KDrama Addicts Anonymous (#7)

[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 (non subscription, possibly dodgy) and AmazonPrime.

The previous thread is linked below, but our ‘Addicts Recommend’ list is cumulative so includes recommendations and favourites from all of the previous threads:

Thread 6

Shows marked with asterisk(s) are more uniformly loved or admired. 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 best approximate & ask if you need guidance, eg about suitability 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)*

Historical/Period drama (“sageuk”)
Crowned Clown (Viki)
Mr Sunshine (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)
Radio Romance (Netflix)
Romance is the Bonus Book (Netflix)**
She Was Pretty (Dramabus/Netflix)*
The Beauty Inside (Viki/Netflix)
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 themes
Because This Is My First Life (Viki)*
Chicago Typewriter (Viki)*
Descendants of the Sun (Viki/Netflix)
Fight For My Way (Viki/Drama bus)*
Just Between Lovers (Viki)**
My Strange Hero (Viki)
One Spring Night (Netflix)
Red Carpet - film (Netflix, very adult content)
Search: WWW (Viki)*
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)
The Last Empress (Viki)

Not Korean but just try it
Regulars occasionally branch out into Japanese, Taiwanese and Chinese drama. The Chinese & Taiwanese stuff is much more variable quality-wise, so we’ve noted anything decent here:

Love O2O (Viki - Chinese)
Morning Call (Netflix - Japanese)

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 fangirling. If you’re still reading, please say hi.)

We are generally fans of all things Korean, so equally happy to talk about Korean food/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 dense 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 or an obvious shortening. Some of the regular favourite actors & actresses have been abbreviated too for speed/efficiency, eg Lee Jong-Suk (LJS), Park Min Young (PMY), Ji Chang Wook (JCW) and his hotness Kim Jae Wook (HH KJW). 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…

Woo hoo... Here we go again!... Thanks Boatyard!! 😱 😂💜

I see Before We Get Married didn’t make the cut 🤣🤣 - shame !!⛓🗝I feel it’s very shortsighted there is no handcuffs emoticon.

We’re going to have to do something about that OP. It’s bordering on War & Peace. 😆

BWGM needs to run its course before we can collectively agree its a work of mad (crap) genius or hopelessly rubbish.

Whoops.. Left too late to add in additions?...
Secret life of my secretary (viki)
Are you human (netflix)
Angels Last Mission (viki)
Absolute Boyfriend.. (viki)
The Guardians (netflix)
Confession (dramabus)

Sorry boatyard! Should have paid more attention to the new thread arrival! 😱

The recs are getting longer and longer! 😂😂😂.. But surely that's just a testament to how much good stuff is out there!! 😍😍😍

I’ll add them to my proto message for the next thread, Bea.

👍👍👍👍... Time for a 🍊🍊🍊🍊👢👢👢!

Yep me too!! 🥾🍑

Just read through the recs and had war flashbacks to trying to finish She was Pretty

It was hands down one of the hardest dramas I've ever had to watch.

Awww! hello... I really liked she was pretty! 😂 It was really sweet! In its own silly nonsensical way! 😂

Honestly Bea I loved the concept but I've never once loved a drama with Hwang Jung Eum in. Something about her acting just rubs me up wrong.

I agree about Hwang Jung Eum her acting is over the top, and the worst thing about She Was Pretty and Kill Me Heal Me. Loved PSJ, Siwon and Ji Sung though 😊

It was Siwon who kept me watching She Was Pretty. PSJ leaves me cold and I didn’t much like the FL or the story. 🤷‍♂️ Siwon though....

I'm with boatyard. The only reason I kept up with it was Siwon. His character made that drama watchable.

Hello - you would like My Fellow Citizens on Viki. Siwon is ML, there are loads of great female characters in it and it is very, very funny but also poignant in places.

I need something to watch through the insomnia. It's currently Suspicious Partner but once that's done I'll check My Fellow Citizens out next.

This is interesting. Amazing to see how low HPL charts vs buzz, but I am now super excited about Hotel Luna.

Link: www.kdramapal.com/ius-hotel-del-luna-smashes-tv-ratings-record-of-arthdal-chronicles/

Hotel del Luna

I assume it must have something to do with the casting. As it's viewer ratings for the first episode only, I'm assuming most of why people watch the first episode is the cast and synopsis.

Off the top of my head I couldn't tell you who was cast in HPL but I could tell you maybe 3 of the main cast of HDL? And I'll probably watch it on that knowledge alone.

HDL seems to be doing incredibly well... reading Soompi this morning!!!

Wow! Looking at that chart... it's completely different from what I have set in my head as to what's popular... I suppose I use Viki as my guide... I thought HPL was a huge ratings success and thought Confession was just a quiet drama... and Touch Your Heart was a big one too... Very pleased at the high ranking of The Crowned Clown (one of my faves!) ... surprised that psychometric not as high... very interesting!!!!

Another to look forward to
Mr Temporary

tonight's been a wild ride ladies. after talking to my partner I realised I've never seen the end of Because This is my First Life

I watched it as it was airing but stopped at ep 12 for some reason. Its taken 2 years but I'm one episode from completing it.

Oh my word hello - what an omission!

Thank God the subs for last Thursday’s WWW are done. There are so many things I love about the episode, but so far the most amusing has been ML snatching Tami’s credit card and hold it out of reach just by raising his arm so she couldn’t pay for his replacement shaver. Also, got to love a man who vacuums. 😄 I love that Tami referred to him as her big house fairy. I also love how much Ga Gyeong’s STBXH is looking out for her. Their scenes are touching. And Scarlet’s actor is so sweet...