Wish Upon A Star

1) If you are comparing the 30,000+ ratings for a popular drama on MDL site and the 1000 votes for this list, it is not an apple to apple comparison. For the MDL ratings, each user can rate a 10/10 for more than 1 drama. For this voting list, each user can only vote for one and only one drama.
2) Not sure what you meant by mixing dramas from different countries. My understanding is that MDL is a website for Asian dramas, thus besides K-drama, there're also C-dramas and J-dramas etc
3) I never mean that it's mandatory for each and everyone to watch C-drama, and it is just coincidental that the results of the voting have more ancient costume C-dramas dominating the top spots. I have no control on the voting results and i did not promote this voting list on any MDL drama pages.
4) I have also noted before that newer dramas tend to have higher ratings. In fact, back in March 2022, i have noted that MDL Top Ranked Dramas that aired in 2013 and before are rated not more than 8.6 (with the exception of "1 Litre no Namida (2005)" rated 9.0) and a drop of 0.3 points from the MDL Top 1 Drama in 2014. Details in my post 8 months ago: https://kisskh.at/list/LAlaOn21#comment-9179875
5) I am not a BL fan and i personally feel that TU is overhyped as a BL drama, and that censorship transcends the novel into a critical production, as the "soul" of this drama is not on their relationship, but the depiction of the ugliness of society - how general public surface judge and be swayed by evil intended elites - and the unwavering pure righteous resolute of the protagonist WWX to fight evil and help the weak to the extent of defying society rules. https://kisskh.at/profile/whatever_weus/review/191995

Thanks for checking TU out and trying to understand it. If you need clarification of TU (story, characters, dynamics, why etc), feel free to message me! I am also curious how the list will evolve over time! :)

Votes are refreshed approximately every 5 minutes.
Scroll to the bottom of the voting list, you will see that and when the list was last updated. I'm seeing "Last updated 50 minutes ago".

i share your view that there is more depth in the plot and characters of ancient costume Cdramas. I have not watched enough contemporary Cdramas to be able to say the same though. I enjoy K-Thrillers but over time, i do find repeated themes even in K-Thrillers.

Yea, I have watched EAW, but not the rest that you have in your earlier comment. I find EAW overrated.. more in my review: https://kisskh.at/profile/whatever_weus/review/231043

I was new to Kdrama and actually dont know many of the actors, but some names keep popping up in that forum that i chanced upon. So i reckoned a list made it easier. But you are right, we need to be kind. Will bear that in mind going forward.

Yeah, agree that MDL is still a very small community. I joined only last year, and if not for covid, i probably won't know about MDL at all. MDL is more a site to introduce global viewers to Asian dramas, so it only counts the views by MDL users. That feature will be good but it will be quite a job as dramas stream on more than one site and i do not know if various streaming platforms cross-share their views.

Thanks much for your explanation, and i will check out Mars! :)

Go Ahead is at 19th spot with 9 votes, together with Falling Into Your Smile and Reset
https://kisskh.at/article/best-of-the-best-drama-edition#comment-11658215

As with any hugely popular drama, there will be people who like it and people who don't, and it is the same for TU. I would add that TU is a controversial drama, not just between people who like it and people who don't, but also among people who like it. Some prefer the novel while some prefer the drama; Some complain about the censorship while some prefer the censorship etc. It is my current BOTB drama and i have had my share of unpleasant encounters when i commented that censorship transcends the novel into a critical production. i frankly don't know why when we enjoyed TU and would like more to enjoy it.

I don't consider myself a fan - i watched the drama only last year, going down the MDL Top Ranked list and knowing nothing at all about it nor any of the actors. At the start, it was confusing for me, but i won't say it is boring. And the protagonist WWX's pure righteous resolute to fight evil and help the weak to the extent of defying society rules and how general public surface judge and be swayed by evil intended elites resonated with and touched me so immensely.

I noted that you dropped TU at episode 13. If you are keen to give TU another try, drop me a message and i can guide you along. But if you are set that you are done with it, that's okay too. Ultimately, we are made up differently and certainly don't have to think alike nor agree.

No, On The Ground's comment was never deleted.

Oh sad, why did you say that your comment was deleted by me (the person who wrote this thing (editorial)) when it is still right up there? Ain't only you yourself can delete your own comment? And i just logged in about 30mins ago since last login almost a day ago..

I have watched both "The Untamed" and "Reset". Personally, "Reset" is an enjoyable-watch-and-move-on drama for me, but "The Untamed" is a keeper for me. More in my reviews for both dramas.
Reset: https://kisskh.at/profile/whatever_weus/review/202813
The Untamed: https://kisskh.at/profile/whatever_weus/review/191995

In any case, the results are based on voting by MDL users, and i have not voted at all, nor did i pull votes by promoting this voting list on any MDL drama page.

I personally don't find "The Untamed" boring at all, but i won't recommend it for someone new to Cdrama. There's a lot of details and messages in "The Untamed" and it is a drama that is controversial and hard to describe (and review) in a few words.

"Reset" is on the list at 19th spot, together with "Falling Into Your Smile" and "Go Ahead" with 9 votes each.
https://kisskh.at/article/best-of-the-best-drama-edition#comment-11658215

I'm also glad some older dramas made the list - dramas that withstood time are probably more deserving of BOTB. But new BOTB drama does come by once in a blue moon, and just as deserving if those dramas also withstood time 5-10 years or more down the road.

Thanks also for voting bravely for "underdog" BOTB drama! "Underdog" not because it does not have the qualities to be a BOTB, but that the voters may be few. I think it takes some courage to vote for "underdog". I have not seen Queen Seon Deok but i have heard good things about it, so i do plan to check it out!

yea, agree with you, the key aspects (pre-production, production, casting, filming-directing, editing, post-production) are the same for web/online series and TV series. In fact, the article i read said that in some cases, these mini series' budget per episode can be equal or higher than those full series. Thanks for sharing your memorable ones. I have yet to watch any of those. Will check out Netflix and watch if available.

My pleasure and now I'm curious to find out more of the regular T-dramas. Are those regular T-dramas in Chinese audio? i can understand Chinese audio and dont need subbing. The family dramas are usually in dialect, unless dubbed in Chinese.

I enjoyed all three Cdramas you listed, though TU resonated with and touched me ever so immensely

It's a pity that Jdramas did not hitch on its boom in the 1990s to reach out to global viewers, allowing Kdramas to jump on the digital media technology and online streaming platforms to not just catch up and overtake since the 2000s.

I think every list has its flaws and some subjectivity to it. MDL's "Most Popular Shows" should be objective based on the number of watchers etc but i personally don't trust MDL's "Top Rated Dramas". More recent dramas usually have higher ratings compared to older dramas, and each user can rate 10/10 for as many dramas as one desires.
Of course, this BOTB list is not without flaws, but i hope it will evolve to be more representative over time, limiting voters to only one vote. Will do the next analysis of BOTB dramas in a year's time to see how the list evolves and what's trending in a year's time.