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…

Yes! I loved Sassy Go Go! I rewatch it from time to time just for the feel good factor. Its most certainly a guilty pleasure.

Is that the one with Jisoo? Then yes, definitely I’m guilty pleasures 🤣

Agree with the ending of Devilish Joy but not sure if we should leave dramas off just because of their endings, I mean, Black FFS (although the rest of it is fab)

You’ve reminded me about My First First Love - surely a candidate for fluffy romance?

Isn't Hwrang a guilty pleasure?..
😂

Is it viki or Netflix?

Both - it is more guilty pleasure than costume drama

I’m fighting sleep here to get far enough into ep 7 of Watcher for the visuals that prompted so much excitement upthread. Should I go to bed and start refreshed tomorrow or will I find the relevant bit early on?

Night all! Sleep is winning.

Just finished Level Up, which was enjoyable but slight. Probably not one for the list but I would recommend it for an easy-going watch. It would be OK with younger teens too - no darkness - and its only 12 episodes.

Level Up is not as good as I Picked up a Celebrity it’s a bit of a filler drama, one to watch if there’s nothing else on. Sung Hoon deserves better material, but then he also does a lot of variety shows so maybe they’re his main output. The FL is also in Go Back Couple which is really good fun once you get past the slightly grim first episode. Also only 12 episodes, but with the added bonus of Park Morgan as 2ML (no housework)

Where did you find Go Back Couple, Betty?

It’s on Viki 😎

Crikey BWGM subs are at 91%!!! I'm off!

Btw Go Back Couple has Jang Nara as FL and Son Ho Joon as ML I have been rattling through it at a rapid pace

Doh! I should do more checking myself. 🤦‍♀️ But hooray!

Currently watching Watcher from the comfort of my bed. Lovely racehorse legs! That is all.

Gah subs for BWGM are still a bit holey but oh my word limpet ex needs a good slapping!!!! She’s very fond of handing it out but no one ever seems to slap her back 😡

She might be in my top 5 list of most insufferable characters in a drama. Does that qualify for a hello's question of the day; which characters is dramas can you just not stand?

The Vice Chairman in What’s the Matter with Secretary Kim, obvs...

The limpet-like dumped fiancés in both Something in the Rain and One Spring Night, both of them horrible in different ways.

Good question hello !
BWGM - limpet ex
Come & HUg Me - the female reporter with the smarmy face
The K2 - the FL

I’m sure there are more!

Random observations on BWGM:

I love how Kefei’s clothes always look as if they are going to fall off. Her yellow top and black skirt in ep 12 are superb examples of this.

Also in ep 12 at 41 mins in 321 is sat on the sofa & next to him is a picture frame with a picture in of.........a sofa! Very odd, it’s either a pic of a ghost or an interior design thing or maybe the props artist didn’t think anyone would spot it.

Another observation from BWGM, Weiwei looks very good in red. It really suits her and makes her look like a powerful woman. I feel sorry for 321's dad. What harm would a white lie have done to protect his dad and yet there 321 is insisting on upsetting his dad while Weiwei is trying to make it simple.

YY everyone, including his dad and Sister Maizi, can see 321 just blames everyone else for things going tits up and continues to make things worse.

Bit of a possible spoiler in the preview for next week, I have an awful premonition there is noble idiocy

I saw the preview and I really hope it's a 'thanks but I've got to move on' and not a 'thanks, I'm sorry I strayed. I must've gone mad'

Surely no one in their right minds would go back to that controlling limpet even if she reveals an understandable reason for the factor as to why they broke up?
And 321 is totally unlike able and STILL doesn’t get what he’s done wrong 🤦‍♀️