Jaybird Reviews: 2018 Jaybird Awards

2018 Jaybird Awards

Guess who's back, back, back, back again, gain, gain, Shady's back, back, back, tell a friend. Oh wait, no, It's just me. Seriously though, It's been so long that I've practically forgotten how this blog works- how do I post things, what format do I use, how do you even review things? It's been a pretty busy year for me, with my job becoming full time and (gasp) getting a boyfriend, which has severely limited the time in which I can watch K-Drama and write reviews. But fear not, I plan to be continue on, though I can't promise I will be as regular as I once was- though I will try! Now on to the Awards! I know, I know- 2018 was two years ago. I have missed a whole year of K-Drama. But with this review/awards, let's just pretend that 2019 was a year of K-Drama that didn't happen, and we'll be back on track!

Best Drama:

Smart Prison Living

Ooooooooh man was this a good drama. It may have come out ages ago now, but I can still remember it so vividly. Despite how long the runtime was, I watched this drama twice. From the director-writer duo of all the Reply series, this was always going to be a show to keep an eye on. As expected, the cast, characters and plot all pulled together to deliver an emotional, heartwarming, and insanely addictive viewing experience. The momentum of the series was picture perfect, with the episodes all having enough content to fill out their runtimes, and the series as a whole never felt draggy or overly long. The drama hit just the right balance between funny and dramatic, without ever getting bogged down in its own angst, or having the comedy take away from the serious moments. Everything in this show was perfectly balanced, and I would not hesitate to recommend 'Smart Prison Living' to anyone who was requesting a good K-Drama (or good series in general) to sink their teeth into.

Runner Up: The Guest

Best Actor:

Lee Seung Gi (Hwayugi)

Despite 'Hwayugi' itself being a complete and total flop, Lee Seung Gi was completely able to dazzle. To be honest, I have never quite understood what the big deal was with Lee Seung Gi (granted I haven't seen too many of his dramas), but in 'Hwayugi' Lee Seung Gi was able to brilliantly showcase his acting ability. The cheeky, petulant character suit him extremely well, and Lee Seung Gi was able to bring an endearing spark to him that prevented the Monkey God from being an irritating character. Lee Seung Gi shined in all aspects of the show, from the CGI fight scenes, to the humour, to the heartache, to the romance. There is not a single scene in the drama where he is not giving 110%, and all his efforts gave us a loveable, charming character that will not fade from memory any time soon.

Runner Up: Park Hae Soo (Smart Prison Living)

Best Actress:

Jin Ki Joo (Come Here and Hug Me)

Despite being a fairly new actress (her first drama was in 2015), and not leaving much of an impression in her side roles, Jin Ki Joo completely blew me away in the drama she headed up this year. The role she played was one that required a multitude of different feelings, and quite a large amount of emotional acting. And Jin Ki Joo most certainly pulled it off. With this role and this performance, Jin Ki Joo made sure that she's be a name and a face to remember, and captured audiences' hearts as the feisty, yet sweet and completely loveable heroine with a dark past. It certainly wasn't an easy role for Jin Ki Joo to have as her first leading role, but she gave a performance that was a resounding success.

Runner Up: Chae Soo Bin (I'm Not A Robot)

Best Short Series:

Ping Pong Ball

Okay, confession time. I did not watch very many short series in 2018. However, the fact that this was the only show in the running does not diminish the fact that this was a very good short series! The plot was a little whacky and veeeery arthouse, but the quality of the show was obvious for anyone to see. It had solid acting in Ji Soo and Yoo Jae Myung, and the cinematography was just lovely. The journey the show took us on was quiet and introspective, and it may not be remembered as a short that received a lot of love, but 'Ping Pong Ball' told the story it wanted to tell in a beautiful, thoughtful way, and it was evident that everyone who worked on this show put their best effort into making sure it was something they could be proud of.

Best Character:

Nam Shin III (Are You Human Too?)

'Are You Human Too?' was a show that did a lot of things well, but by far one of the best things it did was give us one of the most loveable heroes of the year. Not only was Nam Shin III sweet, charming, dreamy, and just all-around delightful, but he had the added interest of not being human. Having the hero be a robot was a risky move for the series, but one that ultimately paid off well. Being a robot that was learning emotion (cheesey as it sounds) gave Nam Shin III a lot of depth and so much room to grow. It made his actions even more heart-fluttering when they seemed impossible as it went against his programming. 'Are You Human Too?' was not without its flaws, but the hero it gave us was certainly not one of them.

Runner Up: Ahn Jang Mi (Live)

Best Second Lead:

Park Sung Woong (Life On Mars)

No one will ever not enjoy watching Park Sung Woong as a justice-driven cop from the past. Park Sung Woong has absolutely nailed the role of a no-nonsense fighter with a soft and squishy centre, and he absolutely shows off that talent in 'Life On Mars'. He plays a character whose heart is always in the right place (even if his fists aren't), and was able to showcase his character's growth as he started to accept and adapt to his partners milder, modern police techniques. His gruff attitude was oddly endearing, and he was certainly a character that we could root for all series long. Park Sung Woong delivered a great character, that played perfect support to the show's completely different hero.

Runner Up: Kwak Dong Yeon (My ID Is Gangnam Beauty)

Best Couple:

I'm Not A Robot

Despite K-Dramaland giving us an abundance of adorable, loveable couples to root for, there are actually very few of them that have healthy, respectful relationships that would last long term. So even though I have a bunch of dramas and OTPs that I adore each year, there are only a small few that I think are actually good couples. 'I'm Not A Robot' may have a silly premise (girl is impersonating a robot), but the two leads actually end up having an endearing and supportive relationship that made them so easy to root for. Sure, there was no shortage of cute moments, or charming dialogue, or heart-racing skinship, but it was the quieter moments of emotional support and consideration that made this couple such a great one. Chae Soo Bin and Yoo Seung Ho had dazzling chemistry as the metaphorical icing on the metaphorical cake.

Runner Up: What's Wong With Secretary Kim?

Best Kiss:

Kitchen Kiss (Pretty Noona Who Buys Me Food)

There were many, many, many (oh so many) things wrong with this drama, but the chemistry between the two leads and the resulting explosive skinship was certainly not one of them. This scene completely did away with the safe-for-work, barely even touching kisses of k-dramas past, and was oh so steamy. The kitchen scene is one of the most remembered moments from the whole series, and if we're all being honest, after that scene it is no wonder at all that the two actors had to dodge so many dating rumours after it showed on television. K-Dramas are not usually that touchy, but it was one of the reasons the couple in this show felt so real, and the emotions so raw.

Runner Up: This Is When You Kiss (I'm Not A Robot)

Best Villain:

Park Il Do (The Guest)

Okay, this is a little different to the winners in previous years, mainly in that Park Il Do doesn't really have an actor. It's a mystery for most of the show's run who the demon is possessing, so there's no clear actor to credit the performance to. That being said, the atmosphere created around this character was so amazingly well constructed, that he is without a doubt the best villain of the year. Being able to manipulate lesser demons while remaining hidden made Park Il Do completely terrifying, and the idea that he could be lurking inside any of our characters was both thrilling and frightening. The lore that surrounded the supernatural horror of this show was done so well, and the fight between our main characters and Park Il Do was exhilarating and entertaining to watch unfold. Despite not having a physical body, Park Il Do was unquestioningly the most frightening and unsettling villain of 2018.

Runner Up: Lee Dong Gun (Sketch)

Best Ensemble:

Smart Prison Living

Man, there was just so much to like about 'Smart Prison Living'. One of which is the cast. And this cast was HUGE. There were a lot of characters coming and going throughout this series (the prison was the perfect setting for it with inmates getting arrested and discharged and transferred), and most of them were totally loveable. It seems like an odd thing to like characters that are all in jail for doing something terrible (heck, our main character kills someone), but their stories are unveiled in ways that allow us as an audience to sympathise with the characters, even if we do not condone their actions. A large chunk of this series is made up of all the relationships between the prisoners and the guards, and this is what drives most of the plot. A lot was riding on the characters being written an acted well, so we can all be grateful that they were. Not one actor was underperformed, and not one character was poorly written.

Runner Up: Life On Mars

Best Bromance:

Live

Usually the dramas I pick for best bromance have an adorable friendship, or beautifully melancholic relationship at its centre, but 2018s bromance of the year was one that was a little more subdued. The mentor-rookie relationship in 'Live' was under the radar, but had a whole lot of heart. As well as simply having the characters coming to care and watch out for one another, the two also learned a great deal about life and working on the police force from one another. The relationship was tumultuous to begin with, but that made the camaraderie that eventually blossomed between them feel hard-earned and well deserved, as the two had come to know so much about the other, and they both ended up really caring and respecting each other. It was a quieter bromance, but that didn't make it any less endearing.

Runner Up: Smart Prison Living

Best Gal Pals:

What's Wrong With Secretary Kim?

Oooohhhhh dear. This was the category I was least looking forward to. Reason being that there were just not a lot of good girl friends in 2018, and this is also one of the last dramas I watched before my big hiatus. So I don't really remember it that well, and I don't have a review to fall back on and jog my memory. I do remember that the three girls in this show had a sweetly satisfying friendship, and that they were always enjoyable to watch on screen together. Do I think it was a particularly strong friendship that stands out amongst other k-dramas? Not really. But was it one of the better female friendships to come out of the dramas I watched in 2018? Yes, yes it was.

Runner Up: My ID is Gangnam Beauty

Best Idol Gone Actor:

Rowoon (Where Stars Land)

I am not particularly fond of Rowoon as an idol, but man the boy's a good actor. I was totally ready for him to be an awkward side character, but he completely blew me away with the level of maturity his acting showed. The character in 'Where Stars Land' was not particularly difficult, nor was it a leading role, but it was a great place for Rowoon to find his feet and get noticed in the acting world. His one sided love was heartbreaking and acted to perfection, and Rowoon had great chemistry with Chae Soo Bin (who was the leading lady). He is definitely an idol to keep an eye on as he makes his way into more acting projects, and I don't think it will be too long before he lands a leading role himself.

Runner Up: D.O (100 Days My Prince)

Worst Idol Gone Actor:

Suho (Rich Man)

Unlike Rowoon, Suho has not begun his acting career in a supporting role (though he may have done a few short series?) Unfortunately for him, this meant that there was nowhere for his acting weaknesses to hide. It's not to say Suho is an AWFUL actor- he's just very, very green, and his lack of experience showed through in 'Rich Man'. He didn't have the ability to deliver the more emotional scenes when they rolled around, and he didn't have the experience to inject a dose of likability into a character that was written as a very arrogant, yet bland character. The whole show was a bit of a mess, but I don't think anyone can claim that Suho did a great job here. Hopefully his next project is one in which he gets a bit more support from the other actors (because no one was really that great in this show), and he can build his skills and his confidence.

Runner Up: Cha Eun Woo (My ID Is Gangnam Beauty)

Least Convincing Couple:

That Man Oh Soo

There are many things I do not recall from 2018. Sadly, what a complete and utter train wreck this drama was is not one of them. Amid a confusing plot, sporadic characters and less-than convincing acting, we had a tepid romance. I had complete Second Male Lead Syndrome, and by the time the end of the show came around, I was not convinced that this couple were a) in love with each other, and b) going to last very long together. The drama tried to be too angsty and aimed for an emotional level that it just did not hit, which left the main romance feeling empty and completely falling flat. I was a fan of both the leads (though am unsure what to think of Lee Jong Hyun now after the icky scandal), but neither of them did a good job selling the romance. There was absolutely no chemistry to speak of.

Runner Up: About Time

Show Carrier:

Yoon Park (Radio Romance)

Man, I have watched a lot of not very good dramas in my time. 'Radio Romance' is one such drama. It really, really sucked. The only thing that 'Radio Romance' did well was casting Yoon Park as the second male lead. He absolutely killed it. Yoon Park was able to deliver a multi-dimensional character that was fun, quirky and memorable, in a K-drama world that was boring, pointless and forgettable. Yoon park brought an engaging energy to the show that it otherwise would have completely lacked, and dragged the awful show along right from start to finish with his performance alone. I do not drop a lot of dramas, but I was tempted by this one, and it was really only Yoon Park and his charming character that kept me going.

Runner Up: Lee Sang Yoon (About Time)

Biggest Disappointment:

Pretty Noona Who Buys Me Food

Hoo boy, did this drama burn a lot of people. The first half of the show was actually unbelievably good- there was an engaging noona romance at its heart, it had a solid male lead, and that chemistry was on FIRE. SMOKING. SIZZLING. It was, HOT, HOT, HOT. The drama had hearts fluttering and minds engaged for the first half of its run, before it promptly undid every good thing it had ever done. At risk of sounding rude, the second half of this drama sucked *ss. The relationship fell in on itself, the plot made little sense, and the heroine became one of the most irritating characters ever. It was painful. As the show continued it became evident that it was banking solely on the chemistry between the leads. And this did. Not. Work.

Runner Up: Radio Romance

Jaybird's Choice:

Smart Prison Living

What do you mean I can't have the Best Drama and Jaybird's Choice being the same show? I CAN and I WILL. There's not much more I can say about this drama. It rocked. It pulled my heartstrings and I enjoyed every minute of it. I have also seriously contemplated watching it for a third time.