My 10+ list
Every now and again, a Drama works so well for me and makes such an impact on me that scoring it as "only" 10/10 feels like selling it short. So, out of the 440+ Dramas I've finished, here are the best of the best of the best.
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1. Avengers Social Club
Korean Drama - 2017, 12 episodes
My score: 12/10. Lee Yo Won totally OWNS these powerful, female-centric Drama roles, and the camaraderie and growth of the team was beautiful.
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2. Goodbye to Goodbye
Korean Drama - 2018, 40 episodes
My score: 12/10 . The most amazing female OTP of any Drama I've watched, this almost forgotten masterpiece was a triumph, telling a story that was all about the women who drove every key arc.
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3. Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu
Japanese Drama - 2016, 11 episodes
My score 11/10 Only Japan can consistently pull off this sort of unorthodox relationship setup. Contract marriages are a universal trope, but this one made it so fresh. And of course, it gets the extra point for THAT DANCE! :)
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4. Quartet
Japanese Drama - 2017, 10 episodes
My score: 11/10 Another triumph of Japanese unconventionality. These four were so good together, and Hikari is gorgeous! :)
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5. When I Fly Towards You
Chinese Drama - 2023, 24 episodes
My score 11/10. Simple, short, sweet, SUPERB
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6. Yeah, That's How It Is
Korean Drama - 2016, 54 episodes
My score: 10.5/10 VERY few people watched this one, and I feel strongly it was their loss. So many strong, complex performances from the female leads, ESPECIALLY Yoon So Yi, with Seo Ji Hye and Wang Ji Hye proving the "wisdom" of their decisions to accept their roles.
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7. Juhan Shuttai!
Japanese Drama - 2016, 10 episodes
My score 10.5/10: Odagiri Joe is Japan's Chen Bolin for me, and he was the reason I started this sweet little gem. Everything about it was right, and the feel good factor of the ending earned it entry to to the 10+ club
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8. Our Beloved Summer
Korean Drama - 2021, 16 episodes
My score 10.5/10 This Drama scored 10+ for being SMART. The show had laughs and loves aplenty for the first 13 episodes, but far too many Dramas fall apart when they hit the final strait. This one danced nimbly through the trope-laden minefield of the final few, transcending even the one annoyance that had bugged me, and proved that the era of K Dramas written by actual sentient beings is not completely over. That there was a scene near the very end which seemed like a direct homage to a favourite scene from "Miss Korea" didn't hurt, either.
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9. Girls' Generation 1979
Korean Drama - 2017, 8 episodes
My score 10.25/10 THE MUSIC!!! So much love, from the opening scene starting with ABBA's "Dancing Queen" to the amazing feast of the beautiful Carpenters' soundtrack used throughout, this quiet, short Drama was marked in my memory by its music. And by its embrace and celebration of satoori as a perfectly normal, valid language variant.
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10. Soul Mate
Chinese Movie - 2016
My username reflects who and what I am. After seven years of watching East Asian Dramas, and quite a few more years than that being alive, I am seldom moved to tears any more by Dramas or movies. This outstanding gem hit me RIGHT in the feels, Ms Ma and Ms Zhou absolutely on top of their game in delivering a stunning joint performance. I scored this 10.5 on my personal list, for the understated perfection of the performances. Sigh!