Favorite Dramas
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1. Healer
Korean Drama - 2014, 20 episodes
Favourite drama - I love everything about it. From the most minor of characters to all the flashbacks and bad guys to the pacing. Every episode is filled with love and intricacy.
Moment I fell in love: When Chae Young-shin grabs his hand to run out of the house and he is ducking and smirking. You'll know it when you see it.
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2. Reply 1997
Korean Drama - 2012, 16 episodes
2nd favourite drama! Ultimate first love/growing-up drama. And the perfect sense of nostalgia and I'm not even Korean or quite old enough to have experienced it.
Moment I fell in love: "Check..."
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3. It's Okay, That's Love
Korean Drama - 2014, 16 episodes
Top 5 fav! My emotions were in sync with every moment and character throughout.
Moment I fell in love: Just like Ji Hae-soo fell in love with Jang Jae-yeol's dance, I fell in love with Jo In-sung's.
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4. Pinocchio
Korean Drama - 2014, 20 episodes
Top 5 fav! Enemies-turned-lovers is a trope that's completely up my alley but perhaps they're better referred to as frenemies? Fighting siblings? Any and all love-hate relationships.
Moment I fell in love: Well I can't say more than I was already in love with Lee Jong-suk so maybe when he shows he's brilliant, or perhaps when he finally becomes hot or a hundred other moments in between that I won't spoil.
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5. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon
Korean Drama - 2017, 16 episodes
Top 5 fav! Funniest and cutest favourite drama. It's not that I don't like to laugh but I usually watch variety shows for my comedy fixes. This is my 1 exception. Only problem is do the dark scenes have to be so dark?
Moment I fell in love: There were hardly any moments I wasn't falling in love, I always finish it wanting so much more. If this drama was a person I would propose before it can end. Park Bo-young and Hyung-sik go straight to the top of my favourite actors every time I watch this.
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6. Romance Is a Bonus Book
Korean Drama - 2019, 16 episodes
A drama I didn't think would make my favourite list when I finished it but in 1 year I've already watched it 3 times and even now want to watch it again. It's sweet and pleasant like Something in the Rain but Something in the Rain's last few episodes make me drift off this one is rich until the end.
Moment I fell in love: I obviously love Lee Jong-suk but it's more than me being a fan, he picks great projects. Maybe I'll pick him poutily narrating about his noona's love life?
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7. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
Korean Drama - 2016, 16 episodes
Best youth/first love drama in university - encapsulates those first real struggles of becoming an adult.
Moment I fell in love: "Swag" because true friendship is better than any romantic one. To pick a romantic moment though it's when they were in the middle of the street at school grabbing either other's hoodies over their faces. Actually this drama is one that grew on me as the characters grew.
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8. School 2013
Korean Drama - 2012, 16 episodes
Best high school drama. To me this is the epitomy of the school series - friendships, parents, teachers, exams, homework. The life of a student. The only thing that's missing is romance but there's plenty of other dramas that cover that.
Moment I fell in love: Lee Jong-suk revealing his unashamed lone wolf character after he walks into the classroom
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9. King2Hearts
Korean Drama - 2012, 20 episodes
Lee Jae-ha's character development is the best of any drama. Plus I'm a sucker for royalty/chaebol stories.
Moment I fell in love: Every time Lee Jae-ha mentions his IQ and of course the scene where Lee Jae-ha accidentally opens the door in the door of the fridge. You'll know it if you're a fan.
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10. My ID Is Gangnam Beauty
Korean Drama - 2018, 16 episodes
Best university drama. Kang Mi-rae perfectly encapsulates an insecure first year student at the beginning of a new chapter in her life which is not a character that exists enough in dramas. They're either confident or too insecure whereas I think most people are somewhere inbetween.
I loved the twist on the typical bad boy/lone wolf character where he's actually ahead of everyone else on human rights.
Moment I fell in love: The angel in disguise which very rare for me and of course the bathroom scene with the sunbae.
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11. Hospital Playlist
Korean Drama - 2020, 12 episodes
I'm fairly certain there will be 2 more seasons so I have to see how it'll play out but this is an amazing 'first half'of a drama. Hopefully it's just as good by the end, I'm putting my trust in the Reply series creators.
I love the friendships, I'm not usually into 'middle aged' character dramas, I like to pretend I'm still a high schooler, but all the relationships within the 5 friends and outside it are so good. Also the play-by-play which is why I loved Reply 1997.
Moment I fell in love: Chae Song-hwa saying 'Don't worry we have him' and it pans to Lee Ik-joon in a Darth Vader mask standing in the background. I also want to include Kim Joon-wan and his very real relationships despite being a 'player' I loved his handling of the girlfriend they show at the start and the moment when he asks 'You don't have friends do you?'
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12. You're All Surrounded
Korean Drama - 2014, 20 episodes
I don't just love Lee Jong-suk, I also love Lee Seung-gi and Lee Seung-gi and a bad boy detective along with hot Ahn Jae-hyun? What more do I need?
As with many of the dramas on my favourites list, I got to the end of it wondering how 20 hours passed so quickly and loving all the characters, even the ones I used to hate. I then had to watch it a second time to pay attention to the ones I didn't like before and it was all the better the second time around.
Moment I fell in love: Young Eo Soo-sun at the police station after the fight also when her older self walks in on her fellow rookies changing.
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13. My Love from the Star
Korean Drama - 2013, 21 episodes
Sometimes I wonder whether I like this enough to be a 'favourite' out of my own opinion or from the hype. I've only finished it once or twice but have watched the beginning a lot more than that.
Moment I fell in love: Do Min-joon dismissing top star Chae Song-yi. Also Ahn Jae-hyun being protective of his sister.
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14. Doctor Stranger
Korean Drama - 2014, 20 episodes
I love the main 4 characters and the twists and turns of their relationships.
Moment I fell in love: ...with Lee Jong-suk. This was the first drama of his I watched, how can I just pick one moment? If I had to pick 2 though it would be the water bottle scene where he pretends to be a doctor there and every time he uses his ability to diagnose a patient without opening them up.
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15. Emergency Couple
Korean Drama - 2014, 21 episodes
Love-hate relationships & hospitals, what more can I ask for?
Moment I fell in love: When they met again - her looking like a mess and him looking like a king
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16. I Hear Your Voice
Korean Drama - 2013, 18 episodes
The original Noona romance, pre-Something in the Rain. This was the first couple I loved the most, they're so beautiful together.
Moment I fell in love: Can I just say Lee Jong-suk again? Maybe him fighting on the stairs? I've forgotten which moment came first.
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17. Cunning Single Lady
Korean Drama - 2014, 16 episodes
I may have already mentioned love-hate relationships are my weakness.
Moment I fell in love: L.
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18. Goong
Korean Drama - 2006, 24 episodes
Moment I fell in love: Nostalgia - when a few years passed and I wanted to re-visit this world
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19. Because This Is My First Life
Korean Drama - 2017, 16 episodes
Another drama where I ended up at the end of it before I knew it.
Moment I fell in love: How respectful Yoon Ji-ho and Nam Se-hee are of each other, especially Nam Se-hee. Also Bomi's character, gotta love her. And Lee Som.
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20. Chicago Typewriter
Korean Drama - 2017, 16 episodes
I'm not usually into flashbacking/multiple lives concepts. I don't like the whole I love them just because I loved the old them or even worse, this person catch's my interest but I don't know why (I didn't even like this part about My Love from the Star and that's a fairly minor version). But this drama creates it as a real story so I liked it. Plus I like the early 1900's style over the Joseon style.
Moment I fell in love: Yoo Ah-in with hair. Then I began to love him without hair. This is what love does to us.
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21. Hello Monster
Korean Drama - 2015, 16 episodes
The relationship development between the main characters were so .. I'm going to say good because anything else = spoilers! But the younger versions were such good actors. Also DO's acting is amazing tbh he made the drama worse because the older self could not match up to DO's version to the point it became a mismatch.
Moment I fell in love: I already loved Seo In-guk from Reply 1997 but I remember this is the moment I fell in love with Park Bo-gum which was as soon as he appeared saying something along the lines of 'Don't you know who I am?''.
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22. Jealousy Incarnate
Korean Drama - 2016, 24 episodes
The only reason I don't watch this more is because it's so long! I just re-watched it in lockdown and it was a struggle, a lovely struggle but a struggle none-the-less. So. Long. I love their focus on love triangles and dreams, it was definitely an interesting focus, I usually hate love triangles.
Moment I fell in love: Lee Hwa-shin letting himself be felt up so easily by someone he clearly has a distaste for. He has so much depth for a character. He's a realistic "I love myself" character when they're usually over the top. Also his defined thoughts on masculinity which is more realistic. Usually masculinity is shallowly portrayed in grunting, ape-like actions and a need to be the boss/man of the house but Lee Hwa-shin has a more specific insecurity that comes out as a result on his thoughts on it.
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23. While You Were Sleeping
Korean Drama - 2017, 32 episodes
Honestly this would be much higher on my favourites list if Suzy was a better actress. It's a great story. I'm able to ship Lee Jong-suk with (is it 6?) other actresses but I just can't quite get there with Suzy. I've had a few attempts at re-watching it but I've yet to get to the finish line again, 99% of the problem is definitely Suzy.
Moment I fell in love: ...with Jung Hae-in and his grin and ears, also Lee Jong-suk in a prosecutor gown. He really pulls off everything.
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24. W
Korean Drama - 2016, 16 episodes
Another Lee Jong-suk drama! He really picks great projects, how does he do it?
Moment I fell in love: ...with Han Hyo-joo this time and in a doctor's coat. Also love the scenes where she tries to surprise Kang Chul.
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25. Sassy Go Go
Korean Drama - 2015, 12 episodes
I love my school dramas. This was a great drama for Eunji post Reply 1997.
Moment I fell in love: Kim Yeol. The scene where the 2 clubs are fighting but if you watch Kim Yeol & Kang Yeon-doo carefully, well it's not quite a fight. And I hope typing this out doesn't sound gross but when Kim Yeol is flirting and he flicks his tongue. It's not often I have a Yasss sexyyy moments but that was definitely one of them.
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26. Witch's Romance
Korean Drama - 2014, 16 episodes
Park Seo-joon, I always knew you'd go far.
Moment I fell in love: Scene of Ban Ji Yun trying to figure out their age difference and her kitty-like lick of the beer can.
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27. Something in the Rain
Korean Drama - 2018, 16 episodes
I already tried watching this again but I think I need to give it more time, I'll watch it again eventually.
Moment I fell in love: Jung Hae-in's grin
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28. Shining Inheritance
Korean Drama - 2009, 28 episodes
I want to watch this again, I really do, but it's so long!
Moment I fell in love: Seo Woo-hwan's character development
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29. Plus Nine Boys
Korean Drama - 2014, 14 episodes
There's 4 relationships in here and I only watch the main one, but it's great. I love the frenemy-turned-lover relationships and this is a great example of it.
Moment I fell in love: The first spark of chemistry between the Kang Jin-goo and Ma Se-yeong.
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30. My Holo Love
Korean Drama - 2020, 12 episodes