3 Recommended Kdramas from 2013
So this month I ran into some trouble with my #CN12for12Challenge. The kdrama I had originally chosen really didn’t excite me at all. I swapped it out for a Japanese drama, but that disappeared from all my legal streaming sites before I got to it. When I tried to find another drama to watch, I ran into a different problem. There were a lot of really good dramas in 2013. Even though I didn’t discover Kdramas until 2016, I had already tried all the top rated dramas that I had any interest in at all. I had watched, dropped or discarded as not for me almost everything I saw on the first few pages of the MyDramaList search for 2013. I eventually settle on 4 dramas and posted a poll on twitter to get suggestions on what to watch.
People had some very strong opinions on the dramas I listed, but the one that surprised me the most was the repeated write in campaign for a drama not even listed. Many of the responses were some version of “I voted for X but you should really watch Miss Korea. So I went and looked up Miss Korea, and then I made a new poll.
I decided to watch Miss Korea, but for the sake of you all, and on the strength of the comments from trusted friends, I decided to watch the first few episodes of the top 3 contenders and see what stuck. Here are my first impressions on those 3 dramas.
1. Miss Korea
Honestly, I wasn’t that impressed with the first episode of Miss Korea. There is some unnecessary violence right off the bat which while not overly graphic still felt more intense than it needed to be. That said, I was well into the 2nd episode before I came up for air, so clearly at some point it hooked me. There are a lot of great actors whom I love in this drama and their performances are really what are keeping me with it. The story itself, of a struggling cosmetics company deciding to enter a contestant in the Miss Korea pageant as a form of advertising in the hopes of getting a big investment, is kind of goofy.
But I really like the leads, and the story of them all trying to work together to create a better life for themselves is interesting. There appears to be a side romance starting up between the gangster loan shark who has inserted himself in the the main company and the woman who runs their successful rival cosmetics company. So far I am way more into that than I am the story of a second chance romance for the leads who flirted in high school but ended on bad terms. I don’t think that I would call this drama a romcom. It has comedy, and clearly will have romance, but it feels more like an office drama to me. Will I stick with it? Who knows, but I’m not mad that I gave it a shot.
3. Gu Family Book
The fantasy sageuk Gu Family Book (also listed as Kangchi, the beginning) starts off really strong. It’s a 24 episode drama, so it has the time to take a few episodes to tell the backstory. Which is good, because mostly the recommendations I got for this drama were along the lines of “watch the first two episodes for the romance there and then drop it” š I’m not really into sageuk dramas in general, so that advice is where I plan to end my relationship with this one. The first two episodes tell the tale of a noble woman is sold into sexual slavery after her father is falsely accused and murdered for treason. The immortal guardian of the mountain becomes quite taken with her and romance blossoms. Eventually this leads to the birth of a child who will become the title character of the rest of the drama.
It is very pretty, but also quite tragic. I’m an episode and a half into the backstory and already there has been a lot of death and violence. However, there has also been some really beautiful costumes and magical effects. This is another drama that sports a fantastic cast. I also has a supernatural element which is usually what draws me into any sageuk that I do attempt. If you love historical Kdramas and haven’t watched this one yet, it might be more for you than it was for me.
2. Prime Minister and I
Prime Minister and I has a very typical romcom set up and the vibe is right on point. Think The Sound of Music but as a modern sitcom. A tabloid journalist winds up in a contract marriage with the young widower recently appointed as the Prime Minister of Korea. She is charming and energetic and kind, he is a no-nonsense grump. Slowly our female lead wins over the children. She becomes an advocate for them with their father and works to help him build a happier family.
I’ve got to say, this one had me hooked right from the start. I am in it to win it. Already halfway through, I can’t wait to get back to watch some more. This is a very classic style romcom and it is silly and adorable. Sure there are politics and subterfuge, but the main story here is the family. It is a cute, easy watch and I highly recommend adding it to your 2013 dramas list.
Looking for more classic kdrama recommendations? Check out the recent Certified Noonas episode on Drama Gems. Or maybe have a look as some of our past posts about older kdramas
Don’t forget to join us on the first Monday of every month for our #KdramaChat over on Twitter
3 Comments
Charlotte
The survey just reinforces to me that beauty and Kdrama viewing favourites are indeed in the eye of the beholder. Of your 2013 pics only Gu Family seems to have stood out, so Iām out of step with most of your followers.
Instead, I followed the Twitter thread about your survey and am in complete lockstep with Amilia who chose the amazing dramas I copied and pasted below from her Twitter reply to your post.
Iāve rewatched Secret Love (still in my top 20 out 677 Kdramas watched so far), Two Weeks and My Love From the Star three times. All three have a 9.5* rating on Viki.com, which is saying something for a drama thatās been around 10 years.
Heartless City is still 9.3*
Gu Family listed as āKangchi, the Beginningā on Viki is 9.5*
I hear Your Voice: with Lee Jong Suk VIki 9.3*
Masterās Sun 9.4*
Perhaps itās because I first discovered Kdramas in 2015 that my tastes are different, but I do think these are some of the old classics that show us Korean culture in earlier times which was what drew me to the people, their close family ties, their clothes and their food.
One rule I took away from the many commenters on Viki and the now defunct Dramafever, was to make sure you watch the first three episodes before giving up on it. There is so much backstory and characters that need to be introduced, which cements your understanding of the story going forward and makes a drama so special. Watching one episode is not enough. That would be like listening to the first five notes of a new song without waiting for the lyrics. Just my opinion, but I think 2013 would be a great place to settle and watch more deeply. Watching Secret Love and Ju Sungās slow metamorphosis from selfish vengeance into Love was amazing. As for Kee Joong Ki in āTwo Weeksā again it is the slow reawakening of troubled loser into hero. Very rewarding ending.
Ok. Enough from me. Just wanted to make sure there is a High Five somewhere in your article for 2013 as a great year for dramasā¦not identical to the ones we watch now, but truly some amazing writing and acting.
Thanks to @AmiliaSmilia for her list below. You reflected everything I would have voted for!!
@AmiliaSmilia
Mar 10
Cruel City aka Heartless City (Viki)
My Love From the Star (Viki)
Master’s Sun (Viki)
I Hear Your Voice (Viki/Kocowa)
Two Weeks (Viki/Kocowa)
Nine (YouTube:Cereal)
Secret aka Secret Love (Viki))
Tea Rex
There are a lot of great dramas from 2013, the problem is that I have already watched a lot of them. The ones that you listed that I haven’t watched are ones that I know don’t suit my tastes at all, but I have watched a number of them. You’re right, everybody has such different taste. Even me when I started this I thought that I would be really into Miss Korea, but it didn’t actually grab me. I wound up watching all of Prime Minister instead.
I generally agree with your thought that only watching one episode isn’t enough to decide whether or not a drama is good, but I do think it is enough to get a feel for the show and to know whether or not it has any qualities you want to spend more time with. In the end, a drama is meant to be entertaining, and if no aspect of it entertains me after one or two episodes, I think it’s fair not to choose to spend more of my time on it.
Charlotte
PS. Apologies for misspellings of Ji Sung and Lee Joong ki names!