In thinking about kdramas of 2009, I realise that there was no real breakout for me. I enjoy some and hated most. BOF was an almost obsession until I had to stop watching. You're Beautiful was fun but sometimes I wanted to blaze MN. SoaM, very good but since forgotten.

In all 2009 was full of forgettables.

You're Beautiful (definitely best drama this year for me ^-^), Queen Seon Deok (I always attracted to sae guk drama & this one is the best sae guk drama in 2009,eventhough it's losing its tension a bit after mishil die), Story of a man (this one is really story about man,love Kim Kang Woo psycho'ness hahahha..), Smile You (cute & funny), Family's honor (love to see noble family's life), Brilliant Legacy (eventhough 4 extention make the story little bit boring but still fun to watch) & City Hall (I like to see how the love story grows with political issues as a background). Those are dramas that I love to watch this year.

Others like BBF (Still fun to watch, of course people esp girls like to see 4 handsome guys on the screen), Swallow the sun (in the beginning it makes my head hurt then made me interested as the story goes but after eps 13 I stop watching), Cain & Abel (the story doesn't make sense, but I like to watch strife between two brothers), Accidental couple (Hwang Jung Min is the reason i watch this drama), 2009 hometown legend (I love horror, but good stories just a few the other stories weren't good at all), Man who can't get married (weird but fun), Partner (I like Kim Hyun Joo), A star's lover (this drama makes me feel something unusual), Son's of Sol Pharmacy (Funny, funny, funny), Creating destiny (I watch only the good part), Assorted gems ( I watched only 6 eps), Job well done (only watch eps 1&2), Queen of housewife (maybe i'm not that into this kind of ajeumma drama),My fair lady (i don't know if is it good or not, but i'm more of bad side hehehe... still Chae Won & IL woo are cute together), Triple (Song Joong Ki & Min Hyo Rin are cute), Terroir (nothing to say), Cinderella man (I hate Kwon Sang Woo & Yun-ah).

I can't say anything about Soul, Iris, Can anyone love & Hero 'coz i don't have chance to see them yet (but i'd love to see them). For Friend our legend, Angel's temptation, Iron empress, Ja Myung Go, Tamra the island, Style, Hateful but once again, Wife temptation, Loving you 1000 times, 3 brothers, Heading to the ground, Dream & Strike love, I really don't interested to watch them. (Maybe Javabeans or the others have recommendation for me from the list that I don't interested, which one is worth to watch ?????)

That's all I think about 2009 K-dramas... Thx.. ^____________________^

Unfortunately (or fortunately- depending on your pov), I couldn't vote for melos or saeguks... I only watched a couple of episodes of Star's Lover before my eyes and ears started bleeding in protest... and I've only watched a part of QSD.. as I didn't like it after DukMan grew up... so I can't really vote for either category! =.="

But I have watched too many dramas this year even without these!!! ^^

O wait.. I didn't vote for the thriller's either... cuz I didn't watch any kdrama thrillers!! Man.. I guess I'm the typical 20-ish year old only interested in romance, comedy, and family dramas.. =P Why does that make me sound like an ajumma as well!! =.="

You're Beautiful is definitely the best thing that ever happened! i like it the most among all kinds of dramas I watched.

You definitely don't want to miss this!

For all YB fans, a lot of us from Soompi are currently ordering the special director's cut DVD that comes with many limited edition goodies such as BTS, 2 mini ANJELL concerts etc. This is a rare opportunity as d-cuts are normally only available to Koreans. Now it even comes with English subtitles! Please check out Soompi thread for more information.

Dear JB, I'm sure someone from Soompi has already try to reach you regarding the d-cuts. We really wish you can help YB to promote this d-cuts and share with everyone who visit your site. Thanks a lot! =)

what the hell, every poll is won by you'r beautiful =S
while i ADORED that drama, still i felt that it wasn't fair to the other dramas =S
oh well, this year was/is a good year of dramas!!! i really was not disappointed like 2008! =D

City Hall has been by far the best 2009 drama/comedy. No competition for the leading couple either (had there been some minimal need for objectivity in Internet voting, that is). I mean, I too liked the charm of the couple in You're Beautiful -especially his- but the script was infected by a phony chastity that rang intolerably untrue and falsified any notion of first love the series was trying to represent. Nor did the script went further that the mere having of a racy (and juicily perverted) idea of a novice intimately mixing with three young men -and pop idols!-in love with her.
Although I understand the concept of finitude, I wonder why Jo Gook (Cha Seun Won) and Hang Dong Soo (Huyn Bin) did not make the list of favourite drama characters. Finally, Friend, Our Legend is superior to IRIS, in my humble view, with better drawn out characters and darker psychological depths. Recommended to all those who, like me, find films or dramas about violence that focus on explosions and special effects tedious.

YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL ROCKS!!!!

I LOVE YOU FOREVER....

A.N.JELL RIGHT HERE!!!!

I think Hon is the most underrated and the best thriller of the year. It was not perfect though since i think the last 2 episodes were not their best but it was a great run and i'm happy that they keep it at 10 episodes. I'm happy to find the new gem Im Joo Eun...

You're beautiful wins for my best drama and trendy drama of the year, it deserves it.
BOF is the most overrated but Gu Jun Pyo is definitely the breakout role of the year and i've been loving LMH ever since his Mackerel Run and i was surprised to see him in BOF. Although BOF is overrated but i can't deny its appeal and i like it too, it's the 2nd best for the trendy drama category. My Fair Lady was a buzz but not as buzzed as BOF so it's still not counted as overrated imo but MFL is a bad trendy drama imo..

For the best couple, it will be YB's JGS and PSH but then the BOF couple comes close.

Triple is quite a disappointment since i was so excited for it, it was pleasant for the first few episodes, i like the soundtrack but it was bland and slow but i fell in love with Song Joong Ki the cutie... i actually watched triple for LHN and the screenwriter but then.. sigh..

Shinwoo and Minam couple will be what i would love to see..

I prefer LMH over JGS so even though JGS's character is adorable, Shinwoo is still my favorite, i used to think JGS was cute in Hwangjini but then now he looked so skinny and TOO MUCH eyeliner for that role. I may have love him more if he had not so much of guyliner and the clothes are..... too feminine? I guess that's how idol groups dress these days =p JGS is still cute though without his eyeliner...

It's been a good year, A LOT better than 2008 where i see none...

In some categories I had a hard time choosing a winner. All in all I think it was a great year for kdramas. Much better than last year for sure. There are still dramas from 2009 I want to watch. Some dramas are on my all time favorite list now, like You're beautiful, ROI, City Hall and SOAM.

seeing the list made me realized how much I have loads of catching up to do. lol The only drama that I have finished was You're Beautiful :o haha. But I did watch BOF and Shining Inheritance but not inspired to finish it now. :D maybe this christmas break. haha

What else?

I am currently watching Creating Destiny and Smile, you and I want to try the Loving you 100x times and angel's temptation(started ep1 already), they look good. :)

Seeing the bad reviews about MFL actually turned me off in watching the drama. So I didn't watched it.

Oh and I am one of those people who voted for You're Beautiful LOL. I think it is unfair because I didn't watch the other dramas in the list and is still in YAB addiction. Nevertheless, I still believe it deserves its vote for being the "breath of fresh air" and for capturing our hearts (and I'm pointing to you JGS)

Other than voting for all the polls with YAB in it(JGS/HTK I LOVE YOU), I voted for LMH as the breakout star of 2009. I may not like his portayal as Gun Pyo (I am a MatsuJun fan), I still give him props for acting a character that is diverse from the HYD Domyouji . That is why I believe Domyouji and Gun Pyo should not be compared because they are 2 different characters. :D

and JB, I totally LOLed when I saw the JGS/LHK alternative pairing. I voted for it. HAHAHA

For me my favorite dramas of the year are Family's Honor, Sons of Sol Pharmacy, Queen Seon Deok, and City Hall. I think that YB was pretty great, but it definitely wasn't the best drama of the year. Then again the vote wasn't for best, but favorite and people have their right to choose their favorite.

Similar to others, I did not watch a lot of Korea dramas this year.

(i) BOF - Nice opening but begin to drag when too much airtime is allocated to Yoon Ji Ho. Very boring at the end. But the boys and the girls are beautiful here even though the female lead's acting skills really need a lot of improvement. She is really beautiful with big eyes and nice skin. I saw some of her previous dramas. She has failed to improve since her old days. She is still at the starting point. She might end up like Kim Tae hee if she continues like this.
(ii) Brilliant Legacy - I cannot understand why it is so popular. The storyline is really old and boring. I like the female lead but I do not get the feel from the male lead. No offence to Lee Seung Ki's fans. I think this is even more overrated than BOF.
(iii) My Fair Lady - Very disappointed. I have waited for YEH for 2 years. The chemistry did not work out well for the lead couple. The script is just horrible. I feel sorry for YEH that she has to complete the drama. What a waste of her time.
(iv) Queen of Housewives - nice surprise. But I like Choi Chul Ho better than YSH here. I found YSH's singing more impressive than his acting.
(v) You are Beautiful - Best drama this year (as well as since I started watching Kdrama). I did not like JGS in the past. But I become his fan after watching YB. He is really a talented star. I like the fast pace of the drama and the funny scenes. These elements are unique amongst Kdramas (which typically like to drag in the middle and are too serious/sad for the enjoyment of the audiences.)

I hope JGS and PSH can get some acting awards this year for their excellant performance in YB.

YAB IS NO 1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i like Sukkie so much!

Oh, these polls are so much fun! Thank you, javabeans!!!

I had a tough time voting because I have quite a few favourites, but I can just imagine how much harder it was for javabeans to even come up with all the various, creative options. LOL Hong-ki and Geun-seok pairing!

P.S. Can I vote more than once, or is that against the rules? lol:)

100!! for You're Beautiful!!! Funtastic! Jackfot!

~x(

arghhh! i had such a hard time voting. oy! what a way to start the week, i was super exciting when i read the heading - but to actually vote, it took me almost an hour to decide..

although if i was honest with myself the following are MY TOP 5 of 2009:
1. You're Beautiful - insert (squeeeeeeeeeeeeeel*) + everything about it i absolutely loved
2. Brilliant Legacy - i know the story can be found in other dramas of the past, but it was how it was delivered that made it for me
3. Boys Over Flowers - yes, it's a remake. yes, it's over the top. BUT it was too addicting not to watch and rewatch and rewatch
4. Friend, Our Legend - HYUN BIN + mobster = intense drama
5. Return of Iljimae - i definitely liked this version MUCH better, sceneries were amazing, and the different martial arts were fun to watch

i agonized about the following:
1. LEADS - HTK & GJP's as leads, but HTK tipped the scale by a hairline - really i choose HTK because of his smile in YB
2. COUPLE - HTK & GMN, SWH & GES or GJP & GJD's interactions with one another in all their scenes. i ended up deciding on HTK & GMN because they made their characters come to life in a natural way, they had the least awkward interactions compared to the others

i LOL'd regarding alternate pairing of HTK & Jeremy. Lee Hong Ki played such a refreshing role in YB and if i had to choose alternate couple - it would be them. although soeulmates came in 2nd.

cheers to us all! and may 2010 bring us really good dramas to discuss. PAX!

everyone who has voted... seems to have... GOOD TASTE!
*gives a toothy pig-rabbit grin*

Many of the dramas listed I still haven't seen, but YAB is hands-down my favourite drama of the year. Followed closely by City Hall (the chemistry between CSW and KSA was insane!)...

Many people seem to think that the poll is a little unfair, as YAB just finished airing and is still fresh in everyone's mind. However, we're not talking about dramas that aired years ago! If you have a strong reaction to a drama, I'm sure your memory will hold up for one year.... And if you can't remember it, then it proves that the drama wasn't so great to begin with.

Thank you JB for the poll, this was a lot of fun!! Just a tiny observation. I can't help but notice that City Hall's JG and/or MR were missing from Favorite Characters list...part of why so many people loved CH was because of the 2 incredibly well written and mature main characters!

uhmm... interesting polls..
but then again I'm sorry if I'm biased
best drama of the year : you're beautiful
sorry for city hallers, but to be honest the story did not make me finished it. I love the pairing but sometimes I thought that Kim Sun Ah was too much. :(
I watched Story of A Man, good kdrama but then again I havent finished
Cain and Abel is a disappointed kdrama, along with My Fair Lady
Best pairing : Hwang Tae Kyung and Gi Mi Nyeo
yes, I know that some people disagree but then you have to know that it's Tae Kyung's character, I'm glad that the writers stick till the end.

woa, it is really interesting voting in this.
I enjoy all the categories you've made and I am quite satisfied with dramas you mentioned.
Actually, I was a bit confused choosing " the biggest disappointment" because I didn't watch them at all or dropped them at the middle.
You're beautiful impressed me well but I think it is "over-voted". However, it's ok because it means YB is love the most.
And I hope the best for dramas in the new year! Thanks so much for your hard wok!

my favorite kdrama this year is
PARTNER -- because its defferent to all korean drama i watched.
its not typical korean drama.. its a well made drama.. and its suitable to young professional .. and the acting of the cast are excellent.

especially KHJ & LDW.

Just wanted to say thank you for all your hard work this year! I really enjoyed all of your posts...

Hard one, hard one. (People only seem to fight over whether BOF or YAB takes the crown home!)
Here's my pick even though I haven't seen or finished many dramas this year, hehe.

FAVORITE DRAMA OF 2009: City Hall. No doubt, it's perfection~
FAVORITE THRILLER OR BLOCKBUSTER DRAMA: Story of a Man. Though I need to say I never finished watching it. But it was something new.
FAVORITE HISTORICAL DRAMA: Queen Seon Duk. Watch it with FFW and you'll love it.
FAVORITE TRENDY DRAMA: Can't really consider City Hall being trendy, so my vote goes to YAB (:
FAVORITE MELODRAMA OR SOAP: Only seen "Temptations of an Angel" and it's watchable.
FAVORITE FAMILY DRAMA: Creating Destiny!! It's nothing really original but fun, fun, fun!
FAVORITE CHARACTER: Go Jun Pyo! (We should have a female and male category.)
FAVORITE COUPLE: Kim Sun Ah and Cha Seung Won.
FAVE ALTERNATE PAIRING: Mhmm, how about Lee Hong Ki and Park Shin Hye? (:
BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE: Lee Min Ho. He really was the best about BOF.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Dream?
MOST OVERRATED DRAMA: BOF (just slightly beats IRIS).
MOST UNDERRATED DRAMA: I haven't finished SOAM or He Who Can't Marry but I finished Strike Love, and I loved it. Or better, I love baseball! It didn't deserve to be cut though.

Lastly, I wanna thank you, javabeans, for all your hard work all these years <3 Thanks so much!

Thanks for the fun poll JB!

The only k-drama I've actually watched from beginning to end is YB. It's also the reason I'm on this site now, and I don't think I'm the only one. Those like me are probably the ones getting YB their landslide votes, especially as the drama is fresh in everyone's minds. I AM aware that there are other great dramas and talented casts out there but that doesn't mean that YB doesn't deserve the votes it's got. It's just a matter of timing. And fyi, it has nothing to do with age. (I'm looking at you dramalover).

Okay so I admittedly voted for YB in almost all its categories so yes, I'm pretty biased, but it's all in good fun, isn't it? BoF just didn't do it for me. I don't find F4 all that hot, either, the character I remember the most is GaEul. :S

Oh and I voted for TK-Jeremy too :D

Frankly How could people vote for puppy one dimensional with three faces Domyoji/Jun Pyo portraying and acting by overrated lee min ho when ther are Im Joong Hwan in TTI or Kim Kang Woo in SOAM who did a faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar better job than him ???? WOW people wake up

No, I'm not "the Grace" who posted the Number #1 comment.
Yep, I'm "the grace" from New Jersey, USA.

There are too many of these dramas that I've never seen,
for me to intelligently vote in all of the categories and questions.
And I usually considerd myself to be ONLY a historical drama fan.

But without knowing anything about the previous history......
.......book, movie, Japanese and Taiwanese TV versions, etc, etc.
I "tripped" onto "Boys Over Flowers" and loved it, to the point
where I printed up each episode from your site (plus the gazillion
comments from viewers) and now have a few 3-ring binders
holding my BBF albums. Luckily, I'm a wonderful person, or I would
be complaining about how much this ji-gundo printing project cost me.
(I had to use the printer at my local library, and paid for EACH PAGE.)

Thank you, Drama-Java beans, for your summaries and for this site.

So now I'm off to play my violin in the woods. As WE ALL DO! :)

*

YAB...simply the best...and i voted for TK and Jeremy too...lol

Who was your favorite drama character of the year?
WHY DO YOU THINK SUN WOO HWAN PLAYED BY LEE SEUNG KI DOES NOT DESERVE TO BE ON THE LIST OF CHOICES??????????????

As much as I love You're Beautiful and Boys Over Flowers, nothing beats Brilliant Legacy for me, it had everything I love in a drama and really drew me in to the characters and their stories...the same way Smile, You is pulling me in.

You're Beautiful and Boys Over Flowers, will always be remembered but Brilliant Legacy will always stand out to me.

hey javabeans,
i think you should have a category for "good story line in a drama" .
And please do not include stuff like boys before flowers (which is thought is seriously overrated,with the most annoying dialogues) and also some lame stories like brilliant legacy.
I mean seriously are people out of their mind???? Voting for story like that wherein almost everybody seems to be connected to the leading lady is ridiculous. Its almost like anything that gets lost (like the leading lady's bro) or the ol'granma all meet the same person !!! phew ....

Also please include much original stories like story of man which i found much entertaining in all categories rather than the ones that just had mass appeal and good numbers.

DANG!!
SOEULMATES NEVER DIES!!!
I wish that both Kim Bum and Kim So Eun will have a new project together in the future! *fingers crossed*

City Hall, City Hall, City Hall...2009's BEST

Then Tamna and Smile You - I cant make a bit difference between them except of the genre. I love both dramas as they are so heartwearming and funny with great actors.

But again, best drama, acting, pairing, scenario is City Hall.

Mixing politics in the same time with love, intrigues, drama and comedy, making you laugh, cry, swoon and say wow what a great witty plot...all together makes City Hall the best drama for me.

I know a lot of U.S, english, german and turkish dramas, and this years korean dramas too but comparing them all with CH, I have really never ever watched sth so entertaining for years.

City Hall was definetly the best screenplay with best main leads acting of 2009

:D

City Hall for ever

Biggest disappointment..missed out style..

for BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE category, i was a bit disappointed that Shinwoo sunbae aka Jung Yonghwa was not on the list. but Gu Junpyo....yeah.

Heheheh first time posting in ur site! just wanna say that ur reviews are awesome! and so does ur poll!!!

And yep, since I mentioned "poll", does I need to say more that I voted for You're Beautiful in every category that it's in? coz it has ranked TOP in my most-favourite Kdrama of the year (if not for all times, besides Goong, of course!)

I agree with some of u that since YAB just finished, the feeling is still "lingering" and that's why a lot of us are voting. But doesn't that go to show how popular the drama is? a good drama is the one that can capture ur heart and captivate ur mind even when it's over. Just look at soompi K-drama thread and u'll understand wat I mean. The drama is over for like...2 weeks ago? and up till now any time I visit the thread, there're still almost 100 visitors. How many dramas that can actually have such big impact on people? It's not like some kind of shows where u enjoy and then when it ended, u say Oh well, so here comes the end. It's an unforgettable show that reminds everyone of us a period of time where we all experienced that feeling when we first fall for someone.

So well, enough said, YAB totally blow me away. I'm incurable, and have no plan to be cured anyway

Thank you JB for putting up this poll!! u'r def. awesome!

OMG! I just noticed that Jeremy and HTK are beating "soulmates" in the favorite alternative couple!!! That is so awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also, I think BOF should be under biggest disappointments because I was really excited to watch it after HYDF was released but I could hardly get through the first 30 minutes of the first episode and ended up fast forwarding to through most episodes...

And YAY for YAB....by far the best drama in a long time

@ Linda and Madita - Yah!!! to all the City-hallers here.. I voted for City Hall for a bunch of stuff too!!!! ^_^ I love YB too... but my fav. drama of this year and my fav couple has to be frm City Hall.. !!

CITY HALL!! CITY HALL!!! CITY HALL!!

1. i have to say: Thank you JB
2. i have to say : YAB is the best
3.i have to say : looking forward for sesone 2
4.i have to say : mi nyou and teakyang for ever :* :* :*
5. i have to say: ilove them(SW and Je and minam and TH of cours)

@ niKai and Emma and icarusfalls

All the City Haller are here! :-) But we're really over at samsooki's episode 12 recaps, c'mon, its the episode with MR-JG on the bluff and the back hug (omo omo, I am flaming from within again) so we have lots to discuss.

Anyways, I'm happy 2009 seems like it brought lots of happiness to drama viewers. I don't care who wins what, everyone should be able to vote for their "favorite".

Now, if this was a poll on what is objectively the best drama of 2009 and the like, well, then, it's gonna be a bloody battle. :-P Teasing, love and win are so subjective, but 2009 was a great drama year for me.

Ending on a re-watch of City Hall.

@ robotmatsuri

Thank you for the JG dialogues, he's really The Man, and even when he falls in love, he gives it everything he's got. And of course, my fave speech from JG is: "I'm going to the Blue House, and on my inauguration day, I will dance with my wife. Will you dance with me on my inauguration day." [Cue ockoala falling over and laying prone on the floor for 30 minutes in full swoon]

I didn't watch many of the dramas you listed. My favorites were Story of a Man and Sol Pharmacy. The acting and storyline in Story of a Man, was intense. I couldn't wait to see the next episode or to ponder your recaps. (Which were excellent)

Loved Sol Pharmacy because it made me laugh out loud. The mothers got pretty annoying after a while, but all in all it was great. Loved all the quirky sons and the Dads.

I'm also watching IRIS. It's action packed, beautiful photography and interesting story.

You're Beautiful was cute. I really like JGS. He's beautiful. I thought the acting was pretty solid.

Thank you, Javabeans for this blog and your recaps. I love the still photos you post along with the recaps.

i'm a little confused - how do i actually vote? is there a link somewhere, cause I don't see it. or are we just posting comments???

i love love LOVED Story of a Man!

My favorite dramas are City Hall (rom com) , A Star's Lover (melodrama) and The Man Who Can't Get Married (comedy genre). Although Boys OVer Flowers is not on top of my list but certainly a favorite too and thanks to Lee Min Ho who practically made the show watchable. The rest of BOF casts were just BLEH..

I have yet to see You Are Beautiful but after seeing the polls, I am going to give it a try.

#244 Soon2Soon, there is a VOTE button under each category above the "View Results".

I'd have to say, Partner was def underrated. YB and Iris are the best for me this year, and I've yet to see City Hall, w/c looks really promising based on reviews

LOL I wonder if the poll takers are so biased toward YAB because it just finished and its fresh in the mind. Either way, I would rather watch this over and over again than any other (yes, even BoF) i hope YAB gets lots and lots of awards!!!!

SOAM was my favorite drama of the year! Chae Do Woo was certainly a character I really fell in love with. 8D