Hallyu Surfer's Year End Awards - Drama Edition

Can you believe Christmas is just around the corner and 2014 is slowly creeping towards me with a promise of more dramas and k-pop comebacks and debuts? How dare you do this to me, Hallyu gods? As if it weren't enough that I have dramas piled up from years back, now time is also slowly being taken away from me.

Before I turn this mini rant into mindless ramblings, I've decided to sum up the past year into a series of awards that I'll be handing out to worthy k-drama and k-pop winners. And, indeed, what a year we've just had.

To deviate from the rest of the blogosphere's award-giving bodies who tediously put up polls and have their readers vote and then hand out legit sounding titles to their winners, I will simply be handing out high school yearbook award titles to my own winners. For one, it's fun that way. Secondly, I don't have enough readers willing to vote even if I do decide to put up the polls.

So, without further ado, I present to you the first of hopefully many more Hallyu Surfer's Year End Awards - the Drama Edition.

DRAMA AWARDS

Most Likely to Become Prime Minister - Cha Kwan-woo (I Hear Your Voice)

Ever the upstanding and idealistic man, Lawyer Cha is headed for greatness. He might not have gotten the girl, but he's going to be the hottest Prime Minister yet.

Runner-up: Uhm Dae-woong "Uhm Force" (School 2013)

Most Likely to Be Famous - Lee Soon-shin (You're The Best, Lee Soon-shin)

Well, that was the point of the drama, wasn't it? Birth secrets aside, it was a drama centered on the rise of Lee Soon-shin from mediocrity to celebrity. It doesn't hurt that the girl is adorable and is both a singer and an actress. Also, her boyfriend freaking owns an entertainment agency. Fame is in the bag.

Runner-up: Color Bar (Monstar)

Most Likely to Become A Millionaire - Cha Eun-sang (The Heirs)

The perks of being used as the rope in a game of tug-o-war between two chaebols is the fact that, no matter who wins, Cha Eun-sang will still end up with a millionaire. She may not like it, but she is your typical Candy.

Runner-up: Yoon Chan-young (The Heirs), Seo Yoo-kyung (Mi-rae's Choice)

Most Likely to Take Over The World - Park Su-ha (I Hear Your Voice)

With that kind of supernatural power, how is he not yet the king of the world? If I had the power to read minds, I wouldn't even be blogging right now. But, then again, I don't have half of Park Su-ha's moral fiber either.

Runner-up: Joo Joong-won (Master's Sun)

Most Likely to Marry For Money - Seo Yoo-kyung (Mi-rae's Choice)

Well, that was her goal from the beginning, wasn't it? She's exactly the type of girl who would go out of her way to get invited to all the chaebol parties. To marry a chaebol was her plan, even way before she met Park Se-joo.

Runner-up: Oh Soo (That Winter, The Wind Blows)

Most Likely to Get ID’d When They’re 30 - Min Se-yi (Monstar)

Min Se-yi is a high school student and looks like a high school student, but actress Ha Yeon-soo is well in her 20's. I'm pretty sure she's not going to physically age drastically enough for her to look 30 in just 6 more years.

Runner-up: Lee Soon-shin (You're The Best, Lee Soon-shin)

Best Hair - Haetae (Reply 1994)

I have to admit that half of Haetae's charm, for me, is in his hair. His updo is totally awesome and he looks like a totally different person with his hair down.

Runner-up: Choi Jin-hyuk (Gu Family Book)

Best Couple - Park Su-ha and Jang Hye-sung (I Hear Your Voice)

A noona romance done well is a story I can fully get behind. So even though Su-ha is in high school and Hye-sung is a public defendant, their's is a romance I support 100%.

Runners-up: Yoon Chan-young and Lee Bo-na (The Heirs)

Best Dressed Female - Tae Yi-ryung (Master's Sun)

Except for that one time she was possessed by the ghost of sheer gaudiness, Little Sun has always been an impeccable dresser. Just look at that boxy cropped top paired with high-waisted palazzo pants. Gorgeous.

Runner-up: Rachel Yoo (The Heirs), Song Mi-ryung (You're The Best, Lee Soon-shin)

Best Dressed Male - Joo Joong-won (Master's Sun)

Here is one man who is unafraid of colors. Whether bright and solid, or creamy and pastel, the man can wear it with flawless ease. And the details! Only Joo Joong-won would bother with a freaking ascot.

Runners-up: Kim Tan (The Heirs), Choi Young-do (The Heirs)

Best Newcomer - Yong Jun-hyung as Yoon Seol-chan (Monstar)

Despite being a newcomer to dramaland, Yong Jun-hyung moved me and had me fully in his camp in the high school drama Mnet tagged a music drama, Monstar. He is the sole reason I even bothered to listen to B2ST's new music.

Runner-up: Lee Jong-suk (School 2013)

Best Double Act - Go Nam-soon and Park Heung-soo (School 2013)

Well, it really doesn't get any better than this bromance right here. Whether at each other's neck or fighting together to beat the big bad bullies, Go Nam-soon and Park Heung-soo keep proving that they're a match made in hell heaven. Just keep in mind that "dumb bastard" is code for "I love you, man."

Runners-up: Haetae and Samcheonpo (Reply 1994), Jin-rak and Dong-hoon (Flower Boy Next Door)

Best Teacher - Teacher Jo (School 2013)

This man not just schools his young students, but also the wayward teachers at Seungri High School. And he does it all in the most humble and grounding way possible. It's always nice to know that there are teachers who care.

Runners-up: Kang Se-chan (School 2013), Jung In-jae (School 2013)

Best Singer - Park Kyu-dong (Monstar)

The moment Kyu-dong started singing Lee So-ra’s "The Wind Blow" in episode 1, we all fell in love with him. We just wanted to stand up for him and punch them bullies in the face.

Runners-up: Kim Nana (Monstar)

Best Party - Yoon Chan-young and Lee Bo-na's Reunion Party (The Heirs)

If not for anything else, that party gave us this scene. Chan-young and Bo-na are the best secondary (tertiary?) couple in, like, ever. I luff them.

Most Annoying But Loved - Kang Se-chan (School 2013)

Teach is hot. But he's also the biggest know-it-all ever. That's why it's even more annoying when he's right - which is most of the time. If it weren't for his smug ass, I'm pretty sure everyone would've loved him more.

Runners-up: Kim Shin (Mi-rae's Choice), Tae Yi-ryung (Master's Sun)

Biggest Drama Queen - Ahjumma Mi-rae (Mi-rae's Choice)

Le sigh. The only reason I have yet to finish watching Mi-rae's Choice, despite it's run ending earlier this week, is that I'm getting sick and tired of future Mi-rae's histrionics. Gurl, get over yourself.

Runners up: Kim Jung-ae (You're The Best, Lee Soon-shin)

Biggest Flirt - Haetae (Reply 1994)

Haetae wishes he had game. Sadly, he really doesn't. But that still doesn't stop him from chasing after the girls in hopes of finally putting to good use that condom in his wallet.

Runners up: Enrique Geum (Flower Boy Next Door)

Biggest Party Animal - Jo Myung-soo (The Heirs)

Though never blatantly shown, I'm pretty sure Jo Myung-soo parties hard. There have been mentions of his clubbing habits and him spiking the punch at Bo-na's party, but his partying ways has never been an actual story point. Which is sad because Myung-soo is one of the more likable characters in this drama and I'd like to know what's behind that class clown facade, but he's more often than not relegated to comic relief.

Biggest Dork - Shin Jun-ho (You're The Best, Lee Soon-shin)

Sometimes, the most socially awkward spaz can be the most charming. Especially if the dork looks like our gorgeous Shin Jun-ho. Too bad the drama sucked, because they initially had me at "Jo Jung-suk."

Runners-up: Seo Jin-wook (You're The Best, Lee Soon-shin)

Biggest Ego - Kim Nam-yoon (The Heirs)

Do I even have to explain myself? The puppet master, also know as Kim Tan and Kim Won's father, is the sole reason shit has been hitting the fan on a semiweekly basis. If no one cared about Jeguk Group and this man's wealth, would there be anyone there for him to manipulate?

Runner-up: Song Mi-ryung (You're The Best, Lee Soon-shin)

Hottest Freshman - Hong Hye-sung (Potato Star 2013QR3)

Every now and then, I pinch myself as a reminder that this boy is only 16. He may be playing a 24-year-old man in the sitcom Potato Star 2013QR3, but Yeo Jin-goo isn't even allowed to watch his own 19+ movie for which he won Best New Actor at the recent Blue Dragon Film Awards.

Prom Queen - Seo Do-yeon (I Hear Your Voice)

Because, let's face it, the lead actresses in our dramas would not have become Prom Queens. Prom Queens are usually the Queen Bees. The mean girls. The most popular girl in school. Do-yeon would have won over Hye-sung. Bo-na would win over Eun-sang. Yoo-kyung over Mi-rae.

Runner-up: Lee Yoo-shin (You're The Best, Lee Soon-shin)

Prom King - Choi Young-do (The Heirs)

Clearly, my bias is showing. I don't even think the students at Jeguk High School would choose Young-do as their Prom King. But my love for Kim Woo-bin knows no bounds. I mean, he's this 6'2" model-turned-actor who can actually act his butt off. He's not the most handsome of the bunch but, goddamn, is he charming. So yeah, my Alien Prince for Prom King!

Runners-up: Park Su-ha (I Hear Your Voice), Kim Tan (The Heirs), Chilbongie (Reply 1994)

~*~

There were too many dramas this year that I didn't even bother watching and I'm quite sure a number of them should be on my to-watch list. So my year end awards had to make do with characters from the dramas I actually had time for this year. If some of your favorite characters are not on my list, and should be, I probably wasn't able to catch that drama. But what can a girl do? Time is, after all, limited.

My k-pop awards will be up soon!

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Wrapping Up: Master's Sun

Before I jump into SBS's new Wednesday-Thursday drama The Heirs, allow me to fully give closure to the recently-ended Hong Sisters drama Master's Sun.

Like most of you, I went into this drama with one foot out the door, just in case the writing goes haywire. Because of that-drama-that-will-not-be-named, despite my earlier devotion to the sister-duo's better dramas, there was much hesitation and trepidation going into Master's Sun. I'm just beyond happy to say that this drama proved to be so much better than the previous one.

Albeit a last minute one-episode extension dragged things on for awhile towards the end, we still got our happy ending and - maybe thanks to the extra episode - we got to relish in sweet-nothings for a bit. Those are always the best things in rom-coms. So yeah, good job, show.

Usually, a timeskip is one of those narrative devices that I generally dislike. Especially when they happen at the end of a story. But I give the usage of the technique in this particular drama a free pass because it wasn't used ala deus ex machina where the jump magically fixes things.

Gong-shil returns after a year still with the same problems. She can still see ghosts and they still flock around her. But what changed in the year she spent traveling was that she's learned more about herself and how this special talent came to be. She wasn't able to rid herself of the problem, but rather she has learned to accept that it's a part of her now and she's not scared anymore. I like that. Now she can approach Joong-won with the mindset that she needs him because she loves him, and not because he's her emergency shelter.

The character growths that ran throughout the drama were satisfying. I like how their individual developments followed opposite trajectories where she needed to love herself more, and he needed to learn to love someone apart from himself. It's also nice to note that while it took Gong-shil a gap year to learn how to love herself, Joong-won's own growth happened earlier. So while Gong-shil was away, I love that all Joong-won did was wait - because it was so uncharacteristic of him, this proves how far he's gone in his love for her.

I also enjoyed how the final episode explored the other relationships in the story. Kang Woo and Little Sun were absolutely adorable. I know that some people did not enjoy Tae Yi-ryeong as much as I did, and I understand that. But to me, she was just hilarious. And I get how Kang Woo came around to actually caring about her. Cute, cute, cute. Especially that scene on the red carpet. "I'll do it later." OMG, yes please.

Unni and Cheap Mouth got a sweet ending. Aunt and Vice President got a happy ending. Even trashcan ahjussi ghost got to move on. But one of my favorite relationships in the drama got the best ending ever and it resulted in, quite possibly, my favorite scene in the drama's entire finale week. Episode 16 had me blubbering at the hug Joong-won gave Secretary Kim. That was one friendship I was so afraid would get torn apart because of the whole Hee-joo/Hanna thing. So I was beyond ecstatic that that wasn't the case. Those two need each other. *cries*

I do think the two lead actors carried most of the dramas weight. Their chemistry is off the charts. Have you seen their interviews together? The behind the scenes clips? Good god, just go ahead and get married please. I've honestly never seen anything that So Ji-sub was in prior to Master's Sun but this might've encouraged me to go and check out his older works. Unfortunately, most of them are melos. I must've loved him that much in this drama for me to want to go and check him out doing stuff that will make me cry.

Gong Hyo-jin, on the other hand, I fell in love with in The Greatest Love. Which doesn't say much of me as a fan because that came right before this one. I have, however, seen in her in other dramas that I have yet to actually finish watching, like Pasta and Biscuit Teacher, Star Candy. It's not because of her lack of onscreen presence that I haven't watched these dramas completely. It all boils down to my attention span and the many dramas available in kdramaland. But suffice it to say that I've always loved her acting and always thought she has some kind of magic touch that just lights up the screen.

While the drama did well plot-wise, and it's safe to say that the Hong Sisters survived the slump of that-drama-that-will-not-be-named, I'm still inclined to favor their earlier works. It's not that this drama wasn't a boatload of fun and light-hearted romance, because it was, but Delightful Girl Choon-hyang and You're Beautiful were just that much more epic for me. Having said that, this drama (with all the Hong Sisters' trademark metaphors and puns and meta references that I absolutely love) could be considered a successful comeback for the writing duo. If a drama successfully makes me fall in love with not just the lead characters but with the second leads as well, it deserves two very happy thumbs up.

Now, I'm off to watch The Heirs. OMG, finally.

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Halfway Report: Master's Sun

Yep. I have, indeed, found my crack for this year. So far, at least.

I'm so glad the Hong sisters have found better footing with Master's Sun because the last drama they penned, for the lack of a better term, sucked. Big sucked big time. And as a Hong sisters fan, I was extremely disappointed. They had Gong Yoo acting like a high school student trapped in a body of a grown adult! That premise in itself was a huge amount of fodder for comedy gold. Unfortunately, they bit off more than they could chew when towards the end of the drama it felt like they had no idea how to resolve anything.

The same cannot be said about Master's Sun, thank ye drama gods. A girl who can see ghosts and falls in love with a chaebol is an easier premise than, say, having your twin frozen as an embryo to later be allowed to grow up so he can provide you with healthy organs, but then you switch bodies and while you're trapped in your twin's comatosed body he falls in love with your fiancée... and if that short description did not just blow your mind - in the worst ways possible - I don't know what will.

Aaannnnyway. Suffice it to say, Master's Sun is doing a better job at showing us what the Hong sisters are made of and it brings us back to some of their greatest hits (i.e. My Girl, You're Beautiful, Greatest Love). Sometimes, literally.

In Master's Sun, we have our lead girl Tae Gong-shil, played spectacularly by Gong Hyo-jin (Greatest Love), who is down and out after an accident leaves her with supernatural tendencies to see and interact with dead people. This paranormal skill has her on the edge all the time because ghosts tend to gravitate towards her, some even nagging her to act out favors for them. Not only are her ghosts scary, they've also caused her several job opportunities.

Enter Joo Joong-won, played by the ever so handsome So Ji-sub (Phantom), the president of Kingdom Group. He's self-centered, arrogant, and driven by money. He's also hiding a secret about his dead first love who passed away as a result of a traumatic kidnapping incident when they were younger - the same incident that left our leading man with dyslexia.

Things get interesting when Gong-shil realizes that her ghosts disappear when she gets into physical contact with Joong-won. So she ingratiates herself to him in order to keep a job at Kingdom Mall and to ensure he's always in her vicinity for her to touch (to make the ghosts go poof, of course) in case things get too frightening. In return, Joong-won needs Gong-shil to communicate with his dead ex-girlfriend to track down the ₩10 billion ransom paid in the form of Joong-won's mother's diamond necklace during the kidnapping incident.

Keeping someone close by, no matter how much they annoy you at first, will always lead to them realizing they have feelings for each other. This is the law. In dramaland, at least. So right now, in the timeline we're currently in in the drama, Joong-won has finally accepted the fact that he might be in love with Gong-shil and actually finds her to confess.

This complicates matters for Kang Woo, played by idol-actor Seo In-guk (Reply 1997). Kang Woo is the strait-laced head of security at Kingdom. He is also playing spy for Joong-won's absentee father. He was planted at Kingdom Mall in order to feed information to daddy dearest about the people who surround Joong-won and if any of them might have anything to do with the dead first love and/or the kidnapping. In the course of his spy work though, he ends up falling for Gong-shil.

Right now, what I'm loving the most about the drama is the sizzling chemistry between our leads. So Ji-sub and Gong Hyo-jin play off of each other very well and their onscreen romance has me squealing at my screen at every turn.

Also, two happy thumbs up to the Hong sisters for being able to bring in familiar elements from their previous projects but giving them a fresh touch. What's a Hong sisters drama without a symbolic trinket? Or meta jokes? Or metaphors upon metaphors upon metaphors?

Each episode has me feeling every spectrum of emotion available because this is a drama that dared mix rom-com with horror. And while some of the ghosts are played for laughs, most of them are indeed frightening. Who would've thought that those two genres would ever be compatible with each other?

So despite some some faulty editing, several re-hashed plotlines, and So Ji-sub's Joo Joong-won being a bit similarly played to Cha Seung-won's Dokko Jin (from previous Hong sisters drama Greatest Love), this show has me wanting more. I'm so glad the Hong sisters are back and rocking it. If this is anything like their better works, we have so much to look forward to. Hong sisters, fighting!

What are your thoughts on the drama? Let me know in the comments.

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Currently Watching: Master's Sun, Good Doctor, Cool Kiz, WGM

Don't we all wish we had more time in the day to get things done? And by "get things done," I mean watch all the dramas, movies, and variety shows we can get our greedy little hands on while keeping on top of things both at home and at work? As it is, I'm watching my shows on my phone while riding the train to and from work. I'm watching my shows before going to bed. Sometimes, I watch my shows at work. And on weekends, I have drama marathons. But my list of shows to watch is never-ending and, matter of fact, it just keeps on getting longer.

With a handful of my shows over and done with (having had to say goodbye to I Hear Your Voice, Monstar, Fabulous Boys, and You're the Best Lee Soon-shin), I've started on several new dramas and I'm still hooked on a handful of ongoing varieties. My current watch-list looks like this:

1. Master's Sun - As a handful of dramas written by the Hong sisters have been my crack in previous years, this new horror/romcom penned by the famous writing siblings is my crack for this season. I'm just eating it all up and it is awesome. Sufficiently scary and satisfyingly heartwarming, this is a formula I never thought would've worked, but it does. Also, So Ji-sub is a hottie.

2. Good Doctor - I'm kind of behind on this drama, having only seen up to the 4th episode, but I am determined to catch up. Joo-won is awesome, as is expected of him, and I've always had a soft spot for Moon Chae-won. So far, the drama is living up to expectations.

3. Running Man - Admittedly, I'm not all caught up with this show. I've seen a lot of its episodes but not each and every one of them. The last one I saw was the one with the couple race that featured an eclectic handful of celebrity guests like Sayuri, John Park, Jo Jung-chi, and Jung-in. Last week had long-running boyband Shinhwa on the show and I can't wait to see that episode. The Chuseok special that will feature 14 idols is coming up. Big Bang's Seungri, G-Dragon, and Daesung will also be featured in an upcoming episode - ohmygod.

4. We Got Married (Taemin-Naeun Couple) - I can't even handle how precious these two are. They are both adorable and are just as perfect together. It helps that Naeun's a lot shy, so there's more to look forward to in the coming months. I mean, I'm at a point where a quick hug from them results in screams and a lot of OMG's from my end, so you know I'm feeling them.

5. Cool Kiz on the Block (Badminton) - Who would've thought a game of badminton could make me fist pump so hard? When a game is exciting, a heart attack is not a far-fetched occurrence. I mean, the number of deuces in Kang Ho-dong and John Park's game last week left me on the brink of insanity. I was watching with bated breath and so much pent-up energy. And then the episode ends and it leaves you thinking... "That was just badminton." So I guess kudos to the show's editors. They make badminton look badass. So do the hot men on the show.

6. WIN: Who is Next? - This reality show by YGE and Mnet is only on its second episode but the stakes are high and the competition is fierce, so I'm stuck to it like glue. It also helps that the backstories of the trainees makes you care about them and how they fare on the show.

Whew. That's a lot of shows. And if I had more time, there would be a lot more. A whole lot more. I mean, I have yet to see The Gu Family Book, Goddess of Fire Jung-yi, and Two Weeks. And I have a lot of backtracking to do with 1 Night 2 Days and Master Chef Korea Celebrity Edition, seriously. And then you have the shows from years ago that I have yet to see. On my list is He Who Can't Marry. Aigoo.

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Master's Sun releases 2nd teaser trailer

Okay. Master's Sun (주군의 태양) is seriously exciting me.

First of all, it’s a Hong sisters drama. While they’ve had numerous hits, they’ve also had several misses (Big, I'm still trying to forget you ever existed)… But a number of my all-time favorite dramas were written by this sister duo. *crossesfingers*

Secondly, Gong Hyo-jin and So Ji-sub. Need I say more? And then to top it all off, Seo In-guk.

I knew from the beginning that it was going to mesh horror with the expected Hong sister stylings of romantic-comedies (I miss their puns!), but I wasn’t quite sure how they would do that and I was on the fence about the concept… THEN THEY RELEASED THE SECOND TEASER AND IT IS SO FREAKING AWESOME I CAN’T ASDFGHJKL; Sorry, that was terribly incoherent. But yeah, you get my drift.

Check out the teaser video below.

Master's Sun second trailer (2013.07.17) from Nataly on Vimeo.

Master's Sun is set to air in early August on SBS and will replace current hit drama I Hear Your Voice.

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