Ratings/Top Ten

The first number is how much I liked it, the second number is how objectively good I think the drama is – and both are on a scale of 1 (hate) to 10 (love) – borrowing the elegant system from the Goddess herself, Javabeans.

The rated dramas only reflect the dramas I finished or watched most of it. The dramas where I didn’t make it past the first few episodes I am not qualified to give my thoughts on.


Comments

Ratings/Top Ten — 114 Comments

  1. LOL… i would be incapable of rating a drama… it would give me too much of a headache. kk.
    But I’ll comment on which one I significantly differ from you (the liking part because I agree with most, if not all of your objective ratings). I think there’s one or two dramas in the list I didn’t finish but oh well…
    For All In, I actually enjoyed a lot more than you… By today standards, probably not but at that time, LBH really surprised me at how much I liked him. SHG was meh if I remember correctly.
    As for Autumn in My Heart… Oddly, it never connected to me… The OTP had zilch chemistry in my eyes.
    Bad Guy…. hmm… i don’t know. the ending left such a bad taste in my mouth I think I need more time before I can be lenient. Same for EoE.
    I loved be strong geum soon! so probably an 8, or 8.5 for me, as well as for Capital Scandal.
    I agree with you on CH but special mention anyways… 10!!!
    Lol.. I expected you to give a high score for Coffee Prince but guess you’re like me there… I didn’t quite love it as much as I should.
    Looks like I would give a higher ratings to all the Hong Sis dramas (and same for Hong gil dong)… They are flawed but always really entertaining to me!
    I would give a lower score to Fashion 70’s… I love Pie but that drama was not the best I’ve seen from any of the 4 leads…
    I would also give a higher rating for Iljimae… can’t compare with RoI though.
    Jumong would probably be an 8 for me and I would give a lower score for Love Marriage as well as for My Fair Lady.
    My Love Patzzi… Honestly, I was addicted to it.. the ending left me wanting to strangle myself.. damn it… KJW or KRW??!!
    I would give a lower score for One Fine Day… I thought I thoroughly wasted hours of my life on that drama.
    Yay! for PK, i would probably give a 9.5/6, or 9.5/5.5 for that matter.
    For sang doo, let’s go to school… the beginning almost made me drop the drama… which would have been a terrible shame… I cried so hard in that drama and Bo ri was the most loveable child ever… My heart still breaks for Rain’s character… as for the ending… i have no idea how to interpret that… i want it to be happy. I guess I would give it different scores for the first few episodes and the second part…
    I enjoyed saved the last dance for me a LOT even though the quality isn’t that high… probably because I was smitten by Ji Sung and I have a soft spot for Eugene..
    I would give she is 19 a lower score and stairway to heaven a higher one… it was a big WT* mess but it made weep so hard and permanently for the last few episodes that I don’t think I was able to understand anything during those episodes, let alone have the mind to see if it was good or not… hence the higher score…
    As for swallow the sun.. i REALLY wanted to like it… so in the end, I think I did… a bit.
    i would rate it 7/4
    Tamna!!! 9.9 for me.
    As for Winter Sonata, i would give it a 9/4 or 9.5/5…. if I watched it now, I would probably break my screen in frustration but back then, I was in love with the whole prettiness of it that I even survived the horrible second part.. plus, BYJ was LOVE.
    Witch Amusement… 3/4

    • ME TOO!! They’re so cute… and I’ve seen Kim Hyun Joong in Boys before flowers and when he did the honeymoon kiss in PK, i blew up!!! I was mad and mystified at the same time. Mad that she got to do it, and mystified at how amazing he sounded when he said “it’s fine…. I can’t wait any longer…”

      • same here ke ke ke… watched it again for the line ‘it’s fine .. I can’t wait any longer’ it came out so naturally as an adorable husband.

      • ok I must say I hated Playf Kiss (sorry)…it took too long for him to love her and I hate when girls chase after a guy like having no self worth…that is just my opinion but I absolutly loooooved Secret Garden (which makes me wonder why it got a 6 but thats ok)

  2. Can I also give my ratings to Korean dramas? Maybe I can give a reason why I didn’t rate the drama a perfect 10.

    Lovers in Paris – 10/8 Although I get it that they were fated to be together, whether they met in Paris or in Seoul, it was not conveyed very well in the ending.

    Magic – 10/8 Kang Dong Won again and hot kisses too! The ending was abrupt.

    Attic Cat – 9/7 This was my second drama and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Although the acting was good, the story was weak.

    Coffee Prince – 10+/8 There were lots of times when anyone can see Go Eun Chan was a girl.

    Creating Destiny – 6/6 The supposed to be American could barely spoke English. The biological mother plot did nothing for me. Why did the doctor have red eyes all the time? He looked hot though when they were in Australia and he was just wearing jeans and tshirt.

    1% of Anything – 10/5 I love Kang Dong Won. This drama though was obviously low budgeted. And there was no hot kissing!

    Oh My Lady – 10/9 THis is not an objective rating because in my mind, the real name of the actor in the upcoming drama Athena is Sung Min Woo and is married with Kae Hwa. They have his and hers daughters and a “theirs” son. Why a 9? THey had only 2 kisses!

    9 End/2 Outs – 7/8 I didn’t see much spark between the 2 leads though they played friends convincingly well. I thing the story was really good.

    What’s Up Fox – 8/6 He looked 15 years younger. Loved the OST though.

    Who Are You? – 9/7 I bought the story but there were too many things going on at the end.

    Goong – 7/4 Aside from the costumes etc, nothing much goes on in this drama. I didn’t even notice the tongue kiss until someone mentioned it. And why does the prince have a bad posture?

    Only You – 8/5 Acting was very uneven. I could see the lead girl’s eye surgical scars in the morning after scene (I don’t why this bothered me a lot).

    Playful Kiss – Is that a drama? I thought it was a true story.

    • I blame Playful Kiss for getting me hooked on Kdramas! Can’t get off the damned kdrama train!!! Loved it though. I even watched the You Tube specials.

  3. I thought Playful Kiss as based of a manga? o.o

    And You’re Beautiful was my first Korean drama and I fell in LOVE!!! 10/10 to me <3

    • Well Playfull kiss 1-10 is 6, the leading lady didn’t perform it well. The Japanese and Taiwanese drama Itaru na Kiss and It started with a kiss and They kiss again….are great ! The actors played a 100% great role. Over all.. 1-10 is 10!

      • The writer of Playful Kiss did not want Hani to be over the top like the Jap & Tw version. So of course, that is how JSM portrayed it.

        When you said “the leading lady didn’t perform well” , I beg to disagree because between the two leading cast (JSM and KHJ), JSM is the actor, while KHJ is still learning this craft (very much improved compared to BBF).

        I love Playful Kiss but I agree TW version is better because they followed the manga’s characters to a T. While K version followed the storyline.

  4. My first Korean drama was Temptation of an angel, but it had a bit to much drama for my taste so i would give it a 5.
    Then i found Boys over flowers and fell in love with both the show and Kim Hyun Joong, a definitive 10++++++++++
    I also love You`re beautiful and gives it a 10+++++
    Coffee prince 10+
    Oh! My lady 10.
    Playful kiss 9, but only because i saw the Taiwanese version first and loved the way the story was presented there. Even it i LOVE Kim Hyun Joong, the kiss scenes with Joe was way better, and he played the character with more emotions.
    Full house 9.
    Sungkyunkwan scandal 8 (i have some episodes left)
    Only you 7.
    And i started to watch Mary stayed out all night two days ago, and are already waiting to watch episode 10. Witch means that i love the show. A 10+++++

  5. Playful kiss 10/10 since I love Kim Hyun Joong
    Boys Before/Over flowers 9/10 since I felt bad for Kim Hyun Joong’s character
    Secret Garden so far 9.5/10 because of the cute girly moments of Ra Im
    My Girl 9/10
    You’re beautiful 10/10 JGS, was so amazing and funny with his cold attitude!!
    Mary Stayed Out All Night 9.5/10 so far, JGS is so different in this show, and so cute too!
    Princess Hours/Goong – many people don’t watch it, but you should… though it’s weird at sometimes, it made me laugh a lot and cry a lot!

  6. Hmmmm……..my favourites right now:
    “You’re Beautiful”…..I think I have watched it, like a BILLION times! The cast is full of fabulously talented actors. ALL the main characters made me laugh or cry…..or want to scratch their eyes out (Yoo He Yi), and the songs……loved them all…….my favourite being……”What Should I Do”.

    My other fav I would have to say is “My Lovely Sam-soon”, which I have watched a billion times as well. Laughed and cried through that one too.
    Hyun Bin…yummy!

    So how do I rate them……….I would have to give them both………100/100!!! 🙂
    (Sorry…….no 10’s apply)

    Have a wonderful week & keep up the great work! 🙂

    • So you have watched You Are Beautiful countless time? I have seen this comments countless time also. This drama was done in 2009 and its still as popular today as ever. I don’t like rewatching dramas but this drama is an exception. Great ost songs.

  7. i would just like to say that i just couldnt make myself go thru BOF after the 7th episode, so perhaps it’s just best left unsaid. i’m glad JGS turned it down and took up Beethoven Virus cos the character he played there was more solid and the storyline was fantastic. i was very impressed and hope he will take up more challenging scripts to fill his full potential as he has proven to be a very versatile actor.

    • actually as far as i know, JSG was first offered JunPyo role but he wanted the JiHoo role. But the producers already decided on HJL for Jihoo even without the audition, he didn’t get the part. I know ‘so stupid of the producers right..’ but i think it was fate that made them stupid…
      Anyway I think many people are thinking now, “if JGS was jihoo wouldnt it be a more amazing drama. He had the chops to do autistic-silent-brooding-sweet-caring guy. He would have nailed the acting for JiHoo to the tee…”. maybe or you could be right!!!
      Personally even though i love hyunjoong to bits, I admit that in BoF he was the wallflower. I mean i didnt even notice him much, he was just tad too boring, with weird facial expression that was just not connecting with me. Why did i stick to BoF, well cause I loved Meteor Garden too much, i wanted to feel the high I felt when i first experienced ASIANOVELA through MG. So my HJL obsession didnt start @ BoF. if it was the only show i saw him in I would have write him up for a lousy newbie that he was…
      But still, I am thankful to BoF cause at the course of the BoF days, I somehow stumbled upon their interview in SangSangPlus & gosh I LOVE LOVE LOVE HyunJoong’s real personality. I kept thinking is he the same person as the lack luster Jihoo…? then i searched & found WGM and that hit hard to the heart. Before I knew it, i was already halfway falling for him. and as i watch BoF simultaneously, all those quirks he does as JiHoo that i somehow found boring was just endearing to me. and that was when i somehow ended up being obsessed with him. hahahaha.
      By the end of BoF, i was just happy to see his face that even if BoF was ruining the story of MG i had loved so much, I didnt care anymore.

      hahahaha i didnt know why i became so out of the topic so i will get down to business with the rating my top 10 dramas in each catergory which I would grade as 8-10 are: (in no particular order)
      MeloDrama: Memories of Bali, Devil (Lucifer), 1 liter of tears (jap), Autumn’s Concert (Tw), Soul, If in love like Them, Wonderful Life, Autumn in my heart, Thank you, Shining Inheritance.
      Rom-COm: Delightful girl CHunyang, Full House, meteor Garden(Tw), My Girl, Goong, Secret Garden, Which star are you from, Soulmate, Fated to Love you (Tw), Pasta
      Historical: Yisan, Jewel in the Palace, Sangkyunkwang Scandal, Grudge (tale of the fox child), capital Scandal, Ballad of Sudong, Damo, DongYi, Legend of Hyangdan. IlJimae

  8. oh you like city hall too? wah u have a very good sense… city hall is crazily great for me. until now i think there’s no other drama that could be as perfect as city hall. secret garden have the same feeling but the acting is not as great as kim sun ah and cha seung won. if we only look at one point of city hall, kim sun ah herself have already beat others with her great acting and beauty. aeguk couple is the best i’ve ever found. and its the first time i watch korean drama that doesn’t have much intefered by the second actor or actress because kim sun ah and cha seung won already have a very strong aura. i never get tired of every episodes of it even if it only fill with aegukk…oh i love them. best couple ever.

  9. Did the ratings drop after episode 14? or was 15 still pretty high. anyway, it seems as if ratings dropped big time rather than what they thought would happen. it doesn’t matter anymore, it seems like a lot of us have jumped ship and are swimming in the water hanging onto one another.

  10. I haven’t seen as many dramas as many of you (2010 was my first kdrama year). Right now I’m making a list of “must watch”, and since I began reading this blog (thanks to m3) I rely so much in koala’s opinion. Of course reading the comments is helpful too. For the dramas I’ve seen, rated above, here’s my ratings:

    Bad Family – 9/8
    Boys Before Flowers – 8/5
    Coffee Prince – 10/9
    Flowers for My Life – 9/9.5
    Goong – 7/5
    Hong Gil Dong – 9/8
    Love Marriage – 5/5
    Mary Stayed Out All Night – 12/5 (geun-geun couple moments: 100!!!)
    My Name is Kim Sam Soon – 9.5/9.5
    Only You – 3/5
    Personal Taste – 8/5
    Snow Queen – 8/8
    The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry – 8/8
    You’re Beautiful – 100 (I give jgs the same score!!!)

    Another few I truly love:

    Beethoven Virus: 10/10
    Soul Mate: 9/9
    Que sera sera 9.5/9.5

    I’m watching sungkyungkwan scandal now (epi 11) and I love it, for the present is at least a 9/9

    Happy new year!!!

    Pd: haven’t you noticed jgs’s drama are my topest? Is not just because I like him so much (and i really do) but I like the dramas too, indeed!!!

  11. You’re Beautiful 10/10
    Hong Gil Dong 10/10
    My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho 10/10
    Tamra The Island 10/10
    Secret Garden 10 so far!
    Return Of Iljimae 10 /10

  12. I’m sooo happy to see a list compiled… like a lot of others, i have sooo many dramas I still need to watch and I’ve made it through the obvious choices… so it’s nice to have some recommendations.

    I have to say though, high ratings to oh my lady? eeeh. it was my first kdrama, so of course i love it, but i look back and even then i knew what a horrible actor choi siwon was… yeah he improved, but really? if i have to watch bad acting, at least let it be from KHJ.

    Right now im in complete spaz mode over SG but i’ll check out some of these other dramas while I’m waiting for the next episodes to come out. 🙂 thanks again for all your hard work! and thanks to everyone who commented!

    • I’ve never watched Oh My Lady with Choi Si Won. 😉

      I’ve only watched and rated My Fair Lady. I have zero desire to watch OML, no matter how adorable Si Won is.

    • I heard that the scriptwriter was changed half way through and there’s some problems with the productions crew. If not for Jang Keun Suk’s star appeal, it will certainly bombed. Throughout the show I enjoyed watching JKS and the songs so much that the silly storyline don’t bothered me in anyway. JKS is very charismatic and am not surprise when I learned that he is one star with such crazy loyal fan base I haven’t seen before.

  13. so far my favourite are Full House (enjoyable and emotional roller-coaster), You are beautiful (the best and very entertaining, most of the time mesmerised by JGS), Cinderalla’s sister (although it irritated me at times but love PIE and Moon Geun Young’s pair and especially acting). are 10 out of 10 which I have watched more than twice of some of the episode. MSOAN is kind of 7 out of 10 although I did like Geun pairs and their acting. Other dramas I have watched are so so although did enjoy it while I watched it at the end. some of those I quit watching after few episodes.

    nice to have your list of favourite ockoala. as I said I don’t have wider range of k-drama experience yet (started 2 years ago though). now I will try to watch the one you have listed here and some of the other contributors.

    Many thanks for this post. gives me a guideline to pick which one to watch.

  14. p.s. forgot to mention ‘playful kiss’ (adorable pairs. already a fan of ‘itazura na kiss’ anime) and ‘boys over flowers’ (although not that adorable pairs, love the whole concept of the way the boys were dressed smartly and the surroundings of richness. also I was already a fan of ‘hana yori dango’ anime and manga version)

  15. Thanks ockoala for referring me to this page. Wow, there’s so many good k-dramas per your ratings, still to watch! Well, I’ll be sure to schedule them for near future viewing. Thanks again!

    I also would like to share my ratings of the K-dramas I completed watching. Using the same scoring scheme as above:

    Dae Jang Geum – 10+/10+ (the one that introduced me to the wonders of K-drama.)
    Jumong – 9/10
    Yi San – 8/8
    My Girl – 10/10
    Cain and Abel – 9/9
    Capital Scandal – 9/9
    Jejongwoon – 10/10
    Legend – 9/10
    Winter Sonata – 9/9
    You’re Beautiful – 10+/10 here, the JGS fan in me was born.
    Thank You – 9/10 (superb acting by the kid actress)
    Spring Waltz – 8/8
    Painter of the Wind – 8/9
    Lovers in Paris – 9/8
    Mary Stayed Out All Night – 10+/6 (how do I love thee M3!)
    Green Rose – 8/9
    Goong – 10+/9 marathoned this one in 5 days. Luv it!
    Hong Gil Dong – 8/8
    Coffee Prince – 9/9
    East of Eden – 8/7 (still bitter about the bird cage having more screen time than Lee Da Hae)
    Tree of Heaven – 8/7 (PSH dramatic acting was stellar here I thought)
    My Fair Lady (if this one starred Yoon Eun-Hye and the “Oska” guy) – 7/7
    A Man Called God – 8/8 (after I got used to SIG’s new face around ep 4, I enjoyed the story better. I thought the bad guy in this drama, the same actor who is also in Athena, made the drama for me. Otherwise, SIG’s acting here was so so. )

  16. everybody has a great list going? but somehow i did not find PROSECUTOR PRINCESS in any of the list. I would say PP was one of the best drama of 2010 for me. I know there was the drama fight trifecta of Personal taste, cinderella sister, and prosecutor princess going on. I would highly recommend this drama, the first three episode might seem overly cliche, but stay with it. it is a drama about forgiveness, love, and vengance. So watch PP, especially you ockoala and let me know what you think.

  17. hi. great to see a namesake who also love tv dramas. i guess you need to start adding more titles in your list. whew, what you are doing is terribly insane. taking things too seriously, huh. i love it. this will give us (tv drama fanatics) some insights on what shows to watch. i haven’t seen about a third of what you have listed but your rating is definitely a help in giving me a push to decide which shows should be in my must-watch list.

    with your high appraisal of zai-zai’s peformance in black and white, i think i can’t hold back anymore and have to see it ASAP. BTW, i kinda recommend Bi’s Fugitive but i am not so sure if you’ll totally love it.

    will be looking forward in more objective (semi-personal) insights on the forthcoming series.

  18. You should try watching The Vineyard Man. It stars Yoon Eun Hye. A lot of people choose it as her best project. This is the drama that won her her first Best Actress Award. No, it wasn’t Goong. She won the Grime Award for Best Actress an Song Il Gook won the Best Actor. But Song Il Gook won it for another drama. He didn’t act in The Vineyard Man. Oh Man Seok did.

    • Goong, I love and Coffee Prince too… (top choices)

      My Girl, it took me a second time to watch it. It also took me two tries until I fully watched Shining Inheritance. You’re Beautiful and My Girlfriend is a Gumiho, I loved the beginning but lost interest. Same with Secret Garden, Cinderella’s Sister, Mary Stayed Out All Night, Personal Taste, Painter of the Wind, and My Princess. This happens a lot to me, especially the Hong Sisters’ dramas.

      I really tried to watch My Name is Kim Samsoon but I couldn’t. I really did not like it. I finished all of Hong Gil Dong because I thought that Sung Yuri was ok in it and she was pretty but I did not really enjoy it, except for a few moments.

      Full House was the very first K-drama I ever watched. It was very cute the first time I watched it but I lost interest the second time I tried to watch it.

      Autumn in my Heart, I watch most of it until I learned that the two leads died so I stopped. Summer Scent, I enjoyed and liked but not loved. Spring Waltz I loved. Mostly because of the music, some sweet moments, but mostly because of the male lead. He was adorable and charismatic.

      Seriously didn’t like Boys Over Flowers but enjoyed some Kim Bum and Kim So Eun moments. Playful Kiss was okay.. Dong Yi, I also really liked. It’s my favorite Historical Drama. I also enjoyed Paradise Ranch but there wasn’t that much chemistry between Changmin and Lee Yeon Hee and I didn’t really believe how any of the relationships can be real, except for the ex-husband and ex-wife.

      Don’t get me wrong, some of the dramas I didn’t like had actors and actresses I like, Son Ye Jin (Love her in A Moment To Remember- favorite movie so far), Shin Min Ah (Love her in MGIG), Han Hyo Joo (okay actress but I don’t like how she only has one surprised face which is to look at the person who surprised her, look away, then look again with really big open eyes) , Hyun Bin (really liked him in A Millionaire’s First Love), Kim Tae Hee (okay actress), Song Hye Kyo (okay actress but seems cold in real life), Park Shin Hye (like a lot), Moon Geun Young (great actress), Jang Geun Suk (pretty good actor – almost put actress because he’s pretty like a girl), and many more.

      As you expect, I love Yoon Eun Hye. She’s my favorite actress, not just in Korean Entertainment. She’s not the best actress but she has charisma and a great personality.

  19. For Taiwanese Dramas (even though they tend to overreact a lot of times),

    Devil Beside You, my first Asian drama in the sense of not including the Filipino one since I’m Filipina. It was really cute. I also enjoyed Smiling Pasta, Why Why Love, ToGetHer, Romantic Princess, Miss No Good, and others but can’t remember.

    It Started With a Kiss and They Kiss Again were good, didn’t like the first few episodes of ISWAK but enjoyed the rest. Tried to watch the TW Version of Hana Kimi but it creeped me out how Ella was too much like a guy without acting.

    Hi, My Sweetheart took me two tries to watch but now really love. I am also loving Drunken To Love You. Shows how Rainie Yang improved. She’s my favorite Taiwanese Actress and singer.
    Fated to Love You was just okay.

    For Japanese Dramas, which I don’t know if you watch,

    Hana Yori Dango (1,2 and Movie), I love. A lot better than BOF. Gokusen (1,2,3, and movie), favorite series. Good acting and funny. Atashinchi no Danshi, really funny, I love. Mei-Chan no Shitsuji was enjoyable. Kurosagi was pretty good but virtually no romance. Liar Game was pretty good. Iryu Medical Dragon (1,2 and 3) I love because of the surgeries. Juui Doolittle was pretty good. Hana Kimi was okay. Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge was pretty good. Buzzer Beat I really liked. Zettai Kareshi I liked. Nagareboshi I really enjoyed. Same with Ai wa Mieru, Attack no.1, Ace wo Narae, Otros no Inu, Ogon No Buta, First Kiss, Reinoryokusha Odagiri Kyoko no Uso, LADY-Saigo no Hanzai Profile, and others.

    I loved Glass Mask (1 and 2) . I thought that the main actress was really good.

    I loved 1 Litre of Tear but cried buckets every episode.

    Seems like I watch too many dramas and some of them I didn’t list. I need to get a life..

  20. Going crazy about this drama;
    Playful kiss
    Personal Taste
    Princess Hours
    all was begin with ‘P’ actually..what the sweet coincidence.
    btw..i want to watch another korean/taiwanese drama.but it seems so hard to find a good one.any recommend?thanks

  21. Sorry but I don.t trust this list, There are some high scores here that i think dont deserve it and some low scores that are in fact, good dramas. But hey, to each his own. 😉

  22. im a little biased to YEH. though i dont like the vineyard man that much, maybe because her partner is not that Good looking.heres my ratings
    coffee prince 10/9.5
    princess hours- 9.5/8
    my fair lady-8/7
    full house -10 /9.5
    you’re beautiful- 9/9
    jang geum -10/10
    queen seon dok- 9.5/10
    dongyi- 9.9/8
    secret garden 8.5/7
    shining inheritance- 9/9
    playful kiss-7/7
    boys over flowers- 10/9
    personal taste-8.5/8
    dream high-9/9
    my princess- 9/9
    iris-9/10
    procecutor princess-8/8
    coffee house-7.5/7
    witch yoo hee-8/8
    Kim sam soon- 8/7
    I am legend- 8/7
    sungkyunkwan scandal- 8.5/8
    mary stayed out all night-8/8

  23. i personally loved secret garden and hated mary stayed out all night, it was such a disappointed because it had fantastic actors but such a terrible story plot.

    Mary it was by far the biggest disappointed of the year because it had so much flipping potential. i went all crazy waiting for it to premiere, but later regretted all the time i spent on this drama.
    but secret garden was the my present for having to stand mary stayed out all night. It had good actors, and the story plot was phenomenal, and I loved Hyun Bin.

    • Agree, I waited for MMM for a long time but I couldn’t stop watching fast enough, I gave it a chance but after episode 7 I realized it wasn’t worth it. God I felt so aggravated by the bad writing that I gave up.

  24. I have watched quite a lot of korean dramas and japanese as well. At first I’s stucked with BOF. Why?? Because l love Hana Yori Dango 1 & 2 so badly and Taiwanese Meteor Garden as well. Actually l want JGS in BOF but agreed at his decline since BOF not as good as Japanese. As rating for Korean Drama, l’ll give You’re Beautiful 1st ranking, Marry Me, Mary, Full House of course, Dal Ja Spring, The woman who still wants to marry and Personal Taste a bit. I’m a big fan of Kim Hyun Joong but his acting in both BOF and PK totally like a robot boy, just cute face and killer smile really help him a lot. Acting skill, l prefer Jang Geun Suk and Lee Min Ho better, ooh, of course, Rain.

  25. Here is mine as well

    9 End, 2 Outs – 8/8
    A Star’s Lover – 7/5
    Boys Before Flowers – 5/5
    City Hall – 9/9
    Coffee Prince – 10/9
    Friend, Our Legend – 7/8
    Goong – 8/7
    Joseon X-Files – 9/10
    Love Marriage – 9/6
    Lovers – 6/5
    Mary Stayed Out All Night – 6/5
    My Fair Lady -8/6
    My Girl – 6/8
    My Love Patzzi – 5/5
    My Name is Kim Sam Soon – 10/9.5
    My Princess – 9/
    One Fine Day – 6/5
    Personal Taste – 5/4
    Playful Kiss – 8/5
    Sang Doo, Let’s Go to School – 6/7
    Secret Garden – 10/8
    Snow Queen -9/8
    Spring Waltz – 9/6
    Stairway to Heaven – 5/5
    Surgeon Bong Dal Hee – 7/8
    Thank You – 9/9
    What Happened in Bali? – 8/8
    When It’s at Night – 5/5
    Winter Sonata – 5/6
    Wish Upon a Star – 8.5/7
    Witch Amusement – 6/5
    You’re Beautiful – 9/8
    49 days – 9/7
    Biscuit Teacher Star Candy – 9/8
    Brilliant Legacy – 9/7
    Dal Ja’s Spring – 9/7.5
    Pasta – 6/6
    The Slingshot – 10/10
    The World They Live In – 9/7

  26. i love Time Between Dog and Wolf too…Jun Ki just so much great there…the love story is awesome..and i really forget JK’s roll in MyGirl..

    anyway i will score Goong 9 too..but will be change to 10 if there is no conversation between the elder, wkwkwkwkwk…i Love HYOON couple…

    the devil is great too,,,but the story just too serious,,,or maybe i just in love with JJH and jealous of Sin Min Ah coz she has been paired with so many best actor in Korea…huhuhu…

    can i ask something that is not related to this topic..*i hope u will say yes*…who is the man in ur banner above? ::date June, 17 2011::

  27. Generally, I agree to most of them. I only disagree at ”Capital Scandal” which was a 10/10 for me, no question! (Seriously, the same objectivly x/7 as in Playfull kiss?)

    You should also see The Slingshot! Fantastic!

  28. there are so many korean dramas that i watched for over 6 months and i enjoyed watching it though maybe some spectators doesn’t like it or they just not appreciate the story of the drama coz sometimes the prologue of the drama is quiet interesting but it the middle it gets tiring to watch…agree?i myself have interest watching k drama depends on the character or actors who played the drama…hahaha…here are my list of the k dramas that I’ve watch with its corresponding ratings from 1 is the lowest and 10 is the highest…

    dong yi 10/10 best drama historical
    sungkyunkwan scandal 9.5/10
    Playful Kiss 9.8/10 interesting becoz of KHJ
    Personal Taste 9.8/10
    Spring Waltz 10/10
    Thorn Birds 8.9/10
    Lie to Me 10/10 i want more of this drama
    Cinderella’s Sister 9.7/10
    My Girlfriend is a Gumiho 10/10 nice drama
    M3 9.8/10
    Goong 9.9/10
    Goong S 8/10
    Oh my lady 8.8/10
    coffee house 9.5/10
    my princess 9.8/10
    prosecutor princess 10/10
    king of baking,kim tak goo 10/10
    bad guy 9.7/10
    49 days 10/10
    dream high 10/10
    dream 9/10
    greatest love 8.9/10
    secret garden 8.5/10
    my fair lady 9.6/10
    paradise ranch 9.4/10
    boys over flowers 10/10

    recently watching
    city hunter
    baby-face beauty
    romance town
    i need romance
    heartstrings
    miss ripley

    so far these are all dramas that i’ve remember and keep watching it one or more times becoz i love watching it…

    • tamra, the island/tempted again is good 10/10
      dae jang geum 10/10
      jejoongwoon 10/10
      swallow the sun 10/10 highly recommended
      protect the boss 10/10
      delightful girl,chun hyang 9.9/10
      queen of game 10/10 good story and actor
      birdie buddy 8.9/10 interesting
      my love by my side 9.6/10
      hooray for love 7.9/10
      yi san 9.95/10
      cain and abel 9.9/10
      bad love 9.4/10
      bad couple 9.7/10
      couple fantasy 7.6/10
      will it snow in christmas? 8.0/10
      love marriage 8/10
      shining inheritance 9/10
      kim so roo 10/10 high recommended for history
      king geunchogo
      king gwanggaeto
      a frozen flower 9.2/10
      smile you 9.8/10
      snow white 5.6/10
      cinderella man 7/10
      god of study 9.7/10

      autum concerto (tw) 9.9/10
      fated to love you(tw) 9.6/10

      currently watching
      warrior baek dong soo
      birdie buddy
      princess man
      the musical

  29. good lord you’ve watched a lot of dramas…. and you didn’t even list all the jdoramas and tw dramas i’m sure you’ve seen… 😀

  30. Thank you all for your feedbacks. I’m from Puerto Rico (Caribbean Island) and I really enjoy the k-dramas. The only thing I have noticed are the endings. After a good drama we expect a great ending, but it seems the writers lack in ideas since most of the endings are weak and lame. Leaving me like in the air, waiting for more. My first drama was My name is Kim Sam Soon and I loved it. I love her and actually I’m seeing Scent of a Woman and its awesome. Looking foward to keep reading your posts.

  31. Oh~~ Ms. Koala~~~ just wondering if you’d watched Can You Hear My Heart? or not… =D cuz it’s been appearing on the fave lists of a lot of bloggers that I follow =P I’m curious on your take on it hehe =]

  32. I agree with most of your ratings but there’s one drama that i thought was overly rated. Playful Kiss was given a 9/7, which is your opinion but i don’t think it deserves such a high rating. I agree that Playful Kiss had some good moments in the drama whether it was funny or cute, but it lacked a lot of things. First of all, most of the actors and actresses weren’t able to deliver their role completely and the whole feeling from the actors/actresses was really awkward, especially Kim Hyun Joong. I know his character is suppose to be like that but he didn’t play it quite well and i felt that his role could of been played out a lot better. As for Jung So Min, i think she did good on her part and as far as i remember and delivered her character quite okay. I couldn’t feel any emotions from that drama at all basically and take the ep 14 for example when seung jo confessed to ha ni. That scene was suppose to be filled with emotions because he’s finally confessing to her but when i watched it, the scene was REALLY dry. It’s not like i didn’t like the casting but i was really disappointed and it wasn’t deliver well. There might be disagreements with me but this is just my two cents. 🙂

  33. THANK YOU for mentioning Resurrection/The Devil…seriously some of the best dramas I’ve watched, they really set the standard for the revenge-based plot drama!

      • LOL Goong was my second Kdrama, which I watched after what was the blissful experience of Coffee Prince. I remember thinking it was gorgeous to look at (awesome costumes and camera work. It really felt like reading a manga), but it seemed to drag on forever. LOL I finished cos I was still high on the YEH love (I’m still high on that, but I guess it’ll never go away now. *g*)

  34. yeeheeyyy…
    i want to submit mine too 🙂

    my everlasting drama is My Name is kim sam soon (samsooni rilli reflects me hehehe..too bad i haven’t meet my samshik yet…)

    actually i don’t remember which i love the most except samsoon..haha…but i never get bored to rewatch these dramas:
    – playful kiss (tho KHJ too stiff sometimes..but forgiven, min-min plays very good)
    – goong (my 1st teenager drama..we can call it teenager since the actors are young)
    – full house (I loveeee how stupid n naive song hye gyo in this drama)
    – Lie to me (who can forget how beautiful the lovey dovey wuri OTP)

    anyway, I don’t like drama with difficult plot (revenge, anger, betrayal, hatred, death…etc), i need drama with easier storyline to entertain my sucks life hehehehe….

  35. I didn’t notice story of a man/ a man’s story/ slingshot on your list. If you haven’t seen it, you really should. I was flipping through the channels and kbsworld is airing it during the early evening and I was upset I didn’t have dvr and sad about pyh. I think you’ll revise your rating of time and probably even giant.

  36. could you also offer your ratings for older taiwanese and chinese dramas? i’m just starting to really get into them and would like to watch ones from before this year and last that are also good.

  37. My favourites are:

    1) You’re Beautiful – the pedestal for my obession on Jang Geun Suk and an official shipper of the GeunShin couple. Jang Geun Suk-Park Shin Hye forever!!! Fighting! Fighting!

    2) Winter Sonata – Bae Yong Joon (drool)!

    3) My Lovely Sam Soon – witty, hilarious and realistic.

    4) Daemul – My long time crush, Cha In Pyo is in it and the storyline is not the typical K-drama plot, something refreshing.

    5) Lie To Me – (not so much now, I’m cured) but being an official HwanHye shipper, I still enjoy this drama.

  38. I dislike a lot of popular dramas I don’t know why maybe because I watch more for the writing than the actors with the exception of anything Kim Sun Ah or Cha Seung Won. First the list I hated Oh My Lady, Prosecutor Princess, Lie to me, Heartstrings and Playful kiss, My Princess…
    Oh My Lady I love Chae Rim on her earlier work but on Dalja’s her voice got squeaker and in Oh my lady her voice was as annoying as nails on a blackboard and the plot was so laughable that I think the only reason people watch was to count how many times Si Won was going to appear shirtless. Prosecutor Princess I was like why is she a lawyer much less a Prosecutor she was so ditzy and with no direction and Park Shi Hoo as much as I adore him this was his worst drama, I hated the revenge plot but her mom was the worst character, a mom getting her daughter on a scale to me was like mental abuse, yes she was heavy and then she lost the weight and it was hard for her to do it, but for a mom to put her daughter on a room and just offer her anything she wanted and bringing those guys for her to me was really bad.
    Lie to me I don’t see the attraction I think that the main actor was so stiff and plastic, his deamenor bothered me and she was as strong as a bowl of mush, seeing her crying because she wasn’t married at 24 was so ridiculous to me but he bothered me the most he is not a very good actor at least a romantic actor. not even the plot why was it call Lie to me? she lied for three episodes and that was it.
    where do I start with Heartstrings, the whole thing was like watching a train wreck, I felt so bad for PSH I felt like those people that film a lion attack they can’t intervene, that was me just watching her trapped in a horrible scritpt as if they couldn’t agree what to do next so they went back and forth with no real story or any plot, truly a disappointment and YH he is a great singer and a superb musician and he should stop at that because he is not an actor.
    Playful Kiss wasn’t as bad as I thought is just that the girl was so annoying and so young, or she looks so young as if she was in high school so how is she going to get married, they needed an older actress or at least an actress that looked 18. KHJ wasn’t that bad, he doesn’t have the timing right, there are actors that know exactly what emotion they have to display, some have it at birth and some have to study and struggle to get it, KHJ is from the second group so I still need to watch him on another drama to see if he is ever gonna get it.
    My princess wasn’t bad but I just dislike it I can’t put my finger on why I just did. Athena, the good guys were so annoying it was the first time I wanted the bad guys to win.

    Now my favorites and I don’t put a score because I haven’t thought about it that much I just like them, besides I have watched so many it is getting hard to choose.
    City Hall
    Best Love
    Scent of a Woman
    Cain and Abel
    My name is Kim Sam soon
    Save the Last dance for Me
    Secret Garden
    My Girlfriend is a Nine tail fox
    You’re Beautiful
    Autumn Tale
    Stairway to Heaven
    Brilliant leagacy
    Life is Beautiful
    Personal Taste
    City Hunter
    Iris
    Dream High
    The world they live in
    How to meet a perfect neighbor
    Coffee Prince
    Me Too Flower
    Boys Over Flowers
    Pasta

  39. I secretly keep my own ratings and critiques of all the dramas I watch too, and I must say that it matches very well with Koala’sPlayground’s rating. However, one drama that should be on this list that isn’t is “Can you Hear my heart?” I truly believe this drama has been over looked and cast aside by the other dramas showing at the same time. The acting, the script, and the story has never disappointed me, but making me want more…
    well that was my two sense.. “Can you hear my heart” = awesomeness!

  40. Hey koala! Ever watch Soulmate? I’m curious to know what you thought of it cuz we have a lot of similarities drama ratings wise and it’s one of my favorites…

  41. The korean drama’s I’ve watched so far are…
    Playful kiss 8/6
    You’re Beautiful 8/8
    Dream High 9.5/8
    My Princess 9.5/7.5
    IRIS 10/10
    City Hunter 7/8
    Boys over Flowers 5/7 (Liked the Taiwanese version better)
    Secret Garden 8/8.5
    The King 2 Hearts so far 8.5/8
    Rooftop Prince so far 9/9

  42. The only kind of dramas that keeps me hooked and entertained are TVB aka Hong Kong dramas. I’ve seen quite a few Korean/Taiwanese dramas and it keeps me entertained for a while but I always find myself going back to TVB dramas. Been watching TVB for over a decade now and I’m completely in love with them, despite the stale productions lately making me cherry pick each drama carefully. I think you should really spend some time to research/watch TVB dramas. It’s a different taste from Korean and Taiwanese dramas. Really makes me sad that not a single one is on that list! Can’t say I completely agree with the list either, but everyone has their own taste so I don’t think any list is definite, even with the objective scale, which I do appreciate.

    This will sound shallow but I never found the appeal in Japanese dramas due to the ugly actors. I don’t think I’ve seen one Japanese guy that I found physically attractive, making me shamelessly say ‘no’ to every recommended J-drama. Oh well, just another personal peference as far as that goes, I guess.

    But seriously, TVB dramas are the bomb!! Not so much the recent productions, but there are definitely some note-worthy TVB dramas that have surpassed any Korean/Taiwanese drama I’ve seen.

  43. Dear Mrs Koala,

    I look forward to reading your update on your fave dramas which would include those made outside Korea. I kinda expect Mars, Office Girls, Black and white to make it into the top 10. 🙂

  44. Please, please please, Ms. Koala.
    Please rate The King 2 Hearts <3
    I love this drama.
    I was crying when it ended.
    Like I can't even describe the cuteness, the suspense and cute bts scenes they have. Please please please rate this one for us too 😀

  45. My ratings for K-Drama (subjectively 😀 ) :
    1. Lie To Me (make me HwanHye shipper)
    2. Secret Garden
    3. Winter Sonata
    4. Coffee Prince
    5. Pasta
    6. Goong
    7. Boys Before Flowers 2/4 🙁 (I like Meteor Garden better)

    In the future, my list could be change, but my love for Lie To Me still #1 😀

  46. Curious to know why only K-Dramas are listed? I wonder why TW dramas aren’t listed aswell. I’m really interested in seeing your scores for shows such as Drunken To Love You, Office Girls, and Sunny Happiness. I’ve been out of TW-Drama land for about a year (last being half of DTLY) so I’m curious on which recent TW show I should go check out since I finally have some free time. Anyone have suggestions? I’m thinking Sunny Happiness?

  47. I love 49 Days a lot !! 🙂 The plot is really something. you must watch it!
    Shining Inheritance/Brilliant Legacy is great too, but the first episodes are a little boring..
    City Hunter is my favorite as well… the plot is interesting.
    Prosecutor Princess is good as well, i love Park Shi Hoo there, but I’m not interested on his other historical dramas.

    it seems that chinese’s drama 50% of a fairy tale is interesting too, but it would be released on the mid of this year… I’m waiting for that…

    Any other good dramas to recommend?

  48. #1 drama for me is Secret garden followed by King 2 hearts, Iljimae, Queen seondok, Ballad of Seodongyo, dong yi, goong, girlfriend is a gumiho, You’re beautiful, Jumong and Stairway to heaven.City hall and my lovely samsoon -ok.

  49. My first kdrama was stairway to heaven, but was Kim Sam Soom and Goong the ones that made of me an addict!! Love your recaps, thanks for the hard work!!

  50. I started watching K-Dramas because of the subtitles. I dislike doing crossword puzzles and figured if I wanted to keep my mind sharp, watching foreign dramas just might fill the bill. At first, it was difficult, but with practice, everything is good now.

    My first drama was coffee prince and I was amazed to see how this young lead actress, could act. She has great comedic timing, is a quite beauty and has the unique ability to use facial expressions to express many different emotions, and does it successfully. She is a versatile actress who has time to hone her skills and stay on top. I will watch whatever drama she is in because I respect her ability as an actress. Although, I probably wouldn’t be considered an actor’s dream fan, I will watch this young lady. She reminds me of Lucile Ball, who was a genius in her field. Mz. Ball’s private life didn’t interest me, just her acting ability. Here in the states we have had some actresses, from the early days, who were just plain good and could, like YEH, fight their way out of any bag, that was handed to them.

    YEH, although she can execute any type of roll brilliantly, in my opinion, has a genius for the comedic romantic rolls.

    I like the fellow, who was the lead actor in Goong, I have seen him in other projects, it is only my opinion, but he is another fine actor. I would love to see these two act together again. Not because I have any romantic notions about them as a love team, but because they are both fine actors, and I truly believe they could do a great drama together.

    Your ratings were pretty much in line with my own.

    I appreciate your letting me comment like you do. I also appreciate that you are loyal to YEH, it shows you have a fine eye for who has talent and who doesn’t. Thank you

  51. Lie to Me – The qualitative absolute worst drama in this group, but quite possibly personally made me the happiest. The only drama to make me tangibly feel like I am experiencing falling in love all over again through two people onscreen.

    YES. THIS IS EXACTLY HOW I FEEL ABOUT LIE TO ME. It’s my favorite k-drama because it captured my heart like no other drama.

  52. time between dog and wolf is junkilicious. i’m officially junkified now. what next, junki? please, another epic one, not those like arang. i want a kickass one!

  53. Hi Captain, don’t know where else to ask this – would you consider a manga top ten? Am new to manga reading and not sure what’s good. Read Kaichou wa maid sama on your recommendation – finished in 2 days!!

    Then read Hana Yori Dango – whaddaya know – actually liked it a lot!! Pssst!!! I have not watched Boys Over Flowers (yup-one of the rare few) Just could not take GJP’s hair!!!! BUT it was fine in the manga – Loved Domyouji!!!

    So how about it Mdm Koala?

  54. The King 2 Hearts is a 10/8 for me. Same with City Hunter. Those were the dramas(most K2H) that got me into k-dramas in the first place. So good they drew me into dramaland BUT gave me heightened standards. Blessing and a curse I’m afraid.

  55. “Damo – Naeuri-ahhhhhh! *collapses into a heap of tears and sobs*” I love Damo too! Hwangbo Yoon is someone who haunts my dream and whom I would want to marry even if he’s a fictional character…hehe. He’s my worst case of 2nd male lead syndrome.

  56. omo… thanks for mentione Mawang/The Devil and Resurrection… my all time KDrama… these drama set a high standard of revenge and drama.. the ending still stay in my memory..
    i think you don’t like medical drama, but i see Surgeon xxx there… have you watch sign and harvest villa? another KDrama beside mawang and resurrection which make me cry like crazy a in late night..
    and Nice Guy is newcomer of my drama list but still a bit early to put in all time drama.. if i still remember the drama like i rember MISA, and Sang Doo.. so yeah… LKH… you take my top ten..

  57. Happy to share my top 10, thanks for the opportunity 🙂

    Tree with Deep Roots

    Sungkyunkwan Scandal

    Jejoongwan

    Dong Yi

    Dae Jang Geum (Jewel in the Palace)

    Yi San

    Jumong

    Painter of the Wind

    Moon that Embraces the Sun

    The Duo

  58. Hey Ms Koala, I was wondering, could you do a ratings and top 10 for TW/Chinese/Jap generally non-kdramas. I am very curious! And that would be great!! 😀 <3 you loads

  59. From my bias opinion :
    1. 1% of Anything-10/6
    I love Kang dong won and Kim jung hwa as the best
    looking couple.
    2. Family Honor-10/10
    Best script, great acting by all actors & actresses,
    love Yoon Jung Hee and Park Si Hoo couple for their
    natural & amazing chemistry
    3. Daemul-9/8
    I like Go hyun jung and Kwon sang woo
    4. Hotelier-9/9
    5. Love letter-10/8
    The most unselfish love story in K-dramaland
    6. Famous Princesses-9/8
    7. Spring Days-9/8
    8. What Happened in Bali-8/9
    9. Arang and The Magistrate-8/8
    10. Dear Heaven-9/9
    Beautiful love story and i love Yoon jung hee and
    Lee tae gon as the most compatible couple

  60. Long shot, but I can’t help but agree with Pam (&drama)! Though, er, I’m not trying to be telling you what to do on your blog or w/e, but I’d like to express my hopes for something like a ranking for C or TW drama. I’ve been sporadically looking at your blog for a few months now and really enjoying it (and thus taking note of Sunny Happiness, King Flower, and Drama Go Go Go). At the moment, though I understand that K-Dramas and such are generally wayyyy better, I stick with TW & C because I’m watching to try and improve my Mandarin, and only have so much time. I’m pretty clueless, though, and there’s quite a bit of eh out there… so if you ever get the chance and inclination, I’m throwing in my vote for a ranking for C & TW dramas. Whelp I feel dumb now, slidddding out

  61. Hi, I have just discovered this site and I soooo… Love it!!! I read the recaps of LTM and I totally agree with your impressions. I enjoyed the whole 16 episodes of it… but it is as you will probably say… I watch with my heart and emotions and think less of the practical side of a drama. I will check out your site even more and follow your top 10 picks and recaps. .. KOMAWO.. pls welcome me 🙂 -new.to.k&tdrama-

  62. Actually… I watched so many dramas, and have much collection too. But the Best Dramas from my subjective opinion (that sure I watched more than 10x) are:
    1. Mawang
    2. Time Between Dog and Wolf
    3. Princess Man
    4. Dal Ja’s Spring
    5….

    So I Agree with ur TBDnW and Mawang as Great drama ^^

  63. It would be great if you could do a top ten type of a thing for twdrama, jdramas and cdramas. It would be reallyyyyyyy helpful. thanks

  64. At this point I trust you more than any other human on this earth. I just finished Who Are You (the 4th, I think, suggestion I’ve taken from this page). I am physically having to hold back tears. Sooooooo good. You should re-title this list “The Bible”.

  65. I hear your voice,iris,Beethoven virus ,reply me 1997 and……yeah I remember princess hours. Excellent writing and solid acting…the preceding two was nail biter to the end…..love them all.

  66. The Deep rooted tree is my very favorite drama
    Padam Padam is just wonderful/ great message
    Two weeks…great action Lee JOan Ki ! ya
    You.re Beautiful
    Secvret Garden
    Can you hear my voice
    Boys over flowers
    Jumong
    Baker King
    So many wonderful K dramas’ I am seriously addicted

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