*In Michael Buble's voice*

It's the most wonderful time of the year....

FOR MY KOREAN DRAMAS OF 2017! (and my top three)

Not gonna lie though, I didn't watch that much dramas this year.

I was so overly criticized dramas this year that if I didn't enjoy the first three episode:
 I just stopped watching it.

You know the term 'book hangover' where you can't read any book because you finished a really good and cannot move on?

Apparently, there's this thing called 'drama hangover'.
Where you can't enjoy any drama after that ONE drama you loved and will die for it.

Which was a drama that obviously made in the list;

1. Goblin.

It's technically a 2016/2017 drama so I'll put it here.

I love goblin, so much.

Too much that I keep being so critical about other dramas, its actually not healthy.

2. The Liar and His Lover



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I watched the Japanese movie first out of boredom so I can say this;
The Korean drama version is less angsty.

And I need more ANGST!

I found the show (both the Japanese and the Korean) uncomfortable because of the age gap (I know its legal in these countries but it was still...weird to watch it, especially the Japanese one. I can tolerate the Korean version a little bit).

Still a good show though, extra points if you love music and musical. So, the deep meanings will come into your soul.

3. Strong Woman Do Bong Soo

This show is lowkey overrated the more I realized it, but it such a good drama to rewatch, so that's a point.

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Do Bong-soon was born with superhuman strength. Her strength is hereditary and passed along only to the women in her family. Her dream is to create a video game with herself as the main character. She desperately wants to become a willowy and elegant woman, which is the ideal type of her crush, In Gukdoo, a police officer. 

Thanks to her strength, she gets the job of a bodyguard, to a rich heir Ahn Min-hyuk, the CEO of a gaming company, Ainsoft. Contrary to Guk-doo, Min-hyuk is an odd man who is playful, a little spoiled, has no regard for rules, and dislikes policemen. He has recently received anonymous threats, blackmails, and has even been stalked at an occasion.

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Kinda watched this out of curiosity despite my lack of interest on the plot.

Because the plot is ridiculous and like the rich guy thing is sooooooooooo overplayed.

I watch this show religiously because of the crime in it which was showed since episode one okay, episode ONE!!!

Despite all the cutesy and very adorable characters,

I was left disappointed about the criminology behind the antagonist of this show.

Anyways, it's still a great drama to watch with your friends :D
And thanks to this drama, I actually had a lot a fun watching with friends.

4. School 2017



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Ra Eun-ho, a cheerful and kind-hearted 18-year-old who dreams of being a webtoon artist but is caught up in the search for a mysterious troublemaker in the school, known as 'Student X'. When she is accused of being Student X, her dream of going to university to study art is put at risk as she faces expulsion.
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Is it me or there were a lot of crime related dramas this year?

I do enjoy it but I don't know, it a pretty okay school drama. I personally still love the 2013's one and I feel none of the new School series will beat the 2013's one.

5. Twentieth Century Boy and Girl




I watched this out of boredom okay, and it was pretty exciting.
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Depicts the love and friendship of three 35-year-old single women.
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I love dramas about friendship and even better when they all grow up and still friends. It warms my cold, cold heart.

I APPRECIATE a male lead who is soft and not arrogant. Which was surprisingly made me enjoyed Twentieth Century more. And their conversations are straight up funny.






6. Voice.



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Moo Jin-hyuk is a "mad dog" detective who becomes guilt-ridden after his wife was murdered while he was at work. Kang Kwon-joo  is a tough policewoman who is gifted with perfect psycho-acoustics skills. And went for voice profiling. She was working at the call center when a brutal murder case took place and in the process of investigating her father was killed. Three years later, Jin-hyuk and Kwon-joo team up as the "Golden Time team" and solve cases together, chasing after the serial killer who took their loved ones.

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Maybe I watched a better performance from Jang Hyuk and maybe I watched Marry Me Mary and I KNEW who owned the smile that they showed in the first episode already so I was basically spoiled myself because I already knew the villain of the show.

So, Voice did threw me off a bit hahahahahYAAKUBENGAPhahahahahahaha

Also the thing in which the every episode ends with a cliff hanger....you can wrap it up in one episode..... I don't understand...

Still, if you're a newbie in kdrama, Voice is a good one to start.





7. Fight for my Way



Funny. Sad af too. Realistic and Relatable.
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I don't know what's up with me being so soft watching kdramas about struggling youth, I feel it in such a personal level it's weird. I know this show is funny, but prepare tissues.

Tissues. A lot of them.

8. Man to Man



I can't believe I waited for this show since it was announced on October of 2016.
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A longtime celebrity Yeo Woon-gwang suddenly has a need for a bodyguard and hires Kim Seol-woo , a man trained in special investigations and a mysterious man of many talents. In reality, Seol-woo is a NIS black cops agent who has his own agenda and the role of bodyguard is only a cover to achieve his goals.

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Not gonna say I'm happy with it. They promised us BROMANCE but what we got in return?!
The main girl threw me off a bit (I want to like her but I can't like her? She's kinda annoying?) yet the male leads though.
THE MALE LEADS THOUGH.

Funny. OST GEMPAK.






9. Prison Playbook




I WATCHED THIS RECENTLY AND IT SO GOOOOOOOD

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About people in prison walls
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Literally every episode plays like a Korean Movie (if you watch crime related Kmovies, you know what I'm talking about).

Kodus for the main character for being witty and smart. I deserved smart main leads after torturing myself with God's lucky idiots.

This is still ongoing and its basically one of the highest rated kdrama out there right now.

GO WATCH IT!!!!







12. Go Back Couple



Kdramas and their time travel theme.

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Choi Ban-Do and Ma Jin-Joo are both 38-years-old and a married couple. Choi Ban-Do has been burdened with being the breadwinner and Ma Jin-Joo is a housewife with low self-esteem. Even though they loved each other when they married, they now hate each other. They both regret marrying at such a young age. The couple travel through time and find themselves as 20-year-old university students, when they met for the first time.

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I love Jang Nara and the main guy also, I truly ship them eventhough a lot of people like the second lead. AND THIS DRAMA ONLY HAS 12 EPISODES?!

I AM MAD.
I found out when I was in episode 11 :)))))

I started crying 20 minutes into episode one, so PREPARE TISSUES!!





13. Witch's Court



CRIME DRAMA IS LOVE.
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A materialistic female prosecutor, who does not hesitate to use personal attacks, fabricate evidence, and incite perjury in order to win her case, is assigned to lead the special task force for sexual assault crimes.

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Trigger Warning.

Really good show and also one of a few dramas that talks about rape case on men. Excellent writing. The main girl will put you off for the first half of the first episode but seriously, continue watch it. She is the literal version of 'Ride or Die'.

It is really worth it.





OKAY, 
MY
TOP 
THREE
KDRAMAS OF 2017!!!

3...2....1




3. Tunnel



You think that I will get tired of time travel drama? You're wrong!!!
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In 1986, Detective Park Gwang-Ho desperately tries to catch a serial killer. He chases after the serial killer and goes through a tunnel. On the other side of the tunnel, Detective Park Gwang-Ho finds himself in the year 2017. The serial killer has resumed the killings that began 30 years ago. Detective Park Gwang-Ho works with Detective Kim Sun-Jae  and Professor of Criminal Psychology Shin Jae-Yi to catch the killer.

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I noticed that S.Korea loves to do a time travel theme drama....and not most of them are great?

Like they made this time travel thing as a hUGE thing and when the plot moves, the theme suddenly vanished (eg. Marry Me if You Dare. Goooooosh so MANY potential)

Yet, Tunnel used the time travel theme so simply and somehow very effectively.
It made you second guess things, like who's the villain?? what?? hIM? HER? HAH?

Also, the case is loosely base from one of the well-known South Korea's cold cases.

C R I M I N O L O G Y.
I would like to thank GOD.
(My nerdass knew the villian in episode 6 cause I am a paranoid motherfucker)






2. Secret Forest




Reason why I watched this:
BAE DONNA!!!
(Cloud Atlas might be a shit movie, she was still amazing in it!!!)

Reason why I watch it until the end despite I personally dislike a show that focuses around one case:
Shi-Mok and Yeo Jin crime fighting partnership.

THIS. IS. GOOD.
Every single episode ends with a twist until you can't trust anyone anymore.

The bad guys become the nice guys, the nice guys become the bad guys. The circle continues that you can only trust Shi-Mok.

I finally can say that I truly enjoyed a law drama :D

And Seo Dong Jae....tHAT BITCH!!!!





And finally,

I think everyone knows my favourtite kdrama of 2017 is;


BECAUSE THIS IS MY FIRST LIFE



When this show was announced, I was so stoke.
Because I have waited for Lee Minki to come back to dramaland for so long.

It is the drama that basically talks about youth and our thinking on marriages, the economy, our jobs and buying a house.

I was like: "SIGN ME UP!"

And I watched it, and it became my favourite drama of 2017, and will be put in my list of my favourite drama of all times.

There no drama, in my life of watching too much dramas, made me think twice about life, relationships, and dreams other than this drama.

I'm so happy that the male lead (Nam See Hee) is not a rich or arrogant man, he just a simple, kind, introverted man who have loans to pay.
 (It's 2017, finally a male lead who is not a cheabol or rich or have a big house and actually have loans to pay, wooooow!!!)

And Jiho, who is not your typical girl lead, which are usually extroverted and would beat the male lead. Jiho is an introverted writer and also a very strong character by her own right. She ain't weak that's for sure.

To the writer of this drama:
*claps hand to you QUEEN*

Every episode are quotable and every point this show made would be a great debating session. It is truly a great drama, all actors are great, and the OST (no 4 and 8) liSTEN!!!




I think that's all.

I'm honestly really tired and lacked of sleep.


-Adios and watch them!!!



- Amni

There are 3 signs you have to know when you are in love with a drama;

1. You kinda stressed out when you realised that you  have to wait a week for new episode(s). When an episode ends, you feel empty and anxious waiting for the new ones.
2.  You search for the drama's OST, BTS videos, and the  casts' info. Repeat playing the next episode's preview.
3. You go to every tumblr post, twitter hashtag to find  someone who is in love with that drama as you are.

All these happened (still are) to me in each and every drama below.

Unless it was before 2011 dramas, then no cause there was no easy access on things okay.

I honestly forgot what age I started to actually get into dramas in general but I remember every drama that made my heart fluttered like a dweeb.

So bear with me it's gonna be a long list of fangirling.

Disclaimer: The list started with the older to the newest dramas.
Most of them I watched it in the year it came out.
Therefore, the blatant patriarchy and sexism in earlier dramas aRe
understandable as time back them was not the same as now.
Kdramas will be more in this list.



So here are some my FAVOURITE DRAMAS OF ALL TIMES!




1. Hana Yori Dango ( Japan, 2005)



Boys Over Flowers has sooo many adaptations.
And I prefer this adaptation. And I watched the Korean version first.

This one is more slower phase than its counterpart and it was actually easier for me to digested the plot (I was fifteen).

And Tsukasa (Go Jun Pyo) is actually nicer and more handsome.

I read the manga before I watched this and it did stay true with its source material thoroughly compared with the Taiwanese version and the Korean one.

Also,  Matsumoto Jun :))


AND!!! The main guy doesn't take 4942363 episodes to know that she is a girl!!!

5. Easy Fortune Happy Life (Taiwan, 2009)



If somebody asks me what is my favourite Taiwanese drama of all time, my head would drifted to this.

I went back from school like crazy just because I wanna watched this show on 8tv. And surprisingly, I didn't missed any of its episodes *pats my 12 year old self at the back*

Yang Da Feng, Xie Fu An, Yang Yang, Han Donjie (bisH I REMEMBER)

Yang Da Feng is actually the first character that I genuinely hated and then liked. He has the character development that I subscribed for!

My love for this drama hasn't die yet okay I do watch some episodeS occasionally.
Annnnnddd the music intro, I remember the lyrics.

Of course  the MOST trashiest, the most cliche of alllllllll kdramas out there;

6. BOF (Boys Over Flower) 2009, Korea

Ya ALLAH the cliches I swear.

If you claimed yourself as a kdrama fan, and haven't watch BOF.... who are you??

This show actually started my love with kdrama.

This show was crazy famous for reasons;

1. It about rich boys in a private school
who become friends with a peasant girl.

2. The main girl is strong and outspoken

3. The most arrogant of the boys fell in love with her.

Good recipe. 

No sarcasm,
Boy Over Flowers did actually tackle the young 'rich' problems and actually deducted it really well. I swear the budget for this drama was sky high but its all worth it.

8 years later, I still fucking hate Go Jun Pyo's ugly hair and his attitude still.

Despite I'm confident if I rewatch BOF, I'll probably not gonna like it like I did when I was 12, it always have a place in my trashbag drama's heart :))))

THE!! OST!! ICONIC!!

7.  My Girlfriend is a Gumiho ( S.Korea, 2010)

Honestly, if you ask me about this drama, I would not remember that much but I remembered how I stayed up all nigh with my sister to watch it.

Ooooo
The last episode broke my heart into pieces and glued it back again.

7. The Greatest Love (S. Korea 2011)

MY FAVOURITE DRAMA. FOREVER.

Thank you mom!

This was the time I discovered Talent instead of Looks. 

The drama's concept are just so simple but the execution are juST SO BEAUTIFUL.

And realistic too.

Dok Goo Jin (Yep, still remembers) is funny af especially in episode 7 in the karaoke scene.

7. Secret Garden (S.Korea, 2012)

Thank you mom for recommend me to watch this show, even it was a week before my exam akhir tahun.

This show was crazy famous too

Honestly though, the older I get, the more I feel like the show is ridiculous. The magical aspect of it bothers me because they didn't give any explanation of it?

But, it is a great show. And it actually my first kdrama that talks about phobias seriously. And I appreciate that.

The last episode though. The last episode though.
(Of course, the writer who wrote this drama also wrote Goblin. Enjoy the emotional ride my people :)))) )

8. Rooftop Prince (S.Korea 2012)

Villians that will literally break your trust? Check. Love that will hurt your heart? Check. Will you cry like your husband is dying in the last episode? Hella fucking check.

It was quite a heavy plotline despite how funny it is. And the timeline (It's a time travel show) is not that confusing so you catch up with the plot fast.

Damn, I'm still surprised that I actually watched it through the end without not even once threw my laptop out of frustration.

9. School 2013 (S. Korea)

School 2013 will always be my favourite school series.

This one is the most realistic and the most simple yet related show for teens out there.

The male friendship between the main characters are so strong and sad realising that they abandoned each other.

Also pre-fame Lee Jung Suk and Woo-Bin :)))

11.  Master's Sun (S. Korea, 2013)

I like Supernatural-fated-to-be troupe in kdrama. This one almost take the cake, and I actually watch this drama on tv back when it was aired despite online (Can you tell how efficient I was controlling myself?)

Favourite episode: ALL
Episode that ruined my emotions. Episode Five. 
Oh My God.
Episode Five. My heart T___T

12. Fated To Love You (S. Korea, 2014)

13. Ouroboros (Japan, 2015)



NOIR CRIME DRAMA.
MORE!!

Two childhood friend grew up in an orphanage. One became a detective, the other is a yakuza. Both have the same mission: find their caretaker's murderer.

GREAT RECIPE FOR A DRAMA FULL OF ANGST.

Literally my favourite Jdrama.
I LIVE.





13.  Kill Me Heal Me (S.Korea 2015)

I know Ji Sung is a great actor. Amongst all his dramas I've watched, this one takes the cake.

I was really happy how accurate they depicted Multiple Personalities Disorder (DID) on this drama and it was actually the first time in my life watching a kdrama that actually depicted mental illness accurately (Which rarely happened let me tell you.)

Shin Segi?
My man.

14. Splash Splash Love (S. Korea 2015)


i'm, SO UPSET THIS IS A SPECIAL DRAMA!! I WANT MORE!!
Guys, it only have two episodes but I guarantee you, you gonna sob and squeal sO HARD throughout the show.

She literally went back in time and met the king of Joseon and fall in love i'm dEAD.
And Doo Joon acted really well in this one.

15.  Beautiful Gong Shim (S.Korea 2016)




15. Signal (S.Korea 2016)

I marathon this for one night, during ramadan.
Gurrlll, let me tell you.

I LOVE THIS SHOW SO MUCH.
Knowing it's about crime show made me love it even more.

It's so hard to find a drama that the theme is time travel this good. Usually this theme make the said drama(s) looked predictable, stupid, and just plain boring.

But Signal is GREAT. The use of 'catalyst' and time done significantly beautiful.

GENIUS. MIND-BLOWING. ICONIC.

16. Goblin (S.Korea, 2016)



Do I HAVE to tell y'all again about how much love I have for this drama?

After this show, I actually have a drama hangover in which every drama I watched I felt empty and bored and would not likely to continue it.

My expectation for dramas skyrocketed so hardcore high guys.

I don't want more cliche, or any of the 'good looking actor who can't act, they just theRE because they're good looking or famous' shit.

 I'm becoming picky af.

And I hope Because This is My First Life;


Anyways, this is my list of my favourite dramas of all time.

I know kdramas are a lot in this list because I haven't watch Taiwanese and Japanese drama as frequent as I watch kdramas and it's just my preference and opinion.
(Also, I have books to read, school to go).


Good night!

- Amni