Yay, open thread! I’ve had ants in my pants since yesterday after I read your DF tweets: whennnnn are they going to open it up outside the US? The UK is also the west… *pout* I’m really curious about DF; if subbed streaming becomes legal and legit, will that mean an end to drama fansubbers? I know it’s a way off yet, but… a thing to ponder…

Also: Sorry Sorry, BOF fangirlin’, a liking for ye olde contract marriage cliche drama – our Java ssi really isn’t as averse to populist stuff as I thought! Sitting in the middle is a good place to be, anyway. I love Sorry Sorry, too – my favourite track on the album though is definitely Reset. <3

I just wanted to say “thank you” for all your hard work. I really appreciate you taking time from your hectic schedule to review the latest hot Kdrama – Boys Over/Before Flowers. I watch it but sometime I miss some of the key points (depend on the interpreter of the drama) but with your reviews, it really helps.

Again, many thanks and have a great weekend all!!!

I love open threads!

My wife and I are going through K-dramas at a fairly alarming rate – maybe one drama per week. When you buy the DVD sets you can really speed through because maybe its midnight but there is no no no no no no no way you can sleep because the main character just found out that his/her love interest actually loves him/her, and didn’t mean it when he/she said that he/she didn’t love him/her, and the seductive and emotional OST music is like a drug and you cannot go to bed, no matter how much work you have to do the next day. You must watch the next episode. Just one more, just one more…..

Anyway, that’s what happens when you buy the DVDs, and that’s why we are completely addicted.

But here’s my updated list on what I’ve watched, and my favorites (not necessarily in order of overall quality, though, although the order is pretty close to the order that I would give if I had to just objectively rate dramas):

1. My Name Is Kim Sam Soon
2. Coffee Prince
3. My Girl
4. Goong
5. Delightful Girl Choon Hyang
6. Full House
7. The Grand Chef
8. My Love Patzzi
9. Save The Last Dance For Me
10. Bimil

I would say that I enjoyed 1 through 9, but #10 was kind of boring to me.

Next up (already bought and waiting in the wings):
- Super Rookie (2005)

Waiting to be bought (in chronological order, not in order of being bought):

1. 1% of Anything (2003)
2. Dae Jang Geum (2003)
3. Attic Cat (2003)
4. Sweet Spy (2005)
5. Lawyers (2005)
6. What Star Did You Come From (2006)
7. Snow Queen (2006)
8. Bad Family (2006)
9. The Time Between Dog and Wolf (2007)
10. Dal Ja’s Spring (2007)
11. 9 End 2 Outs (2007)
12. Il Jae Mae (2008)
13. Last Scandal (2008)
14. Truth (2008)
15. Beethoven Virus (2008)
16. Boys Before Flowers (2009)

I think our next dramas will be Sweet Spy and Beethoven Virus. But I need help finding the official Bad Family DVD set with Region 1 encoding….

If you guys can suggest others, I’d love to take suggestions!

-Samsooki

I’m watching Delightful Girl Choon-Hyang right now.. and waiting for BOF on monday.

and just to be random, re:stacks by bon iver is a fantastic song.

I absolutely love Kings of Convenience.
You rock dramabeans.

I also think it’s great that we are watching dramas together. It’s fun to debate and it’s nice to have someone give me a summary when I inevitably fall asleep in the middle of the last episode of the night. The bad thing is, we’re also getting fat together plopped on the couch in these marathon drama watching sessions.

By the way, I do think Jang Nara’s character in Patzzi is v. annoying.
But I don’t remember saying either of the male leads was “hot-looking”. Kim Rae Won, I like him. But the tri-color hair dye job was a mistake. And the other guy, who looks like the poor man’s Bae Young Joon in this drama – he’s just okay.

@samsooki: if u like jang nara,maybe u should try to watch “successfull story of a bright girl”. it is so adorable,in fact it is my fav kdrama of all time.

Okay,

MAYBE, I am not admitting this but I am admitting the possibility, it was me who said that both guys (Kim Rae Won and Kim Jae Won) are “hot,’ but I meant it in an objective way, not because I am having a Choi Han Gyul kind of moment. Guys can look at another guy and admit that he is good looking.

And I don’t meant to publicly air our differences, but I think women tend to be a little harsher than men when it comes to critique-ing other women.

Jang Nara is NOT annoying. She is different, that’s all.

-Samsooki.

@14 – sounds like a good plan, but since my wife and purchase the DVD dramas, I doubt that another Jang Nara k-drama will make it onto our purchase list since we both have to agree before a purchase is made. There will probably be 2 dozen dramas that my wife would want to see first. I think Dramabeans should do an entire thread about how Jang Nara is NOT annoying, and then maybe my wife will change her mind. She really likes dramabeans and respects her opinions.

OMG, surprised when Samsooki’s Wife also popped up! LOLL, a married couple arguing over Jang Nara is.. um.. ^^ You’ve got a lot of the good kdramas up there.. add Capital Scandal to the list, it’s FANTASTIC. Branch out into Japanese and Taiwanese sometime, too!

Also interested in the DVDs – something legit and good quality, and hopefully not insanely expensive would be rockin’.

@17.

If you get the official DVD version, then the subtitles are usually quite good. Sometimes, I have issue with the translation, but 99% of the time, it is accurate enough. If you get pirated or non-official versions, then the translations and subtitles can be just awful.

Prices, however, REALLY REALLY vary depending on which website you go to, and, whether they are selling at a discount, but as long as you know which Region DVD you need, and, you know what the authentic DVD set looks like, you should be okay.

So, what I do is I start by going to a reputable website like Amazon.com.

For example Amazon.com is selling:
– Coffee Prince for $90,
– SamSoon for $80,
– My Girl for $115.

I look at the details of each box set, seeing what it looks like and what each set has, the region code, the subtitles, etc. Now that I know what the official authentic DVD set looks like, I can go hunting for a lower price.

Then I look around at other websites to see if they are selling the same thing.

So then I go to dvdasian.com, and I see that they are selling:
– Coffee Prince for $80,
– SamSoon for $80,
– My Girl for $70.

Next up is yesasia.com, and I see they are selling:
– Coffee Prince for $95,
– SamSoon for $60,
– My Girl for $70.

All of these DVD sets are authentic (I know, because I bought from all three websites), and delivery times vary from a few days to a week or so. Make sure you know whether they have it in stock.

So, if you wanted to buy all three today, I would suggest getting Coffee Prince from DVDAsian, and My Girl and MNIKSS from YesAsia. You can also find coupon codes that can give you extra $$ off as well.

But beware of VCD’s and pirated DVDs. I’ve seen a few and they are almost always terrible to watch, sometimes the episodes are incomplete or don’t work, and the subtitles / translations are absolutely ludicrous. Sometimes, you can tell they just DVR’ed the episode and edited out the commercials. The sound quality is always very poor as well. They are not worth purchasing, even if the prices are cheaper.

Hope that helps!
-Samsooki

@Samsookie!

OMG that’s a ton of info, thank you! I was thinking of buying the official releases from yesasia (I didn’t know dvdasian.com! Thanks for the heads up) or from the mbc online store. Hee, now I have to go look for the coupons *g* Thanks again for the info. I’m relieved to know the official subs are good. Woohooo

BTW, it’s so awesome that you and your wife watch dramas together! So sweet

hellooo everyone!
this is a really random question, but maybe some of you might be able to help me…my friend who is korean called me something that sounded like “mungchungee” but now he won’t tell me what it means! does anyone know what that means?? haha i just hope it wasn’t something bad
thank you!

@ Samsooki and Samsooki’s Wife ~

I haven’t even finished ‘My Sassy Girl’, mostly because I really couldn’t stand the lead actress…or maybe perhaps it was just her character – bleh.

I think you’ll like ‘Super Rookie’…it was one of the first dramas I watched and really enjoyed it. Even the overacted, overly dramatic, overly long stand/stare/reflect character moments. The younger brother’s character is FANTASTIC! Cracks me up!!

I would also suggest adding ‘Soulmates’ to your list and if you’re interested in branching out to Japanese dramas, there are a few excellent ones as well. Although, the trouble with starting to watch J-dramas is that your list of ‘To Be Watched’ effectively doubles!! So, be prepared to never leave the house!!

Here in Vancouver you can get some good quality dramas for super cheap…but shhhhhhhh…they are not always the ‘official’ ones…shhhhhhhh…

@Samsookie and Samsookie’s wife

Oooh Last scandal of my life is one of my fave dramas!

I’m also watching Painter of the wind and that’s awesome too although hm, I think it’s not going to end with a happily ever after. So I can’t bouch for it just yet.

I’m finally watching Majimak Scandal. I don’t know why, I just can’t really get into it. I’m at about episode 10, I think I skipped eps 8 and 9. Just got bored.

The chemistry between Jung Joon Ho and Choi Jin Shil is pretty good. I think their interactions are well-written, too. It’s just the surrounding story arc that I find boring.

I find myself wondering what they were imagining for a second season, considering how ridiculously predictable the outcome of the first season is… I guess we’ll never know.

To add, I think it was HK;s fault to some extent for not recognizing how to play in a new medium. Korean industry seems much more savvy–evidenced by MBC’s deal with crunchyroll. Obviously American companies have figured it out–evidenced by Hulu.com, etc.

My point is that I wasn’t trying to make fans feel guilty about enjoying pirated stuff. There is no reason why industries cannot simulcast on the web. They can just slap some ads on a video, and bam–they have revenue.

In other news, I have developed a mad crush on KHJ. I didn’t want to crush on anyone because crushes consume me, but KHJ is such a riot in interviews that I cannot but want to…er…do stuff to him. Good stuff.

Now that i’m in college and in two clubs, i find it really hard to watch any dramas right now. I’m so tired… And I need to finish my artwork for competitions. T^T.
Sigh, I haven’t watched a good drama in a long long time.

I think samsooki and wife need to get their own blog, too. Sounds like your taking sides on dramas would be something fun to read.

I just started watching “Cain and Abel”, and you know what? The first episode was good, but I still have a feeling I’m going to get bored.

I’m also watching “Hateful, But Once Again/Again My Love” and to tell you the truth, I can’t see what the appeal is for that show, I just keep watching it. It’s like my mind can’t make up if this is dumb or not.

I was watching “Boys Over Flowers” but Dramabeans Review Addiction occurred yet again and I have switched to reading the reviews instead of the drama. I keep trying but no luck.

I’ve also been pissed that I can’t watch “We Got Married” w/ subs anymore. I’ve been watching it sub-less. Don’t like the current couples much as it is.

For everything else, I am waiting patiently for my favourite American and British television to come out.

Oh My Goodness…..

I have recently become a huge fan of Super Junior. I totally did not see that coming.

I laughed at the idea of having thirteen guys in one group when they first debuted. Watching their music video was a huge joke. They obviously didn’t need back-up dancers cuz they filled up the whole stage.

But now I love every single member.

I guess it’s one of life’s mystery. LoL

My brother and his wife (Korean and forces hubbie to watch ) watches Korean dramas together sometimes. We were all watching East of Eden, though the MBC American broadcast was about a month behind. And so, I told my brother “yeah, the lead female actress left the show and the other actress, the one that your wife hates, takes over the show..” And two weeks later, his wife was like “OMG. It’s true!!” LOL

They’re a funny pair though. When we watched Autumn Tale way back when, it went something like this:

Brother: “Damn, that Song Seung Heon is one good looking guy. I’m just saying.”
Me: “Song Seung Heon oppa!!!”
Wife: “Poor Won Bin!!”
Brother: “Don’t you mean poor Song Hye Kyo?”
Wife: “Poor Won Bin!! He’s so good looking. Why can’t you be more like Won Bin? We’re going shopping tomorrow.”
(and about 15-20 times per episode)
Wife: “Yumi’s SO not pretty. Not pretty!! How was she Miss Korea?!?”

She brags to my brother that everything she learned about love, she learned from K-drama. He doesn’t say anything.

Hi!
So I have been your silent reader for years and I just wanna say that I stalk your blog everyday, 100x a day!!! I know, crazy right? But you are a great blogger and your insights are always wonderful to read. Plus, you are very unbiased (imo) about dramas, actors/actresses/singers; if you like it, you state why and if you don’t, you have your reasons, and they are all very sounding. Anywho, I suddenly feel like participating in this open thread: 1) To show my appreciation for your dedication 2) Because I feel like blabbering today LOL.

Ok, so on to my blabbering. I have like the worst luck with phones, particular iPhones!!! I’ve changed phones at least 5 times since last July, 2 of which were iPhones!!! I’m still obsessed with the iPhone and am currently searching for a brand new one, no luck so far By any chance, any 1 know where I could buy a brand new white iPhone for $400-$500? Sighhhhh.

Can’t wait till monday for BOF!!! n I LOVE u Dramabeans!!!!!!

Fire-to the-Fly (lol).

Ok…so I’m currently madly in love with 1 Night 2 Days =) As in totally addicted! I love all the dynamics between the 6 guys on these outings…it’s quite something!

Currently hooked on: Clazziquai (after hearing them on My Name Is Kim Sam Soon, I think they’re revolutionizing the korean music industry with their unique style!)

I can’t believe I have to catch up on 5 episodes of BOF…sigh…BUT>Thanks to Dramabeans, I’ve been able to keep up on the storyline!

<3Dramabeans

My body is allll sore from all the falls I took when learning to ski these past two days. My legs are sooo sore that I walk like a dang robot!

Instead of taking a tumble down the so-called-beginner’s-trail-yet-really-is-made-for-olympian-skiers I am sitting prettily in my hotel room with my lovely laptop browsing this great web-universe called K-POP!
I am catching up on my soompi threads, youtube subscription channels, java’s BOF recaps, family outing…NOW THIS IS WHAT A VACATION SHOULD BE !! Hehehe.

Thanks again for the BOF recaps!!!

Cheers,
Erikaaaa

1. I love you Dramabeans~ <3
You have the best recapps~!

2. So.. I was going through sites and found this:

http://a1.vox.com/6a00fa969b1fa700030110166ba161860d-pi

Apparently in Second Life, SeraKorea has made BOF second life school uniforms as well as F4 and Jandi XDDDDDDDD

<3 BOF

@#25 jacq: a quick search on tudou/youku/mysoju/viikii reveals that the Chinese major sites are truly angered by the drama, but English subs are being done still. Look on viikii. Their subs are basically complete for the lastest eps, 9 and 10.
Alas, my viewership of this drama with high def and good quality subs…. it is over, forever.