Bookdork1

For the most part, I like your list, but I may have added Micky YooChun and definitely would have included Yoon EunHye, her long-standing popularity from Coffee Prince and Goong should kind of entitle her to a spot on "The Good" list :)

I also agree with a comment about Jung EunJi, she was astounding in Reply 1997, but since that's been her only real role, I understand why she may not have made the list.

For the most part, I like your list, but I may have added Micky YooChun and definitely would have included Yoon EunHye, her long-standing popularity from Coffee Prince and Goong should kind of entitle her to a spot on "The Good" list :)

I also agree with a comment about Jung EunJi, she was astounding in Reply 1997, but since that's been her only real role, I understand why she may not have made the list.

Black Butler is one of the few animes that I have watched (pushy friend, I watch an anime and in exchange she watches a drama- it's an excellent compromise) and it was AWESOME! I am actually unfamiliar with Hiro but he definitely looks like he'll fit the part extremely well--Sebastian is an epic character and the amount of fans Hiro has raises my confidence that he'll do an amazing job. I had no idea BB was being adapted to live action...this is so exciting!!!

That is sooo true! Lie to Me and Big are some of my least favorite dramas, yet in no part because of the acting. I think we as viewers sometimes get swept along with the magic generated by the dramas and don't notice all the issues at first. As in Lie to Me, the chemistry between the main characters may be enough to carry the drama for a ways, or the magnificence of the world the writers created makes up for their iffy storyline and/or characters (Boys Over Flowers- my first drama so I was completely swept away when I saw it, and looking back, even though I still love it, I see the serious flaws.)

SJK definitely added to niceness of Nice Guy ;)
I mean, all of the actors did a great job- so good they almost covered up all the holes in the story- but there were still a LOT of holes

The cable dramas most definitely owned this year. Reply 1997 and Queen InHyun's Man easily make it to the top of my favorite dramas list (SUFBB was awesome as well but I would have loved more Lee MinKi). I actually enjoyed TtBY but I've never seen the other versions so I just took it as cotton candy to compensate for the emotional roller coaster of Gaksital...which would also be one of my top dramas of 2012. Nice Guy...loved it while it was airing but looking back I have no idea why- I mean, the plot made no sense! King of dramas will go about a week into 2013, but I think that was also one of the year's best. Love the meta!

"If you magically contract an illness, don't tell her. Be noble and drive her away." lol, the whole thing was brilliant but that part had me dying! Hilarious article, loved it!

Jeremy is easily my favorite third lead! Dream High is the one drama where I didn't predict who would end up with whom, after all Suzy and TaecYeon had most of the cliché firsts while SamDong didn't even enter the drama til the second episode.

One category I would add is "First Kiss Interlopers" (or something, lol). If the first kiss between the second guy and the girl is witnessed by the actual male lead the relationship is doomed to failure ala Boy Over Flowers and Dream High

Since I'm more familiar with western history, I really enjoyed the comparisons between Japan and Germany, it gave me a perspective I hadn't yet considered. I can't chose a favorite character, they're all too epic, but my favorite relationship would have to be that between KangTo and Shunji. They begin as friends, relying on each other more than they did their own brothers. As the story progresses- KangTo puts on the mask and Shunji begins his descent into madness- it is tragic to see their relationship slowly crumble into dust. I feel a lot of sympathy for Shunji because his only mistake was to be born on the wrong side of the conflict. His original goal was not to continue the colonization of Asia but rather to seek revenge for his brother's murder...the very same thing that led KangTo to becoming Gaksital.

Great article, I laughed a lot!

It also annoys me when the secondary love interest becomes an inconsiderate douche in the second half of the drama. In the beginning, he was the kind, accepting guy who the heroine turned to for help. Then, when he discovers that the heroine has fallen for a different guy, he loses all consideration for her feelings and becomes a selfish jerk. It doesn't usually make sense for his complete change in character and it is annoying (though drama inducing) to see him repeatedly attempt to keep the main characters apart.

Just thought I'd note how Yoon EunHye made the list three times...clearly a leading lady who doesn't just sit there like a rock as the extremely hot male lead kisses her (Oh dramaland, why must the unresponsive kisses happen so often?!)

Also, listening to the OST from Bridal Mask posted at the end just brought back all the *feelings*! Geez, I love that drama.

Bridal Mask easily beats City Hunter for me. LMH is amazing, and I love him, but Joo Won completely blew my mind with his acting ability. The transformation of Shunji's character was also fascinating to watch. JW gets a ton of attention for his acting in this drama, but Park Ki Woong definitely deserves just as much. The prosecutor from CH was a good character, but not nearly as important to the overall story line as Shunji was in BM. I'm a sucker for the romance, so I did enjoy both MokDan's and NaNa's characters. I feel like heroines get shafted a lot in books/movies/shows by the viewing audience, but both girls were strong and independent, sure they got into bad situations, but the boys were entrapped in way more life or death situations, and made stupid decisions at times as well.

I love Lee SeungKi but I need to know more about this plot...it can't really be *another* historical, medically related drama, can it?!

Lol, nice to meet you too!
I know, right?! Goong is such a popular drama, and while it did have its good points, SCK's continual whininess made it impossible for me to love.

Ohh, gotcha, I thought you were just talking about the main guy (which is why I mentioned TCotYL, since he's the butler)
This is true, at least one character should be super rich...otherwise how would the make-overs take place? :)

In Ojakgyo Brothers, Uee's character starts out as rich, but she loses her fortune within the first couple of episodes, and after that everyone is on an even playing field, money wise...well aside from one of the brother's rich and annoying in-laws! It's a great drama, I definitely recommend it :D

It's also fascinating how, if contracts aren't involved, the main couple usually ends up involved with each other careers. Either the main guy stalks her to all work functions, or the main girl has to take a job underneath our rich chaebol. This aspect guarantees that the soju/singing can take place, preferably at a work related function, and somehow the other corners of our love square should be there as well, to add to the tension.

Marry Me Mary had the surprising aspect of the main guy actually being poor...of course he is famous within underground Indie circles for his music, so...maybe "Take Cary of the Young Lady"?

Actually, in Ojakgyo Brothers all of the boys are pretty average (aside from looks). One of the reasons that drama is so good is because it's about your typical family

Ahhh, the girl from Goong drove me nuts...she gets extremely jealous of the prince and his ex (even though nothing is going on between the two) but then she can't even begin to fathom why Shin is so jealous of his cousin. Argh, she is my least favorite character that Yoon EunHye has portrayed

I love this! One of my friends introduced to me to "Boys Over Flowers" and we watched that together, however it's the only drama she has ever seen and she had no idea the monster she was creating when she introduced me to the epic F4

Also my mom is really nice, after dramatic cliff hangers of currently airing dramas, I'll come downstairs screaming and she will patiently listen to all the venting I need to do. Still, I wish I could get at least one person as hooked as I am, so that they could watch the airing dramas with me and understand why I'm currently obsessed with 1990's, or why I feel the need to research Korea under Imperial Japan...

Also, my favorite part of this post was the reference to the idiotic questions, LOL, when my extended family hears I'm watching Korean television, I always get this blank stare followed by those exact inane questions!