SnowApple
From DramaWiki
Apple's Corner
If you're looking for detailed recommendations, you've come to the right page. I've watched many dramas over the years, and while I don't claim to be a dazzling expert on the genre at large, I have learned what I like and don't like in terms of writing. I've boiled my critique (or enjoyment) down to five distinct categories, rated in the graphs below on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest.
1. Dialogue - Wit, humor, melodrama, whatever it is you're selling, sell it with your words. I want good flow to conversations, well spoken and well thought out lines that matter to the plot. Most dialogue nowadays is filler babble that goes in one ear and out the other.
2. Pacing - When it's time to end, sing the damn swan song! Slow, dragging storylines are the curse of most Korean dramas.
3. Chemistry - If I don't see any onscreen magic, I ain't watchin'. Bottom line.
4. Characters - A somewhat difficult category to explain, as it ties back into the general do's and don'ts of scriptwriting. Characters need to be well developed. I have to feel like they do/say/think things for a reason, rather than just serving a cardboard purpose.
5. Ending - As you can see below, I think most dramas fail horribly at endings. Good closure and resolution, ABOVE ALL ELSE, is what makes or breaks the drama's lasting impression on me.
Korean Dramas
| Drama | Dialogue | Pacing | Chemistry | Characters | Ending |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet 18 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 10 |
| My Girl | 10 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 3 |
| Dal Ja's Spring | 9 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 6 |
| Couple of Fantasy | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Delightful Girl Choon Hyang | 9 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 4 |
| Witch Amusement | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 4 |
| Hello! Miss | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
| Love Story in Harvard | 7 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 5 |
| Goong | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Over the Rainbow | 6 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 4 |
| Autumn Tale | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 |
Japanese Dramas
| Drama | Dialogue | Pacing | Chemistry | Characters | Ending |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ichi Rittoru no Namida | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| Taiyo no Uta | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| Hanazakari no Kimitachi e | 8 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 5 |
| Attention Please | 9 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 9 |
| Nobuta wo Produce | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 3 |
Taiwanese Dramas
| Drama | Dialogue | Pacing | Chemistry | Characters | Ending |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devil Beside You | 9 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 5 |
| Hua Yang Shao Nian Shao Nu | 8 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 4 |
| Bull Fighting | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 5 |