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…

Also has Crazy Kang in the flashback sequences.

😍 Where is it available, Betty? Hopefully not the streaming site that gives me porny pop-ups. 😩

I’m catching up on Weds’ WWW and I love it. Betty and I are going to have to respectfully disagree on this one. I was shouting at the telly earlier telling Scarlett and lovely actor to just tell each other how they feel. It’s almost painful to watch.

I love Brian’s resurrection as a corporate slick. His bouffant ‘do is all kinds of fun.

Oh I’m happier about WWW now with Scarlett’s storyline as I did a quick sans subs scan of ep 14, but I am fed up of Tammys cat bum face she keeps pulling. I’m saving up both episodes avec subs for tomorrow night, I just HAD to find out about Scarlett and the lovely actor.

There are some great actors in Room No. 9 I keep having to stop and IMDb them. Also has Ryan Golds half brother in it (with dark hair, I didn’t recognise him at first). It’s on dramafast so hopefully no boobage.

He is a bit hammy!.a little over the top .. But it's quite nice to see him with a little expression and engagement as I've only seen him stony faced in gangnam beauty! 😂 I'm definitely going to keep watching! Like I said I like the FL And her character!

Whoops! Previous message for ×hello×
😁

I have finished I Hear You. I belatedly realise I stuck with it because the FL is so adorable and she and ML make a cute couple. It is refreshingly light on macho, grabby nonsense and rather warm and sweet. Slight plot though.

Bea thanks for letting me know. I'll pick it up some point today. I accidentally fell into a high fantasy chinese series and now I'm trapped.

Today's plan:
WWW ep 14 - I can't wait to see how they end it with only two episodes left

Mr Temporary/School of Lies (whichever its called) ep 2 - pretty good, a proper bloody mess is the first thing you see so there's that.

Hopefully Rookie Historian gets a look in because I need something different today.

Hello... Theres some crazy Chinese stuff out there at the moment... The Untamed keeps getting mentioned on Tumblr as does Guardian and I peeked at The Lost Tomb the other day!... I find the way they dub the sound on very annoying... And I hate to say it but I find mandarin hard on the ear.... 😱😳😳

Bea my tumblr dash is covered in the untamed as well. I've seen some beautiful gifs of Hotel del Luna floating around. That show is beautiful.

I found a tampon in the wild! Chinese drama Go Go Squid oh so subtly advertised both pads and tampons through a series of weird suitcase packing and unpacking scenes.

I’m trying to remember whichkdrama had the TV writer as lead and the first episode had her shoehorning increasingly obttusive nonsensical brand placement into scenes to mollify the sponsors. It might have been Because This Is My First Life. If was hilarious.

So many typos 🤦‍♀️

It was BTIMFL. It has red ginseng & a hover board PP 🤣

That scene makes me think of the scriptwriters for every cheesy subway sponsored scene in every drama ever.

The product placement thing I find hilarious!... If I was taken to subway for a date... I'd be... 😳😱😬

Hello! Great minds! 😂 😂

It was BTIMFL. It has red ginseng & a hover board PP 🤣

The irony being it was probably one of the featured products, because there’s definitely a scene at the end where he feeds it to her.

Yes he does it either when she's finishing her script or sitting in the massage chair

Really enjoying WWW with subs EXCEPT for the piano teacher who I am really beginning to dislike

Omo!! Scarlett's shocking pink hot pants! So retro I really really want them (and Scarlett's figure instead of my shortarse stockiness )

With the caveat of haven't seen the latest episode yet; the writers of WWW really played a long game with that piano teacher, didn't they? I did ask myself if she was worth including at all but there she is.

Honestly when I see my 'first love', I don't think 'oooh I should get right back at it and try that again'. I think 'jesus wept, what were you thinking woman'.

I want Scarlet’s multicoloured sequinned bomber jacket. She has all the best outfits.

I’m loving Ga Gyeong’s growing entente cordiale with her ExH post-divorce. 👌

when I see my 'first love', I don't think 'oooh I should get right back at it and try that again'. I think 'jesus wept, what were you thinking woman'

Hahahahaha! But then we don't live in dramaland

OK Addicts: more Watcher tonight or start Mr Temporary? What’s it to be?

Ahh if only I lived in dramaland, my house would be so much nicer and I'd look fab every day.

Mr Temporary is promising. I really hope it carries on the same way. Although the blood in the first couple minutes shocked me so just in case you're adverse to blood, here's a handy warning.

Not remotely squeamish about blood. Maggotty things, poo and vomit make me gip though.