Tags
2023 Korean Dramas, Alchemy Of Souls Part 2, Castaway Diva, Crash Course In Romance, Divorce Attorney Shin, Doona!, Kdrama, Kdramas, Kim So Hyun, King The Land, Korean Actors, Korean Drama, Korean Films, Korean Series, Korean TV series, Korean TV shows, Lies Hidden In My Garden, Moving, My Lovely Boxer, The Glory, The Interest Of Love, The Kidnapping Day, The Story Of Park's Marriage Contract
I watched so many dramas in 2023 and I still can’t understand how! Weekly watch instead of marathon certainly helped. Here is my summarized review of the 2023 dramas. I have given my final impression as “Love, Like or Okay”, which is basically how I feel about them overall.
In no particular order:
Lies Hidden In My Garden
About: A woman starts noticing a weird smell coming from the backyard of her new house.
An excellent psychological thriller that thankfully avoids the common tropes of Korean thriller dramas. It is very stylishly created and also plays as a character study. The slow pace might not work at all occasions but the atmospheric vibe adds to the tension. Laced with twists and turns, and led by two female characters, Lies Hidden In My Garden is a solid mystery thriller which is dark, engrossing and creepy.
Final Impression: LOVE
My Lovely Boxer
About: A woman emerges as a boxing star at the age of 17 but then suddenly disappears. A cold-blooded sports agent starts his search for her to bring her back to the boxing ring — an idea she truly hates.
An underrated delight, My Lovely Boxer is motivating and gratifying. It clicks all the right emotional buttons. Most of the characters shine. Don’t judge it by its uneven first episode, because the rest of the show is strong, heartwarming, inspiring and fun. And also has a beautiful love story simmering in the background. The boxing matches are excellently done, keeping the viewers on the edge of their seats. Kim So Hye is luminous and Lee Sang Yeob is fabulous and their chemistry is simply perfect!
Final Impression: LOVE
Moving
About: Teenagers with hidden superhuman powers and their parents team up to fight dark forces.
I have finished only 5 episodes of the drama but I’m already in love! And if I go by the feedback, this is the universal reaction. I’ll update this as I watch the whole show. I love the primary setting and how the scenes are written so amazingly, the attention to detail — you just know that nothing is a filler here. The main achievement here is the strong emotional beat punctuated throughout. Also, our main character Bong Seok is so precious and cute!
Final Impression: LOVE
Review coming soon!
The Kidnapping Day
About: A poor man with a warm heart kidnaps an 11-year-old girl from a rich family in order to pay money for his daughter’s medical treatment. But things don’t go as planned and he gets involved in a murder case.
The drama perfectly balances the emotional angle with the heartwarming relationship between the simple-minded and compassionate male lead and the precocious 11-year-old girl he is forced to kidnap, and a solid mystery involving thrills and action. The characters are solidly written and the short length keeps the show crisp. The ending though — is it a cliffhanger or those particular horror/thriller endings that continue a cycle?
Final Impression: LIKE
Castaway Diva
About: A woman gets drifted away to a deserted island while she is on her way to audition for becoming a singer. She spends 15 years there before getting rescued. Now she has to adjust to the new changed world.
The drama never lives up to the potential it creates with opening episodes or pre-release expectations but the solid start, sweet and warm found family tale and some delightful characters make it an enjoyable ride. I wish it had more romance and wasn’t focusing on uninteresting plots and dynamics. I love Park Eun Bin but the most powerful performances come from Moon Woo Jin, Chae Jong Hyeop and Cha Hak Yeon.
Final Impression: LIKE
Crash Course In Romance
About: Love story between a popular Mathematics instructor in a private coaching class and a former athlete who is a single mother.
A warm, cute and hilarious ride that could have been amazing but the unnecessary thriller angle reduces the overall fun and satisfaction. Jung Kyung Ho shows his impeccable comic timing and Jeon Do Yeon balances it with her natural, understated performance. They are so cute and fun together. The drama also has a sweet track involving female lead’s daughter and her friends in high school. The overall impression of the drama gets affected by the weak last leg of this ride and the incongruous thriller angle.
Final Impression: LIKE
King The Land
About: Centered around a conglomerate, The King Group, the drama is a love story between the closed off son of its founder and the bubbly, friendly and highly efficient employee at the King Hotel.
A fluffy, candy floss romance that reminds of the classic Korean rom-coms of 2000s and 2010s. It ticks all boxes of common tropes of a romance Kdrama but avoids the weak and annoying plot stereotypes of the genre. The focus is 99% on the OTP who are gorgeous and charming and the chemistry between Junho and Yoona is lovely. Junho steals the show with equal measures of fun and depth in his performance. The thin plot and lack of conflict results in loss of steam in later episodes but all in all, the show brings a smile from start to finish and is an easy watch.
Final Impression: LIKE
The Interest Of Love
About: Set against the backdrop of a bank. The four main characters work there in different roles. We see how they evolve as individuals and how their relationships evolve with time.
I loved the indie vibe of this show. It explores complexities of human nature and the various colours of love for every individual. Truly a slowburn romance with delicious angst, the drama made me root for the OTP so hard and they gave me so much buzz. The love square is present in its truest form. The tone is contemplative and the drama is bolstered with a beautiful soundtrack. Alas, the conclusion of this story is dissatisfying. And the female lead becomes increasingly frustrating by the end. I kept wondering why this is happening!
Final Impression: LIKE
The Story Of Park’s Marriage Contract
About: A contract marriage between a woman who has time travelled from the Joseon era and a man who is reincarnation of her husband from the past who died on their wedding night.
I wish I could say the drama is a perfect cocktail of romance, comedy and fantasy but its fantasy element is far from perfect and becomes messy in the second half. But it gets lots of points for an adorable OTP, fast pace, “butterflies in my stomach” romance, hilarious moments, beautiful bromance and sismance, delightful secondary couple and amazing Lee Se Young who is outstanding in every frame.
Final Impression: LIKE
Review coming soon!
Divorce Attorney Shin
About: A former music professor comes back from Germany to study law and start working as a divorce lawyer in order to find out the truth about his sister’s death.
Imbued with unusual vibe, this drama is a rare dramedy in Korean drama landscape. There are laughs and some excellent moments, especially the genuine moments between the 3 friends are the main highlight, but the drama hooks us only in parts. There are many unnecessary elongated scenes and the central plot conclusion doesn’t land effectively. The drama is powered along by some stellar characters and cast.
Final Impression: LIKE
Doona!
About: Love story between a moody and eccentric idol on a hiatus and an ordinary university student who meet as housemates in a shared house.
I loved Doona! for the first half but the second half is depressing, confusing and dragging despite its short length of 9 episodes. The moody, unusual vibe and the ‘falling in love’ track are beautiful. I also appreciate the well-written and compassionate second female lead (a rarity in dramaland) and her story with the male lead. Ending is realistic but unsatisfying. Yang Se Jong and Suzy have good chemistry and I loved the main romance but it became increasingly toxic later on. Sigh.
Final Impression: OKAY
Older dramas i watched in 2023
The Glory
About: A woman who was brutally bullied in high school plans revenge against the bullies after many years as an adult.
A revenge saga that is slick, narratively solid and taut but consists of excessive violence and is at times unnecessarily nasty. Song Hye Kyo delivers a powerful performance but the show weakens in its second part. The romance angle was not needed. It’s a difficult watch — brutal and gory and disturbing. Most of the villains are one dimensional. Later episodes seemed dragging. I certainly didn’t like it as much as other people.
Final Impression: OKAY
Alchemy Of Souls 2
About: The story continues after 3 years since the events of Part 1. Naksu’s soul is still inside Jin Bu Yeon but without any memory. Jang Uk is back from the dead because of the ice stone inside him and now he spends his days catching soul-shifters. They meet by coincidence and she asks him to free her from her captivity by marrying her.
This part encapsulates many elements of Part 1 that made it so captivating — epic romantic segments, humour, action and heroic moments. The tone is darker and serious this time but it’s still sprinkled with humour. The drama becomes unexciting in last two episodes. Certain plots are rushed and some plots take way too much screentime than required. Go Yoon Jung looks stunningly beautiful and graceful. She brings new elements to Naksu this time with her innocence, cuteness and sassiness. The chemistry is great between Lee Jae Wook and Go Yoon Jung. Despite knowing that the character is same, I could not help but wish that we got Jung So Min back in the end as I loved the OG couple so much.
Final Impression: LIKE
Dramas I Dropped
The Good Bad Mother, Destined With You, Like Flowers In Sand
2023 dramas I’m Currently watching
Moving
2023 dramas I plan to watch
Revenant, Perfect Marriage Revenge, Maestra: Strings of Truth, Tell Me That You Love Me, Hi Cookie, My Happy End, Stealer: The Treasure Keeper, One Day Off, Soundtrack No.2, Once Upon a Boyhood, The Matchmakers, My Dearest, My Demon
The Drama Corner 