pushback from the clinical side. Yup, been there and I cannot tell you how frustrating it is.

Going through withdrawal now.  The first half was hilarious.

Excellent production, but that enjoyment factor wasn't there for me with the plot.  See review for more details.

My 100th Drama completed this year! I hit this # in August last year, so I'm a bit behind. :/ But I did watch a lot of western series this year, so that might be why.

Beautiful drama.  Fantastic production.  The anti-Japanese sentiment is strong in this, so just a warning there.  Not quite a complete 10 for me just because there were some time jumps that made things seem inconsistent and a few other things. But overall, extremely well made drama.