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…

Ooh, Bea looks exciting, but where are you ?

Can anyone recommend any books by Korean/ Chinese authors? I realised last night I've really not read much by either, I'm pretty sure the only book I've read by a Korean author is Wings by Sang Yi .

I've dragged a non Kpop fan friend here! She's a good sort! It's already screamsville and it's only videos!!
Cheshire! I'm at BTS concert Wembley stadium!! 😂

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee is a good read. She’s Korean-American, married to a Japanese guy and, if I remember right, has lived in both Korea and Japan, as well as the US. It’s a family saga covering the period from the 1930s through to early 90s. It’s really interesting about the life of Koreans in Japan pre 2WW, during the war and afterwards.

Wow, Bea - she is a very good friendto go fangirling with you. It will either convert her or break her. Let us know what her take is too in your post-gig reviews. Did you bring earplugs to take the edge off the screaming?

Woooh, definitely exciting.

We have weeks of excited build-up, Cheshire. We are vicariously enjoying Bea’s big night, including the build up. Hence the tummy bug horror 36 hours ago.

I'm not surprised she was terrified, it would be dreadful to miss their first UK concert.

Are most of the fans at the concert really young or is it mixed?

I’ve just noticed we are on p38 already. With all the BTS excitement, we could easily ‘top out’ tonight so I think it would be good to get the new thread lined up. Any thoughts about what needs to be added to our recommendations, or culled?

I was thinking ADD:

Her Private Life (if not already up)
My Fellow Citizens (Viki)
Life on Mars (with dramafast link)
Heartless City (Viki)

Is it too soon to add The Guest, Betty, or are you far enough through to vouch for it? I think we should wait out Absolute Boyfriend to see if it goes off the boil.

Yes to all the new adds including The Guest, can’t think of any culls. I would just say dramafast without adding a link (although I have before now ) ‘cos while I think it’s a legit site as it’s boobage free it’s not a subscription one.
If the list gets much bigger we may have to add categories 🤣🤣

I actually think categories would be a good idea. Hang on...

I just came across this on Youtube, which gives a flavour of what Bea must be experiencing, EXCEPT BEA'S RIGHT AT THE FRONT!!!!!

SO SO JEALOUS

Possible categories:

Rom-com
Fantasy
Slice-of-life
Horror
Fit af oh sorry I meant anything with HH KJW in

How about:

Preamble:

In categorising series, its important to note most Korean drama has multiple strands - e.g. romance and thriller; supernatural, romance and a thriller, crime series with blossoming relationship aspects. Genre-busting mash-ups are normal. Series that are tagged as dark may also have moments of comedy or the absurd, likewise fluff can have heavier elements. View the categories below as approximate & ask if you nedd guidance, eg for younger teens.

Comedy
My Fellow Citizens (Viki)

Crime/Thriller
Heartless City (Viki)
He is Psychometric (Viki)
I Hear Your Voice (Netflix /Viki)
Life on Mars (well-reviewed remake of BBC series, Dramafast)
Live (Netflix)
Pride & Prejudice (Netflix)*
Prison Playbook (Netflix)*
Suspicious Partner (netflix)*

Romance - light & fluffy
Don’t Dare to Dream (Netflix, or as Jealousy Incarnate on Viki)*
Fight For My Way (Viki/Drama bus)*
Healer (Netflix)
Her Private Life (Viki)
His Master’s Sun (Netflix)
Love from a Star (netflix)*
Pinocchio (Netflix)
Romance is the Bonus Book (Netflix)**
She Was Pretty (Dramabus/Netflix)*
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Jo (Netflix/Viki)
What’s Up With Secretary Kim (Viki)**
You are my Destiny (Netflix)

Romance - heavier weight/more grown up
Because This Is My First Life (Viki)*
Chicago Typewriter (Viki)*
Just Between Lovers (Viki)**
My Strange Hero (Viki)
Something in the Rain (Netflix)

Supernatural/fantasy/sci-fi - fluffier
Goblin (Viki)
I am not a Robot (Netflix)
While You Were Sleeping (Viki)*

Supernatural/fantasy/sci-fi - darker
Black (Netflix)*
The Guest (Dramafast)
W (Viki & Netflix)*

Zombies
Kingdom (Netflix)*
Train to Busan - film (Amazon Prime)

Impossible to categorise
Strong Girl Bong Soon (Netflix)

See I have had wine (again) and am spending too long musing over the categories. Healer & Fight For My Way should be in thriller and romance/more grown up categories.

But it shows just how difficult it is to categorise kdrama.

I’m happy to take a consensus view on this. I almost out Healer under Thrillers - there was some back & fore. I haven’t seen fight my way, so categorise away - that was only my guess based on the fact they’re all wearing pink in the series ident. 😂

Do you agree Bong Soon should get her own indefinable category?

I made a point a couple of threads back that the posters for dramas are often misleading: Fight For My Way is more slice of life than most as it's about people who are struggling to succeed, so why they put them all in pink I'll never know, it did put me off watching initially.

Have just checked my kdrama watched list and missing from the potential thread 6 list is: The Package (Romance obv), Red Carpet (film but x-rated-ish), Beating Again and I picked up a celebrity on the street

Yes Bong Soon should be in mad as a box of frogs category

I’ve amended the Bong Soon category to include Mad as a Box of Frogs and added in your picks.

Wonder how Bea is getting on, and her friend.

I think they are being transported to another level of existence

I’ve added Legend of the Blue sea to fluffy fantasy and Thirty not Seventeen to light romance.

And The Beauty Inside

I enjoyed that short YouTube video of last night’s experience, especially the girl next to her who had come with her cousin not knowing BTS and left ARMY.

Shall I just start the new thread now so Bea can let rip on the train home?

Wow, I'm impressed with how organised you guys are.