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…

PSJ in WWWSK grew on me so much I have a vice-chairman calendar

I am thoroughly enjoying JKH & his flopsy hair in WTDCYN, and Park Sung-Woon and the rest of the cast are all v good, but I'm not sure how strong the story is.

I enjoyed the twist on the shower scene

I'm with boatyard on PSJ and I'll never be swayed. She was Pretty holds the title of most exasperating drama I've watched

Just watched episode 4 of Pinocchio with the toasty LJS scene. 😁

Bless you Hello.

ginger it’s just so.......toasty!! 🤣🍞😍mmmmm!

Bea!!!! That webdrama link with Park Morgan you posted is hilarious!

I just sniggered uncontrollably at the shower scene in episode 5

ginger ... Ahhh! I love Toasty PSJ... I've not been disappointed with any of his dramas! I love them all... Though not watched Hymn of Death as it just looks too sad!

Cassini ... Glad you've joined the Huggers! 😂 😂 😂 It is desperately tragic isn't it!... But I love the angst and tragedy!... As long as there is a satisfying ending!

I'm on holiday again (proper one this time!... Not just visiting family!) L... I will have connection but I'm going to have to be sociable and interactive! Boo! 😂 😂 😂

I've been watching Rookie Historian which is sweet in its own way... Not Crowned Clown historical... But more toned down Hwrang historical! 😂😂😂😂
And of course Watcher...
Still loving Hotel Del Luna... Will wait till I get back so I can watch multiple eps of that!

And... PSJ!.... I still lurve you! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Bettys ... I haven't watched yet! A good snigger? Or awful bad snigger!?...

Bea oh a really good fun snigger! It’s a comedy of errors and very neatly done! Choi Woo Sik & Jang Ki-Yong bounce off each other well, I didn’t know Park Morgan could do comedy😉

I’ve just discovered Jang Ki Hong is also in My Mister with IU so I’ve added that to the list too

I’ve just woken up on the sofa and have trundled off to bed. I was watching the first of this week’s Level Up eps & my tiredness was a disaster, as the ML/FL interactions seem to have stepped up a notch but I nodded off during every scene, rewind, zzzz, rewind, zzzzz. I gave up. Will try again tomorrow.

Just finished The Boy Next Door with Jang Ki-Yong - very good fun! Only 5 minute episodes so easy to watch. Couldn't find episode 14 though, so here is the whole lot stuck together. It's very funny:

I am so impressed with these web dramas. They look like they'd be quick & easy to do but judging by the closing titles huge amounts of work go in to them.

Hello! I've been drawn out of long term lurker-dom to join in the PSJ debate.
I couldn't really get past his awful personality in WWWSK and it wasn't much better in She Was Pretty. But Fight My Way PSJ totally does it for me! It's the awkward sexual tension I think (and the abs). One of my all time faves 👍.
PS I have Viki cos of you lot, and my husband thinks I've lost the plot 😂

Hello Arab!

Everyone's showing coming out of the shadows! Hello, TheGirl I find him less insufferable in Fight for My Way but still ughhh. What are you currently watching? Are you embracing that viki pass and using it well?

Hello TheGirlWithTheArabStrap Glad to see you!

I think Dong Man in Fight For My Way is my favourite PSJ character

What are you watching on Viki? I'm currently continuing on my Park Morgan / Jang Ki-Yong spiral with Go Back Couple which is fun so far, only on episode 2 but it's entertaining.

I have Viki cos of you lot, and my husband thinks I've lost the plot 😂

Well met fellow traveller! And welcome TheGirl. I am visualising the cyber cafe in Her Private Life. We are going to need more tables & chairs at this rate.

I'm currently watching Watcher and while I'm waiting for episodes of that to come out I'm watching Goblin. Which I think you have all watched ages ago.
I'm loving both. Watcher is so tense and the visuals are excellent 😉, and Goblin seems nice and silly so far.
I agree with your previous posts that the subtitles are much better on Viki.

TheGirl I am loving your use of the term the visuals you are going to fit right in here!
It may be time to revisit Watcher then.

boatyard oooh yes we should have a cyber cafe like in HPL, with little icons floating above our heads. The MN KDrama Addicts cafe

Perhaps our next thread should be titled MSLatte’s Daebak Cybercafe (Kdrama Addicts # x)

An you attach pics to the OP, because there’s definitely one of HH KJW in his MsLatte get-up on his insta feed.

Can you...?

Anyone else amazed that TheGirl had got as far as taking out a Viki subscription without contributing sooner? You must have superhuman self-control.

I reckon there's a fair few lurkers on here......come out come out and join us in Ms Latte’s Daebak Cybercafe !!

I have held back on posting due to fear of further moaning from DH about how much time I spend Kdrama-ing. So now I'm not just watching I'm also posting on Mumsnet about it.
I don't know what he's moaning about anyway, I hardly watch any 😆.

I’m betting he has a time consuming hobby of his own, whether its gaming, golf or a dad band....