So I'm going to do a 2020 drama list for here. A nice visual for me entering a new fandom.

I'd like to preface this by saying I am very green with Kdrama. So I'm finding my feet and trying anything and everything. Previous to now I'd basically watched a handful of episodes of Coffee Prince way back in 2000 something. So I'm having an experience and, so far, it's good!

Eulachacha Waikiki (1&2)
Umm. It's unique? If this sounds like I hated it, I didn't. I just feel it's important to know this comedy is unique. It's a quirky story about three guys in arts careers. They run a guesthouse. What ensues is sometimes slapstick and sometimes weirdly

emotional. Filled with varying, slightly bizarre, but usually funny, side plots this is definitely one to watch if you're looking for something silly. I'd add that being okay with fart and poop jokes is a prerequisite to enjoying this.
½
Seven and a half farts

Hello, my twenties (Age of youth) 1&2
There was much to love in the first season of this drama. The acting and writing were both great, particularly Park Eun Bin, and watching the girls bond and discover one another's stories was an interesting watch. The second season however

was a bit of a let down from the first. They had an actress change for one of the lead characters and some new characters are introduced. It wasn't bad, just lacked the sparkle of the first season.

8 haunted shoe closets out of 10

Because this is my first life
I finished this weeks ago and I'm still thinking about it???
The writing in this is impeccable, there are shades of western Rom-Com's (and some straight knowing pastiche Park Byung Eun's 500 days of summer dance routine for instance) but it still

maintains the things that make Asian dramas unique. Just mentioning the writing neglects to mention the acting. EVERYONE IN THIS IS GOOD.
You end up rooting for every relationship just as much as you root for Ji hoo and Se hee. It's beautiful.
10 kitties

Romance is a bonus book
Stunning. Has the great side characters that I love to see in slice of life dramas and a thoroughly convincing main pairing that you can't help but completely root for. Also has a fully engaging little side mystery that holds your attention, but doesn't

take from the relationship between Eun Ho and Dan Yi (who are played wonderfully by the adorable Lee Jong Suk and gorgeous Lee Na Young) and the ensemble cast as a whole. An incredibly warm, friendly watch. #romanceisabonusbook
Ten books out of ten

Reply 1997
If you love the sorts of classic 'teen' movies that they don't really make anymore (I'm talking 80's John Hughes and 90's staples like 10 things I hate about you) then I believe you'll love this. It's got strong cast (one of whom was actually in the boyband the lead

character hates) and writing to back up that cast. At times it's poignant (particularly the one-sided lgbtq+ romance) and other times it's just really, really funny. Absolutely check out.
Ten smutty fanfics out of ten #Reply1997

Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim
Oh. This took me a couple of episodes. But once it hit, it really hit. I don't think this has the strongest opening episode but it does establish our two romantic leads. Yeon Seok and Hyun Jin are brilliant in these roles. #romanticdoctorteacherkim

This drama picks up more when you properly meet Teacher Kim (played to fantastic effect by Han Seok Kyu) and the band of lovable, loyal hospital staff. The hospital is almost a character in itself and watching the way it shapes the staff within it is extremely compelling.

This show does more things well than it does bad but I do feel it's perhaps a little reliant on some slightly tired tropes which can mean that episodes that contribute to the main 'story' can drag a little. You feel at some points you'd rather just be watching the staff interact

and live their lives instead of having to watch a bitter man be bitter and play with the lives of the staff.
This is genuinely an extremely enjoyable drama though and I'd highly recommend it if you're a fan of the medical genre.
Nine ambulances out of ten

Reply 1994 #reply1994
Can I marry a tv show? Or, like, live in it? If this were possible this is the show I'd choose. Its opening episode isn't as strong as 97's is but it pulls you in from episode 2. Including the parents, there are NINE main characters in this show.

You grow to love, understand and appreciate them all and all for different reasons. For a show with one 21 episode series that's huge. For me, Trash was this shows highlight. But I think it's possible to make a case for any of character as your personal highlight. #reply1994

If you enjoy a true slice of life, this scene serves no plot purpose just develops something we should understand about this character, drama then you will adore this. It's fun to watch and fun to imagine being married to Trash. (Only partially joking here. He's that good)

Ten basketballs out of ten but this basically gets infinity basketballs from me. #reply1994

(I also reviewed this over @My_Drama_List if you'd like to read some word vomit on why this show is worth your time. https://mydramalist.com/profile/jenfletch/reviews)

Reply 1988 #Reply1988
I've not quite finished this one yet (two episodes left) but it'll be today I finish. If 97 and 94 were very definitely about the lead female and her love interest then this show is about the ensemble. The residents of the block are the heart of this show

and, I'd argue, actually more convincing and interesting than any love story plot. (I actually felt both love options were crap choices for the very lovely lead female) The stories of the block residents (with the exception of Jung Bong. I don't care. I never will care.) are

the heart, soul and importance in this story. The joy of 88 is watching their lives unfold, at points, you'll care more about the adults than the main five protagonists. It's character-building at the masterful level I've come to expect from this writing team.

That's not to say our main protagonists aren't engaging, they truly are. As with 97 and 94, you'll want to see them flourish and do well. #Reply1988

Ten bowls of ramen out of ten

Prison Playbook #prisonplaybook Maybe a perfect ensemble drama? There isn’t really anything to fault with this. It’s sometimes hilariously funny and other times desperately sad, the writing is nuanced and all the characters are not only written beautifully they’re also

woven so well into the plot that nobody ever feels like extra weight. You fully understand the motivations and reasons behind each of the main inmates and the story is richer for it. If I were to have one gripe it’s that I’d have liked a neater ending, but the ending it has

doesn’t take away from the story in any way. If you love a well written, well acted all around well crafted bromantic story then you’ll love this. 10/10 police officers

Itaewon Class. Oh you started out so well. The first half of this show is pretty solidly good. It establishes it’s lead and his motives in a clear way. They really lost their way in the second half though, with clumsy use of overdone

tropes and some insane characterisation nothing really felt like it worked when you add to this a love interest who, for me, was unlikeable, and who was never really given a chance to redeem herself of the things that made her unlikeable, you get a bit of a car crash.

The best thing about this drama is it’s cast. Particular highlights for me were Ryu Kyung Soo and Lee Joo Young who I really hope get a lot of work off the back of this show. 1/2 6 1/2 beers out of 10

Fight for my way #Fightformyway
Ahh, what a lovely drama. There's a warmth that pours from every inch of this show that's really wonderful. The story is a fairly standard friends to lovers romp with an added vein of youthful indecision over life paths.

The chemistry between the leads here is what really sells this drama Park Seo Joon is his usual charming self and Kim Ji Won is a fantastic counterpart. Their banter is endearing and their romance scenes fizz in just the right way. The side romance between their friends was also

extremely cute and, whilst I think the friendship between the four was underplayed, I did enjoy the female camaraderie between Jiwon and Hajoon's characters.
If you're looking for something gentle, sweet and unstressful you can't do much better than this.

9/10 ~ Nine boxing gloves out of ten. It would absolutely be a ten if a little more attention was paid to the friendship between the four. PS: Don't leave auto-play on as you'll miss some lovely little extra scenes at the ends of episodes.

#JealousyIncarnate

On paper I should have loved everything about this drama. Great cast and the frothy sort of romance that I’m drawn too. In reality, I struggled like heck with this. It’s too long just for a start, it didn’t need 24 episodes, my second biggest problem with this is the myriad of

pointless annoying plot points. There’s an unnecessary love triangle, as a viewer you know who she’s getting with ultimately so it’s useless, and also some of the worst written females I’ve seen in a long time. It’s like they thought ‘we’ve nailed the lead female’ that’s the only

one that matters. Seriously, they’re all pretty much unlikeable. It’s just fine and I don’t think I’d really rec anyone to watch it.

1/2 sunshine’s but really only because the three leads are wonderful and Kim Jung Hyun is a charming younger brother.

#HospitalPlaylist

Want something that’s well plotted, well acted and fantastically written all whilst maintaining solid storylines for every highlighted character? Look no further. This dream of a writer/director pair never fail to deliver for me and #HospitalPlaylist was no exception.

Every episode was enjoyable and nothing ever felt like filler. A lot of people were worried that, with the knowledge they had another series to come, this series would not have any satisfying conclusions. Very wrong. A few gentle loose ends are left for s2 but a lot of major and

minor plots got tied up. I adored every second of this and I flatly refuse to rate it out of ten. It’s currently sitting pretty as my favourite drama I’ve watched. Infinity reccomendations from me. Watch, enjoy and wallow in having to wait for 2021.

#MyEngineer

What did I choose to follow up probably the best drama I'll ever watch? A terribly cheesy Thai boylove drama that's what. (I judge myself so you don't have too)
The production on this is so bad it's occasionally laughable, the dialogue is straight up Wattpad and

some of the acting was at highschool drama level but it's got an awful lot of warmth to it and if you spent your formative years reading really crap fanfiction I feel like you'll get where this is coming from and really get a kick out of it.

There's also a side pairing who are horribly shippable and also probably the best-acted pairing of the lot. It's a silly little brain bath wash that legitimately feels like fanfic brought to life.

7 future boyfriend attacking lizards out of 10.

#KingEternalMonarch
The first time I've finished a drama and wondered why I bothered watching.

Up until about episode 10, though it's fully arguable that it's got a lot of awful before that point too, it's mostly fine. It doesn't make sense but you can suspend disbelief and roll with it. But after episode 10 everything goes downhill fast and doesn't pick up.

The cast in this actually does an amazing job with very little except, for me, Min Ho. He was very wooden and one-note throughout and did extremely little to bring anything beyond dense royal. The plot is convoluted and messy and the ending is the least satisfying thing I've ever

sat through (and I've watched every Star Wars film). This doesn't even touch on the fact that there are entire freaking scenes that serve no plot purpose and just sell a product. Product placement is completely normal and, I'd argue, the way that Korea does it is less sinister

than it is in the West. But this was honestly ridiculous.

It gets six horses out of ten from me and that's being generous.

#WHYRUtheseries

Another Thai BL drama. The writing and acting were A LOT higher on this one that in My Engineer. All the cast are extremely likeable and the main four are shippable as hell. This drama is also quite a bit more 'adult' than Engineer.

I could see where this one suffered from Covid hitting as it was filming but it didn't take away from a pretty decent story and some very strong acting.

8 beaches out of 10

#MysticPopupBar
Oh, oh, oh this came out of nowhere for me. I'd seen it on the upcoming drama list and thought it looked interesting enough for a peek.

I'm so glad I peeked. This is one of those slightly under the radar gems that just works. The main three did tremendous work with a very solid script and the things this show had to say about life, love and the human condition were beautifully poignant.

This is the little show that could and it did so well. A tight story, told well, with great casting really shouldn't miss and this truly doesn't. 12 episodes, so it's extremely spammable. Go forth and enjoy.

Ten chopsticks out of ten

#2GetherTheSeries
Don't fight me, this is only an okay show.

The biggest, best thing about this show is its leads. Charming, cute and with chemistry to boot I'd kill to see them again in a better show. That's not to say this is terrible, it isn't, it just misses a lot of marks. For instance, the last two episodes are almost totally useless

You could genuinely finish at episode 11 and then watch fan compilations and you'd be more satisfied. I found Tine's friends deeply irritating (although they are extremely accurate of boys that age) and the 'enemy' lover has this bizarre love line with an actor who looks like

jailbait. None of the side romances really work either. Watch for the beautiful chemistry between the leads, but there are absolutely better uni based BL's than this.

Five and a half guitars
1/2

#TharnType
It's quite compulsive this show. Started watching and then didn't want to stop watching.

Once again the chemistry with the leads here is absolutely electric, they're both very watchable on their own and when combined it's a lot. This show had a lot of smart elements that are sometimes missing from BL's, mature conversations about things and sensible discussion around

switching in their relationship, but there was also some yuck elements that were quite uncomfortable. The main storyline, for instance, revolves around some dark quite triggery elements which, if this were not BL land, would probably result in a prison sentence for the villain.

Instead, because this is BL land, it sort of gets forgotten and there's an even a vague attempt to redeem the villain that I really did not appreciate.

I give this seven drums out of ten but it probably would have been higher if not for over dramatics I mentioned.

7/10

#GameboysTheSeries
This could also be called 'love in the time of corona'. Everyone should watch this tbh. It's adorably lovely with occasional drips of real feelsy moments.

The two leads here are cute as buttons and work really well together and with the shows female lead. The entire premise is very creative and extremely fitting for the current period we're living in.

Check this out if you want something that's quick to watch, topical and really, really lovely.


8 game controllers out of 10.