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…

I have finished S2 of MFFL. It completes the story arc, so you are good to go Betty. It was absolutely lovely too. It would be a good one to recommend to the K-curious.

if its safe from cliffhangers, I'm going to go for it. I'll report back soon but I'm sure I'll love it given the ever so lovely Ji Soo.

Come and hug me.... It's heartbreaking! 😭😭.. I've been blubbing! 😭

When the Devil Calls Your Name is 👌. It took a while to get going, but I’ve just finished ep 2 and it has sucked me in. The addition of his true muse is the hook.

I'm still stuck on The Untamed, that chinese drama with all the flashbacks. It took 30 episodes to exit the flashback and now I just want to know what the story is supposed to be. I'm watching it out of pure annoyance at this point.

Hopefully I'll get to My First First Love today. Downloaded the episodes to watch on the bus while my cars in the shop and forgot my earphones. Feel like a right idiot.

😂 😂... The Untamed!... I've dipped into it! All that flowing hair is distracting! 😂 😂 Hello! You can watch without headphones! 😂 😂

Ep 18 Come Hug Me... The angst! The angst! It's all soooo tragic! I love it! Definitely binge worthy!! Ji Kang Yong is back to his dead pan Kill It persona! But he's soooo tortured! It's just a tragic story all round! It's such a drama!!

Bea honestly outside of all flashbacks I'm enjoying it. Its based on a novel with a gay relationship but they've taken out the actual relationship and just made it bromamce heavy. It's definitely too long though. Some episodes are full of nothing but flips and flappy hair

Some episodes are full of nothing but flips and flappy hair

Is that why it’s called The Untamed ?🤣

Bettys! [ grin]

I can't be doing with the strange way cdrama records it's sound... it always sounds like they dubbed all speech in later... or they're talking through a long tunnel!

Also the cgi can be pretty dodgy...!

They usually film in historical villages so end up with a lot of background noise and it's cheaper to add voices later rather than pay to use the entire historical village. I assume its the same with modern dramas with dubbing being cheaper than making people be quiet

I find the overdubbing in Mandarin drama annoying, especially when it is out of synch with the video. I quite like the ambient traffic and street sounds in kdrama - it makes them more realistic.

I’m trying out a different local Korean restaurant today for lunch. The family have mutinied and gone to Wagamama, but I figure I can have that at home any time. There’s some young women having a very animated conversation in Mandarin behind me.

The closest Korean restaurant to me is a 45 minute drive away so we only go for special occasions. I'm glad it's not closer because I'd be a few stone heavier if I lived close enough to go every week.

Off to watch the BTS movie! 💜💜💜💜💜😍😍😍😍 Squeeel! 😂 😂 😂 😂

Oooooh enjoy Bea!!

I'm being quite casual about it... No bts t shirt /Hoodie /army bomb... Not even my chim chim headband! 😂 😂 😂

Enjoy it Bea I'm sure it'll be fabulous!

Hee Hee! Dragged 18 Yr old dd with me... She's just correctly said I just want her here so it looks like I'm taking her! 😂😂😂😂😂😂

I watched part of A Beautiful Life, a Mandarin film, on Netflix last night. I’m not sure I’ll resume because the FL is an awful (if flawed) person who totally abuses the long-suffering ML’s good nature and sense of duty. However, there was an aspect that intrigued me. It was based in Beijing. Other characters seemed to look down on FL because she was from Hong Kong, to the extent that she is tricked out of/denied a large sum in commission and her grifter ex makes a pointed remark along the lines of: “what did you expect? You’re from Hong Kong.” What’s that all about?

From speaking to people I know, main landers look down on outsiders because they feel they've abandoned their cultural heritage and Hong Kongese feel superiority over main landers and think they're uncivilised in some ways.

Others seem to think it's like a Brirain/France thing where there's always been a dislike so there will always be one.

Ah, that makes sense (in the context of the film). Thanks hello.

I’m gradually catching up with Hotel del Luna. The Crowned Clown send up was hilarious. Is the chubby competitive eater a real life celeb in South Korea?

He is! He's a comedian, who started his life on Gag Concert and now does a few variety shows.

Is anyone else watching I Wanna Hear Your Song on Viki?
Dreadful title & poster shot. It's got an orchestra setting & is about a timpanist who has a dark secret she can't remember & who can only sleep if someone sings to her out of tune.
I really enjoyed the first episode & am waiting for subs now for the second one.

Hi all
have just finished watching my first Kdrama - OH my Venus
Really good!!

I got totally engrossed for 16hrs over 3 days and now looking for a recommendation please?

Just starting Something in The Rain but finding it a little slow and not as entertaining as Venus

The actor who plays Coach in OH is mesmerising to me

I only have Netflix so please,please give me some suggestions as already getting slight withdrawal symptoms

Thanks