2016 in Retrospect // KDrama Edition

by - 12:36 AM


I wrote a post about my top 5 korean drama of 2016, but as I was finalizing it, I came to a halt. I reread my mini review for each drama and thought to myself, gosh 3 out of 5 of these have more negative comments than positive, and if I could rate those 3 dramas, all of them would've gotten 3 stars. My post might even discourage the readers more than excite and pique their interest. I realized that my expectation and standard on korean dramas have ridiculously rose. So, instead of writing my top 5 for 2016, I'm just going to list all the dramas I watched in 2016 and be really honest on my thoughts. 

PS: I hope it's not too late for this. 
PSS: All of the dramas I'm going to mention aired last 2016- two of which are still airing.

Rating:
5 stars: I LOVED IT. PERIOD.
4 stars: Did not come without flaws, but I still liked it.
3 stars: It was okay. I had "MEH" moments.
2 stars: I was scarred. Why did I make time for this?
1 star: Did not finish.


1. WEIGHTLIFTING FAIRY KIM BOK JOO: 5 stars, ongoing series, still 5 stars 😉

This, without a doubt, is my favorite kdrama of 2016. It has a cute, CUTE couple that are just too irresistible (even guys that I know are hooked to this drama).  It's very refreshing, and sweet, but with right dose of complexity. It's very realistic for me.  Anyone can experience the love story, the conflicts, and the struggles. This drama also focuses on mental health especially the mental pressure and anxiety people feel. Other thing I love about this drama is the fact that other supporting characters and their back stories are incorperated to add wonder to the drama. WARNING in advance: this is cuteness OVERLOAD. I'm telling you!! Prepare your hearts for some heartwarming cuteness that will make you feel all sorts of kilig. And now, I'm gushing. PS: Still an ongoing drama, but I stand by my rating no matter what 😍😍

Watch it in DramaFire || More info in AsianWiki

2. MOON LOVERS: SCARLET HEART RYEO: 4 stars

This is a solid 4 stars. This show made me cry, laugh, angry and root for the characters. You will meet 7 prince here having different charms and personality, but together they're adorable. Also, the heroine here was pretty badass, so that's a win. There were just scenes that were too weak for a strong arc. The inconsistency in the storytelling made me queasy sometimes. Final thoughts: They pulled out the "something" card (not to spoil) on this, I already saw it coming but it still pained me.

Watch it in DramaFire || More info in Wiki

3. GOBLIN: around 3.5 stars for now, ongoing series

Stellar story, not your typical fantasy romance, boggled my mind especially on how they reveal the plot twists. GONG YOO, DONG WOOK!!! However, the main romance isn't working for me. My sister scolds me sometimes haha. Let's see if my opinion will change as it draws to an end.

Watch it in DramaFire || More info in AsianWiki


4. W-TWO WORLDS: 2 stars

This show started off really great. It had the quality of a drama that you couldn't help but to marvel until the end due to its parallel universe and jumping-from-one-world-to-another premise. It even has a very charming and lovely main characters: Lee Jung Sook (heart eyes) and Han Hyo Joo (more heart eyes). But I found the story just running around circles. There were a lot of questions not answered and I was just left hanging til the end. 

Watch it in DramaFire || More info in Wiki

5. DESCENDANTS OF THE SUN: 3 stars

Don't throw your pitchforks at me, folks. I liked this one because it has a very interesting arc regarding the conflicting beliefs of two lovers, but sadly in the end, it didn't deliver. The storyline just came off neutral; not too shoddy, but not too stellar. On the contrary, it has appealing characters with Joong Ki and Hye Kyo as leading actors. It did make me laugh and sad at times (when it should be). I think the factor that really stand out here was the BROMANCE and FRIENDSHIP among the characters. The factor alone would earn this drama a 5 star. There's no question to that. We even have a side romance that could surpass the main romance. 

Watch it in DramaFire || More info in AsianWiki

6. UNCONTROLLABLY FOND: 2 stars

This is one of the drama that really pained me to rate or even review. I loved the beginning; I believe it made a great foundation for the story, but in the end, this drama dragged and became boring. The ending of the drama, however, was a 4 stars for me. It gave me the chill and right kind of emotion melodramatic themed dramas are known for. I was so excited for this because it's Kim Woo Bin (huhu oppa!!!) and Suzy Bae in a drama. I kept lying to myself that it would turn out good even if I already dread a disastrous spectacle to happen. All we got here was angst and more angst. The characters made little growth all throughout 20 episodes.

Watch it in DramaFire || More info in AsianWiki

7. CHEESE IN THE TRAP: 2 stars

I. WANTED. SO. BAD. TO. LIKE. THIS. Believe me. I wouldn't even finish it if I don't have hopes for it to get better. We have a very quirky set of characters. Usually quirky characters are fun for they are usually entertaining, but it felt like the characters here received a memo to overdo or to underplay their roles. There's no in-between. The plot was just too boring for me. Each episode is just like the other and you could totally shorten this drama to 10 episodes and it'll stay the same. But hey, I still liked a few things: Baek In Ho as the second lead; and the narration in each scene/episode was A+.

Watch it in DramaFire || More info in Wiki

8. Cinderella and the Four Knights: 1 star
9. Oh, My Ghost!: 1 star

What I plan to watch this 2017 that aired last 2016

- Signal (Crime Suspense!!): I still don't know why I didn't watch this last year. I can feel this is a 4 or 5 stars *crossfingers*
- Answer Me 1988
- Moonlight Drawn By Clouds (HELLO PARK BOGUM!!!! ♥)

SOOOOOOOOOOOO, that's it. These are my opinions regarding the korean dramas I watched last 2016. These may or may not agree with your own opinion, but hey, we're all subjective here. I'm not discouraging you to not watch those I've rated low. My opinion is just a speck of dust in the the kdrama world anyway haha. I also put the links that may be helpful if you're interested on a certain drama. These will direct you to the summary and premise of the drama as well as other governing helpful information.

Have you watched/heard any of the kdramas above? What's your favorite kdrama that you watched last 2016? What kdramas in this list are you interested? What kdramas do you recommend for meeeee. I like to know! ✨ Spill me your thoughts :D

Disclaimer: All posters are official posters released during the promotion of each drama. I don't own any of these images.

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