The best of 2014: actors, dramas, movies, books, songs

[Yeona and Steeleye]: Another year, another drama season has come and gone. Many commenters seem to have been very disappointed, especially in the first quarter of the year. The dramas have been varied though. We had a bit of time travel and supsense with dramas like God’s Gift, a bit of human-rights oriented stories in New Leaf, some father-son stories that were a lot of fun, as well as some remakes. Long lost lovers and brothers were reunited after many years of separation, in very melodramatic circumstances. Makjangs unfolded in luxiorous hotel settings. Even Death came to visit in Shinigami-Kun. Along with the Grim Reaper  mermaids and iron men appeared on dramaland shores as well. In historical dramas, brave princesses sought their lost sisters while young and charming Emperors had their hearts shredded into pieces.  Let’s not forget that three musketeers bravely entered the world of Joseon politics and romance in later half of the year, and lead the way for Secret Doors to be opened by Han Seok Kyu and Lee Je Hoon.

Yeona’s list

Dramas of the year:

1. King’s Daughter Soo Baek Hyang
2. Liar game
3. The way we were
4. Angel eyes

Guilty pleasure:

• Prim minister and I (episodes 1-12 then lost its magic)
• Trot Lovers (episodes 1-10 mostly)
• My lovely girl (without the last 2 episodes, okay maybe the last 4)
• Tomorrow cantabile (episodes 7-14)

Loved and hated it:

• Misaeng (favorite episodes 1,2,4,10,15,16)

Special mention: Full house- Thai version (my first Thai drama!)

Short dramas:

• I’m dying soon
• Itazura na Kiss 2 Love in Okinawa
• The reason I’m getting married
• The dirge singer (aka The crying woman)
• Some kind of goodbye
• Linger
• Shanghai Love Market

Actors:

1. Ji Chang Wook- Yuan Emperor (Empress Ki; Healer)

2. Lee Sung Min- Oh Sang Sik (Misaeng)

3. Jo Hyun-Jae- Crown prince Myung-nong (King’s daughter Soo Baek- Hyang)

4. Lee Sang Yoon (Liar game and Angel eyes)

5. Shin Sung Rok (Liar Game)

6. Kim Ok Bin- Yoona (Yoona’s street)

7. Shim Hyung Tak- Attorney Kim Hak Moon (Let’s eat)

8. Yang Jin Sung (Bride of the century)

9. Byun Yo- Han- Han Suk- Yool (Misaeng)

Best Movies I watched in 2014:

1. The book thief (USA)
2. Dallas Buyers Club (UK)
3. In time (USA)
4. Our Heaven (S. Kor)
5. The Black Butler (Jap)
6. Miss Granny (Kor)
7. Tiny times 3 (China)
8. Commitment (S. Kor)
9. The grand heist (S. Kor)
10. Tiny times 1 & 2 (China)
11. Girls (China)
12. Frozen (USA)
13. Sunny (S. Kor)
14. Le prenom (Fr)
15. Prisoners (USA)
16. The nut job (USA)
17. Lady Daddy (S. Kor)
18. Steal my heart (S. Kor)
19. The Grand Budapest Hotel (USA)
20. Gone girl
21. Blended (USA)
22. The Other Woman (USA)
23. 13 Sins (USA)
24. Elegant Lies (S. Kor)
25. Boyhood (USA)
26. St. Vincent (USA)

Best Books I read in 2014:

1. The book thief by Markus Zurak
2. The importance of being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
3. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
4. Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover
5. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
6. The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
7. The good luck of right now by Matthew Quick
8. The Julian Chapter: A Wonder Story by R.J. Palacio
9. Ways to live forever by Sally Nicholls
10. Never let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro
11. Perfectly damaged by E.L Montes
12. Falling into place by Amy Zhang
13. China Dolls by Lisa See
14. Life Eternal by Yvonne Woon
15. The Bridge from Me to You by Lisa Schroeder
16. Reclaiming the sand by A. Meredith Walters
17. Playing in the rain by Jane Harvey-Berrick
18. Coin Heist by Elisa Ludwig
19. The Donor by Nikki Rae (full novella)
20. Friendship by Emily Gould
21. Falls the shadow by Stefanie Gaither
22. Before I go to sleep by S.J. Watson
23. Rites of passage by Joy N. Hensley
24. Sunshine by Nikki Rae
25. First, last and always by Kim Lehman

Songs of the year:

• January:  B1A4– Oh My God; Too much; Lonely; Taemin– Footsteps (Prim minister and I OST); Boku no ita jikan OST;
• February:  CNBLUE– Cold love; Diamond girl; Sleepless night; Can’t stop; T-ara– First love; SM the ballad– Dear; Blind (jap version); SNSD– Mr.Mr; Clazziquai– She is; K.Will– Please don’t; Tiny times OST;
• March: Jo Hyun Ah– I love you (Her lovely heels OST); 4Minute- Whatcha doin’ today; JJCC– At first;
• April: Lee Hong Ki– Goodbye; Jump (Rookin’ on heaven’s door OST); Kim Tae Hyun– Tears fall (Angel eyes OST); Yoon Gun– Love too much (Angel eyes OST); Beast- Sad movie;
• May: Lee Moon Se– When sadness passes (Wonderful days OST); Lee Jae Jin– Come inside (Bride of the century OST); Lee Hong Ki– Words I couldn’t say yet (Bride of the century OST); Kim Jang Woo– Main theme; Destiny; Fate (Empress ki OST); Park Wan Kyu– The wind (Empress ki OST); Ailee– Day by day (Triangle OST); T-ara– 記憶~君がくれた道標~ (Gossip girls album); Jiyeon (T-ara)– 1min 1sec; 꼭두각시 (Never ever mini album); Kang Ha Neul– Three things I have left (Angel Eyes OST); Beast– Adrenaline; Fly to the sky– You You You;
• June: Beast– No more; PSY– Hangover; Beast– Good luck; K.Will– Day One; Perfect couple OST -Ending Theme;
• July: Hyomin (T-ara)– Nice body; K. Will– A bright day; Last Digit (One fine day album); Jung In– Can’t live without you (King of highschool OST); B1A4– Solo Day; Kim Na Young& Lee Eun Ha- You Let Me Go With A Smile (Trot lovers OST); Chen (EXO)- Good luck (It’s okay, that’s love OST);
• August: Davichi– It’s okay it’s love (It’s okay that’s love OST); Jiyeon & Shorry J– Kiss and Cry (Triangle OST); Crush feat. Punch– Sleepless night (It’s okay that’s love OST); Naoki Sato- Sadame; Hiten; Taemin feat Kai (EXO)- Pretty boy; Winner– S/S Album; Eden– A new hope (The night watchman OST); Kara– Story (Day and Night album); JJCC– One way;
• September: Yoon Mi Rae– I love you (It’s okay that’s love OST); 2PM– Go Crazy; Yoon Do Hyun– Me These Days ; Jeon Minju, Yuna Kim feat Hyunkyu of bromance– Goodbye Rain; T-ara: Sugar Free; Last Calendar; Della Ding– White Hair Lament (Da Mo Yao OST); Taetiseo– Adrenaline; leeSA– Love will find a way (Yoona’s street OST); Block B– Secret door OST; Hu Ge– Da Mo Yao theme (Sound of the Dessert); Kristal– All of a sudden (My lovely girl OST); Ailee– 이제는 안녕; 문득병;  Teardrop; (Magazine album); John Park– You; Super Junior– Mamacita; Evanesce;
• October: The One– Secret door OST; Huh Gah– Day and Night; Jooyi (Rania)– Pray (My lovely girl OST); In4mal– Pray (My lovely girl OST); Alex– Will you love me (My lovely girl OST); Hyuna– A talk; Rania– You end, and me; Beast– 12:30; Beast– Kimi wa do?; Kim Tae Woo– Only you (My lovely girl OST); Yoona’s street OST instrumental– Tango; Gypsy; Love will find a way instrumental + guitar version; G. Brown– My lovely girl (My lovely girl OST);
• November: Eric Chou- Let’s not be friends anymore (The way we were OST); Melody Day- Listen to my heart (Tomorrow cantabile OST); My lovely girl OST- instrumental- Love story; My little song; Wings of love; Hyorin & Jooyoung- Erase;
• December: Crush feat. Gaeko- Hug me; Rose Motel- Dream (Misaeng OST); Han Hee Jung- Misaeng OST part 2; Misaeng OST part3; MLTR- Eternal love (Healer OST); Vasco, Shannon, Giriboy- Breath; A Hard Day (movie)- Ending song;

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Bladey’s Choices: 

SPECIAL: Blast From The Past, or Best Drama From Past Seasons: 

• Life is Beautiful, Korea, 2010
• Comrades, Korea, 2010
• Gegege no Nyobo, Japan 2010
• Crying Out Love in the Center of the World, Japan 2004

Best Special Drama for 2014 

•  I’m Going to Die Soon aka I’m Dying Soon
•  The Reason I’m getting Married
• Bomi’s Room

Best Drama for 2014 

• The Spring Days of My Life, Korea, 2014
• King’s Daughter, Korea 2013-2014
• Bitter Blood, Japan, 2014

Best Scene in a  2014 Drama 

• Emotion: The Spring Days of My Life
• Eyeroll: the underwear running scene – Triangle
• Awww: the horse scene – Trot Lovers
• Romantic: the candle/post-it notes scene  (ep 14) – Trot Lovers 

Best Overall Mood 

• Beyond the Clouds
• The Long Goodbye

Best Concept for 2014 Drama

• New Leaf  – a ruthless lawyer to turn over a new leaf. Sadly underdeveloped
• Miss Korea – what happens if a woman is better situated in life than a man?
• Prime Minister and I – Arabian Nights-like age gap romance.
• The Spring Days of My Life – heart is a miracle and brings hope.

Most interesting Remake Drama

• Nodame Cantabile
• Fated to Love You

Adaptation Dramas: 

• The Tree Musketeers- excellent first episodes, thought out.

Best Couple for 2014 Drama 

• Cunning Single Lady – Joo Sang Wook and Lee Min Jung
• King’s Daughter: Solnan and MyunMyeong.

• Miss Korea – The Gangster and the Make-Up Technician
• The Spring Day of My Life – Kand Dong Ha and Lee Bom Yi

Best Actor in a Lead Role

• Kim Myung Min in A New Leaf
• Jo Hyun Jae in King’s Daughter
• Kam Woo Sung in The Spring Days of My Life
• Han Seok Kyu in Secret Door
• Lee Je Hoon in Secret Door

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

• Oh Jung Se in A New Leaf;
• Yoon Tae Young in King’s Daughter,
•  Kim Roe Ha in King’s Daughter
• Jin Tae Hyun in Hotel King
  This man alone saved all the emotional scenes involving him and Lee dong wok in that dreary drama. He should shine. Lee Dong Wok can’t carry emotional scenes at all.  
• Shing Sung Rok in Trot Lovers
• Gong Hyung Jin in Angel Eyes
• Lee Sung Min in Miss Korea

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

• Seo Yi Sook for You’re All Surrounded
  This woman is uderappreciated and fatally underused even though she has charisma

Best Actress in a Main Role

• Seo Hyun Jin for King’s Daughter
• Sooyoung in The Spring Days of My Life
• Kim Ok Bin in Yoona’s Street.

Best Character:

• Uhm Tae Woong in Can We Love?
  Very different from his usual straight-laced characters; very easy going
• Kang Dang Ho in Spring Days of My Life

Best Side Character:

• Gucheon in King’s Daughter

Best Partnership:

• Sato Takeru and Watabe Atsuro in Bitter Blood –  great father-son banter as well as emotional timing
• Cho Seung Won and Lee Seung Ki in You’re All Surrounded – good duo, though LSG acted so aggressively that he became unlikeable.

BEST OST:

• Miss Korea: J.Min Hero;
• Angel Eyes: Best Opening Theme  [ Han Soo Ji]
• Wonderful Days:  Best Theme [ Shin Jae]; Beautiful Days [ Seo Young Eun]
• Beyond the Clouds: Yangpa- The Full Sun; Zitten-Whale; Lee Ji Young- Lie; Tae1- That Person
• Bitter Blood: Theme: Do you Ever Shine?
• Trot Lovers: Hot Pepper; Kim Na Young and Lee Eun Ha –You let me go with a smile OST Part 3; Shing Sung Rok – Boiling
• Yoona’s Street : Hae Won – OST Part 2; Seadless Watermelon – Kim Dae Jung
• You’re All Surrounded: Eden – One Love
• Fated to Love You : Morning of Canon [ Baek Ah Yeon]
• It’s Okay It’s Love: (ft. Punch) – 잠 못 드는 밤 (Sleepless Night);
• Night Watchman’s Journal : EDEN (에덴) – A New Hope (OST Part.2)
• Temptation: Eru-Temptation;
• Into the Flames:
• Hotel King: Kim Jin ho- Hurt; The One – Because it’s you
• Triangle: Ali- Keep up the Tears; Kiss & Cry- Jiyeon & Shorry J (Ft. SeungHee);
• Empress Ki: 4Men-Thorn Love; Kim Jang Woo- Flower Blossom; Fate; The Geatest Day; Park Wan Kyu- The Wind; Soyu- Just Once

BEST FANMADE MUSIC VIDEO 

• Joseon Gunman to Medhat Saleh’s song

Movies I loved in 2014

• The Road Home- 1999, dir. Zhang Yimou
• My Paparotti – Korea, 2013
• Welcome to Dongmangkol – Korea, 2005
• Like Father Like Son – Japan, 2013
• The Great Passage – Japan, 2013
• Ping-Pong- Japan, 2002
• About Time – UK, 2013
• Terror Live – Korea, 2013
• The Return Home – Korea, 2013
• Hope- Korea, 2013
• Another Family – Korea, 2014 (maybe)
• The Attorney (2013)
• Plan Man (2014)
• Broken (2014)