Drama's Watched in 2023

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Rather than having a post on my favourite dramas released through the year, I'm changing it up to the drama's I watched during the year, mainly because I was falling out of love with watching dramas, because the amount being released was putting pressure on me to watch them. Meaning I couldn't find the energy or patience to sit and watch them.

So here are the 9 drama's I watched in 2023.

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First we have Connect.

Connect is a 2022, South Korean sci-fi psychological thriller drama. The series was written by Masaru Nakamura and Ha dam, and directed y Takashi Mike.

It was released in Disney+ on the 7th of December 2022, and contains 6 episodes.

The series starred June Hae In, Go Kyung Pyo and Kim Hye Jun.

I really enjoyed this drama, it definitely takes unexpected twist and turns, the casting was spot on and I can only hope Disney+ release a 2nd season, but since there's been no news, it's looking doubtful.

If you watch this drama than definitely pay attention as it can get confusing quickly if you're not paying attention.

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Next we have The Glory.

The Glory is a South Korean revenge thriller drama, written by Kim Eun Sook and directed by Ahn Gil Ho.

The series has a total of 16 episodes and was split into 2 parts, with part 1 being released 30th of December 2022, and part 2 being released the 10th of March 2023.

The series starred Song Hye Kyo, Lee Do Hyun, Lim Ji Yeon, Yeom Hye Ran, Park Sung Hoon and Jung Sung Il.

This series was definitely one of my favourites, I don't think there was an episode where my jaw wasn't hitting the floor. The cast was perfection, from the main cast to the supporting cast, everyone brought their game to this series. I highly recommend watching this drama.

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Next we have Perfect and Casual.

Perfect and Casual is a 2020 Chinese romantic comedy drama, directed by Li Shuang.

The series has a total of 24 episodes airing between the 28th of September and the 20th of October 2020.

The series starred Wei Zhe Ming and XU Ruo Han.

I really enjoyed this drama, it was really cute and had me laughing throughout. I really enjoyed the cast, I thought they did a really good job and definitely gave me new actors to check out.

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Next we have Our Dating Sim.

Our Dating Sim is a 2023, South Korean BL romance drama.

The series was written by Lee Yun Seul and directed by Lim Hyun Hee.

The series aired 9th March 2023 - 30th March 2023.

It's a short series with 8 short episodes.

The series starred Lee Seung Gyu and Lee Jong Hyuk.

I loved this series, normally BL dramas are quite fast paced, but even though the episodes were only 15-20 minutes long. It flows really well, nothing seems rushed and you get a clear story and conclusion, without feeling things were missed. The male leads were amazing, even watching behind the scenes, they seemed to get on and have good chemistry.

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Next we have My Lethal Man.

My Lethal Man is a 2023 mystery romance drama.

The series was directed by Chu De Jian.

The series has a total of 24 episodes, the series began airing 13th January 2023.

The series starred Li Mo Zhi and Fan Zhi Xin.

This is your typical hate into love series, and I won't deny that I had a dislike to our male lead at first, but overall the cast did an amazing.

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Next we have The Tasty Florida.

The Tasty Florida is a 2021 romance BL drama, directed by Yang Kyung Hee and Yang Kyoeng Hui.

The series has a total of 8 episodes, and aired September 24th - October 15th 2021.

The series starred Cha Woo Min and Yoo Hwan.

This was a short and sweet series, but I was left wanting more, I think they could have done so much more with this show. I also had 2nd male lead syndrome, I totally wanted to see something happen with the main and 2nd lead.

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Next we have Zombiverse.

Zombieverse is a 2023 South Korean half-scripted real-variety show, it's a Netflix Original, it has 8 episodes and was released on the 8th of August.

The series starred Lee Si Young, Ro Hong Chul, Park Na Rae, DinDin, Tsuki, Yoo Hee Kwan, Yiombi Johnathan, Yiombi Patricia, Kkwachu Hyung and Dex.

If you haven't watched this I highly recommend it, I say it's half scripted because the concept and tasks are scripted, how the contestants of the show speak and react aren't scripted. I couldn't stop laughing throughout this show, especially at Tsuki, at times she had me crying with laughter. It definitely puts a comedic spin on a zombie outbreak.

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Next we have Celebrity.

Celebrity is a 2023 thriller drama, written by Kim Yi Young and directed by Kim Cheol Kyu.

The series contains 12 episodes that released 12 episodes through Netflix on June 30th 2023.

The series starred Park Gyu Young, Kang Min Hyuk, Lee Chung Ah, Lee Dong Gun and Jun Hyo Seong.

I loved this drama, the casting was perfect and I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish. I loved the whole sections of the female lead teaching us about social media and how to become a successful social media influencer. The twist at the end had my jaw on the floor as I was not expecting it.

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Last up we have Sweet Home 2.

Sweet Home 2 is a 2023 South Korean apocalyptic horror television series and is the 2nd season of Sweet Home. The series is written by Hong So Ri, Kim Hyung Min and Park So Jung, and directed by Lee Eung Bok and Park So Hyun.

The series has 8 episodes and aired December 1st 2023.

The series starred Song Kang, Lee Jin Wook, Lee Si Young, Go Min Si, Jimyoung, Yu Oh Seong, Oh Jung Se, Kim Moo Yul and Kim Sia.

I loved the the new cast additions to this season, and while I was confused at times I really enjoyed season 2. There were times I was really shocked and gutted, and I would have been even more shocked by the twist at the end, if I hadn't seen someone ruin it on the day of release. I can't wait for season 3 to see how the show will conclude.

So there we have it, they were the dramas I watched in 2023, I look forward to checking out some new and old dramas in 2024, I have a few that I am looking forward to.

What drama's did you watch in 2023?

Let me know in the comments below.

See you soon!

안녕

(Annyeong)

さようなら

(Sayonara)

再见

(ZaiJian)

Bye

Korean Drama - The Glory

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안녕하세요

(Annyeonghaseyo)

こんにちは

(Konnichiwa)

你好

(Ni Hao)

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The Glory is a South Korean revenge thriller drama, written by Kim Eun Sook and directed by Ahn Gil Ho.

The series has a total of 16 episodes and was split into 2 parts, with part 1 being released 30th of December 2022, and part 2 being released the 10th of March 2023.

Main Cast:

Song Hye Kyo as Moon Dong Eun

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Jung Ji So as Young Dong Eun

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Lee Do Hyun as Joo Yeo Jeong

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Lim Ji Yeon as Park Yeon Jin

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Shin Ye Eun as Young Yeon Jin

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Yeom Hye Ran as Kang Hyeon Nam

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Park  Sung Hoon as Jeon Jae Joon

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Song Byeong Geun as Young Jae Joon

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Jung Sung Il as Ha Do Yeong

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Supporting Cast:

Cha Joo Young as Choi Hye Jeong

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Song Ji Woo as Young Hye Jeong

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Kim Hieora as Lee Sa Ra

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Bae Kang Hee as Young Sa Ra

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Kim Gun Woo as Son Myeong Oh

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Seo Woo Hyuk as Young Myeong Oh

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Lee So E as Yoon So Hee

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Jeon Soo Ah as Ahn Jung Mi

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Park Yoon Hee as Kim Jong Moon

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Ahn So Yo as Kim Kyung Ran

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Oh Ji Yul as Ha Ye Sol

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Yoon Da Kyung as Hong Young Ae

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Lee Hae Young as Shin Young Joon

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Park Ji Ah as Jung Mi Hee

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Heo Dong Won as Chu Jeong Ho

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Kang Gil Woo as Kim Soo Han

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Son Sook as Old Lady

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Son Na Young as Goo Sung Hee

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Choi Soo In as Lee Seon Ah

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Ryu Seong Hyun as Lee Seok Jae

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Kim Jung Young as Park Sang Im

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Cho Min Wook as Kim Jong Heon

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Choi Kwang Il as Joo Sung Hak

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Lee Byung Joon as Lee Gil Sung

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Son Kang Kuk as Choi Dong Kyu

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Kim Seon Hwa as Lee Sa Ra's Mother

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Lee Moo Saeng as Kang Yeong Cheon

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Preparation for the series began in January 2021, and was entirely pre-produced by Hwa&Dam Pictures and it's parent company Studio Dragon.

The series is a Netflix Original series.

Two days after the release of The Glory Part 1 on December 30th 2022, it ranked 9th globally on Netflix's TV shows category. On it's 3rd day, it reached 5th place on the most watched shows on Netflix worldwide.

Two days after the release of The Glory Part 2 on March 10th 2023, it ranked 2nd worldwide and became No.1 worldwide on it's 3rd day.

The series is now ranked among the Top 10 all-time Non-English TV series at No.5 with 436,90 million hours watched in the first 28 days of release.

As to be expected from a drama series like this, the OST tracks are stunning and take you right back in to the series

Kim Yeji - Long Black Night

Broken Angels

Suran - The Whisper of Forest

Authentic Music

Yangpa - A Dazzling Season

ElyDha Subs

A former victim of school violence seeks revenge on her bullies after taking up a job as a homeroom teacher at the elementary school of the bully's child.

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Netflix

I've been wanting to watch The Glory since Part 1 was released last year, but never got round to it, so part of me is glad that I waited till both parts were released as I don't think I could have coped, having to wait for the next part to release.

Let me start off by saying that this series blew me away, everything about this drama was perfect and amazing right from the casting, I don't think they could have gotten a better cast ensemble, I was familiar with a few of the cast members and will honestly say that for me for the ones I'd watched before this was their best role to date.

While there are many Korean drama's that I love for me I don't think any of them have come up to the standards or emotions that I got with Guardian: The Lonely & Great God. That was until I watched The Glory, for me this drama is right on par with Goblin and I'm not surprised when it's writer was Kim Eun Sook, but let's also not take away from the director, everyone did such an amazing job.

I feel like I should also give you a warning if you are wanting to check out this drama because not only does it bring to light school violence, but it also has the affect I'm sure they wanted for the viewers, discomfort. The first episode left me feeling so uncomfortable, as did the rest of the bullying scenes, but I'm glad I fought through it.

The Glory is my first time watching Song Hye Kyo, I'm familiar with her and know who she is but I've never watched her in a drama, and I personally think I picked the best drama to begin with, because *Chef's Kiss*. I think I spent a majority of the series saying F**k she's clever, I would never want Dong Eun as my enemy.

I think one of the reasons why the school violence scenes made me uncomfortable, was because our teenage Dong Eun was played by an actress that I knew, which made me feel and think that I was watching Jung Ji So being bullied. Even though she only appears for flashbacks, she definitely deserves recognition for her role because it felt real.

I loved Lee Do Hyun as Joo Yeo Jeong, for me he shows what Dong Eun would have been like if she had someone from a young age that was on her side, even though he's not bullied in the past, he still has a traumatic event that affects him, and I'm glad it focused more on Yeo Jeong supporting and helping Dong Eun throughout the series, rather than it being romance throughout. It made it more believable for someone like Dong Eun that's never had anyone on her side. I will admit at one point I thought Yeo Jeong would go down a more twisted route.

Lim Ji Yeon was amazing as our main bully Park Yeon Jin, I've not seen any of her past works, but she plays the evil bully perfectly so I would love to see some of her other work to see her play softer and nicer roles. Yeon Jin is the embodiment of what coming from money entails, she's never had to deal with the consequences of her actions, which makes her think that no matter what she does, she can get away with it. Her personality and attitude never changes even when she becomes a mother herself, it makes you wonder how someone as evil as she was can raise such a kind and sweet daughter.

Shin Ye Eun also did an amazing job of being the teenage Yeon Jin and like Jung Ji So, it made me feel like I was watching a real bully, it's sad that she got some hate for playing a role. I think it just shows how believable she made it.

Another part that made me feel uncomfortable was the domestic violence scenes and I'm glad to see Yeom Hye Ran get praise for her role because she was amazing as Kang Hyeon Nam. The change and growth you could see from Hyeon Nam was astonishing once she had someone on her side that made her believe things could change and that she could live for herself.

I originally saw Park Sung Hoon in Rich Man, Poor Woman and I loved him, but as Jeon Jae Joon he was on a whole other level. For me Jae Joon is another character that comes from money and has never had to deal with the consequences of his actions, something of which you see in his adult life. I noticed that while Dong Eun is getting her revenge on Yeon Jin, she never lets her get to her, but Jae Joon still seems to have the power to get under her skin and take her right back to her time in school. For me I think this shows how men still feel that they have the upper hand on women because they appear to be bigger and stronger. Even though I hated Jae Joon, my adoration for Sung Hoon still made me swoon for him, I'd totally be Hye Jeong.

The main oppa swoon action for me was Jung Sung Il as Ha Do Yeong, part of me wanted him to end up with Dong Eun, as I think that would be the ultimate revenge on Yeon Jin, but it's also something that would have made the show unbelievable. There would be no way Dong Eun would fall for a man that was married to the woman who traumatised her, but I also don't think Do Yeong would feel comfortable having a romantic relationship with Dong Eun either knowing what his wife had done in the past. At the most I think all that would continue between the two was a friendship formed. The more he learnt about his wife the more I cheered for Dong Eun, and without spoiling anything, we all know what Do Yeong did before taking his leave.

I'm curious to see what Choi Hye Jeong's past was like to become part of the bullies gang, because we often see Yeon Jin and Sa Ra saying how she would have been in Dong Eun's shoes, but you can tell that Hye Jeong would rather be on their side than be on the receiving end, which is why even though you can tell it makes her uncomfortable with it all, she still joins in and keeps quiet. I think that's why rather than do something to get revenge Dong Eun gives her ideas to get her own revenge on them. Cha Joo Young did an amazing job and I'm glad she got to see her own worth, then trying to be the same as them.

I absolutely loved Kim Hieora as Lee Sa Ra, she was all kinds of crazy as well as comedic relief, she's another character that because she comes from money and power that has never really dealt with the consequences of her actions, and isn't phased when it comes to her drug scandals. I read somewhere that Hieora's family now joke with her about drugs because of her character.

Another of the bully gang that is often seen being used is Son Myeong Oh played by Kim Gun Woo, it seems to me that like Hye Jeong he doesn't come from money and is seen as being on the weaker side, but as we see in the first episode, he's all for taking part in the bullying aspect of it all. He's often blamed for others actions, so he's the perfect and most likely ally for Dong Eun, because he seems to be the most likely to be manipulated into doing what's needed.

The last character and person I want to talk about is Oh Ji Yul as Ha Ye Sol, she was adorable and I thought she was amazing in her role. She definitely has a bright acting career ahead of her, and what better form of revenge is there, then having your own flesh and blood turn their back and lose respect for you, especially your own child at such a young age, it really shows that even at such a young age, your child knows the difference between right and wrong. It makes me wonder if Yeon Jin would do what her mother did for her and cover up her mistakes rather than doing the right thing. And would Ye Sol gone down the same route if that was the case, for me it shows that bullies do not create bullies.

I really cannot recommend this drama enough, I laughed, cried, felt uncomfortable and disgusted, I was in complete awe and was hooked from the very beginning. The Glory is a drama that's going to live rent free in my mind and memory for a very long time and I don't see another drama reaching my personal heights of both The Glory and Goblin any time soon.

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Have you watched The Glory?

Were you a fan of the cast?

Did you enjoy the plot and script?

Let me know in the comments below.

See you soon!

안녕

(Annyeong)

さようなら

(Sayonara)

再见

(ZaiJian)

Bye