DaliaB

Hi, some of them have a synopsis on Wikipedia and elsewhere. I just didn't get around to adding them properly during our research.

As an Austrian who had to face the past of my country and our neighbours in excruciating detail in school and in many, many shows, movies and documentaries and monuments, I am a bit shocked by the Japanese reaction. Are they surprised that their cruel colonial past is still on people's minds or have they never heard about before?

I mean it's not something to crack jokes about, trust me I know the feeling, but it wasn't treated as a joke by anyone here.

Just the kind of toxic, but softhearted role he was made for. lol

Yeah, I made that mistake when looking if people generally liked Maestra or not (which I do look for if I find a new show, a bit of community) and was bombarded with theories of who did what from the newest episode and it made those episodes less exciting. It's a hard bargain between being able to discuss shows with people and then having the stress of watching the day it comes out.

I wish I had a podcast or group of people I could just discuss the shows with that I am watching, even if it's two years late.

Yes! More mature characters please!

How many 2023 dramas did you watch: 11, I watched and rewatched more of course, but I don't much enjoy watching currently airing dramas, so I wait.

What country did you watch the most in 2023?
China

What genre(s) do you usually watch?
No surprise there, romance and comedy, so rom-com, specifically with the tags Happy Ending and Nice Male Lead, apparently. Again, surprise to no one that knows me from anywhere.

What is your top drama listed in this article?
I watched three dramas from this list, (TTEOM, Love to Hate You and Perfect Marriage Revenge) and neither made it into my Top anything. (I am a rebel like that.) I guess if I had to choose TTEOM, because it had the least bad plot?

What is your top drama NOT listed in this article?
Meet Yourself, Sunshine by my Side and Forever Love were my top dramas this year, very different, but each excellent for what it set out to be. I also highly recommend Taiwanese Omnibus Drama At The Moment.

How was your drama journey in 2023?
I don't even remember the beginning of 2023, that's the kind of year I had, but drama wise this lead to a lot of rewatches of older shows and as I said, seeking out the fluff. The thing I did the most this year is pick up random dramas, like going on of the platforms and just going oooh, what is that and watching it, which lead to a few happy accidents, like finding Japanese movies.

What is your wish or plan in dramaland in 2024?

I wish I could find more dramas that keep me interested from start to finish. I have a lot of dramas on my currently watching, because I just can't get myself past the “and then they got seperated for no good reason” plot point. I also wish Taiwan came out with more romance or family dramas. My plan is to watch more Japanese shows and to branch out into different genres, currently I am watching a thriller mystery (Maestra) and it's a nice change. Also, continuing to go on blind, I realized I really dislike spoilers this year.

Aaaaand... The only one I have watched is Love Reset, which is very on brand for me. I am always planning to watch different genres and I find movies more digestible in that regard than dramas, but I somehow find movies more boring than the long dramas... And I used to really love movies. What is happening to me, my grandma used to say the same thing. Ahhhh.

That was my first thought too. He could always make up for his deficiencies with his dimples.

I only know two of those Qi Yi ,Lee Kang Hoon and Jung Joon Hyeong.

Qi Yi- Date for a few months and see if he calms down, I remember him as very high strung and annoying.

,Lee Kang Hoon- Let him sponsor my clinic without making any promises, maybe a contract marriage with a contract ending. :-P I found nothing appealing about him and dropped the drama, but we could become friends.

Jung Joon Hyeong: Would date, but I am so not into excercise and sports, I think he would soon find someone else, as he seems to be into athletic girls.

For different Korean locations you might like One Day Off: https://kisskh.at/738123-park-ha-kyung-travel-diary
It almost made the list, but I couldn't watch it on time.

Thankyou. I wish I could just order off the screen, to be honest. Maybe a business idea, haha.

Yeah, I loved A Girl and Three Sweethearts, it's a nice mix between realism and romance.

That looks really interesting and wholesome! Thanks for the recommendation!

Thankyou!

The Forbidden Flower wasn't out when I wrote this article. I haven't watched it, do they travel?

Hm, my favourite part was Yamazaki Kento looking sulky.... and the scenery, of course! :-P

I enjoyed it, especially the chaotic travelling adventures. I love travelling, but have never done an organised bus tour.

I loved that drama, it was my first Japanese drama too.

I was thinking of writing another article, I have since found some more, but haven't gotten around to watching. Was thinking of doing a winter-themed one, but I don't know if it will get written and published in time.

I think kids never find "just seeing nice places" fun. One of the reasons I only take extended road trips by watching dramas... I do travel IRL too, but it's usually to a beach, adventure park or a city trip, where we visit every kid-friendly museum, aquarium and playground.