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 was the same with Radio Romance, I needed something to watch and thought it'll do. It easily made top 10 that year.

Gah! Just when you think there are no more dramas to binge-watch another one pops up!
Curse you Bea Come & Hug Me is a page-turner and a half please tell me nothing happens to the dog!!!

bettys... Welcome to the torture!...it's riveting isn't it!?
I soooo enjoyed binging it! It's just soooo angst ridden... I'm not answering anything bettys... Except its a good ending and worth the binge!!

I actually found come and hug me on YouTube (no annoying ads!)... After I finished!!... No ep 3 and 4 but all the other eps... Just search!... 👍👍👍

hello... Soooo looked fwd to but pants.. The K2... (just skippitydoodahed and ❤️❤️❤️ grr JCW)... Bettys! A good reminder..

Knew it had potential but then absolutely loved to bits... The Crowned Clown...
Wasn't expecting much but loved Ms Hammerubi

Also another that exceeded expectations... My Strange Hero...

I'm on episode 5 of My Strange Hero and it's growing on me. The ML has such an interesting face, I can't figure out if I think he's a masterpiece or if he looks odd. I'm pretty sure I can't stop watching for that reason.

hello... I agree... He does have a slightly odd face... But his characters are aiways so lovable and charming! 😂

Watching ep 3 of WTDCYN and the scene with the floor to ceiling window in the skyscraper is my worst nightmare. If I had a corner office in a skyscraper, I’d spend all my time hugging the inner walls and crawling to the door so as not to see the ‘view”.

JKH definitely looks like he’s trying not to laugh in the beeped out sweary secretary scene. I wonder how many takes it took. Quite a few more than one is my guess.

boatyard I am waiting for subs for both eps of WTDCYN to be up so I can have a double binge.

I must say Park Morgan in impassive mode in Come and Hug Me is great, I recommend you watch it too! He's not doing any housework yet though he looks mighty fine in his police regalia.

Park Morgan in uniform, you say? Where is it? Viki? Norty boobage site?

myasiantv.to/drama/come-and-hug-me/episode-1/
Welcome to angst ville! Enjoy!! 👍

... Or...
Watch on here...
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQhYsgUgrFXnbvxjuPfqBwTLIRXUerIFv
Ep 3&4 missing so watch those on non boobage site then go back to YouTube! 😂
😁😍😍😍👍

Or dramafast - non boobage and for some reason at the moment none of their bizarre opera commercials

OMG 321 & Zehuan are just unbelievably dense & annoying!!!! BWGM 🤣

Yes bettys every time they say something I sigh internally. The scriptwriters did really well at making them very unlikeable characters!

Morning both! I just checked & see the subs are finally done. I’m right behind you.

I’m already boggling at the outdoor gym scene. Some of the machines are rather distracting, what with them swinging, spinning and swaying when I’m trying to take the dialogue seriously. Cheap location though. 😄

I kept distracted too, then thought they're bloody good actors if they can preform perfectly while getting dizzy.

The product placement scene in the drugstore. So, so transparent.

Had the whole afternoon alone yesterday to binge - very disappointed though and had to start browsing

I cannot find anything that keeps my interest like Oh Venus

The Masters Sun - not feeling the ghost stories

She was Pretty - main actress screeching constantly is very off putting

Radio Romance- kinda like where it is going so will persevere although lead male has weird face and therefore I'm not 'feeling' the romance

Crazy Kang is the rightful oppa in Radio Romance. God knows what the casting director was thinking. ML improves somewhat once he goes back to his natural hair colour. Stick with it.

Betty and Hello - Agree about the density of 321 and Kehuan, though surely Limpet (Kehuan’ ex) deserves special mention? Straight-talking Kefei for the win! Along with Limpet’s sister, when Kefei talks she makes sense. The rest of them are all slightly or significantly off kilter. I finally got round to checking the conversion rate for the house discount too: £212K. The big question remains: how much longer are we going to have to wait for all the earnest boffing in the credits to get started so that Kehuan gets his payout?

😱😱 at conversion rate for house discount!!! Expensive shag that didn’t happen, but according to Reddit will be in the last ep so week after next.

Early morning typo, I meant Ziyuan / limpet was annoying. How she & 321 twist things around so nothing is their fault is astonishing.

The ML in Radio Romance does improve when his hair changes, and actually is a lot more attractive in Splash Splash Love which is what led me to Radio. He’s also in Let's Eat.

I'm still stuck on how 321 said he didn't agree to break up and then tried to force her to reaccept a proposal. Are people like that? Have I led a sheltered life away from these types of people?