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 couldn't wait to see it heechul so I watched it in Asda. Those figures are so cute and your handwriting is so neat! Heechuls response was so cute, you must've been so happy when you saw it!

I’ve watched it heechul those figures are fab!! Did you know that was going to happen or did you squeeee in surprise??

Love that you told Heechul you were married 🤣

Heech!! Bows down in awe! Not only are the dolls sooooo clever!... You were featured! I'm in awe!!.... 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏😍

Bts announcement! They're going on an extended vacation! Their first since their debut in 2013! 😱. Wowser!
Finally! I'll be able to rest without the constant pinging notifications of... Vlive... YouTube.. Twitter... Weverse... I might actually become a functioning adult again!... 😂😂😂😱😱😱😱

I mean they deserve it Bea I don't think they've had more than a moments rest in years. How long is 'extended'?

I have no idea! It doesn't seem to say anywhere!... A month? 2 months 6? A year!!? 😱😱
They won't know what to do with themselves! 😂 😂 😂

Ahhh! Just seen next concert Oct 11... So couple months! 😁👌

That’s not very long!! They’ll have rehearsals so I bet they only end up with a month off poor boys 💜

Hopefully they go see their families and travel and all that stuff. It feels ages since I've heard news of any of them going to their home towns for person reasons. I want accidental satoori slipping out when they come back.

Gosh I wouldn’t recognise satoori ! Just hope they come back refreshed & well fed!

Bea Come and Hug Me how can the reporter be so eeeeevil?? 😱 She’s as bad as a chaebol MIL!

She’s as bad as a chaebol MIL!

Great unit of measurement. 👍

😂 😂 😂 I can just about recognise satoori! Jimin and jungkook sometimes slip into it! 😂😂😁... I feel very accomplished when I do! 👍

bettys!!... I know! Even her physical appearance makes me want to slap her!... It's sooo good isn't it! Its such a compelling... I need to watch it ALL! NOW! drama!

Ep 7 of Watcher... It's good! Full of mystery and vair vair handsome Seo Kang Joon... But it's just slow! I think they're taking slow reveal just too far.... It's good but slooow!!

Jimin! Satoori! 😂 😂

Aha!!!! Park Morgan/Do Jin does housework in Come & HUg Me !!

Aha!!!! Park Morgan/Do Jin does housework in Come & HUg Me !!

I’m sold!

😂 😂 😂

Bea Its such a compelling... I need to watch it ALL! NOW! drama!

Yes! I'm on ep 22 of Come & Hug Me already!! (half hour episodes so not as bad as it sounds) The Youtube link is great no ads whatsoever

22!! Already! Flippin eck! I started on Monday I think and only finished Friday?... You're speeding!
It is great isn't it? It trips along very nicely! It could show Watcher a think or two about pace! All characters are great! And mostly likeable! 😂 😂
Do Jin is lovely and needs to give himself a break!
I loved the early eps with his younger self and little sister! Soooo cute!
😍 ❤️
It really is a good old drama!! 😂

It’s been a very wet weekend so all plans to garden went out the window!! It is so good I think it should it get added to the list of recommended dramas 👍

Ooh. You two are making it sound wonderful, I might watch it in the gaps between currently airing dramas, or does it benefit from a big binge?

Does anyone know if there’s a character limit on the opening post? Our list is growing fast, particularly as our regulars are growing and we are covering more ground.

Just saw a thread where mumsnet staff said it's 10000 and we're only on 4360 so we should be okay a little while longer.

hello I think it’s a binge watch do you don’t break the mood
boatyard dunno if there’s a character limit 🤷‍♀️doesn’t appear to be so far

Bea why on earth is the policemen keeping the pen to himself???? Is he a wrong ‘un??

Crosspost hello has the answer 👍😉

hello... It's such a binge watch as each ep is over before you know it!!.. 30 min eps! It really grabs you by the heart! 😍❤️

Deffo add to list of recs! I mean Park Morgan / Ji kang Yong!??!... Will he also be joining the center of the Venn Diagram with GRR JCW?... Is he universally loved on here?. 😂😂😂😍😁

The pen!... I know!!..😡😡😡😡. I'll speak to you later on that! Its hard not to spoil!

It's just a delicious drama that goes at a cracking rate! Although towards the end there was a little too much "are you OK?"... "yes! Are you OK.".... Etc etc... But then there was a lot of trauma to check everyone's well being with! 😂😂😂

Bea up to ep 24 but now have a busy day ahead 😩

I love how Na Moo/Do Jin just reverts to mute gazing when he see Nak Won ! Love the character development with the older brother 🤞 that works out though feels very doomy.
And obv the pen is going to part of a big reveal....I so want it to exonerate Hyun Mo
Didn’t realise at first she is the secretary in Secret Life of My Secretary doh!

The only problem with watching on YouTube is that it keep suggesting I might like to look at BTS clips.......so I lost a good 20 mins watching clips of Jimin’s body rolls 😳