TOPFIVE Best Dramas From The First Half Of 2019

2019 has been a spectacular year for Korean dramas, so you can bet I've been bouncing up and down in my chair waiting for the halfway point of the year - June 30 - to come around just so I could write up this post. The reason this is a day late is because I didn't want to put any still running dramas on this list in case they flopped in future episodes (I have made this mistake so many times: see previous TOPFIVE Best Drama posts). One of my favorite dramas finished airing yesterday so I wanted to watch that before writing this list. 

As usual, this post will be ordered from most most favorites to they're still freaking awesome, but since all the dramas on this list are magnificent, the ordering is relatively arbitrary.

VOICE 3

I only watched Voice 2 earlier this year but immediately fell in love with the new cast and especially the new male lead, Lee Jin-wook, who plays Team Leader Do Kang-woo in the drama. The season only had twelve episodes though, so I was extremely excited for Voice 3 which was going to have a full sixteen episode run. This is the drama that just finished airing yesterday, and while it did not end up living up to the previous season, I still adored and enjoyed every moment. The stakes were so much higher this season and the plot was intense, but at the same time, the writers didn't include many Code Zero cases, which is what the Voice drama series is known and loved for. Even so, this is one of my favorite dramas of the year so far and I'm going to go sit in a corner and cry now that it's over.

For anyone who hasn't watched the drama series, it's about a Golden Time Team that aims to solve 911 call cases within the "golden time" when they're more likely to solve the case and save the victim. The main character Kang Kwon-joo can hear sounds other cannot, which is why she's so good at her job. I'd recommend starting from Voice and going in order from there, but if you really can't wait and just want to see Lee Jin-wook in action, you can start with Voice 2 and follow it up with Voice 3.

LEGAL HIGH

A friend actually recommended this to me earlier in the year, and the convincing factor was the absolutely hilarious teaser trailers that showcase just how wacky the main characters of this drama are. I finally watched it and the drama was an absolute delight. It's a legal drama, but it's super unique because the male lead is literally the Sherlock Holmes of the legal world: he's nuts, he's fun, he values money above all else, and he has never lost a case in his lifetime. But then he meets this uptight female lawyer with exactly the opposite beliefs and they clash in the best and most amusing ways possible. There's no outright romance but the chemistry and adorable situations are plenty fulfilling - just how I like it. If you're looking for a fun time with a great plot and story to boot, then you'll definitely want to check this one out.

My faaaave quirky partnership! This picture exemplifies their whole relationship.

KINGDOM

Kingdom aired pretty early in the year as a Netflix Original and it immediately blew me away. Think Train To Busan, except before there were trains. It's a historical drama that's all about zombies; there are only six episodes and each of them is freaking brilliant. The cinematography, acting, story - everything was super well done, and there is in fact going to be a season two to the series. I don't have much to say about this other than watch it because it's super good and you will not regret it.

THE LIGHT IN YOUR EYES

This drama was sold to audiences as a young woman falling in love and finding her place in the world - all with a little help from a watch that allows her to manipulate time. However, one day, after using the watch too many times, she suddenly wakes up and finds herself looking and feeling like a 70-year old woman. The Light in Your Eyes is probably one of the most painful, but also the most beautiful, dramas that I have watched this year; I spent whole episodes just sobbing into my blanket. Everything about this drama is perfect: the chemistry between the two leads is off the charts and intense, and Han Ji-min and Nam Joo-hyuk and truly wonderful actors. There's also a plot twist toward the end that will shock you to your core, but it also adds that much more depth to this drama and elevates it to a new level of excellence. I am so impressed with the cast, crew, and writers of this drama. This seriously beautiful story is one that I will never forget.

I dunno why but Nam Joo-hyuk is super hot in this drama. You're welcome for the heads up.

Cute couple being cute. (Any Howl's Moving Castle fans? You'd like this drama.)

The way he looks at her OMG.

Ah, the beautiful hate/annoyance to love relationship we all adore so much.

Not even kidding: I adore these three more than the besties in Weightlifting Fairy.

ROMANCE IS A BONUS BOOK

This was one of my most anticipated dramas from the first half of the year because, hello, books! And after watching it, I can confidently say that this drama loves books just as much as you and I do. The premise of the drama reminded me a bit of the show Younger (which I think some drama is actually adapting in the near future): Kang Dan-yi is recently divorced and looking for a job, but no one will hire her because she hasn't worked in quite a few years. Desperate, she lies about her age and gets a job at a publishing company, but it just so happens that her best friend is an author and chief editor at that company (this is Lee Jong-suk's role) and he's harbored a crush on her for years. The noona romance in this drama is unbelievably adorable, and I fell in love with all the bookish scenes and moments and circumstances! I highly recommend this drama if you're looking for all the cuteness.

These two make me want to throw my CS degree to the side and work in publishing.