Showing posts with label Dramafever Awards Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dramafever Awards Review. Show all posts

Thursday, May 24, 2018

The Fifth Annual Dramafever 2016 Awards Review

Hello Wehaiyo readers,

Welcome to the Fifth Annual Dramafever 2016 Awards review in 2018.

I feel like I have not written to you all in a long time. I'm back to do my annual Dramafever Award opinions. Seeing how this is my fourth annual review (reviewing all Dramafever awards except the first), I think repeat readers will know what to expect. However, I have not been catching up with the top shows and most of them are only watched partially. That fact may influence my Dramafever award opinions.

WARNING:

Before we move on, please be aware that this post has a lot of spoilers. If you did not watch some of the nominated dramas yet, you may not want to see any spoilers.

However, I am excited to share my opinions. Let's go!

Best Actress 

Goblin: The Lonely and Great God, Kim Go Eun



And the winner is...




DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Descendants of the Sun, Song Hye Gyo

I feel weird this year. There isn't an actress in the nominated list from last year that stands out above the rest. I want to give a special shout out to Park So Dam for changing my view on her acting as she played such a loveable character on Cinderella and Four Knights.

Ever since I've seen Song Hye Gyo in Full House, she has been doing well with every drama. Descendants of the Sun was a mega drama that went beyond Korean audiences and quite noticeably into China. Although I was not too thrilled with the drama itself, Song Hye Gyo is a safe pick to win best actress as she was well immersed into her role as a surgeon in a chaotic world where basically anything, M3 Virus, bad guys, or bullets, can kill her.

Best Actor

Goblin: The Lonely and Great God, Gong Yoo



And the winner is...




DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Goblin: The Lonely and Great God, Gong Yoo

There are a lot of good actors in this category. Again, I can't seem to pick one over another. This year is pretty tough to pick out best actor and actresses. Gong Yoo does well whatever project he chooses to do and is probably the well-deserved winner of this category.

Best Feature Film

So I Married an Anti-Fan
So Young 2: Never Gone
Miss Granny
Pure Love
Whatcha Wearin'?
Love Forecast



And the winner is...




DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Pure Love

I cannot imagine Pure Love winning this category, but I think Pure Love won because of our ever-popular leading stars, EXO's D.O. and Kim So Hyun. I thought of the story line as a sad story, which did not give me a satisfying ending. To summarize it, I did not quite understand the film.

As for the other nominees, So I Married an Anti-Fan, was an okay movie, starring fellow EXO's member, Chanyeol and Chinese actress,Yuan Shan Shan. I am way more impressed that Chanyeol attempted to mostly speak Chinese throughout the whole movie. His acting skills may have been okay since his role as an ex-lover to Girls Generation's Seohyun or Seo Joo Hyun was not convincing, but he gets superb credit from me for speaking a foreign language in the film. He was not originally part of EXO-M (the Chinese "Mandarin" sub-unit of EXO), but he must have trained hard for this role. The story started off comical and had a lot of potential for a great story, but I ended up expecting more from the plot.

In continuation of EXO interests, I did not have a chance to see the ex-EXO member, Kris Wu's movie, So Young 2: Never Gone. The previews look somewhat interesting.

Of all the nominees, I probably would have picked Miss Granny as the winner, though not by that much difference. I did like Shim Eun Kyung's acting a lot as she really went into character for her role as Granny. I also like the theme of having second chances to pursue one's dreams. When we add the cute B1A4's Jung Jin Young as Granny's grandson, I see a bonus factor. This movie was very sweet and I would not mind seeing a sequel.

Lastly, I have seen the other romantic comedies, Whatcha Wearin' and Love Forecast. Whatcha Wearin' is a great romantic comedy where you watch the main couple, Ji Sung and Kim Ah Joong, fall in love as they go from strangers to lovers. It was a bit awkard for me to watch Ji Sung in a sex scene though. However, it's a great rom-com to watch at least once.

I was a bit disappointed in Love Forecast though despite the movie starring great leads Lee Seung Gi and Moon Chae Won. I am a great fan of Moon Chae Won, but I am not a great fan of the plot. There simply was not enough chemistry between the leads and I felt the love mostly fizzled since they were friends most of the movie. Lee Seung Gi's character had to go on a Gyro Drop amusement park ride to even spit out his confession for Moon Chae Won's character. I actually saw this movie on an airplane. However, I somehow would not mind watching it again.

Best Supporting Actor

Signal, Jo Jin Woong
Jealousy Incarnate, Go Kyung Pyo
Scarlet Heart: Ryeo, Kang Ha Neul
Goblin: The Lonely and Great God, Lee Dong Wook
Descendants of the Sun, Jin Goo
Cheese In the Trap, Seo Kang Joon



And the winner is...




DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Goblin: The Lonely and Great God, Lee Dong Wook

Ah! This list of nominees for the Best Supporting Actor is very tough. I think these actors were outstanding in their roles. However, if I had to pick a winner, it has to be Jo Jin Woong's character from Signal. It was hard enough already acting alone most of the time and he had to act such emotional scenes in the absence of other actors in his scenes. I cannot imagine crying the way he did while sitting in a car alone talking about the future.

Best Supporting Actress

Signal, Jo Jin Woong
Jealousy Incarnate, Go Kyung Pyo
Scarlet Heart: Ryeo, Kang Ha Neul
Goblin: The Lonely and Great God, Lee Dong Wook
Descendants of the Sun, Jin Goo
Cheese In the Trap, Seo Kang Joon



And the winner is...




DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Goblin: The Lonely and Great God, Yoo In Na

This category did not stand out for me as I did not notice any actresses that particularly did better than another nominee. I want to stay neutral on this category. However, there were some great performances and some of these ladies became rising stars who eventually became leads in the next drama.

Yoo In Na's character in Goblin: the Lonely and Great God did not stand out. She seems to take on the same type of role in every drama. However, she played her role well. I felt bad for her character since her memories were wiped out either through reincarnation or the Grim Reaper and there isn't anything she can do about her situation.

I was surprised to see Lee Sung Kyung in such a crazy role for Cheese in the Trap. I found her character fascinating because she is unrealistic, but still pursues her interest with no hesitation. After watching Lee Sung Kyung in this drama, I have definitely put her on the rising star radar and of course, she came back as the lead of a more popular drama, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo.

Descendants of the Sun's Kim Ji Won is also another rising star. I did not like her too much since she played an annoying character such as Yoo "Ra-El" (Rachel) in Heirs, but she has gotten more popular because of her strong woman role, which is strong enough to go against the leading lady, Song Hye Kyo's character in Descendants of the Sun. Just as I thought, Kim Ji Won became a loveable leading lady character in one of my favorite dramas, Fight My Way.

For Mao Xiao Tong, I was excited to see her in another drama again after obsessing over Love O2OThe Princess Weiyoung is another drama that sucked me in quickly as this is not the type of drama I could try to stop watching, so I watched about 21 episodes at once. In this drama, Mao Xiao Tong's character seems very innocent girl on the outside. Her family circumstances led her to be on the main character, Princess Weiyoung's side, but becomes more and more cunning as she tries to improve her prestige and her relationship with Prince Nanan or Tuoba Yu. This role is vastly different from her bubbly, clumsy, and charming role as the main character, Bei Weiwei's best friend in Love O2O. I am very interested in further watching Mao Xiao Tong dramas.

I did not watch Jealousy Incarnate fully and cannot comment on Park Ji Young's acting role. I also took sneak peaks at Please Come Back Mister, so I cannot comment on Lee Min Jung's role either. However, I would have thought Lee Min Jung is a main character and not a supporting character in the drama.


BEST SNS DRAMA


High End Crush
Touching You
Click Your Heart
Go Ho's Starry Night
Detective Alice
Thumping Spike



And the winner is...





DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Go Ho's Starry Night

I agree with the viewers. I enjoyed Go Ho's Starry Nighta lot. It was not a drama that I finished in one sitting, but I enjoyed every episode as there were five men who came into Go Ho's love life or at least wanted to be a contender to become her boyfriend. I would have flipped a table if Kim Young Kwang and Yuri's characters did not end up together. They are physically a beautiful couple. I am seeing so many sides to Kim Young Kwang with every drama. He has the ability to play a lot of different characters, but I love his angry characters such as this drama and D-day. I wish this was a full fledge drama as the story was too short. Our couple does not actually be together until the last episode and that was kind of disappointing since I wanted to see more sweet scenes. As a bonus, in this drama, I took notice of actor Shin Jae Ha and I knew he would be a rising star too. He played a memorable role as a younger, but lustful man than Yuri's character. He eventually took another noticeable role as Lee Jong Suk's brother and Kim So Hyun's boyfriend in While You Were Sleeping. It's not a bad deal, right?

High End Crush was strange SNS drama where I was not sure where exactly the plot was going. It started off interesting as Jung Il Woo's character instantly develops a crush on Jin Se Yun's character even though he is denying it for a good chunk of the drama. A major problem with this drama is that I did not feel that the female lead, Jin Se Yun's character, reciprocates Jung Il Woo's love. She seems to be rejecting him for most of the drama. The plot takes a weird turn as he tries to find her home in the mountains and she won't leave her home in the mountains to be with him or to work with him. I am not too impressed with actress Jin Se Yun since I had seen her previously in Doctor Stranger and I really wanted Lee Jong Suk's character to end up with Kang So Ra's character.

Initially, I did not want to watch Click Your Heart because I thought it would be a cheesy teenage drama. However, I gave it a try and found the drama experience interesting and entertaining. I did grow up on the choose-your-own-adventures children books and found it so entertaining. Knowing myself, I eventually ended up picking every type of ending just to see the result. My favorite ending is the B2 ending with Angel (Kang) Chani. I cried when I saw Angel Chani appear at the end after he wakes up from a coma. However, it was fairly disappointing to not see Min Ah and Chani's relationship develop because of lack of drama time. Because of this drama, I am introduced to the Neoz group, which eventually became the SF9 dance music boy group.

I did not have a chance to watch the Touching You and Detective Alice dramas, so I will not comment on it.

I did watch a few episodes of Thumping Spike and so far, the drama seems to be fun with an appealing lead couple, Hwang Seung Eon and Song Jae Rim. I did not want to see this drama because I was in the middle of watching We Got Married reality show with Song Jae Rim and Kim So Eun as one of the couples. Ironically, Kim So Eun is the main female lead for Thumping Spike 2 with another hottie, Lee Won Geun. On the other hand, Hwang Seung Eon already caught my interest when she played Han Ye Seul's sister in Madame Antoine where Hwang Seung Eon's character pretends to teach Lee Joo Hyung's character how to woo Han Ye Seul including how to do a steamy kiss. I would think there will be a steamy kiss in Thumping Spike because both Song Jae Rim and Hwang Seung Eon are great kissers.



BEST CHINESE LANGUAGE DRAMA


When a Snail Falls In Love
Life Plan A and B
Love O2O
The Princess Weiyoung
My Amazing Boyfriend
Bromance



And the winner is...




DRAMAFEVER WINNER: The Princess Weiyoung

This is one of my favorite categories, because I love Chinese dramas. I suppose Dramafever needs to have a Chinese category just to make sure a Chinese drama can win an award. Sadly, I did not watch many of the nominated dramas except for Love O2O and Bromance.

I did not actually finish The Princess Weiyoung drama. I am very captivated by the story line and amazed at how Princess Weiyoung, which is actually Princess Feng Xin'er who took Princess Weiyoung's identity to survive, actually escaped trouble and death so many times. Actually, this type of escape-trouble-or-death-at-every-turn is a classic Chinese story line, but it inspires me every time to believe that good will eventually overcome evil. While waiting for more episodes to come out, I eventually stopped watching to look at other dramas with available episodes. I will eventually finish this drama.

While I do enjoy The Princess Weiyoung, I think of Love O2O as the ultimate winner of this category. I was obsessed over this drama to the point where I am not over this drama even after it ended. I would search for anything to see Yang Yang and Zheng Shuang as a couple again. This pair is killing me and I wish they were a couple in real life. As a bonus, anybody who likes this pair can also go see their Jasmine Tea commercial, which they filmed before Love O2O. What amazes me about the Love O2O drama is that our main couple remained strong throughout the entire drama. Most dramas usually have situations or people who split up the main couple during the drama, but in this drama, nothing can separate this couple as they remain side by side through thick and thin. There is an amazing amount of trust between them, so even if they are doing other things or spending time with other people, there are no problems. Yang Yang's character is so mature that he lets Zheng Shuang's character resolve her own relationship problems without his help as he believes she can do it herself. As soon as their characters officially meet in real life as they are an online "married" couple in a MMORPG game, they became an official couple. I thought my brother, who is in the game industry, would like this drama, but surprisingly, my brother thought it was super cheesy and unrealistic. I am a romantic at heart, so I consider this couple the strongest couple I have ever seen in a drama.

I watched the Bromance drama, but I did not like the main couple played by Megan Lai and Baron Chen. I cringe at dramas where the female has to hide her identity by playing a male character. Although Megan Lai played her role fairly realistically, I still did not like it. The writer practically forced situations where they have to act as if they were a gay couple. If it were not for the side couple story line, I would have taken a long time to finish this drama. I became a fan of the Bii and Katie Chen couple. It was fun to watch them fall in love and it was fun to watch Katie Chen's character challenge Bii's character and pierce through his stoic demeanor. At first, I thought Katie's character faked her illness, but then she never lied to Bii's character as she really did have an illness. I have not felt this way about being obsessed over a secondary couple in a drama since Kim Bum and Kim So Eun, the Soeulmate couple in Boys Over Flowers


BEST KISS


Descendants of the Sun, Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Gyo
Another Oh Hae Young, Eric Mun and Seo Hyun Jin
Cinderella and Four Knights, Jung Il Woo and Park So Dam
Cheese In the Trap, Park Hae Jin and Kim Go Eun
Jealousy Incarnate, Jo Jung Suk and Gong Hyo Jin
Bromance, Baron Chen and Megan Lai



And the winner is...




DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Jealousy Incarnate, Jo Jung Suk and Gong Hyo Jin

By the way, I loved how Jo Jung Suk kissed the award after his acceptance speech. This is a category where I do not have to worry about whether I watched the drama or not, though I should at least watch every kiss scene.

I did see many steamy and passionate kiss scenes in Jealousy Incarnate and I understand why Jo Jung Suk and Gong Hyo Jin won the award. However, I am not too fond of this couple. I personally think Eric Mun and Seo Hyun Jin should win this award for Another Oh Hae Young because they look like a matching hot couple and their kiss scenes seem so passionate. I will give an honorable mention for Jung Il Woo and Park So Dam's drunk kiss scene in episode eight of Cinderella and Four Knights because it was so cute and natural.


BEST VARIETY SHOW


The Return of Superman
Running Man
After School Club (No longer available on Dramafever, but available on Viki)
Infinity Challenge
Simply K-pop (Not available on Dramafever, but available on Viki)
2 Days 1 Night



And the winner is...




DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Running Man

With 311 episodes available on Dramafever, we can see how ever-popular Running Man is for four Dramafever award seasons. In fact, Running Man is undefeated in this category. I cannot comment too much on this category because I do not have much time to actually watch variety shows. However, I do know that the Running Man show can easily make me laugh.



BEST BROMANCE


Bromance, Baron Chen and Megan Lai
Cinderella and Four Knights, Jung Il Woo and Ahn Jae Hyun
Descendants of the Sun, Song Joong Ki and Jin Goo
Jealousy Incarnate, Jo Jung Suk and Go Kyung Pyo
Goblin: The Lonely and Great God, Gong Yoo and Lee Dong Wook
Squad 38, Ma Dong Suk and Seo In Guk



And the winner is...




DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Cinderella and Four Knights, Jung Il Woo and Ahn Jae Hyun

Why is Baron Chen and Megan Lai in this category? I suppose if we talk about a fake bromance, then they would apply to this category or is Dramafever trying to include this drama in the nominees because it has the word, "Bromance," in it?

Jung Il Woo and Ahn Jae Hyun winning this category is a mystery for me. I judge bromance as having a tight bond between two guys. Jung Il Woo and Ahn Jae Hyun's characters were at odds for most of the drama where they give each other dirty looks, so I simply did not feel the bromance between them.

The top contenders for the award in my opinion would be between Descendants of the Sun's Song Joong Ki and Jin Goo and Goblin: The Lonely and Great God's Gong Yoo and Lee Dong Wook. Nobody can break Song Joong Ki and Jin Goo's bromance character bond because I would think that even if the two men were separated, they would still telepathically understand each other, especially on the battlefield when they have each other's backs and death can happen at any moment. Gong Yoo and Lee Dong Wook's characters have a good rapport despite them not liking each other. They may fight, but there are subtle hints that deep down inside, they care for each other. When the Goblin finally knows the truth about the Grim Reaper's identity, the Goblin's tears while he furiously grabbed the Grim Reaper by the collar proves that this was a painfully deep bromance. The Grim Reaper ends up praying at the temple for his sins.

For the record, I have not seen Squad 38 yet.


RISING STAR


Love O2O, Yang Yang
Cheese In the Trap, Nam Joo Hyuk
Let's Fight, Ghost, Kim So Hyun
Age of Youth, Park Hye Soo
Goblin: The Lonely and Great God, Yook Sung Jae
My Amazing Boyfriend, Wu Qian



And the winner is...




DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Cheese In the Trap, Nam Joo Hyuk

I do think that Nam Joo Hyuk is a rising star, but not because of Cheese In the Trap, where he did not receive much of a role besides being Park Min Ji's supportive boyfriend. If he won because of Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo, then I would most definitely support his win. However, his role in Cheese In the Trap is definitely a step up from School 2015 where his character was the chosen main boyfriend, but his character seemed unnecessary for the story.

Yang Yang is my pick for rising star since he especially became super famous after Love O2O. How can a man like Yang Yang be so cool? I first saw him in the movie, The Left Ear, where he played a model student-turn-corrupted, jerk character, so I did not admire him at that time because his character greatly disappointed me. However, I cannot wait for Yang Yang's next appearance on Dramafever besides his supporting role on I Belonged To You.

Kim So Hyun already was a rising star since starring in numerous dramas. I enjoy watching her works even though I may not like some of the dramas. I feel the same for Yook Sung Jae, who is already a rising star since School 2015 where up to the last episode, he almost stole Kim So Hyun's character away from Nam Joo Hyuk's character. By the way, Yook Sung Jae's performance as a spoiled rich boy and God (when God took over his body) in Goblin: The Lonely and Great God was very convincing. He is truly an actor who has solid acting skills. Since this category is for a rising star, which I tend to think it is for somebody who has not been an rising star before, I disqualified Kim So Hyun and Yook Sung Jae since they were already rising stars in my opinion.


BEST COUPLE


Another Oh Hae Young, Eric Mun and Seo Hyun Jin
Goblin: The Lonely and Great God, Gong Yoo and Kim Go Eun
Doctor Crush, Kim Rae Won and Park Shin Hye
Jealousy Incarnate, Jo Jung Suk and Gong Hyo Jin
Uncontrollably Fond (Lightly, Ardently), Kim Woo Bin and Suzy
Descendants of the Sun, Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Gyo



And the winner is...




DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Goblin: The Lonely and Great God, Gong Yoo and Kim Go Eun

I am not too surprised about the winner of this category since Goblin: The Lonely and Great God is a popular drama. However, I had a hard time believing that somebody as strong and mature as the Goblin would fall in love with a 16-year-old immature and hyper girl. Their relationship was not realistic to me. If Kim Go Eun's character was more mature, then I would have thought she matched well with the Goblin.

The Doctor Crush couple made me cringe. I am not saying that couples with a big age gap do not make a great couple, but I did not particularly feel any chemistry and love between the characters except for episode four where Kim Rae Won's character arrived on a helicopter and asked Park Shin Hye's character some direct questions to find out if she was still single. That scene made my heart skip a beat. The rest of the drama was romantically forgettable.

I know there is a huge following for Descendants of the Sun and the fact that Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo married each other in real life, but as far as the drama goes, I was initially interested in the couple, but as I continued watching the subsequent episodes and how Song Hye Kyo rejected Song Joong Ki, I felt romantically bored. I still need to finish the drama as I might have stopped half way. Their kissing scenes did not stir any interest for me. Since I previously saw Nice Guy before the Descendants of the Sun drama, I think Song Joong Ki's chemistry with Moon Chae Won is off the charts, which meant that their acting is awesome. My fantasies about them being together in real life has been stopped short.


BEST KOREAN DRAMA - COMEDY


Cheese In the Trap
Let's Fight Ghost
The Entertainer
Another Oh Hae Young
Cinderella and Four Knights
Jealousy Incarnate



And the winner is...




DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Cinderella and Four Knights

Eek! I cannot say too much about this category because I have not actually completely seen these dramas except for Cheese in The Trap. It seems that none of these nominees were particularly comedic in my opinion. 


BEST KOREAN DRAMA - MELODRAMA


Uncontrollably Fond (Lightly, Ardently)
The K2
Doctor Crush
Descendants of the Sun
Signal
Goblin: The Lonely and Great God



And the winner is...




DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Goblin: The Lonely and Great God

I am not sure how to judge this category as there are a lot of strong nominees. Goblin: The Lonely and Great God seems to be the appropriate winner. However, I also think The K2Descendants of the Sun, and Signalcan also be potential winners in that there were a lot of action scenes and Signal provided a lot of emotional cliffhangers.



BEST VILLIAN


Uncontrollably Fond (Lightly, Ardently), Im Joo Eun
The K2, Song Yoon Ah
Remember, Nam Goong Min
The Princess Weiyoung, Vanness Wu
Let's Fight Ghost, Kwon Yool
Descendants of the Sun, David McInnis



And the winner is...




DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Descendants of the Sun, David McInnis

The voters have spoken. They want to see more of David McInnis. When I first saw him, I wondered who he was. He played his classic villain role well. Even though I only watched half the drama, I wondered why he became a baddie in the first place. I know that he turned evil because selling weapons was profitable, but why would somebody change so suddenly?

I did watch several episodes of The K2 and deep down, I feel Song Yoon Ah's role was not a complete villain. She still has the ability to care for others such as when she was in a car crash, she was worried about Ji Chang Wook's character. However, since I did not finish the drama, maybe she became more villain later on.

I do not see Vanness Wu's character in The Princess Weiyoung as completely villain yet since I only watched half way. Vanness Wu makes his moves carefully and quietly, but because he has not taken any action, I do not see him as a full-fledged villain yet. Sometimes, certain situations force people to become villain.

I saw the nominated scene of Nam Goong Min in the video above and I am impressed by Nam Goong Min's performance. I did not watch the drama, Remember, yet. His character seems to have a lot of screws loose in his brain as he kills without hesitation. I think he can also be a winner along with David McInnis. I do prefer Nam Goong Min as a good guy since his villain role is so scary, though not as scary as actor Lee Min Ki's villian roles.


BEST ENSEMBLE


Dear My Friends
Squad 38
Scarlet Heart: Ryeo
Moorim School
Cheese In the Trap
Age of Youth



And the winner is...




DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Scarlet Heart: Ryeo

The Scarlet Heart: Ryeo ensemble winning this award seems fitting. Usually in historical dramas, the royal brothers endlessly scheme against each other for power, but at least for the first few episodes, the princes get along really well with the exception of Prince So, who is an outcast. I liked seeing them play games and make jokes together. Even the eldest Prince Yo enjoys the humor behind his serious face.

I would also root for the Moorim School ensemble because they show great teamwork despite their personal issues. I wish they had more action scenes together, but this drama aims at more drama than action. Lee Hyun Woo and Lee Hong Bin's friendship became so unusually strong that they would give up their ambitions for one another. The last episode where they confess their friendship is very touching. I am surprised they are not nominated for the Bromance category.

For me, the Cheese In the Trap ensemble was a big mess. I am not sure why they are nominated. Sadly, I did not watch the other nominated dramas.



BEST HISTORICAL DRAMA


Moonlight Drawn by Clouds
Mirror of the Witch
Imperial Doctress
Six Flying Dragons
The Princess Weiyoung
Scarlet Heart: Ryeo



And the winner is...




DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Scarlet Heart: Ryeo

I think Scarlet Heart: Ryeo was a popular drama with viewers and therefore is the imminent winner of this category. Seeing all these videos makes me want to finish this drama ASAP.

I cannot comment too much on this category because the only drama I watched in full was Imperial Doctress, which fell a bit short of my expectations due to the strange plots toward the end of the drama where the king was kidnapped and then our lead couple was eventually separated for many years.

However, I heard a lot of great things about Six Flying Dragons as well. I saw a few episodes so far, which was interesting, but there are a lot of characters introduced in the beginning. This drama is very long with 50 episodes. I will finish it one day.


BEST BAD BOY


Friend 2, Kim Woo Bin
So Young 2: Never Gone, Kris Wu
Scarlet Heart: Ryeo, Lee Joon Ki
Doctor Romantic, Han Suk Kyu
Cinderella and Four Knights, Ahn Jae Hyun
The K2, Ji Chang Wook


And the winner is...





DRAMAFEVER WINNER: The K2, Ji Chang Wook

This category is all subjective and I do support our winner, Ji Chang Wook. His action scenes are amazing. I have not seen his whole drama, but so far, I find it exciting to watch. He is our action bad boy winner.

I think Lee Joon Ki makes a great bad boy as well in appearances. He seems to be oozing with badness in Scarlet Heart: Ryeo. I think his metal face mask accentuates that bad boy look along with his black wardrobe.

As for an emotional bad boy, I vote for Ahn Jae Hyun in Cinderella and Four Knights. He made it so tough for his love interest, Son Na Eun, since he tried to push her away because of what happened in the past with her brother, his good friend. Because his character hides his emotions well, I honestly do not know if he liked leading lady, Park So Dam for real either as they tried to kiss, although I am not sure if that was a dream sequence. He even played a character with seemingly many girlfriends in My Love From Another Starso he seems to do his bad boy part well.

I have not seen the other nominated works.


BEST EATING SCENE


Let's Drink (Drinking Solo)
Les Interpretes
Goblin: The Lonely and Great God
Cinderella and Four Knights
Let's Fight Ghost
Another Oh Hae Young



And the winner is...




DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Let's Drink (Drinking Solo)

There is a clear winner in this category. Honestly, I think Dramafever made this category up just to give Let's Drink (Drinking Solo) their very own award. The other nominees with one or two scenes do not compare. The entire Let's Drink (Drinking Solo) show is about dining solo and even with drinks, there was a lot of food that makes me salivate in every episode. We even listen to Ha Suk Jin's character explain his philosophy for why he dines solo in almost every episode (We see other characters dine solo as well). This must be a very fun and delicious role for Ha Suk Jin to play and I am sure he will sell any food or drink commercial well in real life. In fact, why did this drama not get nominated for Best Ensemble or Best Korean Drama - Comedy? The bond among the entire cast was enjoyable to watch. As for the Dramafever winner video, it is funny to watch poor Park Ha Sun's character snack and drink beer while watching Ha Suk Jin's character eat and drink so well on his SNS (Social Network Service / Social Media).


I finally reviewed the entire Fifth Annual Dramafever awards. I hope you enjoy reading my opinions, but I am also sorry that I did not completely watch many of the nominated works. I recommend two dramas, which are not nominated in many categories as the two "must watch" dramas of 2016 year: Signal and Let's Drink (Drinking Solo).

I will try to revive my blog and write more in the future. Please look forward to more of my posts. By bye, for now.

Saturday, December 10, 2016

The Fourth Annual Dramafever 2015 Awards Review


Hello, readers. I am back to do my yearly review of the Dramafever awards. This has now become my yearly event since I am not able to blog often. I feel apologetic for not blogging more often, but life duty calls. 

This year, Dramafever seemed to have put together an informal version of the awards with only one award, the Best Actress Award, presented to the winner at the Dramafever KCON red carpet in New York. 

Dramafever has posted a video to recap all the winners, but of course, I would love to comment on my picks as well. Once again, I would like to know how the nominees were picked because I'm not sure I would consider some of these contenders nominee-worthy.

DISCLAIMER: I will sometimes mention spoilers because I am evaluating the nominees as a whole. I mostly speak in general terms, but it can still be a spoiler.



Best Actress

Twenty Again, Choi Ji Woo
Producer, Gong Hyo Jin
Heard It Through The Grapevine, Go Ah Sung
Oh, My Venus, Shin Min Ah
Mask, Park Soo Ae
Oh My Ghostess, Park Bo Young




DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Oh My Ghostess, Park Bo Young 

As mentioned before, Park Bo Young won an award for best actress. I think she did a great job in trying to portray both Na Bong Sun and Shin Soon Ae. We can see her bright sides and also depressing sides. I am even a bit greedy to want co-star Kim Seul Gi to take over as the main lead, which I will talk more about in the Best Supporting Actress category.

Park Soo Ae also tried to play dual roles in Mask.  However, her rich role was short-lived and she ended up playing the poor Byun Ji Sook trying to be the rich Seo Eun Ha. If Seo Eun Ha lived a little bit longer, I would give Park Soo Ae more credit for the nomination.

I honestly did not see Heard It Through The Grapevine so I cannot comment on Go Ah Sung. Shin Min Ah was disappointing for not actually gaining weight for her role. She acted well and losing or gaining weight is not a requirement, but I feel as though to get nominated for an award, she should make the body effort as well. Gong Hyo Jin and Choi Ji Woo did well in their roles, but the characters did not stand out for me.

Best Actor

Healer, Ji Chang Wook
Kill Me, Heal Me, Ji Sung
Oh My Ghostess, Jo Jung Seok
Punch, Kim Rae Won
Oh, My Venus, So Ji Sub
Yong Pal, Joo Won




DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Kill Me, Heal Me, Ji Sung

There is no surprise Ji Sung won for Best Actor after naturally portraying seven personalities in a single drama. I think we need to all applaud him for a job well-done. I continually love the original Cha Do Yeon and bad boy Shin Se Gi the most. Ji Sung definitely leads the pack among all the nominees for Best Actor. I have not seen Punch, but that seems to be a great drama to watch as well. Sadly, the average story line for Yong Pal did not help Joo Won secure the win. Ji Chang Wook and So Ji Sub did a good job as well.

Best Movie

Love Forecast
Gangnam Blues
Tazza 2: The Hidden CardTwenty
The Technicians
Detective K: Secret of the Lost Island





DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Tazza 2: The Hidden Card

I am not sure about this nomination category as I found most of these films not worthy of being nominated. Love Forecast was a fun rom-com, but it was not that special. Gangnam Blues was a sad, unfortunate story. The Twenty story line had me scratching my head wondering what happened as it was a forgettable movie. I thought The Technicians would be a good action movie, but the story line fell flat and I love actions movies. Sadly, I did not see Detective K: Secret of the Lost Island, so I cannot comment about it. Tazza 2: The Hidden Card is the better film out of all the films I had watched and I liked how there was crazy back-stabbing in the story. The final showdown had my scratching my head, but in the end, it is better to not make sense of everything and watch it as it is: a cool, gambling movie.

Best Supporting Actor

Cheer Up!, Ji Soo
Singles Villa, Jiro Wang
Jeju Island Gatsby aka Warm And Cozy, Kim Sung Oh
Answer Me, 1998, Go Kyung Pyo
She Was Pretty, Choi Si Won
School 2015, Yook Sung Jae



DRAMAFEVER WINNER: She Was Pretty, Choi Si Won

I have read that people love Choi Si Won's goofy behavior in She Was Pretty, but that was a major turnoff for me as his character is too silly. I'm not sure how I can consider him boyfriend material, but during his serious, heart-breaking rejection scenes, I did feel truly bad for him. I feel like dating Choi Si Won's character would be the equivalent to dating Jim Carrey and that might be too much for me to handle.

My pick would be Yook Sung Jae in School 2015. I wish and thought that he would be the leading man since he tried so hard to woo Kim Soo Hyun's character, Eun Bi, only to get his heart broken and him being labeled as a friend to Eun Bi. I read that Yook Sung Jae fans everywhere including me are eagerly waiting for his comeback to the screen where he actually gets the girl. It was my first time watching Yook Sung Jae in the acting realm, but he gave me a great performance in this drama.

I would also like to mention Ji Soo from Cheer Up! He is definitely a star to watch out for, a rising star. I feel like he is the type of character who does not necessarily need to get the girl because I am satisfied by watching him act in general. I have also been keeping an eye out for Kim Sung Oh, but hopefully, he will have a project worthy enough to be nominated for an award. He is an excellent actor.

Best Supporting Actress

Wu Xin: The Monster Killer, Sabrina Chen
Healer, Kim Mi Kyung
Oh My Ghostess, Kim Seul Gi
Mask, Yoo In Young
Producer, IU
She Was Pretty, Go Joon Hee




DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Oh My Ghostess, Kim Seul Gi

Kim Seul Gi: well deserved! I did not understand why Kim Seul Gi was not the main lead for this drama. Her character's chemistry with Jo Jung Seok's character was very sexy to say the least. I also have to thank Park Bo Young for portraying the ghostess personality so well. One of Kim Seul Gi's final scenes where she turns her father back around to go back to the human realm choked me in tears and I think that would have been the award-worthy scene. I cannot wait to watch more Kim Seul Gi dramas.

I would also like to mention that Mask's Yoo In Young and She Was Pretty's Go Joon Hee were strong contenders for the award as well. Yoo In Young was a villain who somehow made me feel extremely sorry for her in the end. I think Yoo In Young gave her character multiple layers of emotions and if not for her circumstances, I'm sure her character would have been a good person, but still a very devoted wife. Go Joon Hee was a similar character in that she did something wrong, but her honest actions made up for it and I could not help but cheer her on all the way to her dream career and hopefully, happiness with a man as well. Unfortunately, she did not date Choi Si Won's character.

Lastly, I did not watch Wu Xin: The Monster Killer so I cannot comment on Sabrina Chen's performance.

Best SNS Drama

EXO Next Door (Not available on Dramafever any longer due to the licensing agreement terms)
Secret Message
To Be Continued
Never Die
Noble My Love
Dream Knight



DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Secret Message

I can't really comment too much on the winner as I have not seen some of these nominated dramas. I do, however, really loved To Be Continued, even though the story line did not make sense. There were more questions than there were answers. As a result of watching the drama, I am now a happy ASTRO fan. I did watch Noble My Love, but I found it to be an okay story. I want to see Kim Jae Kyung in more dramas as she is pretty and I thought she was a good actress. I started watching Dream Knight, but found it boring after two episodes. I will try to finish it to form a better opinion.

By the way, I wonder why 9 Seconds - Eternal Time was not nominated. I thought this drama was surprisingly good even with an ambiguous ending. A lot of drama happened mid-way, which is surprising for an SNS drama where the story line tends to become simplistic and condensed.

Best Chinese Language Drama

Wu Xin: The Monster Killer
Tiger Mom
Marry Me or Not
Murphy's Law of Love
Divorce Lawyers
When I See You Again




DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Murphy's Law of Love

I have only seen a few of these dramas, but I am paying attention to a lot of Taiwanese dramas these days. I am currently in the middle of watching Murphy's Law of Love and I think this is a great drama so far. Danson Tang, the leading man, has a lot of potential to become a great actor. I want to see him in more dramas! He has certain mannerisms that are exaggerated such as when he is accused of something, he blinks excessively, but I find that refreshing right now. The story is sweet and easy to follow along.

On the other hand, I must choose Marry Me or Not as the winner. This decision is not something I need to think twice about since I love this drama so much and this one of my favorite Taiwanese dramas of all time with a drama filled with romantic tension between the leads. It is all because I love the the Roy Chiu and Alice Ke pairing and I wish they dated in real life. They have numerous kissing scenes in the drama, which appeals more toward mature viewers. For those who watched the ever popular Office Girls starring the two leads, watching Marry Me or Not is recommended as well. Who cares if the story line became dull and hurried towards the end? I would watch it for the explosive chemistry between Roy Chiu and Alice Ke.

Lastly, When I See You Again, seems to be an awesome drama as well because Jasper Liu is so hot in the drama. They made him look so nerdy in high school, but super handsome as an adult. I have seen him in other dramas, but I think he is especially handsome in this drama. I have only seen half the drama so far. The drama can be comical and I believe the drama is worth watching if you can endure many episodes of Jasper's character misunderstanding what happened to him in high school and Mandy Wei's character being too scared to be in a relationship.

Best Kiss

Kill Me, Heal Me, Ji Sung and Park Seo Joon
Oh My Ghostess, Park Bo Young and Jo Jung Seok
Healer, Ji Chang Wook and Park Min Young
Oh, My Venus, So Ji Sub and Shin Min Ah
Sensory Couple, Park Yoo Chun and Shin Se Kyung
Answer Me, 1998, Hye Ri and Park Bo Gum




DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Answer Me, 1998, Hye Ri and Park Bo Gum

This is a category that I am always interested in as I am always looking for the best kisses in Dramaland. I personally did not find anything special regarding Hye Ri and Park Bo Gum's kiss scene in Answer Me, 1998, but I suppose this couple won based on the immense popularity of the drama. The other thought I had in my mind was that Park Bo Gum's character, Taek, smokes throughout the drama and I personally cannot handle watching kisses from a smoker.

My personal pick would be Sensory Couple's Park Yoo Chun and Shin Se Kyung. Now that Park Yoo Chun's image has gone downhill, I'm sure my feelings towards his kiss scenes will be forever tarnished, but I am basing my opinion on the acting, scene, mood, and the chemistry between the two kissers. I like how this kiss was very romantic and I feel like I can see twinkles all over the screen in a dream-like fashion. Shin Se Kyung's character was initially reluctant to lean in to kiss Yoo Chun, but Yoo Chun gentle pulls her back for a soft, slow, sweet, and dreamy kiss. This scene is memorable to me and deserves to be a winner.

The Kill Me, Heal Me kiss was hardly a contender and all the other kisses were okay in my mind.

Best Variety Show

Unpretty Rapstar: Season 2
A Song For You: Season 3
Infinity Challenge
2 Days 1 Night
Running Man
The Return of Superman




DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Running Man

Good, Lord. As long as I have been covering the Dramafever awards (for three years now), Running Man won every single time for best variety show. I can understand that because I do love the Running Man variety show because it gave me some of the most painful belly laughs while watching the show. I find the show really addicting to watch. From his acceptance speech, Kim Jong Kook should come back to New York, right?

I also love The Return of Superman (though I am still watching The Return of Superman: The First Year), which shows us cute kids with their celebrity parent or parents. Honestly, watching The Return of Superman really helped me through my emotional turmoil as a new parent. Unfortunately, I do not watch any other variety shows, so I cannot truly comment on this award. I did watch some of A Song For You: Season 3, but I quickly found it boring with not much variety happening.

Best Bromance

Orange Marmalade, Yeo Jin Goo and Lee Jong Hyun
Cheer Up!, Lee Won Geun and Ji Soo
She Was Pretty, Park Seo Joon and Choi Si Won
School 2015, Nam Joo Hyun and Yook Sung Jae
Running Man, Kim Jong Kook and Lee Kwang Soo
Oh, My Venus, Henry Lau and Sung Hoon



DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Running Man, Kim Jong Kook and Lee Kwang Soo 

Kim Jong Kook and Lee Kwang Soo should just win the Best Bromance award for life because they are life-long, bromance buddies. I am sure they will always be a winner as long as they are nominated.

Meanwhile, if we are going to talk about dramaland, I would vote for Oh, My Venus' Henry Lau and Sung Hoon. They are always on-beat with everything they do, always finishing each other's sentences, and easily taking in each other's thoughts. I'm sure Henry's character influenced Sung Hoon to accept girlfriend Jun Hye Sung (played by Jang Yi Jin). In the end, the two men motivated each other to great lengths.

I have not seen Orange Marmalade so I cannot comment on that. I would also consider Lee Won Geun and Ji Soo's bromance on Cheer Up! They might have won, but there were secrets in their relationship. Unlike Henry Lau and Sung Hoon's characters who knew each other's thoughts, Lee Won Geun's character did not know everything about Ji Soo's character. Ji Soo's character was so secretive and unpredictable that it would be hard for Lee Won Geun's character to keep an eye on his friend all the time. Lee Won Geun's character does know more than anybody else about the troubles with Ji Soo's character and his father, but apparently not enough since who knows when Ji Soo's character might lose his life. Lastly, the She Was Pretty and School 2015 couple did not have much of a bromance at all since they were mostly rivals in love.

Rising Star

Blood, Ahn Jae Hyun
Fool's Love, Choi Woo Shik
Because It's The First Time, Park So Dam
Cheer Up!, Chae Soo Bin
Answer Me, 1998, Hye Ri
Answer Me, 1998, Park Bo Gum



DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Answer Me, 1998, Park Bo Gum
Park Bo Gum's immense popularity cannot be ignored. Sadly, the only dramas I saw so far was Cheer Up! and Answer Me, 1998, so I cannot comment too much. All I can say is this award is probably well deserved.

Best Couple

Sensory Couple, Park Yoo Chun and Shin Se Kyung
Oh My Ghostess, Park Bo Young and Jo Jung Seok
Oh, My Venus, So Ji Sub and Shin Min Ah
Healer, Ji Chang Wook and Park Min Young
Murphy's Law of Love, Danson Tang and Le Jia Yang
Kill Me, Heal Me, Ji Sung and Hwang Jung Eum




DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Healer, Ji Chang Wook and Park Min Young

I am still in the middle of watching Healer, so I cannot comment on the winners yet. As for all the other nominees, I do not have a strong couple impression of each couple except for Murphy's Law of Love, which I am also in the middle of watching, where I see Danson Tang's character have an undeniable attraction to Le Jia Yang's character. I find their relationship irresistible to watch.

Best Korean Drama - Comedy


This award is a tough award to distinguish the winner. I suppose Kill Me, Heal Me is a good drama to win this category. I cannot help but also think about Sensory Couple and Park Yoo Chun. I think a guy who cannot feel and is a cop a hilarious premise for comedy.

Best Korean Drama - Melodrama


I have not seen these dramas fully except for Yong Pal and Mask. I did enjoy Mask a lot for all its pretzel-type plot lines, so I would probably pick Mask for the win.

Best Villain

Mask, Yeon Jung Hoon
Oh My Ghostess, Im Joo Hwan
Sensory Couple, Namgoong Min
Blood, Ji Jin Hee
Hyde, Jekyll, and I, Sung Joon
The Scholar Who Walks the Night, Lee Soo Hyuk





DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Sensory Couple, Namgoong Min

I have seen numerous reviews stating that Namgoong Min can portray a villain really well. He can definitely make a creepy smile. I am in the middle of the Sensory Couple drama where I begin to see his villain side. I do not doubt his acting chops.

Yeon Jung Hoon is also excellent in Mask. He is also another excellent actor who portrayed his role well. Im Joo Hwan had the quiet villain role, which gave me the creeps. Sung Joon also acted well into his psychiatric role in Hyde, Jekyll, and I. I almost wanted to watch him longer in the drama. This year is the first time I am introduced to Lee Soo Hyuk in The Scholoar Who Walks the Night. He has such a big, impressive, vampire, villain role. He did so well with it and was very much in character. I think this is his best role up-to-date despite moving on to other dramas after his rise in popularity. Lastly, I did not have a chance to see Ji Jin Hee in Blood.

Best Ensemble

Cheer Up!
Answer Me, 1998
Because It's The First Time
Oh My Ghostess
Oh, My Venus
Kill Me, Heal Me




DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Oh, My Venus

I can see why Oh, My Venus, would win since the cast was so much fun to watch and comedic. I genuinely cared about all the characters. They seem to throw great parties too.

I, however, loved the cast of Cheer Up! The relationships among the "Real King" and "Baek Ho" students are touching. To see how people learn to work together is very meaningful to me, which makes me choose this drama as my personal favorite.




DRAMAFEVER WINNER: BIGBANG: 'MADE' TOUR

I have seen Mnet Asian Music Awards and I Am. However, I do not see a clear winner here since I'm sure all shows would be a great chance to be a fan of all these artists.

Best Historical Drama

MaidsShine or Go Crazy
Wu Xin: The Monster Killer
The King's Face
The Scholar Who Walks the Night
Hwajung





DRAMAFEVER WINNER: The Scholar Who Walks the Night

I admit that I have not watched any of the nominated Historical dramas except for The Scholar Who Walks the Night. I was captivated by the story line, yet naturally scared of the vampire aspect. I still have not finished the drama, but I would recommended it for those who like the vampire aspect. It also has one of my favorite actresses in it: Kim So Eun. As I mentioned before, Lee Soo Hyuk makes a great ultimate Gwi vampire. Lee Joon Ki is also excellent in character with all the expressions he has to make for this role, especially when he tries to hold back his lust-for-blood expression.

Best K-Pop Act in a Drama

To Be Continued (ASTRO)Secret Message (T.O.P from Big Bang)
EXO Next Door
Cheer Up! (Jung Eun Ji of Apink)
Dream Knight (GOT7)
Because It's the First Time (Choi Min Ho from SHINee)





DRAMAFEVER WINNER: Dream Knight (GOT7)

I have watched To Be Continued, EXO Next Door, Cheer Up!, and a little bit of Dream Knight. Out of all those dramas, Cheer Up! was a personal winner for me for its meaningful story lines. I enjoy watching characters grow and learn from their experiences. The other dramas I watched seem to have a shallow story line, but no doubt, lots of eye candy. Jung Eun Ji plays her character well and I kind of wish she dated Lee Won Geun in real life. Jung Eun Ji's character, Kang Yeon Doo, also has the ability to positively affect those around her.

I also enjoyed To Be Continued and even became an instant fan of ASTRO. The story concept was good, but left me with so many questions and so little answers by the end of the story. I would enjoy this drama for the boys themselves.

I could not get interested in Dream Knight yet. I saw maybe two episodes, but the story was already cheesy. EXO Next Door did not have a great story line either, but what made it great was Chanyeol and Sehun's characters, which really stood out. Sehun had a small role, but he has great comedic ability, which surprises me as he is a first-time actor.

Best Womance

Oh My Ghostess, Park Bo Young and Kim Seul Gi
Cheer Up!, Jung Eun Ji and Chae Soo Bin
Twenty Again, Choi Ji Woo and Jung Soo Young
Oh, My Venus, Shin Min Ah and Yoo In Young
Love Cuisine, Allison Lin and Nita Lei
She Was Pretty, Hwang Jung Eum and Go Joon Hee





DRAMAFEVER WINNER: She Was Pretty, Hwang Jung Eum and Go Joon Hee

I am glad Dramafever is acknowledging women friendships. However, I do not consider frenemies to be nominated for this category, but I suppose if they make up in the end, it sort of counts. In my mind, I disqualified Cheer Up! friends Jung Eun Ji and Chae Soo Bin because Chae Soo Bin's character did so many evil things to Jung Eun Ji's character.

I like the Oh My Ghostess pair, Park Bo Young and Kim Seul Gi, but their friendship was unrealistic. Park Bo Young's character accepted their relationship so fast and she never questioned anything about Kim Seul Gi's character because of Park Bo Young's mild character. I have trouble believing Park Bo Young's character became bolder in the end.

The Oh, My Venus friends were only friends briefly in the beginning and at the end. They break up and make up too easily for my taste. Also, for Yoo In Young's character to hold her anger in for so many years must have created a lot of emotional damage for her to simply accept her friendship with Shin Min Ah again.

The Twenty Again pairing was okay, but the relationship was not anything special or memorable. I have not seen Love Cuisine so I cannot comment on it.

This leads me to our Winners, which I fully support: Hwang Jung Eum and Go Joon Hee in She Was Pretty. I actually thought the drama was not that great, but their friendship was worth mentioning in the drama. They are die-hard best friends and Go Joon Hee's remorseful character was so touching that she was willing to change her entire life because of it. I was very moved and jealous of their tight relationship. It would be great if all of us has a best friend like those two friends even in the event of a betrayal.

Friends, this leaves us at the conclusion of the Fourth Annual Dramafever 2015 Awards. I am very sorry that I wrote and eventually posted this late, but I'll say better late than never. See you at the next awards and I cannot wait!

Update cookies preferences