r/Kdrama Challenge 2024

1. A drama that shares a filming location with The Heirs: Ilsan Cultural Park, Hill House, Incheon Int'l Airport

Interesting premise that's used to bring up important issues surrounding societal expectations of mothers vs the reality of motherhood, but doesn't manage to address any of them in a satisfying fashion; the thriller plot especially hit some wrong, overly melodramatic notes for the subject matter. Unrepentant black comedy, adorable baby PPL and wholesome side bromances were the highlights.

2. Wheel of Chance (Tropes) - Old person collecting cartons/newspapers: Ep07

Rewatch. Still a top Kdrama for me; the gold standard of complex plot, cross-genre romcoms. Love the slow burn ordinary daily life romance in extraordinary circumstances, the morally complicated character arcs, the narrative parallelism, the clever visual/verbal motifs and the critical but idealistic view of the law. A blockbuster noona romance and a Best Actress Baeksang performance from Lee Bo Young.

3. Wheel of Chance (Scenes) - An office being raided by prosecutors:

4. Wheel of Chance (PPL) - Restaurant: Ginza Ryoko, Ep08

Exactly what it shows on the tin: an ensemble buddy cop drama about co-opting chaebol privilege for justice. Tropey main arc and formulaic cases meant there weren't any real surprises or memorable moments, but solid from beginning to end which has its own charm. Cinematography evoking vintage procedurals, punchy tongue-in-cheek tone and one of the best no-time-for-this-shit FLs made this a fun one-time watch.

5. Wheel of Chance (Culture) - Hanbok

6. People on Poster (1)

7. A Drama That Aired in Your Birth Month

8. A drama with a title that includes a character's name

9. A Drama With an Artist Character

10. A Drama in which a Game is Played

11. A drama where a character wears a sports team uniform or jersey: ML (ssireum)

Sweet but too simplistic to be satisfying. Childhood friends that treats the twenty year separation like a stasis instead of rebuilding the relationship mixed with a neighborhood mystery that disappears into the background without serious repercussions and a straight out of shonen 1/4 life crisis. Retro pastel vibe, countryside ssireum culture and just being an overall easy watch upped the rating; an ASMR background drama.

12. A drama that revolves around a group of friends and thier friendship.

13. A drama with an OST by a K-pop group member: "Lemon", Yeonjung

The mixed genre murder romcom is a popular format but few writers are actually good at at, especially when it comes to giving meaningful development and closure to the main plot in a semi-episodic format. In this case there were two writers and unfortunately neither of them were good at it. Plot points abandoned/underdeveloped, inconsistent characterization and a slow motion train wreck of an ending. Refund!

14. A drama featuring an actor or actress who debuted before 2000: FL Lee Se Young, 1996

15. A drama with childhood flashback scenes

16. A drama with a character that is a part of the LGBTQ+ community: SML

Complex characters in a tricky situation undercut by sub-par writing and a trite ending. The theme of living an authentic life despite outside pressures was buried under a haphazard 'stuff happens' story that robbed the leads of growth and agency by recycling conflict without addressing it; SML especially. FL acting her heart out, old Hollywood style dialogue patter and a few memorable scenes elevated the rest of the mess.

17. A drama title that is not a direct translation of the Korean title

Another mundane makjang for Ahn Pan Seok's repertoire. The romance and backdrop are low key slice of life, the villains and obstacles are high key melodrama and the resulting tonal mess is... well, a mess. Beautiful framed vignettes couldn't save the monotonous expository monologues, trite first love/last love romance and simplistic, sentimental veiw of complex educational issues. Not quite a refund, but not recommended either.

18. A drama in which characters celebrate a special day: Wedding

21. A drama set in a rural/non-urban location

22. A drama with a character who is a chaebol: ML

23. A drama with a character who works for the government: ML (parole officer)

25. A drama where a character wears a long wool coat

26. A drama found by searching existing recommendations

27. A drama with a main character that is over 40: ML

28. A drama with a multigenerational main cast

29. A drama from the sageuk genre

30. A drama with an episode which received more than 10% overall viewership ratings from Nielsen

Could have been a stronger story thematically if it had stuck with the outlaw/justice vs the law/injustice setup rather than substituting a stock sageuk palace conspiracy with some very dumb villains in the second half; watching FL reclaim her life from an unjust system would have been much more memorable. Cute romances, good action choreography and social commentary on widows in Joseon made it worth the watch.

32. A single episode drama

Deserves to be a full length drama with all the still pertinent issues it touches on - censorship, sex education, artistic expression and the big effects of small acts of defiance - against the simultaneously nostalgic and stifling background of 1980s military dictatorship.

33. A mid-long form drama (20+ eps)

34. A drama with less than 500 watchers on MDL

One of the rarest Kdrama tropes - a tall FL with a short ML - and a cute, supportive romance that results when they're paired in a college dance class. But you better love montages and be able to tolerate unexpectedly brutal interludes of past and present bullying for both leads.

35. A drama that is at least 10 years old