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…

Yeah, Jaffa cakes are good.

Only 3% for WWW - aaargh!

hopefully it'll be done soon. maybe 3/4 hours if we're lucky

Love "Love Triangled Out"?
That cuts out at least 95%of kdramas!!

Oooo! I love a good musical!... I love Les Mis! 😁😳
But... HAMILTON!... Is spectacular!! 👍❤️❤️... It's for people who don't like musicals! Kids have just been rapping in the car on the way back from the beach! 😁😁😁😁👌

I watched the beginning of Dr John this morning!... It looks promising in a crazy kdrama way.. Got the female lead from Crowned clown.... I love her!

Bloody love Hamilton Bea and Les Mis. I thought about watching Doctor John as its got a great supporting cast. Knowing its Got crazy drama vibes, I'll have to have a nosey tomorrow evening.

I'm a fan of Jisung the ML in Doctor John so will def be watching that.

Love Myself or You is going on a bit too long but it's very sweet, no grabbiness or macho posturing.

Rrrrrraaaarrrrrr!!!! The glacial pace of the WWW subbers is torture! Torture, I tell you! 왜? (Wae?)

I saw the Hyeon /Ji Hwan bit then the subs petered out

I’m not even touching the finale until it hits 97%, probably some time around Hallowe’en. 😩

I’m watching Level Up and the ‘art of war’ style battle of wills at the awful company dinner after the new CEO arrives is cracking me up.

There’s a flash on the Viki homepage for 30% off the Viki Standard pass just now, just in case any of our newer posters are tempted. 😉

Anyone ever seen this before on Viki? The links are for the same episode but the locked one has a higher subs %.

My WWW is at 70 but went up to 73 for a bit and came back down, I've got no idea what's happening

The episodes look as per usual on my laptop but like this on my phone

I have the Viki Standard Pass (got a special offer at Xmas for 40% off) and it's been worth every penny.
Some dramas are released later on the free pass (the one with adverts), may be worth logging out and in again. They've been testing a new homepage, maybe it's part of that?

I paid full price for mine, the day after they advertised 30% off. Starting to think viki doesn't like me.

Its still excellent value at full price, though I want to put a rocket under some of their (volunteer) subtitling teams.

Has anyone seen the ending yet??? I loved it and they get bonus points for Chae Hyeon / Seol Ji Hwan

Saving it for a sit down with a cuppa later, Betty.

Waiting till I get home! I've got sooooo much to catch up on!! 😂 😂 😂

Half way through WWW and I've got a feeling Bea will like it. I'm enjoying it, appears to be a solid ending. Hopefully I haven't spoken too soon, but will get back to it after DS bed time

Goody goody! It's all looking like a my sort of kdrama! WWW!... All I need is the good people to have a satisfactory happy ending... Bad people get their come uppance!... And everything else all tied up neatly!... I'm not asking for much!! 😂

Meanwhile started 100 days a Prince.... Looks good! I could binge!! (non boobage site!)

WWW finale was at only 91% when I checked about an hour ago. I slept really badly last night, so I’m calling it a night & hope to God the subbers finish the damn thing overnight. 🙄

I have been enjoying Level Up too, but have again been stymied by the lack of subs. 😕

Only 9% for BWGM but some steaminess