5. Piece of Your Mind: An absorbing, somewhat challenging drama that TvN lost their nerve with, and chopped it down from 16 episodes to 12 halfway through the airing. I was captivated by the story arc of a man who has lost the love of his life and is slowly healed and comforted by the FL as he falls for her. There is a strange, sometimes confusing technology twist to the story that doesn't always work, but in general adds to the very unique mood in this drama. It also doesn't hurt that the fabulous combination of Jung Hae-In and Chae Soo-bin are the leads, who as always shine in their roles. The secondary characters and their stories are also excellent. Many of the scenes were filmed in the amber light of late afternoon, and Seoul has never looked more beautiful. Moreover, a good portion of the show was filmed in Norway, and the snow scenes are quite stunning.
BTW, if anyone knows where to find the original 16 episode version, please leave a note in this thread. I would love to see it.
4. Coffee Prince: Made way back in 2007, it was ahead of its time for K-dramas. ** The story of a non-gay man falling for what he believes to be another man and willing to give up everything for him is totally believable, thanks in large part to Gong Yoo, who gives a performance for the ages. Yoon Eun-Hye is also terrific as the woman pretending to be a man, which was surprising to me after her weepy lackluster performance in Goong, which btw is just about the most insipid drama I've ever seen. The Love Alarm of its day, lol. The writing in Prince is also top notch, with plot developments that are plausible and convincing. It's also quite funny in parts, with great performances from the supporting cast, in particular Kim Young-Ok as the stern but benevolent grandma.
3. One Spring Night: For most of the drama it feels like you're eavesdropping on genuine conversations between two mature people as they grapple with their situation and look for solutions. Never once did I feel as though the dialogue between the leads was faked or forced, which is pretty rare for K-dramas. It also has a very interesting take on being a single parent in Korea. Jung Hae-In is also quite funny in a dry sort of way. (You can probably guess I'm a huge fan of JHI). : > } The only significant flaw I saw in the story line was that the jilted, doggedly stubborn boyfriend stayed relevant for far too long, but that is a relatively minor point in comparison to all the good things in this drama.
2. Mother (Call Me Mother): The only K-drama that has ever been nominated for award consideration at Cannes, the story is absolutely riveting. Moreover, the performance of Heo Yool, the actress who plays the young girl and was only 7 years old when the drama was filmed, is just incredible. She is what separates the Korean version from the original Japanese drama, which is also very good.
Before I get to #1, a couple of lighter dramas who aren't in my Top 5 but IMO are really well done are Weightlifting Kim Bok Joo and I'm Not A Robot. In WKBJ, I just love Nam Joo-hyuk's performance as the super-handsome ML who knows the FL is kind of awkward looking (as depicted in the show anyway), but recognizes the chemistry between them, falls for her, and then protects her and comforts her despite initially getting little from her in return. Nam is also quite hilarious in his antics with her, with the famous car splash scene just one example. As for I'm Not A Robot, it is crafted so well, with so many great scenes, especially in the second half. It is one of the few K-dramas that has a stronger second half than first half, starting with the scene on the train, when the heartbroken ML, who thought he had lost his great love forever, is suddenly sitting across from her.
1. My Mister : The champ, IMO, and so far above everything else it almost exists in its own universe. The writing is simply magnificent, with every episode building off the prior one in a compelling and seamless manner. So many aspects of it are fascinating--just as an example, the way it uses mirrors and windows (including the subway windows as mirrors). The female lead (played to perfection by IU) is probably the most interesting female character I've ever seen in any language. She is so smart (always 3 or 4 moves ahead of everyone else), but so broken as well. The development of the relationship between the leads, who start out as wary adversaries and ultimately become soul mates, is what great drama is made of. Just about everyone who was involved with My Mister have said it is one of the best projects they've ever worked on, and are so proud of it.
** A subject that K-dramas are still skittish about. Just look at the otherwise excellent Mr. Queen, where the writers got cold feet and ruined the ending because they were scared of concluding the story with romantic love between two men, even though one of the men was in a woman's body!
Pandemonium09:
Ananya:
