It’s formally EOY season, which is after we look again on our drama years, and resolve which dramas had been worthy of our love, and which dramas we perhaps shouldn’t have spent as a lot time on, as we did. 😁
As earlier than, we’ll be seeing as much as 2 visitor posts per week, and it will unfold into January 2025, and my annual year-in-review will come out in early 2025, after all of the visitor posts have been printed.
This fashion, by placing all our experiences collectively, we get a extra wholistic view of Dramaland in 2024. Fairly nice, sure? 🤩
For those who missed our earlier posts, you may examine them out right here: Sean, Deni+JJ, Natalia, Ele, j3ffc, MC, Elaine, ABV, Diasporic Chick.
At this time, I’m happy to announce that TopTeenu’s sharing her drama 12 months!
You would possibly recall that TopTeenu was considered one of my blogoversary giveaway winners final month? Nicely, she’s settled in suuuper properly over on Patreon, and is now even sharing her drama 12 months with us! Woot!
Thanks TopTeenu, for taking the time to jot down! 😘
I hope you guys take pleasure in!
~ KFG ❤️
Hiya everybody!
That is TopTeenu from the bustling metropolis of Lagos, Nigeria, within the coronary heart of Africa! Proper now, we’re contemporary off harmattan season (goodbye mud and chill!) and welcoming some heat.
I’m new to the neighborhood and tremendous excited to be sharing my 2024 drama 12 months. Thanks, KFG and everybody for such a beautiful neighborhood!
I work as a Company Coach and Psychological Well being Coach, facilitating workshops for groups and organizations, particularly round productiveness, wellbeing and psychological well being.
It’s loopy attempting to construct a enterprise and a household, however as I wish to joke, somewhat KDT (Korean Drama Remedy) helps me hold afloat.
I started my Asian drama journey in Might 2022. Earlier than then I had been a long-time avid fan of Indian films and watched quite a few Filipino films, however that was about it.
After all, I had heard about Korean dramas, however I didn’t need to go there as a result of I didn’t need something I couldn’t end in three hours or much less.
And my thought of dramas was that they went on eternally and also you needed to watch season after season of a number of episodes for years to have any form of decision.
However I keep in mind getting so drawn in by the trailer of Enterprise Proposal that I lastly did a little analysis about it.
Solely 12 episodes and I’d be performed with the story? I can try this! And so I devoured it!
Somewhat What’s Unsuitable With Secretary Kim and Hometown Cha Cha Cha later, and I used to be hooked.
Korean dramas have opened a complete new vista for me and led me to quite a few Chinese language and Japanese dramas and even a Thai drama. And I haven’t appeared again since then.
My 2024 Dramas
I watched 31 dramas in 2024, and most of them had been older ones that had been launched earlier than 2024.
As you’ll see, I have a tendency to look at principally romance dramas, however nowadays, I repeatedly get stunned by what I take pleasure in.
I’m sharing my Prime 5 Dramas from 2024 and my Prime 5 Dramas earlier than 2024 (all of which I watched in 2024).
I’ll additionally share a number of honourable mentions and hand out a number of TopTeenu Drama Awards to some deserving of us.
Made-in-2024 Prime 5
5. Eye Love You (Japanese with a sprinkling of Korean)
This drama sits fairly at my quantity 5.
It was so lovely to look at and I fell in love with actress Fumi Nikaido. Apparently, it was additionally my introduction to Korean actor Chae Jong Hyeop.
I assumed their chemistry was lovely and I loved the simple story.
As a pleasant fringe profit, I additionally found the attractive OST Iku Oku Konen (Billions of Mild Years) by Japanese band Omoinotake. It’s on my particular OST playlist now.
4. Physician Stoop (Korean)
Deserving of the quantity 4 place is Physician Stoop.
This drama touched me in all the proper locations, particularly since I’m additionally within the psychological well being subject. It gave drama phrases to so many issues I used to be studying and educating.
This was additionally my first time watching Park Shin Hye and I wasn’t disenchanted in any respect; her repute as a beautiful actress is well-earned. I additionally cherished watching Park Hyung Sik play a mix of great and playful.
After all, I observed the OST The Method to Love Myself (by CHEN) and it grew to become my pick-me-up tune for the higher a part of 2024.
3. My Candy Mobster (Korean)
I fell in love with Uhm Tae Goo’s footage on-line earlier than I even watched this drama!
After all, this drama was a lot enjoyable to look at. I had many laugh-out-loud experiences. I like that it portrayed a social difficulty very properly – second probabilities for former inmates.
I cherished the camaraderie of the Thirsty Deer gang, and I actually favored the second love story.
I need to give a particular shout-out to Yang Hyun Min, the actor who performed Gwak Jae Su on this drama. He was a hoot!
2. Pretty Runner (Korean)
My quantity two spot goes to the worldwide sensation, Pretty Runner.
The FOMO was actual whereas I used to be ready for this drama to complete airing, let me let you know. And it didn’t disappoint.
A beautiful storyline, lovely actors plus a pinch of noble idiocy and it turned out to be the proper components for me and a complete lot of followers.
Like many of the world, I rediscovered Byeon Woo Seok (I had solely seen him in 20th Century Woman earlier than then) and found Kim Hye-Yoon.
I’ll simply take a second to swoon over Kim Hye-Yoon. For the primary three or so episodes, I hardly observed anybody else on this drama. She was superior.
This looks like a very good place to announce that the TopTeenu Drama Awards for the Greatest Actress from a 2024 drama goes to Kim Hye-Yoon. Her efficiency in Pretty Runner was phenomenal.
Likewise, the TopTeenu Drama Awards for the Greatest Actor from a 2024 drama goes to Byeon Woo-Soek. Enjoying an athlete, rock star, actor, pupil and truly singing the songs and making us go loopy for all of it was fairly a feat.
For sure, lots of the songs on this drama have discovered their means onto my particular playlist.
It additionally goes with out saying that the TopTeenu Drama Awards for the Greatest OTP from a 2024 drama goes to Im Sol and Ryu Solar-Jae from Pretty Runner. I dare every other couple to beat three (or was it 4?) timelines.
1. Love Subsequent Door (Korean)
The coveted spot for my finest made-in-2024 drama goes to Love Subsequent Door.
How this drama made me really feel is tough to place into phrases. I cherished the performances, I cherished the 2 love tales, I cherished the household connections and the small neighborhood feels. I cherished the second probabilities and profession reinventions.
It had many issues that I might relate deeply to. It had actual life points and actual life classes. It had Mudflat Man. It had Choi Seung Ho and naughty deeds.
This drama actually hit me in another way. I went all in – I watched and re-watched, I learn posts about it, listened to blow-by-blow podcast episodes, and watched a number of behind the scenes and interviews.
Ooh and after being a silent reader all these years, this drama prompted me to depart my first touch upon KFG’s weblog! All hail my finest made-in-2024 drama!
Honorable Mentions
1. The Atypical Household (Korean) deserves a point out for giving me an uncommon, properly, an atypical storyline. I didn’t take pleasure in each little bit of it, and I used to be confused for some time, nevertheless it was contemporary and it ended up being fairly respectable.
2. Serendipity’s Embrace (Korean) deserves a point out due to the music. I cherished each single OST on this drama and I’ve to say that the music stayed with me rather more than the drama itself.
I could have forgotten scenes and plot traces, however you’ll discover me singing alongside to Marvel (by Yechan Jeon) or Future (by 8TURN) or every other tune from this drama at any given time. And naturally, your entire OST is on my particular playlist. it.
3. No Achieve No Love (Korean) makes it to this record for the TopTeenu Razzie Award.
I used to be actually wanting ahead to a very good Shin Min-A drama, nevertheless it fell flat for probably the most half. I watched it, I completed it, nevertheless it was not memorable for me. It didn’t even give me an OST I might maintain on to.
Pre-2024 Dramas
5. The King: Everlasting Monarch (Korean)
Folks, I simply needed to go see what the fuss about Lee Min Ho was. And I let you know. I got here, I noticed and I WAS conquered.
This was my first Lee Min Ho drama and I used to be charmed in a short time and really undoubtedly. I’m satisfied no different actor can play a sensible, charismatic king like him.
I additionally rekindled my love for Kim Go Eun, whom I had identified and cherished earlier than. Plus I discovered Woo Do Hwan, one of many most interesting actors I’ve seen.
And as an additional profit, I added the OST Orbit (by HWASA) to my particular playlist.
4. Sizzling Range League (Korean)
My quantity 4 pre-2024 drama is that this extraordinary underdog-to-victory sports activities drama. That is the superb drama I by no means noticed coming and my first sports activities drama.
I watched it as a result of I had simply watched Korean drama My Dearest (not for the faint hearted) and I desperately needed to cleanse my drama palate with one other Namkoong Min drama. And ideally one which didn’t have a number of blood and gore and misery.
And this drama delivered. His efficiency was stellar, the attractive and uber-talented Park Eun-Bin was in it, and I binged it onerous.
I like this drama a lot; it had so many inspirational life classes.
3. Mr. Queen (Korean)
This was an epic drama. It had romance, palace conspiracy, motion, and plenty of comedy. Folks, Shin Hye Solar is a grasp!
This drama left me in splits and on the sting of my seat. The storyline was initially not inviting to me (I are inclined to run from politicking), however I’m so glad I gave it a strive regardless of that.
And a few the OST songs even made it to my playlist.
2. Healer (Korean)
My quantity 2 pre-2024 drama and at present my third finest drama of all time is Healer.
What a narrative. What a forged. What an OST. This was nice tv, guys. This is among the finest time investments I made in my drama watching, my sanity and my enjoyment.
How this drama blended romance with motion and intrigue and Ahjumma is nothing wanting epic. And it had Park Min Younger, considered one of my finest actresses! Gosh! I really feel a re-watch fever approaching.
I hereby current the TopTeenu ‘Can By no means Do Unsuitable Award’ to actor Ji Chang Wook.
Receiving this extremely coveted award implies that for the remainder of his performing life, regardless of how horrible the story or how dangerous the performing, he’ll at all times be exonerated and cherished by me.
1. Alchemy of Souls (Korean)
Sitting confidently because the primary pre-2024 drama that I watched in 2024 is Alchemy of Souls. It’s also my second finest drama of all time.
No story like this. Magic, examine. Sword fights, examine. Romance, examine. Friendships, examine.
I didn’t anticipate to love it, however I used to be curious sufficient to present this style a go and I’m so glad I did!
This can even go down in historical past as the one drama I’ve been in a position to get my husband to look at. For somebody who wasn’t concerned about 12 or 16 episode dramas, he binged this 30-episode drama quick!
Honorable Mentions
1. Extraordinary Lawyer Woo (Korean). The title says all of it. Park Eun-Bin was wonderful. Kang Tae Ho was swoony. The expansion curve for our leads was properly performed. It had beautiful feminine friendships. That’s it, it had me.
2. Lovestruck in The Metropolis (Korean). I do know one million or so followers dropped this drama. However I cherished it. And I discovered the interview format fairly refreshing. Sure, Ji Chang Wook was a tad too whiny, however then he has the TopTeenu ‘Can By no means Do Unsuitable Award’, so…
3. Excellent Marriage Revenge (Korean). This was my gentle introduction to the ‘makjang’ number of dramas and I cherished it! It was a loopy journey and I loved each little bit of it.
4. First Love: Hatsukoi (Japanese). This was such a rousing drama! A narrative of younger love and reconnections. I discovered it very lovely and really touching. I nonetheless keep in mind actor Taisei Kido’s smile with such fondness. And I found Takeru Satoh!
Thanks, JJ, ABV and everybody who advisable this within the Patreon neighborhood!
And thanks for studying about my 2024 drama 12 months! Right here’s to a extra superior drama 12 months in 2025!
~TopTeenu
Associated