KDrama Challenge — 2024
My goal is to pick the perfect drama for every challenge. I might move dramas around or even remove them before I submit the last version! •ᴗ•
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1. The Beauty Inside
Korean Drama - 2018, 16 episodes
# 01 . Shares a filming location with The Heirs (3 locations)
Completed: May 2024
Review: After watching the movie last year, I’m pleased that this adaptation fixed some of the issues I disliked. They kept the premise of a main character who changes appearance due to a condition, but limited it to one week each month, making the love story more enjoyable. However, like the movie, they failed to explain the reason for this condition and they even removed the genetical fact that was explained in the movie. Despite enjoying the comedy and the leads' chemistry, I found they added too many unnecessary twists past midway, like miscommunication, a character's death and a year-long disappearance. If they needed more stories, they could have focused on other love stories, instead making the main couple immature.
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2. The Tale of Nokdu
Korean Drama - 2019, 32 episodes
# 02 . Tropes (Has a haircut) — Dong Dong Joo cuts her hair twice
Genre: Historical / Romance / Comedy
Completed: January
Review: This drama is a rare gem in gender-bender stories, featuring a man posing as a woman instead of the other way around, which helped to create chaotic and funny relationships. The best part are the well-developed and well acted characters. Jang Dong Yoon shined as the Nokdu, showcasing a character that ranges from vulnerable, to quirky and courageous and Kim So Hyun perfectly complemented his character as Dong Joo, a strong and determined woman, with an intriguing past. The antagonists, though some were predictable, one in particular took me by surprise, which felt like a complete twist. Sadly, the pacing could have been better. I wish they had balanced the light comedy with the heavier political conflicts, mixing them more seamlessly instead of clearly separating the story into two parts.
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3. A Poem a Day
Korean Drama - 2018, 16 episodes
# 02 . Tropes (Old person collecting cartons) — Bo Young helps an old lady
Completed: May 2024
Review: I found a hidden gem with this drama, the story was unexpectedly charming, it gave comfort, made me laugh and even made me cry in some scenes. It’s a fluffy romcom, without your usual shenanigans that always comes attached with this genre, it has good humour, amazing friendships and touches on very relatable struggles from your adult life. The added poems weren’t just simply quoted or read out loud, they are well integrated into the story to convey the characters emotions. Loved it.
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4. The Producers
Korean Drama - 2015, 12 episodes
# 02 . Tropes (Shares an umbrella) — Seung Chan leaves Cindy in the rain for the cameraman
Completed: May 2024
Review: In my opinion, this is one of the most creative scripts by Park Ji Eun. The story isn’t like the classical romantic comedies that she got us used to, it mainly focus on showing the backstages of a broadcasting station, showing different team dynamics and the process into creating a variety show. On the side it adds a side taste of romance, but still mostly focusing on comedy. Although, I found this a really pleasant watch, the romance left me with a bitter-sweet taste, it was cute, but I wanted to see more from every couple.
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5. While You Were Sleeping
Korean Drama - 2017, 32 episodes
# 03 . Common Scenes (Bus / Bus Station) — Bus Stop 'Hangang Middle School'
Genre: Romance / Fantasy
Completed: February
Review: The initial episodes of this drama were intense and intriguing, but as the story soon it became predictable in a way that made me lose interest. While the leads excel in this type of their roles, at times it gets tedious to see them once again in the same type of role. However the worst part was the numerous question left unanswered, especially about the FL's dreams, which were crucial to the plot but it was never explained. Overall, it was good watch but it felt like the story could have been written better.
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6. The Legend of the Blue Sea
Korean Drama - 2016, 20 episodes
# 03 . Common Scenes (Lighthouse) — Tower of Hercules, Coruña, Spain
Genre: Romance / Comedy
Completed: February
Review: Such a pleasant surprise, I didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did. This story pack various concepts, notably the reincarnated star-crossed lovers was the most prominent, the drama was filled with comedy and romance. The breathtaking scenes in Spain added a magical touch. Overall, even though this drama dragged a bit, it was a delightful watch and the chemistry between both lead was amazing.
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7. One Dollar Lawyer
Korean Drama - 2022, 12 episodes
# 03 . Common Scenes (Office raided by prosecutors with blue boxes)
Genre: Comedy / Law
Completed: February
Review: This kicked off with an exciting and unpredictable narrative, offering a refreshing take on the typically heavy legal environment. The two episodes focused on the tragic past of the main lead were done perfectly. Sadly, after these episodes, things became messy and the story was rashly concluded in one single episode, leaving me yearning more episodes.
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8. Doctor Slump
Korean Drama - 2024, 16 episodes
# 03 . Common Scenes (Singing at the noraebang)
Genre: Romance / Comedy
Completed: March
Review: This drama started on a promising narrative, exploring themes of mental health and building friendships in your 30s. Sadly, to me the progression falls into repetition where everything revolves around the leads living freely, but sadly always ending with excessive drinking. These constant images, made me think that they should have done a better job showing the real side effects of mixing alcohol with antidepressants. However, despite its flaws, I think the cast had great chemistry, I loved the heartwarming family scenes, the small but strong friendships and their portrayal of healthy romantic relationships.
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9. Lovestruck in the City
Korean Drama - 2020, 17 episodes
# 04 . PPL (Restaurant) — Pizza Alvolo
Genre: Romance / Life
Completed: February
Review: I enjoyed how this narrative was mostly styled like a documentary. The story depicted how humans deal with all aspects related to love, that offered sort of a slice-of-life experience. I also found this drama delivered an amazing lesson on seamlessly integrating PPLs in dramas, setting an example for others on how to handle such elements. The only flaw for me was the lack of a filming crew around the characters while interviewing them.
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10. Mr. Sunshine
Korean Drama - 2018, 24 episodes
# 04 . PPL (Coffee) — Dal.Komm Coffee
Genre: Historical / Romance / Melodrama
Completed: April
Review: A masterpiece in every aspect, with stunning cinematography and soundtrack, to spectacular performances and a captivating story that resonates deeply within the viewers. While at times the story felt a bit slow-burn, the rich historical backdrop and the well-developed characters kept me engaged. But as the ending approached and I could predict the outcome, I became overly emotional in every episode, making it harder to finish. Nonetheless, it was an amazing journey that left deep impression in me.
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11. Be Melodramatic
Korean Drama - 2019, 16 episodes
# 04 . PPL (Health Supplement) — Good Base Korean Red Ginseng
Genre: Life / Romance / Comedy
Completed: February
Review: With this drama, I discovered a newfound love for female-centered dramas. This one dives into the lives and friendship of three fantastic women in their early 30s. The countless references to classic dramas were a delightful and the narrative that gave us a behind-the-scenes insights into drama production, from casting to sponsorship, added an intriguing layer to the drama which kept me interested until the end.
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12. Cinderella and the Four Knights
Korean Drama - 2016, 16 episodes
# 05 . Korean Culture (Agrees to drop honorifics) — Between Ha Won and Yoon Sung
Genre: Romance / Comedy
Completed: April
Review: I chose this drama because it looked like a light and low-commitment watch to balance between other heavier dramas that I was watching. While the story was predictable and lacked brilliance, it actually fulfilled my needs. Although I didn’t love this story, I still appreciated the quirky and optimistic FL and great music, but what I really didn’t like was the happy ending for every character, even those that clearly didn’t deserve one
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13. Her Private Life
Korean Drama - 2019, 16 episodes
# 07 . Started airing in your birth month (April)
Genre: Romance / Comedy
Completed: April
Review: At first I was hesitant to start this due to Park Min Young's typical character style, luckily I found this drama to be a delightful romcom with a captivating storyline, exploring the world of fangirling in your 30s while balancing a successful professional life. This was elevated by strong performances, especially between the leads and their undeniable chemistry. Overall, this offered mr a light-hearted escape from other heavier dramas.
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14. Death's Game
Korean Drama - 2023, 4 episodes
#08. Title that includes a character's name — "Death's Game" & "Yi-Jae, Will Die Soon"
Genre: Thriller / Fantasy
Completed: January
Review: I consider this drama similar to a procedural drama, the main character (Seo In Guk) committed suicide, when faced with Death (Park So Dam), she is offended and punishes reincarnate into different people that are about to die soon, he is allowed to avoid death, if he can't they get to meet again a more painful death will come next. All his reincarnations are played by a diverse group of stellar actors and their stories are mostly action-packed or, but at times they are emotional. It’s a thigly written story with excellent direction that keeps the viewers engaged. However, what makes it great is also a flaw, because with so many different characters and a fast-paced story, it was hard to connect to any of them and even when we got to see the main character, their parts were a repetition.
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15. Chicago Typewriter
Korean Drama - 2017, 16 episodes
#09. Character who is an artist — Han Se Joo & Yoo Jin Oh, Writers
Genre: Historical / Fantasy / Romance / Comedy
Completed: April
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16. Love All Play
Korean Drama - 2022, 16 episodes
#11. Wears a sports team uniform or watches a sports game — Yunis Badminton Team
Genre: Sports / Romance
Completed: January
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17. Twinkling Watermelon
Korean Drama - 2023, 16 episodes
#12. Friendship as a key part of the drama — Between every teen
Genre: Youth / Romance / Fantasy
Completed: February
Review: This drama had such a fun and touching story, but it wasn't as heartbreaking as I was expecting it to be. I loved how the time travel concept was introduced, it wasn't the typical near-death experience and it was well-executed, delving into life dilemmas. The way they incorporated sign language was also beautifully done. The ending, even though satisfying, left me with a desire for more present-day scenes.
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18. Mouse
Korean Drama - 2021, 20 episodes
#15. Childhood flashback scenes — Ba-Reum, Yo-Han, Moo-Chi, Bong-Yi & Hong-Joo
Genre: Thriller / Psychological / Mystery
Completed: January
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19. Wedding Impossible
Korean Drama - 2024, 12 episodes
#16. Character (M/S) part of the LGBTQ+ — Lee Do Han is gay
Genre: Romance / Comedy
Completed: April
Review: This drama started out really well, but it ended in a huge disappointment. If the plot didn’t focused too much on a trope of contract marriage, and kept showing the uniqueness and quirkiness of each character that we saw in the first half of the drama, this would have been a really good drama. Instead they added all the cliches in the book, reduced the characters to stereotypes and ended with a finale that was lacking in so many ways.
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20. The Heirs
Korean Drama - 2013, 20 episodes
#17. Title is not a direct translation — "He Who Wishes to Wear the Crown, Endures Its Weight, The Heirs"
Genre: Drama / Romance / Comedy
Completed: March
Review: This drama feels like a PG-13 Korean version of Gossip Girl, both series presents the glamorous and ridiculous lives of a group of high school students, in both cases the characters lack proper development. Regardless of this, this drama was entertaining and it was mostly like a guilty pleasure to me. At all times, I was aware of the heavily used tropes and I could definitely tell how the story would end. I still enjoyed this drama, not because of it’s worthy story, but because I got to see how some of the most well known actors acted 10 years ago and compare how much they grew over the years, and for that is definitely worth the watch.
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21. One Day Off
Korean Drama - 2023, 8 episodes
#19. Takes a trip — One day trip in every episode
Genre: Life / Food
Completed: March
Review: Probably the drama that had the biggest impact in my life. I noticed that since I started working that my weekends are always spent in the worst way possible, sometimes I spent full weekends at home. Not because I couldn’t go somewhere, but because I’m always exhausted from work, I’m always insecure of going on trips alone and other times I think about the amount of money I would spend that I could save for the future. Stupid right? When will I start living? This served as wake up call for me to start living my life, because I also want to walk around, eat good food and let my mind wander.
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22. Like Flowers in Sand
Korean Drama - 2023, 12 episodes
#21. A drama set in a rural/non-urban location — Goesan-gun, North Chungcheong Province
Genre: Life / Mystery / Sports
Completed: January
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23. Queen of Tears
Korean Drama - 2024, 16 episodes
#22. Character (M/S) who is a chaebol — Queens Group Family
Genre: Romance / Comedy
Completed: April
Review: Overall I enjoyed the meaning of this story and its characters, but one thing that I disliked was the unnecessary use of cliches towards the ending. I understand they were used to bring the viewership to new all time highs, but somehow I found those additions to lack in creativity and even outdated. Despite it’s minor flaws in the script, the technical aspects excelled my expectations, with stunning set designs, incredible performances, beautiful soundtrack and superb cinematography.
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24. A Killer Paradox
Korean Drama - 2024, 8 episodes
#23. Character who works for the government — Jang Nan Gam, Detective
Genre: Thriller / Mystery
Completed: February
Review: Despite my eager anticipation, this drama fell rather short for what I expected. This had a strong beginning with an accidental kill and a lucky escape, it kept it's momentum with interesting twists, up until episode 5, where the focus shifted from the main character, to another character rendering the main one almost irrelevant. Even though, the performances remained commendable, it felt like an entirely different season.
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25. 20th Century Boy and Girl
Korean Drama - 2017, 32 episodes
#24. Meal with 3 banchan on the table — Kim Mi Kyung's cooking
Genre: Romance / Comedy / Life
Completed: March
Review: This drama perfectly captured the essence of friendships and love in your adult life. The story resonated with me as it depicted four friends who maintained their bond from teens to adulthood, making me reflect on those close friendships that I built when I was young and I have kept for the past 20 years, because like them we really have been through a lot and at times we are really in different stages of life. The romance between the leads was also heartwarming, it showed a relationship built on trust and respect which I loved to see. What I didn’t like, was how some character arcs wre lacking, like the storyline of the FL sister or the storyline of each mother.
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26. Navillera
Korean Drama - 2021, 12 episodes
#27. Main character over 40 (Park In Hwan)
Genre: Life
Completed: April
Review: With this challenge I set out to watch a drama featuring a main character over 60, a rarity in K-dramas, as they usually play support roles as the grandparents of some other characters. This choice led me to this drama, which felt like an inspiring watch where both male leads' stories beautifully intertwined, showcasing how age and background shouldn’t hinder dreams. This was a testament to never stop pursuing your dreams regardless of limitations.
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27. Wonderful World
Korean Drama - 2024, 14 episodes
#28. Multigenerational main cast — Soo Hyun (mom), Seon Yul (son), Go Eun (grandmother)
Genre: Thriller / Mystery / Drama
Completed: April
Review: I was happily surprised by the stellar performances and an intriguing narrative that kept me captivated. However some of the character development, especially the main antagonist left me disappointed, his motives were too predictable and too similar to other villains in kdramas. Still, the remarkable performances helped to elevate narrative, making its flaws barely noticeable, making this drama an emotional and satisfying thriller.
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28. My Country: The New Age
Korean Drama - 2019, 16 episodes
#29. Drama from the sageuk genre — Goryeo Dynasty & Joseon Dynasty
Genre: Historical / Action / Political
Completed: February
Review: I was captivated by a historical narrative set against the Goryeo-Joseon transition and the unbreakable friendships between Seo Hwi and Nam Sun Ho. But what will forever in my memory is Jang Hyuk's portrayal of Bang Won's cunning personality, his scheming to overtake the throne and desire to get his father's recognition. Even his skills with the lavish fan added an extra layer to my fascination with this character. Overall this drama was filled with stellar performances and an exceptional direction, especially in single-take fight scenes. The only flaw, the miraculous healings.
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29. Through the Darkness
Korean Drama - 2022, 12 episodes
#31. Reviewed in one of our past Spotlight On posts — Spotlight On Crime/Mystery
Genre: Thriller / Crime
Completed: February
Review: This drama hooked me with its portrayal of criminal profilers in the late '90s. Unlike typical crime thrillers, this doesn't attempt to justify killers' actions but delves into detectives' methods, portraying the emotional toll of their demanding job. The narrative avoids clichés, offering a realistic slice-of-life perspective in a crime setting. The most intriguing character to me was Song Ha Young, seeing how an empathetic character, exploring criminals' minds and how this affected him. The only flaw lies in the direction of time skips, essential for prolonged investigations, somehow at times I felt confused.
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30. Drama Special Season 8: If We Were A Season
Korean Special - 2017, 1 episode
#32. Single episode drama
Genre: Youth / Romance
Completed: January
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31. Gyeongseong Creature
Korean Drama - 2023, 10 episodes
#. ??
Genre: Action / Historical / Thriller
Completed: January
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32. Alchemy of Souls
Korean Drama - 2022, 20 episodes
#. ??
Genre: Historical / Romance / Fantasy
Completed: March
Review: This drama transcended all my expectations with its compelling plot and characters. I finished both seasons and in my opinion, the first season was far superior, if they removed a few of the fillers and stretched to 24 episodes, the transition from Jung So Min to Go Youn Jung could have been done in a way better way. Because of this, since there was no proper transition, it was hard for me to enjoy Go Youn Jung performance as much as I enjoyed Jung So Min performance . Regardless of that, the overall story was still amazing and every actor involved did a fantastic job.
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33. Chicken Nugget
Korean Drama - 2024, 10 episodes
#. ??
Genre: Comedy / Fantasy
Completed: March
Review: Such a refreshing drama with each episode running for less than 30 minutes, that perfectly delivered a narrative filled with quirky comedy and witty dialogues, and all combined with a reliable cast that made me laugh in every episode. I still remember some of the nonsensical dialogues and I still hum to Ahn Jae Hong songs. There is even a sense also a sense of nostalgic in this drama with the numerous mentions of the drama Be Melodramatic, the previous work by Lee Byung Hun. It was a short feel-good drama that left me with a smile and wishing for more.
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34. Narco-Saints
Korean Drama - 2022, 6 episodes
#. ??
Genre: Action / Thriller / Crime
Completed: April
Review: This drama was entertaining and thrilling, a perfect watch on a saturday afternoon with friends. The narrative was straightforward without over the top cinematic exaggerations, it explored the story of a man seeking a better life, that unwittingly ended up being dragged into a drug operation, while still showing how easily he could have changed his life, keeping the whole operation interesting and unpredictable. This was an amazing work of cinematography, with a stellar cast that delivered impressive performances.
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35. Goodbye Earth
Korean Drama - 2024, 12 episodes
#. ??
Genre: Drama / Psychological / Sci-Fi
Completed: April
Review: I’m disappointed with this drama, the storyline was poorly developed, the characters lacked depth and the editing was sloppy with scenes barely connecting with each other. I believe they intended to portray the 5 stages of grief, but somewhere in the editing and writing, the message got lost. However, even though I disliked this drama the last two episodes were probably the best and of course the soundtrack was magnificent. Finally, hope to see Yoo Ah In's quick return in a stronger role.
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36. The 8 Show
Korean Drama - 2024, 8 episodes
#. ??
Completed: May 2024
Review: The pacing of this story mirrored how humans react when they suffer no consequences for their actions. It began slowly, with characters being polite and helpful, but once they sensed the potential for big money, the story quickly revealed the sadistic and psychopathic sides of human nature. Overall, I wasn’t impressed with the storytelling and some characters lacked depth. What I liked the most was the direction and the clear western influences in the cinematography.
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37. Circle
Korean Drama - 2017, 12 episodes
#26. Searching existing recommendations (OdanUrr review)
Completed: May 2024
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38. Avengers Social Club
Korean Drama - 2017, 12 episodes
#. ??
Completed: May 2024
Review: An unlikely group of three women and a teenage boy gets together to get revenge on the men that lied and mistreated them. What makes this story stand out is that for once in a kdrama, women won't stay quiet for appearances, they are set to bring down the bastards that abused them. And even though the plot is centered around getting revenge, it was well blended with amazing comedic moments and beautiful friendship between the leads. Surprisingly, the OST is almost non-existence, instead it relies a lot on instrumentals to amplify the scenes, they even added an instrumental of the "Bella Ciao".
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39. Chief Detective 1958
Korean Drama - 2024, 10 episodes
#. ??
Completed: May 2024
Review: This drama failed to meet my expectations. I knew it would be a typical police procedural, but the 1950/60s setting intrigued me enough to give it a chance, unfortunately many of the era's unique aspect were completely overlooked or barely touched. Luckily, some interesting cases, specially the last one and the likeable main characters helped me to keep motivated to finish this. However, I found that Lee Je Hoon's relentless justice-seeker roles have become way too repetitive for my liking and I hope that he accepts other type of roles.
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40. My Mister
Korean Drama - 2018, 16 episodes
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41. Sungkyunkwan Scandal
Korean Drama - 2010, 20 episodes
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42. Frankly Speaking
Korean Drama - 2024, 12 episodes
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43. The Atypical Family
Korean Drama - 2024, 12 episodes
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44. Uncle Samsik
Korean Drama - 2024, 16 episodes