[2024 Year in Review] Editors’ Picks » Dramabeans

[2024 Year in Review] Editors’ Picks

by DB Workers

Completely happy New 12 months! As we welcome 2025, we additionally bid farewell to 2024 and all of the dramas we cherished. Listed here are our picks for the yr, reflecting what we loved, what grabbed our hearts, and what made us need to go out golden statues. Take pleasure in!

2024 Editors’ Picks

BEST DRAMA

Beautiful Runner

dramaddictally: Beautiful Runner might have been a easy present: a fangirl follows her idol crush by way of time till she saves his life and wins him over. Fortunately, it was much more refined than that. Actually, it turned out to be an epic drama, spanning time so as to add layers to its love story, preserve the stress excessive, and dare its lead characters to make completely different decisions time and again. Byun Woo-seok and Kim Hye-yoon, because the time-tested couple Solar-jae and Sol, completely suited their roles, transferring between highschool and maturity — and cute and spicy — with ease and believability. We cried with them by way of their confusions and miscommunications. Laughed out loud as they danced round one another and their emotions. And let our hearts soar as they incrementally received nearer, permitting the great thing about their romance to shine by way of. Bolstering this was an intricate and well-woven story that saved us guessing and wanting extra, together with attractive pictures (of rain, kisses, hand actions, and faces) that demanded our consideration. And if that wasn’t sufficient, the present tempered its sometimes-heartbreaking scenes by together with a love triangle and bromance that gleefully toyed with our feelings, injecting enjoyable into the overarching plot. With few missteps, Beautiful Runner excelled in humor, sensitivity, flirtation, and authentically earned feels — solidifying it as the very best drama of 2024, and one which makes you need to return in time and fall in love with it over and over.

Honorable Mentions
Queen of Tears
Connection
Good Companion

BEST DIRECTING

Like Flowers in Sand

missvictrix: Like Flowers in Sand is such a particular little drama — a kind of that has its personal specific look, really feel, and approach of telling its story. Generally louder and flashier dramas collect extra consideration, however it is a drama you need to tuck away in your pocket whenever you’re finished watching it. I might brag on the writing, the solid, the setting, and extra, however actually it’s the sturdy route by PD Kim Jin-woo that ties all of it collectively into an ideal package deal. With a powerful understanding of the type of story that was being advised, the drama unfolds gently and punctiliously, however there’s at all times a agency hand on the place the story goes. It by no means rushes its moments, huge or small, and in a storytelling panorama the place typically dramas throw issues at you that you could’t clarify (or don’t need to try to), Like Flowers in Sand was a kind of dramas the place I might sit again and belief that it knew what it was doing, the place it was going, and the way it was going to get there. Likewise, each character is given sufficient to really feel absolutely alive — even secondary or supporting characters have the digital camera linger on them sufficient for us to see inside them. There’s nothing flat or rushed or neglected on this story, and the richness that comes from that’s evidenced within the last product.

Honorable Mentions
Black Out
Inform Me That You Love Me
Queen of Tears
Connection
The Atypical Household

BEST WRITING

Beautiful Runner

mistyisles: Beautiful Runner is a kind of tales that’s tough to explain each totally and succinctly. Whereas the fundamental premise is easy sufficient — a fangirl travels again in time to save lots of the lifetime of her idol crush — that premise doesn’t even start to encapsulate the essence of what this present has to supply. It’s a twisty time-travel fantasy with forays into rom-com and thriller territories, it’s an earnest coming-of-age story, and it’s additionally a romance that swings from awkwardly lovable to sweeping with out lacking a beat. However in some way author Lee Shi-eun took all of these (usually contrasting) issues and made them work — and an enormous a part of it got here right down to the characters and the way well-written their inner journeys had been. From Solar-jae’s battle to come back to phrases with damaged desires (throughout a number of timelines, poor man) to Sol’s determined efforts to spare her youthful self the ache she’d discovered to stay with, these weren’t your run-of-the-mill motion heroes swooping in to save lots of the day — they felt like actual, extraordinary folks combating tooth and nail to carry onto one another and to themselves even when it appeared like all the percentages had been stacked towards them. Beautiful Runner might activate a dime from heartbreaking to hilarious, however with such superbly written characters main the way in which it was simple to comply with alongside with out getting whiplash. And certain, you might poke holes in among the story logic, however slightly hand-waving is a small value to pay for such a pleasant, heartfelt, and downright magical journey.

Honorable Mentions
Doubt
What Comes After Love
Jeongnyeon – The Star is Born
Mr. Plankton

BEST ACTOR

Kim Soo-hyun (Queen of Tears)

jenzy: Kim Soo-hyun and tears are like cookies and milk: one is rarely with out the opposite. However whereas the outdated adage may need gone “it’s not a Kim Soo-hyun drama except he cries,” his drama comeback with Queen of Tears provides a brand new modification: “it’s not a Kim Soo-hyun drama except we’re all crying with him.” Taken at face worth — with chaebols, amnesia, and a truck of doom besides — this drama was a recipe for a makjangfest, however when you may have an actor that performs all of the humorous, dorky, suave, and emotionally-fraught sides of Baek Hyun-woo with such plausible dexterity, you’ll be able to’t assist however be taken alongside for the journey. And his chemistry with Hong Hae-in (shout out to Kim Ji-won) was electrical, grounding the wilder components of their love story. In some ways, Kim Soo-hyun’s efficiency right here feels just like the end result of all his performing roles, sharpened to a exact edge. And I for one can’t wait to see what he does subsequent.

Honorable Mentions
Jo Jung-seok in Fascinating the King
Jung Woo-sung in Inform Me That You Love Me
Ji Sung in Connection
Byun Woo-seok in Beautiful Runner
Byun Yo-han in Black Out
Jang Dong-yoon in Like Flowers in Sand

BEST ACTRESS

Jang Nara (Good Companion) and Honey Lee (Knight Flower)

tccolb: Jang Nara has lengthy been a favourite of mine and, given the solid, I anticipated Good Companion to ship on the performing entrance, if nothing else. However even realizing that Jang would reliably do effectively, I used to be nonetheless stunned to seek out myself slack-jawed and more and more amazed as I watched her intricately layered efficiency in every pivotal scene. I used to be mesmerized by Jang’s crafted expressions and the way each muscle gave the impression to be working additional time, spilling out such complicated feelings that had been at occasions uncooked, at occasions managed, and at occasions simmering just under the floor, about to burst at any second. She had me absolutely rooting for her character’s journey from the start to the tip, and early within the sequence I keep in mind considering that Jang Nara higher win the Daesang this yr or I’ll eat my hat. Spoilers, she did win – hurrah – a lot to the reduction of my hat (and my abdomen).

unit: I’ve at all times identified Honey Lee to be an important actress — and for somebody who’s well-versed in comedic roles like herself, I wasn’t anticipating something much less from her efficiency as Yeo-hwa in Knight Flower. However Yeo-hwa was greater than only a humorous character, and Honey Lee’s nuanced portrayal of the multifaceted character was a delight to observe. Her change from dutiful daughter-in-law to mischievous masked heroine each time the state of affairs referred to as for it, and her transition from restrained widow and grieving sister, to a girl experiencing love for the primary time was pure and effortlessly finished. She made me snicker with Yeo-hwa, really feel all her emotions, and root for her to stay to the fullest and free from the shackles of societal restraints and expectations. Honey Lee embodied and owned her titular function, and I used to be impressed together with her dexterity in Yeo-hwa’s many motion scenes in addition to the convenience with which she dealt with the emotional and comedic beats. She was merely excellent. She absolutely devoted herself to the function (the pretend moustache in that scene she pretended to be a person!), and I’m at all times a fan of actors residing and respiration because the characters they play. Honey Lee got here ready to be Yeo-hwa, she nailed it, and she or he is effectively deserving of all the very best actress awards for this function.

Honorable Mentions
Kim Tae-ri (Jeongnyeon – The Star is Born)
Kim Ji-won (Queen of Tears)
Jeon Jong-seo (Queen Woo)
Jung Ryeo-won (The Midnight Romance in Hagwon)

BEST ROMANCE

Beautiful Runner

daebakgrits: The Beautiful Runner romance is — fantastical time journey and serial killer plot gadgets apart — healthful and relatable as a result of, in some unspecified time in the future in our lives, we’ve all crushed on a star or discovered emotional solace in an artist’s music. This drama faucets into these teen fantasies and idol worship and reads like a love letter to each teenager who sat at their laptop and wrote Mary Sue fanfiction. In consequence, viewers are immediately invested in Sol’s seemingly one-sided crush on Ok-pop-star-turned-actor Solar-jae, and after they study that Solar-jae fell first (and tougher) when he was merely her humble and unfamous neighbor, they turn out to be equally endeared by his character and the awkward approach he delights in Sol-from-the-future’s surprising consideration. Sol and Solar-jae’s romance is easy and candy, like most teen romances, however much more so as a result of grownup Sol didn’t intention to win the guts of her favourite celeb together with her time touring shenanigans. As an alternative, she was targeted on saving his life — the identical approach his music saved her from melancholy. In the end it’s their respective self-sacrifices that enable Sol and Solar-jae to have their fortunately ever after, and there’s something extraordinarily interesting a few comfortable ending that feels earned by — fairly than handed to — the principle characters, which is why I feel Beautiful Runner additionally earned our choose for Greatest Romance.

Honorable Mentions
My Candy Mobster
Queen of Tears

BEST COMEDY

A Virtuous Enterprise

quirkycase: A Virtuous Enterprise burst onto our screens with an important premise, solid, and 90s nostalgic vibes. Not solely did it stay as much as its promise, nevertheless it in some ways exceeded it. The comedy of a bunch of girls promoting grownup merchandise in a conservative village might’ve felt one be aware; nevertheless, the drama struck simply the suitable steadiness of comedy and coronary heart. Every character introduced her personal model of humor to the combo and collectively, they made for a hysterical, lovable staff. Watching light and correct Jung-sook, brazen Ju-ri, no nonsense Younger-bok, and wealthy madame Geum-hee turn out to be assured saleswomen for merchandise they might barely speak about at the beginning was each laugh-out-loud humorous and heartwarming. Whereas there have been loads of hilarious scenes of the main girls scandalizing the city (and typically themselves), on the core of the story was a bunch of girls discovering their company and value by way of an unlikely enterprise enterprise. For a comedy that by no means misplaced its humor, it handled a wide range of critical and at occasions heavy subjects. That’s a precarious steadiness to strike, however A Virtuous Enterprise managed it with the identical shocking and barely chaotic power as its heroines.

Honorable Mentions
Flex x Cop
My Candy Mobster
Knight Flower

BEST ACTION/THRILLER

Connection

solstices: From starting to finish, Connection maintained the momentum of its nail-biting suspense, maintaining viewers on tenterhooks as its morally grey detective spiralled into his unintentional drug dependancy and his burning desperation to uncover the reality behind his estranged pal’s demise. Throwing its viewers headfirst into Jae-kyung’s dizzying disorientation in its premiere week, the drama then deftly balanced its breakneck pursuits with quieter moments of contemplation to ship a narrative that was strong throughout. Each second of its 14 episodes acted in service of the plot, tightly weaving an exciting thriller that neither stretched itself skinny nor overflowed from its seams. As an alternative, it doled out its twists and revelations with deliberate intention, backed by plausible motivations of characters that had been realistically flawed. Above all, its stellar solid elevated the script even additional with their nuanced portrayals, coming collectively in an electrifying synergy. Ji Sung anchored the drama along with his managed depth and delicate gravitas; Kwon Yul’s calculated manipulation performed off completely towards Kim Kyung-nam’s precarious volatility; scene stealers Yoon Na-moo and Jung Jae-kwang imbued such pathos into their respective characters. An intricate plot, a transparent central message, compelling performing, and fascinating directing — Connection ticks all these bins and extra.

Honorable Mentions
Black Out
A Store for Killers
Conceal

BEST FANTASY/SCI-FI

Beautiful Runner

quirkycase: Dramaland hasn’t at all times been identified for sturdy showings within the fantasy or sci-fi genres, however there’s a lengthy custom of taking a heartfelt romance and giving it fantastical aptitude to create one thing magical. Time journey is sort of a drama staple by now, however Beautiful Runner managed to take this widespread machine and combine it into the story in a approach that heightened the stakes and added emotional weight. The mysterious time-manipulating watch linking our heroine and hero supplied some parameters with out attempting to overexplain the how of all of it, which might’ve been overkill for a rom-com. As an alternative, the main focus was on a girl’s bodily and emotional journey making an attempt to save lots of the lifetime of her crush prior to now with out unintentionally derailing the long run. The creation of alternate timelines, due to Sol’s actions usually altering greater than she’d bargained for, added one other degree of stress as she tried to discover a comfortable ending whereas fairly actually operating out the clock. The fantastical time slip aspect took a cute rom-com and elevated it with life-or-death stakes that instantly tied into Sol’s choices, offering some edge-of-your-seat moments and a proactive heroine who took future into her personal fingers.

Honorable Mentions
Loss of life’s Sport
Miss Night time and Day
Blood Free
Rooster Nugget

BEST ENSEMBLE

A Virtuous Enterprise

unit: A Virtuous Enterprise consisted of a various bunch of characters, and this ensemble seamlessly harmonized to carry the magic of the agricultural city of Geumje to life. The drama’s lead quartet elevated their already distinct and interesting-on-paper characters, and it was heartwarming to witness their progress as people and watch them obtain monetary independence and company over their very own lives. Like completely different flowers coming collectively to kind a bouquet, this quartet had differing ages and social statuses, however that didn’t cease them from growing a real friendship. This friendship performed a big half of their particular person character progress, and the energy of their teamwork actually shone of their interactions and the way effectively they performed off one another. They pushed one another to be the very best, pulled themselves up after they fell, and made us consider within the energy of their bond and entrepreneurial grit. The supporting characters — from the husbands and love pursuits to the children and the opposite townspeople — weren’t left behind, they usually every added their very own allure and taste to the story. All of those actors introduced plenty of character and coronary heart into these characters. However the lead quartet had been actually the guts of the story, and the drama shined greatest each time the plot was rightly targeted on them.

Honorable Mentions
Jeongnyeon – The Star is Born
Household by Alternative
Queen of Tears
Fiery Priest 2

BEST ART DIRECTION/PRODUCTION DESIGN

Queen of Tears

daebakgrits: Queen of Tears is a feast for the eyes — and no, I’m not speaking concerning the solid’s visuals. With one of many highest manufacturing values of the yr, it’s no shock this specific meloromedy, filmed in each South Korea and Germany, has earned our choose for Greatest Artwork Path/Manufacturing Design. As an entire, the cinematography is crisp and deliberately considerate, however there are two areas the place, for my part, the artwork route shined the brightest. The primary, was with using CGI — excluding the clearly pretend wild boar — to depict Hae-in’s hallucinations. Clearly, a big portion of this drama’s funds went into creating these inexperienced display screen moments, nevertheless it was the way in which Hae-in’s world transitioned from actuality to phantasm and again once more that was sadly lovely, because it heightened her loneliness, isolation, helplessness, and lack of ability to regulate the state of affairs. (The scene the place she’s strolling down her firm’s hallway and an in depth up of her crimson heels reveals the ground transition into snow — *chef’s kiss*) Secondly, this drama might be renamed Queen of the Beautiful Vast-Angle Photographs due to all its gorgeous panoramic pictures. They usually depicted our OTP in the midst of enticing landscapes and cityscapes to reveal that, regardless of the vastness of the world, Hae-in and Hyun-woo have one another — even after they have grown aside.

Honorable Mentions
Jeongnyeon – The Star is Born
Mr. Plankton
Doubt
A Virtuous Enterprise

BEST CHARACTER

Jin Yi-soo (Ahn Bo-hyun in Flex x Co)

starrygazer: Ahn Bo-hyun portrayed Jin Yi-soo with a childlike vulnerability that you just couldn’t assist however really feel drawn to. To start with of Flex x Cop, Yi-soo was flippant, seemingly superficial, and flashing his money at each given alternative — and but not as soon as did I fully dislike his character (although I’ll have rolled my eyes at him a couple of times). Alongside the opposite characters within the drama, at first we underestimate or misjudged Yi-soo, deeming him not mentally sturdy sufficient to succeed. However Ahn Bo-hyun additionally highlighted Yi-soo’s upward trajectory to understanding himself, and combined it effectively along with his messy emotions and previous trauma. We noticed Yi-soo lean into his internal perception to do the suitable factor, and I loved the character progress all through. Ultimately, Yi-soo proved himself to be the proper steadiness of flashy chaebol and kind-hearted cop — a combo we didn’t know we would have liked in a drama hero.

Honorable Mentions
Im Sol (Kim Hye-yoon) in Beautiful Runner
Ryu Solar-jae (Byun Woo-seok) in Beautiful Runner
Kang Ji-won (Park Min-young) in Marry My Husband
Kang Bit-na (Park Shin-hye) in The Decide from Hell
Prosecutor Search engine marketing Dong-jae (Lee Jun-hyuk) in Dongjae the Good or the Bastard
Jung Mo-eum (Kim Ji-eun) in Love Subsequent Door
Kim Baek-du (Jang Dong-yoon) in Like Flowers in Sand

 
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