KDrama Addicts Anonymous (part 5)

[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 there other sources, including Dramabus and AmazonPrime.

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

Thread 4 (previous threads linked from OP of this one)

Some suggestions for shows that we’ve enjoyed - those marked with an asterisk are more uniformly loved or admired:

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 (Viki/Drama bus)*
Goblin (Viki)
Healer (Netflix)*
He is Psychometric (Viki)
Her Private Life (Viki)*
His Master’s Sun (Netflix)
I Hear Your Voice (Netflix /Viki)
Just Between Lovers (Viki)*
Last Train to Busan - film (Amazon Prime)
Live (Netflix)
Love from a Star (netflix)*
My Strange Hero (Viki)
Pinocchio (Netflix)
Pride & Prejudice (Netflix)*
Prison Playbook (Netflix)*
Romance is the Bonus Book (Netflix)*
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)*
You are my Destiny (Netflix)

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

We have a few frequently used acronyms:
FL/2FL = female lead/2nd female lead
ML/2ML = male lead/2nd male lead
SLS = Second Lead Syndrome (where the FL/MLis too thick to realise how much better the 2ML/2FL is)

We also abbreviate titles if they’re long, but usually only after using the full title & acronym together. Some of the regular favourite actors have been abbreviated too for speed/efficiency, although “him off Black” seems to have stuck for Song Seung-Heon. Don’t be afraid to ask for help/clues if we’re not making sense or have descended into acronym soup.

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…

The actor is a chump and blew it. He doesn’t deserve to lick FL’s boots. Robot guy would treat her so much better and be a true partner. He seems to be learning nuance with more variable input. Plus, housework and fixing. Can you tell I’m team robot?

It occurred to me that the robot won’t age so they’ll become age-gappier over time, but he’ll still be spry and full of beans when she gets very doddery and needs a home help or personal carer. Being middle aged sucks, doesn’t it? Ageing parents are a worry.

Oh team robot too!! 👍🤖
However am now up to ep 8 & ex-chump has been getting weird boxes with dead flowers on & scratched up pics so I wonder if there really is a stalker who has threatened FL if he doesn’t break up with her. Maybe he’s suffering from noble idiocy

In Are You Human Too they had robots of different ages, so in theory you could update the shell & keep the learned data but that would cost ££££

And yes, being middle aged sucks 😫😡

Maybe he’s suffering from noble idiocy

There seems to be a rich seam of it in kdramaworld. The FLs often show it too.

In Are You Human Too they had robots of different ages, so in theory you could update the shell & keep the learned data

Interesting.

I’ve yet to see a kdrama set in space, but they do love their forward-thinking tech-based sci-fi. I wonder if they are influenced by the steps forward that near neighbour Japan has made in robotics and AI.

I’d pay good money to see a kdrama take on the noughties Battlestar Galactica reboot, especially if the even-handed hotness is sustained in the casting. 😆

That just made me google kdrama in space but it just came up with some variety show from last year where they lived in Utah in a Mars simulation place.

I liked both the 70s & 00s version of Battlestar Galactica though the hot quotient was better in the 00s one (Jamie Bamber! James Callis! Tahmoh Penikett!) & the women were cool too (Katie Sackoff!) Cracking idea boatyard!

And in Are You Human Too the robot was identical to a real human so you could use the human's sperm for a baby & it would look like it's robot dad

Bettys... Yes! I think you're over thinking! 😂 😂 😂

Yes! Boyfriend... Do you think actor bloke putting it all on to deter the stalker? Hmmm? 🤔🤔🤔

... And what do we think of the crazy creepy Diana? Yikes! Where are they going with that one?...

Hey I started watching Hello My Twenties... Sort of intrigued but there doesn't seem to be much going on... Gave up in the middle of ep 2... Should I persevere?

Then thinking of starting School 2013... I miss Toasty!
And they've announced lovely eyes Junho is off to Private Sector to fulfil military duties! 😭😭😭😭

You got further than me with Hello My Twenties! I am unable to comment on whether it improves.

Boatyard! 😂😂😂... Hmmm! Sounds about right... I really not enamoured with any of the girls! 😂

I have found a couple of Korean films on Netflix and the subtitling is fine because its not on the stupid DVD player. Currently watching Illang: The Wolf Brigade, a dystopian thriller. Will report back.

School 2013!!... It's gooood! Like My Strange Hero but with lots more angst and not as jokey!... And HUGE bonus is angsty LJS!... He's soooo good! Full of angst and I don't think it's going to get better soon!... Looking forward to the next couple of eps!..

Don’t tar me and feather me, but I’ve started watching Well Intentioned Love on Netflix and I’m sucked right in. I don’t find the Chinese language (not sure if its Mandarin or Cantonese) as easy on the ears, but the story is pure kdrama schmaltz. The wealth/connections/designer goods/strategic marriage/social status aspects are like kdrama on steroids.

😂 😂 😂... Boatyard I've got that on my list!.... It's mandarin... I find mandarin hard on the ears as I speak bad Cantonese.... Ive started to watch a few cdramas in the vain hope of improving my Cantonese but not a hope as the majority are in mandarin (I think I understand korean better!!) plus... My specific Cantonese isn't even bog standard Cantonese (Hong Kong Cantonese I call it!) it's like peasant /village Cantonese (as my family call it!) plus its butchered British peasant /village Cantonese!.... 😁😭... I haven't got a hope in hell!! My kids are annoyed as they would love to be fluent... I said they should go live with my mum for a year! 😂😂

It’s getting easier, but I still much prefer Korean (or Spanish) if I’m going for subtitled drama.

Bea - Can you provide any social context for Well Intentioned Love from your knowledge of Chinese culture? The ML just had a conversation with FL about dressing appropriately whilst she’s working away: no collarbone or belly button on show and skirts down to her knees. Is this like the kdrama jealous guy thing (ie showing caring) or is it a standard controlling arse thing? It makes him come across as a possessive twat to my western eyes and she seems far too willing to go along with all his (many) rules. 🤷‍♂️

I think it's a kdrama jealous modesty thing! 😭... All for the drama with a grain of truth! 😂

I will add Well Intentioned Love to my list as I quite enjoyed Meteor Garden in a horrified way

Started watching The Princess and the Matchmaker today (sageuk film dramafast) and it's got Lee Seung-Gi as ML who I am beginning to like very much, although not in an Oppa way as that is reserved for Yeon Woo Jin who is also in this film. It's funny and sweet so far. Really enjoying watching films at the moment.

Obv. am on emotional tenterhooks for tonight's ep of HPL

I had to finally stir my bones from the very soft bed in our cottage to shower and feed the troops, but I woke early this morning and cracked in a respectable 6.5 x 40 min episodes on my phone. 😂💪 Gotta love the Netflix app. 😆

DH made lots of coffee.

That’s a supportive DH 🤣

Not a spoiler but don't read if you want to go in to HPL with no preconceptions
.
.
.
.
ok ok ok I know I shouldn't have but I've just had a quick peek at HPL without subs and just had to say (and this isn't a spoiler it's about a prop I'm just open-mouthed)

W T ACTUAL F ???

I want to know if you spot what I mean boatyard!! And if you think the same

Viki rubbers are firing on all cylinders tonight!! 75%