Surprise bonus! Teegyj’s Year In Dramas!

Teegyj’s End of 2021 Awards

Hello KFG Family!

I am a fresh newbie to this Patreon and KFG has kindly allowed me to collate my awards too, despite January being nearly over already. (Seriously, where has the time gone?)

An Introduction

I’m Tegan and live in Melbourne Australia. I have a bunch of careers; some are on indefinite hiatus now thanks to the Pandemic. The “main” one is in project/development management. Currently, I am delivering health infrastructure for the Victorian Govt and previously project managed the redevelopment of an Arts Precinct. I have a BIG love for performing both singing and acting, been doing it since I was 15 years old. I studied it here in Melbourne and over in New York and spent a few years full time being a performer. I personally prefer live theatre (plays, cabarets, musicals) but love to watch TV and movies, read books. I also taught acting to kids and teens for five years.

All of this is to say that I can have an “actor-y”, of the craft focus to what dramas I enjoy and gravitate to. I also can just be entertained by the drama and not get into that side of things. Thankfully, there are MANY talented actors that come out of Korea. (Sidebar: I am constantly FLOORED by the quality of their child actors. They really know how to provide opportunity and experiences for many children to learn how to act and act well. I wish this was something that was possible in Australia).

2021 In Summary

I completed a total of 30 2021 titles last year (19 Kdramas, 5 Kvariety, 3 Kmovies, 3 Cdramas) and another 14 Kdramas or Kmovies from 2017 – 2020. Gosh that’s 44 titles. (This feels a tad insane, but I can reason that there were a lot of lockdowns last year. Us Melbournians are lockdown veterans). I use mydramalist.com as my go to place to keep track of all the dramas/movies/variety I have watched because without it, I wouldn’t be able to remember what I watched! Does anyone else use this site? Or if not, what do you use?

Here is my list in reverse order:

TOP 10 SHOWS

10: The King’s Affection

I started this drama about halfway through its airing, binged the first half of episodes and then had the painstaking wait for two episodes to release each week – ahh the pain! I usually only watch one sageuk drama at a time (but I couldn’t resist The Red Sleeve – more on that one later) and after seeing Park Eun Bin in Do You Like Brahams?, which I just loved so much, I was excited to see her cross-dress and live as her male twin. Let alone a prince/king! Rowoon I also enjoy watching so it was a no brainer to start this drama.

I think Park Eun Bin is a big reason why this drama has made my top 10 list, just. I felt she carried this drama on her bootstraps, providing consistent character choices. Her storyline became the one thing that helped me finish the drama. I did enjoy the first half of the drama immensely, it was fun and entertaining to watch all of the characters and then as a lot of Kdramas do, became draggy, flat, and overly emotional and melodramatic. Also 20 episodes was just a lot and I don’t believe they had enough story to fill that.

The other reason this made my top 10 was the approach taken with Rowoon’s character developing feelings for the Prince and how that was approached. This felt like a step forward to talking about the spectrum of sexuality and that heterosexuality is just one end of it. As someone who is pansexual, this really resonated with me. I can’t say it was a perfect execution, but I found the lack of freak out and questioning from him really refreshing.

Other than that, it was quite disappointing finish to an otherwise promising start and middle.

9: Squid Game

I watched Squid Game before the hype of it all started to just take over the world. Non-Asian work colleagues and friends were asking me if I had watched it and to my surprise they had too! I remember going on a bit a rant to those who would listen about how important it was to watch it with the subtitles and not dubbed. Definitely became the bugbear of 2021 for me.

I found Squid Game entertaining, unnerving, suspenseful and devastating in some parts. Never was I bored as I binged this one in less than two days. I enjoyed the storytelling, the quality acting and the overall premise of the drama. I normally don’t watch dramas like this, so the narrative wasn’t stale to me. I also enjoyed the production quality, cinematography and unique set designs and costuming.

[SPOILER]

Probably my favourite element of the story was the fact that early in the drama, the group democratically voted to go back home and for the story to turn in this way was refreshing to me and made me watch with more focused interest.

[SPOILER]

Hype aside, I rate this one as a drama that can appeal to a much wider and diverse audience. My partner is even interested in watching this with me and Kdramas aren’t something we usually share. (Sidenote: He even had Hellboundsaved on his Netflix list to my surprise, and we watched that together!)

8: My Name

Initially, My Name was not a drama I was overly interested in watching. The teasers/trailer looked too violent for my taste, but my siblings and I were looking for something to watch together and we threw this one on the TV. Well, I did not expect to be sucked in and become so interested in the protagonist’s story. I found that the overtly violent storytelling did not stop me from being enthralled by this utterly visceral tale of one woman’s odyssey of vengeance in a world that was so brutal and cruel.

While the narrative might not be groundbreaking or new and in some parts I could easily predict what was going to happen, the execution of the story was well done. I appreciated the shorter number of episodes so the way the story unfolded was set at perfect pace for me, I did not lose interest at any point or feel bored (no skipping through parts in this one!).

I thoroughly enjoyed all the action sequences; it was such a thrill to see Han So Hee in this role. I had come off the back of watching Nevertheless and was so intrigued by this very different character. Seeing her in these roles nearly back to back, made my respect for her as an actor increase substantially and I am excited to see her act opposite Park Seo Joon later this year. I also was in the middle of watching Yumi Cells when I binged My Name and seeing Ahn Bo Hyun in two polar opposite roles too was a delight. Also, Jang Yool who played Do Gang Jae was a highlight supporting character for me. I found this character matched Yoon Ji Woo very well. While she was stoic and silent, he was erratic and maniacal

7: Vincenzo

Vincenzo is one of those dramas that is going to polarise audiences – in a big way. Most of the written reviews on mydramalist.com sit around the 6/10 mark and a lot of people passionately vocal about why they didn’t gel with this story. So it seems you are either going to love and enjoy it or you aren’t.

I think this is because the world in this Kdrama is larger than life filled with VERY over the top characterisations of people. Sometimes even pantomime-y. I admit for the first few episodes I wasn’t entirely sure what I was watching or if I wanted to stay on board. But somewhere around episode 4, something clicked into place as I was watching Jeon Yeo Been act. Her character was nothing like I had seen in Kdramas, the quirkiness in her phrasing of dialogue but also her physicality too. I liked her from the start but I didn’t quite “get” her. Until that lightbulb moment and I got it. It was all intentional. The style was intentionally over the top and exaggerated. It was MEANT to be like that. (Now, this might have been obvious for others haha but that’s when it hit me). From that point on, everything got funnier, more entertaining. I started to enjoy all the supporting characters in the building and it all just made sense to me.

I found Song Joong Ki very consistent and true to his character and he held it all together effortlessly. I think this is my favourite role of his to date. Ok Taec Yeon was just manic, you couldn’t take your eyes off him. (This year I started to get into 2pm – more on that later – and realise that it wasn’t too far of stretch from Taec Yeon’s own personality to find the crazy to play Jang Jun Woo haha). I also really enjoyed watching Kwak Dong Yeon in another stellar supporting role, you can tell he is an actor’s actor. It’s all about the character and craft for him. One day he will lead his own drama. Kim Yeo Jin was excellent in her role too, I’ve seen her appear in so many dramas I have lost count but this was the first one where she really got the juiciest role ever. Hats off to the director/writer team for writing such excellent multi-dimensional female characters!

However, the plot did go wayward at times and I found I did skip parts of the episodes because it didn’t always feel as evenly interesting to not just skip to watch the leads or the villains. While the ensemble characters were entertaining when the leads where there, I did feel that their individual scenes lacked the ability to keep you interested in what they were doing and that’s what made Vincenzo drop down lower in the list.

That said, if they did bring back Vincenzo as a character, I definitely would tune in to see more.

6: Hospital Playlist 2

Of all the “slice of life” dramas that I have watched, Hospital Playlist is right up there as one of the best. There were so many things to love in the first season and if I did a list for 2020, it would be in my top 3. There was so many things to love about this world and these characters. My favourite thing is how the storytelling isn’t always linear and spoon fed to you. You have to pay attention and pick up on all the nuances. After each episode I would talk about them at nauseum to my sister, marvelling at the clever-ness of the writing and storytelling. Season 2 also delivered on this, and I enjoyed having to pay attention. It did mean however given how long each episode was I could not binge this one and had to take my time to watch this.

My other big favourite thing is watching all five leads together and interacting, especially when they are eating meals together. To be honest, I not only watch this as a viewer trying to keep up with the multi conversations that would happen but from an actor’s perspective this looks like such a DREAM to act. I studied the Meisner acting technique and to put it really briefly, it is all about the reality of doing, acting is simply reacting to who/what is happening around you and “leaving yourself alone” and ALL the leads and supporting characters do this incredibly well. The meal scenes are where this shines so brightly; I am in awe of how seamless and natural it all is. Brilliant acting from all around. Such a thrill for me to watch.

Season 2 also saw believable character development from everyone and set at a pace that usually would be considered too slow by normal standards, but I appreciated it very much. I grew to love all the characters and root for them. Now, you might be thinking, then why did you place Season 2 in 6thplace? Well, given it is a second season and I found a lot of 2021 Kdramas that were new and provided new perspectives to storytelling, it fell to 6thplace.

Still, I am so grateful that we got a Season 2 when normally it is so rare to see one. I enjoyed every hour of living vicariously with these health professionals and if there was a Season 3, I would be so excited to watch.

5: Yumi Cells

Another slice of life story but this time told in such a cute fun and entertaining way. I honestly feel like 2021 was a year of new and innovative ways of Kdrama storytelling. Kim Go Eun and Ahn Bo Hyun were perfectly cast in this drama and were able to show different sides to their acting than what I had seen before. I had thoroughly detested The King: Eternal Monarch (the bad writing let everyone down in that show) so I was happy to see her do a Kdrama like this. The last I had seen Ahn Bo Hyun was in Itaewon Class and I was impressed with his character in that and was intrigued by how different Ku Woong was.

What I was not prepared for was the animation half of this Kdrama and boy did I squee when these Cells came on the screen. They added such an energising element to the drama, and I loved to see how they interwove the reality with the cartoon. Each episode would introduce a different Cell and I would hoot with laughter at the characterising/dialogue but more so cos it felt so relatable. I started to imagine what my inner world with my cells would look like! It very much presented a unique approach to showcasing human psychological behaviour, how people engage in their everyday lives and their relationships with others.

I naturally came here for the cast (other than our two leads, Jinyoung from Got7 would appear in later episodes and Minho from Shinee so idol representation was on point) but I stayed because of the Cells. I could honestly have been happy just watching the Cells for the whole drama.

I also enjoyed the messages and themes of the drama. Shining a light on one’s shifting priorities in life. A lot of the time we do spend more time on what is urgent and right in front of us instead of what is important and truthful. The journey of finding yourself and your inner courage to live your best life but without walking over others. The value of quality communication and honesty.

However, I did find the second female lead grating as their character development felt stale and typical *cue eye roll*. Given with how well they were going with the other themes and character development, hers felt underutilised and one-dimensional. In fact, all the other female characters weren’t fantastic. I did feel like the production team missed an opportunity to write more than one female character with more depth and nuance.

That said, I am very much looking forward to season 2. Maybe it will end up on my top 10 list for 2022?

4: The Devil Judge

This one came to my attention early because Park Jinyoung (of Got7, not *whisper* “JYP”). Thanks to watching Jinyoung in He is Psychometric I became interested in Jinyoung as an actor but also as a singer as part of Got7). I’ll admit I wasn’t entirely excited about seeing this as it had no Romance tag. I was in the mood to watch more Rom-Coms at the time this was airing. But my loyalty to Jinyoung prevailed and I settled into watch the first episode.

And well…WOW. I was thrown into a dystopian version of South Korea that was surreal, incredibly provocative and thought provoking. The visually stunning uniquely stylised cinematography was enough for me to pop this into my top 5 alone. I would pause the screen to just take in the distinctive camera angles and perspectives and my brain would go mile a minute to work out the symbolism of why these shots were included in the first place. This was such a thrill and joy to have this added to my viewing experience. It made the drama feel innovative and unique.

I also was enthralled by the concept of a jury trial via social media and real court cases being televised real time (not like Judge Judy at all) and watching the cases escalate in severity of crime but also punishment. After each episode, I would be compelled to bring these scenarios presented by The Devil Judge to my partner and family to discuss everything about it. Everything about this drama was grey, no black and white anywhere, which I LOVE so much, being able to tune in each week to peel more layers off these multi-dimensional characters and at times, larger than life personas was so much fun.

I’ll admit I had not seen Ji Sung act in any drama before. The hype surrounding him as a quality actor was real, as I found him incredibly alluring to watch. Was he the protagonist or the antagonist or just both rolled up in one? His chemistry with Jinyoung was intriguing to watch, I felt a lot of push pull with them. However, I did find I had to lean into the larger than life-ness of these characters and was at times worried for Jinyoung and the amount of seriously traumatic events that happened to his character. Would he have any energy to emote anymore after all that crying? But despite the number of times he did have to emote so strongly, I was right there with him feeling that pain and anguish.

The spectator viewing that I had in the early half (which was centred more on the court cases) started to wean as we got deeper into the leads’ stories. I began to feel uneasy, a pressure would build in the room where I was watching, as events started to skyrocket out of control. Every single character was flawed in a big way, the show didn’t hide that. Instead, it relished them. Even for the ones that initially looked like they were flawless, they made bad or unwise choices. The evil characters were just irredeemable. I found I really like this kind of raw look at humanity or the complete lack of it.

3: Move to Heaven

Something has to be said about these Netflix produced fewer episode (less than the usual 16) Kdramas that popped up last year. And that has to be YES PLEASE and THANK YOU! I am 100% beyond these more mature and culturally open stories that are being produced. The freedom that Netflix gives these Korean production companies to not be so restricted in what they can and can’t do on screen is great and I’m all for it.

Move to Heaven captured my heart and wouldn’t let go. I had recently finished watching Taxi Driver, which had finished airing and went on a Lee Je Hoon binge. I’ll be honest, I probably would have delayed or even not watched Move to Heaven if it weren’t for Lee Je Hoon because of the subject matter. Cleaning deceased people’s rooms was not my idea of a cup of tea and it felt like I might get too emotional and worked up watching it. I am glad I was wrong though. While that is a big part of the drama, it was so much more than that.

I loved the episodic nature of the drama, the insights into the deceased of the episode’s life and how the Move to Heaven team could help them get closure. I loved that underneath each “case” by “case, we saw the growth and development of relationship between Lee Je Hoon and Tang Jun Sang’s characters. It was a shocking, endearing, hilarious, moving and beautiful journey watching these two men learn to love each other. A standout performance was Ji Jin Hee (the father of Tang Jun Sang’s character) who radiated warmth, patience, kindness and respect.

Tang Jun Sang’s portrayal of someone who is neurodivergent was believable. The directness and innocence was so alluring and really tugged at my heart strings. Lee Je Hoon really embodied his character too, and the disparity between being Cho Sang Gu and Kim Do Gi in Taxi Driver was stark. It goes to show how talented of an actor he is.

I honestly could have watched 10 more episodes of these characters learning more about each other, taking on more cases, helping more people (alive and dead).

2: Taxi Driver

Ooh this Kdrama really stood out for me. I was in the mood for something darker and more serious and I had heard murmurings around that this one was worth watching. It had just finished airing episode 16 by the time I started watching, which was excellent timing because
I. Could. Not. Stop. Watching. This. Drama. Despite being quite dark, gritty, violent, it was so addictive and compelling. There was no skimping on anything. Production values were high and of quality. Action sequences (both people fighting but also cars!) were so engrossing to watch. I fell hard for the underground lair, the secret passage, the car full of gadets (such Batman vibes) and the ingenious ways to find new clients. I dug the case-based format in 2-3 episode mini story-arcs.

Lee Je Hoon was just so enigmatic to watch. As the central character, I felt he embodied the energy and vibe of the Kdrama so well. Not only was his main character so dark and stoic, we were also blessed with him going undercover in a various number of disguises. Each one was thoroughly entertaining and kept the Kdrama as a whole fresh and exciting. Big shout out to Pyo Ye Jin, who I remember most from Secretary Kim and wow she really was given opportunity to show her acting chops. She stole every scene she was in, even from Lee Je Hoon (!) and had an intensity I didn’t know she could portray given her previous characters. I am so excited that there are more diverse roles for women to play these days.

But this Kdrama very much needed an ensemble of characters to pull it off. I loved all of the characters of the team, who all fit together like a puzzle. The team chemistry was fantastic and so fun. You could sense their comradery and respect for each other, being pillars of support for one another. The excellent casting extended to the side characters and guest stars too. No one felt out of place, every character was an extension of the energy and emotional state of the protagonist. The whole drama felt cohesive and will executed.

I am beyond thrilled that before I even started watching Taxi Driver and loving it so much, it was announced there would already be a Season 2 coming. I can’t wait!

1: The Red Sleeve

Oh, The Red Sleeve. What have you done to me? What a deep slow burn of a story that sucked me in hook line and sinker. It was a no brainer for me to choose this drama as my number 1 of 2021.

Initially, I was drawn to the drama because I read it was based on a real king and had a focus on the women who lived in the palace. The female lens was so up my alley. I enjoyed every moment where we saw life in the palace from their perspectives. However, the main reason I stuck around and fell so hard, like I am sure for many, is the relationship between Yi San and Sung Deok Im. No one but Lee Junho and Lee Se Young could play these roles. I had never seen Junho act before and Se Young I had only seen in Hit the Top, which was not anything to sneeze at, so I didn’t really have much expectation for their performance. I was pleasantly surprised that they brought such gravitas, emotional maturity and depth to their depictions of these real historical people.

Junho as the Crown Prince is where I felt he really shone; his standout moments were whenever he interacted with Lee Deok Hwa (King Yeongjo – his grandfather). These scenes were probably the most compelling I had seen all year and the heartbreaking level of disfunction, but waves of love felt between them was palpable and raw. Se Young’s time to shine was in the last three episodes as she lived her life as concubine. While Junho was so heart wrenching raw and open with his emotions, Se Young was so restrained and internal. And yet, it was so evident how she was feeling with the stifled pain and suffering she was experiencing. Her eyes were so expressive. I also loved Se Young’s interactions with her friends and her mentor. These were warm and comforting reprieves. All of the supporting characters were gems in and of themselves. Kdramas do bring together excellent ensembles (not always but more often than not) and The Red Sleeve did not disappoint in this department.

I felt every emotion watching this drama. No other drama has made me so patient with the two leads from getting together because the storytelling in the lead up to their accepting of each other was so engrossing. I was so swept up in it. There was no part where I felt bored, the progression through the story was perfectly paced. Except for probably the last 4 episodes because they had to fit so many years into the tail end of the drama, but I didn’t mind. I was too invested to let that bother me. Towards the end though, I just could NOT keep a dry eye at all. (I should say that I do cry a fair bit when watching shows, I tend to emote quite easily and freely when I watch so it isn’t uncommon for my eyes to be wet. But my goodness, this kind of crying was painful. Like jaw and tummy ache kind of anguish. Like I need to pause because I need to calm the F down!).

I feel like this drama is a turning point for not only Junho and Se Young in their acting careers but also Jung Ji In PDnim and Hung Hae Ri Jakkanim as well. The cocktail of these four pillars of the Kdrama was magic and I very much look forward to what all four of them do next.

Best Female Lead (include show)

– Han So Hee (My Name)

I’ve given this award to Han So Hee for the amount of physical and emotional dedication it must have taken to portray Yoon Ji Woo. So Hee was believable in every moment. She really now has established herself as a force to be reckoned with.

Best Male Lead (include show)

– Lee Je Hoon (Taxi Driver and Move to Heaven)

Best Male Lead goes to Lee Je Hoon. I am also sorry but not sorry for the shirtless photo… and the fact he has a killer body is NOT the reason I am choosing him. I promise! I was very impressed by his performances in both Taxi Driver and Move to Heaven. I went on to watch his previous work last year: Signal, Where Stars Land, Collectors, Time to Hunt and I Can Speak. I even watched his travel variety show Traveler with Ryu Joon Yeol where they travelled around South America together). Each of his performances were captivating so he has taken up one of the top actor spots for me.

Best OTP

– Lee Junho and Lee Se Young (The Red Sleeve)

I feel like choose these two is INCREDIBLY self-explanatory given The Red Sleeve snapping top spot as the last drama of 2021 I watched. These two are just chemistry abound when they are on the screen together. I do hope they get to work together again (but this time a rom-com please!) Sidenote: Never have I and never will I root for actors who have excellent acting chemistry to get together in real life. Very much not a fan of that).

Best supporting actor (Female)

– Ahn Eun Jin (Hospital Playlist 2)

I believe Ahn Eun Jin deserves this spot as while she wasn’t one of the core five, she brought so much life and energy to the scenes she was in. Her quirkiness and sincerity was so endearing and I loved her love line with Kim Dae Myung was sooooooo cute and adorable. I have yet to see her in a main role (very much looking forward to watching The One and Only) as the only other drama I saw her in was More than Friends.

Best supporting actor (Male)

– Anupam Tripathi (Squid Game)

Oh man Anupam stole my HEART in Squid Game. He WAS the heart of the Kdrama, the innocent, kind, beautiful soul. He has such a wonderful friendly energy and quality acting. Also hats off to him for being an actor in Korea, who isn’t of Korean ethnicity, and making it. Hand on my heart, I hope we get to see more of him in Kdramas, not in Guest Roles or Bit Parts but in more substantial roles. He appeared in Hospital Playlist, Taxi Driver, The Devil Judge, Just Between Lovers and more. Hopefully now with Netflix in the picture, there will be more opportunities for him.

Razzie Award for the worst show(s) or the show that promised so much but delivered so little

– Doom at Your Service & Love Alarm 2

Haha I feel like this image for Doom at Your Service sums up my emotions about how I felt finishing this drama. I am amazed I didn’t drop it but kept going for Park Bo Young and Seo In Guk, both of whom I really like and would follow their projects. But Park Bo Young has not been choosing quality dramas (Abyss was abysmal) and I’m finding her acting now one dimensional. Seo In Guk I still have faith in, as I have watched most of his filmography. Fingers crossed he chooses a better project next time.

UGH. This was AWFUL. Just AWFUL. Everything about it was AWFUL. Dropped like a hot potato. I am not going to waste any more word count on how AWFUL this truly was.

Best ensemble

– Hospital Playlist 2

I was pretty strict in my interpretation of what an ensemble is, so it narrowed the winner down to one. I wanted a drama that really truly had an ensemble, none of this male and female lead, second male and female lead business. A true ensemble and Hospital Playlist absolutely won this category two years in a row for me. Their comradery and friendship is so inspiring; the way they support each other and you never felt that one of them was getting more screen time than the other. All of their stories were told fairly equally.

CATEGORY DEPARTURES

So… I decided to depart from the categories provided here as while I am all about music, I have no recollection of the OSTs and generally don’t pay much attention after I enjoy the songs while watching the drama. Here are some new categories I came up with:

Guilty Pleasure

– Single’s Inferno

Hehehe, oh man WHAT a guilty pleasure! This just popped up in my Netflix algorithm (which to be fair is 70% Kdrama recommendations) and over the Christmas break binged most of this in one sitting, until I realised that only two episodes were being released a week and just got so SUCKED in. I felt like this was just such a classy version of Love Island type shows. It was such fun to watch. To hoot and holla at the screen, cringe when any of the people were just so embarrassing, get all shy when anything “close” happened (Squee!). It was just such an enjoyable whirlwind. Loved it. I hope there is a Season 2.

Kdramas from previous years that I watched in 2021 (Highlights)

– Mr Queen

What a joy Mr Queen was! Definitely a drama that was worth watching Shin Hye Sun’s performance. She was such a delight and thrived in this role. I thoroughly enjoyed the merging of modern and historical and how the story explored all the possible comedy in that. Kim Jung Hyun was the perfect foil for Shin Hye Sun’s energy and the two of them zinged with wonderful chemistry. Ever scene of theirs was so fun to watch. I also loved the food angle as well and modernising Joseon life. Pure entertainment!

– Signal

I actually watched Signal before I started on Taxi Driver or Move to Heaven and wondered if the hype surrounding this show was just that or completely valid. They were valid. The acting was superb from the entire cast, the storyline was top notch and compelling all the way through as we as the audience learnt more and more about what happened in the past or future and how that impacted the other. I appreciated that it wasn’t like any other crime-solving drama, it keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time and asking lots of questions. The only issue I had was that it got a bit confusing at times and sometimes hard to follow.

Shows I missed in 2021 that are still on my To Watch List:

1. Bad and Crazy,

2. D.P,

3. Law School,

4. Let Me Be Your Knight,

5. Mouse,

6. One Ordinary Day,

7. She Would Never Know,

8. Secret Royal Inspector & Joy and more… but these are the priorities 😊

~Tegan