Kdrama Tag

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We are back to our regular foreign drama-themed posts on Monday. Yay! Let’s see how long that lasts. Anyway, out of all cinemas from around the world, Korea has to be my favorite for TV series (though China is a close second). I often do book tags, so I thought it would be fun to do a Korean drama Tag.

I found this on Clarified Dramas, who mentioned they discovered it on Tumblr at Heck Yeah Tumblr Challenges! I decided to go ahead and answer all 30 questions. If you are curious about learning some of my Kdrama favorites, read onward! Also, I may be spoiling some of the dramas, so be warned!

1. Your Favorite Kdrama

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The Moon That Embraces the Sun

It’s so hard to pick one, because I have a dozen which could easily fit into this position. However, back when I go into Korean dramas, this drama was my favorite. I love historical dramas, but so many of them end horribly. However, this is one of the few that has a happy ending and never feels slow-moving. It tells the romance between a female shaman (the moon) and a fictional king of Joseon (the sun).

2. Your Favorite Male Lead Character

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Cha Do Hyun from Kill Me Heal Me

Ji Sung is just one of my favorite actors in general, but in this drama he was brilliant! He plays a man with seven split personalities, and deals with the woman who becomes his doctor and tries to cure him. Not only does this character have seven extremely distinct persons (ranging from hilarious to terrifying), but each is a brilliant character in of themselves. I mean, why pick one male lead when you can pick seven?

3. Your Favorite Female Lead Character

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Kim Bok Joo from Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo

There are several reasons I love her character so much. First, she feels incredibly human, suffering from self-confidence issues but being kind and strong. Second, the actress is my height. And, after watching dozens of tiny Korean actresses, it’s nice to have one who is taller (not that there is anything wrong with being shorter, but because I’m extremely tall, it’s hard for me to relate to a short character). I love Lee Song Kyoung in anything she stars in!

4. Your Favorite Male Third Wheel Character

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Baek In Ho from Cheese in a Trap

Ironically enough, Lee Sung Kyoung stars in this show too. Anyway, I loved Baek In Ho’s character, and I thought he and Hong Seol’s (the main girl) relationship was so much healthier than the main relationship. Plus, he played piano, which makes him awesome! And he’s not a psychopath like the main male lead.

5. Your Favorite Female Third Wheel Character

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Shin Soon Ae from Oh My Ghost

This series follows a young woman who dies, and possesses the body of another girl, causing her to fall in love with a chef she works for. It’s a strange, hilarious drama, but it’s one of the few dramas where I wanted the second female lead (the ghost) to have a happy ending! And yet, SPOILER ALERT, it ended with Shin Soon Ae finishing her unfinished business on earth and disappearing. Usually, second female leads are presented as the villains, but in this one I genuinely wanted her to have a happy ending! Especially since the main guy didn’t even fall for the main girl. He fell for the ghost in the main girl’s body!

6. Your Favorite Song from a Kdrama OST

Will Be Back by Im Sun Hae from Scarlet Heart: Ryeo

I defy anyone to say that this isn’t a gorgeous song, and it’s so much more classical and epic than most pop Kdrama OSTs. It was also the song they would play when anyone died in the drama. However, while in the drama it was sad, the song itself is absolutely breathtaking! Even when I heard it over and over again in the series, I never got bored of it (unlike some other songs that play often in series).

7. Your Favorite Line/s by a Male Lead Character

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I don’t remember many quotes from Kdramas, so I searched tumblr for a bunch. I don’t clearly remember him saying this quote, but it’s a quote that speaks perfectly of my feelings. I’m so done with this world (don’t worry, not in the suicidal way!).

8. Your favorite Line/s by a Female Main Lead

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Aro (played by Go Ara) wasn’t my favorite female lead, but I love this quote so much!

9. You’re Favorite Line/s by a Male Third Wheel

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I just loved Yook Sung-jae’s character in this drama in general, but this line is so adorable! In reference, this series follows a girl who is trying to investigates her identical twin sister’s disappearance and takes over her identity. Thus why no one calls her by her real name.

10. Your Favorite Line/s by a Female Third Wheel

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I’m not sure how much Kim Min Jung’s character was a female third wheel, because she didn’t really have a solid romance with the male lead, but I loved her character so much and cried at her end!

11. Your Favorite Dialogue

I can’t choose! Many dramas are filled with great dialogue. Plus, I’ve already picked four lines I enjoy. What more do you want from me, tag gods?

12. Your Favorite Story

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Liar Game

This drama is based on a Japanese manga series, as well as a Japanese live action drama. I haven’t read the manga, but the Japanese series is really good too. I picked this one because the story is so unique. It follows a reality tv show which pays people to swindle each other in the game. The main character is a naïve girl who hires a brilliant conman to help her win the game. Though this drama does have weaknesses, the story is not one of them!

13. Your Favorite “I Love You”

Goblin (ep. 13)

Oh, you thought I was going to pick a happy scene. Well, I fooled you! I loved this drama, but nothing effected me more than this scene. It’s so sad, because he’s dying and they confess their love for each other. And this song is beautiful too. But don’t worry, the drama does have a happier ending than this!

14. Your Favorite Kiss

This might surprise a lot of people, but I’m not a fan of the kiss scenes. Usually I fast forward them or skip them all-together. I love the building of a relationship, but not necessary any physical scenes between the characters. I know, I’m weird. This is probably why I don’t like many American tv shows, because they have kiss scenes all the time.

15. Your Favorite Ending

Doctor Stranger Ending

Again, this isn’t necessarily my favorite ending, but it’s one of my favorites. That’s mostly because these characters, especially the male lead, went through hell in this drama. I was so worried they wouldn’t get a happy ending, and yet they did! Also, I shipped the second couple so hard throughout this drama, and I was happy they ended up together too.

16. A Kdrama You Started But Can’t Finish

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Whatever Happens to the Family?

I have started this drama, not once, but twice, hoping to finish it, but I still haven’t. It’s longer (50 episodes), which might be the reason, and is a bit slow-moving. But it’s a great, hilarious comedy, and I do want to finish it…I’m just horrible at finishing things I start.

17. A Kdrama You’ve Watched More Than Once

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City Hunter

I’ve watched this drama at least three times, and even convinced my mother to watch it with me once. It’s a great thriller, though the ending is slightly bittersweet. It’s a revenge plot story, of a highly trained man (played by Lee Min Ho) who is out to expose the corruption in the Korean government.

18. The Worst Kdrama You’ve Watched Until the End

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The Surplus Princess

This is a modern retelling of The Little Mermaid. It was so bad, it’s 14 episodes were narrowed down to 10. Saying that, I did love the background characters. But the main romance, and the main leads, were completely intolerable! I kept watching it until the end only because I loved the background characters so much!

19. Your Best Actor

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Lee Min Ki

There are so many actors I love, and it’s hard to pick just one. I picked Lee Min Ki because he is such a diverse actor. He played a terrifying serial killer in the movie Monster (2013). He played an awkward romantic lead in Because This Is My First Life (2017). He played a hilarious magician in Spellbound (2011). He can play such unique, deep characters!

20. Your Best Actress

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Kim Yoo Jung

Kim Yoo Jung is so young still, being 19 as of this post, and yet she has proven to be an amazing actor for one so young. A few of the dramas she starred in that I loved: The Moon Embracing the Sun, Golden Rainbow, Angry Mom, Love in the Moonlight, Commitment (movie), and The Dirge Singer (movie special). Even as a young child, she was such an emotive actress.

21/22. Your Worst Actor/Actress

I’m skipping these two questions, mostly because I can’t pick any. Many of the actors I found to be bad at the beginning of their career became so much better later on. For example, Yoona (a member from SNSD) started off as an awkward actor in You Are My Destiny, and yet she blew me away in The K2 and The King in Love. So I don’t really want to pick out a worst actor/actress.

23. Your Best Couple

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Ku Hye Sun and Ahn Jae Hyun

I am not the type of person to ship actors (I ship characters, not actors). But this couple is actually married in real life. They starred together in Blood in 2015, and married in 2016. They are so adorable together (both in the drama, and in real life), and I hope their marriage works well!

24. Your Worst Couple

…can’t think of one.

25. Your First JDrama

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Hana Yori Dango

This may not have been my first Japanese drama, but it’s one of my first. It is the Japanese version of Boys Over Flowers, which has been made in multiple countries and is both an anime and manga as well. It’s a bit of a ridiculous story, but fun to watch as well.

26. Your Recently Finished Kdrama

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Revenge Note 2

This is a school drama following a girl who gains the ability to get magical revenge on bullies at her school (a bit like the Death Note, but not as dark, because no one dies). It’s a cute drama, which was released in Aug., 2018.

27. A Kdrama Loved By Many But You Didn’t Like

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My Girlfriend is a Gumiho

This is such a beloved tv series, and I haven’t heard anyone dislike it. But I’ve watched it twice (twice!), and I don’t like it. The characters are annoying, the romance frustrating, and the ending predictable.

28. A Kdrama Not Loved by Many But You Liked

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High School, Love On

I have read so many reviews saying this is one of the worst drams of all time, and I was like, “What?” The plot follows on grim reaper (the main girl) who saves a young man’s life and ends up becoming human and going to a regular high school. I loved this drama so much, because the friendships are amazing! There also isn’t as much romance as many Kdramas, which is one of the criticisms a lot of people have about it but I loved.

29. A Kdrama Which Made You So Happy

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You’re All Surrounded

This is a police procedural drama, which follows a team as they solve crimes. But it is also hilarious, and not as serious as many Korean comedies can be. Every time I watch this drama, it makes me smile!

30. A Kdrama Which Made You So Sad

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Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo

No one ends up happy in this drama. Either they end up dead, the person they love dies, or they are alone. It’s horrible, and sad, which is even worse because this is such an amazing drama to watch!

What Korean dramas have you watched? Do you disagree with my choices? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments, follow my blog for more madness and, as always,

Best wishes in your life full of adventure,

Madame Writer

8 thoughts on “Kdrama Tag

  1. This post is really delightful to read! I have to say, when it comes to Kdrama, you’re definitely an expert! I’ve heard of some which are really famous in China, but I never checked them out. The last Kdrama I finished was one that came out more than ten years ago… I’ll have to add some great Kdramas you mentioned to my list.
    And I’m terrible at finishing things, too! Sometimes there’re so many things unfinished that even makes me anxious. What’s even worse, I find it hard to pick one to start. Why do entertainment make us drained sometimes?
    There’re some movies that most people hate but I really love, which makes me doubt my taste from time to time. Anyway, like reading, whether we love a drama/movie or not is subjective~ And I let it go.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you! Everyone has different tastes when it comes to movies/dramas. What one person loves, another might hate. But everyone is entitled to their own thoughts, and you shouldn’t worry about disagreeing with people in what you like.

      I have the same anxiety if I start too many things at once (usually it’s books). I’ll start so many things that I get overwhelmed just thinking of which one I should finish first. And I agree, entertainment can be draining, especially for something that is supposed to be enjoyable.

      Liked by 2 people

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