I think any drama who models themselves after a popular role playing game (Dragon Quest) is going to be an instant winner, and luckily enough the “Yuusha Yoshihiko” series is one that did it and did it well! It basically takes RPG conventions and amplifies them to the nth degree.
There’s a village in crisis, a sacred sword stuck in a rock, and a line of wannabes hoping to become the hero to retrieve it. This only happened two minutes into the first episode but I was already doubled over in laughter: Yoshihiko is ready to make an attempt when it just falls out of the rock.
The likely story is that everyone else probably loosened it just enough by the time he was about to have a go at it, but even that was so unexpected! It was also the perfect goofy set up for the rest of the series, because it just gets goofier. Name a thing and this drama probably has it. NPCs who repeat themselves? Yes. Grinding? Of course! How else are you going to resurrect members in your party? The ethics of going inside someone’s house and looking for coins/treasure? For being low budget, Yuusha Yoshihiko to Maou no Shiro is surprisingly rich in RPG and pop culture references that more than make up for its “cheapness”.
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(More) Reasons to Watch: Cameo heavy, so there is someone you’re bound to recognize at some point or another being SUPER ridiculous. Occasionally the humor will delve into the super offensive and banal, but it is one of the silliest dramas you will ever watch. Also another one of those midnight dramas/hidden gems.
Honorable Mention: I could complain about the extension “History of a Salaryman” (SBS / 2012) was given, but I won’t. Not only was it technically perfect, but it was a corporate drama done right. I love love loved how they used the Chu-Han Contention as the basis for their story. It was clever, hilarious, and refreshing!