Different strokes for different folks, obviously. I'm putting this on hold at Ep 9. If I'm 1/3 of the way in & not shipping them AT ALL, I need to find a different reason to stay watching because I don't like their relationship. (Seriously, I thought the smidge of jealousy would do it, but not even that excited me about them.) He's okay but kind of boring and she's indefatigably perky but so clueless/scatterbrained/dare-I-say-UNintelligent that the second-hand embarrassment is too painful for me. Maybe their relationship matures but right now, I don't see love but codependence. Even though it's H.S. and they're figuring it out, it's just not cute to me. The friend group is GOALS though and I might watch it for that or the 2nd love line but not right now. :(
All of her FLs are so strong and independent as well as off-beat but well-developed characters! The Queen of Office was the only semi-letdown because of the lack of romance. Flower Boy Ramen Shop was insane & hilarious because of it; Ho Go's Love was this sweet treat; and Because This Is My First Life was a home run. I'm excited for more of what she does!
Thank you for the list! The Beatrice/Benedict bickering couple is one of my favorite tropes so I'm always looking for movies/shows like these & my all-time favorite drama is #3 on this list. Go for It, Joo Jang Mi! :) I'm still trying to get through A Love so Beautiful, which has your highest rating on this list, but the female character is a little on the stupid side for me. I like my bickering couples to be more intelligent!
I would like to suggest the following:
Clean with Passion for Now (unfortunately she's not that smart either but the split-screen chicken feet eating argument scene was to-DIE-for) Wild Romance (again, not-too-bright while being a bit of an oddball but their competitive bickering reminds me of one of my favorite movies: "The Cutting Edge.") Marry Me, or Not? (starts off a badass bickering superwoman and turns into an insecure neurotic...kind of a let down but their first meeting is this bickering verbal cage fight complete with sound effects *ding ding* so you might appreciate the show) My Only Love Song (she's more opportunistic than intelligent, is spoiled & egotistical but he's a match for her smart mouth, winning her over with sweet gestures) Hello Again! (she's smart, enterprising and determined; he gets SUCH a kick out of teasing her and pushing her bickering buttons...goodness, his smirk of a smile...so cute!) **highly recommended** Protect the Boss (not sure if you think they would be bickering, though...)
I agree with Simply Serenity: not having Her Private Life on here?! Giiirrrllll...you are missing OUT. It will definitely get you hot and bothered--phew. I might be in the minority, but even though I thought WWWSK had better specific kiss scenes, I liked HPL's couple better overall. I enjoyed this list so thanks for posting! :D I noticed my ratings & yours were quite similar except for a couple that probably just hit us differently with story or character, so I checked out your list & would like to recommend:
1.) The Eternal Love & The Eternal Love 2. It's a complete fantasy trip but oh my gosh, great kissing & chemistry with a lusty prince and a FL he lovingly calls "a pervert." lol...it's pretty steamy! Especially for a c-drama. Season 3 is in the works rn if you like it. ;)
2.) giving Flower Boy Ramen Shop another try. If you can't get into it because of a) the age difference or b) it seems cheesy, watch High-end Crush first. Jung Il Woo has this crazy inner fire that creates chemistry on its own when he's pursuing his chosen girl. His determination in the pursuit is pure entertainment, too!
LOVED your list & I wholeheartedly agree with HPL & SWDBS (love me some sweet teasers!) Personally, Meteor Garden was just okay but I got the teen angsty-ness of the dialogue. Haven't seen Go Princess Go so now I know what's next on my watchlist. ;)
My tops for different feels: 1) for zippy, snappy bickering dialogue among romantic leads that I sometimes have to pause and hit a 10sec back rewind: "Marriage, Not Dating" (my fav) "Bring it On, Ghost!" and "Flower Boy Ramen Shop." I LOVE me some sassy FLs...and in that vein, I second the comment about how most of Kim Eun-sook's dramas have good dialogue, though not all the stories are as enjoyable as others. (ex: On Air) Thumbs up for the tease-and-prickle from DOTS, agggression-and-rejection from Secret Garden & bromance bickering from Goblin.
2) Yes to "Just Between Lovers" about the silences mixed with the dialogue: both characters rarely rush to fill the quiet, even when uncomfortable with the conversational content. I JUST finished this one after pushing it back on my list for so long and while I didn't expect to like the dialogue since it was slower moving, it was pretty powerful. I think "Because This Is My First Life" has a similar weight of words to it.
3) the perfect combination of script & lead pairing: For me, this is a show such as "The Greatest Love of All." GHJ is an amazing actress so if the dialogue and chemistry w/her co-lead is there, she tears it up ("Master's Sun," "Pasta," "It's Okay, That's Love," etc.) And even though I suffer a lot of second-hand embarrassment from any Hong sister drama, their dialogue definitely has a witty kick. My runner up for great actor/script chemistry goes to "Heartless City" with JKH. ***sigh & swoon*** Seriously, I didn't appreciate his dialogue delivery until I watched HC. After it tore me to pieces & I was going through JKH withdrawal, I had to rewatch EVERY other role I had seen him in to truly grasp this genius ability he has of inhabiting his character's persona.
4) Smart professional dialogue: "Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim," "Witch's Court," "Miss Hammurabi," "Chief Kim." (NGM is amazingly versatile & can seriously deliver a line.)
I would like to suggest the following:
Clean with Passion for Now (unfortunately she's not that smart either but the split-screen chicken feet eating argument scene was to-DIE-for)
Wild Romance (again, not-too-bright while being a bit of an oddball but their competitive bickering reminds me of one of my favorite movies: "The Cutting Edge.")
Marry Me, or Not? (starts off a badass bickering superwoman and turns into an insecure neurotic...kind of a let down but their first meeting is this bickering verbal cage fight complete with sound effects *ding ding* so you might appreciate the show)
My Only Love Song (she's more opportunistic than intelligent, is spoiled & egotistical but he's a match for her smart mouth, winning her over with sweet gestures)
Hello Again! (she's smart, enterprising and determined; he gets SUCH a kick out of teasing her and pushing her bickering buttons...goodness, his smirk of a smile...so cute!) **highly recommended**
Protect the Boss (not sure if you think they would be bickering, though...)
1.) The Eternal Love & The Eternal Love 2. It's a complete fantasy trip but oh my gosh, great kissing & chemistry with a lusty prince and a FL he lovingly calls "a pervert." lol...it's pretty steamy! Especially for a c-drama. Season 3 is in the works rn if you like it. ;)
2.) giving Flower Boy Ramen Shop another try. If you can't get into it because of a) the age difference or b) it seems cheesy, watch High-end Crush first. Jung Il Woo has this crazy inner fire that creates chemistry on its own when he's pursuing his chosen girl. His determination in the pursuit is pure entertainment, too!
My tops for different feels:
1) for zippy, snappy bickering dialogue among romantic leads that I sometimes have to pause and hit a 10sec back rewind: "Marriage, Not Dating" (my fav) "Bring it On, Ghost!" and "Flower Boy Ramen Shop." I LOVE me some sassy FLs...and in that vein, I second the comment about how most of Kim Eun-sook's dramas have good dialogue, though not all the stories are as enjoyable as others. (ex: On Air) Thumbs up for the tease-and-prickle from DOTS, agggression-and-rejection from Secret Garden & bromance bickering from Goblin.
2) Yes to "Just Between Lovers" about the silences mixed with the dialogue: both characters rarely rush to fill the quiet, even when uncomfortable with the conversational content. I JUST finished this one after pushing it back on my list for so long and while I didn't expect to like the dialogue since it was slower moving, it was pretty powerful. I think "Because This Is My First Life" has a similar weight of words to it.
3) the perfect combination of script & lead pairing: For me, this is a show such as "The Greatest Love of All." GHJ is an amazing actress so if the dialogue and chemistry w/her co-lead is there, she tears it up ("Master's Sun," "Pasta," "It's Okay, That's Love," etc.) And even though I suffer a lot of second-hand embarrassment from any Hong sister drama, their dialogue definitely has a witty kick. My runner up for great actor/script chemistry goes to "Heartless City" with JKH. ***sigh & swoon*** Seriously, I didn't appreciate his dialogue delivery until I watched HC. After it tore me to pieces & I was going through JKH withdrawal, I had to rewatch EVERY other role I had seen him in to truly grasp this genius ability he has of inhabiting his character's persona.
4) Smart professional dialogue: "Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim," "Witch's Court," "Miss Hammurabi," "Chief Kim." (NGM is amazingly versatile & can seriously deliver a line.)