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…

Park Morgan / Ji kang Yong!??!... Will he also be joining the centre of the Venn Diagram with GRR JCW?

I don't know, Jang Ki-Yong is borderline oppas/ gorgeous-young-man-I-just-want-to-make-sure-he's-eating-properly at 27

I'd put Park Morgan on the Venn diagram for sure

😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 bettys... You don't want to fall down that... Don't fall for Jimin... YouTube rabbit hole! It's lethal!... Though I habe6to admit I love those reactions from you tubers who completely fall for the charms of Park Jimin! 😂 😂

The older brother storyline arc is very very satisfying.... they play it out beautifully! It could easily have been handled badly but i have to say i was very happy with how it panned out!....
The pen?....
Park Morgan! yes! I agree!!!
currently got Idol video in the background and marvelling at Jimin's undercut haircut...

Has anyone got a visual representation of this Venn diagram? I'm interested to see how things are turning out on it?

I started work on one when it was just me, Bea & Betty, but now that there’s more than 3 people posting on the thread it could get messy. Perhaps we need a spreadsheet instead...

So I have been sucked in again!! Phew.

'Something in the rain'

Slow burner but on episode 6 and it's getting very, very good. The FL is really believable and I think a lovely character

Something in the Rain was my first kdrama. It is slow, but this also gives the writers space to develop the characters. The insights into Korean workplace culture and the weight of parental expectation, even with adult children, fascinated me. I thought FL and ML were great, but many of the supporting cast were excellent too. The same ML (Jung Hae In) appears as ML in the same team’s show earlier this year, One Spring Night, as do FL’s mother and her cynical colleague.

I'm thoroughly into My Strange Hero right now. I'm liking the ML trying to help the students and trying to mess with the people he went to school with. It's an interesting concept. The chaebol school owners face is bugging me though, something just seems odd and I can't figure it out.

The chaebol school owners face is bugging me though, something just seems odd and I can't figure it out.

He looks permanently constipated. It’s strange cos he is a handsome man but always seems to get the thwarted 2ML roles eg My ID is Gangnam Beauty

Bettys ... Tres true! 😂😂😂

If any of you are on Tumblr... I recommend following kdramaxoxo... Really interesting posts... She must have watched a lot of dramas! Her current post is about fave actresses! Really 👌👍👍👍

Dd1 has plastered the house with very funny posters for my bday!... Needless to say they involve bts... Sigh! She knows me too well! 😂😂😂

Happy Birthday!! Fellow Leo....mine was last week & I got given the Rough Guide to Korea & How to Speak Korean

Wouldn't have minded a bit of BTS about the place but I don't think DH & DS were prepared to go that far!!

Or perhaps I should say
생일 축하
saeng-il chugha

If any of you have Spotify, I’ve started the Talk To Me in Korean (TTMIK) podcast, which is free. The bloke’s very slappable (superior, talks over the squeaky female) but it’s properly bitesize and they break things down well.

Tsk. Forgetting my manners. Happy birthday Bea!

Son Hyunwoo, the guy who wrote TTMIK also has a really good set of books too and a free download version of each lesson in pdf to help. It's how I started learning.

생일 축하합니다, 생일 축하합니다, 사랑하는 비 씨, 생일 축하합니다~ (just imagine my overexcited bad singing for you) I love a good birthday, I hope your day is as delightful as you are!

Happy belated birthday to you too bettys 늦었지만 생일축하합니다!

Ahhh! Thank you! Thank you!... These are some of the posters! 😂 😂

Happy belated bettys !!...

They're so creative. You can tell you're loved!

You thought you'd get a break from BTS with this extended vacation Bea and Jimin is already out there doing ASMR vlives.

On the drama front. I'm playing catch up on Hotel del Luna and still watching My Strange Hero, I can't stop watching it. I keep finding myself saying 'just one episode more' when I know it's a blantent lie.

hello... Jimin!! Yesterday on Vlive!😱😱😱 I was listening on my headphones!... And when he did the whispering thing right up to the mic... Reader! I cannot tell a lie!... I did succumb to girlish giggling! 😂 😂 😂 😂
This official break thing is funny as some people are getting very het up about it! I guess what it means is they'll just be doing normal things... But without cameras following their every move!... Jimin just said he'd prob get a little bored! 😂😂😂

Ahhh! The tell tale signs of a binge watch... Just just one more ep! One more ep! 😂😂... I really enjoyed my strange hero... It was just lovely to see the goodness in people! I love his classmates! 😂 😂 And how they all band together!

I'm still on Watcher!.. But I'm a tad confused and now everyone seems like a bad un! Though I know they're all red herrings! Still good for Seo Kang Joon gazing! 😍😍😍😍

Thanks for the birthday wishes! I had a forced break from binge-watching Come & Hug Me as was travelling & have been doing mounds of washing/shopping/appointments today....grrr!

Am I the only one watching I Wanna Hear Your Song? I am really enjoying it though the subs are really slow. It's like Mozart in the Jungle but with a murder mystery backstory and a touch of the Jilly Coopers. And great music due to the orchestra setting.

I was going to start I Wanna Hear Your Song after finishing My Strange Hero as it sounds good. Did it pass the boatyard accredited ten minute test?

I don't know if she's given it a go yet. It only started last week and subs are frustratingly slow.

I have not. The description didn’t sell it to me, but I can be persuaded. 😉