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…

The slow subbing on WWW is really spoiling my enjoyment of it. I know they are volunteers but it’s making me 🤬

Bloody love Han Kefei even if her name is coffee. I love the way she dresses too. I've got to admit the styling in BWGM is perfect. If only I was thin enough to pull these outfits off.

The subs on WWW do seem really slow this week. I guess I'm spoiled by the overnight subbing with Mando dramas.

I’m dipping my toes into Criminologist Himura and Mystery Writer Arisugawa (Japanese) on Viki. It’s nipping along quite nicely. Love, love, love Himura’s floppy hair and intensity. It’s got a definite Sherlock vibe going on. Tokie, Himura’s elderly house-keeper (I’m assuming) and sometimes editor for Arisugawa, is already won me round. She’s like a wrinklier, twinklier Una Stubbs with a side serving of a louche, wordly The cases so far are a bit CSI shiny stylee, but it has passed the 10 minute test with flying colours. I notice knives are not fuzzed out in Jdrama and that ‘bye bye’ is used as a parting in Japan, as well as in the mando stuff - English is like Japanese knotweed, it gets everywhere! I will keep an eye out for anything else.

Louche, worldly nanna ^

I'm swithering around not sure what to watch while waiting for Watcher subs.
Level Up didn't pass the 10 minute test for me.

I'm watching Go Go Squid and it's slow going as with most Chinese dramas. I'm just looking at the shows I've got in my 'to watch' list and honestly none of them are jumping out at me.

I’m in the doldrums too. I fell asleep in J-Sherlock (big dinner, comfy sofa, too much beer). I’ve just perked up again, so I’ll roll it back to catch the ending, but I could really do with a killer series to grip me.

I've been looking through my MyDramaList for something to watch. I've got 49 dramas and 2 movies on my 'watch ASAP' list. Even some that I'm 90% sure I'll love like Suspicious Partner and Oh My Venus but I'm still claiming I've got nothing to watch.

Are either of them worth binging right now?

Suspicious Partner for sure!!👍👍
Grrr JCW every time 😍

I’ve been looking through Jasper Liu ‘s list of work on Viki and notice he was in Love Myself or You with Puff Guo - anyone seen it?

I’m totes scattergun this evening. I’m having a try of I Hear You on Netflix. It’s Chinese, 30 min episodes. Set up is very petite FL (voice actress) is persuaded by TV producer friend to pretend to part of a couple with her male co-producer friend’s very tall male violin-maker friend to go on an ‘opposites attract’ reality TV show for couples. ML is all stony and a git (so far, so predictable) and FL is a feisty pocket rocket. What could possibly go wrong?

I tried Love O2O (cdrama) on Viki - of the first 10 minutes it was mostly titles and a computer graphic game. I’m actually preferring the feel of Taiwan drama, or maybe it’s just the theme of this one.

I tried the Japanese one you mentioned earlier boatyard but aside from the leggy tousled hair ML & great street shots it didn’t grip me.

The ML in I Hear You is behaving himself so far and is tolerably OK, plus v tall. The FL is likeable and not a pushover. This is a major step forwards with mando-drama.

Heeelp!?!

I watched 2 episodes of Love Myself or You and gave up. I can't even remember why.

Love o2o on the other hand is amazing if you can slog it out. Strong woman, trusting relationship which doesn't break down on the first hurdle, complex side character relationships. It just takes so long for anything to happen. Also the show is quite game graphic heavy in the first 5/10 episodes but it spaces out after that.

Hahaha boatyard!! Did you forget to 🥾🍑?

Hello I’m up to ep 3 & admit to ffwding the graphics bits.

I think it becomes a drama when they meet. Up until then it's just seems like an advert for a none existent game.

It does!! I’m up to ep 5 and they still haven’t met yet! 🙇‍♀️ However I’m beginning to quite enjoy it - I like it when they’re in the game & a character goes off to the loo or something & all sorts of misunderstandings occur 😆

I love the way they did the gaming scenes sometimes. The misunderstandings were always fun. I did like the quality of its graphics compared to other CGI I've seen too.

I recommend Ms Hammerubi on netflix!... Nice and feel good! Not going to blow you away but really good.. Heartfelt and full of feisty ness!

Went to bed super early last night! Late nights catching up with me!

Helloseellow!... What bettys said! Suspicious Partner! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️.. Grrr! JCW!... 😍😍😍

I'm trying to finish Wok of Love... FL I find a little annoying... But Junho ❤️😍... But its soooo slow! I love the premise... It needs to be pacier and 4 episodes shorter...! I like the other characters too... Just too slow! But determined to get to the end... And then will try to finish 30 but 17... Whilst waiting to finish Angel and Boyfriend...

Looking fwd to Hotel De Luna (with Robot Clown.. .. He's really churning them out at the moment!)... And will start WWW at some point too!...

I liked Love 020 too. Helps that I'm a gamer so found the premise interesting and watched with dd who also games. I thought the in game stuff was a bit awful though.. the bosses are far too easy to kill!

Nice characters with interesting friends.

Still not found a new drama. Did a bit of a GOT marathon yesterday with ds.

Might try Suspicious Partner, since it has JCW.

gingerbiscuit if you like gaming it might be worth giving Go Go Squid a go. It's not MMORPG but heavily based in e-sports so might be up your street?

Bettys... just rewatching clips of Pinnochio and just occured to me (that Toasty LJS is swoonsome!????...) did you get to the end of The Guardians....?

Bea, I did, why?