KDrama Addicts Anonymous (part 6)

[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 5 (previous threads linked from OP of each preceding thread)

There are suggestions for shows that we’ve enjoyed - those marked with asterisk(s) are more uniformly loved or admired. Cautionary note: in categorising series, its important to note most Korean dramas have 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 need guidance, eg for younger teens.

Comedy (with a side order of absurd)
I picked up a celebrity on the street (Viki)
My Fellow Citizens (Viki)

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

Romance - lighter & fluffier
Beating Again (Netflix)
Coffee Prince (Netflix)
Don’t Dare to Dream (Netflix, or as Jealousy Incarnate on Viki)*
Happy Once Again (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)*
The Beauty Inside (Viki/Netflix)
The Last Empress (Viki)
Thirty Not Seventeen (Viki)
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo (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)*
Fight For My Way (Viki/Drama bus)*
Just Between Lovers (Viki)**
Mr Sunshine (Netflix)
My Strange Hero (Viki)
Red Carpet - film (Netflix, very adult content)
Something in the Rain (Netflix)
The Package (Viki)

Supernatural/fantasy/sci-fi - fluffier
Goblin (Viki)*
I am not a Robot (Netflix)
Legend of the Blue Sea (Viki/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)

Mad as a box of frogs/uncategorisable
Strong Girl Bong Soon (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. (Although its possible we have scared them all away since our early threads with the incessant fangirling. If you’re still reading, please say hi.)

If you want to know your oppas from your unnis and other Korean terms of address and honorifics, there are good resources online.

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…

Snort!!! Boatyard!! Have just watched the opening titles to Secret Romance
As you say smorgasbord cheesy overload (but quite funny after a couple of glasses of wine). Think I've got the gist now not sure if I need to actually watch the drama.

I'll get me coat

Having seen ML’s dodgy coiffed bouffant ‘do in the flash forward/present bits I was wavering, but it was all a bit daytime soap production values & failed my 10 min test. Swerved.

I am gradually bottoming out what minimum % of subtitling on Viki is viable (for me, BettyS’ is 0%). I tried watching a bit of WWW this morning at 91% and it was like Jarlsberg, mostly cheese bit still a lot of holes. I’m reluctantly coming to a view that 96-97% is my cut-off, which is maddening because the current crop of shows have much slower teams.

Yes only half of Absolute Boyfriend is available this morning and nine of Angel 😱😱😱

Just shows how quickly they did HPL 😉

I am trying to understand more Korean when I watch without subs but it is limited to phrases here and there though I generally get the gist of it. However it would be hopeless if we weren’t already halfway through the story.

NONE of Angel that should’ve said.

Woo! Hoo! I'm back!... Dishwasher on.. Kitchen tidy!... Got a cup of tea! Kids in bed! Contact lenses out! Glasses on!... Secret life secretary to finish!.... I'm in!!...... 😍😂

Yay welcome back!! It’s been too quiet 😉🤣

I liked the end of Secretary I have a soft spot for Kim Young Kwan now

I have been playing BTS World but it doesn’t take much skill 💜💜🤣🤣

Secretary finished! Fab! It was lovely and blushing Chairman Min Ik was hilarious!! Yes! Kim Young Kwan is lovely in this!... Definitely definitely check out The Guardians! 😂..
Will go to bed now as I'm knackered.. Though may check in at Big Hit to see how my trainees are doing!... 😂😂😂

Evening all. I’m just back from the pub so I’m going to have a mini kdrama blitz before bed.

I love the cheesy kdrama within a kdrama in WWW. Scarlet (2FL) is totally hooked on her squiffy soap and yells at the telly, even when she’s watching in the gym. It’s brill.

from the OST to BTS World!... 💜💜😍😍😍😍

This video is like the kdrama we've not watched yet! 😂😂😂

Love it!! 💜💜💜
There’s absolutely everything in that! 🤣👍😁

Subtitles for Angel are very slow......

And WWW, although I’ve managed to stave off the worst of my frustration by getting out of the house and doing stuff last night so that it’s nearly ready for me now.

OMG. The dentist BIL in One Spring Night is such a lying shitbag bastard. I want the mother to absolutely flatten him.

Proper laughing at WWW now. The scene with Scarlet catching the thief is hilarious. Also her conversation with the cute guy in the hospital.

Scartlet: what’s this? Did you time slip?
Him: No, I just like a phone to be a phone.

I think it might be losing something in translation, but its very funny. 😂

Ha! Clearly just me in tonight. Park Morgan’s late night visit to Bae Ta Mi’s office in ‘provocative clothing’ also very funny (and hot).

Been skipping like a stone through My Secret Romance (and watching Glastonbury the same time) while waiting for Angel but have come to a halt as have run out of subs on that too 😡

Right. 🥾🍑

^ that was self-administered. I’m not kicking you Betty.

I watched a Korean film Snow is on the Sea on viki last night. It has the Cheese in the Trap ML Park Hae Jin. It was good but melancholy, so not recommended if you need cheering up. Park Hae Jin is much more likeable when not playing a sociopath. The ending was slightly marred by bubble machine snow, but it was a small thing.

Oh I haven’t seen that, have avoided due to melancholy warnings in the comments. I think Park Hae Jin is rather good ( and actually rather like him as a sociopath 😳) his new drama should be coming out soon.

That’s all kinds of wrong, Betty.

I know

Top story on Soompi this morning is about Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo‘s divorce - ML & FL from Descendants of the Sun. short marriage!

With their sudden announcement of divorce, Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo brought attention to the division of their assets, which reportedly amounts to over 100 billion won (approximately $86.5 million).