Kdrama Kisses 2016 Korean Drama Awards

Published by

Kay

December 27, 2016

Welcome to the Kdrama Kisses 2016 Korean Drama Awards! Although I already shared my list of favorite dramas in my Best Korean Dramas of 2016 post, this year I thought it would be fun to also highlight some of my favorite actors and favorite dramas by giving my own awards. Hence, the Kdrama Kisses 2016 Korean Drama Awards! So let’s get right to some of my favorite performances of the year:

Best Actor:
Lee Joon Gi (Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Goryeo)

My choice for best actor easily went to Lee Joon Gi for his phenomenal performance in Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Goryeo. Now I am a bit biased towards him since he is my favorite actor, but he’s my favorite for a reason. He is immensely talented! And his full range of capabilities is on display in Moon Lovers. He brings an intensity like none other, and it is a performance not to be missed.

Best Actress:
Hwang Jung Eum (Lucky Romance)

Hwang Jung Eum is one of my favorite actresses, and I loved her moving performance in Lucky Romance. She does what she always does best and delivers a character that is sweet, quirky, and flawed. She made me laugh with her wonderful comedic abilities, and she made me cry with the rawness of her emotions. Such a wonderful actress.

Best Breakout Actor:
Kwak Dong Yeon (Moonlight Drawn By Clouds)

I’ve been a fan of Kwak Dong Yeon for a while, but he’s one of those actors that always seemed to kind of fly under the radar. But everyone really seemed to take notice of him this year with his breakout performance in Moonlight Drawn By Clouds as the Prince’s right hand man. I’m thrilled to see him finally getting some recognition.

Best Breakout Actress:
Park So Dam (Cinderella and the Four Knights)

One of my new favorite actresses has been quite busy in the last year by starring in multiple dramas and movies. But her breakout role in the drama world would have to be Cinderella and the Four Knights. She brought so much life to the drama and showcased fantastic chemistry with each man. She was a true delight, and I look forward to seeing more of her in the future.

Best Romantic Comedy:
Shopping King Louie

Shopping King Louie is easily my favorite romantic comedy of the year. It is everything I love in a drama and so much more. The romance, the humor, the fun, the characters, and the heartfelt story all work together to create perfection in my book. I loved it to pieces.

Best Crime/Thriller Drama:
Signal

Signal completely blew me away and effortlessly tugged at my heartstrings with it’s brilliant writing and absolutely amazing acting. It’s engaging characters and intricately layered story with attention to the smallest details really stands out among others. Signal is a drama that left quite an impact which I know will be felt for a long time to come.

Best Melodrama:
Uncontrollably Fond

Uncontrollably Fond is a melodrama that is filled with emotion because the characters were so rich and full all the way from the main characters down to the supporting ones. The intricate web of lies that connected everyone made for a tension filled story that left me always wanting more. I thought it was a remarkable tale of love and redemption.

Best Historical:
Daebak

Choosing best historical was a tough one, but ultimately, Daebak won out. This drama had me captivated from episode one all the way through to the end. It was full of intensity with Jang Geun Suk and Yeo Jin Goo delivering phenomenal performances. Daebak was the epic story of a legendary man, and it’s certainly a drama I’m going to remember.

Best Couple:
Seo In Guk & Nam Ji Hyun (Shopping King Louie)

The relationship between Seo In Guk and Nam Ji Hyun in Shopping King Louie was perfection. Louie and Bok Sil are ridiculously adorable with a relationship that is so pure and beautiful. A lot of times, couples just scratch the surface of a romance, but these two had such a strong connection.

And even though Louie and Bok Sil have a very innocent and fun relationship, it felt so deep and mature. I thought the chemistry between Seo In Guk and Nam Ji Hyun was fantastic. They truly were such a treat.

Best Bromance:
Lee David and Kang Ki Young (Let’s Fight Ghost)

These guys were absolutely hilarious in Let’s Fight Ghost! They were easily my favorite part of the drama because of their crazy, animated personalities, over-the-top reactions, and the comical scenarios they would get into. Both of these guys played off each other so well with impeccable comic timing. So much fun!

Best Girlmance:
Jang Na Ra, Yoo In Na, Seo In Young, and Yoo Da In
(One More Happy Ending)

We had a wonderful friendship between four girls at the center of One More Happy Ending. They were always there for each other as they worked to overcome life’s challenges. It was nice to see such a bond in Dramaland.

Best Villain:
Nam Goong Min (Remember: War of the Son)

Nam Goong Min didn’t hold back one bit in his portrayal of a violent murderer with severe anger issues in Remember: War of the Son. This guy was truly crazy! Nam Goong Min really brought this character to life, and I found myself constantly in awe and disturbed when watching him. This talented man deserves a standing ovation and so much more!

Best Kiss:
Jung Il Woo & Park So Dam – Hilltop Confession Kiss
(Cinderella and the Four Knights)

After one of my all time favorite confessions of love, Jung Il Woo and Park So Dam sent my heart fluttering with this sweet Hilltop Confession Kiss in Cinderella and the Four Knights. These two were such a wonderful couple, and this kiss was a perfect highlight of their love story.

Best Costumes:
Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Goryeo

The costumes in Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Goryeo were gorgeous! One of the main reasons I love the Goryeo era is for the costumes, and this drama did not disappoint in that regards. There were so many beautifully intricate and colorful costumes for both the men and the women. From the servants, to the princes, to the warriors, they all helped to transport me right into Goryeo.

Best Soundtrack:
Cinderella and the Four Knights

Cinderella and the Four Knights was filled to the brim with amazing songs. There were plenty of fun ones as well as sweet, romantic ballads. They were all utilized wonderfully which resulted in each song giving me many fond memories of the drama.

So there you have it. There were so many great dramas and performances this year that I still feel like so many were left out of these awards. But at least this lets me give recognition to some of my absolute favorites.

So who were your favorite actors and what were your favorite dramas in 2016?

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18 responses to “Kdrama Kisses 2016 Korean Drama Awards”

lissa
December 27, 2016
best actor – yes, always
best crime/thriller – definitely, even though the end is sort of saying there should or would be more, I’m not even certain it would be any good if they did a second season
best actress – Hwang Jun Eum is always fun to watch and she is always good with her acting but I would have chosen the lady in Signal, she had to play two versions of herself – the young and the older one – I thought that was rather hard to pull off
best bromance – I find these two very annoying at times even though they do lighten up the show
I didn’t watch the other shows you’ve mentioned so I can’t comment on those but they seems like good choices, I’ll have to check out those shows
have a lovely day.
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1. Kay
  December 27, 2016
  Yes, Lee Joon Gi is always amazing 🙂 The Signal ending was a bit open. I’m torn as to whether or not I want a season 2, which they are considering doing. It would be practically impossible to capture all of the magic that it was, but maybe they could still do something great. I considered Kim Hye Soo from Signal too. She really was fantastic and definitely pulled off both sides of that character.
  Haha, I noticed a lot of people either loved the guys in Let’s Fight Ghost or found them annoying. Luckily, I loved them 🙂
  Hopefully, you find some more good shows to check out. There are always plenty to choose from! 🙂
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CozyBooks-and-Life
December 27, 2016
Ooh, I haven’t seen Lucky Romance yet, but I’m glad Hwa Jung Eum gave a solid performance. And you got it spot on with the bromance, they were my favorite! I’ll need to check out Cinderella’s OST, too–memorable songs are just the best.
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1. Kay
  December 27, 2016
  I loved Lucky Romance. If you like Hwang Jung Eum, she puts forth her usual type of performance that I love. A lot of people disliked her character because she was so superstitious and illogical though, so that seemed to make them not really like the drama. I really liked her character, and the difficult journey show goes on was moving for me. Just depends how you see it 🙂
  And yes, that bromance was the best part of the drama! I loved them so much! Cinderella’s OST is really good. Even if you don’t watch it, you should definitely check out the songs since there are some really great ones 🙂
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raistlin0903
December 27, 2016
What a great and fun idea for a post. Really enjoyed reading this one (while at the same I tried to ignore any shows that not know yet (for obvious reasons😂) but of ofcourse failing miserably 😂😂).
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1. Kay
  December 27, 2016
  This post was really fun to put together. I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂 Yes, just accept them and grow that list! lol
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joybran
December 27, 2016
There are only two of these dramas I haven’t seen, and I agree with all the rest of your choices, especially best actor, best breakout actor, and best crime/thriller drama.
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1. Kay
  December 27, 2016
  Let me see, would the two you haven’t seen be Shopping King Louie and Lucky Romance? I don’t recall you ever mentioning those.
  Of course, we whole-heartedly agree on our best actor Lee Joon Gi 😉 And it really is great to see Kwak Dong Yeon getting some attention this year.
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  1. joybran
    December 27, 2016
    Yes, those are the two. I guess I’ll have to put them on my “Plan to Watch” list now. heehee
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    1. Kay
      December 27, 2016
      Well, Shopping King Louie ended up being my favorite drama of the year. Talk about a surprise! It’s cute and simple and made me laugh so much 🙂
      I loved Lucky Romance too, but a lot of people got annoyed with Hwang Jung Eum’s character in the second half. I saw a very moving character journey, but most saw an overly illogical girl who just did stupid things. I think it just comes down to how you view her character as to whether or not you will really like it.
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Westley Boyd
December 28, 2016
Hwang Jung-Eum is wonderful, as always, in Lucky Romance.
Nam Goong Min is so versatile whether he plays a psycho killer or an adorable goofball (My Beautiful Gong Shim). But the actor who really moved me this year was Kim Woo Bin in Uncontrollably Fond. I had no idea he had such depth.
As for bromance, I think Gong Yoo and Lee Dong Wook are taking things to another level in Goblin and are setting the bar very high.
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1. Kay
  December 28, 2016
  I always love Hwang Jung Eum, and Lucky Romance was another great example of her talent. And I couldn’t agree more about Nam Goon Min. It amazes me how great he is playing both ends of the spectrum. Beautiful Gong Shim was one of my favorite dramas of the year, and he was fantastic in it.
  And yes! Kim Woo Bin! I was kind of neutral toward him before Uncontrollably Fond, and then he ended up completely blowing me away with his performance in it. It was such a wonderful surprise, and I loved the drama so much.
  I haven’t started Goblin yet, but I will be soon. And from all of the wonderful things I have heard, hopefully, I will be including Gong Yoo and Lee Dong Wook’s bromance in next year’s awards 🙂
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kjtamuser
December 29, 2016
Loved your shout out to Mam Goon Min. He was unrepentent evil incarnate and provided incentive for those that wanted to see him held accountable for his actions.
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1. Kay
  December 29, 2016
  I had to share some love for Nam Goong Min 🙂 I predicted him as best villain way back in January, and he easily won my vote after the entire year. He’s just so good at playing evil!
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amandaj19
December 30, 2016
Weirdly enough, I didnt complete any of these dramas except for Lucky Romance. For reasons unknown, I lost interest quite frequently. Also, I was too afraid to complete both Scarlet Heart and Uncontrollably Fond for obvious reasons 😛
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1. Kay
  December 30, 2016
  Haha, I think a lot of people lose interest quite often. I hate dropping dramas, so I usually have to really dislike it to do so. But I genuinely liked most of the dramas I watched this year with only a handful of not good ones that I completed. I even successfully dropped a few 🙂
  I understand your caution with Scarlet Heart and Uncontrollably Fond. You definitely have to be in the right state of mind for both 🙂
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  1. Westley Boyd
    December 31, 2016
    I find a lot of dramas have that 3/4 of the way through slump. Somewhere around there the story can become so slow that it just puts you off. It isn’t so bad with 16 episode dramas but the Chinese dramas that go for 30 episodes for no good reason just wear me out and I avoid them like the plague. It’s a shame because just some judicious editing would make them so much more enjoyable.
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    1. Kay
      December 31, 2016
      Yeah, many of them definitely do. And you’re right though, if it’s only 16 episodes it’s not so bad. That’s probably another reason I don’t drop very many. If a drama is really good for 12 eps or so, I can handle a mediocre last few eps.
      But the longer ones can be more difficult. I’ve only completed two 30+ Chinese dramas. The modern one was really cute overall, but needed a big more tension. The historical got a tad repetitive in the middle, but I still really liked it over all. I do wish more of them were shorter though since if I’m considering a 30 ep drama, I’m usually thinking that I could complete two short dramas in that time, lol.
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