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…

How can you not tell them apart! It's soooo obvious! 😂... Yes! The Venn diagram would have to include ALL of them as they are lovely and funny in their own ways!...

I'm slightly hooked in the game! It's sooo funny! Though I keep running out of gems and still not sure what I should be doing!... I do worry that they're putting a little too much of themselves out there... The whole episode about jimin and his anxiety about abs and dieting I fear is based in truth! (he's spoken about his mortification about being the "ab revealer!" and the stress of having to do well! 😭😭)

However! I love it and I marvel at how much effort and time they put into everything they do! They've just dropped "another" video... Japanese single lights... I fear they never have any downtime!! 😱

I haven't a clue what I'm supposed to be doing I just keep jabbing away! I do get shocked when they text me & I irrationally think for a split second that it really IS RM messaging me

Tchah! I’ve now just spent 10 minutes looking at Jimin’s abs on YouTube 💜

This all sounds like a massive time sink that I’d do well to avoid.

Bettys! Jimins abs! ... and when my phone vibrates with a "Jimin is calling you!" I go "eeeeep!"

Boatyard! Oh yes it is! but.... it's such a pretty / beautiful / heartfelt / funny time sink...!

I keep waiting for Kim Taehyung to call but it’s usually RM 🤔

Jimin mentioned in an interview a couple years ago how he ate ridiculously small amounts of food (I think he said 1 meal in 10 days) and would exercise about 6/8 hours at a time to keep his physique up. It must be a really tough life to lead always being in the spotlight.

😍😍😍😍👍💜💜💜💜😂😂😂😂Needless to say.. I always answer! 😂 😂

I’m so frustrated by how slooooooooow the subs are on the currently airing Viki shows. 🤦‍♀️

Argh! The preview for next week’s One Spring Night makes me nervous. 😕

In One Spring Night I'm struggling to understand the single parent =flaw too, and wondering if it's a widespread view or not.

Lovely scene with the two mums. I like how the women are the ones who are pulling everything together and supportive for each other. It really contrasts against the power struggles between the men.

Next episode looks like it will be a hard one.

The BTS boys must be under huge pressure. I can't imagine eating so little, let alone exercising so much on top.

Lovely scene with the two mums. I like how the women are the ones who are pulling everything together and supportive for each other. It really contrasts against the power struggles between the men.

Agreed. I thought the scene with the Mums was lovely. I also like Ji-Ho’s relationship with his older colleague. It’s a lovely friendship but she’s also very maternal and supportive. The people around him really care about him, including his male friends. By contrast, all the hyper-masculine men (Gi-yeok, BIL, Gi-Yeok’s father, FL’s father) seem quite socially isolated and insecure. That kind of in-group, out-group oneupmanship must be exhausting. Perhaps Ji-Ho lucked out by being cast out.

Agreed.

I’ve been catching up with WWW. I really like the 2FL who is obsessed with the daytime drama. Does the other 2FL have a crush on her? Can’t tell if it’s that or guilt over the school incident.
ML never appealed before but i do like the office bit in ep 8 and her ‘don’t go out showing your forehead’ comment 😆 . And the bit by the lift. I get that she’s not into marriage but really, get a grip!!

I’ve been catching up with WWW. I really like the 2FL who is obsessed with the daytime drama. Does the other 2FL have a crush on her?

I think there are definite homoerotic aspects to Scarlet and her sunbae’s relationship. I wondered if it was one-sided (sunbae) but Scarlet seemed moved too when they were in an embrace on the pavement when they met for drinks.

I love the office flirtation scene, especially the lingering shots of the curve of his back, his chest etc. They had so much fun with the reversal and centring the female gaze.

Weds night’s episode of WWW is still like swiss cheese.

So far what I'm noticing about WWW is the great camera work. It's such a beautifully shot show. It made me rememver how much I've missed strong female characters.

Only on episode 4 but I'm really liking it so far. I love the complex dynamics between everyone. I also thought Scarlet and her sunbae might have a little something going on because of the pavement scene. I can't wait to see what happens.

So far what I'm noticing about WWW is the great camera work. It's such a beautifully shot show. It made me rememver how much I've missed strong female characters.

That’s so true. The whole thing is so well done. In fact, the crap camera work is one of the things that hobbles the Taiwanese dramas I’ve seen, but also sets kdrama apart.

Hello - My Fellow Citizens has great female characters: FL, FL’s stepmother, ML’s grifter sister and the mob boss and her crazy sisters. It’s a lot of fun.

I'll have to check it out once I'm caught up on WWW. I love a good mob boss.

Goddamnit if there isn’t a spoiler in the episode thumbnails for Angel. 😞

I see episode 6 of Before We Get Married is up, but no subs yet. 😄

Subs usually get finished late Saturday morning. I want to see what's happening in the thumbnail but know I shouldn't watch it without subs because I'll only confuse myself

Sadly I am gagging for the next episode of Before We Get Married 😉