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Another year means another end-of-the-year review post to cap things off. 2023 was such an interesting year for me in terms of my K-drama experience. I finally managed to keep track of all the dramas and movies that I was watching. It seemed like time traveling and dual timelines was the theme in K-dramaland. I also have to admit that I got burnt out with what I watched this year. It wasn’t so much the quantity of dramas that I watched but rather more about the quality of these shows and how underwhelming or disappointing they felt. A drama started off exciting and hopeful only to flame out in the middle half. But even with the disappointment or the frustration, there were still some dramas that were definitely highlights of the year in K-dramaland. With that being said, I reflect on my top 3 K-dramas from 2023 down below.

My list of dramas that I finished watching this year included:

• Alchemy of Souls S2
• The Forbidden Marriage
• Love to Hate You
• Strangers Again
• Crash Course in Romance
• Our Blooming Youth
• Duty After School
• Taxi Driver 2
• Joseon Attorney: A Morality
• Stealer: The Treasure Keeper
• Black Knight
• One Day Off
• Doctor Cha
• My Perfect Stranger
• See You in My 19th Life
• D.P. 2
• My Lovely Liar
• Moving
• My Dearest
• Destined With You
• Doona!
• Strong Girl Nam-soon
• Castaway Diva
• Daily Dose of Sunshine

Honorable Mentions

• Taxi Driver 2
• D.P. 2
• Moving
• My Perfect Stranger

Top 3 Dramas

Crash Course in Romance

‘Crash Course in Romance’ was successful and popular in Korea – deservingly so. Two popular and talented lead actors combined with a great director and writer pairing and you had a formula for success. Fast forward to many months later and I still feel the same way about the drama as I reflect on my feelings for the show: I wasn’t the biggest fan of every component but the drama excelled and performed really well in certain aspects. I could have done without Dong-hui’s villain arc and the whole mystery/thriller aspect of the show because it took away valuable and meaningful time from other parts that the drama did REALLY well. I absolutely loved and adored Haeng-seon as our main character and how we followed her relationship with best friend Yeong-joo as well as daughter (niece) Hae-yi. It was touching how Haeng-seon worked to run a banchan restaurant to provide for her family and to do all that she could for her daughter. She was so strong, so resilient, so hard-working. And maybe that’s why it was also so great to see Haeng-seon eventually find love and romance through a relationship with Chi-yeol. She was so busy putting others first that she was finally able to find someone who she loved and who loved her. Haeng-seon was finally able to put her needs first and focus on herself in the process. Though I don’t remember a whole lot from the drama because it aired back in March, there are three general feelings that I still remember : 1) I absolutely enjoyed and loved all the familial moments in this drama and 2) I will always remember that camping scene in episode 6. It forever remains one of the more memorable moments in a drama to exist and 3) you don’t need a whole lot to do a whole lot. ‘Crash Course in Romance’ was a charming drama that was at its best because it kept things simple.

Our Blooming Youth

I get that this drama wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea and that this pick might be a controversial one. There also might have been some aspects about its storytelling or characters that was messy and confusing. But for me, I loved ‘Our Blooming Youth.’ It was one of those dramas where the withdrawals after the drama concluded hit me harder and longer than most. It was a drama that I felt fondly towards and will always – for some reason – have a soft spot for. I’m not even completely sure why I liked this drama so much. Maybe it was the hope and optimism that the drama had a strange way of emitting even as dark and serious as it was at times. Maybe it was the new beginnings and exciting opportunities that our characters deserved after all that they endured and experienced. Maybe it was the messages and lessons that the drama conveyed by the end of the show; how it’s important to let go, to learn from the past, and to look forward to a better future. 

Maybe it was also how soft, healthy, and adorable the romance between Lee Hwan and Jae-yi was. Maybe it was the way that they believed in each other and relied on each other to get through the most difficult and challenging time in their life. Lee Hwan had lost his brother and was falsely accused of poisoning him while Jae-yi had lost her entire family and was falsely framed for murdering them. They were two lost and confused individuals who were fated to meet and work together to solve the mysteries behind their loved ones’ deaths. But they were also two lost and confused and heartbroken souls who also loved each other and were loved by each other in the process. When times got dark, they were there for each other. When times got rough, they were each other’s source of support and strength. Jae-yi and Lee Hwan’s lives were tied to each other in multiple ways for multiple reasons and it was nice being able to watch them love each other in their own ways. Yes, they still had to tread carefully and be careful with Jae-yi’s hidden identity in the palace. But I liked that their relationship never felt threatened whether that was internally between them or by external factors. They were confident in their relationship and so I also was confident in them and I trusted that they would turn out fine. And as we saw in the very last scene in the final episode, they did. They had their happy ending.

I was afraid that ‘Our Blooming Youth’ would remain dark and that tons of characters would die in the finale (including either Jae-yi or Lee Hwan) and that things would feel rushed or unfair for our characters. Thankfully, the ending to the drama ended on a bittersweet note. I felt relieved watching our characters get to start over and begin again. Their past was traumatizing, hurtful, and painful, but they were able to discover the truth thanks to one another. None of this would have been possible without the teamwork that our characters exhibited and practiced. I liked that the drama ended with such optimism and hope not only for our characters but also storytelling wise with the way that the people of Byeokcheon were able to be integrated back into society. Overall, ‘Our Blooming Youth’ was a drama that warmed my heart and soul. It brought me comfort and peace; it also gave me hope and optimism just like how the drama concluded. The drama wasn’t perfect by any means, but there were many good things about it. If I had to describe the drama, I would consider it bittersweet: there were losses and tragedy along the way but our characters were in a much better place by the ending of the drama compared to where they were at the beginning.

Daily Dose of Sunshine

Oh ho ho, I don’t even know where to get started with my review on this drama. I wrote a separate review post on this drama a month ago and now that a month has passed, nothing much has changed in terms of my feelings for the show. I will always appreciate ‘Daily Dose of Sunshine’ for many reasons. I’ll admit that I was a bit worried going into the drama about how it was going to portray mental health and illness. I was concerned that it would portray a harmful perception of a sensitive topic. I wasn’t so sure what kind of message the drama was going to convey. But it didn’t take long for my worries to subside and for me to realize that I was safe with this drama.

‘Daily Dose of Sunshine’ was beautiful and heartwarming in so many ways. Whether it was through Da-eun’s journey as a nurse and us following her professional and personal life or through the stories of the patients or the stories of the supporting characters – there were so many things to learn from and take away from the show. Da-eun was a character who I felt many viewers could relate to. She began a new chapter in her life in a new work environment with new co-workers. Things were unfamiliar to her. She had to learn to gain the trust of her patients. It wasn’t easy at all and we watched as she initially struggled. But the beauty of it all was that we also watched her grow and develop and transform. We watched as she overcame adversity. We saw her mature. We saw her love herself even more and fully embrace everything about herself. She was so strong, so loving, so kind, and so caring. Da-eun loved everything and everyone with every fiber inside of her and that’s why she was such a charming and amazing main character. She cared.

‘Daily Dose of Sunshine’ did a great job in de-stigmatizing mental illness and mental health. It created conversations about different types of mental illnesses, about the importance of getting help, about how it’s okay to ask for help, and about how there’s nothing wrong or nothing to be ashamed of for asking for help. Episode 3 will always hold a special place in my heart for showcasing Yu-chan’s story with his mental health and having two of his greatest friends support him. I will forever hold Seo-wan’s story close to my heart. I said this once and I’ll say it again: his story is one of the most impactful stories that I’ve ever seen or watched from a show in a very long time. The amazing thing is.. He wasn’t even our main character or even a supporting character. He was one of the patients who appeared here and there throughout the show then had an entire episode dedicated to his story. But we saw just how impactful his life and his story was to our characters and it also certainly affected me. I lost count of how many times I cried while watching ‘Daily Dose of Sunshine’ because of the many concepts, ideas, and messages it constantly brought up throughout each episode. I cried so hard when there were scenes showcasing grief and loss and mourning – emotions that hit a little too close to home for me. I cried watching Seo-wan worry about his future because he was uncertain about his career path and what he wanted to do and how he was going to succeed. I cried watching Da-eun struggle at work and struggle to process her complicated emotions and feelings.

‘Daily Dose of Sunshine’ was a drama that I could resonate with and relate to in a variety of ways and it still amazes me how the drama spoke to me in so many ways. It’s quite fascinating and comforting that the drama came at a time when I needed it. It arrived at a time right when I needed it the most and for that, I am so grateful. ‘Daily Dose of Sunshine’ was that comfort drama, that healing drama, and that encouraging drama that definitely did what it was intended to do: provide a dose of sunshine.

Most Disappointing Drama of the Year

Duty After School (Part 2)

Oh ‘Duty After School’ Part 2, what am I gonna do with you? It’s not as if you started off as the most amazing drama I had ever watched, but I did generally enjoy part one to ‘Duty After School’ (hence, why I listed Part 2 and not Part 1 in this category). Like I mentioned in my review for the second part, I didn’t need Part 2 to be better than Part 1. If it was better and stronger than part 1, that would be great. But it just needed to be just as good and I would have been satisfied.

Unfortunately, part 2 fell completely flat and collapsed hard. I was able to tolerate the first three episodes, but the final episode was truly where everything fell apart. It’s fascinating and a bit hilarious that a drama in the year 2023 can still have endings that do not make any sense and are completely ridiculous. I can’t recall when was the last time I had ever seen a drama end in such a crazy and baffling way and I never want to experience this feeling ever again.

In the final episode, there was a scene where the male lead, Chi-yeol, woke up from a dream in his classroom and it seemed as if everything was just a dream. Things were peaceful, his classmates were hanging out in the room like they usually did, and he woke up to his best friend sitting at his desk in front of him and talking to him. So for a moment, it made me wonder: was this all just a dream this entire time? And then once I saw the actual ending to the final episode and learned that things indeed had not been a dream, it made me wish that everything was actually just a dream all along. I would have preferred the dream ending over the actual ending (AKA the one where the classmate went insane and shot most of his classmates to death). And I dislike dream endings where the character wakes up and he was just imagining things in his head all along. But even I would have preferred that type of ending over the actual one we got in the drama.

There could have also been another ending where the students died due to the alien creatures that they had been trying so hard and so long to get rid of. If the students were going to just die and get killed in the end, it would have made more sense that it was because of the alien creatures. But the drama wanted to switch it up with the whole classmate-turned-mass-shooter scenario to emphasize the message that it’s not the alien creatures that are terrible but rather human beings who are. And that’s also another issue I had with the actual ending. If the drama really wanted the end message and lesson to be that human beings are the evil terrible ones and that the alien creatures came down onto earth to clean up the dirtiness and evilness, then it should have framed the story to be that way. The issue with this drama was that its framing was inaccurate and incorrect. Part one made it seem as if the drama was about a war between alien creatures vs. human beings. We watched as the students transitioned from being in the classroom to becoming military soldiers in a fight for their life and survival. We watched as their classmates and teachers died; we watched their platoon leader sacrifice himself to keep the students alive. The drama made it seem as if it was centered around the war where it was the alien creatures/spheres vs. the students.

And then suddenly that wasn’t the case in part 2 anymore and it was suddenly about human beings vs. human beings. I couldn’t go along with the message and theme and I had a difficult time comprehending where these ideas came from. And then a part of me was too upset or angry to even try to understand the lessons and messages that the drama was attempting to convey. Because by that point, it didn’t matter to me anymore. Part 2 of ‘Duty After School’ felt as if it went in a completely different direction than part 1 and it just didn’t click for me. It felt as if the two parts weren’t as interconnected as it should have been and as much as I would have liked. And so for that reason, I felt as if part 1 was the better part (by far) and was the only part worth watching. Part 2 was disappointing and underwhelming in so many ways and for so many different reasons. I wasn’t the biggest fan of ‘Duty After School’ as a whole but I just hope that there will never be a drama that I watch again that ends in a similar fashion the way that part 2 of this drama did. And it’s a good thing there are still plenty of high school dramas out there that are much better than ‘Duty After School’ (psttt, I highly recommend giving ‘Moment at Eighteen’ or ‘School 2021’ a watch!).

Eventually dropped because they were not hot (AKA these dramas just weren’t really my cup of tea)

• The Interest of Love
• Kokdu: Season of Deity
• The Good Bad Mother
• Delightfully Deceitful
• Behind Your Touch
• Moon in the Day

And that wraps it up for my end-of-the-year review in K-dramaland for 2023! Overall, it wasn’t a bad year but there also weren’t as many memorable dramas for me as I would have liked. I’m grateful and satisfied for my top 3 favorite dramas and I also have to admit that there was still so much potential for the rest of the dramas on my list that I finished. Here’s to hoping for a much bigger and better and stronger line-up of K-dramas in 2024.