DramaHeroine

~How was your drama journey in 2023?~

Hm. That's an interesting question to ponder. I've been feeling disappointment and disinterest in current airing Kdramas in recent years and telling myself I need to be going through the backlist of my to-watch list, watching dramas I missed when they first came out, and watching more Jdramas, because they seem to be producing the kinds of stories I'm really craving right now. And I definitely did more of that last year. But I'm having a hard time stepping away from currently airing Kdramas. I'll keep seeing new Kdramas that sound good and getting sucked in, but I'm ending up disappointed more often than not.

~What is your wish or plan in dramaland in 2024?~

More Jdramas. More old/classic dramas. More human dramas addressing real, everyday, life problems people go through. Ticking more dramas off my never-ending to-watch list. Finally hitting my goal of watching 30 dramas in a year.

~What genre(s) do you usually watch?~

Romance, human drama, and female friendship are my faves, and that's what my 2023 completed list looks like, with Romance taking the top spot.

~What is your top drama listed in this article?~

I haven't watched a single drama in this article, lol, although there are many on my plan to watch list.

~What is your top drama NOT listed in this article?~

I don't really have one. All three 2023 dramas I finished were flawed in different ways. Two of them I still mostly enjoyed in spite of the flaws but the third was disappointing. The dramas I enjoyed the most were from before 2023.

~How many 2023-release dramas did you watch?~

I completed one Kdrama that came out in 2023 and dropped two others. I completed two Jdramas that came out in 2023 and dropped a third. Aaaaand that's it, lol. The rest of the dramas I watched were from before 2023.

~What country did you watch the most in 2023?~

12 Jdramas
9 Kdramas
2 Cdramas
1 Taiwanese drama
So Japan is the winner, but only by 3 dramas.

I never cared about these special episodes Kdrama's used to do. I always thought they sounded boring. But having now watched High School King of Savvy four times (just finished the fourth watch this evening), I really wish I could watch this special now. I want more of this story and these characters.

Your marker for why online harassment wouldn't affect him mentally is that his career was doing well, but success in your career does not mean you are doing well mentally. In fact, many people who find success in their careers are suffering very deeply on the inside at the same time. For example, a beloved actor from the American TV show Friends passed away in October after a year's long battle with alcoholism and drugs. He was very successful, very popular, but even in the midst of all of his success (much of which was fueled by his own desperate, detrimental desire to be successful), were his lowest points in terms of his mental health. His success did not insolate him from mental torment. Instead, it drove him further into his mental health struggles.

As for online harassment, the science is very clear on how that affects people's mental health. The human brain is literally not made to handle the degree of public scrutiny/opinions that public figures are subject to. It's mentally and physically impossible for them to not be affected by it. So yes, the harassment would have most definitely affected him. Whether that or something else specifically drove him to suicide, none of us will ever know, but it was most likely a factor.

The reality is, people who are mentally stable do not kill themselves. Going through such intense scrutiny, experiencing intense harassment of any form, being investigated for potential crimes (even if you are guilty but especially if you are innocent), would affect anyone. It would absolutely drive someone to end their lives.

Same, lol.

When I looked at the title of the article, I thought of the Jdrama Five Star Tourist, lol. It's been a while since I watched it, but I remember enjoying it a lot. I'm very happy to see A Thousand Good Nights in this article though. It's such a lovely drama but doesn't have much a following, which is unfortunate. I want more people to watch it. And A Girl and Three Sweethearts is a great romance with a nice focus on a female lead looking to make it in the world of baking sweets. The female lead is a bit silly in her portrayal at times, but I personally really liked her. Definitely recommend all three dramas to anyone who hasn't seen them!

Another one is Kim Seul Gi and Kim Hwan Hee. I don't know how similar they look to each other now, since I've only seen Hwan Hee in the webdrama Sweet Revenge and she's older now, but I swear I was watching the whole time and thinking 'It's like she's the teen version of Kim Seul Gi!'

I'm confused. Are you bothered by Chinese actors/dramas getting some fun promotion? Are you bothered there aren't More articles promoting Chinese actors and dramas? I don't understand the tenor of your comment, lol.

Park Bo Young and Kim Ga Eun look so similar to me they seem almost like identical twins, lol. Their facial features are so similar, and the way they smile even looks similar to me. I always get them confused with each other.

I've watched this movie three times now, and while it always makes me laugh, this time all of the heartfelt moments really got me. I could definitely see this movie being expanded into a Kdrama. I would definitely watch it.

I would watch this drama, but it was meant to have a second part/season, which never got made, so I don't want to watch this only to never see the story get an ending. That would be frustrating.

Shizuka chan to Papa (the romance is a small subplot, but I feel like it fits in with your list well)
Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu
Suki na Hito ga Iru Koto (this one might be a gamble, depending on how you feel about the female lead)
Jimi ni Sugoi! Koetsu Garu Kono Etsuko
Marry Me!
Boku, Unmei no Hito desu
Kono Hatsukoi wa Fiction desu

Because I can't help myself, here's an unnecessarily long and detailed list no one asked for of the actresses in this article that I enjoy and why. You're welcome, lol.

Yoshitaka Yuriko: I wouldn't say Yuriko is one of my fav. J-Actresses, but I've seen her in a couple things, and she gives strong performances. She's an actress who's past and future works I'm really interested in seeking out to watch.

Ishihara Satomi: Satomi is one of my favs. I've seen her in a handful of dramas (Jimi ni Sugoi!, Koi Wa Deep Ni, 5 -> 9, Rich Man Poor Woman). She always gives great performances and plays some really great female leads. Definitely want to watch more of her work.

Aragaki Yui: We Married as a Job is one of my favorite Asian dramas of all time, and Yui's performance is outstanding. I haven't seen anything else with her in it (not for a lack of trying to find accurately timed subs to Papa to Musume no Nanokakan though), but We Married as a Job has made me really eager to see more of her work.

Ayase Haruka: Gibo to Musume no Blues is probably the oddest drama viewing experience I've ever had, but by the end, I was in love with the story and characters. I don't know that I can honestly praise Haruka's performance there just because it was so odd, but it clearly must have worked, because I ended up loving her character. Sadly, I haven't been able to get my hands on Hotaru no Hikari subs, but I'm pretty anxious to watch it and a few other Haruka dramas as well.

Kiritani Mirei: Mirei's acting in Suki na Hito ga Iru Koto didn't necessarily impress me, but there's something about her and her character I just liked. I hated Heroine Disqualified though, because all of the characters were selfish and illogical and that was apparently supposed to be entertaining. I have some of her other dramas on my watchlist that I plan to check out at some point.

Arimura Kasumi: I always get Kasumi and Takahata Mitsuki confused with each other, because they look a little bit alike, lol. They're also both in a couple drama's that have been some of my favorite watches in the last few years. Takahata Mitsuki in Kahogo no Kahoko and Arimura Kasumi in Neechan no Koibito, respectively. I really enjoyed Kasumi in Ishiko to Haneo as well.

Fukuhara Haruka: I saw Haruka in Unlucky Girl first, which was an oddly paced drama, but I enjoyed her character. Then I watched Yuru Camp which is very slow-paced, but the characters and theme were really lovely. Haven't watched anything else with her in it yet.

Takei Emi: Emi might be the first Jdrama actress (or one of) that I was ever introduced to. I watched Asuko march way back in the day, before I ever really got into Jdramas, and I really liked her character. Not to mention it was a nice, innocent reverse harem style story. Other than that, I've only seen her in a couple of movies, neither of which I ended up being fans of. But I want to see more of her stuff.

Kamishiraishi Mone: I watched her first in Oh! My Boss, which was a very meh drama. Then I saw Koi wa Tsuzuku yo Doko Made mo, which was very much not a meh drama. (It was so good.) Then I saw her in the stage production of Spirited Away at my movie theater, which is one of the best things I've seen in recent years, in and outside of Jdramas. So I definitely want to watch more of her work.

Fukada Kyoko: I watched Dame na Watashi ni Koishite Kudasai earlier this year, and while it's pretty flawed, I ended up liking it anyway. I found the female lead to be really relatable, and I wasn't bothered by the male lead's gruffness. I really want to find the manga and read it now.

I would consider myself still a Jdrama noob at this stage, but surprisingly, I recognize most of these actresses, and I also really like most of them. There are actually a couple of J actresses I'm surprised aren't more popular on MDL, namely Shinohara Ryoko and Tabe Mikako. I honestly would have expected them to have significant followings on here.

I feel really bad about this, but I'm dropping this drama. I really enjoyed the first half, but the second left me disappointed. I'll probably buy the soundtrack though, cause the OST was great.

One addendum: This is how it happens when the person they are kissing is also a happy participant. Have to add that given how the sister's second second kiss ended.

I've decided as part of my head cannon that that's just how it happens when you end the curse with the second kiss. Everything is reset at that point. If you think about it that way, it works and makes sense.

I could literally care less about the reporter subplot, and I honestly don't care a lot about the past history stuff either. Both subplots are more dramatic than they really need to be, and they don't mesh well with the lighthearted, romantic side of the drama. They just add very little of value in terms of story. I haven't read the webtoon yet, but I plan to, so maybe these plots work better there.

Thank you for the recommendation! I'll check it out.