It’s the end of 2015 (just a day or so late) and that means I get to look back and share my favorite dramas of the year.  Because more than anything, I love enabling everyone when it comes to kaddiction.  So get your pen and paper out and write down the following drama gems.

DISCLAIMER:

There are just so many dramas out there that I want to talk about.  So many great moments and characters that I learned to love.  How can one just whittle the list down to a small handful of options?  It’s impossible.  So I managed to whittle it down to specific categories with my favorites within.  What?  Dramas are like my children, you can’t just pick one over the other.

Modern Classics: Those must watch dramas that are going to be suggested to all and watched over and over for years to come.  These are the dramas that are not only the most talked about, but also watched by the largest amount of kdrama viewers since they tend to be romantic comedies.

Reply 1988

We still have two weeks left, but no matter who ends up being the husband this will be a forever favorite of mine.  It proves that with a great ensemble cast and an intricate slice of life script you can create drama gold regardless of OTP’s or kdrama tropes.  I will truly mourn the end of this show and only hope that all my favorite actors will have lots of opportunities to entertain in future projects.

Falling For Innocence

I will literally watch anything Jung Kyung Ho decides to star in.  Sadly, some of the shows end up being less than stellar (I am talking about you Endless Love……still bitter).  So it is always a wonderful surprise when one of Kyung Ho’s dramas ends up being really entertaining.  While not surpassing Doc Son (his character from Heartless City), Kang Min Ho is now solidly in 2nd place as my favorite Jung Kyung Ho role.   The mixture of tough and inept goofy just won my heart.  I would highly suggest this drama for anyone looking for a mix of funny melo.

Healer

This is one of those cases where an OTP had so much chemistry it distracted you from the plot holes throughout the rest of the show.  It was highly entertaining and as long as you don’t try to figure out the bad guys motivation you will be thrilled with this action drama.

The Tears Just Keep Coming: Sometimes you are just in the mood for a good cry and look towards kdramas to fulfill that need for you.  If that is what you are looking for then get your box of tissues handy and try out one of these emotional picks.

Kill Me Heal Me

While there were tons of humorous scenes in this drama, it is the moments that made me cry that made it one of the best of 2015.  It is hard enough to make one character likable, let alone 5 (only counting the 5 that were heavily portrayed out of the 7).  I totally bawled like a baby when they all said goodbye.

Last

This is one of those dramas that sounded so boring in its synopsis, but the actual show was anything but.  With intricate cons, wonderfully flawed heroes, and the 2nd best action scenes of the year, this is a must watch drama.

Getting My Hanbok On: For those that love all things Sageuk.  These were the best of the best historicals South Korea had to offer.  Sadly, the list is not as long as I would have liked but at least the first half of 2015 gave us some true gems.

Six Flying Dragons

I know that we still have a lot of time left in this drama, but I figure I love it enough for it to be both a favorite of 2015 & 2016.  Yes, it really is that good.  With a huge budget, the best sageuk writers, and an award-winning cast, Six Flying Dragons is the new bar which all other historicals should look to surpass.  Even if you have never dabbled with Saguek’s before, I would highly suggest this show.  It is a must watch.

Splash Splash Love

With all the best qualities of a time travel drama mixed with a saguek, Splash Splash Love is fusion saguek done right. I especially enjoy that they don’t give us time to see the issues with any of the time traveling aspects of the drama but instead hit us with adorable rom-com hijinks right from the get go.  It also gave me an OTP craving for more Yoon Doo Joon & Kim Seul Gi.  Who do we have to pay to get this couple back together in 2016?

The Suspense is Killing Me: These are the dramas that perfected the cliffhanger.  Those pesky end scenes that make sure you will suffer for a full week before finding out if your favorite characters really are killers or just misunderstood.

I Remember You

Suspense, romance, and a ton of bromance, all combine to create an intricate psychological thriller.  It also introduced the world to Park Bo Gum who stole the show (I still love you Seo In Guk) and made me rethink my whole “serial killers are all bad guys” stance.

Veteran (movie)

This is one of those movies that is pure adrenaline and suspense.  Coming out of the movie theater I was sure I would give it an R rating until I thought back and realized that almost everything was just implied violence.  Almost nothing was shown on the screen.  It tells you how good a show is that it can have you cringing with just the thought of what happened.  This is yet another solid performance by Yoo Ah In.

Across the Border: While I tend to watch mostly kdramas, there are some other Asian countries that produced some “must watch” TV this year.  So order some sushi and Chinese takeout as we dive into my foreign favorites!

Nirvana in Love

Those of you who read the blog, follow me on twitter, or am friends on facebook, know that I have promoted the heck out of this drama.  That is because it is absolutely perfect.  With an intricate Machiavellian plot, amazing cinematography, and some of the best actors China has to offer, Nirvana In Love is the #1 (or at least tied with Six Flying Dragons) drama to watch from 2015.

Ouroboros

This is by far, one of the best crime dramas of all time, not just 2015.  What I love most is that instead of your usual good guy leading men, these two besties are about as gray as two anti-heroes can get.  They threaten and kill their way to the truth in this gritty Japanese drama.

Love Me If You Dare

I am not sure if I have ever seen a better mix of suspense, humor, and romance in one drama.  This show does it effortlessly as a profiler and his assistant hunt down serial killers.  I truly love this OTP even if I have to be sure to watch this during the daytime.  It is not for the faint of heart.

Did I get your favorite of 2015 on the list?  Feel free to let me know which dramas you thought should have been included. Also if anyone wants more information on any of the above mentioned dramas, just ask.  I love helping people further their drama enjoyment and would be happy to help you find where to watch them, or provide further information on actors or synopsis.

Til Next Time,

Kmuse

Below are the links to all of our 2015 reviews.

Favorite Actors https://dramaswithasideofkimchi.wordpress.com/2015/12/25/kmuses-end-of-year-countdown-favorite-kdrama-actors-of-2015/

Favorite OTB (One True Bromance) https://dramaswithasideofkimchi.wordpress.com/2015/12/07/kmuses-end-of-year-countdown-favorite-kdrama-otb-one-true-bromance-of-2015/#more-3253

Kpop Best and Worst of 2015 https://dramaswithasideofkimchi.wordpress.com/2015/12/18/the-fangirls-best-worst-kpop-of-2015/

Favorite Actresses

https://dramaswithasideofkimchi.wordpress.com/2015/12/11/kmuses-end-of-year-countdown-favorite-actresses-of-2015/

Kmuse & Jen’s love hate with 2015

https://dramaswithasideofkimchi.wordpress.com/2015/12/26/kdrama-jen-kmuses-lovehate-relationship-with-2015/

Favorite Couples of 2015

https://dramaswithasideofkimchi.wordpress.com/2015/12/29/kmuses-end-of-year-countdown-couples-edition-2015/

Top Rating Khotties of 2015

https://dramaswithasideofkimchi.wordpress.com/2015/12/14/2015-khotties-according-to-korea/

Best Secondary Actresses of 2015

https://dramaswithasideofkimchi.wordpress.com/2015/12/04/kmuses-best-secondary-characters-of-2015/