Fight My Way
My first honorable mention is a kdrama from 2017 called Fight My Way/Third Rate My Way. This is the drama I fell in love with Park Seo Joon in. I adored the way his character (Dong-Man) wore his heart on his sleeve. It was so refreshing to see a male lead who didn't play games and didn't hide anything from his love interest. His romance with Kim Ji Won (Ae-Ra) was perfection cause not only did I love their chemistry but I loved that they were a friends to lovers story and it was so much fun to see them learn new things about each other despite knowing each other for so long. I adored that the drama focused on a bunch of middle class/poor people without any chaebol problems and that the main theme of the drama was to follow your heart and never give up on your dreams. Click here to see my favorite YouTube videos of them.
Mad Dog
My second honorable mention is a kdrama from 2017 called Mad Dog. I loved that the main plot of this show was about getting revenge while running different cons cause you know I love con artists cause I love watching them run schemes and outsmart their opponents. The villains were so cunning and evil and because of that it was so satisfying when our heroes came out on top. The Mad Dog crew were so loyal to each other and I loved watching Woo Do Hwan (Min Joon) be adopted into the family. Speaking of, this was my second drama with him and though I was meh about his first, this one really sold me on him as an actor. Woo Do Hwan played a perfect mischievous con man but the best was his extremely flirty relationship with Ryu Hwa Young (Ha Ri) and though they never kissed on screen, some of their moments were hotter than any kisses in other dramas! Click here to see my favorite YouTube videos of them and here to see a longer review of this show!
My Mr Mermaid
My third honorable mention is a cdrama from 2017 called My Mr Mermaid. When I started this show I didn't know how deeply I would fall in love with it and how this would end up being my absolute favorite cdrama. I loved that this show was set around the college years cause there's so few shows set around this time period and that the swimming in this show felt like a whole character in itself cause I have never felt more anxiety watching a sport on a show. I loved that the main couple started out as friends without any annoying misunderstandings and that they both supported each other's careers and dreams with every inch of their hearts. The slow build of their relationship made their love feel more intense and when they finally did get together, it felt earned! The friendships between the swimmers also felt so real and it was so much fun seeing their antics and how much they supported each other as well when one was down. There were also no real mustache-twirling evil villains which made it feel so refreshing as well! Click here to see my favorite YouTube videos of them.
My Only Love Song
My fourth honorable mention is a kdrama from 2017 called My Only Love Song. This was actually one of the first dramas I had ever watched and before this I didn't know much fun they could be! I laughed as much watching this show and I loved every single moment from the comedy to the romance to the friendships to the plot. One of the most interesting things was the way some episodes were narrated from a different character's POV so you could get to know them and their thoughts. Each character had so many layers to them and I loved the time travel shenanigans. The main couple had the most incredible chemistry as well and I melted every time Lee Jong Hyun as On Dal smirked! I loved how Gong Seung Yoon's character Soo Jung was so confident and sassy. She exasperated him completely but I loved watching her grow on him going from someone who he was trying to get away from to someone he couldn't live without. Click here to see my favorite YouTube videos of them.
Strong Woman Do Bong Soon
My fifth honorable mention is a kdrama from 2017 called Strong Woman Do Bong Soon. Unless you've been living under a rock or don't watch asian dramas at all, you've heard of how amazing this drama is! I discovered the love of my life Park Hyungsik in this show and I've never seen a better male lead than his Min Hyuk! He not only wore his heart on his sleeve but he was also confident and romantic and loving and so so cute. I loved that he supported Bong Soon's strength and wasn't scared or repulsed by it and that he actually helped her train, building their friendship before the romance which was perfect too. I also loved how he didn't go all caveman on her and let her set the terms while also letting her know how he felt without overwhelming her. The confession followed by their ultra cute dates were everything which showcased how amazing their chemistry was!!! The cute was also interspersed with the serial kidnapper story and that prevented the drama from being too boring! Click here to see my favorite YouTube videos of them.
And now for my Top 10!
Hymn Of Death
Coming in at number 10 is a kdrama called Hymn Of Death! I started this show not expecting anything and found a beautifully tragic story that made my heart break in half. I loved how intense the love between Shim Deok and Woo Jin was and how it felt so believable that the only thing that kept them alive despite being apart for so long was their love for one another. They supported each other's dreams and seemed to be the only ones who did. I also loved that this show was set in the 20s because it gave the show more of a melancholic feel than if it was set in modern day cause the problems they faced could have been solved in a second if it wasn't this time period. It also helped that there was not really any major side characters so we had to focus on our main two and really understand them and what led to their final decision. Click here to see my favorite YouTube videos of them and here to see a more in-depth review of the show.
The Flame's Daughter
Number 9 is a cdrama called The Flame's Daughter! I really adored this show cause it showcased one of the strongest female leads I've seen in a while and I loved that this was her story. Ironically the romance between Ru Ge and Yin Xue was the only problem I had with this show cause it was like half of the time he was "dead" and then all of a sudden Ru Ge was in love with him, though I am happy that they got a happy ending after all. Despite that, I loved that Ru Ge was such a well written character. She took over as head of the family despite pressure to have a man lead and she was kind and loving while also being smart. I loved that she made friends with someone from every clan including the prince and those friends would have given up their lives for her. I really enjoyed learning about the world and that we started the show getting to know the main tribes and characters before heading off to war. Click here and here to see more in depth reviews of this show!
The Great Seducer / Tempted
Eulachacha Waikiki / Laughter In Waikiki
Number 7 is a kdrama called Eulachacha Waikiki/Laughter in Waikiki! Imagine Friends meets New Girl and that's what kind of show this is. I cannot tell you the last time I laughed so hard watching a drama and I savored every single minute of this show. The writing was smart and witty, the acting was amazing and like I said, the comedy was everything. The best thing about this show was that I loved every single character and pretty much every storyline which is hard to find in an ensemble show. I loved that all the main characters were living in one house and since there was no real overlying plot to this show, episodes were there to showcase and highlight different relationships between the characters which placed character growth over plot development like most sitcoms. I also loved the romances for all three guys though Seo Jin and Joon Ki's was my favorite probably. Baby Sol was also a highlight. The only thing is that the first few episodes are a little rough cause the show is trying to find it's feet and the humor in those episodes are a little more potty humor than I would have liked but once this show finds it's groove, there's no way you can put it down and you constantly want more! Click here to see my favorite YouTube videos of them.
Lawless Lawyer
Coming in at number 6 is a kdrama called Lawless Lawyer! I adored so much about this drama from the soundtrack (this hilarious barking pump up music would play every time something fun was happening) to the Lawless Lawyer crew of thugs (who were so supportive and loyal and hilarious) to the extremely well written and cunning villains. I loved that Jae Yi was such a smart independent woman who didn't jump to conclusions about things and took the time to understand other people's points of view while also taking no shit and being ready to punch someone at the drop of a hat. I loved her romance with Sang Pil and that they really wanted to protect one another and had so much in common which is why they got together so quickly. I also loved the plot being a revenge one although as time went on, the writing became weaker until it sort of puttered to a weird end. Despite that there was so much I loved in this that I still had to put it on my top 10! Click here to check out longer reviews for this show and here to see some YouTube videos.
Siege In Fog / Color Of Night
Coming in at number 5 is a cdrama called Siege In Fog/Color Of Night! This drama had everything I enjoy in a drama in it with the addition of an extremely sexy man (hey Elvis Han) and the return of Sun Yi who I loved in Because of Meeting You. I was taken with the fact that the show started in the middle of Qin Sang and Lian Kai's arranged marriage and that we got to see their normal interactions before watching it turn into love (at least on her part cause he loved her before they married.) It was so much fun seeing how cold and calculating Qin Sang was and how desperate Lian Kai was for her to love him back. I also adored the Yi family dynamics and how tight-knit and loving they were and how it really felt like they were all there to keep the family strong against enemies. The only downside for me was the tragic end to this show cause I thought everyone deserved to be happy! Click here to see a more in-depth review and here to see YouTube videos of them!
I'm Not A Robot
Coming in at number 4 is a kdrama called I’m Not A Robot! You know I don't really like romances where both parties aren't human and that's pretty much what made me hesitant to start this show but when I finally started it after hearing nothing but positives, to my pleasant surprise the romance was between two humans where one was acting like a robot and I was all in! I loved this show from it's comedy to it's plot to the Aji-3 crew antics to the company drama! I loved how much Min Kyu and Ji Ah loved each other and how much he was torn about loving something that wasn't human. The second half of the show after Ji Ah stops pretending to be Aji-3 was even better than the first half in my opinion and I really could not stop binging it! I loved how upset he was that everyone was lying to him but I loved the scenes where they finally talked everything out and got rid of all misunderstandings even more! Click here to see my favorite YouTube videos of them.
Just Between Lovers / Rain Or Shine
Number 3 is a kdrama called Just Between Lovers/Rain Or Shine. I fell in love with Lee Junho in this drama and honestly what can I say but that I loved pretty much everything in this show? I loved that the tone of this show was melancholy and that it touched on such deep dark topics from PTSD to anxiety to amnesia to death and loss. It was so different from pretty much any other drama I had watched and I think that's what won me over. I loved that our main couple both went through the mall collapse and lost family and pretty much built each other up from the ground. Their love literally healed them and they brought out the best in one another. I loved the motley crew that Gang Doo had and how much they supported each other as well as the rebuilding of the mall collapse monument being the reason to bring him together with Moon Soo who sidebar but I kind of adored for choosing the poor guy over the rich one. Honestly the only thing I disliked about this show was Joo Woon and his rich family drama! Click here to see my favorite YouTube videos of them.
The Smile Has Left Your Eyes / Hundred Million Stars In The Sky
Coming in at number 2 is a kdrama called The Smile Has Left Your Eyes/Hundred Million Stars In The Sky! If you were following my weekly drama reviews, this should be no surprise to you! I freaking adored this drama and everything about it. I loved that Moo Young was such a grey character who never technically did anything to break the law but wasn't the most morally clean and that you spent half of the show wondering what kind of person he was. I loved the slow build of his romance with Jin Kang and how she saw him for who he really was underneath his snarky demeanor and how for the first time he lowered his walls and wanted to be good for her. They found a little piece of themselves in each other. I loved the horribly tragic ending to this show and the fact that all of it could have been solved if only Jin Gook had told the truth rather than wallow in his own failures cause it showed us that we all make mistakes and how we need to learn from them and grow rather than try to ignore them. Click here to check out longer reviews for this show and here to see my favorite YouTube videos.
A Korean Odyssey / Hwayugi
And with this last post, that concludes my year end rankings! I hope you enjoyed these as much as I did and hopefully you checked out a lot of these too and if you haven't, do so now! I hope you all have a wonder New Year and I'll see you all in 2019!
xoxo Allie
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