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Open Thread #798

Happy Friday everyone!

Here is your Open Thread, which is here for you to chat about anything you want, whether it be drama-related or not. Nothing’s off-topic here! Spoilers may be rife, so proceed accordingly.

 
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In case it matters to anyone (it does to me because I can’t yet justify a Viki Plus subscription when there are so many dramas available that I haven’t watched!) Viki in the US recently moved a ton of stuff from Viki Plus to their Viki Standard tier. This includes older things like Moonlight Drawn by Clouds/Love in the Moonlight, My Love From the Star, Healer, and Shopaholic Louis/Shopping King Louis, but also more recent things like Through the Darkness, The Law Cafe, and Bad Prosecutor. These are just a few examples, but it’s heaps of them.

Are there reliable websites that list all of the dramas for specific regions and at different tiers? Netflix is big enough that they have this (although not usually drama-specific), but I haven’t seen one for Viki. I have a running spreadsheet of all the dramas available to me, and it would definitely make it a lot easier to keep up with!

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You can search on Viki by standard/plus/free. I've not seen any external site that compiles info for viki. I keep a viki plus subscription since I find that I watch enough on viki to make it worth it for me not to be annoyed that I can't watch a drama. They seem to have streamlined the site a bit and seem to have less dramas then before, but they have brought in many classics and I like watching classics. Dramas have disappeared from viki without notice (or at least, I haven't figured out how and if there is notification). I prefer Viki because it also has individual reviews of dramas. That is very helpful. I also like that it has classics. Netflix just has a few classics. Netflix doesn't have reviews, but it does have a speed button which I have really appreciated for some dramas! I found most of the sites that say if a drama is on a streaming site to not be too accurate. Happy watching!!!

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I don't understand how Viki decides which shows are on which tier. The Law Cafe was on plus for its original run and just recently was put on standard meanwhile currently airing shows such as Strangers Again & Kokdu are standard. Brain Works is on plus.

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There is a list somewhere on reddit, I don’t know how regularly it gets updated, that has dramas available by region - might also have tiers. I found it by googling but I can’t remember what I searched.

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Officially impressed with your spreadsheet tracking, from a spreadsheet nerd.

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Yessss always good to meet another one! It has everything I need: title, alt title, streaming service and tier, whether I've finished it, genre keywords, writer, PD, number of episodes, year it aired, dramabeans rating, and five slots for the starring actors. Truly a thing of beauty and I have a lot of fun just updating it. I also added separate sheets for all the dramas I've watched in chronological order, and my personal ranking of them by genre and overall. :D

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That's great, big thumbs up! I don't have that kind of dedication to TV for that ;)

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I have a shared kdrama spreadsheet tracking with a friend where we collect info on the drama that we have watched, the drama that we want to watch (with ranking so as to help decide what to watch next), cross-reference of the actors and actresses with the number of drama we have seen them in and their last or most important role ...
I had a lot of fun creating formulas that still work when we add a line or a column, and defining the conditional formatting rules.
What would be great is to have an automated highlight of the dramas depending on our ranking of the actors, but the names are not always spelled consistently on the "next dramas" page...

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If you hear of a drama you're curious about go to Viki and do a search the name to see if it shows up. You might need to first got to Wiki and research *alternate names* for the series and search them too. More than once I was like 'THIS series on Viki is the same series they're discussing on Dramabeans?'

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Yeah that's fair, I usually try to pick a keyword that is common to the English and Korean names, if there is one. But my spreadsheet also has literal translations of the Korean titles, so I'm pretty prepared!

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There are a lot of sleazy Korean entertainment companies.
Shim Eun­ha, once a popular TV and movie celebrity in the 1990s, this week denied rumors of her return for a new project for the first time in 22 years. This was the second time in the past few months that she denied a comeback story.

The 51 ­year­ old dismissed reports that she has signed a contract with a local production studio, BY4M, for a new work this year. Her agency said it will file a suit against those who spread the false rumor. "I feel sorry for those who still remember and love me as they have heard the baseless news," Shim told Yonhap News Agency.

There are companies who throw out press releases that Actor A has been cast for a new project, only to have Actor A’s agency politely say it has received a script but has not accepted the project. Companies do it to promote a project, get media attention to get other actors interested and to find investors who want attach their money to known stars.

A few days later, BY4M told local press outlet Ilgan Sports that Shim Eun-ha did not receive any down payment for a contact from agency “We have finally confirmed that the person who received 1.5 billion won ($1.2 million) from us to pay Shim the down payment had not in fact delivered the money to Shim,” said the spokesperson for BY4M. “The person in question claimed to have been entrusted with a contract to appear on behalf of Shim, but the payment does not seem to have been made to the actor herself. We sincerely apologize for having caused trouble to Shim and her family due to our faulty handing of the funds.”

Who in their right mind would give a million dollars to anyone without meeting the artist first? Does anyone really believe BY4M’s explanation?

The idol group LOONA has been in litigation with its agency. BBC, over contract terms and payments. A court ruled in favor of some members that the agency’s contract was unconscionable and entered an injunction against its enforcement. Afterward, BBC filed various administrative complaints against the winning members, especially the popular Chuu, to effectively blacklist them from Korean entertainment activities. The Korea Entertainment Management Association revealed that LOONA’s agency BBC submitted a petition in December last year, asking for a suspension on Chuu’s entertainment activities based on their claims that Chuu’s actions to sign a new contract with BY4M STUDIO in 2021 is “tampering” (the act of making pre-contact prior to the expiration of the contract period) which violated the management contract. But in November 2022, BBC announced Chuu’s removal from LOONA, citing “violent language and misuse of power” toward a staff member as their reason. Chuu has since spoken out to personally deny the agency’s claims.

What is crazy is that BBC is using an alleged Chuu contact with BY4M as a breach of contract claim to punish Chuu, when BY4M’s own credibility is at issue in the Shim matter. You often see an...

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You often see a singer or an actor fall out of the limelight or stop working for no apparent reason, but one reason could be that the agency is not promoting their artist as leverage to re-sign or have the artist drop their demands such as a financial accounting.

The only positive outcome is that artists are now getting their own lawyers to review their management contracts.

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Knowing what you are signing by having your own attorney is so important. People think getting out of a contract is or should be easy, but it’s not. And your attorney can suggest changes to the contract before signing that overprotect the agency , but pens you for too great a disadvantage. I’m surprised that it sounds like many actors/idols have in the past signed on without an attorney looking over the contract first?

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Yes, many agencies sign talent at very young ages with their parents permission by saying this is "just a standard contract" which is usually one-sided in agency's favor. The Lee Seung-gi case is a prime example of the artist trusting his long term manager but not getting fully paid for 18 years of service.

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Yes, I’ve heard info on his situation. Noh Min Woo had contract issues a while back, too.

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With Lee Seung Gi’s situation it seems like he actually managed to make enough money even without his agency paying him for his music that he can actually afford a high profile court battle.

There are suddenly a bunch of bills being proposed for artist protections which is a hopeful sign - you would think as cultural exports (kpop, kdrama) are huge for Korea, they’d want to clean up the industry somewhat. Having said that, dodgy management is definitely not unique to SK.

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This makes me think we will be seeing yet more lawyer kdramas in our future 😎

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The recent episode of Trolley made me curious, and since this is an international site and we have beanies all over the globe. What beverage do you prefer, Coffee or Tea?

I’m ethnically Indian (tho a bogan Aussie) so chai all the way for me baby!

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I'm in the US, and my body can't really handle normal amounts of caffiene haha! So I love both, but only when I can get my hands on high quality decaf stuff, which can be hard to source (and which I know some folks think doesn't exist). Also very into herbal infusions, which are not really tea but are still great and usually naturally decaf.

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Yes! My friends who used to drink a ton of caffeine (be it coffee or redbull) back in their university days seem to no longer handle caffeine as much any more, they still drink coffee but not on a regular basis.

I drink chai every once in a while as a treat but I usually have green tea for a boost or drink peppermint tea that doesn’t have much caffeine at all

I don’t like coffee, it’s too bitter for me haha

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I have several herbal infusions too. I usually have them in winter, instead of coffee :)

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I like both. I veer towards tea more.

If there was sweet coffee available, I'll take that. I can't bear the bitter taste of coffee so I down it to the very least with chunks of milk and sugar. Is it still coffee?

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Saaame, if I have to have coffee you bet I’m gonna put a ton of sweeteners in it. But like you said I don’t know if it can be considered coffee at that point 😂😂😂

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But isn't that how latte's are made? If that can be called a coffee, so does any version of it.

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I like both but older me seems to prefer coffee more. It does nothing to keep me awake but more like a habit..

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I'm from Spain. I prefer tea, even though coffee is much more popular here. However, I don't drink any of them because of the caffeine/theine.
Sometimes I have a decaf with milk, but I prefer to have milk with cocoa powder.

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Coffee ☕️ coffee ☕️ coffee ☕️ ! On a cold February night like tonight, however, I will make a chai to hold and sip to keep warm as I watch kdramas. Milky but not too sweet.

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coffee with ice cream.

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Coffee. I'm one of those people who can drink coffee all day and still fall asleep. I enjoy a cup of tea too, but coffee is my mainstay.

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I drink copious amounts of both--coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon. Unlike the sickly sweet energy drinks, these beverages supply caffeine in complex tasting packages.

But I have another question, if I may, about Korean drinking etiquette. Do subordinates have to turn to the side when they are drinking coffee? Or is that a different enough beverage that ridiculous hierarchical custom doesn't prevail?

And then, to change from caffeine to alcohol--in shows I haven't noticed social "inferiors" turning to the side as much when they drink beer, only soju. Is that true? As a beer drinker myself, I say that's as it should be. Beer is a more democratic beverage than any distilled liquor!

But, really my question is, does the same drinking etiquette prevail regardless of what beverage is being consumed?

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That is a very interesting question and I have to say I have no idea. Hopefully another beanie can answer. I just know the lowest level employee (usually a woman) runs out to get coffee/tea for everyone from my kdrama viewing. But then again I don’t know how much that’s reality

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I don't really know but I have seen and heard many different things. There are so many rules in a formal tea ceremony it makes participants' heads spin.

I also think it depends on the type of group you are in. In the office dinner setting, seniority is still a big deal so younger workers pour drinks for their seniors. As a matter of respect (or servitude) younger drinkers look away. In a formal dinner, it is rude or impolite to pour your own drink; again, you serve the eldest first. (Business lunches I find serve alcohol from a tea kettle which is a weird way to disguise alcohol consumption during working hours.)

I heard that generally when a group of Korean comedians get together for drinks, it was expected that the youngest would pay for the rounds. But in acting circles, I think the opposite is true.

Before I went to Seoul I read that when you order a beer/drink at a bar, it would be rude not to order a bar snack.

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Love good coffee in cafes, but at home I drink black tea. Trouble is, it’s getting harder and harder to find decent black tea. I read somewhere that climate change is affecting the quality of teas.

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I’ve been getting my tea from Upton Tea Imports for decades. Their selection of loose-leaf tea is amazing. I haven’t noticed any drop-off in quality, but prices have inched up a bit.
https://www.uptontea.com/

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The only way I can drink tea is with milk and sugar. I love coffee in any form tho (except without sugar, if it doesn't have sugar it needs milk).

When it comes to food, I can't guess anything about my country. All my college friends are from different parts of the country so I realized that we are a really diverse nation. LOL

People around me are 50/50. But in my country coffee is really important and there's literally a region with a name related to coffee, and they make everything with coffee, so I guess coffee wins? 😆

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Tea, no milk no sugar. I can’t even drink milk tea to be polite 😅

Herbal teas are good too, but coffee is a no from me. I used to wonder if that’s because I grew up in a tea drinking household, but both my brothers drink coffee now so I guess not.

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I am more of a black coffee drinker but I also enjoy tea (with milk and sweetener (go figure) and I enjoy both together as in Hong Kong Coffee Milk Tea (Yuanyang).

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Coffee. I hardly drink tea, and only when coffee is not available. I do not know whether this is true in other locations but my husband and work in the IT industry and everybody (at least in the 3 companies I had been with) drinks at least 4 cups of coffee a day. At one time, my company decided to cut costs and removed the free coffee from our pantry.. employees almost called for a strike so they had to bring that back.

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Hahaha no caffeine in the workplace! An absolute scandal! The revolt was inevitable!

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Decades into my working life I moved from consulting into public service. In the former, coffee was provided and considered just as essential a part of office supplies as printer paper or paper clips. In the latter, no taxpayer penny can be spent on anything 'non-essential.' Having to source my own coffee was the second-hardest thing to get used to in that job switch. Fortunately my office culture includes total understanding of how important - indeed, essential - caffeination is to serving the public, and we all constantly share our in-office coffee (and tea) supplies and bring each other cups of pick-me-up from outside. I seriously think coffee is like the tax collection department - every penny spent on it would be returned ten-fold to the public coffers in employee efficiency and revenue collected!

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I wholeheartedly agree! Caffeine is essential especially for overworked public service workers! Thank you for sharing your story it was very enlightening to read 😊

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Great comment! Know exactly what you mean, having worked in government.

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I like both tea and coffee. I had to start drinking coffee when I started working as the tea took too long to cool for me to have time to drink it during my 30 minute break. ^^
So at work I always take coffee with a little milk to ease the stomach, but we drink green tea at home.

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Coffee with milk and sugar! I know people call unadulterated caffeine as coffee, but it is a surprise that people have tea without milk+ sugar, which I usually consider as herbal tea.

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It may sounds strange but I prefer coffee when I'm alone and I prefer tea when I drink with someone else.

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Thank you all for answering, I’ve always found peoples preferences to things fascinating, it’s also what makes us so unique!

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I'm Canadian. I have a coffee in the morning but then it is tea for the rest of the day.

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I'm French, but I do not drink coffee (contrary to my familly) and prefer tea. Black fruit flavoured tea.

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Three-Body is arguably the best show in Asian Dramaland right now.

Not only is it faithful to its original source material (the books are great btw, highly recommended) but the production quality is excellent and the acting is great too.

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Tell me a little more about this drama~

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Its a science fiction/mystery drama based on the acclaimed novel series by Liu Cixin

(initially published in the late 00s, it was was translated to English in 2014 and found a huge international fan base)

In a nutshell,its about a woman who develops a deep hatred for humanity (due to her life experiences) and begins secretly collaborating with extraterrestrial forces to bring about the destruction of mankind.

The drama is an adaptation of the first novel in the trilogy, i assume of its successful it will get a part 2 and 3.

You can watch it on the iQiyi app or Wetv on youtube.

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Thanks, soyesterday!

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also just to add, Netflix is planning release an English language adaptation of the trilogy as well.

I won't touch that with a 10 foot pole because Netflix has a long and terrible track record of shitty adaptations when it comes to Asian IP's.

Death Note, Cowboy bebop, Crouching tiger 2 easily come to mind (i can only cry at their inevitable barstadisation of One Piece)

But you can check that out when it eventually releases too

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I've read that it censors the novel, by removing references that are deeply critical of the cultural revolution. You haven't found that to be true?
I don't know, since I've only read parts of the novel, and not seen any of the show, but generally I find the censorship of Chinese dramas to be pretty heavy handed, as opposed to Chinese novels, which seem to be able to get away with more subversive themes.

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The censorship is not that bad tbh, also the original Chinese novel was far worse in its criticism of the CR and it became a huge hit in china despite that.

The Drama adapts the original novel quite well, according to chinese fans of the novel some of the dialogue in the drama is lifted verbatim from the source material.

(the English novel translation moves a few scenes around apparently so the starting and middle points are slightly different)

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Yes, I knew about the novel as I said, and actually I've been meaning to pick it up again, so thanks for reminding me about it.

In reading about it more (which I should have done before posting) apparently its just one episode that censors changed dramatically. (@marcusnyc20 its episode 6, so you can see if you find that to be true.)

Its such a shame, though, when state sponsored censorship becomes a dominant factor in cultural production, and it is always a thrill when artists and their audience are able to subvert it!

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I don’t want to go too far out on a limb here because I haven’t read the novel on which the drama is based however in episode 6 there is a flashback where a main female character, a scientist, recalls how her father, also a scientist, had been denounced during the CR. I am speculating now that in the novel the abuse the father endured during the CR is possibly described in more detail than in the drama. Only a guess. However you get the picture and there is also a reference in either in episode 6 or 7 to a scientist being later rehabilitated.

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Thanks @soyesterday. I was totally oblivious/ignorant of the whole THREE-BODY sci-fi phenomenon until a few days ago when I saw Avenue X give the tv dramatization a rave review on Youtube.
I stopped watching before she got into spoilers and decided to pick up THREE-BODY on Viki US. Sci-fi is not a genre that draws me in but I have been totally sucked into this story. Tonight I pick up at episode 6.

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Gosh these people need to watch kdramas 😄

https://youtube.com/shorts/zlniegm9c_o?feature=share

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I recall some fast food places in foreign countries selling alcohol, but is McD's a fancy dating place?

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freshly out of a major panic attack.
ugh.
32 minutes of shaking, gasping, dizzyness, nausea, flashbacks.
but its ok now more or less

im mostly preparing for the dance festival - we are finally having a dance event in Korean club and we get real dance teachers to show moves. if only I could tare myself away from taemin because yikes, him doing a tuttorial to 2 rookies for Criminal and going slow, and me just still screaming internally.

we gotta choose a simple routine cause our oldest club member is 78, youngest is 10 and everything in between.

other than that preparing for my new lessons - and new teacher! Nooooo I dunwanna my cute teacher why you take him away. Now we got some woman.

reading, too. we are waiting for new books in korean for our foreign language department that I recommended.
im also reading gestalt psychology how to manage emotions, not react, not let other peoples actions and words irritate and control so much.
I read this about narcissists. they cannot apologize beacue that would be admitting they are not perfect. It takes away a piece of their fake identity so people can see what is under the mask. they are scared of that. the mask is fragile, it consists of bits and pieces of other people, so it tares easily. and also, if they did apologize it would most likely be another manipulation, so best not wait for it.
another guy in estonia shared a similar experience of a magazine. he said he felt exhausted, exasperated around certain people, and just had to remove himself from there even if they were his only friends. thats a bit sad but he too needs to put himself first and not be around bad friends.

Barefoot brothers: I feel that they are a bit tense but I suppose having a camera attached to you... hopefully they are still able to enjoy their adventure fully even if it is exhausting. If I were there it would be a party of madness. actually, im very comfortable with cameras. PD you hear me. Hello?

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Happy weekend Beanies and keep Beaning On!
It is February already! I need to gather all my inspiration to participate in Love, February on the fan wall if I find the time. After spending January cooped up at home, I am ready to leave the house more often this month! I am starting small, birthday party with cake tomorrow, a local garage sale next weekend and inviting friends over to chat for a couple hours. A good friend came over this week to collect some stuff I was throwing out and it was nice to rant and get some new perspective on my troubles. I do hope going out more will put my mind off things long enough to let the necessary life lessons sink in!🙏🏻

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When an older drama is on both Viki and Netflix, I will choose N’Flix. Reason? I hate the way Viki clutters up the screen with translated song lyric subs, which usually are irrelevant to the plot. Thinking about emailing Viki, but would like your opinion first. Do you find translated OST lyrics helpful? Or annoying?

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I find them helpful.
1. Because I'm "trying" to learn korean.
2. Because sometimes the lyrics are on point with the scene and they make me cry. 😂

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To clarify, it’s not so much a matter of clutter...more about wanting to focus on the action, body language, faces. OST subtitles are a distraction.

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I'm with ... both of you? 😂 I find lyrics extremely distracting because I am constitutionally unable to ignore text (even in languages/writing systems I don't know), but also sometimes helpful. The more an OST has been used in a drama already, though, the more I dislike seeing the same lyrics over and over.

If a show is on Netflix and doesn't have lyrics subtitled for an OST I like, I'll often go to YouTube to find a video with the transliterated and translated lyrics because they sometimes add nuance and emotional punch to a scene. (And sometimes they're just trite, sentimental slush.)

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That’s interesting! I prefer having the OST translated, so I know why they chose that particular song (though it’s funny if a different song is being used in a different region for copyright reasons but the original translation is still there). Maybe there’s a happy medium where they only translate it the first time or something.

What I do really find distracting is Disney+ subtitles, where they only do an English close captioned subtitle, so you get all the sound effects transcribed too. I get why it’s important to have inclusive subtitles, and if they’re only going to have one set it’s the right choice, but can we not have two versions?

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Netflix offers two versions of its English captions. The "English" option displays only the subtitled translation. "English [CC]" is a close-captioned version for people with hearing impairment who may not be able to hear the music and sound effects. Looking at the Disney+ website, it appears they offer these same captioning options...but since I don't subscribe to the service, I can't tell for certain.

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Disney+ definitely have regular English subtitles for some things as well as close captioning but most of the k content I’ve tried has been CC only - but maybe they’re adding to it (I just checked and in my region at least Crazy Love has a no CC option but Soundtrack #1 only has CC). It’s a minor niggle really - and much better to have the close captioning for those who need it than not at all.

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I can understand your frustration about the subtitled song lyrics, particularly if the same song keeps repeating throughout the series. I do like having the translation appear the first time a song is played, but once is enough.

When a show is on both Viki and Netflix, I opt for Viki. The Netflix subs seem to dumb down the translations, rather than using a more literal translation with an explanation of the context. I have learned a lot about Korean language and culture from the Viki titles—pointing out when someone is inappropriately addressing an elder or superior in banmal, explaining idioms and jokes, etc. It especially annoys me when Netflix subtitles move people’s surnames to the end of the name…why?

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Oh yes, I strongly prefer Viki's subs with more literal translation and explanation of cultural context, but the flipside of that is that I often have to hit pause to read the longer subs (and I am not a slow reader) or rewind to focus on expressions and gestures, as @thimble says. And Netflix's interface is better, including being able to speed through boring stuff. Netflix also has a closed-caption alternative for many shows that has a different translation - but like @beffels, I find the sound effect transcription distracting. Nothing is perfect, dammit! 😂

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I often have to do the exact same because I want to understand the cultural subtext and note the actors' interactions.
The best thing about Netflix is the SKIP INTRO option - especially for C-dramas.

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Count me in on translating lyrics. I think that is one of the positive differences between Viki and Netflix translation styles.

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I don't use either, but Viki would be something I use if it wouldn't restrict its access to certain browsers. Yet another unnecessary technocratic restriction for whatever reason they do it.

I generally find non-dialogue subs annoying, but I'm a purist who's watched foreign films far before mainstream acceptance, so it may be a personal idiosyncratic preference.

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I find the traduction of the song a hindrace because they are mixed with the traduction of the dialogues. It's sometime difficult to find which line to read.

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Thanks to Strangers Again and Trolley I became obsessed with married couples on the verge of divorce, and now I'm watching The World of the Married and I'm also thinking of starting the classic drama: Temptation of Wife (so many wild tropes and scenes come from this show. I need to see the original 😂).

I think February is going to be a month of marriage and makjangs, and I'm going to enjoy it.

Have a nice weekend beanies! And thank you for sharing Love, February. All your posts are beautiful. Beanie is a synonym for poetic. 💚

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I'm don't know if you read CR, but one on my Feb tbr is Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan. It's a second chance romance about a divorced couple. Can't rec as I haven't read it yet, but it seemed to get a lot of positive reviews and buzz.

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Thanks for the info. I'll look into it. ^^

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I only have 3 1/2 episodes to go on 'She and Her Perfect Husband' and I've slooowed doooown my viewing because I don't want it to end. Lots of marriage/divorce hijinks in the series.

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Thanks for the recommendation! ^^

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Have you seen This Week My Wife Will Have an Affair? I think you might enjoy that one as it has an emotional story with plenty of comedy mixed in.

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The series is interesting because it came out shortly before My Mister (Ajusshi), has the same the male lead, who is having the same marital problems.

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Oh right! I know this drama.
I've had this show on my watchlist for years. Now is a good time to watch it. Thanks for reminding me 😉

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World of the Married is awesome.

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Yes! I'm really enjoying it! ☺️

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I'm a firm believer that Vagabond S2 would never happen but sometimes I just randomly wonder what a hypothetical continuation would look like.

Dal Geon would've been a mercenary for years now so I guess he would be even more grizzled and anti social. Lily & the other guy (don't remember his name) would still be in weird dynamic with him but Lily might have the tiniest soft spot for him (not more than money but still) Her & the other guy might have a hook up type arrangement.

Hae Ri would get better at martial arts and use that on her marks (kinda like Lucy Liu in Charlie's angles). I can't really see her going as far as Jessica in her seduction.

Once again Dal Geon & Ha Ri would be on opposite sides but maybe they both would be trailing a target and that's how they run into each other. To avoid their covers being blown, they have to hide somewhere together where eventually Hae Ri blows up at him for letting her think he was dead for years.

Dal Geon is brought in to the vagabond network to handle the dirty work since he's already a ghost merc.

I'm not the most original or creative haha
This just seemed the most logical to me

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I wish Vagabond S2 would happen. Even if it does eventually they’ll probably recast the leads and destroy all my interest in it 😅

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I'm with you both! I liked Vagabond, and wouldn't say no to a 2nd season with the same leads of course. My dad watched it as well and asked when the next season was coming out..

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I just noticed a bunch of older shows have popped up on Viki. Has anyone seen a show from 2004 called Ireland? It stars Lee Na-Young and Hyun Bin, which is incentive for watching, but the story is really off-putting: a Korean woman adopted to Ireland as a child returns to Korea, where she and her biological brother fall in love. Can anyone tell me if the show is worth watching, despite the “ick” factor?

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Don’t do it! It defines ick, and it’s not just the relationship. HB is the 2ML. Have you seen The Snow Queen? It’s also old and obscure HB-iana but much, much better. Snow Queen, I think, is what he did post-Sam Soon. Great OST.

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Thanks for the heads-up!

I haven’t seen The Snow Queen…maybe it will show up on Viki someday. 🤞🏻

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I haven't seen it, but every review I've read says that it's absolutely terrible, and not just for the incest plot.

It looks like Viki has randomly picked up a bunch of old early-mid 2000s dramas and movies, probably only because they could get them for next to nothing.

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I'm curious if some of these older ones were on DF? I'm not sure how licensing works. Hopefully they'll keep picking up older, but better, shows.

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Yes, they were on DF.

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It possible Viki is accessing these dramas from Kocowa. I recall last year before I cancelled my Kocowa subscription that a number of older dramas and sageuks were appearing on Kocowa.

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I see that Netflix (USA) just added some older series, too, but all of them appear to have already been available through Viki, including Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency, Awaken, Welcome to Waikiki 2, The Light in Your Eyes, Legal High, Be Melodramatic, and others.

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👍🏼 Be Melodramatic is on my list, and I've been meaning to check out Awaken because of Namgoong Min and Lee Chung-ah. And I just noticed that Prison Playbook, which was supposed to go away on January 31, is still available and no longer has a "leaving Netflix" flag!

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Hang in the first few episodes of Be Melo and be rewarded with a true gem. Originally I dropped it but returned to watch because it appeared on Beanie/Lee Tennant's best-of recommendation lists.
One of my all time favs and a wonderful behind the curtain peak into Kdrama production.

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Be Melodramatic is already on my watch list; thanks for the endorsement.

I didn’t get past episode 1 of Awaken, but it may just have been my mood at the time. I wouldn’t rule out revisiting it. I’m currently on episode 11 of Mr. Queen, which I had previously dropped, but decided to give another try based on Dramabeans ratings and comments. I’m liking it more than I did the first go-round, but I can’t say I’m LOVING it. Shin Hye-Sun gives a knockout performance, but I really miss Choi Jin-Hyuk after the body switch!

I read about Prison Playbook being dropped the day before the end date. It was marked “expired” shortly thereafter, but now it’s back! I’ve already seen it, but planned to rewatch at some point, which I rarely do. Highly recommended.

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Be Melodramatic was okay if you like a campy tone. If I had to give an audial rating, it would be the very sharp noises used in the drama (partial spoiler alert).

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Honestly, is nothing taboo or sacred anymore? I've never heard of this drama, but I can't believe it was even made.

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I also put Ireland on my watch list, but reading these comments, maybe not....

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DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! I only watched it for Hyun Bin and i regret it so much that i wanted to end myself. it is the worst drama i have ever seen in my life. Please spare yourself the pain of watching this drama.

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There's something I'm really curious about. Some actors who were really popular in the past like Won Bin and Bae Yong-jun don't work anymore. What actually is the reason?

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There's this phenomenon in American entertainment were an aging star enters a difficult phrase of their career where they're too old to play the hot protagonist but they're not old enough to be a character actor playing judges and presidents. So the roles dry up. In K-dramas you see the same three actors playing the father in series after series. Sticking an ex idol star in a 'dad' role may be awkward.

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BYJ retired to set up his own entertainment agency (and was kinda successful at it for a while, then things happened and company got acquired by a much bigger fish. he still works there, I think) while Won Bin constantly teases his fans with "I'd love to make a comeback if I'm given a good script"... and continues to only appear in nicely paid CFs. Knetz love to discuss how they envy his work-free rich life and would've totally do the same - aka nothing - if they were in his shoes)))

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Are there any dramas that you would love to see a sequel to but set many years later? For me I would love to see a 15-20 years later Coffee Prince.

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@db-staff

I don't know why but lately the website is slow to load when it didn't fail in the process.

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