Okay guys, a little delayed but it’s here! WHAT’S UP IN DRAMALAND September-October edition!
This time, we have special guest in DB’s very own @helcat, who has many virtues and much knowledge, but I’m just going to be shallow and say her accent is everything and Anisa and I did NOT play it cool behind the scenes XD
but sadly that footage got lost, so instead we sound composed and professional. Boring.
But there’s some meaty discussions this month about providers and how they shape the viewing experience, low ratings and what that means for creative storytelling, trashy reality dating shows, and more!
00:05:24 – Is viki acquiring Dramafever’s content? How licensing wars change the drama viewing landscape (again)
00:15:28 – “Melo Suits Me”: when is a story worth telling, and how do ratings shape it?
00:31:46 – Criticism of Chinese K-pop stars supporting police crackdown on Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters
00:39:02 – Lee Pil-mo’s new baby, his dating show backstory, Love Island vs Terrace House
00:43:33 – Que Sera Sera remake
00:49:43 – Bad Guys has a movie!
00:51:07 – US remake of SKY Castle
00:55:34 – New Netflix variety show “Twogether” with Lee Seung-gi, Jasper Liu
00:56:45 – Kim’s Convenience at Seoul International Drama Awards, Korea exports own sitcom about immigrant experience
UPCOMING DRAMAS
01:00:30 – My Country
01:04:54 – VIP
01:08:27 – The Lies Within (Everyone’s Lies)
01:13:37 – Leverage
01:16:45 – Catch the Ghost
01:18:10 – Yeonnamdong Global House
01:22:49 – Helen shares her favourite dramas, Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung and I Hear Your Voice
When it comes to the whole Netflix thing, at first I really hated them for holding dramas hostage for so long, and I thought it was very silly of them, but I’ve warmed up to them now that they’ve begun releasing things just a few hours after it airs in Korea. Their subtitles are a bit weird, but I’ve also noticed subtitles on Viki lately have been weird in a different way–I don’t know if anyone else noticed, but Extraordinary You‘s subtitles just had some really odd moments and grammatical errors, it took me out of the show. So it’s kind of a give and take for me now. No one service has subtitles that have completely pleased me lately.
I think this was announced after you recorded this podcast, but HBO Max (Warner’s new streaming service) has released more info and I’m curious to see if they will have any DramaFever content. They WILL have every single Studio Ghibli movie, which… okay, you’ve got my interest already.
And gosh, I REALLY need to watch Be Melodramatic, don’t I? It sounds exactly like the type of show I love.
You guys talked about a lot of great topics but I’m going to shamelessly jump to when you were talking about upcoming dramas (which now are currently airing) and can I just say how hard I laughed when Anisa said “Lee Min-ki’s last drama was Because This is My First Life” and neither Saya nor helcat disputed it. I completely support this erasure of Beauty Inside, PLEASE WIPE IT FROM OUR COLLECTIVE MEMORY. Also, @helcat, how much DO you like Lee Min-ki, and why did I not know this until now? You and Anisa spending a hot second gushing about him made my day there, and clearly I need to finally get around to watching Mixed-Up Investigative Agency, which has been sitting languid on my harddrive for over a year now.
While much of Min-ki’s drama catalogue consists of rom-coms, he’s delved into much darker material in some of his films, so I’m not surprised that he’s doing well in this role (and I do think he is, although the writing is a bit shoddy so far for me). An article I read recently talked about how viewers still associate him with romance but that his acting style translates well to this genre, and that pleased me.
Lee Yoo-young really worried me earlier this year with her instagram post, and I do hope she is doing well and that working is helping her rather than hurting her. I get the feeling that both Lee Yoo-young and Lee Min-ki chose this drama for the director first and foremost, as she did Kim Joo-hyuk’s last drama shortly before his death, Argon (and in Min-ki’s case she did his very first lead drama role, Taereung National Village), and I trust that PD Lee Yoon-jung is doing her best to make it a good experience for Lee Yoo-young. I’ve watched the behind-the-scenes and, while that obviously doesn’t give you the whole picture, it does appear to be a really fun set to work on.
Seeing Lee Yoo-young being able to laugh and have fun in between takes where she’s made to cry about a situation that probably hits extremely close to home is encouraging. I hope she’s having a good time, and I hope it’s cathartic for her, because just 4 episodes in this drama loves to make her cry, but I also foresee her character growing to overcome that.
Thank you guys so much for this podcast, and I’m sorry for my rambling! I clearly can’t shut up about a particular actor.
I think you should definitely watch Mixed-up Investigative Agency, as it’s quite purposefully his most unattractive role so I think it would be the ultimate test of your love, haha. But, really, whenever I see someone in desperate need of an unforgettable drama, this is always the one that comes to mind. There is truly no other quite like it.
I have been worried about Lee Yoo-young and how close to home the material is, but I also feel like it might have been purposeful to work with this director. I’m happy to see them joking around on set and breaking up the heavy atmosphere.
It’s funny that you say that about Mixed-Up Investigative Agency, because I actually DID watch the first ep last year but right at the end of the semester when I was totally overwhelmed with exams, so I decided to put it on the back-burner until I had time to appreciate it and just haven’t gotten around to it. This is what I had to say about it then on What We’re Watching: “I was secretly hoping that this ridiculous show and that truly awful hair would finally break the spell that Lee Min-ki placed on me after Because This Life is Our First, but I came out of the first episode liking him even more now because of his total disregard for vanity and I just need to accept that I’m too far gone and nothing can save me.”
Hahaha, yes, I love your logic! It makes absolutely perfect sense to me.
And, honestly, the show is best enjoyed when you have the time for it so you made a good decision on waiting. I didn’t get to fully appreciate it until my second watch for the very same reason.
It’s good to know that Lee Yoo-young has a supportive crew during this drama. My theory for her current choices is that she’s trying to work as much as she can so she doesn’t give in to depression. She seems to have good people around her though, so hopefully when she’s ready, they’ll get her to ease off a bit.
I think you’re right with your theory, and I hope she learns to slow down as well and get the help that she probably needs. I just hope she’s doing okay!
Saya
October 21, 2019 at 4:44 PM
Okay guys, a little delayed but it’s here! WHAT’S UP IN DRAMALAND September-October edition!
This time, we have special guest in DB’s very own @helcat, who has many virtues and much knowledge, but I’m just going to be shallow and say her accent is everything and Anisa and I did NOT play it cool behind the scenes XD
but sadly that footage got lost, so instead we sound composed and professional. Boring.
But there’s some meaty discussions this month about providers and how they shape the viewing experience, low ratings and what that means for creative storytelling, trashy reality dating shows, and more!
Timestamps in the comments!
Saya
October 21, 2019 at 4:46 PM
TIMESTAMPS:
00:05:24 – Is viki acquiring Dramafever’s content? How licensing wars change the drama viewing landscape (again)
00:15:28 – “Melo Suits Me”: when is a story worth telling, and how do ratings shape it?
00:31:46 – Criticism of Chinese K-pop stars supporting police crackdown on Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters
00:39:02 – Lee Pil-mo’s new baby, his dating show backstory, Love Island vs Terrace House
00:43:33 – Que Sera Sera remake
00:49:43 – Bad Guys has a movie!
00:51:07 – US remake of SKY Castle
00:55:34 – New Netflix variety show “Twogether” with Lee Seung-gi, Jasper Liu
00:56:45 – Kim’s Convenience at Seoul International Drama Awards, Korea exports own sitcom about immigrant experience
UPCOMING DRAMAS
01:00:30 – My Country
01:04:54 – VIP
01:08:27 – The Lies Within (Everyone’s Lies)
01:13:37 – Leverage
01:16:45 – Catch the Ghost
01:18:10 – Yeonnamdong Global House
01:22:49 – Helen shares her favourite dramas, Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung and I Hear Your Voice
Full post with links and stuff: https://akdramapodcast.wordpress.com/2019/10/21/48-is-viki-acquiring-dramafever-titles-melo-suits-me-stories-worth-telling-news-bites-upcoming-dramas/
mugyuljoie is preciousss
October 21, 2019 at 4:57 PM
Yay! I checked for it a few days ago and am happy it’s here.
Saya
October 21, 2019 at 5:00 PM
Thank you for bearing with us! We’re catching up, slowly but surely!
mindy
October 21, 2019 at 5:14 PM
Hooray! Thank you guys as always! I don’t always comment on the podcasts but I listen to them every time!
Off to listen~
mindy
October 21, 2019 at 6:21 PM
When it comes to the whole Netflix thing, at first I really hated them for holding dramas hostage for so long, and I thought it was very silly of them, but I’ve warmed up to them now that they’ve begun releasing things just a few hours after it airs in Korea. Their subtitles are a bit weird, but I’ve also noticed subtitles on Viki lately have been weird in a different way–I don’t know if anyone else noticed, but Extraordinary You‘s subtitles just had some really odd moments and grammatical errors, it took me out of the show. So it’s kind of a give and take for me now. No one service has subtitles that have completely pleased me lately.
I think this was announced after you recorded this podcast, but HBO Max (Warner’s new streaming service) has released more info and I’m curious to see if they will have any DramaFever content. They WILL have every single Studio Ghibli movie, which… okay, you’ve got my interest already.
And gosh, I REALLY need to watch Be Melodramatic, don’t I? It sounds exactly like the type of show I love.
You guys talked about a lot of great topics but I’m going to shamelessly jump to when you were talking about upcoming dramas (which now are currently airing) and can I just say how hard I laughed when Anisa said “Lee Min-ki’s last drama was Because This is My First Life” and neither Saya nor helcat disputed it. I completely support this erasure of Beauty Inside, PLEASE WIPE IT FROM OUR COLLECTIVE MEMORY. Also, @helcat, how much DO you like Lee Min-ki, and why did I not know this until now? You and Anisa spending a hot second gushing about him made my day there, and clearly I need to finally get around to watching Mixed-Up Investigative Agency, which has been sitting languid on my harddrive for over a year now.
While much of Min-ki’s drama catalogue consists of rom-coms, he’s delved into much darker material in some of his films, so I’m not surprised that he’s doing well in this role (and I do think he is, although the writing is a bit shoddy so far for me). An article I read recently talked about how viewers still associate him with romance but that his acting style translates well to this genre, and that pleased me.
Lee Yoo-young really worried me earlier this year with her instagram post, and I do hope she is doing well and that working is helping her rather than hurting her. I get the feeling that both Lee Yoo-young and Lee Min-ki chose this drama for the director first and foremost, as she did Kim Joo-hyuk’s last drama shortly before his death, Argon (and in Min-ki’s case she did his very first lead drama role, Taereung National Village), and I trust that PD Lee Yoon-jung is doing her best to make it a good experience for Lee Yoo-young. I’ve watched the behind-the-scenes and, while that obviously doesn’t give you the whole picture, it does appear to be a really fun set to work on.
mindy
October 21, 2019 at 6:21 PM
Seeing Lee Yoo-young being able to laugh and have fun in between takes where she’s made to cry about a situation that probably hits extremely close to home is encouraging. I hope she’s having a good time, and I hope it’s cathartic for her, because just 4 episodes in this drama loves to make her cry, but I also foresee her character growing to overcome that.
Thank you guys so much for this podcast, and I’m sorry for my rambling! I clearly can’t shut up about a particular actor.
Chandler
October 21, 2019 at 10:09 PM
I think you should definitely watch Mixed-up Investigative Agency, as it’s quite purposefully his most unattractive role so I think it would be the ultimate test of your love, haha. But, really, whenever I see someone in desperate need of an unforgettable drama, this is always the one that comes to mind. There is truly no other quite like it.
I have been worried about Lee Yoo-young and how close to home the material is, but I also feel like it might have been purposeful to work with this director. I’m happy to see them joking around on set and breaking up the heavy atmosphere.
mindy
October 22, 2019 at 9:33 AM
It’s funny that you say that about Mixed-Up Investigative Agency, because I actually DID watch the first ep last year but right at the end of the semester when I was totally overwhelmed with exams, so I decided to put it on the back-burner until I had time to appreciate it and just haven’t gotten around to it. This is what I had to say about it then on What We’re Watching: “I was secretly hoping that this ridiculous show and that truly awful hair would finally break the spell that Lee Min-ki placed on me after Because This Life is Our First, but I came out of the first episode liking him even more now because of his total disregard for vanity and I just need to accept that I’m too far gone and nothing can save me.”
LOL!
Chandler
October 23, 2019 at 7:32 PM
Hahaha, yes, I love your logic! It makes absolutely perfect sense to me.
And, honestly, the show is best enjoyed when you have the time for it so you made a good decision on waiting. I didn’t get to fully appreciate it until my second watch for the very same reason.
Paroma
October 22, 2019 at 1:22 AM
It’s good to know that Lee Yoo-young has a supportive crew during this drama. My theory for her current choices is that she’s trying to work as much as she can so she doesn’t give in to depression. She seems to have good people around her though, so hopefully when she’s ready, they’ll get her to ease off a bit.
mindy
October 22, 2019 at 1:25 PM
I think you’re right with your theory, and I hope she learns to slow down as well and get the help that she probably needs. I just hope she’s doing okay!
mugyuljoie is preciousss
October 22, 2019 at 5:05 AM
I think Be Melodramatic is your kind of show. It’s a bit hard at first because part of it is sad, but it has a good balance of humor too.
mindy
October 22, 2019 at 1:26 PM
I plan on starting it soon!