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…

Um. Just wiki searched. It’s Taiwanese, and its in Mandarin but perhaps Taiwanese Mandarin because its definitely softer.

Ahhh! Yes! Taiwan... Mandarin... Cantonese is really not that common... Spoken by a lot of immigrants thus the reason why it's what you hear in your local Chinatown... And when my sister visited San Francisco she was bemused and delighted that there was a lot of Taishanese spoken there... Again a lot of immigration from the canton area to SF... it's quite fascinating when you look into how languages do spread... I'm guilt ridden as reading up on Taishanese etc it's a dying language and I really should be keeping it alive! I blame my parents for not being typical "tiger 🐯 parents" and just assimilating me into British ways! 😂 😂 😂

Just watched Kingdom! It's exhausting! All that running and beheading... And whilst I'm watching! Bts keep bombarding me with tweets and VLive broadcasts! Boys! Leave me alone!! 😂

Very much enjoying Angel Last Mission! Kim Dan reminds me of BTS Jungkook! 💜😍😍😍

Ah, rooftop apartments are a thing in T-drama too. 😄

I feel sad for the FL’s best friend (male) in this Tdrama. He’s so going to lose out to ML.

Heeeelp!

Oh dear Boatyard! 😂😂😂

Hahaha it seems quite addictive boatyard! 😂

Morning all! As you can see, The Perfect Match hoovered me in. It nips along nicely and is less coy than usual, which is refreshing. It’s been on by Netflix watchlist for ages and it seems my first impression (based on the trailer) was justified. I will report back if it sags in the midde etc, as there are 22 x 1 hr+ episodes.

There are some odd set up scenes in this. Usually the answer to not being able to walk in heels is flats or kitten heels, not a ballroom dancing lesson. 🙄

Are you skewing your algorithm here? Will you be inundated with tdrama (twdrama?) from now on?

HH KJW finally reappeared in Who Are You in the preview at the end of ep 4, but this is definitely a skipper.

Arghh! My day is also disappearing down a foodie Taiwanese chef wormhole. Send a rescue party!

I've just watched the first 10 minutes or so of Guest as my kid locked me in the kitchen* and bloody heck, it's certainly gruesome.

*He was trying to keep his dad out as we're doing an early Father's Day as me+ kid will be abroad. And then he buggered off to watch cartoons with aforementioned dad on the other side of the house so no one heard me .

Secured at the opposite end of the house from disrupters, a wifi enabled device and HH KJW? What’s not to love? I’m off out for a brisk walk to offset 4 hours’ supine Tdrama in pyjamas this morning. Ironing pile untouched. Dust bunnies in the hall are reproducing.... I am a bad, bad mother. 😆

Unfortunately my peace and quiet was short lived and I've had to brave Tesco and home bargains as I'm taking over Stilton, crumpets and butter chicken .

I'm hoping to finish it tonight, but between moving and going abroad right before it's looking doubtful.

Was just about to settle down to Witch but have had to pass my laptop over to DH so he can watch the Grand Prix on Sky

Still, small pleasures & all, I am sat in the garden with a glass of rose & I can hear a cuckoo

Where are you off to Cheshire? S’okay if you’d rather not say I was just wondering where you couldn’t get crumpets, Stilton & butter chicken (interesting combination, that)

Romania. You can actually get Stilton, but only white one and it's a bit dry. No butter chicken since M&S closed down their food hall and for some reason, no crumpets.

Not planning on mixing them together btw .

Does anyone have any appetising Korean recipes to try?

I bought a really good book, Cheshire. I’ll dig it out & post details later. The main ingredient that’s specific to Korean food and not shared seems to be gochugan (Korean chilli pepper) either as flakes or paste. We use it lots, but I made the mistake of using it too liberally in a chiil con carne (out of cayenne) and it nearly blew our heads off.

Have a good trip! Agree with boatyard, that gochugang is integral to cooking Korean style (I have found it in Asda & Waitrose). I often make Korean pancakes, and adapt the recipe to what I have in the fridge, but always with spring onions snipped Healer style with scissors

spring onion & prawn pancakes

We make jeon (pancakes) with the small frozen scallops from Sainsburys, prawns and squid rings. I add half a teaspoon of miso paste and half a teaspoon of gochugan paste to the pancake batter. YY to snipping the spring onions with scissors.

Ep 8 Angel! What the flip is going on!!? 😱😱😱... Didn't expect that!😱😱

What happened in episode 8? Inwatched so many back to back I can’t remember.

Is that the bit with the ballet director?

I have this one Japanese and Korean recipes, but I haven't really used it .

Korean food wise I like Japchae, though I use an old recipe I found online

Argh, it didn't load the old messages, the other suggestions sound nice, Korean soy sauce is actually my favourite.

Japanese cabbage pancakes are nice as well (okonomiyaki)