Popcxqueen

I respectfully disagree with you on Thirty But Seventeen - I think it was brilliantly written and acted, actually. I can see your point on the others you named.

Viki has it now.

Someone help me here (and I mean that honestly)....why am I reading comments about how the OST for this drama is one of the best ever, when it's like two or three songs replayed about ten times for each episode?!?
I actually remember when Bruce Willis' Save the Last Dance came out in 1989 and I didn't like it then. So to hear it again and again and again and again every episode when any number of upbeat instrumental tracks would have sufficed honestly started affecting the way I experienced this drama. That Carla Bruni song became worse than an earworm and I actually started muting the sound whenever those two songs came on. I just don't understand the OST choices the director made and I'm willing to entertain other opinions here...

Not sure if age has anything to do with it. Many of us older folks also want an actual ending/resolution before the last five minutes of the show.

HAHAHAHA - I love this comment. I feel the same!

You were ok with the same three songs playing ten times every episode??

I'm in my 40's and I'm not loving the FL's decisions and the horrible mother. I LOVE the skinship but I can't stand their lack of communication.

PREACH - also I HATE that stupid Save the Last Dance song, which was recorded in 1989.

Thanks for this! And also I totally agree with your comments about harassment cases -unfortunately this is the norm the world over. (I have some personal experience with this.) Hopefully not for forever though!

The mother's character was worse than just irritating - she was prejudiced, mean, childish, and spiteful. Even the tone of her voice set my nerves on edge.

Are there no sex therapists in Japan?

It was set in 2007 - so not THAT long ago. Also I don’t buy the country bumpkin excuse since it was noted (for much of one episode) that that’s what the kids in her school growing up did - they had sex, they talked about sex, etc. I bet those kids actually knew more about the topic than some girls who grew up in Tokyo.

I forgot to add that I'm starting Something in the Rain right now on your recommendation.
Maybe I should write a whole article on why I think When the Weather is Nice (Fine, etc - it's Nice in Viki) is as good as I think it is. :-)

Thanks for the article! I'm always happy to see Secret Affair get the praise it deserves. Just brilliant all the way around.
My picks for best melos: (somewhat, but not necessarily in order of preference)
*Some Day or One Day (Taiwanese)* This might be the best drama produced in the last decade or more. There is no other drama out there that even comes close to its level of craft and intelligence in its writing . The acting, especially with the two main leads (Alice and Greg) having to pull off dual characters, is nothing short of extraordinary.
*I’ll Go to You When the Weather is Nice* So I'm willing to have a serious debate/argument about this, if needed. In my humble opinion, this was brilliant from beginning to end, with some of the most beautiful cinematography I have ever seen in a drama, and that includes the way the actors were framed. I have lots more to say about the writing too.
*Thirty But Seventeen* I probably wept more during this drama than any other, except maybe Goblin and another drama I'm naming below. First I wept because the characters were sad, and then I wept because of how beautiful the characters' redemption and healing were portrayed. The drama was stunning on multiple levels, and not given nearly enough positive attention to suit me. Yang Se Jong is an incredible actor, period.
*Goblin* Lots has already been said about this one, but the emotional impact still holds up. (Maybe this blurs the line between fantasy and melo, but I'm willing to argue about it to keep it on my melo list.)
*Hotel King* One of the oldest dramas on my list. First of all, this drama put the melo in melodrama. The emotional roller coaster it takes the viewer through can be a bit exhausting but totally worth it in the end. This is also the drama where I got to see the brilliance of Kim Hae Sook for the first time. And in my (again, humble) opinion, this is both Lee Dong Wook's and Lee Da Hae's best roles. (Not that they haven't had great roles since but this was simply extraordinary for both of them.) There is one scene in particular with Lee Dong Wook and Kim Hae Sook where I wept so hard I was literally gasping for air. It was just that powerful and heart-wrenching. (Again, that has only happened with two other dramas - Thirty But Seventeen and Goblin.)
*Secret Love Affair* For all the reasons Devils Advocate named, and some more I could name.
*Forest* Park Hae Jin.... Park Hae Jin..... Park Hae Jin. There were a few problems with this one, namely some sound issues every once in a while, but it was still beautifully written...and Park Hae Jin. ...and a stethoscope....omg.
*1% Of Something* Another truly underrated drama, one that is part comedy and part melo. For me the emotionally mature and well-written character development is why it's on this list. Ha Seok Jin and Jeon So Min were perfectly cast.
*The Perfect Match (Taiwanese)* Chris Wu (Wu Kang Jen) and Ivy Shao are so good here. There are a few sound issues, as with most Taiwanese dramas (although not Some Day or One Day, I might add), but that can't take away from how awesome this drama is and how on fire their chemistry is throughout.
*Fall in Love With Me (Taiwanese)* AARON YAN. Aaron Yan playing multiple characters. Aaron Yan singing most of the OST. Aaron Yan shirtless.....(ok, I'm being shallow, I admit. ) But Aaron Yan and Tia Li are brilliant together here. Now I will fully acknowledge that there was TOO MUCH MELO during the last third of this drama, and the awfulness of some the characters dragged on for too long. But even so, it was ridiculously adorable, incredibly acted, had a fantastic OST, and had a beautiful happy ending (thank goodness, after all that madness...)

Runners Up:
Familiar Wife
The Greatest Love (the one that started it all for me so it has a special place in my heart.)
My Holo Love
Reply 1988
Scent of a Woman
City Hall

Thanks again !

Feel free to make your own list and share it here then! This is obviously Devils Advocate's list - they can put whatever they want on it and we can choose to read it (or not) and then watch what they recommend (or not!)

I'm surprised to not see anything from Goblin on your list! The entire OST fits the melancholy drama perfectly, but "And I'm Here", by Kim Kyung Hee rips my heart out every single time I hear it. It's otherworldly in its sparse piano and voice and even now I have a hard time listening to it without feeling my chest get tight.
The only other song that even comes close to the melancholy nature of "And I'm Here" is "No Longer Mine" from Familiar Wife. It's hard to overstate the importance of the melody and lyrics to the drama.

Other favorites that bring up strong emotions are:
"Don't Worry", from Reply 1988 (the nostalgia of this song=the nostalgia of the drama)
"Satellite" from Chicago Typewriter (that kiss scene...swoon)
"Take Me On", from Encounter (I love everything SALTNPAPER does)
"Just Stay", from 30 But 17 (the scene on the bridge where he finally learns the truth)
"My Dream", from Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung
"Dream", from Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo (I bawled my eyes out when she kissed him as this song was playing)
"Moody Night", from I'll Go to You When the Weather is Fine (PERFECT placement of this song during the final episode)
"Take Me Now", from Forest (the entire OST actually!)
"Our Souls At Night", from Itaewon Class (the gradual build-up of this song hits you in the feels...)
"Heart's Words", from I'm Not a Robot
"Just Look For You", from Chocolate
"Without You', from Cinderella and Four Knights
"Story of Us (Instrumental)", from Her Private Life (the instrumental version is just gorgeous)
"You Are the Only One", from My Holo Love
"You Are So Beautiful" from Scent of a Woman (never gets old)
"That's Not Me", by Aaron Yan from the Taiwanese drama Fall In Love With Me (SO GOOD)
"He's Unworthy" by Shi Shi from the Taiwanese drama Behind Your Smile (gives me chills every time)

Thank you for the article!

You're so rude. Your comment was unnecessary.

I LOVED this drama!! Bruce He is gorgeous - those dimples!! I loved how affectionate they were with each other - Taiwanese dramas are so much better than Korean dramas at this. No fish kisses here!! Yes, some aspects of the story were ridiculous, but it's a romantic comedy so what do you expect? The actual ending (after the credits) was the best/most romantic I've seen in a long time.

UPDATE: I'm almost done with the T-drama "Hello Again!" and it needs to be added to this list!!! Where has the dimpled cutie-pie Bruce (He) Hung been all my life??!

Two characters are missing from this list:
1) Yeo Woon from Warrior Baek Dong Soo. While I absolutely share your love for Ji Chang Wook, it was frankly Yoo Seung Ho's portrayal of Yeo Woon that salvaged that mess of a drama. Every time Yeo Woon showed up, I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. His character was deeply scarred (his childhood experiences made sure of that), lonely, loyal to a fault, selfless, and he fit the criteria of the tragic second lead perfectly. He probably spoke the fewest words of any character on your list, but the depth of his facial expressions, body language, and - dear Lord, those eyes - made words unnecessary. Yoo Seung Ho was a teenager when he played Yeo Woon, and I'm not sure many other teenage actors could have played this role with this much power and purpose.

2) Gu Dong Mae from Mr. Sunshine. So even though I would sign up to watch Yoo Yeon Seok read restaurant menus all day and be perfectly fine, I still think he knocked this character out. of. the. park. This character was a tricky one to play - it could have easily gone the cliched revenge route that can breed overacting , but instead Dong Mae was more subtle and restrained than that. Yes, he was murderous and ran a gang of morally questionable folks, but he had reasons - good reasons - for all of that. And the deep trauma and defensiveness stemming from childhood incident(s) (I'm sensing a pattern here) propelled his character forward and the way he acted at least made sense.

Both these fantastic characters need to be gifted with quiet and happy childhoods in their next lives and they definitely deserve to be loved unconditionally.