Natalia's Year In Dramas!

Dear friends, greetings!

When Shahz first suggested this whole end-of-the-year thing, I thought to myself, well, I can't do that, I don't think I have actually watched 5 shows that aired in 2021. As a relatively new fan, I still have a long list of shows from previous years that I want to check out so I am not really looking for fresh stuff (or fresh blood, to joke around with my favourite kind of shows...). This is one of the reasons why I dodged the "official" lists posted on the main blog -  my end-of-the-year work overload being another. But when Fangurl suggested that we could do something simpler for Patreon, and that we could also have an incomplete top-10 (like a top-6 or 7), I thought that that would be feasible - so here I am.

Before starting, I would like to apologize for four things:

a) English is not my mother tongue.

b) This list will not have screenshots, videos, songs or whatever…

c) I will cheat: After counting them, it turns out that I have watched ten 2021 shows after all. But since among them are a few that I struggled to finish, and others that I dropped, I feel they don't deserve a spot in my top-whatever. So, I will include in my list a couple of shows that aired in 2020 - but at the end of December, so technically I didn't have time to watch them before 2021 came along...

d) I tend to prefer shows on the bloodier side of Dramaland. Crime, thriller, and even horror.

And with that, here are my choices:

My top 9 shows for 2021 (and December 2020, ahem):

9. My Name: Good show, but I did manage to spoil it for myself, meaning that I guessed what was going on and what was going to happen pretty early on (due to its similarities to a very known -and very much loved by me - film).

8. Bossam: A show I loved so much, but it kept going round and round, a typical case of a show that needed to be 5-6 episodes shorter. Having said that, the OTP was diamond and so was the supporting cast.

7. Yumi's Cells: Very fresh, very entertaining. I do have one more episode to go, but I don't think it will spoil anything.

6. Vincenzo: I get what many of you mentioned about torture porn, and I admit it was that in the last episode(s), but overall, I thought it had an excellent vibe about it, very suave, very cool, and Song Joong Ki was amazing. Also, I laughed a lot (not with the torture, mind you…).

5. Alice in Borderland: So, my first entry from (late) 2020. I had to include it, after all, because this was the first time I actually liked a Japanese show in oh so long. Its second half was kind of weak, but overall I liked it a lot. What I didn't like is that it needs a season 2 and I don't see one coming.

4. Happiness: Even though it has its weak points, plot-wise, you'll never get bored watching Happiness. It's been a while since the last time I wished a show would be longer (this one is 12 episodes long). I liked both the leads, and I loved the OTP even though they don't have that much time what with the infected and all those horrid, God awful neighbours.

3. Squid Game: In the Battle Royale category of shows, Squid Game almost achieves perfection. There were a couple of things I didn't appreciate, but generally speaking, I really believe it was worth all the hype.

2. Sweet Home: Yes, I know, 2020. But come on, it aired on Dec. 18, so... Sweet Home was, for me, one of those dramas that I couldn’t stop watching. It isn't about the monsters (which were deliciously comic book-like) but about the people. Excellent cast. Great script, the dialogues were surprisingly good for that kind of show. My sincerest congratulations to both the writer and the director.

And finally,

1. Youth of May: I know, no zombies, no vampires, but so many monsters. It's not an easy watch, but I whole-heartedly recommend it. Thinking of it still breaks my heart.

Best female lead: I’m undecided between Go Min-Si (Youth of May) and Kwon Yuri (Bossam). I will go with Kwon Yuri, I think. I loved this restrained passion of hers.

Best male lead: That’s even tougher. Lee Jung-Jae (Squid Game) was amazing. So was Lee Do-Hyun (Youth of May). But I also loved Song Kang in Sweet Home – actually, I had never seen him before and I got through 2/3 of the show thinking he’s a slender, shortish young man, that’s how good he was in portraying a frightened, suicidal teenager. And I thought that Yamazaki Kento (Alice in Borderland) did a surprisingly fine job too. But you know what, I’ll give my personal award to Song Joong Ki because Vincenzo would not be Vincenzo without him.

Best OTP: Bossam? Youth of May? No, I’ll go with Happiness, because Beom and Hyun really made me smile.

Best supporting actress: I’m torn between Shin Dong-Mi (Bossam) and Jung Ho Yeon (Squid Game). I’ll go with Miss Jung, because that was her first role, and she did an amazing job with it.

Best supporting actor: I owe an award to Lee Do Hyun, so it will be him in Sweet Home.

Razzie Award: My biggest disappointments were Beyond Evil and Hellbound. I was especially bummed about the first one, because it seemed to be right up my alley. Crime, dark, excellent lead. But I didn’t like it. I think it was because they dropped the serial killer mystery too soon. And because I disliked Yeo Jin-Goo – again (I’m so convinced Lee Do-Hyun who was there as young Shin Ha-Kyun would have been so much better for the show…). Hellbound, I just thought that it was pretentious. But I didn’t have so many expectations for it to begin with, so my Razzie award goes to Beyond Evil.

Best original score: I’ll go with Happiness. Jennifer, check it out.

Best original song: Love Song (Bossam).

Best drama + hidden gem: Both Youth of May. I really wish more people watched it, but I know I’m not really doing it a great service by warning you that it will break your heart.

Definite rewatch: The problem with the kind of shows I usually like is that you don’t feel like watching them again when you know how they’ll end. But I think I could rewatch Happiness.

Best ensemble: Sweet Home. And Vincenzo. Well, I’ll choose Vincenzo.

In case you wonder, the other 2021 shows that I watched and didn’t make the list were Break-up probation: One week, Nevertheless and She would never know. I dropped all of them. Also, I’m currently watching Secret Royal Agent Joy and Bad and Crazy, but I’m not sure yet if they would make it to my top-10 list anyway, though I find both entertaining so far.

So, that’s it for me. May I take this opportunity to wish to each and every one of you the happiest 2022 – and not only drama-wise!

~Natalia