thundie
ockoala
Serendipity
Michael
Softy
Laica
momosan
leonardswench
supahDrama ratings
These ratings reflect how I feel about a drama, not how technically brilliant I think the drama is. Only the ones that I’ve completed in their entirety will be rated. By the way, this page used to be “Top 10 Dramas” and then “Top 40 Dramas” before morphing into “Drama Ratings” on March 10, 2010. That would explain comments #1-39!
Updated: August 19, 2011
Ratings: 1-10 (1 for yikes and 10 for yay!)
1% of Anything (6)
A Love to Kill (3)
Accidental Couple (6)
Again, My Love (3)
All In (7)
Alone in Love (9)
Assorted Gems (8)
Attic Cat (8.5)
Auction House (3)
Bad Family (9)
Beating Heart (9)
Beautiful Days (6)
Best Love (8.5)
Booyong of Mt. Kyeryong (8)
Brilliant Legacy (8.5)
Can You Hear My Heart (10)
Chuno (7.5)
City Hall (7.5)
City Hunter (9.5)
Comrades (10)
Conspiracy in the Court (10)
Count of Myeongdong (10)
Dae Jang Geum (6.5)
Dal Ja’s Spring (8.5)
Damo (9.5)
Delicious Proposal (6.5)
Delightful Girl Choon Hyang (7.5)
Devil (10)
Did We Really Love? (9)
Dr. Champ (7)
Eyes of Dawn (10)
Eight Days: The Mystery of Jeongjo’s Assassination (9)
Evasive Inquiry Agency (10)
Family Honor (8)
Fantasy Couple (7)
Fashion Seventies (8.5)
Fight (9)
Full House (6)
Giant (9)
Glass Slippers (8)
Goodbye Solo (9.5)
Goong (6)
Green Rose (8)
Gyeongsuk, Gyeongsuk’s Father (10)
H.I.T. (8)
He Who Can’t Marry (5)
Hotelier (7)
Hyena (9)
I’m Sorry, I Love You (9)
Jejoongwon (10)
Joseon X-Files (10)
Kingdom of the Wind (6.5)
La Dolce Vita (9.5)
Legend (6.5)
Life is Beautiful (9)
Lovers in Paris (5)
Magic (8.5)
Mr. Duke (6.5)
More Beautiful Than a Flower (10)
My Girl (8)
My Girlfriend is a Gumiho (8.5)
My Love Toram (9)
My Name is Kim Sam Soon (9)
My Older Brother (8)
My Sweet Seoul (7.5)
New Tales of Gisaeng (6)
Oh! My Lady (8)
Only You (7.5)
Partner (5)
Phoenix (3)
Queen Seondeok (6)
Really Really Like You (6.5)
Resurrection (10)
Return of Iljimae (10)
Royal Family (7)
Ruler of Your Own World (10)
Que Sera Sera (9)
Sang Doo, Let’s Go to School (8.5)
Sandglass (10)
Scale of Providence (8.5)
Secret Garden (7.5)
Shin Don (12)
Solitude (9)
Soulmate (9.5)
Son of Wind (7)
Stairway to Heaven (2)
Strike Love (4)
Strongest Chil Woo (8)
Sungkyunkwan Scandal (8.5)
Super Rookie (7.5)
Surgeon Bong Dal Hee (8)
Sweet 18 (8)
Taereung National Village (10)
Tamra the Island (9)
Thank You (8.5)
The Woman Who Still Wants To Marry (9)
Thousand Years of Love (3)
Time between Dog and Wolf (9)
Transformation (9)
We Are Dating Now (7.5)
What Happened in Bali (8.5)
What’s Up, Fox (9)
White Tower (10)
Who Are You (9)
Winter Sonata (4)
Wish Upon a Star (8)
Women in the Sun (7.5)
You’re Beautiful (8.5)
Hi Janie
Beethoven Virus may not even make it into Top 100, lol!
Every episode I watched I wanted to choke someone, or claw the wall. I truly disliked it. Except for the scenes where he’s conducting (and he’s so magnificent then), I don’t even like KMM very much here.
Till today I’m gobsmacked that he’s become so popular because of BV. He was soooo much more awesome in White Tower, Immortal Yi Soon Shin, More Beautiful Than a Flower and Bad Family!!
Aigoo, sounds like BV/Maestro Kangmae is “dong-dong-o-ri” to Thundie
Have watched WT, BF, MBTAF and love every minute of KMM in every one of them; yet to watch IYSS… is there a romance attached to it ;p
Hmm… not sure which one to check out next … The Bodyguard or Conspiracy in the Court… Oh whatever, just need to clear them out of the way in time for Octoberfest… you know…, welcoming the dream team of IRIS with heart/arms/eyes open wide
p.s. wonder if Conspiracy is similar to Damo which I just finally/finished watching it last month… though still couldn’t figure out what the buzz was all about. Enjoy HJW acting very much and looking forward to her MLBMS with KMM.
Hi Janie
Conspiracy is streets better than Damo.
Was loony over Damo when I first watched it in 2004, but it is now out of my Top 10.
About Bodyguard, I was advised to avoid it, haha.
I’m looking forward to Lee Byung-hun’s Iris, too. Been years since his last drama, All In!
About writer Noh, I also read that she/her script is good at bringing out the strength of an actor who usually are not very good in acting. Because of WW promo, I got to know writer Noh thus have checked out her previous work such as Goodbye Solo and More beautiful than a flower; Love both stories esp the Kims love stories — Kim Min Hee’s romance in the former one and Kim Myung Min’s romance in the latter one. Haven’t fully watched her WW yet ;p
Through writer Noh, I gotten to know KMH, she is love, love, love! so are KMM and Han Go Eun, they are the
besttest of LOVE!
Through Noh, I gotten to know BJ Ok, Na Moon Hee.
Through her, Uhm Ki Joon, Seo Hyo Rim, Daniel Choi and of course the one and only Lee Joon Hyuk have reached stardom! (though I have yet fully watching WW)
and of course through Ms Noh Hee Kyung, the not so lattest celebrities romance has blossomed… me still trying to digest it ^^
Just read your review on Eyes of Dawn, sounds so gripping but will have to wait ‘cos me gotta carpe diem and rush to grab ‘ROYOW’ at the store now.
Oh just saw your post… yes I am avoiding Bodyguard too
Oh oh LBH… he is mersmerizing, who can forget All In and all the hunnies are waiting for Iris as well
Oh thundie, not sure if it’s this section or the other that you mentioned that your first k-drama taste was WS and was loving it… I was like huh *>* and totally shocked/impressed that your taste of drama has escalated or transport to another planet. I could barely touch or watch WS even though my friends told me oh it’s SO good… guess my taste of drama has depth since day 1 aka
my first kdrama watching is Jang Dong Gang & Chae Rim combo
you guys surprise me… no “MY GIRL”?! argh that’s like one of the bestest ever!
also Dae Jang Geum…
gee, i have only watched 4 out of your top 40 and to think i thought i have watched a fair bit of kdramas!
Assorted Gems???????
With your recommendation and praises that I’ve read about “Conspiracy in the Court,” I finally started watching it, have just finished episode 5, and am looking forward to the next episodes. The acting is beyond top-notch so I was surprised to learn that most of the young cast are “newbies.” Also, I agree with you about not watching this while doing the dishes because every scene, dialogues require your full concentration… blink and you might miss something significant. What an intense, heartbreaking, and gorgeous drama!
I’m also watching “Assorted Gems” based on your review and have grown to like it a lot. Even though I did think of dropping it in the beginning because the constant fighting was grating on my nerves, the characters do grow on you and the show does have it charms.
Seeing how “Shin Don” tops your favorite drama list, I should check it out, eh?! Hehe.
Thanks so much, thundie for bringing our attention to these hidden gems!
I love Top 10 lists! (of course, you’ve not listed your top 10… just given a ranking from 1-10, but who cares, I love lists and ratings!)
Ones I contest (SCORE IS TOO LOW!):
Queen Seondeok (4)
Super Rookie (7)
City Hall (7)
Coffee Prince (6.5)
Goong (6)
Gourmet (6)
Hong Gil Dong (6.5)
Hotelier (6)
My Name is Kim Sam Soon (8.5)
Damo (9.5)
Ones I contest (SCORE IS TOO HIGH!):
Beethoven Virus (3)
Thousand Years of Love (4)
Partner (5)
Beautiful Days (6)
Dae Jang Geum (6.5)
All In (7)
Smile, You (7)
Brilliant Legacy (8.5)
Time Between Dog and Wolf (8.5)
Que Sera Sera (9)
Soulmate (9.5)
Conspiracy in the Court (10)
Evasive Inquiry Agency (10)
Gyeongsuk, Gyeongsuk’s Father (10)
The others… I agree!
LOL!
*wave*
I’m surprised to see how much people dislike Beethoven Virus.. a whopping 3???? And Samsooki thinks that’s high??? Come on.. it wasn’t that bad..? I agree with many other ratings though.. There are so many unfinished dramas I feel bad.
Hello Thundie^^
(Firstly, please ignore my bad English, because it isn’t my main languagae. I’m from Turkey^^)
Only Stairway To Heaven gets 1 point? LOL I thought you’d be much crueler.
Agree with most of your choices because I saw most of them~
You reach 110 dramas within 7.5 years? Hehe, I reached 90 dramas within 4 years. (Between, I saved Shindon for my 100th drama to make it memorable^^)
Everything started with Emperor Of The Sea for me in 2006. My life changed after this drama and I’ll always love it! My first K-Drama was All In (it aired on our cable tv in 2005), however I cant remember it clearly.
Love your blog and I’m one of your most frequent visitors hehe..Keep rocking^^
If you wanna see the dramas I’ve watched so far, you can see it here since I don’t have a blog in English. I’ll soon rate them like you. Thanks for the idea!
http://www.crunchyroll.com/user/JKlover/pages/k-drama
Hi samsooki
Hehe, ratings aside, here are nutshell thoughts about the ones you ‘dispute,’ lol.
Queen Seondeok (4)
- given how much I disliked this, the rating would have been lower, to be honest, but I did really like the first four episodes and a couple after that. I also give points to GHJ for her acting and to KMG for acting his heart out (above and beyond!).
Super Rookie (7)
- I’m being generous here because I heartily disliked OJH in the drama (first time watching and found him soooo wooden!) and can’t remember a thing about HGI the moment I finished. I did think the drama was loads of fun and I liked Eric and the supporting cast.
City Hall (7)
- loved CSW’s acting and his sizzling chemistry with KSA, but disliked a big chunk of the writing. *dodges baby samsooki’s soiled diapers*
Coffee Prince (6.5)
- loved it at first, but just could not (despite several attempts) move past ep 10 or 11. Can’t really explain why… It just started to bore me? And GY isn’t that hot. *dodges more baby ammunition and screams of indignation*
Goong (6)
- Truly awful acting and a horrendously LOOPY final four episodes, but first half of the drama was addictive. Solid production values and a soft spot for JJH (after Mawang) explain this high (6 is high!) rating.
I need to run. Back later!
OK, am back.
Gourmet (6) and Hong Gil Dong (6.5)
- I’m going to remove Gourmet and Hong Gil Dong from the list because I don’t think I’ve watched enough (just 4-5 episodes each) to comment fairly on them.
Hotelier (6)
- I remember this more for the friendships I formed (Hotelier forum) than for the drama itself. But I agree that 6 is kinda low given the generally solid acting and writing; will change it to 7, hehe. (I still don’t love the drama, though.)
My Name is Kim Sam Soon (8.5)
- I loved this when I watched it the first time (sharing giggles and guffaws with other MNIKSS fans was a big reason why the drama resonated strongly), but found myself disliking it when I tried to rewatch it. Tried a few times but just could not bring myself to finish the first episode. (I think I bailed out when KSA was wailing in the toilet with the mascara running down her face.) Again, it’s hard to explain my new aversion to something that I used to like. It felt kinda shrill and forced the second time? *runs*
Damo (9.5)
- Hmm, 9.5 is too low, samsooki dear?
OK, now for the ones that you think I rated too highly, hehe.
Beethoven Virus (3)
- Would have been lower but I love KMM to pieces so the 3 is for him. HATE the drama itself. After Legend and BV, LJA is officially the actress that I am most allergic to.
Thousand Years of Love (4)
- OMO, you’ve watched this, samsooki? Am floored. This one is roll-your-eyes awful, but when you have thundie’s SJS and The Voice acting their hearts out, it deserves more love, don’t you think? TYOL has a weird charm; there are also some pretty sweet moments. The thugs are LOL funny, too.
Partner (5)
- 5 for middling fare, for the fact I finished it (which is something considering how easily I drop dramas nowadays), and for Kim Gab-su.
Beautiful Days (6)
- Lee Byung-hun, Lee Byung-hun, LEE BYUNG-HUN!! (He’s so smoking hot in the drama he makes everything bearable.) BD introduced me to Shin Mina whom I adore. Plot itself is yikes.
Dae Jang Geum (6.5)
But seriously, 6.5 for the first few episodes (the child DJG was awesomesauce) and for Naeuri MIN!!
- I thought anything less would get me stoned to death?
Have stuff to do. Back later!
Ha! So some of the Damo love faltered, meseems? ㅋㅋ
Like the new layout.
Aaaand, twitted (that the right word?) about it already, but the beholder of two of your 10 ratings is coming back in September with a 50 episode drama (supposedly a sageuk, so that can only mean this lady right in heah http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangja,_Crown_Princess_Euimin_of_Korea). Let the word rejoice, and stuff.
Word? World. Coffee.
I would contest the rating for Winter Sonata- 5 (too high) when Stairway to Heaven gets a 1. Heh.
Re: Thousand Years of Love, samsooki probably watched it for a certain Bora, I mean, Sung Yu Ri, no? And wait, what? The Voice was in that drama?! Okay, now I’m curious and want to watch the series when I find it.
How come theres no Zhu Mong ?
I saw quite alot of the dramas in your list but yeah me too have some variances in rating from yours. I like Que Sera Sera (9) but I don’t think it deserves a 9, probably 7-8. Brilliant Legacy deserves a 9.5 at least.
You forgot La Dolce Vita!
Dahee, I swear I included La Dolce Vita last night, but in the process of cutting and pasting from my old Top 40 list, I must have accidentally lopped it off. Would a 9.5 rating appease you?
Doozy, I changed the rating for Winter Sonata to 4, hehe. It was my first kdrama and I thought it pretty magical at that time. Not anymore, alas. Stairway to Heaven, on the other hand, was watched when I had already grown jaded and grumpy. It’s so maudlin I can’t stand it.
X, I thought long and hard about your comment and have decided Damo deserves a 10. Not that it’s in the same league as Shin Don or Conspiracy in the Court, but I loved it so very, very, very much back in 2004 and took 1-2 long years to recover from it. So 10 it shall be. (Psst, you totally made my day today with ze wonderful news so THANK YOU.)
Hi nabi
Tell me about unfinished dramas! *sigh* Here’s my list/s:
Started and hope to finish someday
Ballad of Seo Dong
Cain and Abel
Coffee Prince
Dr. Kkang
Emperor of the Sea
Friend our Legend
Gourmet
Hong Gil Dong
Hwang Jini
Invisible Man
Ireland
Jumong
Piano
Someday
Sunshine Pours Down
The Lawyers
Worlds Within
Started but do not plan to finish (or touch again, ever!)
Air City
East of Eden
IRIS
On Air
Powerful Opponents
Robber
Queen of the Game
Temptation of Angel
Three Dads One Mom
Triple
I’m sure I’ve left out some titles for both lists…
Hi lovekorea
Ah, Shin Don for your 100th drama? Great idea! (btw, I’ve been trying for days to upload Shin Don to MU so that I can share the links here, but am getting such slow speeds I’m about to give up.)
In the first few years of my kdrama addiction (when I wasn’t such a goner like now), I would watch one drama at a time (to the bitter end whatever its quality and never fastforwarding because I hate missing anything). I would also wait 1-2 weeks before beginning a new drama. After becoming a fansubber four years ago, I began watching a few dramas at a time, but that didn’t mean I could watch a lot of dramas because subbing takes up so much time. So I got more picky and would drop a drama if I didn’t like it after 1-2 episodes. I’m averaging about 20-25 dramas (old and current ones) a year but finishing just 10-15.
Hi Clarence
I love Brilliant Legacy but 9.5′s too high, lol. Jumong’s in my “To Finish Someday” list.
nabi -
I am joking (a little) when I say that a “3″ is too high for Beethoven Virus.
Obviously, it is difficult to imagine what a “3′ is on a Thundie scale, but I said what I said because I wanted to highlight it.
BV had, by far, the worst musical instrument fake-playing I’ve ever seen on television or in the movies, anywhere.
But, BV is ENTIRELY about playing music. JGS and Lee Jia in particular, sucked. Lee Jia wasn’t even on the right beat, and her air-violin was so bad that it hurt me. I was in pain. In some scenes, her bow isn’t even close to the violin and she was moving it back and forth like she was buttering bread. And JGS randomly playing with his valves to simulate playing…. just awful.
And given the fact that JGS and Lee Jia were two of the three main characters… and the two characters that are supposed to be really good at playing their instruments…. I cannot give BV higher than a -2.
KMM notwithstanding, BV is a -2. Without KMM, I wouldn’t have rated this drama because I wouldn’t have gotten past episode 1.
The fake playing haha.. yeah that was hilarious but for me KMM more than made up for it in BV and I liked LJA in BV (well except her fake-playing the instrument) so I think my score would be about 7. I think I’m pretty generous when rating dramas I watched because the ones I hate I simply stop watching them.
Here are my lists of unfinished dramas.
Started and hope to finish someday: Smile You (cuz I only have 5 more eps to go), Conspiracy in the Court (only 1 more ep to go but will probably re-watch from the beginning), Be Strong Geum-soon, Immortal Yi Soon Shin
Liked or was okay but didn’t finish because something else occupied my interest and I have no plan to finish: Capital Scandal, Hong Gil-dong, Alone in Love, Hero
Tried some episodes and couldn’t stand: Will It Snow for Christmas, Cain and Abel, Goong, Boys before Flowers, Winter Sonata, What Happened in Bali (I might actually attempt to watch this again someday though because of the two eye candies and the amount of praise people give to it), Full House, My Fair Lady, Heading to the Ground, Love Story in Harvard
Tried some episodes and wasn’t too drawn into: La Dolce Vita, Man Who Can’t Marry
Lost interest and stopped watching: Lawyers of Korea, Queen Seon-deok, Witch Amusement, A Star’s Lover, Queen of Housewives
Hi Thundie, it’s been quite some time.
I ran thru your list… and I LOLed when it came to Shin Don.
I know it’s your favourite drama, but 12? HAHHAHA…
Hi thundie!!
As always you give me the kick in the butt I need to watch those must-see dramas that I keep putting off, or introduce me to gems I may have missed. I think Shin Don just got bumped up to the top of the must-watch list! I’ve watched 51 kdramas since January 2009…WOW!
It hurts my heart a little that my number one (Coffee Prince) and number two (Hong Gil Dong) didn’t fare better, but I’m glad to hear you’re giving HGD another shot! I’ve seen better dramas than Coffee Prince, but it just has a special place in my heart, what can I say?
But…but…but…no Robbers? Ever? *sob*
I am very appeased, LOL.
I’ve been on a high ever since X tweeted the news about Jung Ha Yeon’s new drama, btw.
You need to watch Friend, pronto! I KNOW you’ll love it. Also, how about we watch Worlds Within together? I need to finish it too…
Hey thundie Jumong is a must watch, you will not regret =)
I personally give it a 9.
And yeah whats up with Shin Don ..haha
Just added Ireland and Piano to the “Hope to finish someday” list. Oh, while I’m at it, let’s throw in Coffee Prince as well. The guilt, how it grows!
And let’s not even get started on the “Bought/downloaded/given and still unwatched” list! *looks at Dear Heaven, Love Letter, Nine-tailed Fox, Iljimae, Pasta, Jejungwon, Woman Who Still Wants to Marry, etc. etc. etc.* What possessed me to buy Love Story in Harvard?
samsooki, anything 4 and below is bad in thundie’s books. But -2 for BV? No kidding? I can’t bring myself to give anything a 0 or less. Even for Stairway to Hell, you’ve got to give the drama props for carting a white baby grand all the way to the edge of the ocean. The OST’s pretty cool, too.
nabi, WHIB is so twisted, so messed-up, it’s awesome. The best thing is seeing the Kang In-wook (So Ji-sub) and Jung Jae-min (Jo In-sung) camps go at each other, talons and all.
ripgal… I exercised restraint, I did. Would have been 15, lol.
langdon813, after seeing the awesomesauce that is Dae-gil (man, ep 16 of Chuno…), I may retrieve Robbers from that not-touching-ever bin. I watched 2-3 episodes and didn’t care for the leads, but loved the supporting cast.
dahee babe, thundie can’t think of anything else except Return of Iljimae now (did you ever watch this, btw?). But I recently bought the Friend and Worlds Within DVDs (still in their shrinkwrap) and will resume WW whenever you are ready. I think I stopped at ep 3 last year?
Clarence, Shin Don is TEH DRAMA, lol. If I’m allowed to watch only one drama and one movie the rest of my life, it will be Shin Don and Duelist. Everything else is secondary.
something tells me a certain drama from 1997 will end up over there pretty soon, and if not necessarily two digits, will get very close to reach that pantheon of greatness… (of course, with 36 episodes still to encode, pretty soon could be December 2019. Although by then John Cusack might have to time whatever I end up scribbling). I’ll just say Noh Hee-Kyung.