Wow, can you believe that we are finally nearing the end of a tumultuous year? The pandemic has resulted in the cessation and pushback of the production of certain K-Drama titles, and for a hot moment, we K-Drama fans thought we would no longer be able to watch our fave shows. Thinking back—that was truly dramatic and an emotionally charged period for all K-Drama fans worldwide. We can’t believe that was months ago and thankfully, things have now been kept under control. Hopefully, this peaceful situation continues to persist.

2020 had its ups and downs, and this applies to even the K-Dramas put out this year. Here are some of our personal opinions on the Best and maybe-not-so-great K-Dramas this year, which hopefully help you, readers, to make better decisions on what K-Dramas to watch.

Best Cinematography

I’ll go to You When the Weather is Nice

This K-Drama perfectly captures the essence of the multi-faceted aspect of the winter season. Stark, desolate, and clean looking shots of the barren and snow-covered landscape come out looking grand and elegant with a tinge of loneliness. These grandiose shots are utilized well to parallel Haewon (Park Minyoung) and Eunseob’s (Seo Kangjoon) struggles and antisocial tendencies.

Great things are never one-dimensional—I’ll go to You When the Weather is Nice also masterfully portrays the lovely human interactions during the cold season when people are more likely to spend time indoors. With clever use of warm, orange lights, many scenes shot indoors feel welcoming, cozy, and homey—putting viewers at ease with its impeccable lighting choice and color grading.

Those watching this K-Drama can be sure to be treated to abundant, breathtaking, and glamorous shots of nature, which will allow one to literally feel the tranquility and serenity of the countryside through their screen. Viewers will definitely be able to feel the creators’ passion for picturesque shots as we did—and their effort to ensure top-notch footage undeniably elevates the overall story and atmosphere, making I’ll go to You When the Weather is Nice worthy of Best Cinematography by our books.

Honorable Mention(s): The King: Eternal Monarch

While The King: Eternal Monarch received divisive reactions regarding its storytelling, simply watching its premiere episodes will tell you why the series is deserving to be at least mentioned in this category. Tons of cool, surreal, and fantastical shots are littered throughout the series and we surmise that a good amount of budget and effort must have been spent to attain this quality cinematography.

Best Character

A drama is nothing without its interesting ensemble of characters that viewers can relate to and rope us into its world. For this category, we are looking at both the characterization (construction and writing of the character) as well as the actors’ ability to translate their characters’ quirks and personality onscreen.

Ko Moonyoung (Seo Yeji) of It’s Okay To Not Be Okay

There’s always this one character in K-Dramas that comes off as cold on the outside, but all squishy and vulnerable on the inside. Ko Moonyoung can be considered as one of such, but what sets her character apart is her sheer intensity—be it running away from her fears or multiple confessions of love for Gangtae.

What also propels Ko Moonyoung to the top of this category has got to do with Seo Yeji’s immaculate performance and line delivery. Having had experiences playing characters with extreme personalities, she was able to apply her skills to bring Moonyoung’s nuanced personality to life. And her sultry and bass-like voice? It’s simply the cherry on the top. Let’s be real—anyone who caught It’s Okay To Not Be Okay this summer has probably been converted to her simp at some point of the series (and we are no exception).

Honorable Mention(s): Yongpal (Kim Taehee) of Hi Bye, Mama! and Han Jipyeong (Kim Seonho) of Start-Up

It is an undeniable fact that Kim Seonho as Han Jipyeong stole the latter half of Start-Up. The character Han Jipyeong was crafted with so much substance that when he is placed next to the main characters with more-often-than-not questionable and flippant motives, they are outshined (sorry not sorry to DoDal fans). Even when writers of Start-Up started to pan towards the main characters in the last arc, they ended up framing Jipyeong as an underdog of sorts, earning the character much sympathy and love.

Credit has to be given where it’s due—despite multiple eyebrow-scrunching moments in the K-Drama, Han Jipyeong is a well-crafted character and was masterfully played by the now latest Korean heartthrob Kim Seonho. Whether this is an intentional move on the creators’ part is something we’ll never know, but we are so glad that Kim Seonho is finally receiving his deserved breakout moment in his career.

Also quick shoutout to Cha Yuri of Hi Bye, Mama!, who is played by Korea’s eternal sweetheart Kim Taehee. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that this role silenced her haters who think that she’s simply a pretty face. It could be due to her embarking on a new journey of her life as a mother, but Kim Taehee absolutely nailed the selfless Cha Yuri and got us sobbing almost every episode of Hi Bye, Mama!. This drama is definitely one of Kim Taehee’s better works.

Most Wasted Potential

The King: Eternal Monarch

Supposedly Lee Minho’s big comeback, the massive hype surrounding The King: Eternal Monarch and the actual series not meeting the high expectations got it some flak. However, it being on this list doesn’t mean it is not worth watching. In fact, as mentioned above, it has great cinematography all around, and the core plot is actually pretty mind-boggling and stimulating if you pay close enough attention. Perhaps it was a little too ambitious with its storytelling which caused casual viewers who cannot keep up with the convoluted plot to drop it. With other aces on their hand such as Kim Goeun and hit-drama writer Kim Eunsook (Goblin and Descendants of the Sun), the series was truly highly anticipated by fans all over the world before its premiere. Don’t get us started on the amount of PPL (product placement) in the series. Some of it was pretty funny, but at times it was mildly disruptive to the whole atmosphere of the K-Drama.

Honestly, both the writer and the main leads have amazing works under their belt and are definitely capable of so much more than what viewers see in the entirety of The King: Eternal Monarch.

Honorable Mention(s): Itaewon Class, Record of Youth, Start-Up, Backstreet Rookie

These K-Dramas suffer from the typical strong set-ups in the beginning but poor follow-ups. It is as if somewhere along the lines, the characters that we initially bonded with suddenly became an entirely new person. Rushed character and romance developments and poorly tied up plotlines are very apparent in the second half of these K-Dramas. If you stuck till the end, it is likely that you are a big fan of one of the actors or you probably sunk in too much time and just wanted to see how the stories ended. Having said this, we must admit we had lots of fun watching these and there are just some issues and plotlines that we viewers just wished that could have been expanded further for more clarity.

Most Underappreciated

18 Again

18 Again features a fun and relatable ensemble of characters, great use of plot-twists, and amazing pacing all around. This is one of the K-Dramas that completely engages throughout its whole runtime—the mini arcs are usually resolved within two to three episodes and then the series introduces another conflict that is realistic but not too far divorced from the main story.

Thinking back, nothing about 18 Again is particularly amazing, but it is super consistent and does decently great across all elements—acting, plots, cinematography, and OSTs—which elevates the series into one of the best of 2020. On the topic of 18 Again’s OST, Soyou’s The Only One is a beautiful soundtrack that is packed full of hurt and longing.

For all the praise it has received, 18 Again does not seem to be getting the attention and buzz it deserves and we’re hoping this writeup has encouraged you to consider bingeing this series if you haven't already done so!

Best of 2020

We are going to bend the rules and name three titles for Best of 2020 simply because we just can’t decide on one!

Crash Landing On You

A unique story and concept that can only truly be told from the perspectives of a country with such a history and unique circumstance like South Korea. Besides that, Crash Landing On You is surprisingly refreshing and meta in the sense that it avoids and pokes fun at clichés and tropes one would expect it to befall for its genre. It boasts well-developed and likeable characters from the leads to even the minor cast. An enjoyable watch from beginning to end that even non-Hallyu fans will surely be able to appreciate.

The World Of The Married

Three words: intensity, cliffhangers, plot-twists. Unlike the other K-Dramas where we watch because we love a particular character, in The World Of The Married, characters are all inherently flawed and viewers stay on because the characters are just so hateful. Lines are blurred and this series tastefully portrays how morals can be grey at many times. The World Of The Married will definitely get your blood pressure rising as you watch, but guess what? Once you start, you just can’t stop.

Hospital Playlist

Don't be fooled by its medical setting. What Hospital Playlist has in store is much more than your typical medical drama. Created by the same writer and director of the iconic Reply series, Hospital Playlist heavily focuses on character development and the fun dynamic between the main cast. Generally lighthearted, but once the story progresses, you will be pleasantly surprised at how the series deals with sensitive topics which may inadvertently result in you bawling your eyes out before you even realize. Hospital Playlist may look like another unassuming filler K-Drama, but it's actually a feel-good drama that incorporates lots of depth and layers about life. We can’t wait for the next season!

Conclusion

That’s it for the 2020 K-Drama roundup. If you would like to contest us on some of our opinions, feel free to drop us a message on any of the platforms we are on—we are always ready to put up a good fight and engage in some stimulating discourse!

K-Drama 2020 Roundup!