KDrama Addicts Anonymous (thread 3)

[boatyardblues]

A quiet corner of MN for serious addicts of Kdrama, or the Kdrama-curious. Most of our viewing is drawn from Netflix and Viki, but the more seriously addicted have other sources, including dramabus.

Previous Threads, with discussion of what we’ve enjoyed and what to avoid:

First thread

Thread 2

Here are some suggestions for shows that we’ve enjoyed - those marked with an asterisk are more uniformly loved:

Because This Is My First Life (Viki)*
Black (Netflix)*
Chicago Typewriter (Viki)*
Don’t Dare to Dream (Netflix, or as Jealousy Incarnate on Viki)*
Fight For My Way (Drama bus)*
Healer (Netflix)*
His Master’s Sun (Netflix)
I Hear Your Voice (Netflix /Viki)
Last Train to Busan - film (Amazon Prime)
Live (Netflix)
Love from a Star (netflix)*
Pinocchio (netflix)
Prison Playbook (Netflix)*
Goblin (Viki)
She Was Pretty (Dramabus/Netflix)
Something in the Rain (Netflix)
Strong Girl Bong Soon (Netflix)
Suspicious Partner (netflix)*
W (Viki & Netflix)*
What’s Up With Secretary Kim (Viki)*
While You Were Sleeping (viki)

We have some lovely occasional posters who have lived in Korea, are Korean or have Korean partners/family members who pop in from time to time to provide the context for some of the more baffling cultural references.

If you want to know your oppas from your unnis try this helpful guide to Korean terms of address and honorifics.

We are generally fans of all things Korean, so equally happy to talk about Korean cookery, film and kpop when the mood takes us. To get to grips with the lingo, try dramaloveaddicts.proboards.com/thread/24/korean-word-day?page=1

If you want to join us down the kdrama rabbit hole, welcome! Pull up a chair, say goodbye to early nights and get stuck in…

I can’t keep my eyes open after last night. Will catch up with the thread tomorrow.

A
Awwww! Turns out the couple in Blood got real life married!! And there's a show following their newly married life on viki... Very cute and sweet and surprisingly very un showbiz.... They want to live in the countryside... I can't imagine a celebrity couple here who would choose such a quiet simple life!...

Links needed Betty. Is the chap the reaper from Goblin?

Oops, Bea.

I guess CJH can't actually sing....doesn't seem to bother all his fans in Taiwan

Do you recommend Blood then Bea?

I knew there had to be a reason for that bizarre laugh!

I noticed the dodgy lipsynching too.

And yes about ML’s laugh, but it made him seem insincere, especially when he was trying to win the snail around 3 years later.

Blood.. On Netflix...

ML is the younger brother from Love From the Stars... He's got a horrible haircut in Blood.. But suits his character... FL is a little irritating too but it works...

It's funny as when you watch dramas you can get pulled into the romance and I go... Ohhhh! They definitely like each other! There must be a real life attraction.. (strong girl bong soon!! Deffo!) but with the couple in Blood I didn't feel that! And now it turns out there was a relationship going on all the time!...

Newlywed Diaries on Viki is more like a fly on the wall documentary... It's very sweet and just not what I thought a celebrity couple life be like! It's almost a bit cookery show too as they talk about what they're cooking! (he's a very capable cook!)

Blood would definitely recommend its a solid good watch! Can't complain too much... Except for one gripe! But I won't go into that until you've watched!!

It's a good un! 👍... Better than shopaholic Louis... Trying to think where it goes in my list of kdramas!...

I'm going to write down all the dramas I've watched and put them in order one day! 😁😭

Oh yes! Not reaper from Goblin..

I’ve got an alphabetical list of everything I’ve watched on my iphone with 1-3 asterisks, if I think it was good (3 = best). So-so ones just get listed. It also gets a ‘meh’ if it it was lame so I don’t accidentally recommend it to someone else. I was looking at the list last night thinking that if I totted up the number of episodes per series and all the hours, it would be a frighteningly high number - especially considering I only started watching in earnest last June or July. DH and I now have separate Netflix profiles because my kdrama consumption ‘broke’ the algorithm and we weren’t getting any English language suggestions. His is still a bit squirly, but on the mend.

I also only started watching in earnest last June or July. Yes, there are a LOT of hours involved but just not that bad when you consider it is instead of ordinary tv not as well as. You just tend not to count tv watching as it is is ubiquitous. Kdrama is much more mindful as you have to make the effort rather it just being background noise.

I may have to reorganise my list as so far it is categorised thus: Favourites/Enjoyed/Okay/Couldn’t get on with
Have had a cultural morning at the Tate so now need to go home & finish Destiny, then a double whammy of RIABB this afternoon before trialling either Blood or Money Flower
I’m quite missing the long hair on ML though...

Noooo, he looks so much better with his hair off his face, whether it is a manbun or a short ‘do.

I am going out for something cultural soon, just so my brain doesn’t rot completely.

There was something in the news a couple of days ago about people who watch lots of telly having higher rates of dementia. It made me wonder if ”forrin telly” is different because a) its not in your native tongue and b) you are constantly reading the subtitles, as well ad trying to watch all the non-verbal stuff and tune into a foreign language. It definitely requires more effort.

You Are My Destiny all done and very much enjoyed.

Couple of loose ends though, why did Daniel visit Chairwoman Wang?

And was the sister snatched or adopted properly?

Went back to the first few eps to see if I missed anything and noticed that the ML at the start looked very fresh, but tired at the end. I've noticed this on other dramas it must be a gruelling schedule. Plus those cartoony bits with the ML & FL pounding grain or whatever, is that supposed to be symbolising a right good rollicking in the sack?

Bea I just watched the first 10 mins of Newlywed Diaries it is charming! I've noticed that the documentary reality style shows seem to have a much more gentle, natural pace where not much happens eg Coffee Friends

Bettys!.. You're spot on... Nothing much happens but it's just incredibly sweet!... Where they are is sooo rural and basic... They sound like a lovely couple too... They had a very quiet wedding and donated whst what they would have spent on wedding celebrations party to a children's hospital... ❤️... I'm a sucker! 😂

I've just realised he is the 2ML from The Beauty Inside - very handsome man

Couple of loose ends though, why did Daniel visit Chairwoman Wang?

I think she was a patron of the arts - ML says something about having to attend Daniel’s exhibition because it’s one of her artists. Perhaps the ‘omonee’ (sp?) was an honorific, rather than indicating an actual relationship.

Situation with missing child was unclear. The adoptive-mother’s account of collecting her from the orphanage did not square with the sudden disappearance.

And yes, the pounding grain was a very unsubtle metaphor.

I fell asleep in Money Flower so I’m having another go now. Love the ML being met at the prison gates with tofu on a silver platter served with a liberal sprinkling of gold leaf. 😂 Makes a nice change from a black carrier bag (which makes me think of dog poo bags).

Money Flower ML is a tough nut lawyer for a corrupt family. I needed a break from him kicking ne’er-do-wells, so I’m catching up on today’s Romance ITBB which is lovely.

The drunken sleepover is hilarious. Took me a minute to figure out the reason for the string.

The parents taking their revenge on mr Cha are fab

Classic passive aggression.

Jang Hyuk (ML from Destiny) is giving an excellent inscrutable bastard performance in Money Flower. Machievellian barely touches it. I sense the hapless bambi in his sights for the chaebol family’s strategic arranged marriage will thaw his ice cold heart.

Ooooh I'm torn now, Money Flower or Blood?

But the parents were half blaming their daughter too! The mum was all "oh darn it! He's so nice!' when they got in the taxi. Tbh I don't really need the author mystery around April 23rd I'm just happy with the company dynamics and mild worry about Dan-i being sacked.

I just love the comedy as well, the blokey cwtch at the sleepover and the hapless junior who likes Ji-Yul