My Favorite K-Dramas, Revised

My list as of 25 Apr 15. Everyone has those dramas that they absolutely love. Recent events have made me re-do my list of top ten favorite k-dramas. Needless to say, my current list is a little different. Some dramas have stayed. A few have dropped off the list. But each one of these is definitely worth checking out if you haven't seen it. These are listed in alphabetical order, because picking my *favorite* k-drama is just too hard. (For my original Top Ten Dramas, go HERE.)

Boys Over Flowers (꽃보다 남자) (2009) - I admit it, this is the first k-drama that I marathoned. I'd watched a few other dramas, but this is the one where I *had* to see what happened next and hated that I had to interrupt my watching with that pesky thing called sleep. And although other dramas have made cry since, this one sticks out as one that I cried the hardest watching, because I *cared* what happened to the characters. It seems like the last third of the show I cried. I cared that Ji Hoo was estranged from his ailing grandfather, that Jun Pyo was being forced to marry someone he didn't love because of his evil mother, that Ga Eul pined for a man who was a perpetual playboy. And because I was relatively new to k-dramas, the twists and turns and some of the cliche moments... I wasn't expecting them. I think this is about the time where I started calling k-dramas addictive, because I did get addicted. One of the things that I love most about this drama is the breakout performance of Lee Min Ho as Gu Jun Pyo. Even when he was being the biggest jerk, he still had that sweet, personable quality. Even as I wanted to punch him because he was so arrogant, I found myself liking him. I attribute this directly to Lee Min Ho. Other dramas, the hero has been Jun Pyo's kind of jerk, but I never did really grow to like them. And I think if it had been a different actor, I don't think I would have liked Jun Pyo quite as much. And who can beat Woo Bin's "Yo, yo, my bro!"?

Gu Family Book (구가의 서) (2013) - This is the first drama that I recapped on this site. There's so much that I love about it. Unlike a lot of dramas, that take a few episodes to really click, this one sucks you in, in the first 15 minutes. Plus, Choi Jin Hyuk stole my heart (and many other people's) in two short episodes as the tragic gumiho, Gu Wol Ryung. It's not to say that I didn't seriously get irritated at characters, like the monk So Jung, who never had anything useful to say and was constantly wrong, but everyone treated his utterances as gold, or like Chung Jo, who I might have liked except she rejected the hero and then got jealous and catty towards the woman who always saw the hero's worth, or Pyung Joon, who had to be one of the most frustrating fathers *ever* and who constantly made stupid decisions. But even with these people, there were so many more than won my heart: Soo Ryun, the head gisaeng, played by Jung Hye Young, whose nuanced performance communicated more than any scripted dialogue; Teacher Gong Dal, Song (the hero's buddy), and Admiral Lee Soon Shin, whose indignant growl made any episode for me. And most especially, the heroine and her male suitors (which included our hero). Dam Yeo Wool was a girl who threw off the conventions of her day to *literally* fight for what she believed in, plus she knew her mind and loved the hero enough to be the friend he needed even when her own heart was breaking. Bae Suzy did a great job of making me fall in love with this girl, because she played her with the perfect combination of tenderness and steel. Lee Seung Gi was awesome as our hero, Choi Kang Chi. He made me laugh. He made me cry. Most of all, he made me love him so much. And I fell in love with the other two boys. Yoo Yun Suk acted the heck out of his scenes as Tae Seo. When he cried, it was gut wrenching. And Sung Joon rocked it as the untalkative Gon. Like Jung Hye Young, the little looks that he would give said *so* much. Even if he was plagued with terrible, terrible, terrible hair. For the recaps, go HERE.

King2Hearts (더킹 투하츠) (2012) - The second series on my list with Lee Seung Gi as the hero. He plays a prince, the younger, more irresponsible brother of the king of Korea (if South Korea had a monarchy). It has one of my favorite bromances ever, between Prince Jae Ha and his straight-laced royal guard, Eun Shi Kyung. It also has the best hyung ever: King Jae Kang. Again, our heroine was strong and confident and didn't have a problem speaking her mind. She also didn't put up with the hero being a jerk but instead helps him to be better every moment along the way. This was the series where I realized that I pretty much love any series that Lee Seung Gi is in, because he just has this really great energy and vulnerability to his blustering which is just endearing. He's goofy, which makes you like him even when he's being an arrogant jerk, because his flaws belie the perfect persona he's trying to portray. It's also an interesting study in North-South Korean relations, since our heroine is part of North Korea's elite Special Forces unit, so we see the South Korean perception of what North Koreans are like through that k-drama lens.

Marriage Not Dating (연애 말고 결혼) (2014) - One of my top favorites. I can't believe that I didn't put it on my original list. It has some of the best music and sound effects of any k-drama I can think of; they enhanced the moments that they were a part of. Unlike BOF, I didn't get tired of hearing Song X for the 10th time (Almost Paaaaaaaaaridise!), because there was enough different music to fit the moments. Unlike a lot of dramas, where characters are stagnant, you saw the characters grow and change. And not just the main couple. That being said, I absolutely *loved* both leads. Yun Woo Jin and Han Groo made these two unlikeable people – a stalker and a cad – completely accessible and likeable. From the beginning, Yun Woo Jin played Gi Tae as a jerk who wasn’t really a jerk, someone who would do the right thing and who wanted that connection that he didn't believe really could happen. Han Groo made the clingy, in-denial Jang Mi so lovable. She could have been annoying, instead Jang Mi’s compassion for others show up in little things. It was great to see how their rebukes of each other were taken to heart, even if they didn’t act like it at the time, and that by finding each other, they weren’t alone anymore and were able to help each other heal. Plus, the side characters were interesting. Sometimes they are just written to be an excuse for conflict for the main couple, but in this drama, they, too, were people you connected with. They made the villains – Gi Tae's mother and ex-girlfriend – sympathetic and decent people who we just saw at their worst and who we decide that we like once we understand that. Best of all, the last episode didn't feel like they ran out of time and we leave knowing that our favorite couple are going to be off, somewhere, happy, even as they're sometimes bickering. For the recaps, go HERE.

Master's Sun (주군의 태양) (2013) - This drama has a heroine who sees ghosts and the hero is her ghost-repellant, the one thing that she's found that can chase these ghosts away. This means plenty of skinship, even if it started out not being anything romantic. (And skinship is always good.) Gong Hyo Jin is one of my favorite actresses and she's at her best as the put-upon Tae Gong Sil and So Ji Sub is terrific as Joo Joong Won, one of the most arrogant heroes on this entire list. The moment we meet him, he's challenging a ghost her to strike him with lightning in the middle of a rain storm. Beyond the great story that is their romance, we have more than one mystery plus a great series of stories, as Gong Sil helps the ghosts do that one last thing before they move on. And it's one of the few times where someone getting amnesia didn't bug me for being a cheap k-drama cliche, but was written so that it actually makes sense. I also liked that as the series progressed, because Gong Shil had a way to escape her ghosts (through the hero, Joong Won), she became less terrorized by what she saw and actually started being friends with them. And who wouldn't love a series who gives you a cliff-hanger of life-and-death proportions?

My Girlfriend is a Gumiho (내 여자친구는 구미호) (2010) - Another series with Lee Seung Gi. He plays Cha Dae Woong, a spoiled college student who dreams of being a stunt man. Yes, you read that right: a stuntman. When he runs away from his grandfather because the man wants him to be serious about his studies, he stumbles on a remote Buddhist temple and a painting of the legendary gumiho. Situations conspire to lead Dae Woong to accidentally free the nine-tailed fox and end up with what I think is my favorite of Seung Gi's leading ladies: Shin Min Ah as Gu Mi Ho. Mi Ho's enthusiasm for life, the hero, and all things cow, pig and chicken made me love her almost immediately, plus even though she's dainty, she's no pushover. (That seems to be a common theme in the dramas I like: a female lead who isn't a pushover.) And, the way that Dae Woong grew to be a man because of his love for her, that made me love him, too. Plus, it rained whenever the heroine cried, which always moved the hero's (and my) heart. This is the series that taught me that "numma, numma" is "very, very" and brought finger communication to a whole new level.

My Name is Kim Sam Soon (내 이름은 김삼순) (2005) - Kim Sam Soon may be one of my favorite heroines ever (in any series, whether Korean, American, British or other) because she spoke her mind, wasn't a perfect beauty but was perfectly loveable, and didn't have a problem chewing out the hero and calling him a jerk. She didn't put up with the wrist grab, she didn't just go when the hero ordered, and she kicked the hero to the curb when he wasn't treating her right, even if it meant that she was *never* getting married. I loved it that when she became indignant, she sounded like a fishmonger's wife and I really loved her very active imagination. The hero, played by Hyun Bin, was hilarious in how mischievous he was, especially where she was concerned, and how much he read people, especially his mother. Unlike some dramas, he wasn't an arrogant, entitled jerk because he had money; he was just a guy who wanted to live his life on his own terms and didn't want to get saddled with some wife that his mother picked out. There were true Bridget Jones moments, which made me love our heroine even more, and I love the fact that the heroine got drunk and beat the hero with a stuffed pig, even as he was giving her a piggyback ride.

Protect the Boss (보스를 지켜라) (2011) - This was my first k-drama and it persuaded me on how awesome these shows are. Part of that I attribute to the leads. Ji Sung was the perfect man-child, Cha Ji Heon, and Choi Kang Hee was the perfect put-upon secretary, No Eun Seol. Plus, the secret - that she was ultimately the cause of a major, humiliating scandal for Ji Heon's father - came out early, rather than being something hanging over their relationship. It didn't take the hero too long to fall in love with the heroine or start pursuing her which is part of what made this show so much fun. His relationship with the second male lead (played by JYJ's Kim Jae Joong) was awesome in its brotherly competitiveness and gave us a wrestling match in the middle of a restaurant. Additionally, the female second lead started out as a rival but became the heroine's roommmate and friend, which I definitely prefer. AND the second male lead ended up with a girl, the girl he really wanted in the first place. Who doesn't like that, when everyone ends up in love and happy?

Queen In Hyun's Man (인현왕후의 남자) (2012) - I think this drama made my list because the hero is a different sort of man. While he was quite the swordsman, he was first and foremost as scholar, a thinking man who was measured rather than larger than life. He might seem arrogant, but it was just because he was smarter than everyone else so he knew what he was talking about and didn't see the point in fluffery. And unlike most heroes, he didn't look down on people or think he was better than them. He earnestly valued anyone, regardless of their status. He also, unlike most heroes, held his cards close to his vest and kept his reactions to things to himself. When the heroine made him smile, it was a slight, personal smile that you might miss if you weren't looking for it, and those are the best kind. The heroine was sweet and actually kissed the hero first. Plus, the series has my favorite k-drama kiss, where the hero cradles the heroine's head and they dance even as they smooch. Passion, intimacy and sweetness all rolled into one.

You're All Surrounded (너희들은 포위됐다) (2014) - This is another show that I watched and fell in love with in 2014. If I didn't consider Lee Seung Gi, Go Ara and Cha Seung Won favorite actors before, I do now. Seung Gi plays Kim Ji Yong/Eun Dae Goo, a boy who could do nothing but hide as he watched his Oma being murdered before she can be the material witness at a murder trial. Seung Won plays, Pan Suk, the lead detective on Oma's case, and from the events in the first episode, looks to be dirty and on someone's payroll. Ji Yong becomes Dae Goo and grows up determined to bring Pan Suk down. Ara plays Soo Sun, Dae Goo's detective partner who doesn't recognize that he's the boy she liked that went missing after his mother was murdered. This series has plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and plenty of moments that made me cry, especially when Seung Gi and Seung Won were involved. And the plot twists! Good stuff. The only thing that could have made this better was more of Seung Won's love story with his ex-wife, but I'm not complaining. I still loved the show. For the recaps, go HERE.