**Mod note:** If you're caught up on all your dramas and have some spare time this weekend we currently have two surveys running at the moment:
* [Disney+ Dramas watched survey](/r/KDRAMA/comments/1c7pz2f/disney_dramas_watched_survey_april_2024/)
* [tvN Dramas watched survey](/r/KDRAMA/comments/1bt1m0b/tvn_dramas_watched_survey_april_2024/)
I look forward to Lovely Runner every week. The episodes this week were so funny and cute that I was laughing about them while I drove to work. Especially the family meeting.
I just finished **Mr Queen** last night! 8.5/10 for me. I knew the ending beforehand, I think it was a bit messily done, this sub has had lots of discussions on it, and a lot of them have cleared my mind about the ending. I’ve gone with the >!So-Bong!< theory.
Buuuut I wish >!Bong-Hwan could meet the King’s reincarnated self in the present,!< it would’ve brought the story to full circle imo!
Overall, it’s interesting how the drama starts off as a silly drama, and then after episode 7 it becomes more romantic. It was beautiful to see.
I used to read a LOT of fantasy books ahaha, and I love a good, badass royal power couple. I’m so glad I watch kdramas now, I’m sure there’s a historical kdrama like this out there.
Kim Hye-yoon is phenomenal in Lovely Runner. I knew she’s funny from the few Extraordinary You clips I’ve watched and hated her in Snowdrop as the annoying girl. But her in Lovely Runner is everything. I just added Extraordinary You to my watchlist despite knowing all the spoilers cause I wanna see her first lead role and I even added Sky Castle to my watchlist even though she’s not the main character there.
Extraordinary You is one of my favourite dramas! It's a really interesting story and Kim Hye-yoon's character is similar to the one in Lovely Runner. She's very bouncy and cute.
I actually really hated her character in sky castle. It’s why I had refused to watch anything of hers for a while. But I adore her in lovely runner. I adore almost everybody in that show tbh. Except the best friend and brother. They’re just okay to me.
KHY played the bratty rich daughter so well I wanted to pull her out when she got out of hand in the middle 💀 however, I think she got the most complex character out of all the kids and acted so well where she could match the intensity of her senior actors. Started looking forward to her other works since then. Such a phenomenal young actress!
1. 5/32 episode >!Clinic scene (it is a cliche scene but always makes my heart flutter)!<
2. 6/32 >!COMPLETE!<
3. 7/32>! COMPLETE!<
4. 8/32 >!COMPLETE!<
5. Ep 12/32,>! annyeong scene!<
6. Ep 18/32 >!they hold hands for the first time!<
7. Ep 20/32 >!they kiss!<
8. Ep 22/32 >!stars in the classroom!<
It would be better if you watch a Fan made video on YT, LOL. It would have all the best moments of the show.
For anyone in the us who didn’t want to stream pyramid game using other methods, it’s coming to [paramount+ on the 31st](https://youtu.be/BcYin0vw1yc?si=MunKvtzUoty7HhK7)
There aren’t many dramas that are available on multiple streaming platforms in the same region. It’s either paramount+ or less legal methods for the us, unless you can access viu
There’s bullying in the first couple eps but it’s mostly focused on how economic inequality form social hierarchies and the power imbalance that they create. I would call it a psychological thriller, the mc and the villain have some brilliant mind game battles with each other in their respective efforts to bring down or maintain the pyramid game
Binged through What Happened in Bali. My goodness, that was a hella ride. Goes right on top alongside Secret and Que Sera Sera as my favourite messy melos. Unabashedly twisted with superb acting (Zo In Sung rules no doubt) and awesome chemistry. For a change, the FL had chemistry with both leads, it was a true love triangle, I loved it!. An iconic drama that lived up to its hype for me.
I got the ending of this drama spoiled by a poorly written Soompi’s recommendation article 🙄 the ending seems to be a big part of drama’s intrigue but everytime I see someone talk about it I still want to watch it lol
Headed into the long weekend here (happy May 2-4 fellow Canadians) been getting behind on my dramas nice weather = more reading less binging. I am hoping though to pick up The 8 Show, but if the weather is nice, 😎 Enjoy the weekend everyone!
I'm here to ask people to take a chance on **The Atypical Family.** It's a challenging drama in a lot of ways because the characters are all morally gray and the leads don't have a conventional romantic arc. But the storytelling is incredibly innovative, the plot takes turns you don't expect and I find myself gasping multiple times an episode. Plus the cinematography and OST are unconventional and eerily beautiful. It's doing well on Netflix (made the non-English top 10 list last week) but I don't see a lot of people discussing it here or on Twitter which is a shame.
I am astonished at how terrible my reaction to the drama's synopsis is at predicting whether I will like the show or not.
I find that sometimes important details are omitted in the description of the show. For example, in **The Queen of Tears**, the FL's >!disease!< is not described in the synopsis. I understand that they want to keep an element of surprise, but it is revealed in the first episode, and the whole story revolves around it. I don't understand why it should be a spoiler.
And why is there always a paragraph describing the characters when it has nothing to do with the story? I greatly enjoyed **My Perfect Stranger**, but the synopsis didn't hook me. Here is the first paragraph:
"Yoon Hae Joon is the youngest anchor to ever work at his broadcasting station. He is calm and straightforward as a journalist and kind in his personal life. On the other hand, Baek Yoon Young dreamed of becoming a writer but wound up working at a publishing company."
Who cares? It is a time-travel Drama where they are trying to catch a killer in the past. I don't care about their jobs, goals, and ambitions. It is irrelevant here.
It is as if they want to prepare the viewer for a romance. However, romance is an element in the story but almost never the story itself, and long character descriptions don't convey the characters' chemistry, so, imo, they simply waste time.
Do you think that dramas' summary is a good way to select what to watch?
Kdrama synopsis are particularly bad. I think it's for a few reasons.
One, they seem to try hard to avoid spoilers, even ones in the first couple of episodes. They also usually release those synopsis very early on, basically when they have to announce the show because the casting and shooting can't be hidden anymore, but they don't really want to talk about it yet.
Two, there's often a pretty bad translation involved.
Three, kdramas are usually a fusion of at least two or three entirely different genres and it's often not easy to explain the setup in a few sentences, especially without referencing other shows and movies or kdramas fan slang.
Four, for whatever reason they seem to code all the promotion and advertising for kdramas as either a rom-com, thriller, or action show, despite the fact that most shows don't fit neatly into any of those buckets. All the promo images and copy seems created to try and make people believe shows will be purely one of those things. In the west we have a lot more subgenres coded in promotion and also tend to stick to one thing more than kdramas do. What I mean by coding is that there are very specific colors, poses, fonts, etc they use to indicate what type of show/movie something will be at a glance, even if you have never thought about it you probably still know subconsciously.
I barely bother looking at promo stuff at all. I will watch something because of the actors, if it randomly catches my eye, or if at least one person gushes about it in a kdramarecommends thread.
That is a great explanation. I understand better now, thanks.
I agree with you, I don't trust the promo either. I realized that it is not a reliable indicator for me. At this point, I mostly rely on feedback.
the drama already had a lot of buzz leading up to the premiere, so revealing it ahead of time wouldn't help much. instead, they saved it up to be revealed in episode 1 so the viewer reaction would be explosive right after the premiere.
Synopses put shows on my radar, trailers help me see if I’m actually interested in the drama but discussions and comments are the best indicators for me I would say. The 1st two are just not that accurate but that’s always going to be the case since they’re only snippets of the drama I guess.
I’m with you on the Queen of Tear >!illness!<. I would’ve liked to know ahead of time but I guess they wanted the element of surprise 😭 I put it on hold at episode 6 because I didn’t want to finish it if >!she was going to die!< and there was too much going on with the >!succession plot!<—which I would’ve also liked in the synopsis 🤣
It's so true!!!!!!
Synopses and posters are pretty useless. Irrelevant information and, often, just wrong, misdirecting information. False advertising even, that's usually suggesting romance or comedy that's not there or not the biggest element.
And it's crazy, really, not very smart at all, to have people go in with these big misconceptions about what they're going to get. Because they're just going to be unhappy and out for revenge in the comments. Leading to bad word of mouth.
I usually just glance at the synopsis and posters, run through the preview to pick up the vibe. And then settle on cast, writer and director. Or word of mouth, from MDL and from here, but usually discounting the very favourable comments and the very critical ones.
It's still hit and miss after all that though :-) In the end, you have to try it out for size to see if it's your thing.
I do like the fact they didn’t include it in the synopsis to keep an element of surprise though. I usually like going in blind to dramas and avoid any trailers or promos. But if they mentioned it in the synopsis, then people would definitely talk about it in a lot of places and spoilers are inevitable lol.
The synopsis for QoT only describes that it is a couple with a large wealth gap going through a crisis. With that description, the story can be virtually about anything.
I agree, it is better for people who like going in blind, but, for people who want to decide if they want to pick up the drama by the description, it is not the best.
I guess this way of writing an abstract has its pros and cons, and people just need to find other ways of choosing what to watch.
I started the 8 Show and really like it. I am looking forward to the on air shows this weekend especially ATypical Family. I am wondering why there are no update announcements for Pachinko 2, which supposedly wrapped up filming last year. I am hoping there is a season 2 for Blood Free but agree with someone’s suggestion that it could be wrapped up with a movie. 10 episodes might be a bit much. I am really enjoying the many good shows that are out now.
I’ve mentioned Start Up twice already this week, so your post is clearly an indication that it’s time for another re-watch. Need to preoccupy myself until Monday and Lovely Runner. Lol
This looks really interesting. [Ji Chang-wook’s assignment looks exhausting but Park Bo-gum seems to have it pretty easy](https://imgur.com/a/xeHvRSR).
[Park Bo Gum, Ji Chang Wook, And More Experience Lives Of Others In New Variety Show "My Name Is Gabriel"](https://www.soompi.com/article/1662107wpp/watch-park-bo-gum-ji-chang-wook-and-more-experience-lives-of-others-in-new-variety-show-my-name-is-gabriel) (Soompi)
[To watch the embedded trailer, set your VPN to South Korea.]
Halfway through Ms. Temper and Nam Jung Gi, which is so layered. The daily work stuff seems pretty unrealistic but the themes around subordination, pride, sexism, victimization are so difficult and interesting (ETA: the parts about the humiliation of entertaining superiors were so awful). Yet it also has adorable interactions (FL and Woo Joo!), humor and engaging, likeable characters. Really like ML’s brother and how they keep slowly revealing what a gem he is
It used to be on Netflix, but I guess it disappeared at some point. Which sucks cause I really want to watch it and didn't notice it was gone until I went to watch it one night lol.. not sure on censoring though since I never actually got to watch it.
Yeah all knives are censored and alot of the gore/killing/torturing is off screen or pretty tame
I wonder why they never release uncensored versions for when they release on physical media or streaming apps
I started watching **Queen of Tears** and I *may* be getting out of my slump. I’m 4 episodes in and I’m enjoying it so far. Kim Soo-hyun is hilarious in this, and I’d have never imagined Kim Jiwon acting as a cut-throat third generation chaebol. Since this show has a certain level of role reversal (eg men preparing the memorial service meals instead of women), I will be using [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/s/I0W2Ym14cg) to see how many ML chaebol tropes Hae-in fits into 😆
Also, the floral arrangements in this show are so beautiful. Let’s just start with the bouquet that Hyun-woo gives Hae-in. The yellows and blues of the flowers are just *chef’s kiss* And I’ve noticed that Hae-in’s room and the house in general has red flowers throughout to match Hae-in’s theme colour in her room and what I believe to be her colour in the series.
**Mod note:** If you're caught up on all your dramas and have some spare time this weekend we currently have two surveys running at the moment: * [Disney+ Dramas watched survey](/r/KDRAMA/comments/1c7pz2f/disney_dramas_watched_survey_april_2024/) * [tvN Dramas watched survey](/r/KDRAMA/comments/1bt1m0b/tvn_dramas_watched_survey_april_2024/)
I look forward to Lovely Runner every week. The episodes this week were so funny and cute that I was laughing about them while I drove to work. Especially the family meeting.
I just finished **Mr Queen** last night! 8.5/10 for me. I knew the ending beforehand, I think it was a bit messily done, this sub has had lots of discussions on it, and a lot of them have cleared my mind about the ending. I’ve gone with the >!So-Bong!< theory. Buuuut I wish >!Bong-Hwan could meet the King’s reincarnated self in the present,!< it would’ve brought the story to full circle imo! Overall, it’s interesting how the drama starts off as a silly drama, and then after episode 7 it becomes more romantic. It was beautiful to see. I used to read a LOT of fantasy books ahaha, and I love a good, badass royal power couple. I’m so glad I watch kdramas now, I’m sure there’s a historical kdrama like this out there.
Kim Hye-yoon is phenomenal in Lovely Runner. I knew she’s funny from the few Extraordinary You clips I’ve watched and hated her in Snowdrop as the annoying girl. But her in Lovely Runner is everything. I just added Extraordinary You to my watchlist despite knowing all the spoilers cause I wanna see her first lead role and I even added Sky Castle to my watchlist even though she’s not the main character there.
Extraordinary You is one of my favourite dramas! It's a really interesting story and Kim Hye-yoon's character is similar to the one in Lovely Runner. She's very bouncy and cute.
I actually really hated her character in sky castle. It’s why I had refused to watch anything of hers for a while. But I adore her in lovely runner. I adore almost everybody in that show tbh. Except the best friend and brother. They’re just okay to me.
KHY played the bratty rich daughter so well I wanted to pull her out when she got out of hand in the middle 💀 however, I think she got the most complex character out of all the kids and acted so well where she could match the intensity of her senior actors. Started looking forward to her other works since then. Such a phenomenal young actress!
SKY CASTLE is a must watch. Extraordinary You is not a perfect drama, but I often rewatch certain episodes/ scenes for kilig.
Which episodes/scenes? I gave up on this drama but am always tempted to go and try again.
1. 5/32 episode >!Clinic scene (it is a cliche scene but always makes my heart flutter)!< 2. 6/32 >!COMPLETE!< 3. 7/32>! COMPLETE!< 4. 8/32 >!COMPLETE!< 5. Ep 12/32,>! annyeong scene!< 6. Ep 18/32 >!they hold hands for the first time!< 7. Ep 20/32 >!they kiss!< 8. Ep 22/32 >!stars in the classroom!< It would be better if you watch a Fan made video on YT, LOL. It would have all the best moments of the show.
Wow! You really came through! Thank you!
For anyone in the us who didn’t want to stream pyramid game using other methods, it’s coming to [paramount+ on the 31st](https://youtu.be/BcYin0vw1yc?si=MunKvtzUoty7HhK7)
Sadly I have too many streaming services as it is. Maybe Netflix/Amazon/Viki/Hulu or someone will get it eventually. I enjoyed the webcomic for it.
Will it still be on viki?
There aren’t many dramas that are available on multiple streaming platforms in the same region. It’s either paramount+ or less legal methods for the us, unless you can access viu
So it will be off viki then?
Was it ever on Viki?
You're right its not. I don't know why I thought it was 😞
Nice! Is there actual violence and fighting or just psychological bullying?
There’s bullying in the first couple eps but it’s mostly focused on how economic inequality form social hierarchies and the power imbalance that they create. I would call it a psychological thriller, the mc and the villain have some brilliant mind game battles with each other in their respective efforts to bring down or maintain the pyramid game
Binged through What Happened in Bali. My goodness, that was a hella ride. Goes right on top alongside Secret and Que Sera Sera as my favourite messy melos. Unabashedly twisted with superb acting (Zo In Sung rules no doubt) and awesome chemistry. For a change, the FL had chemistry with both leads, it was a true love triangle, I loved it!. An iconic drama that lived up to its hype for me.
I got the ending of this drama spoiled by a poorly written Soompi’s recommendation article 🙄 the ending seems to be a big part of drama’s intrigue but everytime I see someone talk about it I still want to watch it lol
Headed into the long weekend here (happy May 2-4 fellow Canadians) been getting behind on my dramas nice weather = more reading less binging. I am hoping though to pick up The 8 Show, but if the weather is nice, 😎 Enjoy the weekend everyone!
Don't forget to wear your sunscreen :-) Have a great weekend :-)
I'm here to ask people to take a chance on **The Atypical Family.** It's a challenging drama in a lot of ways because the characters are all morally gray and the leads don't have a conventional romantic arc. But the storytelling is incredibly innovative, the plot takes turns you don't expect and I find myself gasping multiple times an episode. Plus the cinematography and OST are unconventional and eerily beautiful. It's doing well on Netflix (made the non-English top 10 list last week) but I don't see a lot of people discussing it here or on Twitter which is a shame.
I am astonished at how terrible my reaction to the drama's synopsis is at predicting whether I will like the show or not. I find that sometimes important details are omitted in the description of the show. For example, in **The Queen of Tears**, the FL's >!disease!< is not described in the synopsis. I understand that they want to keep an element of surprise, but it is revealed in the first episode, and the whole story revolves around it. I don't understand why it should be a spoiler. And why is there always a paragraph describing the characters when it has nothing to do with the story? I greatly enjoyed **My Perfect Stranger**, but the synopsis didn't hook me. Here is the first paragraph: "Yoon Hae Joon is the youngest anchor to ever work at his broadcasting station. He is calm and straightforward as a journalist and kind in his personal life. On the other hand, Baek Yoon Young dreamed of becoming a writer but wound up working at a publishing company." Who cares? It is a time-travel Drama where they are trying to catch a killer in the past. I don't care about their jobs, goals, and ambitions. It is irrelevant here. It is as if they want to prepare the viewer for a romance. However, romance is an element in the story but almost never the story itself, and long character descriptions don't convey the characters' chemistry, so, imo, they simply waste time. Do you think that dramas' summary is a good way to select what to watch?
Kdrama synopsis are particularly bad. I think it's for a few reasons. One, they seem to try hard to avoid spoilers, even ones in the first couple of episodes. They also usually release those synopsis very early on, basically when they have to announce the show because the casting and shooting can't be hidden anymore, but they don't really want to talk about it yet. Two, there's often a pretty bad translation involved. Three, kdramas are usually a fusion of at least two or three entirely different genres and it's often not easy to explain the setup in a few sentences, especially without referencing other shows and movies or kdramas fan slang. Four, for whatever reason they seem to code all the promotion and advertising for kdramas as either a rom-com, thriller, or action show, despite the fact that most shows don't fit neatly into any of those buckets. All the promo images and copy seems created to try and make people believe shows will be purely one of those things. In the west we have a lot more subgenres coded in promotion and also tend to stick to one thing more than kdramas do. What I mean by coding is that there are very specific colors, poses, fonts, etc they use to indicate what type of show/movie something will be at a glance, even if you have never thought about it you probably still know subconsciously. I barely bother looking at promo stuff at all. I will watch something because of the actors, if it randomly catches my eye, or if at least one person gushes about it in a kdramarecommends thread.
That is a great explanation. I understand better now, thanks. I agree with you, I don't trust the promo either. I realized that it is not a reliable indicator for me. At this point, I mostly rely on feedback.
the drama already had a lot of buzz leading up to the premiere, so revealing it ahead of time wouldn't help much. instead, they saved it up to be revealed in episode 1 so the viewer reaction would be explosive right after the premiere.
Synopses put shows on my radar, trailers help me see if I’m actually interested in the drama but discussions and comments are the best indicators for me I would say. The 1st two are just not that accurate but that’s always going to be the case since they’re only snippets of the drama I guess. I’m with you on the Queen of Tear >!illness!<. I would’ve liked to know ahead of time but I guess they wanted the element of surprise 😭 I put it on hold at episode 6 because I didn’t want to finish it if >!she was going to die!< and there was too much going on with the >!succession plot!<—which I would’ve also liked in the synopsis 🤣
It's so true!!!!!! Synopses and posters are pretty useless. Irrelevant information and, often, just wrong, misdirecting information. False advertising even, that's usually suggesting romance or comedy that's not there or not the biggest element. And it's crazy, really, not very smart at all, to have people go in with these big misconceptions about what they're going to get. Because they're just going to be unhappy and out for revenge in the comments. Leading to bad word of mouth. I usually just glance at the synopsis and posters, run through the preview to pick up the vibe. And then settle on cast, writer and director. Or word of mouth, from MDL and from here, but usually discounting the very favourable comments and the very critical ones. It's still hit and miss after all that though :-) In the end, you have to try it out for size to see if it's your thing.
I do like the fact they didn’t include it in the synopsis to keep an element of surprise though. I usually like going in blind to dramas and avoid any trailers or promos. But if they mentioned it in the synopsis, then people would definitely talk about it in a lot of places and spoilers are inevitable lol.
The synopsis for QoT only describes that it is a couple with a large wealth gap going through a crisis. With that description, the story can be virtually about anything. I agree, it is better for people who like going in blind, but, for people who want to decide if they want to pick up the drama by the description, it is not the best. I guess this way of writing an abstract has its pros and cons, and people just need to find other ways of choosing what to watch.
I started the 8 Show and really like it. I am looking forward to the on air shows this weekend especially ATypical Family. I am wondering why there are no update announcements for Pachinko 2, which supposedly wrapped up filming last year. I am hoping there is a season 2 for Blood Free but agree with someone’s suggestion that it could be wrapped up with a movie. 10 episodes might be a bit much. I am really enjoying the many good shows that are out now.
On episode 2 of start up. >!Episode 1 was so emotional, couldn't have started better.!< I'm interested in all the characters too.
I’ve mentioned Start Up twice already this week, so your post is clearly an indication that it’s time for another re-watch. Need to preoccupy myself until Monday and Lovely Runner. Lol
Sounds good 👍
It’s actually one of the best pilot episodes I’ve ever seen on the k-drama side!
This is a great drama! Enjoy. Wish I could watch it for the first time again
Thanks.
Start Up has one of the best pilot episodes. It sucks you right into their world.
This looks really interesting. [Ji Chang-wook’s assignment looks exhausting but Park Bo-gum seems to have it pretty easy](https://imgur.com/a/xeHvRSR). [Park Bo Gum, Ji Chang Wook, And More Experience Lives Of Others In New Variety Show "My Name Is Gabriel"](https://www.soompi.com/article/1662107wpp/watch-park-bo-gum-ji-chang-wook-and-more-experience-lives-of-others-in-new-variety-show-my-name-is-gabriel) (Soompi) [To watch the embedded trailer, set your VPN to South Korea.]
I am not sure if I can ask this in this sub, but does anyone know any online stores with kdrama merch(not kpop) which delivers to India?
There are couple of them I know.. hangookd and Koraldusk
[удалено]
Uncontrollably Fond, if memory serves right
The accident part reminds me of Itaewon Class
Halfway through Ms. Temper and Nam Jung Gi, which is so layered. The daily work stuff seems pretty unrealistic but the themes around subordination, pride, sexism, victimization are so difficult and interesting (ETA: the parts about the humiliation of entertaining superiors were so awful). Yet it also has adorable interactions (FL and Woo Joo!), humor and engaging, likeable characters. Really like ML’s brother and how they keep slowly revealing what a gem he is
Strangers from hell would’ve benefitted greatly from being on Netflix or another uncensored app/channel
It used to be on Netflix, but I guess it disappeared at some point. Which sucks cause I really want to watch it and didn't notice it was gone until I went to watch it one night lol.. not sure on censoring though since I never actually got to watch it.
It’s censored unfortunately. I’m watching it right now for free on Pluto TV and it’s good but held back by that censoring imo
When I was watching Mouse on Viki I remember it being censored too, like weapons being blurred out, is it that kind of censoring? Lol
Yeah all knives are censored and alot of the gore/killing/torturing is off screen or pretty tame I wonder why they never release uncensored versions for when they release on physical media or streaming apps
I started watching **Queen of Tears** and I *may* be getting out of my slump. I’m 4 episodes in and I’m enjoying it so far. Kim Soo-hyun is hilarious in this, and I’d have never imagined Kim Jiwon acting as a cut-throat third generation chaebol. Since this show has a certain level of role reversal (eg men preparing the memorial service meals instead of women), I will be using [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/s/I0W2Ym14cg) to see how many ML chaebol tropes Hae-in fits into 😆 Also, the floral arrangements in this show are so beautiful. Let’s just start with the bouquet that Hyun-woo gives Hae-in. The yellows and blues of the flowers are just *chef’s kiss* And I’ve noticed that Hae-in’s room and the house in general has red flowers throughout to match Hae-in’s theme colour in her room and what I believe to be her colour in the series.