How was 2009 for you?

410 December 6, 2009April 6, 2017

by javabeans

With the year coming to an end, that means it’s time to take stock of the past twelve months (well, eleven really) in kdramas. The broadcast stations will be holding their awards ceremonies at the end of the month, and I’m working on my wrap-up of 2009’s offerings — as are some very talented (and prolific!) drama-watching fans — which I’ll post up closer to the end of the year.

But this is your turn to weigh in on what you liked or didn’t. I didn’t do a year-end poll last year (after putting one up in 2007) and people seemed to really want one, so it’s back.
coup

Note that for most cases, I used the word “favorite” as opposed to “best,” so vote on your favorite in each category, whatever that word means to you. It could be the one you thought was the best quality, or simply the one you enjoyed the most. Polls will be open for voting till the end of the month.

FAVORITE DRAMA OF 2009

I tried to be inclusive but naturally couldn’t list every drama that aired in 2009 (there were more than 50). I included dramas that aired the majority of their episodes this year, but left off those that aired more than half their episodes in 2008 (like East of Eden) or haven’t yet aired half their runs (Will It Snow For Christmas).

Did I leave out your favorite? Let me know in the comments!

Update! Added:

FAVORITE THRILLER OR BLOCKBUSTER DRAMA

Dramas in this category often boast big budgets and feature big names in front of and/or behind the cameras, whether that means lead actors like Lee Byung-heon or A-list screenwriters like Choi Wan-kyu (Swallow the Sun) or Song Ji-nah (Story of a Man). These dramas may also feature stories with broad scopes, lots of suspense and/or heated power struggles — mobsters, assassination attempts, espionage, and money games, they’ve got it all.

FAVORITE HISTORICAL DRAMA

Some of these are more conventional historicals, while others are in the fusion bent, but all are period pieces and feature some great costuming, acting, and fusion-inflected music and score.

FAVORITE TRENDY DRAMA

Trendy kdramas, which are mostly set in contemporary times and tend to focus on relationships and modern urban life, aren’t the exact same thing as romantic comedies, but the two terms have become almost synonymous when talking about Korean dramas nowadays. (This is particularly true because trendy no longer means exclusively contemporary. The growing fusion trend is giving rise to the “trendy sageuk” such as Hong Gil Dong and Tamra the Island, both of which are, of course, not set in modern times.)

FAVORITE MELODRAMA OR SOAP

A couple of the dramas below seem like they belong more in 2008 (A Star’s Lover, Wife’s Temptation) but they did indeed broadcast more than half their episodes in 2009. The oft-derided (but highly watched) “makjang” genre fits in here, where fast developments employ outrageous plot twists and do anything under the sun to keep ratings high, whether it’s the use of devices like switched identities, secret babies, revenge vendettas, adultery, violence, and/or tragedy. But not all soaps are makjang, and while an entry like A Star’s Lover may also be considered a trendy, but I think its tone is pure melodrama.

FAVORITE FAMILY DRAMA

Family dramas are difficult to summarize in 100 characters (my word limit here), because they’re often populated with lots of members of a sprawling, multigenerational family. Tonally, there’s no restriction; they can range from straight/dramatic to light-hearted and comic. The themes most often explored are love and marriage, generational conflicts, and interfamily relationships. It’s stuff that sounds generic on paper, but the execution and tone of the drama sets the series apart from each other.

FAVORITE CHARACTER

If someone were to say a character’s name, would you immediately have a sense of not only which drama they were in, but what kind of qualities the character embodies? Has his or her name become shorthand for an entire set of traits? (“Sageuk F4,” for instance, probably elicits an immediate mental picture. As does “middle-aged Gu Jun-pyo.”) If you have to puzzle over a character’s name, wondering where he/she was from, they probably aren’t in this list.

FAVORITE COUPLE

For better or for worse, modern kdramas focus heavily on love relationships between its main characters. Often we’ll get the obvious love triangle or rectangle, although sometimes the lines will get even more messily entangled and create other romantic polygons. This kdrama emphasis on love could spark an entire discussion of its own, so I’ll just say that this means that a drama’s appeal is often linked inextricably to the effectiveness of its main pairing. It’s even true when the drama is (ostensibly) about something other than romance, such as medicine, law, business, war, or espionage. When a main couple fails to spark and create chemistry, no matter how well their parts are written, a drama loses some of its energy. But when they do come together, boy does the end result end up much more than the sum of its parts. So, who sizzled this year?

FAVE ALTERNATE PAIRING

Sometimes an alternate pairing is just as fun as the OTP (“one true pairing,” aka the main couple) — or even more so. When an OTP becomes too drawn out, often a second pairing will lighten things up and allow you to enjoy romantic chemistry without as much angst. Or perhaps you suffer from Second Lead Crush Syndrome (as I often do), and find the supporting male lead more compelling, or deserving, than the hero. You know it’s a losing proposition but you’ll root for Mr. Second Lead to get the girl instead.

NOTE: To clarify (sorry for the confusion), Boys Before Flowers’ true “soulmates” are Jan-di and Ji-hoo (Gu Hye-sun, Kim Hyun-joong). “Soeulmates” is the nickname for Kim Bum and Kim So-eun’s characters.

BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE

I’m talking about people who were relatively unknown before a 2009 drama made their star rise. Therefore, even though Go Hyun-jung acted the heck out of a memorable character, she doesn’t count because she’s already an A-lister. Even some actors who aren’t at her level — like Kim Bum (Dream), Kim Kang-woo (Story of a Man), or Jang Geun-seok and Park Shin-hye (You’re Beautiful) — weren’t counted because they were all known prior to their roles this year. On the other hand, the following actors went from unknown names to familiar faces overnight:

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

I learn this lesson time and time again: You can never judge a drama until it’s actually aired, no matter what it seems like from the pre-show promos and teasers. It cuts both ways: Sometimes a drama will be surprisingly good. But conversely, when pre-show buzz seems strong and/or certain well-loved stars are making television comebacks, it’s natural to get one’s hopes up. Unfortunately, that often leads to disappointments when the drama falls short of our expectations.

MOST OVERRATED DRAMA

I know the word “overrated” carries some baggage, but here I want to use it as the direct opposite of “underrated” — as in, you feel it got more attention than it merited (even if the drama was generally good). This is a small category, given that to be here, these dramas had to be popular enough in the first place to be considered overrated.

MOST UNDERRATED DRAMA

Now for the other end of the spectrum: These dramas had smaller fanbases and lower ratings numbers, but were, sadly, not given their due. Thank goodness for mania fans, eh?

(And because I know someone will ask: No, I didn’t include You’re Beautiful in either the overrated or underrated categories. It didn’t get high enough ratings to be put in the above list, but its media and fan buzz was so strong that I don’t think you could call it underrated, either.)

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251 Fan

December 7, 2009 at 10:31 AM

Thanks again JB, love your blog... so much cool discussions! :)

@198 and others

Spacibo Katya! Vy Russkaya nyet?

I can't really talk relative merit amongst the dramas this year, only seen 5 of the k-dramas listed this year, so apologies for even voting!

I'm not trained as a critic, so really I can't talk relative merit to some sort of literary gold standard.

I'm even new to the Korean genre (been a TVB fan for decades, only started kdrama, jdorama and CCTV stuff in the past 3 years) so I'm not even up for discussing relative merit to the genre.

But can I say, YB seems really to attract a wide-range of audience? And that I think it should be super-celebrated as part of a greater kdrama trend I'm seeing?

Out of interest I counted how many languages the last episode of YB was subbed into, by _volunteers_, mostly within days if not hours of the episode running, and here's that list:

Arabic subtitle completed 100%
Bulgarian subtitle completed 100%
German subtitle completed 98%
Greek subtitle completed 100%
English subtitle completed 100%
Spanish subtitle completed 100%
French subtitle completed 100%
Indonesian subtitle completed 100%
Japanese subtitle completed 89%
Korean caption completed 0%
Malay subtitle completed 91%
Portuguese subtitle completed 100%
Romanian subtitle completed 100%
Russian subtitle completed 87%
Swedish subtitle completed 89%
Thai subtitle completed 96%
Tagalog subtitle completed 100%
Turkish subtitle completed 94%
Vietnamese subtitle completed 23%
Chinese subtitle completed 94%

20 tongues, and this is at one site- by passionate fans who have day-jobs and speak all sorts of languages and live all over the planet.

One more vignette: I was just in Ethiopia and met a volunteer doctor there who's American with dark hair (but Caucasian in background) and apparently a group of rural Ethiopians asked him if he's Korean. Somehow they have TV access... and watch kdrama, but get very, very little other International exposure. So anyone with the least hint of having dark hair, but fair skin they immediately associated with Koreans.

What am I trying to say?

I think Kdrama fans should be proud. Its nothing short, I think, of cultural hegemony (albeit on a small scale!) What the Mongolians couldn't do by horses, the Romans with roads and aquaducts, the British with their Navy and the Americans (I suppose this one is still up for debate! ;) ) even with business, perhaps, in some small way, Korean will manage with their k-dramas! :)

Conquer the world! ;)

(Don't glare at me! I'm not even Korean, never been there... but boy do I want to now! :) )

Alright, what am I really saying?

I'm saying I love YB. I'm don't have your expected kdrama profile (not housewife or teen or Korean or even living in Asia, though I am Asian! :) ) and I know there are lots of fans who also are kdrama odd-balls who liked YB.

Why not celebrate YB as a part of what Kdrama is doing so well? The famed Hallyu trend may be considered old news in Asia and Asian fans may start to roll their eyes at how typical it is, but guys, this is PHENOMENAL! Why aren't you all, kdrama fans, partying like it's 1999??!!!

(Opppsss... I mean 2009.... oh well, you know what I mean!) :)

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252 Bellamafia

December 7, 2009 at 10:43 AM

Oh gosh.. I wish I could vote, but I don't think it's fair enough to give a vote, meanwhile I've seen only 1 or 2 dramas per question. I don't want my voting based on somebody's opinion to judge if they are good or not (like YB, since I haven't seen it yet). So.. I'll just read the questions and the comments.. :-).
Good job, JB.. as always :-) . Polling is always fun and entertaining.

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253 Ariane

December 7, 2009 at 10:57 AM

Thanks for the poll - I enjoyed answering it! :D TBH, got this link from soompi's YAB thread HAHA.

I'm a pretty long time Dorama and/or K-Drama fan. I watched quite a lot and most of them till the end. But YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL was the very first drama for me that totally hyped me all over.

The cast is totally awesome and really talented! ♥ And JGS kicked an awfully loud teenager out of me. Can't remember giggling this much in 2009. I think with YAB comes a special magic and warmth. It's cute and childish - but isn't it like YAB leaves a great feeling within the viewers? I always had a warm and comforting feeling with it.

YAB Cast NO! Crew did a really great job. This one's definately the most underrated Drama in 2009. Where's the "Favourite OST" ? xD

Thanks for reading

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254 Two Cents

December 7, 2009 at 11:01 AM

I see a lot of commenters observe that YAB wins out over other dramas because it so recently ended. However, I would have to say that YAB wins out over all catergories for me not because it so recently ended, but because I vote based on my overall excitement for the drama and also on the annoyance scale. I always looked forward to watching YAB and was hardly ever annoyed at any of the characters or the acting. The acting was overall fairly good (JGS was amazingly good) and YAB beats out all dramas of 2009 on the cuteness and "feeling all pink an happy" scale. I also loved this drama for its entertainment value. It made me feel good watching it, whereas BBF made me bite my nails with irritation. Another scale for me is whether I want to watch the drama again after it ends. I haven't felt compelled to watch a single episode of BBF since it ended, but have watched other episodes of YAB. Still, BBF wins out on the "I cannot explain it, but I am so addicted category" but YAB wins out on overall excitement, cuteness, story and romance. For me, that's entertainment.

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255 Martha

December 7, 2009 at 11:04 AM

City Hall for best drama/comedy 2009 (and for many years to come, I think). Cha Seun (swoon) Won and Kim Sun Ah gave us a memorably delightful and sexy couple, the kind that used to be found in the glory days of Hollywood. In fact the series and the couple should serve as the standard (to match or beat) for future script writers and couple-acting. Once the extraordinary delights of that series are noted, one can move to considering the merit of other dramas. I'd like to put a good word for Friend, Our Legend (and Hyun Bin, my love at second site). Thankfully there are still productions that labour under, the now, lamentably, old-fashioned, idea that a TV series should still set itself relatively high standards of character exploration, realism, reflection on human experience (especially on that of the violent kind) and the like, rather than rest satisfied with identifying a target audience and then hiring the trendy hacks de nos jours to concoct a formula that would please ('entertain') those whose taste has already been decided.
YAB would have been as messy (and off-putting to me) as BOF, had it not had the good fortune to cast a truly interesting actor in the male lead; he's not just handsome and debonair but equally, and more to the point, a very promising actor and singer too. Now, as others have mentioned before, I too was uneasy with the series' misogynism and even more uneasy with the frivolity with which it carried it around.

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256 crash

December 7, 2009 at 11:05 AM

the reason that in Thundie's site, CH is winning over YB is because there at Thundie's, you are asked to vote for your 5 best dramas. CH was generally patronized as it had really good ratings in Korea while alot of people avoided YB for the supposed chocolate and candy story/cast.

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257 lele

December 7, 2009 at 11:17 AM

Here are some dramas that I've seen this year

Boys Over Flowers- I was one of the tons of people who was highly expecting a good turnout of this version. So technically, i was also one of the tons of people who were disappointed in this drama. The lead actress was so incredibly annoying I stopped watching halfway. I though I'll get used to her eventually...but BLEH. Also, the production team inserted like, a lot of inappropriate soundtrack in every scene. Goong also did the same, but their music was nicer and was actually appropriate.

You're Beautiful- for all its comparison with Hana Kimi before it started (not the same in ANY way) , I'd have to say this drama didn't fail. One of the best for me this year, together with Iris. Made me laugh and cry and it was cute how Go Mi Nam was so oblivious about everything. I specifically liked the first few episodes but got a little annoyed near ending cus of the continuous comparisons and metaphors with the STARS. And it kind of got predictable too. But still really, really good. Best by far than any other korean rom-coms

Iris- need I say more? There were a few flaws here and there, but the production, actors and plot were really amazing. I'm wondering why a lot people commented that it has a slow pacing, whereas I think the opposite. This is the most fast paced kdrama I've seen. One thing happens after the other like a good one hour action movie. And I honestly haven't seen any actor better than Lee Byeong Hyeon. He def deserved to be lead!

Shining Inheritance- I though the cliche story of a rich,rude guy falling for a nice, poor girl (and changing him in the process) wouldn't work for me anymore. Brilliant Legacy has an engaging plot, good chemistry from the lead, but somehow forgettable. It's like I'm only watching it to past time.

Partner- I hate how this is so underrated. Lee Dong Wook was better in here than in My Girl (or maybe it's just me, cus its the exact opposite of his character in MG) It has flaws, like how the sub characters' story dragged at most parts, but the court battle scenes were really engaging, whether unrealistic or not (I don't know much about law). I especially liked how the two leads solved their first case--the one with the brother rumored killing her sister---i have to admit it made me cry.

Lady Castle/My Fair Lady- Since I wasn't really expecting much based from the trailer. I still tried watching cus (c'mon) its Yeh, but it was no good. Yeh couldn't pull off being a bitch at the first few epis, there was no chemistry between the leads, and the plot just plain sucks--the story is almost comparable to BOF, only Gu jun pyo was Yeh here.

Triple- funny w/out trying too hard, I loved adorable Poong-ho, but the story spiraled out of control towards end

Will watch City Hall now, it has good reviews!

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258 vis

December 7, 2009 at 11:21 AM

Wow, Story of a Man got totally overruled by You're Beautiful. At least ppl do agree that it's the most underrated drama of 2009~

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259 Dopey

December 7, 2009 at 11:22 AM

Best couple has to be City Hall, YAB was childish first love.

Im totally gonna get murdered of for this but YAB should not win half those polls, its not fresh or new at all, it was the same plot just told better thanks to the cast. Story of a Man on the other hand was outstanding. Its such a shame its even been overshadowed by IRIS. But I guess popularity polls would go that way. I guess we should be glad that BOF didn't top the polls.

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260 CARA-WARN

December 7, 2009 at 11:32 AM

omg. very perfectly abou drama you're beautiful coz first time i look it that why i falling YAB immedialy. veryone can do anything more than any kdrama. everytime
i look at online i can smile after that.i wish sbs product season 2 soon

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261 codenameblue

December 7, 2009 at 11:43 AM

I didn't vote for some categories because I haven't seen all of the dramas within those categories so I'm afraid my choice will be biased.
On the other hand, I'm glad that You're Beautiful stood out in many categories, eventough perhaps its recent airing influences that a little bit.

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262

December 7, 2009 at 11:49 AM

lol people going nuts over a poll for a FAVORITE dramas, favorite character, favorite pairings.....it's obviously the mater of personal taste in drama. I can't imagine how bad it would be to Dramabeans' official year end review/rating
*hand JB a bullet proof vest*

I'm still stuck half way through with YAB but I can see how it's winning most international viewer's heart. It's light, it's fun and it's different. I love Story of a Man and Brilliant Legacy.

It's interesting quite a many City Hallers said it has a well written script/plot but then also telling us to fast forward the first 5 episodes.....but uh....that is like 25% of the plot, may well just pass it all together.

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263 ockoala

December 7, 2009 at 12:02 PM

@ 262 Anonymous

I don't believe any fan of City Hall advocates fast-forwarding the first 5 episodes, or fast-forwarding any episodes for that matter. I loved every episode, and the concern is that some folks stopped watching because the drama set-up is very dense and the early episodes unfurl in a steady but half-goofy, half -intense tone that is may lead viewers to be confused about what they are watching (a comedy?, a drama?, a rom-com?). In the end, CH is all of the above, but perfectly balanced.

I think the first 5 episodes confusion may stem from comments to stick with the drama for the first few episodes (not about fast-forwarding) until it becomes very clear what you are watching (a love story and then some).

I would have the exact same advice on Tamra the Island, the first few eppies are totally adorable slapstick, episode 5 kickstarts into a completely absorbing, unbelievably rich and satisfying love triangle that will just take your breath away.

I loved CH and YB, this jostling to for one drama to one-up each other is silly. Just vote for your favorites, and enjoy!

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264 skelly

December 7, 2009 at 12:13 PM

Count me in as another one who would have put BBF on the "greatest disappointment" list. I was really hoping for a fresh look that would do something more interesting with the female character, but it just didn't happen - she drove me right out of the drama, despite Lee Min Ho's valiant efforts to keep me interested, LOL.

But best couple? That's got to go to City Hall, if a) you are over the age of 25 and b) have watched it. It's a truly adult couple, with all the drama, complexity, and heat that that implies. The YAB couple is cute, but it's all about first love, and as someone well past the first flush of youth I had trouble watching it without analyzing the problems they are going to have to resolve in the future, LOL.

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265 cingdoc

December 7, 2009 at 12:14 PM

@JB
I was soooo torn with this poll. It's like someone asking me which one of my kids is my favorite...It's especially true between CH and YB; I love each drama for different reasons. Like others who posted earlier, CH is more adult oriented kind of love affairs(passionate and true) while YB it's more "awww, it's so cute and innocent" kind of love. Others, like ROI, well, that's another category- like which one makes me "swoon"...well then it's ROI, followed closely by Tamna Island 's Park Kyu...

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266 Alyssia

December 7, 2009 at 12:17 PM

AAAAAAAAAAAH.. You're beautiful is winning everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!yay!!!!!!!!!! It recieves so much love from everyone............

I love YB so much!!!!!!!!!!!!

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267 Butterfinger

December 7, 2009 at 12:21 PM

Thanks JB :)

I'm all for You're Beautiful :)

For my FAVE ALTERNATE PAIRING:
I agree, Hong-ki liked Geun-seok best! LOL

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268 lilly

December 7, 2009 at 12:22 PM

So for me the best drama of this year is not YAB for me. This show is faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar better than BOF but frankly dramas like SOAM (the hero is the villain), Tamra the Island are better than YAB and fresher and more original.

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269 Denali

December 7, 2009 at 12:23 PM

@ 259 Dopey

Somehow, when you watch and enjoy a drama, it's because you have put yourself in the shoes of one of the characters, at least, and that it helps you dream/fantasize. Thus the story unfolding could be yours, and it has become so, in a way.

Considering the fact that most viewers are teenage/young adults looking up at k-pop groups, longing to be the one fan spottend amongst the many numerous ones, it is thus logical that the majority (of ladies) projects itself in the lead female role. Voting for the drama is like saying, "yes, this is my story, the one I have dearly cherished and long to experience". No surprise then than YAB has gained so many votes, despite what more mature viewers, like you or myself, may think of it in a more ojective way. ;)

@ skelly
Yes !!!!

Edit : *waves at jastinel, skelly, ockoala, epyc, etee and all precious ones!*

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270 shinhyesungluv

December 7, 2009 at 12:41 PM

All hail Story of a Man!

Best drama of the year hands down!

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271 Sabby

December 7, 2009 at 12:56 PM

for the poll on Alternate Pairing, two of the choices are the same thing:

as there was too much comments, I didn't bother to read them at all so sorry if it was repeated.

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272 soon2soon

December 7, 2009 at 1:06 PM

@247 - thanks sorrow. it must be blocked out by my work filter or something, making me look like an idiot.

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273 jangfan

December 7, 2009 at 1:34 PM

well, looking at the present votes. YAB Is a winner. i wonder does it count during drama awards.. i watched other dramas too.. but i enjoyed YAB so much because of jang geun suk.. he should sure win some award this year n recognize for his great job.i watch it again n again n i dont feel bore especially when tae kyung is on.

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274 Ray

December 7, 2009 at 1:52 PM

STORY OF A MAN hands down BEST DRAMA OF 2009! Music, direction, cast ensemble, acting (especially from Kim Kang Woo as the evil genius Chae Do Woo), and plot. This drama is so underrated and it won the Seoul International Drama Awards. Speaks to its quality (not saying 2009 didnt produce quality dramas)

2nd:
YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL - Definitely fun but not the most freshest drama, music was fantastic though and chemistry was there. Jang Gun Seok is the standout performance in this show

3rd:
CITY HALL- Enjoyed this and the chemistry between the leads was intense. Music and story was well done. Dragged a little but definitely interesting to watch.

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275 robotmatsuri

December 7, 2009 at 2:08 PM

@242 ockoala

*waves* Oh definitely! I didn't exactly want to quote that one, because that was definitely the huge firework-like swoon ending for me... didn't want to give everything away. ha. :D Oh how I wish I could find myself a Jo Guk!

@264 skelly

"But best couple? That’s got to go to City Hall, if a) you are over the age of 25 and b) have watched it. It’s a truly adult couple, with all the drama, complexity, and heat that that implies. The YAB couple is cute, but it’s all about first love, and as someone well past the first flush of youth I had trouble watching it without analyzing the problems they are going to have to resolve in the future, LOL."

I definitely thought the exact same thing. Agree x10000--which makes me wonder what the dominating age group is around here... I'm thinking teens-early twenties.

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276 SmilingPasta05

December 7, 2009 at 2:19 PM

Haha! How interesting while I enjoy reading all of MANY people's commenting, mmm!

I agreed with some of people say that -- ALL HAIL "STORY OF A MAN" - it's very BEST and AWESOME, oh yeaaa! I know this is for "You Are Beautiful" drama is HIGHLY popular and best at mostly, wow.

Anyway, I love this HOT best 2009 drama "Story Of A Man" because it's alot of action and suspense while fighting -- UNBELIEVABLE!

Oooo.....I agreed with you, JUDY (#231) for your wish list and I really want to see this NEW 2010 drama for Jang Geun Seok and Moon Geun Young -- ONE of my WISH thought, I HOPE SO! ((crossing my fingers))

I hope all of incoming new 2010 dramas will be GREAT new year, I hope so!
** FIGHTING!!! **

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277 KittySexy978

December 7, 2009 at 2:20 PM

OH MY GOD! i love this movie so much! i am so huge fan of this

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278 KittySexy978

December 7, 2009 at 2:21 PM

i love this movie and i cant believe this movie that gives me goosebump

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279 Sere

December 7, 2009 at 2:28 PM

OMG, this is sooo difficult. I'll come back when I made up my mind... if I can.

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280 samsooki

December 7, 2009 at 2:33 PM

hi sere! long time no see! hope you are doing well!

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281 pachi

December 7, 2009 at 2:55 PM

i enjoy some great dramas this year. can't wait for next year and that is in a month or so. ahaha. thnks javabeans and everyone for the hardwork. ;;)

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282 Molly

December 7, 2009 at 3:17 PM

Samsooki, you are confusing me. You used to be Samsooki with correctly capitalized comments, then you were samsooki with correctly capitalized comments, and now you are Samsooki again but with all lowercase comments! :O

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283 ockoala

December 7, 2009 at 3:29 PM

@ Molly

I think one samsooki is posting from the internet, and the other Samsooki from a phone. Or else, it's two different people, and we have to find out who is the real samsooki.

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284 saramohan

December 7, 2009 at 3:30 PM

Only watched five dramas this year. BOF, Sons of Sol Pharmacy, Tamna, City Hall and You're Beautiful.

City Hall and YB are my top two.

I really enjoyed Tamna but I feel as if I haven't seen enough to judge. If the last episodes hadn't been so heavily edited, I think it might possibly be my favorite. Also, really enjoyed SoSP but I didn't like all the storylines equally and 50 episodes would have been enough. BOF was okay. The first half was better. The plot was convoluted but that's the fault of the source material (I've read the manga).

YB is more fresh in my memory than CH. I think, overall, CH was more satisfying than YB. MiNyeo and TaeKyung are too young to go walking down the aisle so the ending was appropriate but overall, the relationship was rather chaste. Young love/First love is cute and warm and fuzzy but isn't it also hormonal? I'm way closer to 30 than 20 so maybe the appeal of "Puppy Love" has worn off. I like the relationship in CH because it rang true. However, YB was a lot of fun and well-paced.

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285 Arwa

December 7, 2009 at 3:58 PM

MOST UNDERRATED DRAMA >> plz add You're Beautiful

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286 Chele Belle

December 7, 2009 at 4:11 PM

The pic featuring an angel and a woman in green....what Kdrama is that? Thanks for answering.

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287 show2007

December 7, 2009 at 4:30 PM

As much as I hate to disclosure my age, I can tell those YB haters - age is not the factor. Let's see - my undergraduated was 12 years ago so you do the math. As I indicated before, I love both City Hall and You're beautiful and I agree with lots of comments (the positive one) above about YAB. JB, thanks for putting the poll up and I really enjoy reading your insightful recap. Thanks for the hardwork.

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288 Celest

December 7, 2009 at 4:35 PM

Who was your favorite drama character of the year?
MiShil. Hands down she owned every scene. She didn't even need to move. All she did was talk and stare but it worked. I think if MiShil stared at me like the way she stared and scrutinized everyone around her, I would probably pee my pants. In other words, she was BRILLIANT!

Though I'm very surprised by the outcome. I really thought Gu Jyun Po would have won that one since I thought he was absolutely fabulous as the korean version of Tsukasa and his acting was def. a lot better than JGS's Hwang Tae Kyung but I guess YAB is still increadibly popular.

Which couple was your favorite romantic pairing of the year?
My pick would be a tie of the main characters from City Hall and Smile, You. Those two pairs oozes with more chemistry than Go MiNam and Hwang Tae Kyung ever did. Smile, You and City Hall has def. been robbed of this title in my book,

Other than that I really have no qualms, I've always felt that Queen Seon Deok has been the BEST drama of the year but I can see why it might not be popular or the favorite. And no one else thinks that YAB is overrated? It's good but def. overrated (though not the most overrated this year.). All the major and popular dramas made the list like BOF, QSD, Brilliant Legacy and even Iris but YAB is nowhere to be found...hmmm...bias much?

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289 ockoala

December 7, 2009 at 4:36 PM

@ 286 Chele Belle

The picture of the angel and the woman in green is: "Temptation of Angel" starring the world's oppa-ist oppa himself, Bae Soo-bin (fresh off his spectacularly oppa-tastic turn as Park Joon-sae in Brilliant Legacy).

ToA is like Temptation of Wife with a higher budget and stuffing all the makjang elements from 120 episodes in 20. It's pretty majestic that way.

In short: its a revenge drama.

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290 Chrys

December 7, 2009 at 4:40 PM

Oh...poor Triple. I did really enjoy it.

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291 yvhsien

December 7, 2009 at 4:44 PM

When we were given three choices, You're Beautiful came out with higher percentage. This is a testament to the show's popularity. JB, you should send the result of your poll to SBS, MBC and KBS unless they are already doing something similar. I think all the Awards Producers should also get the list.

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292 Chele Belle

December 7, 2009 at 5:19 PM

@289 ockoala Thanks for the answer. Looks very interesting. Too bad US tv does not have these types of dramas.

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293 shiro401

December 7, 2009 at 5:57 PM

@ 288 Celest

"And no one else thinks that YAB is overrated? It’s good but def. overrated (though not the most overrated this year.). All the major and popular dramas made the list like BOF, QSD, Brilliant Legacy and even Iris but YAB is nowhere to be found…hmmm…bias much?"

Maybe it's not considered overrated because its rating is not high (I believe the highest point is the ending with 11.9)? The other dramas mentioned are the dramas with 20+ rating. So how could a 10+-rated drama be considered overrated? :P

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294 emery

December 7, 2009 at 6:22 PM

explain to me how YB is "overrated" considering the fact that JB had mention that YB's ratings are not high enough to be considered overrated. YB, IMO had solid acting, lovable characters, and a good (but obviously not perfect) storyline/plot. what exactly makes it "overrated"?

- is because YB has made many rediscover their passion for kdramas? and you just can't see how or why.
- or is because you don't like certain actors, and don't think they deserve such recognition?
- or is it just not your cup of tea. perhaps it's just too fluffy for your taste?
- can it be that YB is loved by just *too* many people that there has to be something wrong with it?

people tend to get confused when a good drama is loved by many to when a drama is mediocre yet exceeds in ratings. but everyone's opinion on what a "good" and a "mediocre" drama is, so it varies. but most people do have the same view on what is "good" and what isn't so.

** just adding my few cents, no intentions of hurting/insulting anyone. i respect other point of views. so sorry if had offend anyone

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295 ALYN

December 7, 2009 at 6:29 PM

I'm here to bring more love to Tamra the island. This was definitely the best drama of the year for me.

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296 Sutthida

December 7, 2009 at 8:49 PM

Mostly YAB is in 1st and BOF in 2nd!

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297 berrymonster

December 7, 2009 at 8:58 PM

i would like to vote you are beautiful. I not sure i to vote the city hall as i no longer wanted to watch this drama.

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298 yokit

December 8, 2009 at 3:36 AM

The truly memorable ones stand the test of time.... i chose YAB this year and to some extent, BOF (for the lovable soeulmates) .... these 2 re-awakened my enthusiasm for k-drama as the last series i live streamed was Goong. Looking forward 2-3 years from now, i don't believe my choice would change much, and i offer no excuses, i simply love YAB, including some good (and bad acting), cliche lines and logic-defying situations. Yeah, i love fluffy, real life is full of heavy stuff in itself hehehe. imho.

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299 goldlilys

December 8, 2009 at 3:43 AM

Thanks for the poll. Just ignore the haters. It's our favorites after all so I liked how you separated them by genres. I didn't vote in the melodrama category though because I've been avoiding those since I got tired of watching the "old" Kdramas. Too much cliche makes me bored now .... seen too many Kdramas gaahhh.

My favorites are:

You're Beautiful
Story of a Man
Queen Seon Duk
Boys Over Flowers
Smile You
Tamra (when I buy the dvd set since I've only seen first 5 episodes)
Hon / Soul (freakishly amazing especially the main actress)

Disappointments:

Swallow the Sun
Triple
Ja Myung Go

Oh and 2009 is way way better than 2008 for Kdramas.

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300 Dopey

December 8, 2009 at 4:29 AM

Im 20 years old and I thought YAB was overrated by it fans, most who claimed it was the greatest drama ever and then went on to diss Coffee Prince. I know people here didn't but plenty have.

YAB is your typical K drama just dressed up as new and fresh when its not. The first 8 eps had me fooled, I thought I was watching something great but then by ep 10 it had fizzled out. Same conflicts, same situations played out that have been done a thousand times. They were was no real plot by the end, the naivety of the characters was a little annoying by the end aswell and other than Hongki the rest of the side char were so 2D, I mean Yoohi was handled awfully. Its a decent drama, its funny, and really well acted, the characters are quite cute too but the plot was just too predictable, I expected better. And this couple resolved none of their issues, and them getting married was ridiculous.

Having said that it did ignite the old K passion in me.

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