My (Latest) Top Ten Korean Dramas

I can't believe it took me three years to follow up my post Must Watch Korean Drama back in 2015 which consists of considered classic dramas now in my opinion. I missed the bloom of Korean drama again that started with Descendants of the Sun then followed up by Goblin but don't worry. I've seen both. You'll see if it's included in my current top 10. I've been in a slump that started in the latter part of 2017 that continued up to now. The last series I've seen and finished was Hwayugi.

After thinking about it so much and conferring with my sister (it's hard to pick when there's a lot of choices), I present you my top 10 starting with:

10. Empress Ki (2013-2014)

In my defense, I only knew of this drama when my sister said she was watching this because of Han Ji Won. Back in my previous post, I mentioned I haven't watched Secret Garden and decided to try it.  I understood why it was a big hit when it aired. Ji Won and Hyun Bin's chemistry was undeniable. I saw this series in 2015 after two more in between and I have to say, Han Ji Won is good in action. I also saw her recent drama, Hospital Ship, but this had more impact. 

Ji Chang Wok was one of the male lead though I discovered him first in Healer which was also a good drama but slightly disappointing in the end. But the surprise in this drama that I had came to like was Tal Tal, Kim Ji Han. He looked good with long hair and armor.

This was my first Korean long historical drama because I hadn't fully seen Dong Yi and Jewel in the Palace in full when it ran in the local television back then, and I only saw Jumong after we have watched this. 

After this and Jumong, I've also seen long historical drama like Goddess of Fire, daily drama like King's Daughter Soo Baek Hyang, Hwaejong, and Six Flying Dragon which was a contender for this place. Yoo Ah In was amazing in that drama. But I feel like Empress Ki hit more things in the right places and with that ending, it was just right even if it wasn't completely a happy ending.

An MBC drama with 1 hr. 51 episodes starring Ha Ji Won, Joo Jin Mo, and Ji Chang Wook set in Goryeo period. It's a love triangle with intricate plot, detestable but talented villains, war and politics. It also doesn't start with Ha Ji Won as the empress despite the title. Ha Ji Won's character is a woman who grew up as a boy to avoid being taken as serving lady in court. Circumstances lead her to become a squire of the exiled future emperor, Ji Chang Wook. She'd also meet the King of Goryeo, Joo Jin Mo's character.

9. Five Children/Five Enough (2016)

Five Children is KBS2 drama series with 54 episodes starring Ahn Jeo Wook and So Yoo Jin. Shin Ye Sun (Yeon Tae) and Sung Hoon (Sang Min) was also part of the cast. It's about a single mom with three children who got divorced because her husband cheated on her with her best friend and a single dad with two kids whose wife died. They work in the same company and they start to fall for each other but they have their kids and family to consider.

For the past years, I have not only seen long historical drama but also family drama, weekly and daily. The most memorable daily drama I saw was A Daughter Just Like You. It had lots of drama and I cried like a baby at the latter parts. Daily dramas and long drama have lesser budgets compared to the high rating weekly drama with standard 16 episodes. My contender for this place was Gentlemen Wolgyesu. It was also good but Five Children has less drama and its love story is not something you see usually in Korean dramas. Both single parents who fell in love with each other and who also work in the same place. The biggest plus for me was the chemistry between Sang Min and Yoon Tae. I hope they would have a separate drama together though Sung Hoon starred in a short drama, My Secret Romance, that went popular too after Five Chidren. Shin Hye Sun was also in the Legend of the Blue Sea. I also saw in an article that Lee Jong Suk would be starring with her in a new drama, Hymn of Death. 

8. Shopping King Louis (2016)

This not as high rated compared to the others in the list but I absolutely adored this series. I think it was the comedy and romance in it or the fact that it was a light drama with no to little villain interference. Seo In Guk is my sister's ultimate crush and at first, I couldn't see why but now, I think I'm part of the club too. He's adorable. I've also seen his drama Squad 38 which was also good despite the little romance in it. I believe I also liked this one because of Louis resemblance to Ouran High School Host Club's Tamaki. They both have little to zero common sense compared to average folks because they're rich beyond imagination.

Another MBC drama with 16 episodes starring Seo In Guk and Nam Ji Hyun is about a rich guy who grew up in France and a girl who lived in the mountains that has no electricity. Bok Shil, Nam Ji Hyun, goes to search for her runaway brother and meets Louis wearing her brother's jacket in the street who became a beggar and lost his memory.

7. W (2016)

Yet another 16 episodes MBC drama, it's about a girl (Han Hyo Joo) who got dragged into web toon by the main lead Kang Chul (Lee Jong Suk).

Of course, what would it be like if Lee Jong Suk is not in my top ten? Really, there's no way. I maybe biased but W deserved it. The premise is very unique and promising, and I've never seen Lee Jong Suk do a fantasy series. I would have ranked it higher but the latter part weren't so good as the first ones and there were plot holes. The drawings for the web toon used for this drama was incredibly realistic and good.

I've also seen Lee Jong Suk's latest drama with Suzy, While You Were Sleeping. The plot was good as well. Better than Doctor Stranger that's for sure but I don't know. I think it was Suzy's acting or their overall chemistry unlike his sparkling, energy-charged, chemistry with Han Hyo Joo in W. I think it's safe to say I ship the two of them. They look so good together. 

Lee Jong Suk was surprisingly good at goofy but not with baby talk in While You Were Sleeping. He was also good as a maniac psycho serial killer in his movie VIP. The ending was disappointing and a little bit boring, but it was good to see a different kind of acting from him.

6. Kill Me, Heal Me (2015)

When I started drafting this post, I didn't realize MBC dominated the list. I saw this series after I watched Healer, a 20 episodes TV drama starring Ji Sung and Hwang Jung Eum. It beat its competitor Hyde and Jekyll starring Hyun Bin. Kill Me, Heal Me is about a guy who has multiple personalities and so he hires a personal psychologist, Hwang Jung Eum. 

I'll be honest I don't remember most of the plot of this one except Ji Sung's multi-personalities and his wonderful acting. He's that good. I've watched several of his drama series including his recent one, Defendant, which was definitely good and heavy on the drama but this one came on top even if I don't recall the story. (Maybe it's because this is the first drama I've seen of him). I've seen Secret Lovers where Hwang Jung Eum was also his partner. That series was too much drama and I only managed to get through the first episodes because I was watching it with my mother. It was painful. I've seen Entertainer as well where Ji Sung partnered up with Hyeri, and Lucky Romance where Hwang Jung Eum teamed up with Ryoo Hyoon Jeol. Both were okay.

Other than discovering Ji Sung, I found another gem. Park Seo Joon was amazing in this. 

5. Goblin (2016-2017)

Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, a tvN drama, with 16 episodes gained international audience more than Reply 1988 did. I think most people would know this drama. Even my aunt became a fan. They have a star studded cast including Gong Yoo, Lee Dong Wook, Kim Go Eun, and Yoon In Na.

Kim Go Eun's role is the bride of Goblin which was Gong Yoo. It happened when Gong Yoo saved her mother who was still pregnant with her got hit by a car. In return, she can see and talk to ghosts, and she became a missing soul hunted by grim reaper especially Lee Dong Wook.

Gong Yoo became a sensation again and Lee Dong Wook as well (have you heard, Lee Dong Wook and Suzy are dating?). What more can I say?  It had an interesting and compelling plot, great actors, and chemistry. I truly enjoyed watching it and I liked age gap romances. The ending was quite satisfactory as well.

I loved Go Eun as much as I went gaga for Gong Yoo. It surprised me a little when I saw a movie of her in Netflix. Nevertheless, she was good in it. The plot was surprisingly unexpected especially the latter. 

4. Fight for my Way (2017)

This was favorite show in 2017. I loved Aera (Kim Ji Won) in this especially after that incident with the car. She was amazing. She was the bomb. I adored Park Seo Joon in Kill Me Heal Me but hated him because of his role in She Was Pretty (I liked SiWon more in that drama). His role in Hwarang was also so-so. But in this one, he was perfect.

The main characters matched well together plus friends to lovers trope, count me in! Nonetheless, I'd be looking forward if ever he has a new project. Other than that, the series has the balance of comedy, drama (especially with the other two main characters though I wished for a different ending with them), and action with kickboxing.

This is a KBS2 drama with 16 episodes starring Park Seo Joon and Kim Ji Won with Ahn Jae Hong and Song Ha Yoon. Fight for My Way is about three childhood friends along with a high school friend (Song Ha Yoon's boyfriend of 6 years) who remained friends and neighbors throughout the years. The show focus is on the four of them as they try to achieve their dreams. Ko Dong Man (Park Seo Joon) is a former taekwondo player while Choi Aera (Kim Ji Won) always wanted to be an announcer but is working in a department store. Kim Joo Man (Ahn Jae Hong) and Baek Seol Hee (Song Ha Yoon) work together in the same company but they're hiding their relationship.

3. Hello Monster (2015)

Hello Monster or I Remember You is a KBS2 drama starring Seo In Guk and Jang Na Ra with Park Bo Gum. Seo In Guk is a genius profiler and Jang Na Ra is a detective officer. They're lives are intertwined with the past events that led up to Seo In Guk's father murder and disappearance of his younger brother.

I was still not a fan of Seo In Guk when I saw this. I picked this because of Jang Na Ra and the story with a serial killer seemed interesting at that time especially since it's uncommon in Korean drama series. I discovered Bo Gum here and his acting here was superb. Though the plot was incredible, there were things I didn't like. One was the ending and how everything wrapped up. It was like no one got caught for their wrongdoings. It was easy to guess who the culprits were but the backstory and how the crime was committed was creative.

I had a hard time picking one for this spot. Fight for My Way and Hello Monster can be switched with one another though I opted to go with plot wise this time. Watching this feels like discovering a hidden gem. Bo Gum's acting was better here than in Reply 1988 in my opinion. His role here suited him perfectly.

This one of my fave ost: https://youtu.be/ahjnQmBWLdk I like this song but beware on watching the video it has spoilers.

2. Another Oh Hae Young (2016)

This drama made me sigh, a good satisfied sigh, and listening to this OST below makes me giddy and nostalgic. I also like re-watching this series. I fell in love with this drama despite knowing that I don't like exes drama. Eric Mun and Seo Hyun Jin's chemistry was on the roof. I would have ship them in real life but Eric married his long time girlfriend last year.

You may find it a little slow in the beginning but I'm sure you'll get hooked as I was when you reach the part where they did the jump and the one with the twirl. But the two main characters were not the only ones who made this drama more special. Kim Ji Suk and Ye Ji Won were incredible as well. They were funny but undeniably good together too. Their characters were a perfect match despite the cliche of how they got together.

Another Oh Hae Young is the literal title of the TV series. There are two Oh Hae Young, Seo Hyun Jin and Jeon Hye Bin. Park Do Kyung (Eric Mun) is a sound director for movies and he suddenly starts having visions that involves Oh Hae Young (Seo Hyun Jin). Eventually, they meet as Do Kyung saw in his vision and their lives become more intertwined when Hae Young's parents threw her out of their house because of their frustrations with her for calling off her wedding with her boyfriend (Lee Jae Yoon). Another Oh Hae Young is a tvN drama with 20 episodes.

1. Reply 1988 (2015-2016)

Answer Me 1988 is one of my most re-watched series. I haven't seen the other two Reply series  (1994 and 1997) before this and I only checked this out because of Bo Gum after I saw Hello Monster.

This tvN drama with 20 episodes is one of the highest rated show in Korean Cable television history. It revolves around 5 childhood friends who were also neighbors and their families back in the year 1988. Like the previous drama, as I have heard, there's also the present where Duk Seon has a husband already and it's one of her childhood friend. Reply 1988 starred with Hyeri of Girls' Day, Ryoo Joon Yeol, Ko Gyung Pyo, Lee Dong Hwi and Park Bo Gum.

I'm not really sure why I absolutely adored this drama. Maybe it's because of the comedy, drama, and lightness of it with sparkle of romance here and there. It was also cool to see the time before cellphones and electronic heaters. But the best was the dynamic of the actors and how well they acted together. 

I'm sure you've heard if you follow Korean dating rumors and news. But this is a spoiler if you haven't seen it. SPOILER!! To those who were a Jungpal's shipper, there's no need to be sad any longer because it continued in real life. See the article to know more about what I'm talking about.

So that's it. My current top ten. What about Descendants of the Sun, the legendary Song Song Couple, or Legend of the Blue Sea? Like I said earlier, it was hard to pick just ten so I decided make another post where I'll mention noteworthy dramas I've seen of the almost last three years. Watch out for it!

How about you? What's your current top ten? Or what are you currently watching? I'm starting with Something in the Rain and I hope it would get me out of my slump. Do you have any suggestions? What's the next drama I should watch?