Wow! What a year it has been! As 2015 comes to a close, it’s time to look back at all of the happenings in Dramaland this past year. As my first year of blogging, it has been a great experience to write about what I love and connect with other kdrama fans. I look forward to more exciting things in the year ahead.
Now on to the list! This list includes all of the dramas that I watched which aired in 2015. This is completely my opinion on these dramas, and it does not reflect Korean or international ratings or the popularity of any particular drama among fans. This is just my list from least to most favorite. So here we go!
16.Hidden Identity
Hidden Identity was a drama I watched on a whim and ended up very disappointed. The first couple episodes had such an interesting premise, and I was so excited to see how it was all going to play out, but then everything fell apart around episode three. Boredom and shoddy police work sum up the rest of this drama. Of course, Kim Bum was great, as well as the other actors. It’s the story surrounding them that just didn’t cut it. My Rating: 4/10 (Hidden Identity Review)
15.Mask
Mask was definitely the go to melodrama of the year, but I was a bit underwhelmed by it. There was a lot of hype surrounding it, and I was ready for some over the top melodrama. For me, it didn’t quite live up to the excitement that the rest of the fandom seemed to be experiencing.
It took about six episodes for me to even get into the drama. After that, Mask was interesting, but I failed to connect with any of the characters on a deep level. I did enjoy some of the couple moments later on, and it did have some fabulous villains. I actually do think this drama got better as it went along, and the last third or so was pretty good.
In the end, it always felt like this drama should be amazing, but it seemed to lack something. So overall, it was a decent watch, but something I probably will not be revisiting. My Rating: 6.5/10 (Mask Review)
14.Sassy Go Go
Sassy Go Go was a pleasant watch. There’s nothing new here, but it’s cute, fun, and heartwarming. Throughout the drama, we watch our students come together as a team to participate in a cheerleading competition. We see them struggle, grow, and become closer friends.
Our main couple played by Lee Won Geun and Jung Eun Ji was pretty darn cute. And Ji Soo put forth a wonderful performance as a follow up to his earlier drama Angry Mom. The 12 episodes passed by quickly, and I’m glad I took the time to watch it. My Rating: 7/10 (Sassy Go Go Review)
13.Oh My Ghostess
Oh My Ghostess was a nice little drama with lots of laughs and lots of cute. It had an interesting murder mystery, but I would have liked to have seen a bit more of that particular plot point to carry the drama along.
The drama relied a bit too heavily on the relationships, but luckily, that element was very strong. Jo Jung Suk, Park Bo Young, Kim Seul Gi, and Im Joo Hwan were all amazing in their roles, and their performances really made up for the lack of a substantial plot. All in all, there is a lot of fun to be had with Oh My Ghostess! My Rating: 7/10 (Oh My Ghostess Review)
12.Angry Mom
Angry Mom was such a surprise! I hadn’t planned on watching it, but decided to give it a go out of the blue, and I am really glad I did. This school drama was a bit darker, but it was full of heart. I loved the intense motherly love that was portrayed, and this world was populated with some interesting characters.
And of course, we all got to see Ji Soo’s amazing breakout performance as the troubled Bok Dong. He worked his way into the hearts of many fans, and I look forward to his future projects. Angry Mom is a different kind of drama, and it really was a great find. My Rating: 7/10
11.Yong Pal
Yong Pal was a fun drama that I found to be a nice change of pace from what else is out there. If you don’t think to hard about some of the events that occur, the story is compelling with a great pace.
Yong Pal really felt fresh and exciting with a fairly unique story. Joo Won was brilliant as usual. It had some action, melodrama, romance, and a bit of humor. In many ways, it was like a modern day fairy tale. The episodes flew by, and I was quite sad to see it end. My Rating: 8/10 (Yong Pal Review)
10.Scholar Who Walks the Night
Scholar Who Walks the Night was such an enjoyable drama. It wasn’t perfect, but it had the feel of an epic fairy tale, and I would love to see more stories like this in kdramas. Lee Joon Gi was amazing as usual. I couldn’t have chosen a more perfect tortured vampire. He immersed himself in the role as did all of the actors. I thought Lee Yoo Bi was adorable as the young woman who finally captures our vampire’s heart.
I was also introduced to Lee Soo Hyuk as the evil vampire Gwi, and I was thoroughly pleased with his performance. Overall, Scholar Who Walks the Night hit all the right spots, and I can definitely see myself revisiting this one in the future. My Rating: 8/10 (Scholar Who Walks the Night Review)
9.Orange Marmalade
Fans were divided on Orange Marmalade, but I’m part of the group that loved this drama. I haven’t seen the webtoon, so I was easily able to appreciate the drama for what it was.
I really enjoyed the high school romance and connected with the vampires struggle to fit into our society. I absolutely loved the time jump to the past too. It was nice to see the original brotherly relationship between our leading guys, Jae Min and Shi Hoo. The stakes also felt very high with the clash between the classes and the plot for the bad vampires to take over.
I was sad to leave the past, but easily transitioned back into the present. It’s hard to say which period I liked better. The visuals and music in this were outstanding. There was just so much beauty to see along with such a sweet story. My Rating: 8/10 (Orange Marmalade Review)
8.Producer
This popular drama took a unique approach with an experimental documentary style. I personally fall in the camp that prefers the classic drama format. I found the first two episodes with the documentary style a little slow, but luckily the setting and characters intrigued me enough to continue. But things really got rolling in episode three when the documentary style was scaled back in favor of a more traditional comedy format.
This drama was still unique even after the format change in that it never identifies a concrete main pairing from any of the four characters. The four characters feelings for each other develop as the show progresses, and in many ways they become more confused. I loved the multiple relationship interactions and found them hilarious. It was all so refreshing and fun. My Rating: 8/10 (Producer Review)
7.My Love Eun Dong
This was a sweeping romance that completely drew me in from start to finish. Also, it boasts one of the best first episodes I have come across. I fell in love with our main couple, Hyun Soo and Eun Dong, as teenagers and watched them mature into adults. I loved all three sets of actors who portrayed the couple.
The romance was intense with gorgeous music and visuals to set the mood. This drama really flew by. I’m in the group that loved the ending, so for me it was only enjoyable. My Rating: 8.5/10 (My Love Eun Dong Review)
6.She Was Pretty
She Was Pretty was one of the hit romantic comedies of the year. It maintained some wonderful charm and comedy all the way through. Hwang Jung Eum was hilarious and endearing, Park Seo Joon brought his charm, and well, there is nobody quite like Choi Siwon! I was never bored and laughed so much.
It also pulled at my heartstrings on multiple levels. Our characters were well developed and all marvelously acted. It is also a drama filled with so many positive messages and is sure to inspire you. She Was Pretty is everything I love in a drama. My Rating: 9/10 (She Was Pretty Review)
5.Girl Who Sees Smells
Basically, I loved everything about Girl Who Sees Smells. First, it has the nice romantic comedy vibe between our main couple, and they are just too cute! For being a bit low on feelings and emotions, Moo Gak (Park Yoo Chun) is a fun one to watch. And Cho Rim (Shin Se Kyung) was sweet, adorable, and relatable. This pair had fabulous chemistry, and they were a true joy to watch.
Girl Who Sees Smells isn’t exactly grand or radically different, but it simply gets right what it needs to in order to create an enjoyable ride from start to finish. There’s comedy, romance, a murder mystery, and a really fun bad guy portrayed by Nam Gung Min. This drama found its way into my heart, and I only have amazing memories when I think of Girl Who Sees Smells. My Rating: 9/10 (Girl Who Sees Smells Review)
4.Healer
Healer is one of those really solid dramas that has very little to pick apart. It has a little bit of everything: action, drama, mystery, and romance. The story is well developed with an interesting mystery to solve and a great cast of characters.
Our leading couple played by Ji Chang Wook and Park Min Young were perfect. They were phenomenal together with too many swoon worthy moments to count. What a fun ride Healer was! My Rating: 9/10 (Healer Review)
3.Shine or Go Crazy
Shine or Go Crazy has romance, humor, action, and drama. I thought the pacing was wonderful with never a dull moment for all 24 episodes. Wang So (Jang Hyuk) and Shin Yool (Oh Yeon Seo) were such a fun couple, and they really had amazing chemistry. They had an epic, fated love that brought such touching moments as well as so much joy.
And the intensity of the palace politics truly surprised me. It takes a lot to keep me interested in those sorts of things, but Shine or Go Crazy kept me glued to the screen during these conversations. It was a fun and thrilling ride that I will always remember. And who can forget those lovely words brought to life by Jang Hyuk when calling Shin Yool by her guy name, “Gae Bong ahhh!” My Rating: 9.5/10 (Shine or Go Crazy Review)
2.Ho Goo’s Love
Ho Goo’s love is an absolutely adorable and heart warming drama. Choi Woo Shik really nailed Ho Goo’s character. All of his mannerisms really show how innocent and naïve Ho Goo is. He was adorable and one of the nicest guys you could ever find.
Misunderstandings abound in this drama, and the relationships are crazy complicated, but this drama did things right and kept it interesting. Byeon Kang Cheol (Im Seol Ong) was particularly hilarious as he tried to come to terms with who he was and what his feelings were.
I loved all of the characters and only wanted happiness for them. It was all so much fun with just the right amount of feels. My Rating: 9.5/10 (Ho Goo’s Love Review)
And the number one drama of 2015 is…
1. Kill Me, Heal Me
Kill Me, Heal Me is simply an amazing drama. Ji Sung’s portrayal of a man with Multiple Personality Disorder was so engaging, and he really brought to life each distinct personality. I was so touched by Cha Do Hyeon’s struggle, yet I was still able to connect with each personality and see their importance.
I was completely invested in this drama. I couldn’t wait to see what Cha Do Hyeon’s personalities would do and how he would clean up after them. I was intrigued by his missing memory and loved watching it unfold. And his relationship with Oh Ri Jin was hilarious, yet absolutely tender and romantic. Ji Sung and Hwang Jung Eum have some sizzling chemistry. I also shed some serious tears over this drama. If you haven’t seen it yet, you really need to give it a chance! My Rating: 10/10 (Kill Me, Heal Me Review)
There you have it! My favorite dramas of 2015. There were so many great dramas this year!
Older Dramas I Completed in 2015
As a sort of year end review, I thought I would also include a list of those older dramas that I completed this year (I also included one 2015 Drama Special in this list since I am only including full length dramas in the list above). If a review for the drama is available, the drama title will be blue. Here they are broken into categories depending on how much I liked them:
Loved:
Great:
Tomorrow’s Cantabile
Good:
Bride of the Century
Dream High
Secret
Okay:
Operation Proposal
Disappointed:
So combining all dramas, I completed 35 kdramas this year. Wow! That really is a lot of dramas. It certainly was fun, and I look forward to the many offerings 2016 has in store!
How was 2015 for you? What was your favorite drama of the year?
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