On bsky there's a #KDrama challenge for favourite trope examples, but 3 of them I hate so I'm doing a personal #KDrama #TWDrama #JDrama OST challenge here instead.
1 a day for 27 days:
ALL are from Dramas released in the 00s. All but 1 I scored 6/10 , the one was 5.5
Sorted by their year of release - Dramas released in the same year will be sorted by the year that I first watched them.
Compiling the list has been fun. VERY nostalgic with some "awww" and some "eww"
1/27
First up, 2003
Damo
This was the first Ha Ji Won #KDrama I watched, and it remains my 2nd favourite. It REALLY surprised me by literally starting at the end - the first scenes shown at the very beginning of episode 1 are the last scenes shown at the very end of the final episode. SPOILER! 🙂
2/27
2003
The original #JDrama Kimi Wa Petto is pretty much the archetypal specimen of what makes #JDramas unique.
It lost its nerve a bit at the end by opting for a more conventional relationship, but remains a great example of the quirky offbeat Japanese sensibility that doesn't fly in a #KDrama - which is why I have not watched (and will not watch) the #KDrama remake of this true J classic
3/27
2003
Over the 5782 episodes of the epic historical #KDrama "Dae Jang Geum" (kidding ofc, it just felt that long; there are only 999 episodes) , this song occurs more often than hydrogen occurs in the known Universe, so DON'T use it as the base of a drinking game. DO watch Dae Jang Geum, though, a fascinating "biopic" of sorts about a REAL genius who was FEMALE. And DO call it by its actual name - HER REAL NAME / TITLE
4/27
2004
This upbeat song comes from the #KDrama "Sweet 18" The storyline's a bit borderline, about an arranged marriage with an 18yo bride, but in a 'life imitates art' story, the 2 leads were together IRL for around 6-8 years after the Drama (filmed when she was 19)
& their onscreen chemistry was so good that I watched and the show twice.
5/27
2004
This cute song, sung by the female lead, my Nr 1 Sinitic fave (Ariel) Lin Yi Chen, is from a somewhat odd #TWDrama "Love Contract". The really odd bit is at the end, it left me scratching my head at how to react to the Drama as a whole. The lead couple reunited AS a couple (and exes) TWENTY YEARS later in the simply outstanding "Imperfect Us"
6/27
2004
EVERY time I think about this great #JDrama "Orange Days", I think of one scene. Shibasaki Kou plays a gifted musician dealing with going deaf, and the Drama features A LOT of sign language. Including an (imo) iconic scene in which she uses a universally understood hand gesture, one that I don't recall ever having seen in any #KDrama of the era. That scene, which really is important to the story, IS in this MV, I'm happy to report 😁
7/27
2004
The 2nd #TWDrama in this list, this one comes up often when discussing 'overlooked gems'. The recent death of the female lead from pneumonia at only 48 did bring this Drama back to public notice at the time
This short version of the theme from the opening might lure some to check MARS out. I don't recall any #KDrama built around motorbike racing like this one. I may need to see the Doctor to figure out why this reminded me of you, @s1m0n4 😂
8/27
2005
The 3rd #TWDrama in this list & 2nd with (Ariel) Lin Yi Chen Lin as lead and singer A remake of #JDrama, Itazura Na Kiss, I VASTLY prefer it to the #KDrama remake Mischievous Kiss,because of the amazing chemistry between "Ariel and Joe" - close friends IRL 20+ years now, they sell this iffy story in a way MK didn't. That Cheng never used his pregnant partner's ribs for kickboxing practice is another point of difference in its favour
9/27
2005
I watched #KDrama "My Name is Kim Sam Soon" so long ago, that it was still called that, the literal English translation of its straightforward Korean name. I absolutely LOVED it, but have to confess that none of the OST really stuck. This track is a lot of fun though, and if it prompts anyone to check out a truly excellent classic Drama, then yay me!
10/27
2006
I started Goong 1 week after my 1st #KDrama It was the start of my YEH kick, and I loved it then (she said years later she couldn't watch it without laughing at herself) I watched it twice that first year, but when I tried again last year, the ML's abusively tsundere character was too cruel for too long & I gave up in ep 21/24 when he was STILL a bully. GREAT OST though, and PROPER kisses. And ofc Ju Ji Hoon NOW compared to then is 😍🤤
11/27
2006
I watched #KDrama "The Vineyard Man" straight after Goong, as I was on a Yoon Eun Hye kick, trying to watch EVERY Drama snd movie she had filmed up to that point (I did it, too) I did not especially enjoy this particular Drama (only 5.5/10 the only sub 6 on this list), but this song is unusual for being reggae, not a common genre in the #KDrama OSTs I've heard.
12/27
2006
The first noona-dongsaeng romance I watched,, this one is highly regarded, if not widely known. My own recall of it is vague, but it ends strongly, and has a pleasant theme OST
13/27
2006
#TWDrama Tokyo Juliet was another slightly odd one imo, that I watched only for (Ariel) Lin Yi Chen as female lead. It's another Drama she also sang for, and this sweet little number sung by early 20s Yi Chen to her ML costar could be sung by early 40s Yi Chen to her days old son
14/27
2007
2007 was a VERY good year. The first of several from then is a true CLASSIC #KDrama #CoffeePrince . A very progressive romcom in many ways for its era it remains a VERY rare example of a #KDrama romcom that was just that - no serial killers, no noble idiocy separations, no messy love triangles, just plenty of rom & com, with stellar performances across the board. Both the dialogue and the OST have since been referenced OFTEN
15/27
2007
My favourite Han Ji Min #KDrama before #LoveScout, her strong lead role was nonetheless not the primary reason I loved this Drama. It features what is hands down an astonishing platonic friendship between the ML and 2FL. STRICTLY platonic, no romance whatsoever. Han Go Eun absolutely rocks her role and this upbeat number perfectly captures the period the Drama is set in
16/27
2007
The sequel to It Started With a Kiss this #TWDrama was much less regressive. Lin Yi Chen's character has much more agency, and the pairing seems more like a partnership. Sadly, the supporting characters are if anything even MORE intrusively annoying than ever The Drama also introduced me to the word frottage.😁 Another Lin Yi Chen Drama she sings for. If she ever put her degree in Korean to use in a #KDrama, that would be interesting
@ronsboy67 lol, I personally hate motorbikes. I have high sensitivity to certain types of noise and the motorbike loud noise drives me crazy even for short seconds.
If it were up to me I would ban them from planet earth or force manufacturers to come out with almost silent electric versions 😄🏍️
Ronsboy67
EllenInEdmonton 
s1m0n4