The 2007 Dahee Drama Awards

Jump to Comments

I was actually originally planning on just doing a short, simple little year-end look at this year’s best and worst dramas, and then I realized that I missed writing these past few weeks. Not writing research papers and exams, but writing what I want to write. So I’m expanding this, egotistically naming it after myself, and, well, having fun. Because I know that when the various award shows start airing, I’ll blow a blood vessel or two (when will these people understand that acting awards should be awarded to the BEST actors, not the most popular ones?). So I’ll hold my own little ceremony here, and pretend that we’re all living in the fantasy world I’ve created.

(Wow, exams must have really made me delusional.)

To have a better idea of which dramas I picked from for these awards, take a look at which dramas I saw this year (or, the ones I can remember, anyway. Note: I didn’t finish watching them all):

White Tower/하얀거탑
The Devil/마왕
The King and I/왕과나
In-soon Is Pretty/인순이는 예쁘다
Mixed-Up Inquiry Agency/얼렁뚱땅 흥신소
Hello! Miss/헬로! 애기씨
Goong S/궁S
Witch Amusement/마녀 유희
Air City/에어시티
Time of Dog and Wolf/개와 늑대의 시간
Moon-hee/문희
H.I.T.
Surgeon Bong Dal-hee/외과의사 봉달희
Que Sera Sera/케 세라 세라
Thank You/고맙습니다
Flowers For My Life/꽃 찾으러 왔단다
War of Money/쩐의 전쟁
My Man’s Woman/내 남자의 여자
The 1st Shop of the Coffee Prince/커피프린스 1호점
Several Questions That Make Us Happy/우리를 행복하게 하는 몇가지 질문
Dal-ja’s Spring/달자의 봄
I Am Sam/아이엠 셈
Get Karl, Oh Soo-Jung!/칼잡이 오수정
Ah Hyeon Dong Madam/아현동 마님
Legend/태왕사신기
Bad Love/못된 사랑
How To Meet A Perfect Neighbour/완벽한 이웃을 만나는 법
9 Ends 2 Outs/9회말 2아웃
Yi San/이산
Winter Bird/겨울새
The Unstoppable High Kick/거침없이 하이킥

Now, on with the awards…

Best Drama

Nominees:

White Tower/하얀거탑 (Because it’s not every day that you get to see a drama that is so near perfect in almost every single way.)
The Devil/마왕 (Because it’s the reunion of the team behind 부활/Rebirth, and they created another amazing drama.)
The King and I/왕과나 (Because it gets better and better and better the more of it you watch. And that’s quite a feat.)
Mixed-Up Inquiry Agency/얼렁뚱땅 흥신소 (Because it had the courage to make a drama that didn’t concentrate on love, and furthermore, succeeded at it. Also, the best comedic drama of the year.)
Time of Dog and Wolf/개와 늑대의 시간 (Because it was breathtakingly exciting, addictive, and starred Lee Jun Ki. I am weak, I know.)

Winner: White Tower

It had a superb cast, with Kim Myung Min pulling off one of THE performances of the year, a tight script and directing, and a gripping, psychologically intense storyline that doesn’t overflow with sappy love stories…This is my kind of drama, all right. For that, I award this with Best Drama of the year. Shine on, Kim Myung Min. Shine on.

Worst Drama

Nominees:

Goong S/궁 S (Because Se7en ruined my image of him forever.)
Hello! Miss/헬로! 애기씨 (Because this was quite possibly the worst choice of Lee Da Hae’s career.)
Witch Amusement/마녀 유희 (Because it just made me laugh. And not in a good way.)
Air City/에이어 시티 (Because it just oozed pretentious “Look at me! I’m cool!”-ness.)
Moon-hee/문희 (Because…it was ridiculous. And boring. And used just about every stupid trick in the book possible.)

Loser: Witch Amusement

With possibly the worst cast in a drama this year, with people like Jeon Hye Bin, Dennis Oh, and Han Ga In, this show was pretty much doomed from the start. But no, it actually had to outdo itself, by inventing crazier and crazier plot twists as the episodes wore on, and eventually abandoning all forms of logic and evolutionary progress with one of the stupidest endings of all time. Honestly? It was so sad, it made me laugh. A lot.

Special Variety Show Award:

Nominees:

Sang Sang Plus/상상 플러스 (Because, even though it’s not as fun anymore, Shin Jung Hwan still makes me laugh like a hyena. AND it’s educational!)
Infinite Challenge/무한도전 (Yoo Jae Seok, HaHa, Jung Joon Ha, Jung Hyung Don, Park Myung Soo, and Noh Hong Chul. On one show. Need I say more?)
Chattering of Beauties/미녀들의 수다 (Because it had its cute, witty, insightful moments.)
Gag Concert/개그 콘서트 (Because it’s damn funny, that’s why. That special concert had me in tears by the end.)
Ya Shim Man Man/야심만만 (Because, although this, too, lost steam after Park Soo Hong left, it’s managed to pick up the pace again in recent episodes. And I have a weakness for shows that are this honest.)

Winner: Infinite Challenge

Ah, Infinite Challenge. You evolved a lot this year. Slowly becoming one of the highest-rated variety shows on Korean television, it finally seemed to settle into a successful pattern, where it knew what worked, and what didn’t (most of the time). From the very beginning, the great thing about this show was the way the six members tried so hard at everything they did, even when they knew that they were going to fail miserably. And now, with the ever-growing warmth and camaraderie between them, this is easily one of the most hilarious, realistic, and touching shows on the air. Every time I watch an episode, I feel like I’m in the room with the six members, interacting with them, belonging with them. This show has an accessibility to it that’s hard to find anywhere else. And watching the latest Shall We Dance? special, I laughed until my stomach ached, and cried until my eyes became puffy. Not every show can do that, and after a long, long wait, during which it recorded ratings in the low single digits, Infinite Challenge has finally seemed to have found its groove. I can’t wait to see what the next challenge will be.

Best Actor

Nominees:

Shin Goo/신구 (고맙습니다/Thank You; 왕과나/King and I) (Because it’s Shin Goo. Duh.)
Jeon Gwang Ryul/전광렬 (주몽/Jumong; 왕과나/King and I) (Because every time he directs his LASER EYES at someone, I feel like the screen is going to melt from the force of his awesome charisma.)
Kim Myung Min/김명민 (하얀거탑/White Tower) (Because he pulled off one of the most difficult roles of the year, and pulled it off brilliantly. Not every actor can make a “despicable” character appealing, you know, and Kim Myung Min did it.)

Winner: Shin Goo

This is the easy choice, but I decided to choose him anyway. Why? Because, once again, Shin Goo has proven to be one of the greatest actors in the Korean entertainment business. To go from playing the pure-hearted grandpa with dementia in Thank You to the ambitious, scheming eunuch with the deepest contempt for all things “good” in King and I is an impressive display of range, to say the least. Kim Myung Min and Jeon Gwang Ryul both did amazing jobs in their respective roles, but it was Shin Goo who proved what a true master looks like.

Best Actress

Nominees:

Ye Ji Won/예지원 (얼렁뚱땅 흥신소/Mixed-Up Inquiry Agency) (Because she makes me laugh until my sides hurt, and makes me get all embarrassingly teary-eyed, as well.)
Gong Hyo Jin/공효진 (고맙습니다/Thank You) (Because she proved that she has a much wider range than that of the “tough and rough” woman. She was absolutely beautiful in this show.)
Bae Jong Ok/배종옥 (내 남자의 여자/My Man’s Woman; 우리를 행복하게 하는 몇가지 질문/Several Questions That Make Us Happy) (Because it’s, well, Bae Jong Ok. These weren’t her greatest roles, but as usual, she showed highly capable and natural acting. This woman can do no wrong, really.)

Winner: Ye Ji Won

Ye Ji Won has always been a good actress, but she’s never proven it so well as she has this year, with her lead role in the fabulous Mixed-Up Inquiry Agency. Switching from comic to dramatic with the bat of an eye, showing an honesty in her acting that always succeeds at reaching the viewers’ hearts, and being willing to fall flat on her face and generally act like a buffoon…I can count on one hand the number of “serious” actresses who are willing to go that far. She’s never gained the kind of popularity that she deserves, but with this show, at least, she proved that she’s special.

Best Cast: Mixed-Up Inquiry Agency/얼렁뚱땅 흥신고

Easy pick. What other cast this year has been this tight in terms of rhythm, cooperation, and acting ability? None, I would say.

Best New Actors:

I chose more than one for this category because really, how can I choose just one?

Lee Min Ki/이민기 (Because he proved his range with two completely different characters in 달자의 봄/Dal-ja’s Spring and 얼렁뚱땅 흥신소/Mixed-Up Inquiry Agency, and because he just keeps getting better.)

Lee Seon Gyun/이선균 (Because he shot to stardom with the dramas 하얀거탑/White Tower and 커피프린스 1호점/The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince, and furthermore, proved that he deserves to be a star, by showing some great acting ability.)

Oh Man Seok/오만석 (Because his role as 처선/Cheo-seon in 왕과나/King and I is only his second leading role in a drama, but he’s showing some truly awesome acting, with a keen understanding of the psychology and evolution of his character. And okay, he may not *really* be a “new” actor anymore, since he won that new actor award last year, but I think he’s still fresh enough to be considered for this slot. Plus, I am madly in love with him, and must give him an award. There, I said it, happy?)

Joo Ji Hoon/주지훈 (Because he proved that maybe he isn’t so “wooden” after all, with his surprisingly good turn in 마왕/The Devil. Seeing him in this after rolling my eyes over his awkward stiffness in 궁/The Palace, I was absolutely shocked over his improvement, and furthermore, felt proud that he had come so far. And okay, so he isn’t exactly at, say, Kim Myung Min’s level yet, but he’s shown a dedication to his craft and a passion for acting that’s sure to help him improve even more in future. He just has to pick the right projects now, and he could really become an actor to watch.)

Jung Kyung Ho/정경호 (Because he’s had a phenomenal year, with his critically acclaimed turns in two (or was it three?) films, and one of the best dramas of 2007. He’s come a long way from the whining brat that he played in 미안하다, 사랑한다/I’m Sorry, I Love You, with a growing maturity in his acting and in his project choices that promises of only good things to come. I only have one word to say to him: Congratulations.)

Jung Yoo Mi/정유미 (After an intensely critically-acclaimed debut in 사랑니/Wisdom Tooth, and a beautifully natural turn in another hugely critically-acclaimed film, 가족의 탄생/Family Ties, Jung Yoo Mi tackled her first drama project, and came out with flying colours. I’ve only seen the first episode of 케 세라 세라/Que Sera Sera, but even there, she impressed me. To be this good at such a young age is a very rare find indeed. And her project choices have been nothing but good so far. Here’s to hoping for even greater things to come.)

Shin Sung Rok/신성록 (Because, after coming off his good performance in the wonderful 2006 cable drama 하이에나/Hyena, he managed to snag yet another fascinating role in the sweetie drama of the year, 고맙습니다/Thank You. And although he hasn’t shown all that much range yet, he surely has tons of potential. And let’s not forget his success in one of this year’s hottest musicals, Dancing Shadows!)

And, finally…

It was a good year to be…

Shin Goo
Jeon Gwang Ryul
Kim Myung Min
Gong Hyo Jin
Yoon Eun Hye
Lee Seon Gyun
Jang Hyuk

See you again next year!

2 Comments

Filed under Dahee Drama Awards

Tags: Air City, Bae Jong Ok, Chattering of Beauties, Gag Concert, Gong Hyo Jin, Goong S, Hello! Miss, Infinity Challenge, Jang Hyuk, Jeon Gwang Ryeol, Joo Ji Hoon, Jung Kyung Ho, Jung Yoo Mi, Kim Myung Min, King and I, Lee Min Ki, Lee Seon Kyun, Mixed-Up Investigative Agency, Moon-hee, Oh Man Seok, sageuk, Sang Sang Plus, Shin Goo, Shin Sung Rok, Thank You, The Devil, Time of Dog and Wolf, White Tower, Witch Amusement, Ya Shim Man Man, Ye Ji Won, Yoon Eun Hye