To All the Kdramas I have loved before

What if one day I should forget who I was? Should I compile a list of Kdramas I have watched before? Will this help me in my own amnesia story? haha

If people being the sum of our experiences,( B.J Neblett) in that respect, I think we can tally up some kind of viewer experience after all the different dramas we have watched.

I have been watching Korean dramas on and off for the better part of these past xx years. Some resonated with me and I remember them fondly, some were a forgettable mess. From campy unapologetic fluff, to deep and meaningful stories, I am sure we all watched some of these one time or another.

Some I finished wishing it will never end, some I forgot it the moment its over. Some I just stopped watching after a few episodes. Some I will rewatch it now and then, because with time and different experiences, I may have a new appreciation for the story.

TV Ratings % indicate how popular the drama was during its air time.
For Ref – in the 2000s, 30% was attainable for many prime time dramas.
Until 2016, 20% for a free-to-air drama was common for trending dramas.
With these past two years, the ratings game have changed alot, with better drama budgets for Cable dramas, seeing their ratings to rise sharply from 2% to even getting close to 20%… while the ‘Big 3’ free-to-air channels ( SBS, KBS and MBC) seeing a sharp plunge to single digit ratings.

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(Not in order of when I viewed them)

Winter Sonata 2002 ( Choi Ji Woo, Bae Yong joon )
KBS 2002

Themes: Childhood First Loves, Amnesia, Illness is Blind

16.3%-24.5%

REWATCH : No

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Summer Scent ( Song Seung Heon, Son Ye Jin)
KBS 2003

Themes: The Heart Wants what the Heart Wants

Avg 10.7%

REWATCH : No

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Full House ( Song Hye Kyo, Rain )
KBS 2004
Min Hyo Jung

Themes : Rich Man-Poor Woman, Forced co-habitation, Clash of two worlds, Debt and Dependency, Contract marriage

25.9%-42.2%

REWATCH : No

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Ballad of Seodong ( Jo Hyun Jae, Lee Bo young )
SBS 2005
Kim Young Hyun

Ah, my first sageuk.

Themes : Birth secret, Rich Woman-Poor Man, Brainy is sexy, Self-made man

Back when sageuks gave us chaste hugs, and it was enough.

16.8%-25%

REWATCHED : Yes

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My Lovely Samsoon ( Kim Sun-a, Hyun Bin)
MBC 2005
Kim Do woo

Themes : Rich Man-Poor Woman, Baking Genius, CEO with Weakness

17.4% – 49.1%

REWATCH : No

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My Girl ( Lee Dong Wook, Lee Da Hae )
SBS 2005
Hong Sisters

Themes : Rich man-Poor Woman, Love and Lies, Debt sucks, Life is a Con

14.6% – 24.9%

REWATCH : No

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Couple or Trouble ( Han Ye Seul, Oh Ji Ho )
MBC 2006
Hong Sisters

Themes : Rich Woman-Poor Man, Amnesia, Cohabitation makes the Heart grow fonder, Makgeolli is better than Wine

11.1% – 22.7%

REWATCHED : Yes

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Princess Hours  ( Ju Jihoon, Yoon Eun Hye)
MBC 2006
In Eun-a

Themes : Royalty-Commoner Love is no Fairytale, Match-made Marriages, Scandalous lives of Royals

16.2% – 28.3%

REWATCH : No

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Jumong ( Song Il Gook, Han Hye Jin )
MBC 2007

Themes: I binged this during the CNY holiday with a DVD box set, and now cannot remember anything since I fast forwarded alot LOL
I seem to recall scenes and scenes of different people huddled over tables, plotting

16.3%-51.9%

REWATCH : No

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The_1st_Shop_of_Coffee_Prince ( Yoon Eun Hye, Gong Yoo )
MBC 2007

Themes : Rich Man-Poor Woman, Cross-dressing, Love Transcends Genders

14.4%-27.7%

REWATCH : No

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You’re Beautiful  ( Jang Keun Suk, Park Shin Hye)
SBS 2009
Hong Sisters

Themes: Idol Man-Normal Woman, Cross Dressing, Everyone likes the girl

9.2%-10.3%

REWATCH : Maybe

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Tamra the Island ( Seon Woo, Im Ju Hwan)
MBC 2009

Themes: Yangban-Village Girl, Mismatched Couple, Undercover Man

REWATCHED : Yes, its just so cute

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He Who Can’t Marry ( Ji Jin Hee, Uhm Jung Hwa )
KBS 2009
Yeo Ji na

Themes : Set in your ways, Not all Change is Bad

8.2%-8%

REWATCHED : Yes

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Sungkyunkwan_Scandal ( Park Minyoung, Park Yoochun, Yoo Ah in, Song Joong Ki )
KBS 2010

Themes : Rich Man-Poor Woman, Cross-dressing, Brainy is sexy, Everyone likes the girl

6.3%-12.8%

REWATCH : No

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Personal Taste ( Son Yejin, Lee Min ho)
MBC 2010
Kim Heeju

Themes : Undercover Housemate, Love and Lies

12.5%-11.1%

REWATCH : No

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49 Days ( Lee Yo won, Nam Gyu ri, Jung ilwoo, Jo Hyun Jae )
SBS 2011
So Hyun Kyung

Themes : Possession, Secrets and Betrayals, Truth comes out when you are dead, Quest for True Love, Hot Angels , Reforestation is important

8.1%-17.1%

REWATCH : NOO ( While I remembered enjoying the drama, all we got was a tree )

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The Thorn birds ( Han Hye Jin, Kim Minjung, Joo Sang wook )
KBS 2011
Lee Sun Hee

Themes : Birth secret, Step-mums are not (always) evil, Self-made man is HOT

6.3%-11.5%

REWATCH : No

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City Hunter ( Lee Min Ho, Park Min young, Lee Jun Hyuk )
SBS 2011

Themes : Double Life, Vengeance is sweet but so is Love, Cloak and Daggers, Sins of the fathers

10.5%-18%

REWATCH : No

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The Greatest Love ( Cha Seung Won, Gong Hyo Jin )
MBC 2011
Hong sisters

Theme : Rich Man-Poor Woman, Can’t help Falling for you ( can’t remember much )

8.4%-21%

REWATCH : No

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Secret Garden ( Hyun Bin, Ha Ji Won)
SBS 2010
Kim Eun Sook

Theme : Rich Man-Tough Woman, Can’t help Stalking You, Body Swapping Magic

17.2%-35.2%

REWATCH : No
( Now I wonder why we thought Forcing Your Feelings onto another person was romantic?)

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New Tales of Gisaeng ( Im Soo Hyang, SungHoon Han Hyerin )
SBS 2011
Im Sung han

Themes : Rich Man-Poor Woman, If Gisaengs Still Exist, Birth Secrets

10.4%-28.3%

REWATCH : No ( It was very satisfying makjang though )

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Scent of a Woman ( Kim Sun-a, Lee Dong Wook )
SBS 2011
Noh Ji Seol

Themes : Rich Man-Dying Woman, Dr Poopy Pants is LOVE

15.8%-14.1%

REWATCH : No

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SPECIAL AFFAIRS TEAM TEN ( Joo Sang Wook, Jo An, Kim Sang Ho, Choi Woo Shik )
OCN 2011
Nam Sang Wook (S1-2), Lee Jaegon (S1)

Themes : Monster catching Monsters, Don’t Fight Alone

Won Grand Prize at 6th Cable TV Broadcasting Awards 2012 ( cannot find ratings records )

REWATCH : YES, this series is Joo Sang Wook’s best role for me so far

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Vampire Prosecutor Season 1 and 2 ( Yeon Jung Hoon, Lee Won Jong, Lee Young Ah)
OCN 2011, 2012

Themes: Crime Sucks So Good

1.8%-1.7%

REWATCH : YES!

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Arang_and_the_Magistrate ( Lee Joon Ki, Shin Min-ah )
MBC 2012
Jung Yoon Jung

Themes : Amnesia Sucks, The 6th Sense, Loving a Ghost, Strong Spirit Triumphs

4.9%-12.4%

REWATCH : No

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The 1000th Man ( Gang Ye Won, Lee Chun Hee)
MBC 2012
Kim Kyun Tae

Themes: Love or Survival, Ruthlessness is Necessary to Live

REWATCH : Maybe

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Bridal Mask ( Joo Won, Jin Se Yeon, Park Ki Woong)
KBS 2012
Yoo Hyun Mi

Themes : Double Life, Best Pals gone wrong, War is Terrible

12.7%-22.9%

What I remember : Joo won’s quizzical eyebrows
REWATCH : No

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The King of Dramas ( Kim Myung Min, Jung Ryeo won)
SBS 2012
Jang Hang jun, Lee Jihyo

Themes: PPL is KING, Ruthless CEO falls for rookie writer

This drama opened my eyes and I never could go back to the time when I did not recognize a Product Placement.

6.5%-6.7%

REWATCH : Maybe

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A Gentleman’s Dignity
( Ensemble : Jang Dong jun, Kim Ha Neul, Kim Suro, Kim Min Jong, Lee Jong Hyuk )
SBS 2012
Kim Eun Sook

Themes : Set in your ways, All you need is Bromance

14.1%-23.5%

REWATCHED : Yes

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Queen InHyun’s Man ( Ji Hyun Woo, Yoo Inna)
tvN 2012
Song Jae jung

Themes : Screwing with Time, Messing with Fate, IT IS ALL WORTH IT

This drama remains up there with my favorite time-travelling Kdramas.

Ratings : Unavailable ( Average TNMS Ratings for 16 eps was 0.76% )
Oh the injustice to a wonderful series

REWATCHED : YES

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Rooftop Prince ( Park Yoo Chun, Han Ji Min )
SBS 2012
Lee Hee Myung

Themes : Time Crossed Lovers, Poor Man acting Rich-Poor Woman, Deadly Sibling Rivalries

9.8%-14.8%

REWATCH : No

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Reply 1997 ( Jung Eun Ji, Seo In Guk )
tvN 2012
Lee Woojung, Lee Sunhye, Kim Ranjoo

Themes: Growing Pains, Blazing Passion of Fangirls

1.2%-7.5%

REWATCH : I tried, but now I can’t stand Shi won’s tantrums

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Gu Family Book (Lee Seung gi , Suzy)
MBC 2013
Kang Eun-Kyung

Themes : Human-0.5 Demon Love

One big fantasy mess. I can’t even remember- did I stop watching?

11.2%-19.5%

REWATCH : NOoOOOooOoooooo

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You’re the Best Lee Soon Shin! ( IU, Jo Jung Suk )
KBS 2013
Jung Yookyung

Themes: Birth Secrets, Like Mother like Daughter, A Star is Born

22.25%-30.1%

REWATCH : No

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Flower Boys Next Door ( Park Shin Hye, Yoon Shi yoon, Kim Ji hoon )
tvN 2013
Kim Eun Jung

Themes : Rich Man-Thrifty Woman, (Forced to) Changing your ways, You Snooze-You lose

0.5%-1.4%

REWATCH : Maybe

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Master’s Sun ( So Jisub, Gong Hyojin )
SBS 2013
Hong Sisters

Themes : The 6th Sense, You are the Only One, Rich Man-Poor Woman, Scary yet Touching Supernatural, Childhood Mystery, Amnesia

13.6% – 21.8%

REWATCHED : YESS

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Healer ( Ji Chang Wook, Park Min Young )
KBS 2014
Song Ji na

Themes : Double Life : Clarke Kent-Superman, Saving money for your Dream, Sins of Siblings

7.8%-9%

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It’s Okay, That’s Love ( Jo In Sung, Gong Hyo Jin )
SBS 2014
Noh Hee Kyung

Themes : Childhood Trauma, Mental Health is Scary Important

I only watched this because I wanted to check out Do Kyung Soo’s acting here, turns out this drama is quite a gem.

9.3%-12.9%

REWATCH : Yes

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Bad Guys (Ensemble : Kim Sang joong, Ma Dong Seok, Park Haejin, Jo Dong hyuk)
OCN 2014

Themes : Bad guys are so bad here, its so good

1.25%-4.1%

REWATCH : Maybe

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Let’s Eat ( Lee Sookyung, Yoon Doojoon )
tvN 2013

Themes : Food PORN with Friends

1.3%-1.4%

REWATCHED : Yes

Let’s Eat 2 ( Yoon Doojoon, Seo Hyun Jin )
tvN 2015

Themes : MORE Food PORN, Can’t remember much else

1%-2.6%

REWATCH : No

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Misaeng : Incomplete Life ( Ensemble cast )
tvN 2014

Themes : Work Sucks, Life Sucks, Life can be like Baduk

1.6% – 8.2%

REWATCH : Yes

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Oh My Ghostess ( Park Bo Young, Jo jung suk, Kim Seulgi )
tvN 2015
Yang Hee seung, Yang Seo yoon

Themes: The 6th Sense, Possessions, Spirtitual Personality Boost, HOT things happen in Kitchen, Hands On Approach

2.6%-7.3%

REWATCH : Nope

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I Remember You/ Hello Monster ( Seo In Guk, Jang Nara, Choi Won Young, Park Bogum )
KBS 2015
Kwon Kiyoung

Themes : Childhood Trauma – VERY BAD, Cat and Mouse Games

4.7%-5.1%

REWATCH : Yes

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Hogu’s Love ( Choi Woo Shik, Uee )
tvN 2015
Yoon Nanjoong

Themes : Unplanned Pregnancy, Nice guys won’t finish last

1%-1.4%

REWATCH : No

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Twenty Again ( Choi Ji Woo, Lee Sang Yoon)
tvN 2015
So Hyun Kyung

Themes: Its Not too Late to Live your Life

3.5%-7.2%

REWATCH : No

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Who Are You: School 2015 ( Kim SoHyun, Yook Sung Jae, Nam Joo hyuk)
KBS 2015
Kim Hyun jung, Kim Min jung

Themes: Seeing Double, Bored Chaebol-Sweet Girl, School can be DARK

3.8%-8.2%

REWATCH : Hmm

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The Producers ( Cha Tae Hyun, Gong Hyo Jin, Kim Soohyun, IU )
KBS 2015
Park Jieun, Kim Jisun

Themes : Love and Attraction, Showbiz is Hard, Love and Friendship

10.1%-17.7%

REWATCHED : Yes

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Splash Splash Love ( Kim Seulgi, Yoon Doo joon)
MBC | Naver TV Cast 2015 ( 2 episode short drama)
Kim Jihyun

Themes : Cross Dressing, Royal Man-Poor Student, Time Crossed Lovers

3.3%-2.5%

REWATCHED : Yes, its so simple and sweet!
Seriously, someone needs to give Kim Seulgi a full drama lead role PLS!

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Reply 1988 ( Lee Hyeri, Park Bogum, Go Kyung Pyo, Ryu Jun Yeol, Lee Dong Hwi)
tvN 2015
Lee Woojung

Themes : Heartwarming Good ol’ Days, Love and Friendship, Family Ties

6.1%-18.8%

REWATCHED : Multiple times per episode when writing posts, Best of Reply Series

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38 Task Force ( Seo in guk, Ma Dong Seok )
OCN 2016

Themes : Plotting is fun, Death and Taxes, Pay your Dues

1.5%-4.5%

REWATCH : Maybe

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Another_Miss_Oh  ( Eric Mun, Seo Hyun Jin )
tvN 2016
Park Hye Young, Wi So Young

Themes: Fated Connections, Premonitions, Screwing with Time

2%-9.9%

REWATCH : No

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Signal ( Lee Je Hoon, Kim Hye Soo, Cho Jin Woong)
Kim Eun Hee
tvN 2016

Themes: Messing with Time, Challenging Fate, Nail Biting Crimes

5.4% – 12.5%

REWATCH : YES
Even though this is similar concept to Frequency (2000), its different enough

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Mirror of the Witch ( Yoon Shi yoon, Kim Sae ron )
JTBC 2016
Yang Hyuk Moon

Themes : Love is a Curse, Fighting Fate

2.6% – 2.7%

REWATCH : Noooope

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Love in the Moonlight ( Park Bo Gum, Kim Yoojung )
KBS 2016
Kim Minjung, Im Yejin

Themes : Cross Dressing, Cinderella Love

8.3%-22.9%

REWATCH : Maybe

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Shopping King Louie ( Seo In Guk, Nam Ji Hyun )
MBC 2016
Oh Ji Young

Themes : Poor Rich Man with Amnesia-Poor Woman, Shopping is Wonderful

REWATCH : No ( I just watched this in 2018 because I was watching Smile and… boy Nam Ji Hyun is great at taking care of rich guys with Amnesia lol ) 

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Age of Youth  ( Ensemble cast )
JTBC 2016
Park Yeon-seon

Age of Youth2  ( Ensemble cast )
JTBC 2017
Park Yeon-seon

REWATCH : Maybe

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Man to Man ( Park Hae Jin, Park Sung woong, Kim Min jung )
JTBC 2017
Kim Won suk

Themes : Bromance is love, Cloak and daggers, Bad boys are hot

Strong start, poor finish

REWATCH : NOPE

4%-4%

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Goblin ( Gong Yoo, Kim Go Eun )
tvN 2017
Kim Eun Sook

Themes: Human- Deity Love, All you need is Bromance

6.3%-18.6%

REWATCHED : Yes for Blog Posts

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Live Up to Your Name ( Kim Nam Gil, Kim Ahjoong )
tvN 2017
Kim Eun Hee

Themes: Fate Messing with People, Time is lending a hand, Clash of East and West Medicines

2.7%-6.9%

REWATCH : No

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Because This is my First Life ( Lee Min Ki, Jung So min )
tvN 2017
Yoon Nanjoong

Themes: Forced Cohabitation, Contract Marriage, What is Love

2%-4.9%

REWATCH : No

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Defendant ( Ji Sung, Um Ki Joon )
SBS 2017
Choi Soo jin, Choi Chang Hwan

Themes: Evil Twins, Chaebols ruin lives, Prison Break

14.5%-28.3%

REWATCH : No

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Voice ( Jang Hyuk, Lee Ha na)
OCN 2017
Ma Jin won

Themes: Can you Hear Crime

2.3%-5%

REWATCH : No

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Fight My Way ( Park Seo Joon, Kim Ji Won )
KBS 2017
Im Sang Choon

Themes: Love and Friendship, Slice of Life

5.4%-13.8%

REWATCH : No

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While You Were Sleeping ( Lee Jong Suk, Bae Suzy )
SBS 2017
Park Hye Ryun

Themes: I See the Future, You See the Future, Messing with Time and Destiny

7.2%-9.7%

REWATCH : No

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Naked Fireman ( Lee Joon Hyuk, Jung In Sun)
KBS 2017
Yoo Jeong Hee

Themes : Amnesia, Fire is HOT-so is Fireman

Plot was a little rough around the edges, but still watchable short series

4.1%-5.2%

REWATCH : No

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I’m Not a Robot ( Yoo Seung Ho, Chae Soo bin )
MBC 2017
Kim Sunmi, Lee Seok Joon

Themes: Isolated Hero, Childhood Trauma, Rich Man-Poor Woman, Double Life, Human Love ‘Robot’

4.1%-3.4%

REWATCH : Nope

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Secret Forest | Stranger ( Jo Seung Woo, Bae Doona )
tvN | Netflix 2017
Lee Soo Yeon

Themes: Imperfect Hero, Two is Better than One, Team is better than Two, All You Need is Crime

3%-6.5%

REWATCHED : YESSS
I rewatched each episode so many times and dissected it for posts… what a delicious series… 

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Prison Playbook ( Park Hae Soo, Jung Kyung ho )
tvN 2017
Lee Woojung, Jung Bohoon

Themes: How to survive in Prison, Bromance RULES

4.6%-11.2%

REWATCH : Yes

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Life on Mars ( Jung Kyung Ho, Park Sung Woong, Go Ah Sung )
OCN 2018

Themes: Serial Killers, Am I Crazy, Are you Crazy, Screwing with Time?, I Got your Back

2%-5.8%

REWATCH : No ( ask me in 5 years )

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Life ( Lee Dong Wook, Jo Seung woo )
JTBC 2018
Lee Sooyeon

Themes: Rich vs Poor, Hospital Administration is No Cakewalk, Value of Life

4.3%-5.5%

REWATCH : Yes

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100 Days My Prince ( Do Kyung Soo, Nam Ji Hyun )
tvN 2018
No Ji sul

Themes: Alway Uncomfortable Royal Man-Poor Woman, Amnesia, The Simple Life, Forced Marriage, So Meant to Be

5%-14.4%

REWATCH : Yes ( But probably skip the last 2 episodes )

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The Guest ( Kim Dong Wook, Kim Jae Wook, Jung Eun Chae )
OCN 2018
Seo Jae Won, Kwon Sora

Themes: I See Dead People, Friendship RULES, Beware of the Thirsty, Evil lurks Everywhere

1.5%-3.4%

REWATCH : Yes, preferably on a Bright Sunny Afternoon

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I finished 72 ( excluding those I watched and dropped…)
It’s 2018 and still watching! ( ^u^)v