Our K-Drama Top And Flops Of 2022

It’s been a rather dry year when it comes to Lina watching K-Dramas however Una and her mom were on fire. We will still deliver you with a list of our top and flop dramas of 2022

I am sorry to say that it hasn’t been a good K-Drama year for myself. I think I’d be surprised to see that I watched more than 10 K-Dramas this year. I don’t know what happened but I started a bunch of dramas and just never ended up finishing them in the end. But the ones I did stick with and finished, ended up being some of my favorites of the year and you will see most of them down below in my top picks. I decided to include only a two individual flops because both dramas I was more than excited for but ended up not even making it past episode 2 with them. Maybe that was because I wasn’t in the mood for them at the time or they were just bad and boring, who knows. However, same as last year Una and I made this list together and some of our picks will overlap so we are writing this in a “round up style.” I will also be providing you all with another BL list tomorrow so stay tuned for that and yes that one is packed! (No one is surprised I guess).

Now, let Una the wise speak for a bit!

2022 has been an interesting drama year. I’ve watched quite a lot of series this year but I have to admit that most of them weren’t from 2022. I did, however, follow a lot of k-dramas from the first half of the year and I’ve liked almost all of them. With the exception of two dramas, I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve watched this year. 2022 brought us some incredible crime and legal shows which deserved way more attention than they got, but also some lovely, slice of life and rom-com dramas which I’ve adored. The year also provided us with some pleasant surprises such as the last drama you’ll see on the top list but overall, 2022 was nice – it gave us the laughs, the romance and also serious topics. Mom and I ended up watching pretty much everything Lee Jehoon has released and we are now on our way to make Kim Namgil our new favourite actor – stay tuned for that, I guess.

Jokes aside, let’s dive in and see which dramas Lina and I liked and disliked!

Flops

Forecasting Love and Weather

Lina: I am pretty sure I am not the only person who was disappointed by this one. I mean Park Minyoung? Yes! And Song Kang? HECK YES that’s the loml. Sadly thought, nothing about this drama worked for me and during episode two I was eyeing that speed up button, which is a horrible sign… well I ended up dropping this after episode two and never looking back.

Link: Eat, Love, Kill

Lina: Okay it might be unfair for this drama to be here as I started this pre-vacation and actually enjoyed the first two episodes but just forgot to pick it back up. I should have loved this especially because some of my absolute favorite actors are in this one but for no reason whatsoever I never ended up picking this drama back up and finishing it. I might one day, but also the incest undertones in the beginning made it hard to love. For now I am still disappointed it couldn’t keep my attention and it’s a flop for me.

All Of Us Are Dead

Lina: I feel like Una and my review of this speaks for itself but I will still include this on here. I did enjoy most of this drama I mean I stayed up until 4 am watching it. However, in retrospect so much of this drama is lacking depth and sense that I can’t help but be disappointed. The ending still haunts me and I am absolutely scared about that second season… it’s looming above us all it seems. Anyway, we did get some breakout new talents from this drama and I am grateful for that. (full review here)

Una: Unlike Lina, I didn’t enjoy most of this drama and thought it was utterly frustrating and annoying more often than not. It’s hard for me to follow any story where I cannot connect or like the main characters and with the exception of Yoon Chanyoung and his character (which not only deserved better ending wise but also deserved way more screen time) I haven’t really liked anyone else. I admit that zombie plotline is something that I have little interest in so that played a subjective role in these feelings as well but I think this could’ve been a lot better – especially acting wise. Yoo Insoo did his job as a villain amazingly though – I wanted to strangle his character every time he was on screen. I agree with Lina that the drama at least ended up providing us with some fresh acting faces who I’m sure will be even better in the future with more experience. Now, Yoon Chanyoung… where is your next big drama?

Soundtrack #1

Una: I love Park Hyunsik. ZE:A might not have hit it big musically (even though they should’ve) but dear Lord, did the group provide us with great actors. I was really excited to watch this only for it to be the definition of a snooze fest. Nothing was happening, poor Han Sohee had to do what she could with that awful script and personality of her bland character, the four episodes really seemed like an eternity which is a shame. The last one was somewhat enjoyable and while Soundtrack did give me Park Hyungsik boyfriend vibes content for years – it just wasn’t it.

Lina: I watched this shortly after finishing Happiness with two of my friends – spoiler alert did not enjoy that one – nevertheless I was hyped to get more of Park Hyunsik… the fact this was such a snooze fest and we are getting a second season of this has me concerned.

Tops

Revenge of Others

Lina: As I am writing this post I still am in my addicted and binge mode of Revenge of others and I have to say waiting for this drama to be finished to watch it in one go was the best choice I could have made. I seem to chose dramas like this subconsciously recently and them delivering more than I expected. Romance dramas aren’t doing it for me anymore it seems, I need something that keeps me at the edge of my seat. I absolutely love this and binging dramas is the best feeling ever at that! Also I need Seo Jihoon to get that lead role like yesterday?! Additionally, it was nice to see Solomon in something different than All Of Us Are Dead.

If you wish upon me

Lina: This drama means the absolute world to me. Oh my god even just thinking about it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Making it my role to watch anything Sooyoung is in was the best choice I could have ever made because damn that woman knows how to pick her roles. Seeing Ji Changwook in such a role was also more than refreshing and has made me like his acting a lot more. Definitely a drama that stuck with me for a long time after finishing it despite its low ratings! (full review: here)

Weak Hero Class 1

Lina: See, this is the other drama that I binged in a whole night only a month ago. It’s another dark revenge-y one and boy was the acting good in it. You can read more on that in my actual full review but Park Jihoon is acting! The story is so gripping! A win in my book. (original review: here)

Business Proposal

Una: Best rom-com of 2022 without any competition! I don’t know what urged me to follow Business Proposal as it was airing but dear God, nothing made me happier than waiting for new episodes weekly and laughing so much every single time. It was so nice to have a classic k-drama that plays with its tropes and is so openly set on using loads of them – but in the best possible way. The cast was amazing, the plot entertaining and the chemistry between everyone fantastic. I do wish the drama had a better and a bit lengthier wrap-up but it really remained one of the biggest hits of 2022 for a reason. Sejeong was in her Emma Stone era here and she delivered. (full review: here)

Lina: So I was late jumping on this train but I think watching this together with my friend during the summer was the best decision ever. This is one of the few romance drama I actually watched this year and it is one of the best one. The chemistry of the cast, the acting, the comedy everything was perfect here and really took my mind of things. The best drama of the year if I would say so myself.

Tomorrow

Lina: And as my last but in no means the least pick of this end of the year countdown has to be the amazing Tomorrow. This isn’t only special because Una and I watched it together but it was just so moving. There wasn’t an episode of this that didn’t make me cry and the stories that were told are so important. I loved the friendship focus of this as well. Man this was perfect I need more dramas like this tbh. (full review: here)

Una: Tomorrow remains one of the biggest hidden gems of the year. The k-drama encountered almost no hype domestically but I feel like it managed to form quite a strong audience internationally through Netflix. The main cast was perfect for this storyline and the drama really portrayed so many different, heartfelt, everyday things which made it impossible not to tear up every now and then. With the exception of the utterly confusing first episode and the story of it, every single episode of Tomorrow was fantastic and it also showcased more of Rowoon’s and Yoon Jion’s versatile acting. Didn’t hurt that Lee Soohyuk looked like a deity himself.

Through The Darkness

Una: This is my favourite k-drama of 2022 overall and one of the best crime oriented dramas I’ve seen in quite a while. The fact that it’s based on real life and story of South Korea’s first profiler was just the icing on cake. The drama focuses more on psychology behind murders and serial killers while also somehow finding the time to bring us one incredible squad and loads of great, friendship moments. Kim Namgil, Jin Seonkyu with the addition of the lovely Ryeoun really made Through The Darkness an underrated perfect gem. The drama deserved so much more recognition and attention – this was acting, ladies and gentlemen! (full review: here)

Extraordinary Attorney Woo

Una: Another hit k-drama of 2022 on the list and for a reason! Extraordinary Attorney Woo starring Park Eunbin has taken the world by storm and ended up being a major success both domestically and internationally. While the story revolves around law and cases (which is not something we get so often – more case based dramas, please!) Extraordinary Attorney Woo is a story about people, friendships, struggles and life above everything else. It’s the perfect mixture of legal drama and a slice of life and truly deserves all the attention it’s been getting. Park Eunbin has been nothing short of amazing in this role. Extraordinary Attorney Woo also holds my favourite k-drama character of 2022 – Jung Myung Seok portrayed by the ever so amazing Kang Kiyoung who embodied this wonderful man perfectly. A lovely, heartfelt drama! (full review: here)

Bulgasal: Immortal Souls

Una: And for the end, something that might count as an unpopular opinion. I’ve watched Bulgasal shortly after it ended, back in spring of this year, and even though the drama might not be the best I’ve ever seen it has genuinely stuck with me throughout the entire year. The premise of it was interesting, the cast very solid (Lee Joon playing the main villain? Perfection?) and the overall atmosphere of the drama pleasant and intriguing. I think it’s the trope of found family that always resonates strongly with me and Bulgasal really had that done well. Even almost a year after it’s run, Bulgasal still roams around my mind and I find myself missing these characters often – especially the bond between Nam Do Yoon (played by Kim Wooseok) and everyone else. Bulgasal might not be 2022 biggest hit but it holds a rather warm and special place in my heart. (full review: here)

And that’s it from us when it comes to K-Dramas! Please let us know your tops and flops as we are super interested to know!

Header Image Source: Made by Lina for hallyureviews.