2015 Jaybird Awards

2015 Jaybird Awards

I know we’re a good way into 2016 already- but I had a fair few 2015 dramas that I needed to catch up on because I was so far behind! So here it is (finally). The 2015 Jaybird Awards! I will admit, I haven’t even come close to seeing all the K-Dramas that were released in 2015, but I did my best to hit the big ones (and some of the smaller ones). However, here in the Land Down Under, it is quite difficult to get our hands on a lot of series, as we don’t have access to a lot of content on great streaming websites (cough, Dramafever, cough). I mean come on, it’s just Australia- we’re not trying to stream from Narnia. Anyway, I did my best, and you’ll find a complete list of the 2015 K-Dramas that I watched this past year (and are thus in contention for awards) at the end.

Best Drama:

Healer

‘Healer’ was really a standout in K-Drama this year. It was a beautiful blend of action and romance- with sizzling chemistry between the main leads. The plot was racing and addictive, with the mystery elements revealed gradually- just enough each episode to keep you desperate for more. Ji Chang Wook and Park Min Young were compelling as our main couple, and the support was just as strong as the leads. Yoo Ji Tae left nothing to be desired- completely owning the justice-driven reporter. From start to finish the series was riveting, and ‘Healer’ can also boast one of the most satisfying K-Drama endings. And we all know how rare those are.

Runner Up: Kill Me, Heal Me

Best Actor:

Ji Sung (Kill Me, Heal Me)

When it comes to acting in 2015- Ji Sung was definitely the one to beat. From the minute ‘Kill Me, Heal Me’ came to a close, everyone knew that it was going to be an almost impossible feat to top Ji Sung’s performance. It’s risky to take on the role of a man with Multiple Personality Disorder, as it’s not really taking on one role- more like seven. Ji Sung brought each personality to life in a completely unique, believable way, in a wonderful display of acting ability. A task that would be daunting to any actor, he handled with apparent ease and confidence, and shaped the drama through his performance. 

Runner Up: Ji Chang Wook (Healer)

Best Actress:

Park Bo Young (Oh My Ghostess)

Similarly to Ji Sung, Park Bo Young had the task of taking on more than one role in a single drama. After quite an absence, Park Bo Young made her return to the small-screen- and what a return it was. She was dynamic both as the flirtatious ghost and the withdrawn introvert the ghost was possessing. Her natural charms came bursting from both her characters, leading to fiery chemistry between herself and Jo Jung Seok. Park Bo Young was completely believable and completely captivating all drama long.

Runner Up: Kim Hee Sun (Angry Mom)

Best Support:

Park Seo Joon (Kill Me, Heal Me)

Perhaps one of the biggest cases of Second Male Lead Syndrome this year was Park Seo Joon. He was charming, charismatic and adorable as Oh Ri On in the sensation ‘Kill Me, Heal Me’. He displayed great versatility and depth, as well as his wonderful ability to evoke an emotional response from an audience- no one’s heart was left unaffected by his one-sided love affair. His outstanding acting gave the lead actors a solid base to work around, and allowed the stars to really shine- without having his own light diminished.

Runner Up: Choi Siwon (She Was Pretty)

Best Couple:

Park Yoo Chun and Shin Se Kyung (Girl Who Sees Smells)

The chemistry between Park Yoo Chun and Shin Se Kyung was unbelievable in this drama. It was adorable and sweet, but also inherently believable. The characters came together in such an unforced, natural way, that it felt wonderfully real. While both stars gave exceptional performances on their own, it was scenes of them together that really stole the show. The couple’s ability to work together and communicate gave them a great edge over other K-Drama couples, and they were simply enchanting to watch develop. It was hard to believe Park Yoo Chun wasn’t actually falling head over heels for Shin Se Kyung.

Runner Up: Park Bo Young and Cho Jung Seok (Oh My Ghostess)

Best Villain:

Namgung Min (Girl Who Sees Smells)

Namgung Min gave a delightfully terrifying performance as the psychopathic killer in ‘Girl Who Sees Smells’. He was able to easily shift between ruthless killer and charismatic chef so seamlessly that it was a little unsettling. Namgung Min’s spectacular performance added a real sense of fear and urgency into the drama, and left us with a conclusion that felt that much more satisfying due to his stellar performance throughout.

Runner Up: Lim Ju Hwan (Oh My Ghostess)

Best Ensemble:

Reply 1988

When it comes to spot-on casting and loveable ensembles, the ‘Reply’ franchise is hard to beat. For the third time running we’re given a group of wonderfully endearing characters, played by a group of wonderfully talented actors. ‘Reply 1988’ hosts one of the bigger casts of 2015, and it says a lot about both the writer and the actors that not one character felt miscast. Every actor was able to make you completely believe their character, and completely fall in love with them. The relationships between the characters are complicated and interwoven- creating more storylines, and more love for the group as a whole. 

Runner Up: Angry Mom

Best Idol Gone Actor:

U-Know Yunho (I Order You)

Both Yunho and DBSK bandmate Max Changmin have scored some pretty serious flack for their acting. However, in ‘I Order You’ Yunho really throws himself into character and does a wonderful job. He handles the romance with ease, and even does a brilliant job in pulling off the heavier, more emotional scenes. Also, he really only wins over Prince Choi Siwon- because if we’re all honest, Choi Siwon is basically an actual actor now. Nevertheless, fantastic performance U-Know Yunho.

Runner Up: Lee Jong Hyun (Orange Marmalade)

Worst Idol Gone Actor:

Cha Eun Woo (To Be Continued)

Okay, I know this was his debut performance (both as an idol and an actor), but it was a little bit painful to watch. Poor Cha Eun Woo was completely unable to express the necessary emotion in a scene, and came across as wooden and robotic. Very pretty, but very expressionless. He really tried his best, but he should probably just stick to singing and dancing (which he does beautifully) rather than acting. Perhaps his inability to act would have been felt less had he been given a more minor role in the drama, but alas…he was given the lead. Eek.

Runner Up: Yugyeom (Dream Knight)

Least Convincing Couple:

Dasom and Ryu Soo Young (Virtual Bride)

The drama was never going to be outstanding, and that’s okay. But here, the leading couple is written so sporadically that it’s almost laughable. The two characters jump so quickly from hate to love that it gives you a bit of emotional whiplash. Granted, there was a bunch of cute going on between the main leads- but it wasn’t a believable relationship in the slightest.

Runner Up: Yeo Jin Goo and Seolhyun (Orange Marmalade)

Show Carrier:

Hyun Bin (Hyde, Jekyll, Me)

Another actor taking on more than one role, Hyun Bin displayed great acting ability in the rather highly criticised ‘Hyde, Jekyll, Me’. He was basically flawless as the two personalities of Goo Seo Jin, and had the added task of carrying the romance on his own- as his partner, Han Ji Min, played a rather flat, lifeless character. It was Hyun Bin’s wonderful acting that kept the drama as engaging as it was. Sung Joon also gave a good performance- but the bulk of the drama landed on Hyun Bin’s shoulders, and he did an excellent job in carrying it along.

Runner Up: Choi Siwon (She Was Pretty)

Biggest Disappointment:

She Was Pretty

Given the zippy chemistry between Hwang Jung Eum and Park Seo Joon in ‘Kill Me, Heal Me’, we were all expecting great things from ‘She Was Pretty’- as they would actually be a couple in this drama. I think we were all left feeling a little disappointed. The drama itself doesn’t hold a great deal of interest, as beyond our main couple discovering each others’ true identity- there’s no conflict. The romance also lands a little flat, with a few cute scenes but not a lot else. The sole redeeming feature of this drama was Choi Siwon absolutely slaying in his role as Kim Shin Hyuk.

Runner Up: My Unfortunate Boyfriend

Jaybird's Choice:

Angry Mom

When it comes to the drama I personally enjoyed most this year, it was definitely ‘Angry Mom’. It wasn’t perfect by a long shot, but it was inherently entertaining. The series had an addictive (if slightly depressing) plot, and intriguing characters played by fantastic actors. The darkness of the drama meant that the love and friendships felt that much more earned, and that much more rewarding. Every character was meticulously mapped out and had amazing depth, and the writers cleverly and creatively unveiled how each character became the person they were. ‘Angry Mom’ had a plethora of brilliant actors, but the younger actors particularly showed amazing talent.

Runner Up: Healer

2015 K-Dramas:

Angry Mom

Dream Knight

Fool’s Love

Girl Who Sees Smells

Healer

Hi! School Love On

Hyde, Jekyll, Me

Imaginary Cat

I Order You

Kill Me, Heal Me

My Unfortunate Boyfriend

Oh My Ghostess

Orange Marmalade

The Producers

School 2015- Who Are You

Reply 1988

She Was Pretty

To Be Continued

Twenty Again

Virtual Bride

She Was Pretty

She Was Pretty

6/10

She Was Pretty 

Genre:                                   Episodes: 16                                   Year: 2015

Romance

Comedy

Synopsis:

Kim Hye Jin and Ji Sung Joon were first loves when they were children, but after Sung Joon’s family moves away the two lose contact. Hye Jin was a popular, pretty young girl while Sung Joon was chubby and bullied. Many years later the two meet again as adults. Hye Jin is jobless and has lost her childhood beauty, so is embarrassed to face Sung Joon who has become handsome and successful. She asks her beautiful friend Min Ha Ri to pretend to be her for one day and end all ties with Sung Joon. 

Cast:

Hwang Jung Eum (Kim Hye Jin)

Park Seo Joon (Ji Sung Joon)

Choi Siwon (Kim Shin Hyuk)

Go Joon Hee (Min Ha Ri)

General Thoughts:

‘She Was Pretty’ is to ‘Kill Me, Heal Me’ what ‘Heartstrings’ was to ‘You’re Beautiful’. It takes the lead actress from a very successful drama and pairs her with the second male lead of said drama, with less plot and less chemistry. Personally it took me a long time to begin to root for any of our characters, and even then the characters flip-flopped around so much that I was pretty emotionally uninvested with all of them.

Oh, can't you just feel the love?

The pure saving grace of this drama is Choi Siwon. Sure, Park Seo Joon was handsome and delivered his cute scenes well, but his character, Ji Sung Joon, was rather bland and a tad lacking. We were a significant way through the drama before poor Sung Joon even had scenes that weren’t just him yelling or looking disdainfully at our heroine.

Because verbal abuse is sooooo sexy

Whereas Kim Shin Hyuk (Choi Siwon) was vibrant and hilarious from the get-go. He was always sweet towards our leading lady (which does more to endear a character than when he tells her she’s retarded) and gave the impression that he was deeply fond of her for who she was- not what she did or what she looked like. Now our leading lady…was…loud. Generally speaking, I like Hwang Jung Eum as an actress- she can be very, very good. But she can also come across as a little overacted and shrieky. Which is unfortunately how she appeared for a good portion of this drama. What only increased this irritation at her loudness was the fact that she turned so soft and refused to defend herself in front of Sung Joon’s harsh, and often uncalled for, criticism. This did tone down as the drama progressed on, and by the time our leads started falling for each other, Hye Jin was acting like a normal human being. Sadly, the volume did pick up a little again in the last few episodes. The supporting cast were acceptable enough, but did fade into the background quite a lot. Except for our four main characters no one else got much screen time or development. But we did have that office couple development which was adorable.

Cutely random interlude

In regards to the plot, there’s basically none to speak of. In regards to the soundtrack, I remember nothing except for ‘Close To You’ by the Carpenters- and you can hardly credit the drama for that.

What Was Great:

American Prince Choi Siwon:

What a show carrier. Initially, I cared nothing for our leading man- I was all for Siwon. Sometimes I forget what all the fuss is about (I know- blasphemy!), but then I watch him in something, anything, and I completely remember why the world is filled with so much Siwon love.

Prince Choi Siwon- the pinnacle of sophistication

Choi Siwon has previously displayed that he is a capable actor, but in this drama he fits so comfortably into his character that it was pure magic. I can’t even imagine any other actor as goofy, childish Kim Shin Hyuk. Much of the beauty of the character was Siwon’s natural charm and adorable dorkiness. You can’t deny it- the man just oozes charisma (no matter how goofy he's being).

I really like you as a human, Choi Siwon

However, Siwon was able to alter these personal traits and present them in a way that was distinctly ‘Un-Siwon-ish’. You never thought you were watching Siwon in a drama-world (as you do with some other idol-actors) because he was completely able to throw himself into character and become an entirely different person. He nailed all the smaller parts of acting his character too- it was easy to tell when Shin Hyuk was childishly happy and when he was pretending to be childishly happy, all by minute movements in Choi Siwon’s expressions. To go along with the Prince of Idol-Actors, we had Kim Shin Hyuk- who was just an amazing character. He was delightfully goofy and funny, but had a whole lot of depth going on beneath the surface. Sure, we weren’t exactly made privy to what that depth was, but you could tell it was there. He always appreciated and looked out for our heroine, and found her perfect the way she was- unlike the rest of the world that wanted to change her. He also appeared to love her for who she was presently, as he didn’t have a romanticised view of her due to past love the way Sung Joon did. Shin Hyuk always seemed to be one step ahead of everyone else- knowing exactly what was going on and urging other characters, in a gentle yet convincing way, to face their issues and tell the truth. Thank God. Because all that hiding and lying just gets old after a while.

It's Choi Siwon- of course he gets shirtless at least once

Combining this gorgeous character with gorgeous Siwon was just a recipe for Mass Second Lead Syndrome (sorry Park Seo Joon). If the fans needed ‘She Was Pretty’ to satisfy their couple-craving after ‘Kill Me, Heal Me’, I think we’re going to need another drama now starring Hwang Jang Eum and Choi Siwon. We promise we can wait the five million years (21 months) it takes for Siwon to get out of military service.

Girlfriends:

It’s painfully rare for K-Dramas to showcase two close female friends. There’s an abundance of bromances in the dramas, however girl friends don’t seem to happen often. Instead, we usually only get b*tchy, competitive love rivals as our second female leads, with the heroine’s friends being relegated to much smaller support roles.

Yay for quality female friendships

However, here we have a delightful example of how sweet and touching friendship can be between women in K-Drama land. It’s not just the boy love rivals who can be buddies- girls can to it too! All in all, I really enjoyed the character of Ha Ri. Right from the start we see that she is not nearly as superficial as her stunning appearance would lead you to believe, as she promptly kicks out a male friend for commenting negatively about Hye Jin’s looks.

Seriously, I can't stress enough how rare these friendships are in K-Drama

 From the brginning Ha Ri had some pretty big character development, and we were all made aware just how lonely and isolated she was in her family, and that beyond Hye Jin she didn’t have any quality friends. The two girls did a great job at supporting each other throughout whatever was going on in their lives, and while there was a brief patch in the middle of non-communication, they also showed what an impact communication has on a functioning relationship. There were a couple of times the writers seemed to be grasping at straws conflict-wise, and unfortunately Ha Ri copped a couple of blows where she became irritating and distant purely for creating tension in the story. Sadly, this did lessen my love towards her character and as a result, Hye Jin also came off a tad selfish for only wanting to talk about Sung Joon when she wanted too, leaving Ha Ri in a bit of a pickle. Thankfully they managed to wrap up the drama with the repairing of the girls’ relationship and we got to close on cute, happy chick friends.

Makeover Execution:

We all knew that at some point our heroine would get a makeover. There was no way in hell the drama was going to continue Kim Hye Jin’s ‘ugly’ (yeah, whatever) appearance for the whole stretch.

Because she was soooo hideous before

The execution of the makeover, however, really had the potential to ruin the whole series. Had Hye Jin become ‘pretty’ to appease her co-workers or to woo her man-interest the whole drama would have been wrecked, as the general point seemed to be to criticise how society bases a person’s worth on their outward appearance. However, I actually quite enjoyed Hye Jin’s transformation as she did it for herself. She had reached a stage in her life where she wanted a fresh start- she wanted to focus more fully on her career and do the best she could at her job. And when you work for a fashion magazine, well…your looks do kind of matter.

She got the guy so she doesn't have to put effort in her appearance now, right?

It marked a turning point in the series where Hye Jin chose to take care of herself a little better, and stand up for herself a little more. While she appeared confident and comfortable in herself from the start, her makeover was a clear turning point when our heroine started to demand respect and acceptance from not only herself, but those around her. However, I was a little disappointed to see that after our time skip Hye Jin had become ‘de-makeovered’. While it can be viewed as her returning to herself and losing the need to demand respect from peers- because they already respected her for her writing ability, I couldn’t help but feel a tad disappointed. It sort of undid all the good that the makeover had done in the first place, and felt a little as though she prettied herself up to get the guy, and once she had him she could let herself go again. In my mind, Hye Jin’s makeover was her deciding to put a bit more effort into herself- because she was pretty, she just didn’t treat herself like she was, so undoing that fell flat for me. I know a lot of people appreciated her appearance going back to the way it was at the start, but personally I would have preferred her to either remain her ‘pretty’ self, or not get makeovered in the first place.

What Wasn’t:

Chemistry is MIA:

Firstly, I will apologise for the vast amount of comparisions I will make to ‘Kill Me, Heal Me’. Now to begin. After seeing the sparks fly between Hwang Jung Eum and Park Seo Joon in ‘Kill Me, Heal Me’ I was expecting to be absolutely blown away by the chemistry, and subsequent explosion, of these two actors reuniting as the main love-line.

I know which pairing I prefer

But then…they didn’t…sizzle. Why? Why?! I know you can so WHY DIDN’T YOU?! There was believable chemistry between the two child actors, but the sparks fell flat in the adult world. Sure there were cute moments, but they felt a little forced. In ‘KMHM’ we had a vast amount of scenes where these two actors played like children, yet you felt their connection and feeling for each other as adults.

There was cute, but no real 'wow'

It seems the writers of ‘She Was Pretty’ tried to channel this same energy in many of the scenes, but were unable to grab onto the same dynamic. Rather than appearing comfortable and at ease, whenever Hye Jin acted a bit childlike, it felt more like she was trying to cover up her embarrassment or awkwardness. Whenever Sung Joon acted in this way, it came across more as him trying to connect with the Hye Jin in his memories rather than the Hye Jin in front of him. While there was some believable romance between the two, it lacked that addictive quality the two were able to exude in ‘KMHM’, which was a little (a lot) disappointing.

Two Dimensional Characters:

No one was developed. Not one person. Ha Ri and Shin Hyuk came close, but didn’t quite make it there. Once the drama finished, I sat there for a while as it gradually dawned on me that I knew almost nothing about any of our characters.

Hye Jin getting jealous of all Ha Ri's development- wait, is that not what this screenshot is?

Sure, I had a basic understanding of who our characters were right then in that moment, but I had no real idea why they would react in the way they did- I just knew it was consistent with the character profile I’d created in my head. Out of all the characters, Min Ha Ri was probably given the most backstory and was the most developed of the lot. We saw glimpses of her isolation and extreme loneliness and were even given a few snippets of how she got there- crazy step-mum and less-than-helpful father. It explained her love for Hye Jin- who was always looking out for her, and her desire to hold on to Sung Joon- who treated her as a person and not an object (y’know, before he found out she’s not actually his first love and he completely dropped her). Coming in close second was Kim Shin Hyuk. Right from the get-go we knew he had more going on than just the loveable goofball, but sadly most of his development was crammed in right near the end. In a video recording. That played after he vanished. Yup.

Here, have some more Siwon

Our two leads are just…nothing. This wouldn’t have mattered so much if they had been virtually the same as their childhood selves, but they were SO DIFFERENT. Hye Jin went from pretty, popular, well-spoken, well-mannered delight into shrieky, unkempt almost-an-ajumma. Sung Joon went from shy, introverted fat kid to harsh, demanding, short-tempered workaholic. Which is all well and good. After all, the whole drama was about how two first loves change and are unable to recognise each other as adults. But then we should have been given some insight into how and why these changes occurred. But we weren’t. We got nothing, we just had to accept that these people were what our main characters had become and roll with it. Boo to that.

We all saw everything coming

Painfully Predictable:

We all know what’s going to happen. We all know the magazine won’t be discontinued. We all know that the cute, friendly work-mate won’t get the girl. We all know that the guy won’t fall for the beautiful friend. We all know that Hye Jin will get her dream job, and we all know that Sung Joon will get his first love. Seeing as there’s basically no plot, there are basically no surprises. And I’m not arguing that a drama needs surprises to be interesting. I’m just saying that this drama was neither surprising nor interesting. But on the plus side, it also wasn’t downright irritating.

Re-watch?

Not a chance. I came for the romance, I stayed for Siwon, and I nearly left with the hasty departure of Siwon’s character. Park Seo Joon did have his cute moments (boy is he a cutie), but he’s also cute in other shows.

There was just no magic for me