Categories: Recess

Recess: Fall in Love with You Again

There was once a K-drama on my top-10 list. I raved about it here and there, trilling that it was so amazing and wonderful and everyone must watch it. This was a long time ago, when I first started watching K-dramas. One weekend I was bored and decided to rewatch it, and to my utter shock and horror, I grew to hate this drama. Not just find it so-so, but flat out dislike it. Where was the joie de vivre and cuteness that I recollect? How come the narrative made no sense once I actually watched it without rose-tinted glasses? I was so sad actually, to realize that my love had turn to hate, and I no longer had this sweet drama to fall back on. I’ve now grown wary of rewatching dramas, for fear that my initial favorable impressions would be ruined and obliterate the happy memories I had when I initially watched it. But similarly, this has made me appreciate the dramas that do hold up on rewatch. And it makes me freaking worship dramas that get better on rewatch, because that is a hard feat to pull of indeed. Time Between Dog and Wolf is one of my all-time fave dramas, but I was merely meh about it the first time I watched it. Upon every subsequent rewatch I’ve grown to love it more, and I’ve rewatched 5 times already. So which dramas make you fall in love with it all over again?

A few of the dramas I think stand up to the rewatch test, and may even get better upon subsequent rewatch:

1. Tamra the Island – The drama gets more amazingly heartwarming and charming each time I watch it.

2. Bad Family – A fantastic ensemble cast proves that family is what you make of it, each rewatch makes my heart grow a size.

3. City Hall – Inspiring and romantic, this is my go-to drama anytime I need a pick me up.

4. Beautiful Days – I can watch Lee Byung Hun smolder up the screen as Lee Min Chul all day long.

5. My Name is Kim Sam Soon – Wonderful drama that still hits hard and delivers the goods years later.

6. Time Between Time and Wolf – The OTP and the bromance are equal parts unforgettable.

7. Friend, Our Legend – Soul-searing. I’ve only been able to watch it twice so far.

8. Goodbye Solo – One of the most nuanced and realistic K-dramas ever made, and gets better with every watch.

9. Sang Doo, Let’s Go to School – The tears, they never stop coming when I watch this.

10. Resurrection – Knowing all the twists and turns does not diminish how tightly-plotted this drama is.

ockoala

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  • Coffee Prince. It never gets old for me, and there are some parts I've seen almost a hundred times. Also, Oh! My Lady. Objectively, not that great of a drama but from some reason I love it fiercely and have rewatched it several times.

    • Coffee Prince for me too! Usually rom-coms are no good on re-watches: all the cliches start to pile up and the formula shows, but this one just makes me feel good all over again.

      The only other one is Taereung National Village, and frankly, I'd watch that drama 10 times in a row. Quality shows.

    • I am glad to see there is some "Oh My Lady" love out there. I, too, know it is not a great (or evene good?) drama, but there is something so endearing about it and relaxing. Sometimes I just need comfort food (not a lot of angsty, suspency, makjang, tears, which I find even in the most comedic romance shows). Whenever I need to just feel better, I watch episodes from this. Whenever I need a quick shot, I watch the scene where they are looking for the little girl in the mall. I think I have watched the whole thing at least three times.

      • Yay! OML love! I feel the same way about it. I love that it's not angst!-ridden and super-dramatic. It actually subverts a lot of potential by steering away from uber-dramatic reveals and situations.

        Siwon does a pretty darn good job as Min-woo, too. Chae Rim you just have to love, and the little girl, omo, she's too cute for words! I could really care less about the other characters, but those three are enough for me. I love the jerk-to-good-daddy story, and I'm a sucker for hot guys with cute kids. ^_^

      • Oh My Lady is my go-to K-drama fluff. I have no clue why. I'm not even that big of a Siwon fan. It's just...fluff, and sometimes you want...fluff!

        Other go-to k-dramas for me are Coffee Prince, Tamra, Damo, MNIKSS, and MiSa (I know, go figure).

    • Yep, I have my favourite episodes and scenes from CP that I can watch again and again. For instance, I love the quiet night scene in the countryside (during the field trip,), when Eun Chan says she could eat the moon, or the scene when Eun Chan and Gyul are playing with those Lego-like toys he makes - they both feel so...natural, as if unscripted. YEH's best acting job, too, in my humble opinion - the scene on the bus, when she's wearing flip flops with a beautiful dress and has to take her wig off because it's hot, is so grotesque it's amazing. Also, one of the few dramas where a poor character actually looks poor (hey, she even wears the same outfit from time to time!).

      • Exactly! And it's the only cross-dressing where the girl actually looks convincingly androgynous. Sometimes you even forget Eun-chan's a girl, because YEH totally sells the body language. Definitely her best acting job, and I admire her so much for not insisting on still looking girl-pretty.

      • I just got goosebumps even thinking about the quiet countryside scene! Which has got to be pretty high praise. More high praise? If I could actually marry a drama, it would totally be Coffee Prince. ;)

    • I love Oh! My Lady and have rewatched it probably 4 or 5 times. Like you said, objectively speaking it's not that great, but it just hits my heart the right way.

    • I love city hall and coffee prince so much I had to have my own copy from Amazon. I watch buzzer beat like 5 times a year. I love "love marriage, bad couple, fated to love you, they kiss again (when am not trying to kill Ariel's character), Mars, Lie to me (when am not mad at 2nd writer for slowing the romance), Devil beside you, Que sera sera, Can love become money, Mr. Brain, Gokusen 1, My lovely Sam Soon, Secret Garden, Lovers"...to name a few.

      And to get off topic on another one of my love since it's an asian country, any Shah Ruk Khan and Kajol movie (Indian)....lol

  • I never rewatch a drama from start to finsh. I don't have the patience for that. I rewatch my favorite scenes or episodes from a lot of dramas. The closest I've come to rewatching the whole series was for Sam Soon, My Girl, You're beautiful and Mars (t drama).

  • I haven't yet met a drama that I'd like to re-watch. This is not to say that I haven't watched the good ones. It's probably a part of me.

  • Recently rewatched Coffee Prince and it was love all over again....other rainy day dramas include Life is Beautiful, Alone in love, Delightful Girl Choon Hyang and You're Beautiful

  • Ah for me it's got to be;

    1. You're Beautiful.
    Watched this countless times. It's my most watched kdrama. (BOF Jversion would be my most rewatched drama ever) ~ yeah...I fall in love with A.Njell each time. Fun easy drama without drama to follow.

    2. Coffee Prince.
    My first ever Kdrama. <3 Will always hold dear to my heart.

    3. Princess Hours.
    Joo Ji Hoon and Yoon Eun Hye are just so cute. Back when I was naive and young and believed kdramas actually had such things as "sequels" I'd always re-watch this excitedly waiting ... Still waiting by the way.

    4. Secret Garden
    When this first aired out I never understood the hype. But one day my auntie gave the DVD to my mom, and it was all that was ever on. I learned to slowly love it. My mom beat me tho, she probably rewatched this like 10 times, all eps in one sitting.

    5. Full House/ My Girl
    I just love these two dramas. Their cute moments were so cute. Would have rewatched them as many times as the rest, but I tend to get annoyed by things I never got annoyed at before. So yea, I don't want to end up hating my favorite dramas so a rewatch every year would be good enough for these two.

    T____T I used to think that Chuno was thee greatest thing ever invented. But as I keep re-watching it, I became so utterly annoyed by it and every character asides from Jang Hyuk's. When I watched it the first two times, I thought Oh Ji Ho was a god. Now I can't help but flinch when I see him in Chuno.

    • You're beautiful for me too. I think its the only one for me. Love it. I've only watched it twice, though. But I always go back for favorite scenes. Always amuse me.
      It's nice that the sbs YouTube channel has the whole data out, always handy for rewatch. ;]
      I did rewatch MeGa a few times, but find it kinda slow.

      • i am trying to watch youre beautiful but at second episode, have yet to see what the fans are seeing. was it immediate for you or should i persist a few more episodes? the girl is acting too cutesy. the premise is a little too ridiculous - she looks NOTHING like a boy! unlike in CP, where eun chan is convincingly boyish

      • Lol. I normally hate the too cutesy types. But YAB had so many cute moments. Like you shouldn't expect to be watching a masterpiece, just sit back and clear your mind, and the drama will do it's magic. From episode 3-4 it starts getting better, trust me :'). A fangirl will be born from within you. Hahaha.

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