Ranking of 2024 dramas I've watched- updating

Sometimes it feels to me that it's right to rank & review a drama a good time after it finishes but this time around, it feels there are way too many background noises. If you notice, ML has been on my profile pic for two years now, so I didn't get to know him from this drama (I even hoped he'll finally land a ML role) but all the attention he gets doesn't seem fair to me at all. FL acted as good as he did but she ain't getting any scripts or invitations for variety programs.
The drama itself was amazing, though when it passed the 10 ep mark it got a bit dragging. Nevertheless when they got back to the present it got good again. Overall, I liked it a lot while it was airing and everything that's going on now with the drama just makes me not want to rewatch it any time soon (which I though I'll do while watching it). Pity..

First time in a really long while that I've seen a whole drama in regular speed, this much I liked Atypical Family. Nevertheless, I have to mention the last ep was quite dragging and I moved it to 1.25x lol
I think it was a super interesting concept, even though it feels to me that if we take into account ML had depression, he fell way too fast for FL, and his mood changed drastically.
I cried with the family, especially with the little girl, though I think it's super weird how much shorter she is than her classmates (while her family is on the *very* tall side).
I applaud Jang Ki Yong for being fully immersed in his role and loosing so much weight. I consider him one of the most handsome actors in S.Korea yet he looked so unappealing to me with his thin frame.
OST's quite creepy.

I love best friends to lovers dramas!!! What a beautiful beautiful drama! Till the very last second, I cried and laughed with them and I'm so sad I won't see them again next week..
From Jung So Min's and Jung Ha In's close friends chemistry to the parents and the moms' friends - I liked it all. Hell even the second couple grew on me (though I have to admit that in their scenes I allowed myself the most check stuff on my iPhone lol).
Mid drama there was a debate whether we all would've loved the drama still if others were the leads. For sure most of us came because of the Jung couple and stuck at first for them but from a certain point the script took the front and I personally think, as I identified a lot with Seok Ryu's character, that I would've loved it as much even if other (talented!) actors portrayed them. On a personal note, I hope one day I'll also find my Choiseung, who'll be my roof and I'll be his tiles :)
Going to add Wonstein's song to my playlist ASAP

A great drama. The whole cast was splendid till the point that I even hated Park Sung Hoon and he's one of my faves, that's how good he was.
I think it started dragging a bit after ep 10, cause till then I was planning to give it a perfect score but I really got tired of them towards the ending.
I think both had a very challenging roles and kudos to Kim Ji Won for always playing different character (who could've compare this to her role in My Liberation Notes?) Kim Soo Hyun also outdid himself but he cried waaaay too much and I'm a crybaby myself, but at certain point I've had enough and stopped crying with them. I think the ending was overall fine with no loose ends.
Beautiful cinematography.

I usually hate law dramas that but I was so invested in each case they solved. Especially in Jang Nara's and I think it was a good thing that at first, many of the events evolved around her family dispute. I cried a lot with her and her daughter.
In addition, her character's' resemblance on the one hand and the difference on the other with Nam Ji Hyun's made us see variety of perspectives (of different generations) on each case.
I have put my eyes on the ML since he strangled Suzy in Anna (lol) so I'm happy he finally got a nice guy role.
and it looked like PO got better at acting throughout the show? I had such a hard time with him and his facial expression (and not only me as was seen in the comments), but he moderated them at last.
Nice ending song but sounds too similar with Itaewon Class's.

Usually I'm not into 'Life' dramas but this one was just great. It had addressed the topic of depression, slump and crossroads in life so delicately it was fascinating to watch. Like the leads, I also felt like I'm healing while watching it. Her whole family, and especially her mom, were such a big part of the process and so were the friends.
One thing I didn't like is although they did show depression correctly, they had to put in the cultural setting and made her drink all the time which is forbidden even if you take pills for other chronic illnesses, so it's even worse with medicine for depression.
btw to whoever laughed about Shin Hye's kissing technique, it seems she just had to find the right co-star.

I overall found it very interesting. I think the story was very innovative though I wish there was less romance.
I was pleasantly surprise by Lee Yi Kyung, Song Ha Yoon and Boa, that I almost wished the latter one will win it all lol On the other hand, Na In Woo was really bland and I'm not sure he's ready for ML roles yet. I was also upset for Kikwang that over a decade passed since I've seen him in My Princess and he still acts like a chef in a very supporting role.
Don't understand why Park Min Young had to drop to 35 kg cause she acted as a sick patient for marely one ep, but I guess that was an excuse to promote the starvation culture in S.Korea..

A bit questionable how they decided to insert the drama's title explanation in the penultimate episode, especially since it's not very accurate. He loved her a lot and was very devoted to the relationship but his feelings came so suddenly and with full force that I wasn't fully convinced. Nevertheless, the actor done a magnificent job and even with those plot holes, I had always butterflies in their romantic scenes!
TBH I was a bit shocked that I haven't seen any of his productions for the last decade (considering the fact he's the ML of my all-time favorite Kdrama) and even more that it's also the first 50-ep family drama I've seen while it's airing in the last decade. But I don't regret one bit.
I loved the drama a lot. Yes, like in many dramas of this kind, emotions and actions were all a bit exaggerated but the villains and semi-villain were really annoying and I'm happy they stayed realistic and didn't give everyone a happy ending. Though I have to say that it was weird that the older brother-aunt couple vanished from family gatherings. I get they wanted to give them a separate ending, but as they're family by marriage, it's just not credible.
The OST was amazing, and Im Soo Hyang was superb!!

So not even one kiss?!! Why?
I don't even know why I dropped it after the 1st ep the first time I've watched it. The drama is really good. It is your typical saguk where there's a strong politician who controls the king and so the realm, but it so much more with the addition of the widow-fighter element. Honey was so fierce and even if I usually hate big age differences between characters/actors, and especially noona romances, I really shipped them! On the other hand, I really don't know why we needed Lee Ki Woo's relationship with her maid. His role as a whole was very insignificant, and so I felt really bad for him..
Also, I know dramas like to have beautiful closures but the last scene of her with her mother in-law was plain hypocrisy, both sides IMO. She gave her hell (I'm not even used seeing Kim Mi Kyung being so bad) but suddenly everything is good between them? not credible!
Loved Youngji's OST

I'm living for Jung Woong In being the good guy! Waited for it since Prison Playbook lol
I overall enjoyed the drama, the family dynamics, the neighbors, the coworkers. Everyone were affectionate and friendly and it was nice to watch.
Yet, it was so stupid how the older main leads were so awkward about every skinship considering they had the kids at a very young age. but so be it, it's a family drama after all.
p.s It was so weird for me seeing how Naeun portrayed her younger self. I remember her during that age and she didn't look anything like now #SorryNotSorry

Hilarious show! Especially Sang Yi's and Kim Yong Dae's interactions.
Only recently I understood that Shin Mina is much older than Sang Yi as well, and because of Hometown Cha Cha I was sure they're about the same age so I wished he'll be the ML here but it doesn't really matter. He got a lot of screen time and I'm on my way to watch the spin-off he leads!
It's funny how the most attractive guy in this drama happens to eventually be her ex. Did they even give him a closure? How did his marriage end?
Like many of the commenters, I too think that if a leading male of a drama was talking about s*x as our FL does, all S.Korea would've screamed at the scriptwriters. Double standard is wrong both ways!

A very high quality drama but I didn't really enjoy it and I feel like I'll give up to conformism if I'll rank it even higher.
From the start I planned to watch it when almost all the eps aired and so I didn't have to suffer from the anticipation, so maybe that's too made me less attached, after all it's just a 6 ep drama.
I didn't know more than half of the drama will be in Japanese but Lee Se Young nailed it even though interviews show she doesn't really know much. Talking about method acting.
They had bad communication and relied on their passionate romance, but feelings don't stay forever and to make a relationship work through time you need to talk about things and sort them out. It didn't feel like they really learned to do it, but they're on the right path.
p.s Does Lee Il Hwa even rest this year? It's my third 2024 drama with her (and the lowest ranked btw)
p.s2 Haven't seen Hong Jong Hyun for years but did he always looked this way? It felt like there was too much involvement of PS

It started so good (!!!), so what really went wrong? How come in such short drama, the story can become boring so fast?
I didn't like Kim So Hyun's personality and I guess that I also got sick of ML's pushing behavior? TBH I was really shocked at first with the change of character between his previous one in Castaway Diva and here, but very fast I also got smitten by him. Yet he insisted way too much and obviously she eventually gave up and started to feel butterflies and all that shit, like every psychological brochure that says that exposure leads to adeptness and caring.
I Liked the side stories. I've seen Dasom in 4 projects thus far and she was the nicest here. Kim Won Hae on the other hand was totally wasted.
Nice OST

Why Peng took a 2FL role? It made me want for the first time in a Cdrama to have more scenes of the second couple, but there were really just a few. It's interesting her voice here sounded different than in the dramas she leaded as if she talked in a much lower register..
TBH I think it would've been better if FL died like they implied in the penultimate ep, and not because I didn't like the couple but because the drama was quite boring and I thought that at least a sad ending will give it some impact. They were adorable on the one hand but on the other it was annoying to watch them play hard to get with each other. They lacked communication and it felt to me that they're willing to give up on essential things like personal growth for this relationship instead of talking over things which is upsetting.

Can Kim Hee Ae for once play a likeable character? What's wrong with her? Doesn't she want viewers to be on her side? The only time I pitied her was in The World of the Married but other than that, I hated her in every other production, and this one ain't an exception. I wan on team Sul Kyung Gyu from the very beginning. (btw since when he is doing dramas?)
The drama picked up more and more but it was kind of weird that each of them had so many cards up their sleeves. and the fact that Kang family members were always changing alliances made it also confusing to predict who'll win.
I think S.Korea should stop doing political dramas about fighting for justice in the system. Your country is corrupted and nothing will help it. IMO ML gave his life for nothing as it was clear it didn't help in the drama either.

I'm usually very strict while rating dramas, yet even I can't understand what's the big anti for this drama and all the 1/10 reviews. Maybe they're Lee Jae Wook's fans who waited to catch him in another romance and were disappointed. Though I would take this drama 10 times more the Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol..
Yes, I too haven't succeeded completing it on my first try, and so I advise to everyone who wants to watch it to start from ep 4. The real plot starts there and you'll spare yourself the boredom of watching the forming of that idiotic love triangle.
Our ML was strong but so was his weakness ,and that became his fallout. Yet without it, he might not had the drive to pursue greatness, and I loved he was appreciated by the higher ups for his talent.
p.s Can't a story with prison plot not end with cellmates become partners and "like family"? *eyes roll*
p.s2 Lee Ji Hoon probably really fell out of grace after his scandal. His role was so small I was shocked he didn't do anything. I was sure he'll also turn out evil lol

TBH it felt to me at times that this whole drama is a satire on Kdramas, especially in the first eps when they were making fun of all the poor woman-rich man concept.
Till the very end I couldn't understand whether they want us to believe they're the same age or that we'll think it's cute he addresses her by her private name while being SO much younger. and yes, after watching Kdramas for 15 years, I too am sensitive for informal speech. I think that his romance plot in Under the Queen's Umbrella was much more satisfying, even while being so much shorter.
I didn't even know Shin Hyun Bin can do rom-coms but I'm happy for her doing something a bit lighter this time around, though as a Cinderella it was obvious her past would be dark.
Upset overall for both Sojin and Yoon Park who get only mediocre opportunities. She did previously supporting roles with more impact than her role here..
Beautiful OST!

Ahn Bo Hyun popped into my mind few days ago and I recalled I dropped after only 2 eps his recent drama so I guess it was a sign to get back to it lol
Yes the drama is a bit boring, but it didn't deserve me dropping it. Nevertheless, I can't seem to understand why they're planning to return for season 2. After all, the cases of this season were entwined into the family cases of the main leads, but now that everything was solved- what is left to explore? Will we just receive every 2 eps a new case that won't lead us anywhere? Saw in the comments that people expect a romance in S2 but I totally lived fine without it this season.
p.s Even after so many years, It's absurd to me how Kwak Shi Yang still doesn't get ML roles. He's a good actor and objectively speaking, looks even much better than Ahn Bo Hyun, so why? Maybe he should change his managing team, that's a real pity.

I loved this drama so much at first but mid-drama I just lost my interest and so I couldn't really enjoy it when our cute couple finally got together. (though for a JTBC drama with 2 VERY grown-up leads, I would've expected a bit more passionate romance).
I loved the dynamic with his subordinates but her bf got on my nerves and her nemesis even more. Didn't like 2ML's role either (after he was so likeable in Frankly Speaking).
Great OST and I'm happy for the beautiful Sunhwa for getting the recognition she deserves.

I'm having a really hard time rating this season. On the one hand, I didn't really enjoy it but on the other, I can't deny that it's a very high quality drama with impeccable actors (someone should reward Steven Noh for his performance on ep 3!).
I think that the fact it's been such a long time since the first season also plays its part. We kind of forgot the feelings that made us attached the first time around, and we got them back only towards the ending of S2, which was too late.
As always, I hate the story of Solomon and I felt really sorry for his grandma that even as an elder she can't have a happy ending..
p.s Was it Blackpink's Rose voice at the end?

I think Pyo Ye Jin shines much more in heavier roles. Nevertheless, I think this story on paper was supposed to be much better than the other Cinderella story this year that stayed much more true to the original.
I loved her relationship with her step sisters and family, especially after the ML had changed her perspective on that relationship. She really had to open her eyes and stop thinking she's some kind of victim. and the fault on that mostly lies with Ryu Seung Soo who never cared to much, about probably anything except believing in stereotypes.
Great Kissing scenes, they looked good together. I'm happy ML also opened up to the world thanks to her. It made him much more sympathetic to the 2FL, though I couldn't care to even understand what was going on with her and the other evil girl nor the 2ML..

It was disturbing to watch at times, but the cast performance was 10 out of 10.
I saw in Atypical Family's feed people bashing Chun Woo Hee's acting skills and now I even more surprised after watching her here. She's a great and versatile actress.
The 8 reminded me a bit Squid Game, but I can't really say which one of them was better, both weren't really good..

They're a Perfect family after all.
I came to this drama with very high expectations since many of the cast members did together the amazing Sky Castle & Penthouse but it was nothing alike. Yes the plot still evolved around crimes and abuse of rich children by their parents but the only one who really shined in the drama and had a challenging role was Yoon Sang Hyun (I', surprised he's not mentioned in the main cast. Then again, Myungsoo even appears on the poster and he's only credited as a guest? He has more screen times then few others who died in the first eps and still credited as supporting!).
p.s Till when it's okay to play like you're in high school? You guys we're approaching 30, that's not cool anymore! and yes, I'm talking about you Kim Young Dae and Park Ju Hyun lol
beautiful OST

I feel sorry for myself for having to watch it with regular speed (the server that allows to speed things up decided to stop working on my smart TV T_T)
Usually s*x and nudity scenes are incorporated to serve the plot or bring buzz, but here it brought only negative buzz and didn't serve the story at all. Watching Jung Yumi and Ji Chang Wook shoving their tongues into each other's throats didn't give any insights, it was clear from ep 1 she's a total psycho.
Yet I'm happy for JCW for starting to challenge himself and doing different types of projects, though you can't possibly compare this to the historical masterpiece that made him famous.
Till the very end I couldn't understand whether Jong Seo and Kim Moo Yeol were actually enemies with contradicting purposes or if he liked her..
Hated seeing Lee Soo Hyuk as the bad guy and same with Jung So Min's dad from Love Next Door lol
Very heavy and well filmed action scenes!

This season started better than the previous one but got back fast to their old boring rhythm. IMO people can't redeem themselves from doing such atrocities even if they give their life in exchange but whatever.
As in the previous one, I want to applaud everyone for their marvelous acting skills and especially the newest addition CNblue's Jungshin. It was quite surreal for me to watch him one instant being so evil on TV and then in the other seeing him smiling and playing his guitar on Instagram. Hope he'll land more opportunities in the future.
I also want to take this opportunity to congratulate Uhm Ki Joon for his upcoming marriage. Thought dude is already married with kids at his age but better late than never, no? ;)
*Still can't believe that the same creators who did the spectacular Penthouse were in charge also of this failure.

How they managed to find such a big group of unattractive man while all women around them are very beautiful ? Now that I write it down, I remember that I already criticized this way a Thai drama before so I guess it’s a nationwide thing.
Nevertheless, the concept was interesting and it’s not your typical romcom. It has a lot of mystery and thrilling moments.

Hooray! It's finally over! Honestly, I was disappointed two weeks ago when I found out the drama ain't ending after 12 eps. Though I can say that eps 13-14 made me elevate my rating by a bit.
The shifting bodies is nothing new. and was done previously much better (for example in Room No9. script wise and acting wise). and what was even the purpose of that idol?
The real culprit was quite obvious (after the more obvious one was cleared), since again production likes to cast famous actors for villain roles too.
I didn't feel their romance, and didn't like it. and I've seen Eunji in every single production she did thus far and this one is the worst of them and she also looked here quite unattractive.

The reviews of this drama were so good and so I came to it with big expectations, and as big was the disappointment. They started strong but after 3-4 eps it became clear it won't be as good. Also from just seeing the face of few of the actors it was obvious what role they'll play, and yes I'm talking about you cheaters! Same goes for Park Hyuk Kwon that I think played the good role only in Reborn Rich (though I have to applaud them for surprising with the level of his evilness).
I want to say good job for Cha Eun Woo too, that even though thus far I haven't liked any of his dramas, he always challenges himself as an actor.

The story on paper sounds super interesting yet the script wasn't that great eventually and so the execution combined with the poor acting made this drama a waste of time even though an ep was only 15 minutes.
You can't really make us believe noun of them recognized the other, especially her after she lived with him already. To him I'll cut some slack since he saw her only once before. Overall he was a very giving ML, always forgave her even when she didn't deserve it. Nevertheless, can't understand why we needed so many scenes of him half naked (if at least he looked fine then so be it, but that's not the case #SorryNotSorry)

So my friend made me watch this drama and only last week I got to know she dropped the drama after two eps and left me to fend for myself with this crap.
Since the beginning I really thought to myself what did Go Gyung Pyu lose in this drama. Yes, he had a challenging role to play but overall it was just not worth it. Hana too. I think that even though she doesn't want it, she should get back to doing the evil roles of 2FL. She flourished there much more.
The only thing I want to comment drama wise is that ML probably had the most ungrateful family of them all. They lived from him and didn't feel bad about it for one bit. and I still feel that even after their heart to heart conversation.

It's funny how the poster was the one who lured me into this drama (even though I don't usually watch projects of the leads, esp the FL's) but eventually I skipped most of their scenes together. IMO the story picked up a bit after the 10th ep mark, when the relationship was set and they had time to finally explore more the rivalry between the academies' personnel, but overall you can count on one hand the amount of interesting scenes it had.
The most surprising character of the show was the high school teacher, who turned out to be the complete opposite of the creep he was at the beginning.
A very annoying OST too.
Great acting though (loved the veteran's cat fight) and Jung Ryeo Won is a beauty.

I don't have a problem with Choi Woo Shik but TBH I was very disappointed when I understood while watching the drama that he's the ML and not Son Suk Ku (the one who I initially came to watch).
If I put aside this fact and that the story isn't my cup of tea, I have to mention the awful editing/directing/whatever you want to call it.
What's with all the colors and the shots of what could've been and what really is. It made me extremely confused in the first eps- Did he really kill? Did he not? How he did it? Eventually I got used to it but that's the thing I hated the most about this drama and usually isn't something I even take into consideration but here it really stood out, and not in a good way.
The plot itself touches an intriguing topic - do bad people deserve to die? Is a killer of killers pardoned? I don't really have a clear cut opinion and so I'll leave it to the law authorities to decide..

It felt at times as if they really wanted it to be like Elite. They just forgot S.Korea works by different standards and there’s a limit to the provocativeness in their content.
I really liked the FL in previous productions but here she was just annoying, as was the (poor) ML whose infatuation was plain pathetic. Older generation did impeccable job though.
It’s an ok show to put in the background but not more than that. And even though it ended with a cliffhanger, I was not left curious at all.

I didn't understand anything that was going on there. Who were the bad guys? Who worked for who? Who made this tyrant and did they succeed on their mission?
Good actors who performed well but the messy editing made this whole drama confusing AF