Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
so happy new year blaa blaa whatever it is just a number though
I am at work like on all holidays
so drama world: jippiii for Ji Sung! FINALLY. and for Park Seo Joon also!
and aww at Park Bo Gum thanking Seo In Guk at the KBS drama awards, and the latter looking at him like "My baby turned out so great all thanks to me!".
Their picture together gets all sorts of illogical sounds out of me. it is just too perfect! but it does not make up for no appreciation whatsoever for Seo In Guks´ amazing role in IRY.he doesn`t look too bothered though.
I dont know today. Question? Let´s continue hooking up drama singles and second leads: which two would you send on blind date?
I would hook up Min with Miss Husky as a cray experiment. turn ex-kiler into party animal. hahaa.Your pairing? and where shoud they meet?
and oh, ok, tell me, what you want from dramas this year?
I want a sharp sense of humor, some new concepts...would love to see some "future" plots. we´ve done the past, let´s go to the future now! Also, a female genius or some super-effective female boss with no tragic past. Perhaps someone overweight or unconventional otherwise (for a kdrama), but badass. and I would in contrast also like to see some socially awkward and shy guys who can barely open their mouth. It is hard to become a lion.
<and oh, ok, tell me, what you want from dramas this year?
Well-written stuff, with no clichés or stock characters. Less or no romance in dramas that don't need them. Second leads that aren't just devices. No no-contact one year+ separations.
My standard is Misaeng. I dropped so many dramas in 2015! If writers, directors, producers don't try harder, I'm going to focus on k-films instead because just watching for the "pretty" or A-list stars (OMV I'm looking at you) doesn't do it for me.
yeah, I don´t need romance either. I like to see other kind of dynamics. trust issues and distance, friend who get alienated and try to preserve some contact. how hard it is when you drift away. or old people, who have to survive alone, and their survival skills - and their childlike imagination to fill the empty space around them. I want a shift in the point-of view from 20-30 somethings to the world through the EYES of a child or a grandpa.
I don't mind romance. I love a good romantic drama. But I find those to be very rare!
Instead, there are too many dramas – both in rom-coms and in completely different genres – where multiple couples are matched up (just because) and everything must be spelled out to the very end (marriage & kids). I want open endings. I want couples that get together but ultimately don't work out. I want couples that get together, but where we don't know how far they'll go. I want couples that never get together at all, even if they have silent (maybe one-sided) crushes on each other. And I don't want these virginal heroines that have apparently never seen a shirtless guy before (never go to the beach? no brother? etc etc). More realism! Messier realities! No endings with glamorous designer bow-ties that feel just fake because the foundations of endings where never or never properly laid.
This is usually why J-dramas work so much better for me. I don't particularly enjoy TW dramas (because they are also very contrived) and rarely make it through one, but at least they have much more adult relationships (not every rom-com heroine is a chaste virgin and recently there seem to be a lot of divorced-with-or-without-kids leads too).
2015 disappointed me in many ways but I found it slightly encouraging that we got at least a few dramas that didn't rely on the same old tropes. I hope 2016 turns up more of the same.
I honestly think you'll be quite disappointed for at least years to come because I think kdramas like Misaeng will continue to be very rare. Kdramas have generally been cliche ridden but from time to time they would have soul or that elusive magic. Thankfully, more writers are or being allowed to think out the box than before but they are still not the norm. I think it will take years for the type of dramas you want to become the norm and to me, its because the higher ups in the kdrama industry are still trying to adapt to new local audience expectations or are just not trying.
I guess at this point I've accepted that I'll just have to lower my standards for kdramas and honestly, I started watching them and in my mind they were like glorified but highly addicting and stylized soap operas. There have been more and more shows going above and beyond that label while many others are like glorified soap operas but sadly without that addicting magic.
I want some decent parents, like the ones in Reply series. The ones that actually love each other though they have their occasional arguments, and love their kids instead of trying to make them fulfill some of their own unachievables (spell??).
What I want from dramaland this year:
1. Ji Chang Wook returns to Korean drama 'cause I miss him!! All his Chinese projects and movie won't be enough once he goes to army.
2. Writer using more unconventional characters. I heard and watched some Japanese dramas have much more diverse character and profession. Don't just write about reporter, lawyer, prosecutor, doctor, and chaebol I'm so done with that. But please also write other jobs, pilot, diplomat, graphic designer, art director, engineer, taxi driver, banker, scientist, palace guard, anything that will be different than usual. And for Big 3, please branch out from chaebol desks! At least cable' lead characters don't necessarily be rich. They could be poor or just middle class as the majority of us.
3. More conventional sageuk OR fantasy sageuk. No need to fusion anything and makes my head dizzy with so many historical inaccuracies and people cosplaying Joseon. I hope either they stick to history or they just do fantasy, like Arang, GFB or SWWTN.
4. More unconventional dramas like Grapevine, Village, Misaeng and Healer are welcomed too!
as to unconventional characters, there could be... a dentist. Or an archiver, who discovers a portal to the future in some files.
I really liked Valid Love in that aspect, they didnt just have the actors pretend to be carpenter, painter and fish doctor, we saw some work being done. and it was beautiful. real things are nice.
but also unconventional in the sense that... special hobbies, infatuation ( Think reply 1997 with the fangirling) and special relationships.
I would like to see adoption not as a sad fate, but a path chosen and a devoted relationship between adopted children and their parents.
I would love to see mentor- student stories (what was that movie with sean Connery and this black kid? It was great. I want something like this in kdramas, without romances)
I would like homelessness addressed, and not in some scary fashion where the homeless are bums wasted at a tunnel. maybe a homeless person getting back on their feet... or failing
Yes, what I like from cables, they have characters that work and live outside romance. Flower Boy installments take a look at ramyun cooks, aspiring writers, bandmates, etc. Twenty Again shows how life inside a college, and not just romance.
I'd love to see some adoption with kind parents not hell-bent on revenge. Or maybe they could also show separated siblings without tragic fate or love triangle. Just reunion between siblings and families.
- and oh, ok, tell me, what you want from dramas this year?
Amen and crossing fingers for your wish, the future-related drama certainly sounds interesting.
Watching Producer, i really love its first 2 episodes because it's funny in a very unconventional way and still informative (all the bts broadcasting stuff). I want more of that, more of mockumentary-style drama, or at least more of unconventional drama setting in general.
oh, mosckumentary, dark humor and balancing on the edge of scandalous would be good.
and a good youth comedy that pokes fun at the weird ways of the younger generation today, their tilted understanding of their role or total cluelessness or idealism that neglects reason (going to Africa to save you-name-it while not even having malaria injections or something like that). like the backpacker-hipster folks and their hostel hopping. I just find their ways sometimes so hilarious what with their ultra-vegan or strictly seeds diets or morning rituals.
I guess showing any drug use in a kdrama is out of the question, but soft drugs are becoming so common this issue should be adressed somewhat... I dont think the korean nightlife is untouched.
Yes to unconventional and out of the box concepts! Let's just hope if any of the networks have new ideas, they stick it rather than get cold feet and go back to their original cliche field story.
Amen on your wishes for 2016 dramas especially about the awkward and shy guys.
I think for this year, I want directors/producers who are not afraid to experiment and stick to their premise especially when the story shows promise. Don't bow down to the netizens!
Also for Kim Seul-gi and Yoon Doo-jon to star in a drama. I need this two to be together again.
Yong Pal has got to be my biggest let down of the year.
I wish YP ended halfway with him rescuing Yeo Jin and they become buddies, but not lovers. I want him to stay as Yong Pal and playing mouse and cat with the police. And got a new girl.
Maybe someone like Rachel from Heirs? I adore her Blair Waldorf-y personality - a cold chaebol who is smart. Lets imagine a scenario where she got over her wimpy ex-fiancee and become a doctor in spite of her mom's wishes. During her residency she met KTH and somehow assist him in his late-night YP activities.
Did I sound too fanfic-ish? I am blaming the leftover Christmas wine.
Hmm, Rachel might be a good match. Or perhaps the hotelier Ha Ri, who can always get him a secret room without anyone knowing... but she gets stressed and her stomach...well, but duh, he is a doctor.
in other news, I have become totally obsessed with our new superstar and listening to his songs about 25 times a day. He has a deep, low voice, but with higher undertones like a stereo...I feel like it does something to my very DNA.
1. everything alua said - better scripts, good writing and less characters used purely as plot devices. Actors alone can't save a drama if the script is too sloppy.
2. For god's sake, can they please STOP casting terrible actors (idol and otherwise) in major roles. Open up more roles to girls like Kim Seul-gi, Park So-dam etc. Obviously this is only a pipe dream, too many shit actors got lead roles in major stuff in 2015. Like *shudder* Orange Marmalade.
3. Yoon Doo-joon and Kim Seul-gi paired up again. (in a good project, goes without saying).
4. Ji-soo and Jung Eunji as OTP in a drama (same as above).
I just have one simple wish for 2016, to see Jun Ki in a modern drama, but that is not going to happen as he already has remake of Bubujingxin lined up. :(
I thought he was still considering. I also want to see him in a modern drama. and since I am so stuck on the idea of a plot connected with the future, how about an AI (as in, not real human) from the future? we´ve seen plenty of artificial intelligence movies where they learn to have emotions, but how about he´s got them programmed, but he shows them in an inappropriate moment? like, he laughs at a funeral and consoles people when they have a baby (which, in my opinion, wouldn´t even be THAT inappropriate). then he finds a teacher, a mentor for him, who guides him through the human world. but when the AI asks if the Teacher will be there when he goes back into the future, the teacher says he doesn´t live 200 years.
LOL, this is awesome! Yes, will be highly entertaining to see JK as a future AI. His pretty face will sure qualify for a man-made flawless AI with the looks that can kill! However, so far, kdrama doesn't seem to be able to do a great job in depicting people from the future, for example, the future Mi-rae in Marry Him If You Dare is not at all convincing.
ah, this! Ra Mi Ran - Mother, meet Father! (I assume it is like that). And the actor playing Jung Bong is so cute with his wavy hair, why couldn´t they keep it like that??? "Jung Hwan" giggling so much that they don´t get any practice done haha. Seems like Ra Mi Ran is making them all laugh.
My favorites:
1. Kim Jung-nan who was the Radio show host in Bubble Gum narrates.
2.During Taek's birthday rehearsal with all friends, Park Bo-gum teared up and friends quietly handed tissues over.
3.When Taek and Jung-hwan laugh and all in JH's house, Ra Miran(Jung-hwan's mom) jokes 'At this rate, Duksun could be dumped, Jung- hwan and Taek go out together?'
4.Rye Joon-yeol worries Park Bo-gum will cry (and him cry) on the scene JH ties Taek's shoes.
Happy New Year! But then it's only 2 days until school starts so...not really happy. And school+ a shit ton of exams+ violin practice= no time for kdrama :( Though I will try to squeeze in some time on Sundays to watch Six Flying Dragons. I'm sorry I can't hold on to you, Remember.
It's gonna be a busy year...
Happy new year, beanies.. My this year bless us with lots of great things in our 'real life' and also tons of awesome dramas to squee over.
After watching Doojoon's great acting in Splish Splash Love, finally I got around to watch Let's Eat. He is simply awesome there and he also has a sparky chemistry with the heroine. But while I watched that series, I noticed Sookyung always called her puppy 'bara-ssi' just like the way Seungho called his cat in Imaginary Cat. Is calling your pet name with '-ssi' a normal thing to do in Korea? Is that to show respect? Or is it to show that your pet is a part of your family?
"Goldfish bread" is the Korean version of Japanese taiyaki, a waffle cake filled with, typically, red bean paste. The Japanese version is named after a sparidae species (porgy/bream), but the Korean one (Bunggoppang) is named after a carp species. Hence the translation "Goldfish bread".
Bara-ssi name is derived from Che Guevara (because Sookyung admired him) or Che Guebara in Korean spelling because there's no "v" in hangul. Lee Sookyung called Guevara as Che Guebara-ssi (to show respect to Guevara) and then shortened to "bara-ssi".
In one episode Dae Young misheard Che Guebara as Choi Gaebara lol and he kept mistakenly think the dog's name is Gaebara until Sookyung clarified it.
Hehe I'm also finally watching Let's Eat because of splash splash, im currently on episode 14.It's good but its no splash splash love, it's basically a food commercial that dissolved my resolution of becoming vegan.
Happy New Year to all OT beanies! May the New Year be a joyous and peaceful one.
While introducing kdrama to my work buddy, I became curious about which kdramas have the special factors which could captivate viewers and spurred their interest in exploring other kdramas. My questions are:
- Which is the very first kdrama you ever watched?
- Did it get you so impressed that you developed a passion for watching kdrama? If not, which kdrama you subsequently watched got you hooked?
Just want to briefly talk about Reply 1988 here, Teakie has been so lovable and considerate in these two episodes, and it seems to me that Deok Sun has started to like Taekie though she did not realise it herself. She bought “goldfish bread” for Taekie and was concerned that he had been watching perverted r-rated video with the guys and also, a sleepy DS was waiting beside the phone for Taekie’s call and was disappointed to hear that Taekie could not keep the movie date, and next day, dejectedly walked up the stairs of the study room. I just hope nothing dramatic is going to happen to Taekie’s drug overdose.
Btw, what is “goldfish bread”? Is it fish-shaped waffle of some kind?
“Goldfish bread” is the Korean version of Japanese taiyaki, a waffle cake filled with, typically, red bean paste. The Japanese version is named after a sparidae species (porgy/bream), but the Korean one (Bunggoppang) is named after a carp species. Hence the translation “Goldfish bread”.
Hi Jon, just goggled taiyaki and saw pictures of it. I'm more familiar with dorayaki though, which is the favourite food of Doraemon, the manga robot cat with a 4D pocket. :)
I like your question, talking about nostalgic feeling :D
1. Goong (Princess Hours). But it was Jewel in the Palace that made my whole family practically glued to television every evening
2. They were impressive (yes, even Goong. Being first kinda has its perks). But it didn't develop my kdrama passion. Years later when i got into college, conveniently my housemate introduced me to SKK Scandal and Paradise Ranch (yep, imagine the horrible experience watching Shim Changmin, and i am cassie LOL) and it kinda started from there. Then it was Dream High and City Hunter which seal the deal.
Goong (Princess Hours) - I've not watched this drama, I goggled it and realised that it is that much talked about drama aired in many Asian cities 10 years ago. It has quite an unconventional setting, I will add it to my to-watch list.
Jewel in the Palace (Dae Jang Geum) - This is my first sageuk, it was quite fascinating watching them prepare banquet after banquet in the palace.
The very first kdrama I ever watched was Fireworks on DVD (or rather CDs at that time) about 15 years ago, Lee Young-ae (Jang Geum) was the lead actress. The first time I saw her, I was awestruck, wow, such an unearthly beauty! This first kdrama was an eye-opener to Korean culture for me. The pace of the drama was much slower, the strikingly colorful hanbok worn by the old ladies and the way grown-up adults prostrate on the floor to greet their parents/in-laws in total respect all left a strong impression.
Though the second half kinda gets to weird direction, Goong has its great moments. I think it is great for starter although if one has watched many drama, flaws in Goong will be noticeable hihi.
Lee Young Ae is seriously beautiful, isn't she? I am still in awe whenever seeing her. If there is any vampire in this world, i believe Lee Young Ae is the queen lol
My first drama was A Man Called god, but I didn't get truly hooked until MTETS and BOF. What got me hooked and what keeps me coming back is one, the fact that their romances are so modest. The lead pair aren't hopping into bed in the five seconds after meeting, there are few exceptions though like in cable dramas. This main point has ruined me for all other industries. Also, the fact that their stories always manage to evoke such deep feelings in me. I never knew what feels were until I started watching K-dramas.
Hi Ek Ladhki Thi, I liked your description, "I never knew what feels were until I started watching K-dramas."
Yes, I like watching tear jerkers, they enable me to be in touch with my emotions. The drama which started my kdrama addiction is actually Winter Sonata. Though the storyline was stereotypical melo markjang, but still, in contrast to those shows in which the lead pair are hopping into bed in the first five seconds like you said, a noble first love tucked away in memory, spanning over 10 years withstanding the test of time though the loved one was presumed dead was incredulously touching. The cinematography, the winter scenery, the melodious piano OSTs, and the chemistry of the two leads (Bae Yong-Jun as Kang Jun-Sang and Choi Ji-Woo as Jung Yu-Jin) all got me hooked.
This is the first time I heard about A Man Called God, it seems to be a typical revenge type melodrama. Oh, the Korean barbie doll Han Chae-young is the lead actress. I like her in Sassy Girl Chun Hyang, this drama and BOF had me re-watched quite a few times when I needed something to play in the background, they are those kind of dramas which are relaxing to watch in bits and pieces because of their simple plot and light-hearted humour.
As I do not quite like sageuk, I have yet to watch Moon That Embraces The Sun, I know that it is very good, ok, I will eventually get to watch it.
I'm very odd in that my first k-drama encounter was with several episodes of Age of Warriors in the early 2000s. I spent quite a few years trying to find the entire show (or similar shows) and finally discovered the DVDs of Jumong on Netflix. This led me to the newly launched streaming sites and the rest is history. I'm not sure that particular watching strategy would work to get most folks hooked though.
Hi wonhwa, you are indeed unique! As sageuk is never my cup of tea, I will not attempt to watch Jumong, though it looks like it is quite good. I usually gave up after watching a few episodes of sageuk, such as Faith, Dr. Kim, Goddess of Fire, etc. The only few which could make me sustain till the end are those with Lee Jun Ki in it, I am his fan, he looks so damn good in hanbok, so unfortunately for me, all his projects one after another are sageuk, Ijimae, Arang and the Magistrate, Gunman in Joseon, SWWTN, and coming up remake of Cdrama Bubujingxin, omg!
1. Goong or Princess Hours! Fond memories of awful subtitles and binge watching.
2. Goong didn't spark my interest in kdramas. It wasn't until I saw You From Another Star that wanted to watch more. The need to feel the void was far to great.
I have my few share of dramas like You're Beautiful, Shut Up Flower Boy Band, and My Name is Kim Sam Soon after Goong but YFAS got me hooked on kdramas and had me watching them regularly. Then there was also Dramabeans, which is another story.
My first kdrama was Pasta and I watched it 10 times at least, unaware that there was an entire kdrama world out there waiting for me. It is often the kdrama I recommend to first timers.
My first dramabeans thread kdrama was Faith where I discovered that discussing my angst and joy with other fans was wonderful therapy to get me to the next week's episodes. Not to mention the recapper's insights. There was no turning back.
Mine was Pasta, too, and I also watched it a million times. Still do in fact when I don't feel like getting into something new. Have not found any other romance that gave me the same feels as Pasta.
Hi Owl & MapleSilver, Gong Hyo-jin is one of my favourite actresses, I love her in It's Ok It's Love and Greatest Love, and I have amassed all her dramas and movies on my laptop but have yet to finish watching all of them. I am now concurrently watching Biscuit Teacher and Star Candy among some others, probably, I should skip this for now and go watch Pasta first. Both of you are re-watching it so many times, it must be awesome right?
I did not finish watching Faith, not because of LMH, but more because I don't like sageuk in general and I found KHS's acting quite hyper and annoying at times.
I've seen most of Gong Hyo Jin's dramas. Pasta is way up there, so I do recommend it. I'd love to hear how you like it. One before that was Thank You withe Jang Hyuk (love him), and how about The Producers? She's a gem.
Faith is not strictly sageuk though, it is more of a historical fantasy. The OTP has loads of chemistry, well, so do the villains - mainly different kind of poison and explosives. And the king is a spunky little hobbit.
I watched jdoramas and taiwanese before kdramas, I am sure I have mentioned before what my first was, but I can´t remember now. watched bits and pieces of different things before sticking to some, but I always watch several at the same time. some of the firsts were You Are Beautiful, My Princess and The Return of Iljimae, and Last Scandal. the drama that first made a strong impression though was My Girl.
Hi Redfox, I used to be a JDorama fanatic during the time of Long Vacation, GTO, With Love, Love 2000, Overtime, Hero, etc. Oh, those were the times..... I found Taiwanese drama a bit too lovey dovey in a cheesy way, watching Meteor Shower gave me goose bumps, not because I was touched or anything like that, but due to the way they spoke (intonation, etc.). After that, I completely steer clear of all Taiwanese drama.
Based on recommendation from last week and this week, it looks like the best thriller drama to get newbies hooked is City Hunter, alongside Missing Noir M, Punch and IRY.
As for rom-com, My Love From Another Star and Pasta will probably do the job. You Are Beautiful is a good one too. But I am not so sure about My Princess or My Girl, I don't remember being overly impressed by these two, probably because I did not quite like the lead actress (KTH & LDH). The Last Sandal is quite a hit at the time of its release, ok, I will add this to my to-watch list.
My Girl made an impression not because it is THAT good, but it was so fervent. and I come from a countrywhere people almostdon´t have any emotions or inner "burning" - or at least it never shows. things have changed though, the new generation is different. but back then.... so it was a shock how spunky the main heroine was and that guys can have soulful eyes - our guys used to have eyes of dead ducks. for real.
The first K-drama I ever came across was "Men of the Bathhouse" during the 90s. I didn't particularly like it, but compared to weekend dramas today, it was quite good.
Hi Jon, Men of the Bathhouse? Never heard about it before, I would think only Koreans would have known about those earlier dramas. The earlier (but not the first) kdrama I watched was Salut D'Amour from 1994 and First Love from 1996 . After watching Winter Sonata, I wanted to watch more of Bae Yong-joon and Choi Ji-woo, so I dug up their old dramas. These two were not that impressive when compared with Did We Really Love? from 1999 and Beautiful Days from 2001.
“Men of the Bathhouse” (1995-1996)- I watched it but it was so long ago. I only remember the father - Lee Soon-jae. I think it was quite popular that time. I didn't know Kim Hee-sun(angry mom) got new actress award for this show.
It's funny how a lot people said Goong because that too was my very first kdrama (however i ended up finishing Full House first because I was waiting for the last few episodes of Goong to be aired) lol
Back in those days - subtitles took DAYS and were not nearly as accurate or precise as the amazing job volunteers do these days!
Hi Kay, yes Goong seems like a mega hit in the mid 2000s. Thanks for reminding me about Full House, I watched it more than once too, it was one of the better com-coms, Rain and SHK made an awesome pairing.
At that time, I didn't even know that English Korean drama sites exists. I was relying on friends living in Asia for my supply of kdramas, which came in the form of CD box sets (later on DVDs) or those downloaded from some dodgy chinese sites. These contained Chinese subtitles which worked fine for me too. Yes, we are just so lucky nowadays, and are really spoilt for choice with so many kdrama sites providing English subs almost the day after.
Greatest Love was my very first k-drama in '12, after years of watching Asian films. I had zero interest in SK TV, however, my sister's endless appetite for watching anything and everything on this planet (part of it because of her work and part because of her hobby since childhood) brought us to Hong sisters' surreal universe. Well, you can imagine the rest...The addiction was instant and kdramas became my favorite pastime.
Has anyone watched any of them? I believe they must be very good and worth watching. The first drama is about the heir of a liquor store in the Taisho era travelling to Scotland to learn about whiskey making and got married to a Scottish wife. This storyline seems interesting but it has 150 episodes! As I still have a long list of kdramas to watch, I will probably start with the last two which have only 10 episodes each.
I have watched some of the opening episode of Massan. I think it's an interesting story but I don't think it was that well done ––– the acting wasn't that good and I just couldn't handle an American playing a supposedly Scottish heroine. It sounded so wrong!
I watched the unsubbed version of Bijo to danshi (I don't think it has been subbed). There's a lot I didn't understand, but I kept watching anyway! It's pretty good, from what I could tell.
I haven't watched the other two, but lots of people seem to like Hanzawa Naoki.
Hi alua, the storyline of Bijo to danshi seems quite interesting too, it must be very good for you to patiently sit through all 20 eps without subs. Though I could understand some basic Japanese, I don't think I will go for it, as I find it frustrating not being able to understand every single detail in those crucial moments and without full understanding, it will be so difficult to enjoy the show to the fullest.
Hanzawa Naoki is FANTASTIC. Don't let the fact that the hero is a middle-aged banker put you off, it's fast-paced and action-packed as any thriller, and Sakai Masato is great as the eponymous hero.
Hi pogo, thanks for giving such a positive affirmation. I almost wanted to dismiss this drama because the synopsis sounded quite boring. But I've known this friend for years, and we sort of share the same taste in many things, so I believe there is good reason why she recommended this drama to me.
I know, I initially balked too, because a drama about..... banking? But it had me in just one episode! This is not your standard chaebol drama at all.
(totally agree about wanting Lee Jun-ki in a modern drama too, btw, re: your comment above. Or I don't even mind if he does a sageuk, as long as the female lead isn't written as some dumbed-down cipher that even a talented actress struggles to portray)
I plan to watch 下町ロケット (Shitamachi Rocket) cause the rating, the hype and the review I get is all positive,
for 半沢直樹 （Hanzawa Naoki）, watch it, it's good if not great , not to mention it has one of the most beloved versatile actor , Sakai Masato, so just watch it
I haven't watch Bijo to danshi but they said it's fun, it just long, 20 ep
didn't watch Massan, I need extra energy for 50 ep drama
^^
Time for Jon G.'s Anual K-Drama Awards or, more appropriately (and easier to remember too): Jon G's Relatively Unimpressive Minor Prizes of the Year.
Mouseprint: Eligible are all the K-dramas of 2015 that I've watched, and by 2015 I mean all shows that had their final 6 episodes in 2015 (resp. more than 25% of their episodes) or if their final episodes have not yet been broadcasted, already showed 75% (resp. all but their final 5 or less) of their episodes in 2015. Example: Pride&Prejudice is not "of 2015", as only the final 4 of 21 episodes were broadcasted in 2015. Pinocchio is eligible, as the final 6 of 20 episodes were slotted for 2015.
There are, of course, some shows that may have had chances to make a difference in some of the categories, shows like "Bubblegum" which I simply didn't watch, or "Hwajung" that I stopped after a few episodes. Sorry for that.
I will put the categories and nominations here and add another post with the winners later.
Special category: Best Multiple-Character Performance
Several shows this year tried different variations of this. And considering the hourly rates of the actors involved, I bet the show-runners thought that: "Pay once, get 6 additional roles for free" was a good deal.
Nominated are:
* Kim So-hyun (School 2015)
* Ji Sung (KMHM)
* Hyun Bin (Hyde, Jekyll, Me)
* Park Soo-ae (Mask)
* Park Bo-young (Oh My Ghost)
Special category: Timeslot Champion
Timeslots are not what they used to be. Still, let's take a look at the primetime lineups this year. I picked the three most convincing (in my opinion) shows per channel.
Nominated:
* KBS Mon/Tue (Healer, I Remember You, Sassy Go Go)
* MBC Wed/Thu (KMHM, Angry Mom, She Was Pretty)
* SBS Mon/Tue (Punch, Grapevine, Mrs Cop)
* tvN Fri/Sat (Oh My Ghost, Twenty Again, Reply 1988)
Special category: Best Couple
Being the crabby old geezer I am, I hate couples. Especially happy couples. But what can I do, they are an/the essential ingredient to any K-drama. Let's give them an award and hope they stay off my lawn.
Nominated:
* Mask: Choi Min-woo & Byun Ji-suk (Joo Ji-hoon & Park Soo-ae)
* Healer: Seo Jung-hoo & Chae Young-shin (Ji Chang-wook & Park Min-young)
* Twenty Again: Cha Hyun-suk & Ha No-ra (Lee Sang-yoon & Choi Ji-won)
* Reply 1988: Sun-woo & Bo-ra (Go Kyung-pyo & Ryu Hye-young)
* Punch: Park Jung Hwan & Lee Tae Joon (Kim Rae-won & Jo Jae-hyun)
I hate best couple award and I'm not that old (I think lol). That goes for most popular award too, especially when the majority of the awards is based on popularity. The worst one is the hot star award. Maybe I take things too seriously lol.
You think, you lose LOL
That's gonna be my philosophy regarding award ceremony, especially after checking the winner list of public channel year-end drama award.
The award I dislike the most (probably, because generally I just can't take Korean award ceremonies seriously) is the "New star award", which is regularly given to people who have been in the business and cast in roles with LINES for years.
I'm pretty sure Go Ah-sung was having a good chuckle herself about her "New Star" award from SBS.
idk, I get annoyed by it too, especially since iirc a lot of the award shows just list it as the actor/actress that played the characters, instead of the characters. Like, this isn't We Got Married lol, or at least it shouldn't be. And then sometimes they nominate people like Jang Hyuk/Lee Da-hae in Chuno, and I'm like, did you even watch the show?
Please tell me the hot star award is given to people whose careers are hot lol.
yeah, some of the award categories are ridiculous.
I can actually live with Best Couple though that's really just a popularity thing, but giving freaking Go Ah-sung a new star award is a bit....bizarre.
Best Screenplay
Writing a story, writing the characters, writing the scenes, and writing everything in a way that it works together rather well is awfully hard. On top of that, I admit that my individual concepts of "good screen writing" and the K-drama premise of "good writing" are very different. Even after so many years, I still insist that writing shallow characters, beaufitul but pointless scenes or copy-pasting stock story-lines is not good writing, no matter how often people keep telling me the opposite. I guess my learning ability got lost over the years.
Nominated:
* Twenty Again (tvN)
* Awl (jtbc)
* Heard It Through The Grapevine (SBS)
* I Remember You (KBS)
* Reply 1988 (tvN)
A few shows from the short-list didn't make it by a hair. For example, "Healer" had serious issues with its overall plot and the writing became sub-par towards the end; and "Punch" lost out due to its repetitive and uninspired plot writing in the second half of the show.
Best Production
This award recognises the shows that excelled in scene direction, set and costume design, camera work, audio and visual editing, this kind of thing, as a means to support the show as a whole (and not just because).
Nominated:
* Healer (KBS)
* Reply 1988 (tvN)
* I Remember You (KBS)
* Heard It Through The Grapevine (SBS)
* Punch (SBS)
The final shows not to be nominated from the short-list were "My Beautiful Bride" and "Last", resulting in a strange underrepresentation of cable dramas. It did feel like the public network productions upped their game in this respect.
Nominated:
* Seo In-gook (I Remember You)
* Kim Hee-sun (Angry Mom)
* Jo Jung-suk (Oh My Ghost)
* Park Bo-young (Oh My Ghost)
* Park Min-young (Healer)
Another very long short-list to handle. Last names to drop were Ji Chang-wook and Go Ah-sung. Go might have shown an even stronger performance than Park Min-young, but with Go's credentials and experience, I'm less inclined to forgive her the small lapses she showed in "Grapevine".
Best Supporting Acting
I confess, this category is plain stupid. There are thousands of supporting roles (with only two or three lead roles per drama), and a good portion of them are portrayed by fantastic actors and actresses. It took me days to get a "short-list" that was even remotely manageable, and more days to come up with five nominees.
I feel a bit bad, especially towards the younger generations, who had a very good year with many solidifying or break-out performances. But what can you do when the middle generations are so freakingly strong.
Best Ensemble Acting
Some shows are all about their breeding pair and don't want to waste resources on anything else. That's great and all, but let's appreciate once in while when the casting director*, the writer, the film director and the acting ensemble really commit to their profession to give life to the show.
*) Sometimes I wonder whether K-dramas actually have casting directors or whether they really do it in the way K-dramas themselves depict the process: simply based on favouritism, nepotism and corruption.
Nominated:
* The Village (SBS)
* Reply 1988 (tvN)
* Punch (SBS)
* Heard It Through The Grapevine (SBS)
* Oh My Ghost (tvN)
*) Sometimes I wonder whether K-dramas actually have casting directors or whether they really do it in the way K-dramas themselves depict the process: simply based on favouritism, nepotism and corruption.
I've wondered it often enough. Or is the casting director just a rubber-stamp on the network's whims about who to cast?
When I think of some of the actors who routinely get bitched out here for consistently godawful acting....a casting director actually checking those people off as the best candidate for an acting role, feels like the kdrama/casting equivalent of a cop letting a drunk driver on the road - they must KNOW the result will be bad and they're risking disaster, the best you can hope for is that it won't be too bad. (maybe a slightly extreme analogy but you get my drift).
Yes, Ra Mi-ran has been excellent in Reply 1988. One of my favourite moments was in episode 13, in a scene with the mums, and she quietly asks Sun-woo's mum, "What about your life? … Your life is just once too." Subtle acting that sends the message so effectively and gives you a good punch in the gut.
Oh yes, that scene was incredible. But you can tell how much care went into the directing of that scene, with the shift of camera angles and the unreal timing of the dialogue.
There's really nothing on the drama slate I feel like watching, now that Splish Splash Love and Sassy Go Go are both long since done. I really hope Yoon Doo-joon and Kim Seul-gi get paired up in a worthy project again, and that Chae Soo-bin Lee Won-geun, Jung Eunji and Ji-soo land good roles next (and repeat my prayer for someone to please pair up the latter two as a couple in some future drama/movie).
Still watching Answer Me 1988, but not with any particular investment in the younger love lines. When it comes to those, it's neither as heart-wrenching as 1997 nor as maddening as 1994. It's comfortable, which is a good thing. And most of the good stuff comes from the parents - I'd rather watch the Ssangmundong ajumma trio embarrass themselves at singing competitions than another round of teenage noble idiocy over a girl neither Jung-hwan nor Taek have managed to confess to.
(seriously, there are ways to deal with you and your best friend falling for the same girl, WITHOUT playing noble idiot or disregarding her feelings totally - see Sassy Go Go for that memo)
yeah, tvn does have Cheese in the Trap, I'll probably check at least the first two episodes.
Not really feeling the other drama teasers out recently - Murim School looks ridiculous (and in an unintentional way, not like Sassy Go Go), Descendants of the Sun looks like it has really solid acting but a potentially infuriating male lead (standard MO for KES dramas), and the new Lee Kyung-hee drama looks like it's got pretty and very little else (Suzy and Kim Woo-bin are giving me Lee Min-ho/Park Shin-hye vibes.....very pretty people, sure, but just being good-looking and doing romantic stuff onscreen does not equal chemistry). I hope I'm wrong.
Suzy and Kim Woo-bin are giving me Lee Min-ho/Park Shin-hye vibes…..very pretty people, sure, but just being good-looking and doing romantic stuff onscreen does not equal chemistry
Well said pogo! The same goes for So Ji-Sub and Shin MinA in OMV.
To be fair to So Ji-sub/Shin Mina, I think they actually do have chemistry, and had it even when she was chubbier. (and frankly, I'm surprised I bought it to this degree, wasn't sure they really would pull it off)
Kim Woo-bin/Suzy otoh are giving me serious vibes of that first 'do I like you' scene in Heirs. You know, the scene that had everyone squealing 'OMG THE CHEMISTRY' when in reality it was just two pretty people sharing a screen and giving each other looks. All flat, no spark.
(and if I were to compare the mic-fixing scene in their teaser to the IU/Kim Soo-hyun one in Producer? There is absolutely NO contest about which one is hotter/actually has some feeling in it)
I don't know why, OMV just got on my nerves. I actually like SJS and SMA individually, but it went so horribly wrong in OMV that when they tried to act raunchy on screen, instead of finding them sexy or romantic, it felt so off putting, eg, their fell flat onto each other scenes during workout, and SMA tying a big ribbon on her head. Considering that I loved seeing SMA with JK in Arang and the Magistrates, I don't know why I dislike her so much in OMV, probably you are right, this has nothing to do with whether the pair has chemistry or not, it is the overall feel of the drama which made me feel repulsive.
I don't quite like IU in The Producers, but still, she and KSH feels quite compatible, though not so much in terms of on screen chemistry. Yeah, I get what you mean here. Also, I'm quite apprehensive of the IU/JK pairing in bbjx, hopefully it will turn out well, fingers crossed!
yeah, I think the way the drama handles those up close situations definitely has something to do with whether it comes across as 'too much' or not.
I mean, Sassy Go Go had multiple instances of falling-on-top-of-each-other, being crammed into close quarters while hiding, close contact to save a girl from danger, and somehow I never, not once, thought it seemed contrived or laboured - even though it totally WAS contrived, it didn't feel it. But yeah, sometimes it does come down to actors, and the Lightly Ardently teaser has to be the first time I've ever found Kim Woo-bin bland. Hope the final product is better...god knows he's going to be the one who needs to carry it.
I don't actually fear the age gap or IU's skill levels for BBJX, what I do fear is her character being underwritten or reduced to a caricature the way Lee Yubi was in SWWTN. That was something they would never have dared to do to Shin Mina when she was starring opposite oppa, and ultimately it made for a better drama AND better chemistry. Even a fairly solid young actress will struggle to generate any chemistry if she's got nothing to work with.
But at least Producer taught me that IU can emote well enough to handle lots of close-ups. And the BBJX PD, Kim Tae-gyu, LOVES his extreme close-ups lol.
Hi Everyone! ....... I hope you are all doing well today. ...... Happy New Year!
Watched this week:
Six Flying Dragons - Oh my goodness, this is truly a can't miss drama. Simply awesome. ....... Gil Tae-mi, you'll be missed.
Remember - Just started this. Yoo Seung-ho! So good to see him in dramaland once again! ....... And oh wow, Namgoong Min. He is throwing himself into this role and just letting go. The results are truly amazing ..... and downright scary.
Oh My Venus - Not a complicated watch, but that's ok. The main couple is good together and I think that's why people tune in.
That's all for now. ....... Thanks to all of you for making 2015 so much fun! ......I wish you all a new year full of health, happiness and good things. ...... May 2016 be full of interesting dramas and great discussions here in th OT. ........ Everyone take care and have a great day!
I did use an example from OMV to explain what kdrama-ness was to a non-watcher:
On Christmas Eve, the aimless young man - a street fighter - who was taken in by a compassionate Chaebol (rich heir of a top Korean conglomerate) with his own history of suffering, gets a phone call from his birth mother who hasn't seen him since she gave him up after he was born in jail that she wants to see him. Chaebol is happy for him, tosses him his keys and tells him to take his car to meet his mother. In the meantime, the overseeing loyal director of the Chaebol's affairs discovers there is a plot by a disgruntled family member-in-law to kill the Chabeol that night. Realizing that the murderer is going to ram his car, and of course he is not the one driving it, Chaebol dashes off the intercept the planned accident which results in him being badly hurt and laid up for a year. All of his childhood memories of painful treatments for cancer (not to mention losing his mother at the same time) flood his mind and he is troubled. He keeps himself in isollation from those who care about him to "work through it" for a year. And that's just one in-the-middle episode :)
I'm not sure the scenario convinced him to watch a kdrama., but certainly is is an example of a typical convoluted kdrama plot. That's what I love so much about them!
The kdrama-ness irony is it takes no time for them to openly express their love but at the most crucial moments, there will always be missed communication and miscommunication or some noble idiocy type good intention which lead to unnecessary angst and separation and if lucky, there will be a teary reunion a year or more later, else, an open-ended ambiguous ending.
Happy new year for everyone! I hope 2016 will bring more joy n success to all of us ?
My wishes for this year :
1) Kim So Eun get a lead role, i want to see her in a melodrama but playing a strong woman. I am imagining to see her being a lawyer or prosecutor, or maybe chaebol's daughter who is smart. I hope 2016 will bring more luck for her. ??
2) Kim seul gi getting a lead role as well! Chaebal, this girl is too good to be wasted ?
Excited to see many new dramas like saimdang n goodbye mr black. For now im just watching LMIYD, IHAL, started on 6FD & Merchant but just few episodes only.
Am hoping everyone keeps healthy and are blessed with good friends, happiness, success. I'm chill right now.. been kinda stuck in bed but am getting good at writing from a prone bedridden position. Am feeling weirdly calm and accepting of life. No hoping or fearing... just am. Perhaps I've finally grown old and accepting of how strange life can be.
Dramas:
Six Flying Dragons: Oh my gosh! episode 25...well, let's just say I forgot to breathe several times. I seriously love how the romances are soooooo present even when the lovers don't talk about love. Boon yi's and future prince's conversations are seriously romantic and even erotic. The tender friendship is such perfection.
Scandal in Old Seoul: Fun. I'm beginning to like this particular period of Korean history. Maybe I'll just sit myself down and watch Gaksital.
All about Mom: Wondering what will happen now that the love lives of all Mom's kids are all settled.. kinda. Am so not liking the love story forgiveness heart. I feel so mean and unforgiving but eh. Now that the adults will now have to super beg for their love lives to be accepted or at least understood....loving the whole idea o turnabout being fairplay. Love is what changes revolutions (as six flying dragon states)
Glamorous Temptation: Still not watching but still perversely interested.
Waiting for Sweet Savage Family and Remember -- Master's Son.
Awaiting Descendants of the sun.
Saw some great and some silly movies: A distant spring, Coffin on the mountain, the two in tracksuits (which I'd been hoping to watch for years)
Not much else happening.
I suppose I should watch it and engage with the weirdness. I saw a recap about daddy's will. Ah me. Twenty more episodes to go with this woman's weirdness. It's malice-porn and we'll have to wane through all this desperate spite... can I do it?
Oh my! I'm already interested in ep 25 of Six Flying Dragons! ...... I'm barely up to ep 18 though. ...... It's truly a fantastic drama. I'm glad you're enjoying it also.
I'm looking forward to Descendants of the Sun also. I'm curious about the whole pre-produced situation and how that affected, if it did, the final product that ends up on our screen.
Hopefully drama production will change from live-shoots as the d ecade moves on. Speaking of pre-produced... SFD is dang good and hasn't fallen off.... live shoot or not?
You're right. SFD hasn't fallen off at all. ...... I'm going to guess that if you're going the live-shoot route, you either have to get a long enough head start in shooting, maintain a good enough shooting pace to keep that cushion of time and hope the production doesn't experience any unforeseen hiccups along the way that might delay things ...... or, you have the entire script already written and you don't make any changes, period---in which case, it would delay things.
Then again, sometimes the planets just line up and drama magic happens, live-shoot or no live-shoot, right? :)
Ohh cleberating new year today by watching Dilwale, a Bollywood movie and i love it. It is not something extraordinary , a typical Bollywood movie but turn out good, thanks to the power of Shah Rukh Khan & Kajol. I am not a fan of bollywood movies but did watch some B-movies. But this is the first time watching it at cinema and the feeling was different. Love its songs like Janam Janam n Gerua. SRK stil doesnt lose his charisma even he is older, and Kajol stil pretty. I did enjoy it ;)
OOOOoooo I'm going to go watch Dilwale tomorrow and am hoping I like it as much as you did. SRK and Kajol are my favorite OTP since I could understand Hindi so I knew I'd have to check it out.
On other note though - have you seen Bajirao Mastani?! Oh goddess, it's absolutely breathtaking...I walked out wishing I could capture every single frame of that movie and making it into a poster. Also fantastic acting by the cast and despite Priyanka Chopra not being the main lead in the movie, she stole the show.
I watched I remember you last week and loved it! Seo in gook and Park bo gum were just so, so good, it hurts my heart every time I think about their reunion scene.
One day before the KBS awards , I had hoped that Seo in gook and Park bo gum would win Best couple but sadly that did not happen. :(
Thanks for the recommendation, recappers.
If you haven't watched it, you're missing out on good stuff.
AppleP over at soompi said:
"the upcoming Reply series:
Reply 1970's (90% focus on the adult life. all the hot daddy played by actors that born in 70's : Gong Yoo, Yoong Sang Hyun, So Ji Sub, Cha Seung Won, Joo Jin-Mo, Jang Dong Gun, etc)
...
Reply Joseon era (goat sound probably changed to horse sound)
..."
Love her idea about the 1970's and the horse neighing sound for Joseon era =)).
uh , hi dramabeans community Happy New Year to everybody I'm new at this open thread thingy so don't know all the rule yet , do we only talk about Kdrama here or anything go ? cause I just watch a Thai drama on Youtube call 'Cubic' the story line really good lead actor was horrible and the directing is worst than what my teenage brother did for his short film as a project in school but I just love the story line and the whole time watching keep thinking "omg if only this got a remake to Kdrama imagine what they could do with this
Anyway if this thread only talk about Kdrama then please forgive me for this I'm just not sure about the rules on open thread yet , thanks for always be here and make me feel less like the only crazy person who ever laugh and cry for a drama
Welcome to the OT. This is the one place you can talk about anything at all (that is not offensive) and even if you want to mention spoilers, that's OK as long as you put up a spoiler warning in your post.
Any kind of drama from anywhere is fine and you can even talk about yourself! :)
Happy New Year my fellow DBers! It's been a while as kdramas havent really been grabbing my attention last year...the selections of dramas are really narrow now that the website that shall not be named basically took away TVN shows which is like a good 60% on kdramas that i was watching and i refuse to support that site and their shitty subs! So ive been watching more KMovies and so far i havent been disappointed. I pray that this year's drama offering are mucho better that last years!
PS i read DB's post on the award shows. M not at all surprised anymore at all three channels basically giving awards to the people they like and would want to come back! But on the fashion side of things, maybe its because m just noticing or something but the ladies were pulling of some ridiculously high platforms and heels...m wondering how the hell they were able to walk in them!!! What's up with that?
Happy OT! and Happy New Year! This holiday has been quite un-cheertastic(lol?). It's a good thing I have dramas(and the whistle song from Sassy Go Go). It makes everything better. :)
Healer - Finally lol. I've put off watching the finale for so long heh. I'll miss the gang but I can't say that I loved the drama. Sure I like it and I love the characters(and after this and What's Up, Song Ji Na is now one of my faves). But after the last ep, well... I can't put it to words. I don't feel much. But that might not be drama's fault. Because it's how I generally felt about the dramas I finish lately.
Miss Korea - But not this one hehe. This drama ran away with my heart. It may not be cracktastic but I love it. And I loved everyone. I understood the characters and their reasoning(even bada). And I felt like I was part of the gang. I hurt with them. I cheer for and with them. The Lee's were especially
Required fields are marked *
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
1 redfox
January 1, 2016 at 6:02 AM
so happy new year blaa blaa whatever it is just a number though
I am at work like on all holidays
so drama world: jippiii for Ji Sung! FINALLY. and for Park Seo Joon also!
and aww at Park Bo Gum thanking Seo In Guk at the KBS drama awards, and the latter looking at him like "My baby turned out so great all thanks to me!".
Their picture together gets all sorts of illogical sounds out of me. it is just too perfect! but it does not make up for no appreciation whatsoever for Seo In Guks´ amazing role in IRY.he doesn`t look too bothered though.
I dont know today. Question? Let´s continue hooking up drama singles and second leads: which two would you send on blind date?
I would hook up Min with Miss Husky as a cray experiment. turn ex-kiler into party animal. hahaa.Your pairing? and where shoud they meet?
and oh, ok, tell me, what you want from dramas this year?
I want a sharp sense of humor, some new concepts...would love to see some "future" plots. we´ve done the past, let´s go to the future now! Also, a female genius or some super-effective female boss with no tragic past. Perhaps someone overweight or unconventional otherwise (for a kdrama), but badass. and I would in contrast also like to see some socially awkward and shy guys who can barely open their mouth. It is hard to become a lion.
Required fields are marked *
alua
January 1, 2016 at 6:14 AM
<and oh, ok, tell me, what you want from dramas this year?
Well-written stuff, with no clichés or stock characters. Less or no romance in dramas that don't need them. Second leads that aren't just devices. No no-contact one year+ separations.
My standard is Misaeng. I dropped so many dramas in 2015! If writers, directors, producers don't try harder, I'm going to focus on k-films instead because just watching for the "pretty" or A-list stars (OMV I'm looking at you) doesn't do it for me.
Required fields are marked *
john
January 1, 2016 at 6:48 AM
alua ~
+1 on what you want from dramas.
Required fields are marked *
Rachel
January 1, 2016 at 6:56 AM
Looking forward to some decent webtoon adaptations!
Required fields are marked *
ameliadzi
January 1, 2016 at 8:18 AM
Preach, girl. Haha.
Required fields are marked *
alua
January 1, 2016 at 9:45 AM
LOL.
Required fields are marked *
redfox
January 1, 2016 at 9:27 AM
yeah, I don´t need romance either. I like to see other kind of dynamics. trust issues and distance, friend who get alienated and try to preserve some contact. how hard it is when you drift away. or old people, who have to survive alone, and their survival skills - and their childlike imagination to fill the empty space around them. I want a shift in the point-of view from 20-30 somethings to the world through the EYES of a child or a grandpa.
and I want Youth over flowers to come to Estonia.
Required fields are marked *
alua
January 1, 2016 at 9:45 AM
I don't mind romance. I love a good romantic drama. But I find those to be very rare!
Instead, there are too many dramas – both in rom-coms and in completely different genres – where multiple couples are matched up (just because) and everything must be spelled out to the very end (marriage & kids). I want open endings. I want couples that get together but ultimately don't work out. I want couples that get together, but where we don't know how far they'll go. I want couples that never get together at all, even if they have silent (maybe one-sided) crushes on each other. And I don't want these virginal heroines that have apparently never seen a shirtless guy before (never go to the beach? no brother? etc etc). More realism! Messier realities! No endings with glamorous designer bow-ties that feel just fake because the foundations of endings where never or never properly laid.
This is usually why J-dramas work so much better for me. I don't particularly enjoy TW dramas (because they are also very contrived) and rarely make it through one, but at least they have much more adult relationships (not every rom-com heroine is a chaste virgin and recently there seem to be a lot of divorced-with-or-without-kids leads too).
I'll stop preaching..... :-p
Required fields are marked *
pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
January 1, 2016 at 9:45 AM
+1, alua.
2015 disappointed me in many ways but I found it slightly encouraging that we got at least a few dramas that didn't rely on the same old tropes. I hope 2016 turns up more of the same.
Required fields are marked *
iamdeb
January 1, 2016 at 12:57 PM
I honestly think you'll be quite disappointed for at least years to come because I think kdramas like Misaeng will continue to be very rare. Kdramas have generally been cliche ridden but from time to time they would have soul or that elusive magic. Thankfully, more writers are or being allowed to think out the box than before but they are still not the norm. I think it will take years for the type of dramas you want to become the norm and to me, its because the higher ups in the kdrama industry are still trying to adapt to new local audience expectations or are just not trying.
I guess at this point I've accepted that I'll just have to lower my standards for kdramas and honestly, I started watching them and in my mind they were like glorified but highly addicting and stylized soap operas. There have been more and more shows going above and beyond that label while many others are like glorified soap operas but sadly without that addicting magic.
Required fields are marked *
nomad
January 2, 2016 at 8:21 AM
I want some decent parents, like the ones in Reply series. The ones that actually love each other though they have their occasional arguments, and love their kids instead of trying to make them fulfill some of their own unachievables (spell??).
Required fields are marked *
redfox
January 2, 2016 at 8:49 AM
and are actually given a life beyond being a parent.
Required fields are marked *
kanz
January 1, 2016 at 7:23 AM
What I want from dramaland this year:
1. Ji Chang Wook returns to Korean drama 'cause I miss him!! All his Chinese projects and movie won't be enough once he goes to army.
2. Writer using more unconventional characters. I heard and watched some Japanese dramas have much more diverse character and profession. Don't just write about reporter, lawyer, prosecutor, doctor, and chaebol I'm so done with that. But please also write other jobs, pilot, diplomat, graphic designer, art director, engineer, taxi driver, banker, scientist, palace guard, anything that will be different than usual. And for Big 3, please branch out from chaebol desks! At least cable' lead characters don't necessarily be rich. They could be poor or just middle class as the majority of us.
3. More conventional sageuk OR fantasy sageuk. No need to fusion anything and makes my head dizzy with so many historical inaccuracies and people cosplaying Joseon. I hope either they stick to history or they just do fantasy, like Arang, GFB or SWWTN.
4. More unconventional dramas like Grapevine, Village, Misaeng and Healer are welcomed too!
Required fields are marked *
redfox
January 1, 2016 at 9:19 AM
and Shin Sung Rok! I want him back!
as to unconventional characters, there could be... a dentist. Or an archiver, who discovers a portal to the future in some files.
I really liked Valid Love in that aspect, they didnt just have the actors pretend to be carpenter, painter and fish doctor, we saw some work being done. and it was beautiful. real things are nice.
but also unconventional in the sense that... special hobbies, infatuation ( Think reply 1997 with the fangirling) and special relationships.
I would like to see adoption not as a sad fate, but a path chosen and a devoted relationship between adopted children and their parents.
I would love to see mentor- student stories (what was that movie with sean Connery and this black kid? It was great. I want something like this in kdramas, without romances)
I would like homelessness addressed, and not in some scary fashion where the homeless are bums wasted at a tunnel. maybe a homeless person getting back on their feet... or failing
ah these are more apt for a movie ...
Required fields are marked *
redfox
January 1, 2016 at 10:23 AM
an example of unconventional people:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prK16rAu6Y0
Required fields are marked *
ameliadzi
January 1, 2016 at 6:35 PM
Majestic!
kanz
January 2, 2016 at 7:03 PM
Yes, what I like from cables, they have characters that work and live outside romance. Flower Boy installments take a look at ramyun cooks, aspiring writers, bandmates, etc. Twenty Again shows how life inside a college, and not just romance.
I'd love to see some adoption with kind parents not hell-bent on revenge. Or maybe they could also show separated siblings without tragic fate or love triangle. Just reunion between siblings and families.
Required fields are marked *
azkaa
January 1, 2016 at 8:12 AM
- and oh, ok, tell me, what you want from dramas this year?
Amen and crossing fingers for your wish, the future-related drama certainly sounds interesting.
Watching Producer, i really love its first 2 episodes because it's funny in a very unconventional way and still informative (all the bts broadcasting stuff). I want more of that, more of mockumentary-style drama, or at least more of unconventional drama setting in general.
Required fields are marked *
elric
January 1, 2016 at 9:15 AM
+1 on mockumentary-style drama
Required fields are marked *
redfox
January 1, 2016 at 9:33 AM
oh, mosckumentary, dark humor and balancing on the edge of scandalous would be good.
and a good youth comedy that pokes fun at the weird ways of the younger generation today, their tilted understanding of their role or total cluelessness or idealism that neglects reason (going to Africa to save you-name-it while not even having malaria injections or something like that). like the backpacker-hipster folks and their hostel hopping. I just find their ways sometimes so hilarious what with their ultra-vegan or strictly seeds diets or morning rituals.
I guess showing any drug use in a kdrama is out of the question, but soft drugs are becoming so common this issue should be adressed somewhat... I dont think the korean nightlife is untouched.
Required fields are marked *
elric
January 2, 2016 at 6:28 PM
Yes to unconventional and out of the box concepts! Let's just hope if any of the networks have new ideas, they stick it rather than get cold feet and go back to their original cliche field story.
elric
January 1, 2016 at 9:14 AM
Amen on your wishes for 2016 dramas especially about the awkward and shy guys.
I think for this year, I want directors/producers who are not afraid to experiment and stick to their premise especially when the story shows promise. Don't bow down to the netizens!
Also for Kim Seul-gi and Yoon Doo-jon to star in a drama. I need this two to be together again.
Required fields are marked *
Boomboompow
January 1, 2016 at 9:31 AM
+1
Too adorable these two!
Required fields are marked *
Boomboompow
January 1, 2016 at 9:31 AM
Yong Pal has got to be my biggest let down of the year.
I wish YP ended halfway with him rescuing Yeo Jin and they become buddies, but not lovers. I want him to stay as Yong Pal and playing mouse and cat with the police. And got a new girl.
Maybe someone like Rachel from Heirs? I adore her Blair Waldorf-y personality - a cold chaebol who is smart. Lets imagine a scenario where she got over her wimpy ex-fiancee and become a doctor in spite of her mom's wishes. During her residency she met KTH and somehow assist him in his late-night YP activities.
Did I sound too fanfic-ish? I am blaming the leftover Christmas wine.
Required fields are marked *
redfox
January 1, 2016 at 9:36 AM
Hmm, Rachel might be a good match. Or perhaps the hotelier Ha Ri, who can always get him a secret room without anyone knowing... but she gets stressed and her stomach...well, but duh, he is a doctor.
Required fields are marked *
redfox
January 1, 2016 at 9:39 AM
in other news, I have become totally obsessed with our new superstar and listening to his songs about 25 times a day. He has a deep, low voice, but with higher undertones like a stereo...I feel like it does something to my very DNA.
Required fields are marked *
pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
January 1, 2016 at 9:56 AM
What do I want from dramas this year?
1. everything alua said - better scripts, good writing and less characters used purely as plot devices. Actors alone can't save a drama if the script is too sloppy.
2. For god's sake, can they please STOP casting terrible actors (idol and otherwise) in major roles. Open up more roles to girls like Kim Seul-gi, Park So-dam etc. Obviously this is only a pipe dream, too many shit actors got lead roles in major stuff in 2015. Like *shudder* Orange Marmalade.
3. Yoon Doo-joon and Kim Seul-gi paired up again. (in a good project, goes without saying).
4. Ji-soo and Jung Eunji as OTP in a drama (same as above).
Required fields are marked *
Kayla
January 1, 2016 at 1:06 PM
kdrama land finally gets rid of jin se yeon.
WOULD BE MY DREAM COME TRUE.
Required fields are marked *
pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
January 1, 2016 at 7:02 PM
Make that No. 5 for me! (but f$#&@ing MBC has already gone and given that block of wood another lead role, WHY?!)
Required fields are marked *
redfox
January 2, 2016 at 9:21 AM
she should be given to Carpenter Kim to make a chair. But she would still have no character...
pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
January 2, 2016 at 12:04 PM
@redfox - actually, wood has character - I dare anyone to look at a piece of teak furniture and say it has none.
She owuld most certainly not be teak or any kind of real wood, she would be plywood. Or cardboard.
redfox
January 2, 2016 at 12:20 PM
that´s exactly what I meant. she´d be laminated plastic at best
pebble
January 1, 2016 at 4:39 PM
Hi pogo!
I just have one simple wish for 2016, to see Jun Ki in a modern drama, but that is not going to happen as he already has remake of Bubujingxin lined up. :(
Required fields are marked *
redfox
January 1, 2016 at 10:57 PM
I thought he was still considering. I also want to see him in a modern drama. and since I am so stuck on the idea of a plot connected with the future, how about an AI (as in, not real human) from the future? we´ve seen plenty of artificial intelligence movies where they learn to have emotions, but how about he´s got them programmed, but he shows them in an inappropriate moment? like, he laughs at a funeral and consoles people when they have a baby (which, in my opinion, wouldn´t even be THAT inappropriate). then he finds a teacher, a mentor for him, who guides him through the human world. but when the AI asks if the Teacher will be there when he goes back into the future, the teacher says he doesn´t live 200 years.
Required fields are marked *
pebble
January 2, 2016 at 3:24 PM
LOL, this is awesome! Yes, will be highly entertaining to see JK as a future AI. His pretty face will sure qualify for a man-made flawless AI with the looks that can kill! However, so far, kdrama doesn't seem to be able to do a great job in depicting people from the future, for example, the future Mi-rae in Marry Him If You Dare is not at all convincing.
redfox
January 2, 2016 at 10:32 AM
http://dramacool.cc/reply-1988-behind-episode-1.html
ah, this! Ra Mi Ran - Mother, meet Father! (I assume it is like that). And the actor playing Jung Bong is so cute with his wavy hair, why couldn´t they keep it like that??? "Jung Hwan" giggling so much that they don´t get any practice done haha. Seems like Ra Mi Ran is making them all laugh.
Required fields are marked *
sunnyl
January 3, 2016 at 6:38 AM
My favorites:
1. Kim Jung-nan who was the Radio show host in Bubble Gum narrates.
2.During Taek's birthday rehearsal with all friends, Park Bo-gum teared up and friends quietly handed tissues over.
3.When Taek and Jung-hwan laugh and all in JH's house, Ra Miran(Jung-hwan's mom) jokes 'At this rate, Duksun could be dumped, Jung- hwan and Taek go out together?'
4.Rye Joon-yeol worries Park Bo-gum will cry (and him cry) on the scene JH ties Taek's shoes.
Required fields are marked *
2 Hope Airen
January 1, 2016 at 6:14 AM
Just wanted to wish everyone a happy new year :) and great song choice (y) KDR's ballads are a pleasure to ears *0*
Required fields are marked *
3 sunnyxshin
January 1, 2016 at 6:19 AM
Happy New Year! But then it's only 2 days until school starts so...not really happy. And school+ a shit ton of exams+ violin practice= no time for kdrama :( Though I will try to squeeze in some time on Sundays to watch Six Flying Dragons. I'm sorry I can't hold on to you, Remember.
It's gonna be a busy year...
Required fields are marked *
4 gadis
January 1, 2016 at 6:19 AM
Happy new year, beanies.. My this year bless us with lots of great things in our 'real life' and also tons of awesome dramas to squee over.
After watching Doojoon's great acting in Splish Splash Love, finally I got around to watch Let's Eat. He is simply awesome there and he also has a sparky chemistry with the heroine. But while I watched that series, I noticed Sookyung always called her puppy 'bara-ssi' just like the way Seungho called his cat in Imaginary Cat. Is calling your pet name with '-ssi' a normal thing to do in Korea? Is that to show respect? Or is it to show that your pet is a part of your family?
Required fields are marked *
Jon G.
January 1, 2016 at 6:46 AM
"Goldfish bread" is the Korean version of Japanese taiyaki, a waffle cake filled with, typically, red bean paste. The Japanese version is named after a sparidae species (porgy/bream), but the Korean one (Bunggoppang) is named after a carp species. Hence the translation "Goldfish bread".
Required fields are marked *
Jon G.
January 1, 2016 at 6:56 AM
Sorry, that answer clinged on to the wrong post.
Required fields are marked *
kanz
January 1, 2016 at 7:06 AM
Bara-ssi name is derived from Che Guevara (because Sookyung admired him) or Che Guebara in Korean spelling because there's no "v" in hangul. Lee Sookyung called Guevara as Che Guebara-ssi (to show respect to Guevara) and then shortened to "bara-ssi".
In one episode Dae Young misheard Che Guebara as Choi Gaebara lol and he kept mistakenly think the dog's name is Gaebara until Sookyung clarified it.
Required fields are marked *
Delurker
January 1, 2016 at 9:14 AM
Wasn't there also a related pun that "Guevara" sounds like "look at the dog" in Korean?
Required fields are marked *
Boomboompow
January 1, 2016 at 9:19 AM
+1
Am watching Let's Eat because of Splish Splash Love too
Required fields are marked *
Splash splash rabbit is in love ?
January 1, 2016 at 5:46 PM
Hehe I'm also finally watching Let's Eat because of splash splash, im currently on episode 14.It's good but its no splash splash love, it's basically a food commercial that dissolved my resolution of becoming vegan.
Required fields are marked *
5 pebble
January 1, 2016 at 6:19 AM
Happy New Year to all OT beanies! May the New Year be a joyous and peaceful one.
While introducing kdrama to my work buddy, I became curious about which kdramas have the special factors which could captivate viewers and spurred their interest in exploring other kdramas. My questions are:
- Which is the very first kdrama you ever watched?
- Did it get you so impressed that you developed a passion for watching kdrama? If not, which kdrama you subsequently watched got you hooked?
Just want to briefly talk about Reply 1988 here, Teakie has been so lovable and considerate in these two episodes, and it seems to me that Deok Sun has started to like Taekie though she did not realise it herself. She bought “goldfish bread” for Taekie and was concerned that he had been watching perverted r-rated video with the guys and also, a sleepy DS was waiting beside the phone for Taekie’s call and was disappointed to hear that Taekie could not keep the movie date, and next day, dejectedly walked up the stairs of the study room. I just hope nothing dramatic is going to happen to Taekie’s drug overdose.
Btw, what is “goldfish bread”? Is it fish-shaped waffle of some kind?
Required fields are marked *
Jon G.
January 1, 2016 at 6:55 AM
“Goldfish bread” is the Korean version of Japanese taiyaki, a waffle cake filled with, typically, red bean paste. The Japanese version is named after a sparidae species (porgy/bream), but the Korean one (Bunggoppang) is named after a carp species. Hence the translation “Goldfish bread”.
Required fields are marked *
pebble
January 1, 2016 at 3:06 PM
Hi Jon, just goggled taiyaki and saw pictures of it. I'm more familiar with dorayaki though, which is the favourite food of Doraemon, the manga robot cat with a 4D pocket. :)
Required fields are marked *
azkaa
January 1, 2016 at 7:47 AM
Happy new year!!
I like your question, talking about nostalgic feeling :D
1. Goong (Princess Hours). But it was Jewel in the Palace that made my whole family practically glued to television every evening
2. They were impressive (yes, even Goong. Being first kinda has its perks). But it didn't develop my kdrama passion. Years later when i got into college, conveniently my housemate introduced me to SKK Scandal and Paradise Ranch (yep, imagine the horrible experience watching Shim Changmin, and i am cassie LOL) and it kinda started from there. Then it was Dream High and City Hunter which seal the deal.
Required fields are marked *
pebble
January 1, 2016 at 3:39 PM
Hi azka, Happy New Year! :)
Goong (Princess Hours) - I've not watched this drama, I goggled it and realised that it is that much talked about drama aired in many Asian cities 10 years ago. It has quite an unconventional setting, I will add it to my to-watch list.
Jewel in the Palace (Dae Jang Geum) - This is my first sageuk, it was quite fascinating watching them prepare banquet after banquet in the palace.
The very first kdrama I ever watched was Fireworks on DVD (or rather CDs at that time) about 15 years ago, Lee Young-ae (Jang Geum) was the lead actress. The first time I saw her, I was awestruck, wow, such an unearthly beauty! This first kdrama was an eye-opener to Korean culture for me. The pace of the drama was much slower, the strikingly colorful hanbok worn by the old ladies and the way grown-up adults prostrate on the floor to greet their parents/in-laws in total respect all left a strong impression.
It makes sense that Dream High and City Hunter are the ones which actually start your addiction, City Hunter was mentioned in this article too!http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-02-20/your-next-big-addictive-tv-series-could-be-south-korea
Required fields are marked *
azkaa
January 2, 2016 at 2:04 AM
Though the second half kinda gets to weird direction, Goong has its great moments. I think it is great for starter although if one has watched many drama, flaws in Goong will be noticeable hihi.
Lee Young Ae is seriously beautiful, isn't she? I am still in awe whenever seeing her. If there is any vampire in this world, i believe Lee Young Ae is the queen lol
Required fields are marked *
Ek Ladhki Thi
January 1, 2016 at 8:17 AM
My first drama was A Man Called god, but I didn't get truly hooked until MTETS and BOF. What got me hooked and what keeps me coming back is one, the fact that their romances are so modest. The lead pair aren't hopping into bed in the five seconds after meeting, there are few exceptions though like in cable dramas. This main point has ruined me for all other industries. Also, the fact that their stories always manage to evoke such deep feelings in me. I never knew what feels were until I started watching K-dramas.
Required fields are marked *
pebble
January 1, 2016 at 4:07 PM
Hi Ek Ladhki Thi, I liked your description, "I never knew what feels were until I started watching K-dramas."
Yes, I like watching tear jerkers, they enable me to be in touch with my emotions. The drama which started my kdrama addiction is actually Winter Sonata. Though the storyline was stereotypical melo markjang, but still, in contrast to those shows in which the lead pair are hopping into bed in the first five seconds like you said, a noble first love tucked away in memory, spanning over 10 years withstanding the test of time though the loved one was presumed dead was incredulously touching. The cinematography, the winter scenery, the melodious piano OSTs, and the chemistry of the two leads (Bae Yong-Jun as Kang Jun-Sang and Choi Ji-Woo as Jung Yu-Jin) all got me hooked.
This is the first time I heard about A Man Called God, it seems to be a typical revenge type melodrama. Oh, the Korean barbie doll Han Chae-young is the lead actress. I like her in Sassy Girl Chun Hyang, this drama and BOF had me re-watched quite a few times when I needed something to play in the background, they are those kind of dramas which are relaxing to watch in bits and pieces because of their simple plot and light-hearted humour.
As I do not quite like sageuk, I have yet to watch Moon That Embraces The Sun, I know that it is very good, ok, I will eventually get to watch it.
Required fields are marked *
wonhwa
January 1, 2016 at 9:05 AM
I'm very odd in that my first k-drama encounter was with several episodes of Age of Warriors in the early 2000s. I spent quite a few years trying to find the entire show (or similar shows) and finally discovered the DVDs of Jumong on Netflix. This led me to the newly launched streaming sites and the rest is history. I'm not sure that particular watching strategy would work to get most folks hooked though.
Required fields are marked *
pebble
January 1, 2016 at 4:21 PM
Hi wonhwa, you are indeed unique! As sageuk is never my cup of tea, I will not attempt to watch Jumong, though it looks like it is quite good. I usually gave up after watching a few episodes of sageuk, such as Faith, Dr. Kim, Goddess of Fire, etc. The only few which could make me sustain till the end are those with Lee Jun Ki in it, I am his fan, he looks so damn good in hanbok, so unfortunately for me, all his projects one after another are sageuk, Ijimae, Arang and the Magistrate, Gunman in Joseon, SWWTN, and coming up remake of Cdrama Bubujingxin, omg!
Required fields are marked *
elric
January 1, 2016 at 9:06 AM
1. Goong or Princess Hours! Fond memories of awful subtitles and binge watching.
2. Goong didn't spark my interest in kdramas. It wasn't until I saw You From Another Star that wanted to watch more. The need to feel the void was far to great.
Required fields are marked *
pebble
January 1, 2016 at 4:35 PM
Hi elric, I agree that You From Another Star is quite attractive to a newbie, it a constituted of many elements, such as time travel, suspense, romance, a quirky alien and it is also so hilarious! It was mentioned in the article too:
http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-02-20/your-next-big-addictive-tv-series-could-be-south-korea
Required fields are marked *
elric
January 2, 2016 at 3:52 AM
I have my few share of dramas like You're Beautiful, Shut Up Flower Boy Band, and My Name is Kim Sam Soon after Goong but YFAS got me hooked on kdramas and had me watching them regularly. Then there was also Dramabeans, which is another story.
Required fields are marked *
owl 🦉 🫰
January 1, 2016 at 9:44 AM
My first kdrama was Pasta and I watched it 10 times at least, unaware that there was an entire kdrama world out there waiting for me. It is often the kdrama I recommend to first timers.
My first dramabeans thread kdrama was Faith where I discovered that discussing my angst and joy with other fans was wonderful therapy to get me to the next week's episodes. Not to mention the recapper's insights. There was no turning back.
Happy New Year beanies kdrama community!♥
Required fields are marked *
MapleSilver
January 1, 2016 at 9:57 AM
Mine was Pasta, too, and I also watched it a million times. Still do in fact when I don't feel like getting into something new. Have not found any other romance that gave me the same feels as Pasta.
Required fields are marked *
owl 🦉 🫰
January 1, 2016 at 10:14 AM
I agree, Pasta set the bar pretty high that way.
Required fields are marked *
pebble
January 1, 2016 at 4:53 PM
Hi Owl & MapleSilver, Gong Hyo-jin is one of my favourite actresses, I love her in It's Ok It's Love and Greatest Love, and I have amassed all her dramas and movies on my laptop but have yet to finish watching all of them. I am now concurrently watching Biscuit Teacher and Star Candy among some others, probably, I should skip this for now and go watch Pasta first. Both of you are re-watching it so many times, it must be awesome right?
I did not finish watching Faith, not because of LMH, but more because I don't like sageuk in general and I found KHS's acting quite hyper and annoying at times.
Required fields are marked *
owl 🦉 🫰
January 1, 2016 at 5:55 PM
I've seen most of Gong Hyo Jin's dramas. Pasta is way up there, so I do recommend it. I'd love to hear how you like it. One before that was Thank You withe Jang Hyuk (love him), and how about The Producers? She's a gem.
Required fields are marked *
pebble
January 1, 2016 at 6:54 PM
Yeah, I've watched Producers, her childlike behaviour when she got drunk was so embarrassingly funny! :)
redfox
January 2, 2016 at 11:40 PM
Faith is not strictly sageuk though, it is more of a historical fantasy. The OTP has loads of chemistry, well, so do the villains - mainly different kind of poison and explosives. And the king is a spunky little hobbit.
Required fields are marked *
redfox
January 1, 2016 at 10:13 AM
I watched jdoramas and taiwanese before kdramas, I am sure I have mentioned before what my first was, but I can´t remember now. watched bits and pieces of different things before sticking to some, but I always watch several at the same time. some of the firsts were You Are Beautiful, My Princess and The Return of Iljimae, and Last Scandal. the drama that first made a strong impression though was My Girl.
Required fields are marked *
redfox
January 1, 2016 at 10:48 AM
no, cross that. the first drama that changed my outlook was City Hunter. and I think that was when I started posting here, too.
Required fields are marked *
pebble
January 1, 2016 at 7:30 PM
Hi Redfox, I used to be a JDorama fanatic during the time of Long Vacation, GTO, With Love, Love 2000, Overtime, Hero, etc. Oh, those were the times..... I found Taiwanese drama a bit too lovey dovey in a cheesy way, watching Meteor Shower gave me goose bumps, not because I was touched or anything like that, but due to the way they spoke (intonation, etc.). After that, I completely steer clear of all Taiwanese drama.
Based on recommendation from last week and this week, it looks like the best thriller drama to get newbies hooked is City Hunter, alongside Missing Noir M, Punch and IRY.
As for rom-com, My Love From Another Star and Pasta will probably do the job. You Are Beautiful is a good one too. But I am not so sure about My Princess or My Girl, I don't remember being overly impressed by these two, probably because I did not quite like the lead actress (KTH & LDH). The Last Sandal is quite a hit at the time of its release, ok, I will add this to my to-watch list.
Required fields are marked *
redfox
January 1, 2016 at 11:01 PM
My Girl made an impression not because it is THAT good, but it was so fervent. and I come from a countrywhere people almostdon´t have any emotions or inner "burning" - or at least it never shows. things have changed though, the new generation is different. but back then.... so it was a shock how spunky the main heroine was and that guys can have soulful eyes - our guys used to have eyes of dead ducks. for real.
Required fields are marked *
redfox
January 1, 2016 at 11:02 PM
oh, and last Scandal - don´t ever google the actress.
Required fields are marked *
Jon G.
January 1, 2016 at 11:13 AM
The first K-drama I ever came across was "Men of the Bathhouse" during the 90s. I didn't particularly like it, but compared to weekend dramas today, it was quite good.
Required fields are marked *
pebble
January 1, 2016 at 7:46 PM
Hi Jon, Men of the Bathhouse? Never heard about it before, I would think only Koreans would have known about those earlier dramas. The earlier (but not the first) kdrama I watched was Salut D'Amour from 1994 and First Love from 1996 . After watching Winter Sonata, I wanted to watch more of Bae Yong-joon and Choi Ji-woo, so I dug up their old dramas. These two were not that impressive when compared with Did We Really Love? from 1999 and Beautiful Days from 2001.
Required fields are marked *
sunnyl
January 2, 2016 at 5:50 PM
“Men of the Bathhouse” (1995-1996)- I watched it but it was so long ago. I only remember the father - Lee Soon-jae. I think it was quite popular that time. I didn't know Kim Hee-sun(angry mom) got new actress award for this show.
Required fields are marked *
kimchikay
January 1, 2016 at 12:06 PM
It's funny how a lot people said Goong because that too was my very first kdrama (however i ended up finishing Full House first because I was waiting for the last few episodes of Goong to be aired) lol
Back in those days - subtitles took DAYS and were not nearly as accurate or precise as the amazing job volunteers do these days!
Required fields are marked *
pebble
January 1, 2016 at 8:03 PM
Hi Kay, yes Goong seems like a mega hit in the mid 2000s. Thanks for reminding me about Full House, I watched it more than once too, it was one of the better com-coms, Rain and SHK made an awesome pairing.
At that time, I didn't even know that English Korean drama sites exists. I was relying on friends living in Asia for my supply of kdramas, which came in the form of CD box sets (later on DVDs) or those downloaded from some dodgy chinese sites. These contained Chinese subtitles which worked fine for me too. Yes, we are just so lucky nowadays, and are really spoilt for choice with so many kdrama sites providing English subs almost the day after.
Required fields are marked *
kalel
January 1, 2016 at 11:52 PM
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Greatest Love was my very first k-drama in '12, after years of watching Asian films. I had zero interest in SK TV, however, my sister's endless appetite for watching anything and everything on this planet (part of it because of her work and part because of her hobby since childhood) brought us to Hong sisters' surreal universe. Well, you can imagine the rest...The addiction was instant and kdramas became my favorite pastime.
Required fields are marked *
6 pebble
January 1, 2016 at 6:21 AM
All Jdramas lovers take note!
My long-time Japanese friend living in Tokyo has just recommended me to watch the following jdramas:
マッサン (Massan)
美女と男子 (Bijo to danshi)
下町ロケット (Shitamachi Rocket)
半沢直樹 （Hanzawa Naoki）
Has anyone watched any of them? I believe they must be very good and worth watching. The first drama is about the heir of a liquor store in the Taisho era travelling to Scotland to learn about whiskey making and got married to a Scottish wife. This storyline seems interesting but it has 150 episodes! As I still have a long list of kdramas to watch, I will probably start with the last two which have only 10 episodes each.
Required fields are marked *
alua
January 1, 2016 at 6:38 AM
I have watched some of the opening episode of Massan. I think it's an interesting story but I don't think it was that well done ––– the acting wasn't that good and I just couldn't handle an American playing a supposedly Scottish heroine. It sounded so wrong!
I watched the unsubbed version of Bijo to danshi (I don't think it has been subbed). There's a lot I didn't understand, but I kept watching anyway! It's pretty good, from what I could tell.
I haven't watched the other two, but lots of people seem to like Hanzawa Naoki.
Required fields are marked *
pebble
January 1, 2016 at 8:27 PM
Hi alua, the storyline of Bijo to danshi seems quite interesting too, it must be very good for you to patiently sit through all 20 eps without subs. Though I could understand some basic Japanese, I don't think I will go for it, as I find it frustrating not being able to understand every single detail in those crucial moments and without full understanding, it will be so difficult to enjoy the show to the fullest.
Required fields are marked *
pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
January 1, 2016 at 7:03 AM
Hanzawa Naoki is FANTASTIC. Don't let the fact that the hero is a middle-aged banker put you off, it's fast-paced and action-packed as any thriller, and Sakai Masato is great as the eponymous hero.
Required fields are marked *
pebble
January 1, 2016 at 8:15 PM
Hi pogo, thanks for giving such a positive affirmation. I almost wanted to dismiss this drama because the synopsis sounded quite boring. But I've known this friend for years, and we sort of share the same taste in many things, so I believe there is good reason why she recommended this drama to me.
Required fields are marked *
pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
January 1, 2016 at 8:46 PM
I know, I initially balked too, because a drama about..... banking? But it had me in just one episode! This is not your standard chaebol drama at all.
(totally agree about wanting Lee Jun-ki in a modern drama too, btw, re: your comment above. Or I don't even mind if he does a sageuk, as long as the female lead isn't written as some dumbed-down cipher that even a talented actress struggles to portray)
Required fields are marked *
Lena S.
January 1, 2016 at 7:24 AM
"Hanzawa Naoki" is amazing, this drama is what brought me to watch jdramas again after so many years without it.
Required fields are marked *
pebble
January 1, 2016 at 8:18 PM
Wow, second positive endorsement for Hanzawa Naoki, ok, I will go watch it straight away! :)
Required fields are marked *
sunnyl
January 2, 2016 at 5:53 PM
I recommend Hanzawa Naoki too. It was not best for me but liked it enough.
Required fields are marked *
owl 🦉 🫰
January 1, 2016 at 9:48 AM
Thanks for the recommends - and thanks for the "yes" or "o" comments - I've been looking for another jdrama to watch.
Required fields are marked *
lynper
January 1, 2016 at 11:17 AM
Massan is good, but it's a little painful to hear the American actress with her memorized Japanese.
Required fields are marked *
Sancheezy
January 2, 2016 at 3:11 AM
I plan to watch 下町ロケット (Shitamachi Rocket) cause the rating, the hype and the review I get is all positive,
for 半沢直樹 （Hanzawa Naoki）, watch it, it's good if not great , not to mention it has one of the most beloved versatile actor , Sakai Masato, so just watch it
I haven't watch Bijo to danshi but they said it's fun, it just long, 20 ep
didn't watch Massan, I need extra energy for 50 ep drama
^^
Required fields are marked *
7 Jon G.
January 1, 2016 at 6:35 AM
Happy New Year everyone!
Time for Jon G.'s Anual K-Drama Awards or, more appropriately (and easier to remember too): Jon G's Relatively Unimpressive Minor Prizes of the Year.
Mouseprint: Eligible are all the K-dramas of 2015 that I've watched, and by 2015 I mean all shows that had their final 6 episodes in 2015 (resp. more than 25% of their episodes) or if their final episodes have not yet been broadcasted, already showed 75% (resp. all but their final 5 or less) of their episodes in 2015. Example: Pride&Prejudice is not "of 2015", as only the final 4 of 21 episodes were broadcasted in 2015. Pinocchio is eligible, as the final 6 of 20 episodes were slotted for 2015.
There are, of course, some shows that may have had chances to make a difference in some of the categories, shows like "Bubblegum" which I simply didn't watch, or "Hwajung" that I stopped after a few episodes. Sorry for that.
I will put the categories and nominations here and add another post with the winners later.
Required fields are marked *
Jon G.
January 1, 2016 at 6:35 AM
Special category: Best Multiple-Character Performance
Several shows this year tried different variations of this. And considering the hourly rates of the actors involved, I bet the show-runners thought that: "Pay once, get 6 additional roles for free" was a good deal.
Nominated are:
* Kim So-hyun (School 2015)
* Ji Sung (KMHM)
* Hyun Bin (Hyde, Jekyll, Me)
* Park Soo-ae (Mask)
* Park Bo-young (Oh My Ghost)
Special category: Timeslot Champion
Timeslots are not what they used to be. Still, let's take a look at the primetime lineups this year. I picked the three most convincing (in my opinion) shows per channel.
Nominated:
* KBS Mon/Tue (Healer, I Remember You, Sassy Go Go)
* MBC Wed/Thu (KMHM, Angry Mom, She Was Pretty)
* SBS Mon/Tue (Punch, Grapevine, Mrs Cop)
* tvN Fri/Sat (Oh My Ghost, Twenty Again, Reply 1988)
Special category: Best Couple
Being the crabby old geezer I am, I hate couples. Especially happy couples. But what can I do, they are an/the essential ingredient to any K-drama. Let's give them an award and hope they stay off my lawn.
Nominated:
* Mask: Choi Min-woo & Byun Ji-suk (Joo Ji-hoon & Park Soo-ae)
* Healer: Seo Jung-hoo & Chae Young-shin (Ji Chang-wook & Park Min-young)
* Twenty Again: Cha Hyun-suk & Ha No-ra (Lee Sang-yoon & Choi Ji-won)
* Reply 1988: Sun-woo & Bo-ra (Go Kyung-pyo & Ryu Hye-young)
* Punch: Park Jung Hwan & Lee Tae Joon (Kim Rae-won & Jo Jae-hyun)
Required fields are marked *
Kiara
January 1, 2016 at 7:35 AM
I hate best couple award and I'm not that old (I think lol). That goes for most popular award too, especially when the majority of the awards is based on popularity. The worst one is the hot star award. Maybe I take things too seriously lol.
Required fields are marked *
azkaa
January 1, 2016 at 7:56 AM
You think, you lose LOL
That's gonna be my philosophy regarding award ceremony, especially after checking the winner list of public channel year-end drama award.
Required fields are marked *
alua
January 1, 2016 at 9:07 AM
The award I dislike the most (probably, because generally I just can't take Korean award ceremonies seriously) is the "New star award", which is regularly given to people who have been in the business and cast in roles with LINES for years.
I'm pretty sure Go Ah-sung was having a good chuckle herself about her "New Star" award from SBS.
Required fields are marked *
juniper
January 1, 2016 at 9:17 AM
idk, I get annoyed by it too, especially since iirc a lot of the award shows just list it as the actor/actress that played the characters, instead of the characters. Like, this isn't We Got Married lol, or at least it shouldn't be. And then sometimes they nominate people like Jang Hyuk/Lee Da-hae in Chuno, and I'm like, did you even watch the show?
Please tell me the hot star award is given to people whose careers are hot lol.
Required fields are marked *
pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
January 1, 2016 at 12:52 PM
yeah, some of the award categories are ridiculous.
I can actually live with Best Couple though that's really just a popularity thing, but giving freaking Go Ah-sung a new star award is a bit....bizarre.
Required fields are marked *
korfan
January 1, 2016 at 8:32 AM
Jon G. -
"Let’s give them an award and hope they stay off my lawn."
Stated in the best GRUMPY style. LOL.
Have a Happy New Year!
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
January 1, 2016 at 9:12 AM
SBS Mon/Tue (Punch, Grapevine) yep!
Required fields are marked *
Jon G.
January 1, 2016 at 6:36 AM
Best Screenplay
Writing a story, writing the characters, writing the scenes, and writing everything in a way that it works together rather well is awfully hard. On top of that, I admit that my individual concepts of "good screen writing" and the K-drama premise of "good writing" are very different. Even after so many years, I still insist that writing shallow characters, beaufitul but pointless scenes or copy-pasting stock story-lines is not good writing, no matter how often people keep telling me the opposite. I guess my learning ability got lost over the years.
Nominated:
* Twenty Again (tvN)
* Awl (jtbc)
* Heard It Through The Grapevine (SBS)
* I Remember You (KBS)
* Reply 1988 (tvN)
A few shows from the short-list didn't make it by a hair. For example, "Healer" had serious issues with its overall plot and the writing became sub-par towards the end; and "Punch" lost out due to its repetitive and uninspired plot writing in the second half of the show.
Best Production
This award recognises the shows that excelled in scene direction, set and costume design, camera work, audio and visual editing, this kind of thing, as a means to support the show as a whole (and not just because).
Nominated:
* Healer (KBS)
* Reply 1988 (tvN)
* I Remember You (KBS)
* Heard It Through The Grapevine (SBS)
* Punch (SBS)
The final shows not to be nominated from the short-list were "My Beautiful Bride" and "Last", resulting in a strange underrepresentation of cable dramas. It did feel like the public network productions upped their game in this respect.
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
January 1, 2016 at 9:13 AM
Heard It Through The Grapevine for everything
Required fields are marked *
redfox
January 1, 2016 at 9:41 AM
I Remember You for me.
Required fields are marked *
nomad
January 2, 2016 at 8:30 AM
On best screenplay: I have a tie between IRY and R1988. On Best production, IRY.
Required fields are marked *
Jon G.
January 1, 2016 at 6:37 AM
Best Lead Acting
Nominated:
* Seo In-gook (I Remember You)
* Kim Hee-sun (Angry Mom)
* Jo Jung-suk (Oh My Ghost)
* Park Bo-young (Oh My Ghost)
* Park Min-young (Healer)
Another very long short-list to handle. Last names to drop were Ji Chang-wook and Go Ah-sung. Go might have shown an even stronger performance than Park Min-young, but with Go's credentials and experience, I'm less inclined to forgive her the small lapses she showed in "Grapevine".
Best Supporting Acting
I confess, this category is plain stupid. There are thousands of supporting roles (with only two or three lead roles per drama), and a good portion of them are portrayed by fantastic actors and actresses. It took me days to get a "short-list" that was even remotely manageable, and more days to come up with five nominees.
Nominated:
* Park Hyuk-kwon (Punch, Unkind Women, Producer)
* Ra Mi-ran (Reply 1988)
* Kil Hae-yeon (Miss Mamma Mia, Grapevine, Assembly, Sassy Go Go)
* Sung Dong-il (Reply 1988)
* Yoo Ho-jung (Grapevine)
I feel a bit bad, especially towards the younger generations, who had a very good year with many solidifying or break-out performances. But what can you do when the middle generations are so freakingly strong.
Best Ensemble Acting
Some shows are all about their breeding pair and don't want to waste resources on anything else. That's great and all, but let's appreciate once in while when the casting director*, the writer, the film director and the acting ensemble really commit to their profession to give life to the show.
*) Sometimes I wonder whether K-dramas actually have casting directors or whether they really do it in the way K-dramas themselves depict the process: simply based on favouritism, nepotism and corruption.
Nominated:
* The Village (SBS)
* Reply 1988 (tvN)
* Punch (SBS)
* Heard It Through The Grapevine (SBS)
* Oh My Ghost (tvN)
Required fields are marked *
pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
January 1, 2016 at 6:58 AM
*) Sometimes I wonder whether K-dramas actually have casting directors or whether they really do it in the way K-dramas themselves depict the process: simply based on favouritism, nepotism and corruption.
I've wondered it often enough. Or is the casting director just a rubber-stamp on the network's whims about who to cast?
When I think of some of the actors who routinely get bitched out here for consistently godawful acting....a casting director actually checking those people off as the best candidate for an acting role, feels like the kdrama/casting equivalent of a cop letting a drunk driver on the road - they must KNOW the result will be bad and they're risking disaster, the best you can hope for is that it won't be too bad. (maybe a slightly extreme analogy but you get my drift).
Required fields are marked *
Rachel
January 1, 2016 at 7:04 AM
Yes, Ra Mi-ran has been excellent in Reply 1988. One of my favourite moments was in episode 13, in a scene with the mums, and she quietly asks Sun-woo's mum, "What about your life? … Your life is just once too." Subtle acting that sends the message so effectively and gives you a good punch in the gut.
Required fields are marked *
Jon G.
January 1, 2016 at 7:10 AM
Oh yes, that scene was incredible. But you can tell how much care went into the directing of that scene, with the shift of camera angles and the unreal timing of the dialogue.
Required fields are marked *
nomad
January 2, 2016 at 8:32 AM
Ra Mi Ran is also my choice. I love that scene that you describe, it feels like I'm eavesdropping on their friendship moment.
Required fields are marked *
growingbeautifully
January 1, 2016 at 7:47 AM
LOL! GRUMPY awards! Does that mean we choose the best or the worst? Should we choose the one we grumble about the most? :D
Required fields are marked *
8 pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
January 1, 2016 at 6:51 AM
Happy 2016!
There's really nothing on the drama slate I feel like watching, now that Splish Splash Love and Sassy Go Go are both long since done. I really hope Yoon Doo-joon and Kim Seul-gi get paired up in a worthy project again, and that Chae Soo-bin Lee Won-geun, Jung Eunji and Ji-soo land good roles next (and repeat my prayer for someone to please pair up the latter two as a couple in some future drama/movie).
Still watching Answer Me 1988, but not with any particular investment in the younger love lines. When it comes to those, it's neither as heart-wrenching as 1997 nor as maddening as 1994. It's comfortable, which is a good thing. And most of the good stuff comes from the parents - I'd rather watch the Ssangmundong ajumma trio embarrass themselves at singing competitions than another round of teenage noble idiocy over a girl neither Jung-hwan nor Taek have managed to confess to.
(seriously, there are ways to deal with you and your best friend falling for the same girl, WITHOUT playing noble idiot or disregarding her feelings totally - see Sassy Go Go for that memo)
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
January 1, 2016 at 9:14 AM
new season comes soon....so maybe something will grab you.
Required fields are marked *
pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
January 1, 2016 at 12:27 PM
yeah, tvn does have Cheese in the Trap, I'll probably check at least the first two episodes.
Not really feeling the other drama teasers out recently - Murim School looks ridiculous (and in an unintentional way, not like Sassy Go Go), Descendants of the Sun looks like it has really solid acting but a potentially infuriating male lead (standard MO for KES dramas), and the new Lee Kyung-hee drama looks like it's got pretty and very little else (Suzy and Kim Woo-bin are giving me Lee Min-ho/Park Shin-hye vibes.....very pretty people, sure, but just being good-looking and doing romantic stuff onscreen does not equal chemistry). I hope I'm wrong.
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
January 1, 2016 at 1:02 PM
Cheese in the trap
Descendants
any story that feels real
Required fields are marked *
pebble
January 1, 2016 at 8:49 PM
Suzy and Kim Woo-bin are giving me Lee Min-ho/Park Shin-hye vibes…..very pretty people, sure, but just being good-looking and doing romantic stuff onscreen does not equal chemistry
Well said pogo! The same goes for So Ji-Sub and Shin MinA in OMV.
Required fields are marked *
pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
January 1, 2016 at 9:14 PM
To be fair to So Ji-sub/Shin Mina, I think they actually do have chemistry, and had it even when she was chubbier. (and frankly, I'm surprised I bought it to this degree, wasn't sure they really would pull it off)
Kim Woo-bin/Suzy otoh are giving me serious vibes of that first 'do I like you' scene in Heirs. You know, the scene that had everyone squealing 'OMG THE CHEMISTRY' when in reality it was just two pretty people sharing a screen and giving each other looks. All flat, no spark.
(and if I were to compare the mic-fixing scene in their teaser to the IU/Kim Soo-hyun one in Producer? There is absolutely NO contest about which one is hotter/actually has some feeling in it)
pebble
January 1, 2016 at 10:23 PM
I don't know why, OMV just got on my nerves. I actually like SJS and SMA individually, but it went so horribly wrong in OMV that when they tried to act raunchy on screen, instead of finding them sexy or romantic, it felt so off putting, eg, their fell flat onto each other scenes during workout, and SMA tying a big ribbon on her head. Considering that I loved seeing SMA with JK in Arang and the Magistrates, I don't know why I dislike her so much in OMV, probably you are right, this has nothing to do with whether the pair has chemistry or not, it is the overall feel of the drama which made me feel repulsive.
I don't quite like IU in The Producers, but still, she and KSH feels quite compatible, though not so much in terms of on screen chemistry. Yeah, I get what you mean here. Also, I'm quite apprehensive of the IU/JK pairing in bbjx, hopefully it will turn out well, fingers crossed!
pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
January 2, 2016 at 12:40 AM
yeah, I think the way the drama handles those up close situations definitely has something to do with whether it comes across as 'too much' or not.
I mean, Sassy Go Go had multiple instances of falling-on-top-of-each-other, being crammed into close quarters while hiding, close contact to save a girl from danger, and somehow I never, not once, thought it seemed contrived or laboured - even though it totally WAS contrived, it didn't feel it. But yeah, sometimes it does come down to actors, and the Lightly Ardently teaser has to be the first time I've ever found Kim Woo-bin bland. Hope the final product is better...god knows he's going to be the one who needs to carry it.
I don't actually fear the age gap or IU's skill levels for BBJX, what I do fear is her character being underwritten or reduced to a caricature the way Lee Yubi was in SWWTN. That was something they would never have dared to do to Shin Mina when she was starring opposite oppa, and ultimately it made for a better drama AND better chemistry. Even a fairly solid young actress will struggle to generate any chemistry if she's got nothing to work with.
But at least Producer taught me that IU can emote well enough to handle lots of close-ups. And the BBJX PD, Kim Tae-gyu, LOVES his extreme close-ups lol.
9 korfan
January 1, 2016 at 7:09 AM
Hi Everyone! ....... I hope you are all doing well today. ...... Happy New Year!
Watched this week:
Six Flying Dragons - Oh my goodness, this is truly a can't miss drama. Simply awesome. ....... Gil Tae-mi, you'll be missed.
Remember - Just started this. Yoo Seung-ho! So good to see him in dramaland once again! ....... And oh wow, Namgoong Min. He is throwing himself into this role and just letting go. The results are truly amazing ..... and downright scary.
Oh My Venus - Not a complicated watch, but that's ok. The main couple is good together and I think that's why people tune in.
That's all for now. ....... Thanks to all of you for making 2015 so much fun! ......I wish you all a new year full of health, happiness and good things. ...... May 2016 be full of interesting dramas and great discussions here in th OT. ........ Everyone take care and have a great day!
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
January 1, 2016 at 9:19 AM
I never really felt YSH but now!!! wow! the feels!
Have a wonderful new year!
Required fields are marked *
korfan
January 1, 2016 at 9:28 AM
Carole -
Thank you. Have a great new year also!
Required fields are marked *
owl 🦉 🫰
January 1, 2016 at 12:15 PM
I did use an example from OMV to explain what kdrama-ness was to a non-watcher:
On Christmas Eve, the aimless young man - a street fighter - who was taken in by a compassionate Chaebol (rich heir of a top Korean conglomerate) with his own history of suffering, gets a phone call from his birth mother who hasn't seen him since she gave him up after he was born in jail that she wants to see him. Chaebol is happy for him, tosses him his keys and tells him to take his car to meet his mother. In the meantime, the overseeing loyal director of the Chaebol's affairs discovers there is a plot by a disgruntled family member-in-law to kill the Chabeol that night. Realizing that the murderer is going to ram his car, and of course he is not the one driving it, Chaebol dashes off the intercept the planned accident which results in him being badly hurt and laid up for a year. All of his childhood memories of painful treatments for cancer (not to mention losing his mother at the same time) flood his mind and he is troubled. He keeps himself in isollation from those who care about him to "work through it" for a year. And that's just one in-the-middle episode :)
I'm not sure the scenario convinced him to watch a kdrama., but certainly is is an example of a typical convoluted kdrama plot. That's what I love so much about them!
Required fields are marked *
korfan
January 1, 2016 at 7:46 PM
owl -
"kdrama-ness" .... I'm liking that word.
But yes, your example is a good one to describe said kdrama-ness.
I haven't watched the middle episodes yet, but now I want to get to them because I want to know what happens!
Happy New Year!
Required fields are marked *
pebble
January 1, 2016 at 9:33 PM
The kdrama-ness irony is it takes no time for them to openly express their love but at the most crucial moments, there will always be missed communication and miscommunication or some noble idiocy type good intention which lead to unnecessary angst and separation and if lucky, there will be a teary reunion a year or more later, else, an open-ended ambiguous ending.
Required fields are marked *
10 ⭐ Sera The Ms Temper ⭐
January 1, 2016 at 7:25 AM
Happy new year for everyone! I hope 2016 will bring more joy n success to all of us ?
My wishes for this year :
1) Kim So Eun get a lead role, i want to see her in a melodrama but playing a strong woman. I am imagining to see her being a lawyer or prosecutor, or maybe chaebol's daughter who is smart. I hope 2016 will bring more luck for her. ??
2) Kim seul gi getting a lead role as well! Chaebal, this girl is too good to be wasted ?
Excited to see many new dramas like saimdang n goodbye mr black. For now im just watching LMIYD, IHAL, started on 6FD & Merchant but just few episodes only.
Required fields are marked *
11 CaroleMcDonnell
January 1, 2016 at 7:30 AM
Happy new year to all!
Am hoping everyone keeps healthy and are blessed with good friends, happiness, success. I'm chill right now.. been kinda stuck in bed but am getting good at writing from a prone bedridden position. Am feeling weirdly calm and accepting of life. No hoping or fearing... just am. Perhaps I've finally grown old and accepting of how strange life can be.
Dramas:
Six Flying Dragons: Oh my gosh! episode 25...well, let's just say I forgot to breathe several times. I seriously love how the romances are soooooo present even when the lovers don't talk about love. Boon yi's and future prince's conversations are seriously romantic and even erotic. The tender friendship is such perfection.
Scandal in Old Seoul: Fun. I'm beginning to like this particular period of Korean history. Maybe I'll just sit myself down and watch Gaksital.
All about Mom: Wondering what will happen now that the love lives of all Mom's kids are all settled.. kinda. Am so not liking the love story forgiveness heart. I feel so mean and unforgiving but eh. Now that the adults will now have to super beg for their love lives to be accepted or at least understood....loving the whole idea o turnabout being fairplay. Love is what changes revolutions (as six flying dragon states)
Glamorous Temptation: Still not watching but still perversely interested.
Waiting for Sweet Savage Family and Remember -- Master's Son.
Awaiting Descendants of the sun.
Saw some great and some silly movies: A distant spring, Coffin on the mountain, the two in tracksuits (which I'd been hoping to watch for years)
Not much else happening.
Have a great weekend, all.
Required fields are marked *
john
January 1, 2016 at 7:54 AM
Carole ~
Glamorous Temptation: The crazy is there waiting for your return.
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
January 1, 2016 at 8:01 AM
I suppose I should watch it and engage with the weirdness. I saw a recap about daddy's will. Ah me. Twenty more episodes to go with this woman's weirdness. It's malice-porn and we'll have to wane through all this desperate spite... can I do it?
Required fields are marked *
korfan
January 1, 2016 at 9:39 AM
Carole -
Oh my! I'm already interested in ep 25 of Six Flying Dragons! ...... I'm barely up to ep 18 though. ...... It's truly a fantastic drama. I'm glad you're enjoying it also.
I'm looking forward to Descendants of the Sun also. I'm curious about the whole pre-produced situation and how that affected, if it did, the final product that ends up on our screen.
Happy New Year to you too!
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
January 1, 2016 at 10:58 AM
Hopefully drama production will change from live-shoots as the d ecade moves on. Speaking of pre-produced... SFD is dang good and hasn't fallen off.... live shoot or not?
Required fields are marked *
korfan
January 1, 2016 at 7:56 PM
Carole -
You're right. SFD hasn't fallen off at all. ...... I'm going to guess that if you're going the live-shoot route, you either have to get a long enough head start in shooting, maintain a good enough shooting pace to keep that cushion of time and hope the production doesn't experience any unforeseen hiccups along the way that might delay things ...... or, you have the entire script already written and you don't make any changes, period---in which case, it would delay things.
Then again, sometimes the planets just line up and drama magic happens, live-shoot or no live-shoot, right? :)
Required fields are marked *
nomad
January 2, 2016 at 8:33 AM
SFD...SFD...SFD...SFD...SFD...
Required fields are marked *
12 ⭐ Sera The Ms Temper ⭐
January 1, 2016 at 7:33 AM
Ohh cleberating new year today by watching Dilwale, a Bollywood movie and i love it. It is not something extraordinary , a typical Bollywood movie but turn out good, thanks to the power of Shah Rukh Khan & Kajol. I am not a fan of bollywood movies but did watch some B-movies. But this is the first time watching it at cinema and the feeling was different. Love its songs like Janam Janam n Gerua. SRK stil doesnt lose his charisma even he is older, and Kajol stil pretty. I did enjoy it ;)
Required fields are marked *
kimchikay
January 1, 2016 at 7:42 PM
OOOOoooo I'm going to go watch Dilwale tomorrow and am hoping I like it as much as you did. SRK and Kajol are my favorite OTP since I could understand Hindi so I knew I'd have to check it out.
On other note though - have you seen Bajirao Mastani?! Oh goddess, it's absolutely breathtaking...I walked out wishing I could capture every single frame of that movie and making it into a poster. Also fantastic acting by the cast and despite Priyanka Chopra not being the main lead in the movie, she stole the show.
Required fields are marked *
13 ahsaem
January 1, 2016 at 7:37 AM
I watched I remember you last week and loved it! Seo in gook and Park bo gum were just so, so good, it hurts my heart every time I think about their reunion scene.
One day before the KBS awards , I had hoped that Seo in gook and Park bo gum would win Best couple but sadly that did not happen. :(
Thanks for the recommendation, recappers.
If you haven't watched it, you're missing out on good stuff.
Required fields are marked *
14 cc
January 1, 2016 at 7:42 AM
AppleP over at soompi said:
"the upcoming Reply series:
Reply 1970's (90% focus on the adult life. all the hot daddy played by actors that born in 70's : Gong Yoo, Yoong Sang Hyun, So Ji Sub, Cha Seung Won, Joo Jin-Mo, Jang Dong Gun, etc)
...
Reply Joseon era (goat sound probably changed to horse sound)
..."
Love her idea about the 1970's and the horse neighing sound for Joseon era =)).
Required fields are marked *
Princess
January 2, 2016 at 12:31 PM
oMG that would be AWESOMEE the ratings would be so high since all of those actors have big fanbases HAHA
Required fields are marked *
15 Selendrile
January 1, 2016 at 7:43 AM
uh , hi dramabeans community Happy New Year to everybody I'm new at this open thread thingy so don't know all the rule yet , do we only talk about Kdrama here or anything go ? cause I just watch a Thai drama on Youtube call 'Cubic' the story line really good lead actor was horrible and the directing is worst than what my teenage brother did for his short film as a project in school but I just love the story line and the whole time watching keep thinking "omg if only this got a remake to Kdrama imagine what they could do with this
Anyway if this thread only talk about Kdrama then please forgive me for this I'm just not sure about the rules on open thread yet , thanks for always be here and make me feel less like the only crazy person who ever laugh and cry for a drama
Required fields are marked *
growingbeautifully
January 1, 2016 at 7:56 AM
Hi @Selendrile
Welcome to the OT. This is the one place you can talk about anything at all (that is not offensive) and even if you want to mention spoilers, that's OK as long as you put up a spoiler warning in your post.
Any kind of drama from anywhere is fine and you can even talk about yourself! :)
So come on in and enjoy yourself here!
Required fields are marked *
korfan
January 1, 2016 at 8:12 AM
Selendrile -
Welcome to OT! Glad you could join us. Happy New Year!
Required fields are marked *
john
January 1, 2016 at 8:25 AM
Selendrile ~
Welcome to the OT. Any film or drama topics are welcome.
Required fields are marked *
16 sartorius
January 1, 2016 at 7:49 AM
Happy New Year my fellow DBers! It's been a while as kdramas havent really been grabbing my attention last year...the selections of dramas are really narrow now that the website that shall not be named basically took away TVN shows which is like a good 60% on kdramas that i was watching and i refuse to support that site and their shitty subs! So ive been watching more KMovies and so far i havent been disappointed. I pray that this year's drama offering are mucho better that last years!
PS i read DB's post on the award shows. M not at all surprised anymore at all three channels basically giving awards to the people they like and would want to come back! But on the fashion side of things, maybe its because m just noticing or something but the ladies were pulling of some ridiculously high platforms and heels...m wondering how the hell they were able to walk in them!!! What's up with that?
Required fields are marked *
17 graey
January 1, 2016 at 7:57 AM
Happy OT! and Happy New Year! This holiday has been quite un-cheertastic(lol?). It's a good thing I have dramas(and the whistle song from Sassy Go Go). It makes everything better. :)
Healer - Finally lol. I've put off watching the finale for so long heh. I'll miss the gang but I can't say that I loved the drama. Sure I like it and I love the characters(and after this and What's Up, Song Ji Na is now one of my faves). But after the last ep, well... I can't put it to words. I don't feel much. But that might not be drama's fault. Because it's how I generally felt about the dramas I finish lately.
Miss Korea - But not this one hehe. This drama ran away with my heart. It may not be cracktastic but I love it. And I loved everyone. I understood the characters and their reasoning(even bada). And I felt like I was part of the gang. I hurt with them. I cheer for and with them. The Lee's were especially