Year In Review: 2024 – The Fangirl Verdict

If you’ve been waiting for this year-in-review to come out, thank you for your patience. 🥰

This year, we’ve had 10  guest year-end wrap posts (they’re all listed here!), with one more still on the way; yes, our friends on Patreon have been very generous in sharing their drama years! 🥲

Now, it’s my turn to share my drama year, and I hope you guys find it worth the wait. 🥲

My Drama Year in 2024

Overall, I feel like I had a pretty solid drama year, in a very similar range of goodness as 2023.

For all you number geeks out there, here are the numbers to show you what I mean:

In 2023, I had 5 dramas in the A-grade range, and in 2024, I also had 5.

In 2023, I had 9 shows in the B++ range, and in 2024, I had 8.

In 2023, I had 13 dramas rated B+, and in 2024, I had 17.

That stacks up fairly evenly, yes?

All in all, while I would have liked to have more shows in the A-grade range, it is true that I don’t give out A-grades very easily, particularly with me becoming a pickier drama viewer, over time.

So the fact that I even had 5 dramas that I felt were worthy of an A-grade, is pretty great, I think.

Also, if you’re not as picky as I’ve become, you might have arguably had a better drama year than I had, with literally the exact same shows. 😁

Like I always say, context is everything. 😉

How this post works

As always, I’m only including dramas that ended in 2024, because it’s always made more sense to me, to judge a drama only after it’s finished its run.

It’s only fair, I think, since Dramaland has proven to us time and again, how a drama can bomb at the very last minute. 😜

As always, what works for me, might not work for you, and vice versa, but I still hope this overview helps you to discover some great dramas to love.

I’m also including a new section at the end of the post, where I name my Best Drama, Best Actors, etc, like I did last year.

I hope you guys enjoy. ❤️

The Ones Worth Making Time For

Mr. Plankton

This little show took me by such surprise; it worked out to be such a rollercoaster, for the heart and mind.

I loved how, beyond its quirky and offbeat vibe, it also managed to be so poignant and heartfelt, and I loved how it remained consistently all of these things, all the way to the end.

Very worthwhile, and highly recommend.

Grade: A

Review: here.

Lovely Runner

This was the little show that could; what it lacked in terms of budget, polish and big names, it more than made up for, with smart writing, tender directing and heartfelt deliveries from its cast.

So full of feels and heart flutters, even as it serves up a love story that works out to be as pure as it is epic.

This one grabbed me by the heart, and wouldn’t let go. So good. 🥲

Grade: A

Review: here.

Family By Choice

An excellent little family drama that serves up warm, cozy found family feels by the bucketload.

The romances are sweet, but the found family feels are the true star of the show.

I grew to love these characters a great deal, and cared a great deal about their stories and journeys, and I feel like I will always think of them fondly. 🥲

Grade: A-

Review: here.

18×2 Beyond Youthful Days [Movie] [Japan-Taiwan]

Such a beautiful, poignant, effortlessly affecting story, brought to life so well by our director and our actors.

I was quickly sucked into this one, and then, quite surprised by how overwhelmed by thoughts and feelings I was, after I got to the end.

Very worthwhile.

Grade: A-

Review: here.

Knight Flower

This worked out be such a fun, heartfelt romp.

Honey Lee steals the entire show, but the OTP loveline worked out to be surprisingly appealing as well. Show legit had me squeeing at points, and that’s not something I expected, at all.

Consistent and full of heart, and very approachable, even if you don’t typically gravitate towards sageuk.

Grade: B++

Review: here.

Like Flowers in Sand

Jang Dong Yoon steals this entire show as his character Baek Du, who works out to be quite possibly the purest, sweetest soul to grace our drama screens, in a while.

The OTP loveline is on the restrained side of things, but overall, Show handles everything in such a natural, organic sort of way, that this felt natural too.

A wholesome gem of a show that is very much worth the time.

Grade: B++

Review: here.

Solid Watches I’d Recommend

Queen of Tears

I found this very enjoyable while I was watching it; I felt that Show managed to encapsulate a lot of what we love about kdramas, and serve it up in a single story.

Show works out to be a warm melodrama with a side of black comedy, and while it does get a little heavy-handed with the dramatic elements in the final stretch, I thought it still worked.

I will say that Show hasn’t managed to linger with me, post-watch, which is why it’s not in my top list, despite it’s A-grade.

Would still recommend, though.

Grade: A-

Review: here.

Welcome to Samdalri

I found this one to be very pleasant and enjoyable, as a story of healing, for not just our protagonist, but also, for the various relationships within our drama world.

It’s a little predictable and tropey, but it’s also familiar and comfortable, and that’s sometimes just what you need.

Heartfelt and wholesome. Would recommend.

Grade: B++

Review: here.

My Sweet Mobster

This is the mobster show that I didn’t know I needed.

Show itself is a funny, silly yet heartfelt ball of fluff, and I had a great time watching this one.

The standout for me, was Uhm Tae Goo as our titular sweet mobster; it literally felt like this entire drama was made with him in mind. That husky voice; that lethal-dorky duality; I just couldn’t get enough. 😍

A little uneven in spots, but so much fun, nonetheless. 🥰

Grade: B++

Review: here.

Jeongnyeon – The Star is Born

A tribute to pansori and gukgeuk, that works out to be a pretty engaging underdog story.

This was more approachable and enjoyable than I’d first expected it to be, despite my quibbles with the management of the ending.

Props to the cast for learning pansori and gukgeuk, for their roles. That in itself was worth the price of entry, in my opinion.

Grade: B++

Review: here.

Light Shop

A very well-written and thought-provoking show, with an excellent cast.

It’s best to go in blind, and it’s also best to be prepared to have a little patience, as it’ll take a while for the various narrative pieces to fall into place.

I started my watch feeling somewhat perplexed, but came away thinking that it was all worthwhile.

Grade: B++

Review: here.

I Know I Love You [China]

I really, really enjoyed this remake of kdrama One Spring Night (review here!), which I also loved.

This isn’t a straightforward regurgitation of the original story; rather, Show respects the source material by largely aligning with it in large strokes, but is its own thing, in the little details.

I found this poignant, thoughtful, realistic, and hopeful, and altogether very enjoyable.

Very much recommend. ❤️

Grade: B++

Review: here.

The Tale of Rose [China]

This is basically the Liu Yi Fei Show; she basically steals the show, as our titular Rose.

This works out to be solid, as a story of personal journey, self-discovery and empowerment.

It can admittedly feel quite tiring, following Rose on her journey of multiple lovelines over the years, in the course of our 38-episode story, but I still found it to be worthwhile, on balance.

Grade: B++

Review: here.

What Comes After Love [Korea-Japan]

A thoughtful, poignant melodrama about love, loss and second chances.

I found this to be very effectively engaging, despite its short running time of 6 episodes. The writing is efficient, and the performances by our leads are very solid as well.

Despite my quibbles about how the ending was handled, I found this to be enjoyable and worthwhile.

Grade: B+

Review: here.

The Judge From Hell

This worked out to be a fun rollercoaster, in that I found our story to be quite unpredictable, from episode to episode. That made the watch experience feel fresh, which I appreciated.

I found the rogue justice quite novel to begin with, but eventually, it was Show’s focus on personal journey, relationships and community that really grounded this watch for me.

This is the most fun I’ve had watching Park Shin Hye in a while, which is great – coz she looks like this is the most fun she’s had in a while, too. 😁

Grade: B+

Review: here.

Marry My Husband

At its best, Show was a lot of fun to watch, and had a cracky, slurpable quality to it which I loved.

I also thought it was great that we got glimpses of Park Min Young’s dorky side, which I’d missed, after Healer (review here!).

Second leads Lee Yi Kyung and Song Ha Yoon are both excellent in this, and end up stealing quite a bit of the show, particularly in our mid-to-late stretch.

I thought Show stumbled in its last stretch, which was disappointing, but overall, I still found this to be a solid watch.

Grade: B+

Review: here.

Not Bad; Worth Checking Out

Tell Me That You Love Me

This show is quite perfect for when you’re in the mood for something quiet, thoughtful and reflective.

I feel that Show is very careful and sensitive in teasing out the layers in our lead characters, as well as their burgeoning relationship. I liked this very much.

I also really enjoyed the music in this, which I found lilting and gentle; I thought it matched Show’s overall vibe very well.

I do have some issues with how the ending is handled, but overall this still worked out to be a worthwhile watch.

Grade: B+

Review: here.

Amidst a Snowstorm of Love [China]

Reactions to this one tend to be mixed, but I honestly really enjoyed this one.

The main draw, for me, was the OTP relationship, which is a bit of a slow-burn, but which worked out well, I thought.

Wu Lei’s character does come off as a bit intense and therefore creepy at first, but it stops being creepy fairly quickly, once you get to understand his character better.

Despite some minor wobbles, I found this to be pleasant and warm, overall.

Grade: B+

Review: here.

The Trunk

I didn’t take to this one quickly nor naturally, but was interested enough, in what made these characters tick, that that ended up being the main thing that kept my interest, during my watch.

I found these characters fascinating, and I think it says a lot, that my brain would reflexively continue to analyze why they would act the way they do, long after I finished watching an episode.

Show is not a standard romance, but there are spots of sweetness to be had between Gong Yoo and Seo Hyun Jin’s characters, which ought to help increase your enjoyment of this one.

Grade: B+

Review: here.

Will Love in Spring [China]

I was in this for the OTP, and Li Xian and Zhou Yu Tong are truly excellent together. The sparky vibe between them feels so natural and organic that I often felt like I was peeping at real-life lovers.

I also really enjoyed Show’s overall vibe, which I would call earthy but whimsical, slice-of-life yet romantic.

I personally didn’t enjoy when Show got too philosophical, coz that eventually landed as preachy to me, but your mileage may vary, and I wouldn’t call it a deal-breaker either.

Grade: B+

Review: here.

You are my Secret [China]

This was a sweet little drama nightcap that just really, really worked for me.

I liked how the central romance was low-key and felt organic, and I really enjoyed the OTP dynamics.

I have to also confess that I had – and still have! – a huge soft spot for Miles Wei’s character, Ji Yuheng; he’s just so sweet, gentle and all-around understanding.

All in all, a sweet, wholesome little show that I would recommend.

Grade: B+

Review: here.

You are my Lover Friend [China]

This was a show that didn’t grab me right away, but which ended up really growing on me.

I really enjoyed the friendship between our leads, and the slow-burn way in which Show teased this out into a romance, felt nicely organic, to me.

I liked that both our leads are smart, capable and successful in their own ways, and yet, in the midst of their demanding work schedules, consistently make time for each other – even as friends. It’s very wholesome. 🥰

There’s a more melodramatic arc in Show’s late stretch that I didn’t care for too much, but this still worked out to be very enjoyable for me.

Grade: B+

Review: here.

Captivating the King

I thought this show was a lot stronger, and much more grabby, in its first half than its second half.

Jo Jung Seok is regal, charismatic and utterly commanding in this, which is a look that I’d love to see him wear more often; he wears it so, so well. 🤩

That said, I found the central loveline quite lacking, particularly in the second half. I also found the characterization of our female lead to be quite underbaked, unfortunately.

Worth checking out for Jo Jung Seok, if nothing else.

Grade: B+

Review: here.

Love Next Door

I love-love-loved Show’s early treatment of the familial relationship, and thought that this was some of the most inspired writing I’d seen in a kdrama, in a while.

I also thought the OTP had a lot of early promise, with some scenes promising some serious crackle. 🔥

Unfortunately, my expectations were far from met, in Show’s second half, and I ended feeling a lot less enthusiastic about this show at the end, compared to at first. 💔

Not so great as a romance, honestly, but works out to be a solid family drama, in the end.

Grade: B+

Review: here.

A Virtuous Business

Show’s got a great premise and a great cast, and I found our early episodes to be laugh-out-loud funny, and very grabby overall.

Unfortunately, I do think that Show ends up being quite uneven in its writing and execution, so it does fall short of my initial expectations.

The personal stories and the bond among our core four ladies do add up to make for a watch that feels worthwhile, though.

Grade: B+

Review: here.

Spice Up Our Love

For a short little 2-episode spin-off, I thought Show did a nice job, overall.

Your mileage will likely vary with the initial funny, but I did think that the poignance and heart that Show introduces in its second half, works really well to lift the watch experience.

I low-key wished that there was more, when I got to the end, which is a plus, I do think.

Grade: B+

Review: here.

Your Honor

Overall, I found this watch to be quite gripping and interesting, and the powerhouse performances by Kim Myung Min and Son Hyun Joo are truly impressive.

I did find the ending a little less than satisfying, but it is, overall, thought-provoking in its own way.

Solid, overall.

Grade: B+

Review: here.

Beyond Goodbye [Japan]

I found Show to be a bit awkward and ungainly in spots, but overall, I found this to be a thoughtful and sensitive exploration of humanity and morality, and what it means to love.

Grade: B+

Review: here.

The Atypical Family

Show is quirky, offbeat and quite different from most other drama offerings available in Dramaland. I do think that this is Show’s biggest selling point.

I found this refreshing to watch, for the most part, because I couldn’t quite predict what Show would do next, in order to take its story forward.

Unfortunately, I didn’t love the way Show handles itself in its finale stretch, and found that it lacked soul, which definitely was a damper on my watch.

Still, I found Show to be quite clever, so that’s something, yes?

Grade: B+

Review: here.

Okay, if it’s your style / you can spare the time

Blood Free

Listen. I was not at all pleased with the way writer-nim wrapped up this story, but the simmering tension between Joo Ji Hoon and Han Hyo Joo’s characters is so crackly good, that I’ve decided that some of you might find this one worth checking out, if only for that alone.

That is all. 😅

Grade: B+

Review: here.

Serendipity’s Embrace

This is a short, cute little ball of fluff which is quite enjoyable, as long as you keep your expectations in check.

It’s pretty to look at, the music’s very breezy, and our story is simple.

There’s some angst and annoyance in Show’s late stretch which I found to be a damper, but overall, I still found this to be.. not bad.

Grade: B

Review: here.

Romance in the House

Show’s a little rough around the edges, but works out to be a reasonably enjoyable, compact little family drama.

There are some flaws and frustrations here, but if you enjoy family dramas and can’t invest in the longer ones, this one would scratch that itch quite nicely.

Grade: B

Review: here.

Miss Night and Day

I really enjoyed Show’s first two-thirds; I found it all so wholesome and funny.

I also loved the fact that Lee Jung Eun was getting to enjoy so much of the spotlight for once, and getting to showcase so much of her acting range.

Unfortunately, I felt that the writing went quite wonky in our finale stretch, and I felt very underwhelmed by the ending that Show chose.

Grade: B

Review: here.

Doctor Slump

I felt Show had a lot of promise in its initial episodes, and I was very taken with our leads getting over their bad blood and becoming friends. That was great.

However, I felt that Show leaned hard into filler in its second half, and the aggressive aegyo employed by our OTP nearly had me dropping this show.

There are some bright spots, however, which is how I ended up finishing this one.

I didn’t end up loving this, but some folks do genuinely like this one, so you might too.

Grade: B

Review: here.

No Gain No Love

I thought Show was very promising, with its overall fresh and zippy feels, and some of its bolder narrative choices.

My main issue with this one, I realize, is that this was a lot lower on feels than I would have liked. I just.. wasn’t feeling it very much, no matter how hard I tried. 😅

Your mileage may vary, of course.

Grade: B

Review: here.

The Midnight Romance in Hagwon

I really wanted to love this, but for all my efforts at lens tweaking and adjusting expectations, I just couldn’t manage to get myself on the same page as this show, unfortunately.

I found the writing thematically inconsistent, and I didn’t quite feel the workplace politics, and neither did I quite feel the central romance that forms so much of Show’s promotional material.

I made it all the way to the end, but I’ve concluded that I basically liked this more in concept than execution. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Grade: B

Review: here.

Dreaming of a Freaking Fairytale

I thought Show was really fun and cheeky in its initial episodes, making for a refreshing, cheeky sort of watch experience.

Unfortunately, I personally found the second half rather uneven, with some episodes feeling quite effortful to get into, while others still retained some of that early charm.

Not terrible, but not something that I would heartily recommend either.

Grade: B

Review: here.

No Way Out: The Roulette

I was intrigued by the premise, and drawn in by the fact that Greg Hsu’s in this, but I found the pacing a little too slow for my taste, and sometimes had to work to feel more interested and engaged by what was happening on my screen.

Overall, this worked out to be a “just ok” sort of watch for me.

Grade: B

Review: here.

Cinderella at 2 AM

I liked the idea of this story, but my reservations about the casting of our leads never truly went away, unfortunately.

I found Moon Sang Min rather too young for the role, and I also found Shin Hyun Bin a bit miscast, in that I just don’t think “cute” is something that she does well.

I did find the secondary OTP to be a bright spot, however, and that definitely helped my watch go down better.

Quite ungainly overall, but I think it could work well as a drama nightcap, if you dial down your expectations.

Grade: B

Review: here.

Red Swan

I went into this for Rain, because Rain is just perfect as a smoldering hot bodyguard 🔥, heh.

The writing and execution is decidedly uneven, but I surprised myself by actually liking the handling of the ending more than I’d thought I would.

So this could potentially work for you, if you like Rain, and if you manage your expectations.

Grade: B

Review: here.

Shows that I didn’t feel were worth the effort, to be honest

The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract

I mistakenly included this in last year’s year-in-review, but Show only completed its run in Jan 2024, so here’s my quick take, again:

This one started so well, before things went so, so downhill, for me.

Show has its variety of issues, but I think the biggest problem, is that it tries to be too grandiose for its own good, basically.

Our OTP loveline just isn’t developed enough, to support the idea of epic love that writer-nim’s trying to push, and that just makes everything fall pretty flat, unfortunately.

Grade: B-

Review: here.

The Princess Royal [China]

I thought Show got off to a really strong start; I liked the premise, and I thought the OTP had a lot of potential.

Unfortunately, I felt that Show started to meander in its middle-to-late stretch, and I found it increasingly hard-going.

We get a happy ending, but that wasn’t quite enough to make up for the second-half drag, in my opinion.

Grade: B

Review: here.

The Best Day of my Life [China]

This one is actually not terrible, in that I thought the concept was cute, and I liked the cast.

Unfortunately, this lands as more of a skeleton of a story, rather than a fully developed story. In line with this, I found the characters landing as mere sketches rather than fully fleshed out people.

That made it hard for me to get invested, so while it wasn’t terrible, I wouldn’t actually recommend this one.

Grade: B-

Review: here.

Probably not for you, if your drama taste is like mine

My Demon

I thought the concept could be fun, but, tuning into this one, I found that I didn’t take to the attempts at witty banter between the leads, and neither did I take to the attempts at dark-humor-laced-poignance.

I guess you could say I understood the vision, but wasn’t actually feeling it.

I watched 2 episodes of this and decided it wasn’t for me.

The Impossible Heir

Sigh. This started really strong, in my opinion, but quickly went off the rails for me.

Show got really boring, really fast, for me, and I sat through 5 whole episodes of this, against my better judgment.

Dropped Post: here.

Guest Rant Post: here.

Wedding Impossible

I watched 4 episodes of this, hoping that I would like it, but this one just never grabbed me.

I found the OTP chemistry lacking, and the various characters, oddly flat.

Overall, this one struck me as being stiff and awkward, and I couldn’t muster up the interest to keep going.

Small Town Stories [China]

I wanted to like this because I like both leads, but this one just felt rather labored to me.

I also didn’t like the characterization of the male lead, who’s shown lying to the female lead, even though he knows that this will end up causing problems for her and her uncle.

I tapped out after 3 episodes.

Frankly Speaking

I only watched half an episode of this, and it was enough to make me back away really fast. 😅

I found the Intended Funny to be cringey, awkward and not at all funny, and basically couldn’t bear to watch beyond the first 30 minutes. Sorry.

Hide

I thought this was interesting in concept, and I do really like Lee Bo Young, but weirdly, I found the story beats to be quite boring and predictable.

Like, I could see the Big Reveal coming from a mile away, which is unfortunate, because I’m quite sure it was supposed to be quite shocking &/or surprising. 😅

I tapped out after 2 episodes.

Love Andante

I liked the sound of this, but found the actual execution to be very awkward and stilted. I even felt some scenes were actually painful to watch. 😅

I found the writing, directing and acting all quite lacking, and tapped out after 2 episodes.

Dare to Love Me

This is another one where I lasted all of 30 minutes. 😅

I found the opening scene very off-putting, with our female lead wailing loudly at our male lead, over how much she likes him, and why won’t he date her, and almost dropped out right then and there.

The rest of the first half hour didn’t grab me either, and I decided that there was no point trying to force it.

DNA Lover

I found this too OTT for my taste, in short.

The crazy and weird landed as quite forced, to my eyes, and the only bright spot, for me, was second male lead Lee Tae Hwan, whom I found quite likable.

I couldn’t commit to watching more of this just for the second male lead, and I tapped out after just 1 episode.

Queen Woo

I thought the trailers for this show looked really interesting, and even shortlisted this for coverage on Patreon.

The story world is presented as dark, wild and quite primal, and I found that quite uncomfortable and confronting.

I managed 1 episode before deciding that this one’s probably just not for me. 😅

Shows I sampled but didn’t continue watching

Uncle Samsik

I wanted to like this because of the strong cast, but have to admit that I found it all very dry and uninteresting. 😅

I wandered off after 2 episodes, and my good intentions of coming back to it, to try again, never materialized.

Love Your Enemy

I found the high school flashbacks of this one quite engaging; more so than I found the present-day happenings, where our leads’ orbits collide again, after many years apart.

I wasn’t a big fan of the Intended Funny that Show served up, but liked the high school flashbacks enough, that I had vague good intentions of going back to this one.

Spoiler: I didn’t. 😅

All I managed in the end, was the first 2 episodes.

Brewing Love

I was interested in this one for our leads, but struggled a fair bit in the first 2 episodes, with how invasive our female lead is, in trying to get to our male lead, in the name of Comedy.

I did feel a glimmer of promise, because I did like the idea of our male lead being sensitive enough to see through the tough-girl armor that our female lead wears.

However, my good intentions of mayyybe going back to this one, never did materialize. 😅

Are You The One [China]

I heard good things about this one, and I do love Zhang Wan Yi, and that’s why I gave it a try.

The problem was, I was in the thick of my period c-drama slump, and couldn’t get into it.

I lasted all of 1 episode before my period c-drama fatigue kicked in, and have vague good intentions of giving this another try sometime.

The Story of Pearl Girl [China]

Show struck me as a dark, wild sort of fairytale in its opening episodes, and I found myself reasonably engaged with the story, with enough curiosity to know more, that I was fairly confident that I could watch this drama on the side.

However, it wasn’t long before I felt my interest dwindling.

Partly, it was my period c-drama fatigue rearing its head, but I also think it was also partly that I didn’t feel much chemistry between our leads, no matter how hard I squinted.

I wandered off after 5 episodes and haven’t felt the urge to go back. 😅

Love Game in Eastern Fantasy [China]

Now here’s a show that I thought I would actually finish – but didn’t. 😅

I found the premise funny, and actually laughed out loud at points, especially in Show’s initial episodes.

I thought Esther Yu was cute, and I liked the idea of her character trying to win over Ding Yu Xi’s character in order to survive, when he had sooo much suspicious side-eye, where she was concerned. 🤭

Unfortunately, my appetite for period c-drama fantasy, especially involving demons and demon-catchers, is more limited than I’d thought.

I wandered off after 8 episodes, and when I tried to come back for episode 9, I realized that I wasn’t feeling it anymore. Oops.

Seoul Busters

Y’know, I actually really, really enjoyed Show’s first 2 episodes.

I found myself laughing out loud more than a few times, and that’s a very rare thing with me and k-comedies.

Unfortunately for me, Show stopped being as funny, in episode 3, and I wasn’t feeling the bumbling investigative stuff without as much comedy running through it, and wandered off.

The KFG Awards

Best Drama: Mr. Plankton

This really turned out to be a dark horse of a drama.

It came out of seemingly nowhere, and blew it out of the water, by managing a very intricate, delicate balance, between its quirky, offbeat, rollercoaster-esque aura, and its heartfelt, poignant, plaintive underlayers.

Not only that, it maintains this very difficult balance all the way through, in every way, from writing, to execution, to music, to actor delivery, without once losing its step.

Very impressive, and deserving of a standing ovation. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Special mention: Lovely Runner

Best Actor: Woo Do Hwan, Mr. Plankton

Woo Do Hwan really outdid himself as Hae Jo.

He was effortlessly cocky as the glib smartass that he made his default persona to the world, and yet, he seemed to also effortlessly allow clear glimpses into the bleeding heart that he was, underneath it all.

His interpretation and delivery of Hae Jo was so fluid, that the glimpses of deeper layers of pathos sometimes took me by surprise.

Truly excellent.

Special mentions: Jang Dong Yoon (Like Flowers in Sand), Jo Jong Suk (Captivating the King), Son Hyun Joo (Your Honor)

Best Actress: Honey Lee, Knight Flower

Honey truly sparkles in her role as Yeo Hwa.

Her comic timing is flawless, and her whole earnest, demure daughter-in-law persona, which she serves up with a touch of cheeky flair, is perfect.

At the same time, there’s a strong streak of badassery about her, as she puts on her ninja-esque persona, to jump the walls in order to help those in need.

And underneath it all, there’s a strong layer of poignance and vulnerability that peeks through.

Altogether outstanding and quite fabulous, in my opinion. 🤩

Special mentions: Kim Tae Ri (Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born), Lee Jung Eun (Miss Night and Day), Zhou Yu Tong (Will Love in Spring)

Best Supporting Actor: Oh Jung Se, Mr. Plankton

Oh Jung Se as Heung, worked out to be one of my favorite things about Mr. Plankton, so kudos to Oh Jung Se for bringing Heung to life in such a natural, effortless sort of way.

Heung is a bit of a bumbling mama’s boy, yes, but he’s also got such a pure heart, that I found him utterly precious, in the most endearing way.

And then there’s how loyal and determined he is, and the flashes of boldness and brilliance, that just make him pop extra, as a character.

Oh Jung Se balances all of these facets with so much skill and finesse, while making it look like just another walk in the park. Really good.

Special mention: Bae Hyeon Seong (Family By Choice), Lee Yi Kyung (Marry My Husband)

Best Supporting Actress: Lee Jung Eun, Light Shop

I won’t go into specifics, since it’s truly best to go into Light Shop blind, but I have to give credit to Lee Jung Eun for a truly arresting performance, that still haunts me as I type this.

Deserving of all the awards, and then some. 🥲

Special mention: Song Ha Yoon (Marry My Husband), Wan Qian (The Tale of Rose)

Best OTP: Lovely Runner

I loved Sol and Sun Jae as a couple, so very much.

I found their chemistry very sparky and believable, and I loved the writing around their characters. So much love there, that it easily fills up that space-time continuum on which our story hangs.

This is one instance where I can totally understand why fans ship these two, in real life. 🥲

Special mentions: Will Love in Spring, I Know I Love You

Best Ensemble: Family By Choice

I loved the found family feels in this one so much, that I wished that there were more episodes of this show, just so that I could spend more time with them.

Each of these characters made up an essential part of this found family, and they come together so seamlessly, to create such a cozy feeling of warmth, that I had to name them best ensemble of 2024. 🥲

Special mention: A Virtuous Business

Underrated Gem: I Know I Love You [China]

There were lots of solid shows in 2024, but I feel like no one really talks about this little show, which I truly and sincerely enjoyed a great deal.

It’s so understated, restrained and mature, in its treatment of our lead characters and their love relationship, as well as its treatment of its source material, kdrama One Spring Night.

Truly a show that deserves more love and attention than it actually receives. 🥲

Special mentions: You are my Lover Friend [China]

Razzie: Blood Free

Because the Razzie is for a show that started with lots of promise, only to ultimately bomb, I only considered shows that I’d completed in full, for this award.

And, I think that Blood Free is THE show that set high expectations at the beginning, and through much of my watch, with all of its smoldering, clever promise, only to subvert ALL of those expectations, with a “What the heck???” ending.

Sigh. The could’ve been’s, eh? 🥲

Special mentions: The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract, The Princess Royal [China]

Closing Thoughts

I know I write one of these every year, but even then, this felt like quite a journey! 😅

This year, I completed 43 dramas (that’s 4 more than last year’s 39). And in total, including Dropped dramas and other uncompleted shows, I basically had opinions on.. 60 shows!

Certainly, it’s not because I’m becoming more of a time-bender (though I’d like to acquire some of those skills!); I think it’s more that Dramaland’s serving up more dramas with smaller episode counts, and that’s why I find my drama total increasing from 2023 to 2024.

It’s not a bad thing, certainly, coz this way, we’re more likely to avoid filler – though it’s still not a guarantee.

Thanks so much for sticking with me through yet another year, you guys. I literally couldn’t do this without you. 🥰

Here’s hoping that Dramaland will give us even more true drama gems in 2025 – with lots of lasting feels to go with, pleaseandthankyou.

KFG ❤️

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