For those of you not aware, there is a whole genre of Korean historical fiction about the invention of Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, because the real-life story behind the invention of Hangeul is “an incredibly sophisticated and super-secret linguistics project carried out centuries before the field of linguistics was actually invented.”
It was also revolutionary in that it made literacy accessible to commoners who didn’t have the resources to learn Chinese.
This is a story that hardly needs dramatization, but there is nonetheless a lot of dramatization, and I am such a nerd I will watch any dramatized version of the invention of Hangeul.
So, that said, TREE WITH DEEP ROOTS is more hardcore about the invention of Hangeul than THE KING’S LETTERS although TREE WITH DEEP ROOTS is older.
THE KING’S LETTERS has King Sejong secretly teaming up with Buddhist monks.
In TREE WITH DEEP ROOTS his work is organized into cells of scholars who don’t know the whole scope of the project, and there is a scene involving a dissection (which would have been sacreligious in a Confucian country back then) so he can diagram the anatomy of the mouth and throat.
@KDramaQn@youronlyone There are A LOT of recent shorter #KDrama series that are clearly built around at least the possibility of a 2nd season, and I tend to shun those as I INTENSELY dislike that element of "Westernisation".
But having drifted toward #JDrama (where 12 is LONG) in large part because of all the saggy bloated filler in >=16 ep KDramas, I love the nice tight feel of those #KDramas that are written short and complete. "One Day Off" is a beautiful example
A hilariously accurate representation of my taste. Mostly 😆 However, this graph is not 100% accurate as I went on a documenting spree in May last year when I joined Mydramalist and had been watching #KDramas for some time. In 2023, I watched mostly #CDramas and they were definitely not romance dramas.
I prefer #KDrama romances over #CDrama ones, so I tend to skew there. Also while I tend to pick a show for its fantasy angle rather the romance, but these shows are often are romance focused too.
From MyDramaList's 2023 year summary. This is actually a good reflection of my taste in dramas. (Note the lack of romance dramas lol and lots of wuxias & thrillers hehe.) And apparently 90% of my dramas are rated 7 or 8, and about 8% or so are 9.
So a Discord group I am part of asked - what 12 dramas will I recommend people?
So this is a list of my favourite #CDramas and #KDramas. Have you seen any of them?
You know, one of the most interesting criticisms I heard of #KDramas this year was that it's becoming too "Westernised". (This was in some forums I've been in.) TBH, I didn't understand what they mean, but when I watched #TheVigilante, I got an inkling. It felt unnecessarily violent, gory & had little heart. It was well-executed but I just didn't feel moved by the main lead's murderous motivations.
Don't know, something feels off with Kdramas lately but I can't put my finger on it.
The streamer Viki decided to call today the first annual #KDramaDay! So, I wanted to highlight some of my favorite #kdramas.
I know that not many folks are willing to jump into installing some new streamer app or service, especially if they've never watched a #kdrama before, so I'll recommend some of my favorites available on different streaming services: Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, Hulu, AppleTV, Tubi, YouTube, and then Rakuten Viki.
Today is #KDramaDay! I want to recommend good introductory #kdramas available on different streaming services.
My favorite #kdrama available on #Disney+ (I am in the US, so your regional availability may differ) would be "Soundtrack #1" #Soundtrack1, starring Park Hyung-sik and Han Sohee.
✅️ This is a short series, beautifully shot, with good music, a sweet story, and A-list actors.
💘 Park Hyung-sik plays a photographer who is quietly in love with his best friend, played by Han Sohee. She is an up-and-coming lyricist in a creative dry spell.
⚠️ Technical note: If this is your first non-English watch on Disney+, be sure to switch from dub to subtitles!
Today is #KDramaDay! I want to recommend good introductory #kdramas available on different streaming services.
My favorite #kdrama available on #Hulu (I am in the US, so your regional availability may differ) would be "Moving."
✅️ Exciting story with a good variety of characters, evil corporate/political shenanigans, endearing moments, and showing the bullies who they can't mess with.
🦸♂️ #Moving is a modern story about kids (and their parents) who have extraordinary super powers, but try to hide them. If you enjoyed the US TV series "Heroes," this has a similar feel.
⭐️ This series has been so popular that a well-done official English dub is now available!
Today is #KDramaDay! I want to recommend good introductory #kdramas available on different streaming services.
My favorite #kdrama available on #AppleTV would be "Pachinko."
✅️ High production, A-list actors, deeply engaging story, international history.
🗺 #Pachinko is based on novels, about generations in a family, starting in Korea, moving to Japan, and then to the USA. Spanning from ~1900 to 1990, the world keeps changing, including the ways to survive in it, from a rural farm to an international conglomerate's board room.
🔃 Different languages are key here, and AppleTV does a great job indicating when folks are speaking Korean, Japanese, or English - all key to the story.
✅️ Classic trope-and-drama-filled drama, rich-boy-loves-poor-girl, today's A-list actors when they were 10 years younger. Kim Woo-bin is phenomenal.
🤑 A struggling poor teen girl somehow ends up as a transfer student to a school all the rich corporate heirs attend. Love, drama, power imbalances, and hijinks ensue.
If there is one thing that mystifies me with recent #movies and #TV productions is that for some unknown reason, the door openers always knew when to open the doors.
For example, I'm watching right now Underworld: Blood Wars, produced in 2016, and the doors were opened at the perfect moment by door guys inside.
You will see this in #Kdramas too, be it in period #dramas or present day.
Why did we invent automatic doors if human beings trained to open doors can do it anyway? More jobs, less electricity. Let's bring it back!
As if I didn't need more hobbies, I created a #CDrama and #KDrama blog ... and #Youtube & maybe podcast channel. Lol. Still in the nascent stage.
Before, I just threw everything into my personal blog. But I realised that it's just more efficient to group my reviews into one blog.
Who knows maybe I can sell for a million bucks in the future bwahaha.
There's one drama that I've really been looking forward to watching every week and that's My Lovely Liar. I like it a lot so far. Going on a holiday next week so I'll probably have to wait a bit longer to watch the new episodes. But I guess I'll get to binge a few when I get back! #mylovelyliar#kdrama#kdramas
Really enjoying #MyDearest so far (I’m caught up now). Some people on the #Kdrama#Discord were a little put off by the Wes Anderson vibes of the premiere but it pays off later. It’s also unsparingly critical about Joseon’s patriarchy, monarchy, and aristocracy, which is something I always love to see in a sageuk. And it has Namkoong Min being very Namkoong Min. #kdramas
Ok I went ahead and created a KDrama community in monyet.cc and immediately realised: Wait does that mean I'm a moderator now alamak 😆
And can non-Malaysians join the discussions @cendawanita ??
"When Netflix launched in South Korea in 2016, workers and labor activists hoped that the global streamer, accustomed to stricter labor standards negotiated by Hollywood’s unions, would be an uplifting force in an industry notorious for abysmal working conditions...But the excitement of those early days has faded as the realities of the company’s business model have set in."
I love #KDramas with the trope of two people who are at first very annoyed with each other, but slowly come to appreciate, befriend and sometimes even love each other.
Some examples:
Mad for Each Other
Crash Course in Romance
Her Private Life
Crash Landing on You
Touch Your Heart
Marriage Contract
Does anyone have some good recommendations for me in this vein?