This year has been truly an epic year for horrible dramas. Not only have there been some really really bad dramas, but they all have the distinction of being in the very very bottom of My Drama List ratings. To put it in perspective I have rated and watched around 300 or so dramas and all five of these are in the bottom 15 of that list.
I am putting out a spoiler warning for the following reviews since there is no way possible to describe how bad they are with out some spoilers. So beware...... you have been warned.
Basketball
Now those of you who have followed me from the beginning know that my first dip into the blogging pool was following the ups (there were not many of them) and the downs of the drama Basketball. Supposedly about the players that become the first unified Korean Basketball Olympic Team it quickly drowned itself into the drama writing equivalent of a tar pit. We were forced to watch these characters do really really stupid things, achieve new levels of shallowness, and pretty much achieve nothing in 18 episodes (it was originally supposed to air 24 episodes but half way in the writing was on the wall that this was going to be a ratings bomb and they dropped the number down). The romance was a joke, mostly because the main actress could not act her way out of a paper bag. And the writers made her switch between the two guys as if she was the ping pong ball in a game. It got to the point where I was voting for whichever character I liked least to end up with the twit. Turns out she ended up with no one. San ended up tormented for 18 episodes with no upswing. And Chi Ho kind of sort of stands up for what he believes in...............maybe??? The show ended with a super duper secret plot to use an exploding basketball to create terror among the Japanese (oh and supposedly it was a suicide mission). The ball is thrown and???????????????????????????? Nothing. That is where the show ends. No redemption, no conclusion, just more messed up What the Heckory that makes us say "at least it is over". All of the pretty boys in the world cant make this show worth watching. Knife and Flower (Sword & Petal)
How can one describe the despair I experienced with this drama. It
had all the elements of a great drama. Good actors (I love Choi Min Soo
so so so so so so so much after Warrior Baek Dong Soo and Faith) and it
had some of the most stunning cinematography out of any drama this
year. So what went wrong? First, I have rarely watched a historical
drama this boring. The characters, who on paper and should have been
really interesting (It was one of the bloodiest Coup's in Korean
history), falls flat. And instead of action we get a whole lot of
staring into the camera (I swear the whole cast must have eye issues
from not being able to blink on screen) and lackluster dialogue that
made no sense. I kept thinking that it has to get better but was left
disappointed over and over. Save your 16 hours and instead watch
anything else. This drama was a huge dud.
Nail Shop Paris
There are not enough words to accurately describe this psychedelic mess
of a drama. My 2nd lowest ranked drama ever, it achieves levels of
crappiness that no drama should ever achieve. I would purposefully
watch it late at night when I was kind of punch drunk sleepy so I could
get through it. My drama BFF Angela and I would always come up with
reasons for the plot and I think we finally concluded that it was
because all of the writers were drugged out on PCP. There is no other
explanation for these characters. Said to be a romantic comedy
revolving around flower boy nail artists and the happenings around
them. What it really ended up being was a drama about a bunch of nail
artists that invaded their clients personal lives (in very very awkward
and uncomfortable ways). With a heroine who is a cross dressing half
Gimiho writer who falls in love with the most boring vanilla character
ever (oh and he is also a half Gimiho which is why she feels a
connection to him). The only good or interesting thing about this
drama is Song Jae Rim as Kay (the B lead) who actually gets the girl.
As a character/actor he is very good but his talent just shows you what a
crapfest the rest of the drama/characters are. So take my advice and
burn this drama out of your queue.
Queen of Ambition
If I was just going by the synopsis this is exactly the type of drama I love. Lots of angst, a bit of murder thrown in, high and mighty presidents wife is dragged down because of her horrible past. All the elements are there to send me into drama heaven. But then I started watching it and was annoyed beyond bearing. I don't know what it was specifically.............. it was the actress... 100% it was the actress.................. but this drama just fell flat and failed to grip me from the get go. Not only does Soo-Ae give a wooden performance (SHE AND THE GIRL FROM BASKETBALL SHOULD GET TOGETHER AND QUIT ACTING!!!!!!!!) But she becomes so unlikable I don't even want to see her on screen let alone in the drama. Even the men of the drama were hard to really like. Both were very "eh" and personally they kind of deserved what the got dating her when she was obviously a mega grade a WITCH.
I Summon you Gold
This drama has the distinction of being the absolute biggest mistake of my drama watching career. It had so much potential. I put so much time into watching it. I actually really liked the first 40 episodes but
then it felt like the writers all quit and they had people off the
street start to write the scripts. People off the streets that were in the last stages of rabies and totally bat craptastically crazy. Every character started acting completely different and it just felt horrible having to sit through an
episode. If it had ended at 40 I would have given this drama and 8 or 9
overall but because of the awful last episodes I give it a 3 (I actually went back into My Drama List and changed the score so it would be my #1 lowest rated drama of all time......... Yes I was that pissed off). You might ask why it was so horrible..... well let me tell you a little tell of forty episode of a drama, where you fall in love with the lead male (he had been trapped into a loveless marriage with a horrible women) and he finds his wife's doppelganger/unknown twin sister. In order to not lose his inheritance he spends 40 episodes having this twin pretend to be his wife. They live together, fall in love, do everything a good OTP is supposed to do..... And then they have him decide to stay with his psycho wife who suddenly had a change of heart. And the main female lead stays alone and single supporting her twin and her ex love of her life in their new found relationship. WHAT THE FLIPPING HECK WERE THE WRITERS THINKING. Don't make an OTP and then get to the point where you cant see how you can make them get together because of Korea's conservative issues about family relationships. It is not like you did not know how the Korean society was before you wrote forty episodes into a sister dates her sisters husband drama. And then you expect us to be ok with it? Are you CRAZY. Even the lead male threatened to leave the show he was so upset with the script problems. You know you have problems when you are at the finish line and even the cast thinks that this is messed up. Biggest disappointment EVER. Dishonorable Mention Marry Him if You Dare- A romantic time traveling comedy that fails at being funny nor romantic. And the time travel plot feels forced and awkward. One of those dramas that you don't care who she ends up with since they are all either blah or boring characters that deserve to not be remembered.
She is Wow - Way to ambitious in its attempt to be edgy and clever. The whole My husband is gay and we are faking that his young lover is really our son back from America while we hide our real son next door with the wife's boyfriend...................oh and then people die..................... is so overdone that you just are shaking your head by the end. And thanking the kdrama gods that this was only ten episodes and not a full length drama.
That concludes my Worst Dramas of 2013 list. Check back later in the week as I list my top dramas of the year as well as the mega Korean Hotties of 2013.
So with all the dramas I watched this year I decided that picking my favorite and least favorite is just to hard. How can I mention everything I loved and hated about this years dramas in just one post. So instead I am going to break it up into posts all through December (and maybe just bit into January depending on how much time I get to blog). So to start with I am going o discuss Sageuk dramas. For those of you who are new to the kdrama lingo, Sageuk is in reference to historical dramas and yes I do have to constantly check to see if I am spelling it right.
I often hear that Sageuk is king in the drama industry. It is the staple big ratings maker and if you get a popular one you can even get higher then 30% of the ratings. So when they choose to make one they tend to put a lot of money behind it as well as some serious time. It is uncommon to find one that is under 20 episodes.
The Good: Gu Family Book:
Choi Kang Chi is a half Gumiho half human baby who is found floating in the river and raised by a local nobleman. When his powers start to show he begins a search to find a mystical book that can make him completely human.
This drama is a great one to start with if you are not used to historical dramas. It is easy to understand and kind of dumbs down a lot of the politics. It also has a super cute OTP and some great visual effects and directing. I personally would say you should watch it for Choi Jin Hyuk, nicknamed Papa Gumiho, who skyrocketed to fame for his role in this drama. And Lee Seung Ki and Suzy had some really great chemistry and were a couple you could root for. Gu Family Book Trailer:
Papa Gumiho MV (does contain spoilers) - enjoy the pretty.
Jang Ok Jung
I went into this drama not really expecting to like it. They were taking the story of Queen In Hyeon and doing a switch to see the story from the Jang Ok Jung's viewpoint (for those of you who dont know, she is the usual villainous to the story). Kind of the equivalent of trying to make people sympathetic for the evil stepsisters of Cinderella. The first few episodes were a little slow for me, but once the main couple started interacting I was hooked. Was it because they were "meant to be", was Kim Tae Hee's acting so stellar i instantly wanted the best for her? ................ Nope it was for one reason and one reason only:
PLEASE WATCH (THERE ARE NO SPOILERS): This is the reason you should watch this drama the things he can do with his mouth:
Yoo Ah In stole the show with his portrayal of King Sook Jong, a character usually overlooked in the story. His sexy and ruthless King dominated ever scene he was in and made me really care about what happened in the story. I would even watch it again he was that good. So work through the politics and court intrigue because this show is worth every minute after around episode 5.
King's Daughter Soo Baek Hyang
King's Daughter is my current cracktastic drama of the moment. It is a daily drama (30 min episodes) Monday through Friday, and I cant get enough. All the actors are top notch and I would even say that they are better then the majority of the actors in the prime time dramas. The story is very thorough and engaging and I have absolutely no complaints so far at ep 46.
The hidden daughter of the king, Solnan grows up poor but happy. Her sister Solhi finds out about her royal past and stills her sisters place as the lost princess. What ensues is a wonderful tale of fated love, strength, loyalty, and one sociopath evil sister who will stop at nothing to keep her royal place. I would suggest this drama to anyone who wants to watch a good story. It is not to confusing and flows at a very fast pace but at the same time makes you really understand and enjoy all the characters. I literally sub stalk this drama every day!
I could not find a trailer to show so instead I put the opening scenes of the drama up. You can instantly feel the intensity of these actors and hopefully it will convince you to give it a try.
Empress Ki
I was so excited when Empress Ki was announced. Not only does it have one of my all time favorite female actresses as the lead ( Ha Ji Won - Secret Garden, King Two Hearts) but it is being written by my all time favorite, most epic, writing team of all time. They also wrote Incarnation of Money, History of a Salaryman, and Giant, three dramas that are all at the top of my MDL list in rating.
Empress Ki is the story of a girl from Goryeo who receives the love both from a King and an Emperor and later becomes the Empresses of Yuan. With its super fast pace, great acting, brilliant OST, and some amazing chemistry between all three leads, we are fully engaged into their world and their emotions each week. If you are looking for a historical drama that does not dwell on the back story and has lots of action then I would suggest this drama.
Empress Ki Trailer
The Bad:
Knife and Flower (also known as Sword and Petal)
How can one describe the despair I experienced with this drama. It had all the elements of a great drama. Good actors (I love Choi Min Soo so so so so so so so much after Warrior Baek Dong Soo and Faith) and it had some of the most stunning cinematography out of any drama this year. So what went wrong? First, I have rarely watched a historical drama this boring. The characters, who on paper and should have been really interesting (It was one of the bloodiest Coup's in Korean history), falls flat. And instead of action we get a whole lot of staring into the camera (I swear the whole cast must have eye issues from not being able to blink on screen) and lackluster dialogue that made no sense. I kept thinking that it has to get better but was left disappointed over and over. Save your 16 hours and instead watch anything else. This drama was a huge dud.
Cruel Palace - War of Flowers
I really hoped this drama would be interesting. A cruel story that depicts the battles between concubines within the
royal palace who turn to the dark side in their bid to gain love and
power from the king. It centered around the royal
concubine Jo So Yong as she tries to gain the attention of King In Jo with her beauty and wit to control the power of the Joseon. It was over acted by almost all the actors (I can only assume that is what the director was going for) and while there were moments where all the politics were interesting those were overshadowed by how much political maneuvering went on in the drama. I like politics and it even had to much (without any break or other storyline) for me to really enjoy. Dropped Counting these since the went several months into 2013. Horse Doctor - Such a slow drama. Made it 10 episodes in and it just bored me to tears. I guess I just don't care about historic vets. Jeon Woo Chi - I was surprised that I was not more into this drama. I am a sucker for mystical storyline and hijinks. But because of all the distracting flying martial arts and so so characters I was just bored and after I had not gone past episode 8 in six months I added it to the dropped pile. I hope you enjoyed reading about some of the dramas I enjoyed this year. I am hoping to have various categories such as Comedy, Melodrama, Family Drama, Favorite OST, Best Kiss, ect throughout the month so keep checking back for new posts. Sincerely, Kmuse
