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…

My challenge for the summer is to actually read some books, swot up on grade 1 music theory (dippy adult learner style) and finish my Korean grammar book.

And clear out my sock drawer.

Do you play an instrument boatyards or just interested in the theory side?

보트야드스 열심히 하세요! 파이팅! Grammar is the absolute worst. I find it so tricky to get right, even if it's looks right I'm still usually wrong. Pretty much the same as English there!

Yeah, I’ve been learning an instrument as an adult learner on an extremely slow burn for the last 5 years. I managed grades 1 & 2 in the first couple of years but decided to just stick to having fun after that. Sadly, my regular practice has been another kdrama casualty. I need a kick up the arse to get going again.

I just watched the My first first love season 2 trailer on Netflix. Looks like it could be fun. I have a real soft spot for Ji Soo, so I’ll probably watch it even if it is lame. 😆

I'd watch anything with Jisoo in. His face is worth it, even if the plot isn't.

Hello!! How could you not finish My Love From A Star!... I completely binge watched that over Christmas and sobbed away! In a good way!)... Just make sure if you're watching on netflix... To look for the proper epilogue on YouTube!... After you've finished of course! Netflix didn't have the ending credits thus missed the epilogue! 😡😡😡😡😡

Bea I just don't get aliens I think. Vampires? Cool! Grim reaper and their many accomplices? I'm down for it! Aliens? Much rather do my ironing!

Hello! 😱😂😂😂😂... But the story is soooo lovely and tragic!! It's deffo in my top 10!... I love FL and ML... And it's got lovely Ahn Jae Hyun in! (😍😍😍)

Hmmm! You sound like how you feel about aliens is how I feel about Cats (the musical!)... I love a good musical but.... They're cats!? And they sing?... And? What the flip is going on!? 😂

I feel like that about all musicals with only a handful of exceptions. The Vietnam war in song (Miss Saigon)? 🤮 Les Mis? Seen it twice now with people I trusted telling me it was great & I was sure to love it - everyone does! Nope. Never again! I fell asleep in Tim Minchin’s Mathilda, which I knew I was going to hate about 4 bars into Mathilda’s first song. Given how much I - grumpy misanthrope - hate musicals, even I find it surprising how much I love with its love of razzle dazzle and chipper enthusiasm.

Love kdrama

I loathe most musicals, with the possible exception of Mary Poppins (original) which makes me a bit teary eyed with Let’s Go Fly a Kite and happy with Steppin Time which was one of ds’s favourites when he was little

I make an exception for Singing in the Rain.

Can someone tell me what a black heart 🖤 means? I thought it meant sad but I’ve seen it used in a variety of contexts

Not me, I’m not down with the kids. Asked 14 yo DS & he doesn’t know either.

I make an exception for Singing in the Rain

👍of course! And anything with Fred Astaire in. But most modern ones are just bleurghhhh

bettys I thought 🖤 was a sad thing too, but some people I'm friends with use it instead of ❤️ for aesthetics

Oh well aesthetics that’s not at all confusing then...🖤💜❤️🧡💛💚💙

Just watched ep 15 of WWW and now I wish I had waited til ep 16 was out. Gosh darn.

Not long to wait!! I freaking ❤️💙💚🖤 Hyeon & Ji Hwan 💛🧡

When, oh when will I find a man to buy me a basket of flowers. Even on my first mothers day DP bought me a pack of jaffa cakes.

I hope there's a epilogue scene where he's coming out from the military and she's waiting for him. Automatic good ending points there.

yy that would be luvverly and surely they will at least spend the night together before he goes.

*hello& there's nowt wrong with jaffa cakes

don't get me wrong bettys I love a good jaffa cake, but flowers wouldn't have gone amiss. the weird flavoured jaffa cakes can shove off though, lime and strawberry?! what monstrosities.

anyone planning on watching Moment of Eighteen? Sounds like it's a coming of age drama, probably with a love triangle. I'm love triangled out.

No, I'm after something with more grown-up relationships. I'm waiting for I Wanna Hear Your Song with Yeon Woo Jin - it's either going to be very good or very bad, but I will watch it anyway 'cos, well, Yeon Woo Jin.