Seeking recommendations, to prevent myself from getting into a slump I don’t want to be in:
1. Rom-com / Fluff: Into the Ring is the current gold standard. Is it too much to ask for one where both leads are smart/intelligent?
2. Dramas that have a story to tell, and tell it well. Like – a Drama, y’know. Like a good unputdownable novel. They need not be rom-coms. E.g., My Mister, Misaeng, or, of course, FoS1/2.Language no bar. K/C/TW dramas are all considered! Thank you muchlots in advance.

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    Have you checked out Someday or One Day? it’s a Taiwanese drama.

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    Your standards are high and unfortunately there aren’t many great shows 😅
    Still if language is not an issue then I can recommend you dramas I liked a little less than the ones you have written but are still good:
    Jdrama: If talking paid (slice of life/family)
    Cdrama: Twenty your Life on (coming of age/slice of life)
    (cdramas I didn’t watch but maybe upto your liking “The Bad Kids” and “Nothing but Thirty”.
    Tdrama: Someday or One day (telling the genre might just spoil it for you)

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      Thanks wapz! I agree about the standards – I think they’re universally approved, no? (at least on DB :D). Ordinarily I’d have been happy with something less good, but I worry that I’ll totally slump if I don’t get to watch something really compelling.

      I loved Bad Kids!!! Actually, The Long Night is on my list – I’d forgotten about it. Will pull it up.

      This reminds me – another cdrama I want to watch is Crossfire, but the last time I checked on YT, the official subs were not up. *sigh* I might have to watch elsewhere…

      I tried Twenty your life on, based on one of your posts only, I think! But it didn’t quite click :/ I’m yet to watch Nothing but Thirty, but if it’s anything like The First Half of My Life, I don’t think I want to watch (I hate-watched that show, and couldn’t finish it).

      I’ve watched Someday and thought it was excellent (despite the genre :p)!

      Haven’t yet watched a jdrama I loved – there’s something stylistically different about jdramas that I haven’t quite wrapped my head around. I will give this a try!

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        Haha yeah these shows are so good and so rare to come by.
        J dramas are stylistically quirky and episodic which is why it’s harder for me to make them regular. Otherwise I think they do the best slice of life in this region. If talking paid is similar too but it may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
        Can you tell me why you didn’t like TYLO? Because it feels like I’m the anomaly 😅 I know people liked it and I particularly did because I saw myself in the girls, it was very real for me and first and foremost about the girls then any other man so it appealed to me. But it doesn’t seem like many beanies liked it and I’m suspecting my tastes are indeed changing hah.
        I also heard that “A Murderous affair in Horizon tower” was good so you can give it a try. The kdrama based on the jdrama, Dangerous wife seems to be getting good reviews too. I’ll check it today (I didn’t like the original but I’m hearing the k version is different).
        But basically a good show will inevitably get you in a slump once it ends if nothing is equally good around. I’d say relax to watch some k variety shows instead. It’s a whole new world and more entertaining.

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          Also have you seen “This week my wife will have an affair”?

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            Y’know this has been on my list forever! Viki has it, and I have been told it’s a very different LSK from what we’re used to seeing, so I should get to it. 😀

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          I forgot about this thread :/ My bad. Sorry for the late reply!

          I can’t remember now why I didn’t like TYLO. Maybe I couldn’t connect with any of the characters? I agree that the really good thing about the show was that it was about the girls and not about the boys. Considering that drama viewers are probably 99% female, it is a good sign that they’re making shows that talk about women alone, and their lives, without focusing on the men. I guess other than this factor, the show didn’t stand out from any of the similar dramas about a group of female friends?

          Before Murderous Affair, I plan to watch The Long Night. I’m bracing myself for heartbreak, though, of which there is plenty in that, I am told.

          And y’know, I actually haven’t seriously watched a k-variety show. If you had to recommend one which is subbed and easily available in English, what would you suggest? I’ve watched bits of Running Man, and clips of 2N1D, and find both of them, um, ok. Variety is not really my thing, but I’m open to discovering something new. I like travel shows a lot, and was wondering if one of the k-variety / travel shows are good?

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            No worries. I usually forget to reply back too.

            Variety looks very weird in the beginning but it grows strongly on you eventually. I remember watching one epusode of Running Man and thinking why on earth does everyone praise it but actually it was just stylistically very different from sth I’ve ever seen and it took me a few episodes to understand everyone’s character and love their intercations. So while I would always recommend Running Man, it will be better to start from a show that is easier to understand. And for that, you can check out the recently ended Sixth sense. It’s only 8 episodes long but it so fun because the girls are a riot. Though for travel variety there are always the Na PD shows (one other thing in variety is that producers have a very big affect on the sytlistic sense of their shows that one can easily tell what show belongs to which PD), i. e. The over flowers shows (grandpa over flowers, youth over flowers, noona over flowers), new journey to the west and three meals a day. The best way to start variety is to watch an episode where one of the celebs you want to watch comes in as a guest or regular cast member. For instance I’ll definitely recommend Youth over Flowers Laos for the reply 1994 cast (Yoo Yeon Seok, Baro and Sohn ho jun) but among my favorites in Yof’s was YOF Iceland with (Jo jung Suk, Kang Han Neul, Jung Woo). Likewise if you want to see a specific celebrity being a guest, you can pick that Running Man or Knowing bros episode. I’m not a regular watcher too, I just pick any epusode if I hear it’s really good but it’s a good breather and great for relaxing.

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            @wapz – this list of recommendations and your strategy for watching/picking episodes is fantastic. I hadn’t thought of it that way – i.e., watch episodes for a celebrity (maybe because I don’t really fangirl on anyone majorly… sigh.. I wish I did). This makes so much sense. The “Over Flowers” series are what I have heard the most about too. I will also look for the others you have mentioned. Thank you so very much!

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        I have not watched The first half of my life, but having read reviews of it, I’m rather confident that Nothing but Thirty is nothing like it 🙂 It’s a slow burn though – I kept watching somewhat indifferently until episode 15 or so (I guess the fact I didn’t drop it was already a pretty good sign!), and then suddenly realized I cared so much about all the characters, and all the previous slowly built plot points converged and the show kinda picked up from there. So hang tight!
        If you haven’t seen it already, Story of Minglan is my absolute favorite cdrama (also give it 15 episodes please lol) Both leads are intelligent, and white it’s not a Drama the way My mister is, it’s not a romcom either. Really fun and moving story about family 🙂

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          Ah I think Story of Minglan is a costume drama, right? I have minor costume drama allergy – Joy of Life is something I’m slowly watching, as an exception to that. Maybe I’ll get to Minglan after!! (I still haven’t watched Untamed, for ex.)

          That’s an attractive description for Nothing But Thirty! I might pick that up soon. Thank you for the recommendation!

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            Ah yes but it’s not costume drama in the same way that JoL is, meaning, it feels more like a historical drama that focuses entirely on a family rather than a dynasty. JoL is more…fantastical I’d say. The period setup is to provide the central conflict: being a woman in a society that doesn’t give you much freedom.
            A warning about Nothing but Thirty since I know you don’t care for didactic moralistic stories 😂 I do think at times it’s a bit like that, but the character development still feel very true to life, and life here being Chinese society with a lot of imposed community driven rules. I’d say it’s a story about 3 women who try to live within and/or break out of those boundaries, sometimes they fail and sometimes they succeed.

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    I’m really enjoying 18 Again rn. It’s really nice so far

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      Thanks! I’ve been seeing posts by you and some others about this show 🙂 I’ll explore further.

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    How about French series? I would definitely recommend The Bureau (Le Bureau des Legendes) a French spy thriller about daily life and mission of the intelligence officers. Unlike American spy movie, it’s complex, intelligent, realistic, empathetic and so intense without action scenes. It shows the intricacies of politics and networks around the world with superb acting, detailed writing and complex characters. It’s considered the best French Tv, on par with The Wire.

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      Ooh Le Bureau sounds awesome – any Wire comparison gets me interested! But I can’t find it on any of the usual networks. Will look for it some more.

      I love French TV, haven’t watched enough though! They do comedy so well!! And Marseilles was pretty decent for a political thriller as well.

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        Try SBS On Demand they have all seasons and is free but it’s only available in Australia. Do you use VPN ;).
        Will check out Marseille. I like French comedy, its charm, sarcasm and not to your face type.?Have you watched Call my agent? French comedy in Netfix?

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          I *loved* Call my Agent! It’s *such* a well made show. Definitely the best comedy I have watched. I wish more people would watch it! I try to plug it whenever I get the chance. I also thought “A Very Secret Service” was not bad, though not in the Call My Agent league.

          I need to figure out a good VPN service. sigh. I think it will solve a lot of my issues.
          Thanks for the SBS OnDemand tipoff. Will figure out how to access 😉

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    Ohhhh okie maybe some possibilities:
    (I’m also tossing in some US/Canadian shows that I love at the moment!)
    1. Rom-com/Fluff: Just Between Lowers (forever my fav and def worth giving it a shot if you haven’t seen it already!), Schitt’s Creek (ahh what a feel-good and cozy show~).
    2. Nobody Knows (gosh this was so good!), Hyena (the leads’ chemistry is off the charts!), Barry (it gives me a lot of feels).

    Teehee! Hope this helps~ :3

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      I *love* Just between Lovers! It’s on my all-time favorites list! Same with Nobody Knows – I thought it was an *exceptional* show, among the best of 2020. Hyena was such a riot too – thank you for the suggestions – clearly we have similar taste 😀

      I haven’t watched Schitt’s Creek or Barry. I haven’t watched English-language TV in a long time now! Will check them out. Thank you 🙂

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        yay! wow i did not expect that our tastes are that simillar! :3
        I hope you find these two shows fun! Schitt’s Creek only has 6 seasons with really great thought-out characters arcs and very easy to breeze through. Barry is a bit more intense and makes me sad half the time.

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    You may have already watched these but some of my favorites sans what you already listed

    1. Buamdong Revenge Social Club – one of the best non-romantic yet not super serious drama. The sismance of the lead ajummas are the best!
    2. Nokdu Flower – if you are ok with sageuks it’s one of the best and pulls at your heartstrings in all the right places. A story of regular people and hope
    3. Mother – the best cryfest ever. Makes you think of what the term “mother” means.
    4. Nobody Knows – A story of a too perfect kid and bad adults. But also a story about bunch of good adults that try to find the truth about several related crimes. A story where cops actually have teamwork lol
    6. Save Me – About cults and getting out of one.
    7. Save Me 2 – story is unrelated to Save Me sans a pseudoreligious cult type scenario. It has an equally compelling story with Um Tae Goo as the brash main.
    8. The Guest – Exorcisms and interesting partnerships. Scary but worth the ride.

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      Ooh I’ve only watched #4 – Nobody Knows.
      I’ve been keen on Nokdu Flower (despite my costume drama allergy), and excited that Netflix has picked it up. And I’ve read about Buamdong Revenge Social Club before on DB – I need to look that up. Someone reviewed Mother as well recently I think – I need to. brace myself for a tearfest before watching it.
      I’m not sure about 6-8, because they don’t sound like genres I might enjoy. But I’ll give them a shot since you recommend! Thank you!!

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        If it helps convince you more, Save Me 1 has Woo Dohwan (it’s his break out and maybe debut work) and Seo YeJi (it’s one of her earlier works) and Taecyeon (he’s the main but Woo Dohwan steals the show)

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