#that kdrama had a really good ost that just punches you in the gut with feels

[overthinkingkdrama]

The Jona Awards: Kdrama 2019

Favorite Heroine

Jang Man Wol from Hotel Del Luna

***

There were other great heroines this year who were in much better dramas than HDL, but nobody who so completely defined and carried the whole drama as Man Wol. IU’s Ji An was my favorite of heroine, and this year feels like the natural continuation of her arc as a lead actress. It wouldn’t break my heart if IU occupied this space every year.

Runners Up: Cha Woo Kyung from Children of Nobody, Eun Dan Ho from Extraordinary You, Lee Eun Jung from Be Melodramatic, Kim Hye Ja from The Light In Your Eyes

Favorite Hero

Go Ji Seok from Catch the Ghost

***

For all the issues I ended up having with this drama in the last few weeks of its run, none of them had to do with Kim “Dimples” Sun Ho or the character of Ji Seok who hit the sweet spot of competent, righteous police officer and soft, affectionate boyfriend goals. His acting is on point. I really hope we see more lead roles from Kim Sun Ho in the future and his star keeps rising, rather than being forced to watch him descend back into second lead hell.

Runners Up: Hwi from My Country, Kang Ji Heon from Children of Nobody

Favorite OST

“Your Shampoo Scent in the Flowers” by Jang Beom June from Be Melodramatic

***

There was a lot of great music in dramas this year, but even if it’s kind of an expected pick I’ve just listened to this song so many times, and went so far as to write the lyrics out on my fridge so I could practice singing along. I love the original version best, but the ballad and actor sung versions are great too. It’s just a great tune and a real earworm.

Runners Up: “The Street You Left” by Liver and Gallbladder from When the Devil Calls Your Name; Basic the whole OST from When the Devil Calls Your Name actually; “WOW” by Mamamoo from Search: WWW

Guiltiest Pleasure

The Last Empress

***

I can’t believe this drama finished airing in February. It feels like a long time ago in another life that I watched this with my roommate, cringing and laughing myself sick all the way through. Maybe it’s because this drama feels like it was ripped from a different decade. Jang Na Ra seems to be in a different drama than everyone else, one that’s way better than this one. There’s something just so absurd and delicious about this drama. Good for watching with friends and booze on hand.

Bitterest Disappointment

Catch The Ghost

***

I became totally obsessed with this drama during the first half of the run. It didn’t get picked up by any of the major streaming sites I use and it didn’t have a big following, but I was all over social media trying to find content and conversation about this show. After the first 6 episodes or so I really thought this one was going to end up in my top 10 this year, if not my top 5. Alas, it didn’t turn out that way. This drama has major writing problems. The central couple and their arcs are solid and well acted by the leads. However, what passes for the murder mystery is so thin and convoluted, and it completely takes over the drama for much of the last two weeks, rendering episodes 14 and 15 nearly unwatchable. I still adore the lead couple and think they have amazing chemistry, overall they saved the drama for me. That’s why it didn’t make it onto my worst list. It’s really sad, though, to have to rate down a drama you really liked because major writing flaws meant it couldn’t stick the ending.

Runners Up: The Lies Within, Arthdal Chronicles, Memories of the Alhambra

Best Friendship

Eun Jung, Jin Joo and Han Joo in Be Melodramatic

***

Of all the dramas I watched this year, this one made me feel the best, made me feel genuine joy whenever I watched it. I found the three leads delightfully funny, inspiring, and relatable. Easily one of the best portrayals of female friendship this year, and my personal favorite.

Runner Up: Dong Baek and Hyang Mi in When the Camellia Blooms

Best Kiss

Ja In and Yi Kang in Nokdu Flower

***

There were a lot of good kisses this year, and many of them were much flashier and steamier than this one. But the reason this one stuck out in my mind was because of the conviction with which the actors pulled it off. It came at the perfect moment of tension for the characters and the story, and it’s just beautifully shot.

Runners Up: Park Bench Kiss from One Spring Night; 11th Hour Kiss from Catch the Ghost

Most Cathartically Makjang

SKY Castle

It took me a while to get around to this one, and I thought I might just skip it. I didn’t expect it to blow up as much as it did in Korea, nor to have such a positive reception in the West. When I did watch it I watched it fast, this drama is very addictive. Though the ending was a bit of an anticlimax in my opinion, I’m sorry I waited so long to try it. Also, as someone who loves a while variety of twisted psychos in her fiction, this drama has one of the most unique and fascinating villains I’ve run across.

Runner Up: The Last Empress

Villain I Most Loved To Hate

Nam Jeon from My Country

***

Not a lot to add here. Ahn Nae Sang is incredible, and he made me seriously contemplate stabbing a fictional character every time he was on screen.

Messiest Plot

When the Devil Calls Your Name

***

This drama had ambition, and I respect that. However, I don’t think it was well enough thought out or well enough executed to pull off what it was attempting. That’s a shame, because it could have been a really interesting Faust-type story if it could have remained a little more focused and really fleshed out Ha Rip and the central relationships rather than running hither and yon with all that confusing world building.

Runner Up: Memories of the Alhambra, Catch the Ghost

Please Make Another Drama Together

Jeon Yeo Bin and Seon Seok Ku

***

These two beautiful weirdos play off each other so very well in Be Melodramatic, even though their scenes were sparse and only started deep into the drama’s run, they left a huge impact on me. I could have easily watched a whole drama just about them, and I would love to see them work on a project together again someday.

Runners Up: Kim Sun Ho and Moon Geun Young, Seo Kang Joon and Kim Hyun Joo

Best Korean Movie

Parasite

***

I didn’t watch a lot of films this year, but I made it a point see this one. Probably the least controversial pick I could have possibly made. I’m glad this movie has blown up internationally, and the 6 Oscar nominations it got are so very deserved. I feel like I need to rewatch this 6 or 7 times to really appreciate it.

Best Screen Couple

Yang Se Jang and Woo Do Hwan in My Country

***

I agonized about this pick for a number of reasons. There were a lot of romantic couples that I felt for strongly this year, and I nearly gave this pick to one of them, but none of them quite had the gut-punch intensity of these two. Though this is technically not a canon pairing, this drama has a palpable underlying homoeroticism throughout. Emotionally and structurally this plays out like a lurid, tragic romance between these two and the leads carry it off so perfectly I find it impossible to believe that that’s unintentional.

Runners Up: Moon Geun Young and Kim Sun Ho in Catch The Ghost; Jung Hae In and Han Ji Min in One Spring Night

#year end reviews #jona awards #kdramas 2019 #slightly different categories than last year #hope you enjoyed it anyway #it was fun to make #happy 2020 everyone