This video is beautiful and captures so much what I loved about CLOY. I loved the true relationship and love development, great scenery, acting, music, etc. And very strong subplot of the 4 soldiers and the townswomen (who I did not appreciate at first). Any of the many many kromaces I’ve tried are too silly, and all characters have been in high school over very young professionals. There’s also a fair about of alpha male being particularly unkind to the eventual love interest. Any hope for me? |
Okay this is fun. Let's see what I can do. I hope others will add to my list.
1. Hyun Bin is super good looking by all world standards. It’s like I’ve been hit in the head. Had no idea he existed. Agree Hyun Bin is lovely. He's also in Memories of the Alhambra which is another Netflix production, but I haven't seen it. It seems pretty niche because it's about some virtual reality world his character creates. I've read the ending is a little disappointing. Some other Korean actors I personally find "super good looking by all world standards": - Ji Chang Wook ("Healer" - this show is objectively so good, I think it's up there with Crash Landing for overall quality - this is my favorite show ever, period.) - Lee Dong Wook (This dude is gorgeous, I don't care who you are. Recommend him in "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God" where he was secondary but stole the show, or "The Scent of a Woman" which is a heartbreaking and beautiful story that's a bit older.) - Junho (Recommend him in "Just Between Lovers" - this show is objectively so damn good. It's heavier and based on a real trajedy that occurred in Korea when a mall collapsed. Strongly recommend this show for overall quality and the romance is also beautiful.) - Park Seo Joon (His characters are somehow always a combination of goofy and sexy - "Fight My Way" on Netflix is a great coming of age story, I think this one is objectively really good, with an overall light vibe.) - So Ji Sub ("Oh My Venus" - this is a mostly light romantic comedy, cheesy at times but very cute, also swoony at times. I find this to be more of a guilty pleasure type of show.) - Park Hyung Sik ("Strong Woman Do Bong Soon" - also mostly light romantic comedy, this one has an odd premise but everyone I know who's watched it really liked it.) - Park Bo Gum ("Encounter" is a mostly aesthetic show in my opinion, watching two really beautiful people fall in love, in really beautiful scenario with really beautiful cinematography. It's more about the visual experience than the story.) All of the above shows are available to watch on Viki. 2. The scenes in the Korean village are an immersive experience. It’s fascinating. The dialogues and acting of Captain Ri’s squad, and the village women are funny. Episodes 1-9 were my favorite. - For similarly immersive experience and just an overall excellent show, you may enjoy Reply 1988. It's on Netflix currently. The whole Reply series is great (there are three), but I would start with this one. This one shows the tightknit relationships of families who all live on the same street in the 1980's, and the families' experiences and hardships and the kids growing up together. The feeling of nostalgia is unreal with this show. One of the North Korean women in Crash Landing is one of the moms in Reply 1988. She's a gem in both shows. 3. The heroine’s beauty is not comparable to the hero’s but she is a good actress and their ying yang in the drama and on-screen chemistry is good. - All of the shows I mentioned above have really great female leads and great chemistry. Particularly in Healer, the chemistry is off the charts. Some others that stand out for chemistry is Weightlifting Fairy, It's Okay That's Love, Search WWW, 20th Century Boy & Girl, Live Up To Your Name, I Need Romance 3. 4. The focus on the smallest details. I’ve watched the hair tying scene 7 times. - I think you'll see this in most decedent kdramas. I just finished Start Up (also amazing chemistry) on Netflix and there was a scene I also watched about 7 times where the guy puts the girl's hair behind her ear. (How anonymous am I on this forum? This is not something I would ever admit out loud.) This is something I really miss when I watch American tv now. I feel like, where are all the lovely details? 5. How a deep romance can be portrayed without sex. - Also a hallmark of most decent kdrama romances. You'll find that with all of those I listed above. 6. The respect for women. Kind of cheesy. But adds to the escapist elements in the drama. - Same across *most* kdramas, except in some older ones where there were some pretty sexist tropes in my opinion, like grabbing a girl's arm and not letting her leave, or trying to convey sexiness with forcefulness. Not a fan of that, but I've noticed it's quickly disappearing in newer shows. I don't see it much anymore. Totally agree that it's escapist and lovely. I think you'll see this in all of the shows I mentioned above too. Lastly, some that I'd mention purely based on their especially beautiful cinematography: - Goblin - Descendants of the Sun - Mr. Sunshine - Chicago Typewriter - Encounter - Tomorrow With You - When the Weather is Fine |
I'm not sure, but here are some thoughts. You would probably not enjoy the "light romantic comedy" ones I described in my long post. Some that are less silly / more serious with perhaps more mature characters and more serious themes: It's Okay, That's Love Live Up To Your Name Mr. Sunshine (this one can be a lot to follow, historically - if the history isn't of interest, I would pass) Tomorrow With You (it's been a long time since I watched this one, but I recall that it was lovely and more mature) Healer (the main characters are in their 20's, but the story is equally about older characters and their family histories) Scent of a Woman |
NP...to the PP at 21:20...thanks for the recommendations |
Thanks for this. I’m a pp not looking for silly, but I’ll give your recommendations a try. Thanks! |
I loved Hyun Bin in CL. A lot. But was shocked at how almost average he looked to me in Memories of Alhambra. I wondered if he bulked up for his role as Captain Ri. It was enough or me to give up on Memories (and the unusual game plot did not interest me). |
He said he did bulk up because he needed to look like a special forces soldier who could protect SeRi. He has become more of an action movie star, so I think he will keep this bulked up physique. I saw a clip of his new movie, and he looks great! I think he is looking better with age, also. |
|
Mostly agree with 1-6 Regarding #3: I thought the female lead was charming and very pretty. She and Hyun Bin seemed so perfect together. I also loved 7. The scenery in Switzerland which was beautiful. 8. The soundtrack 9. The humor built into the dialogue |
Thank you for your detailed response to my post! I really appreciate it! Right now I’m in Crash Landing re-run heaven. |
I love they way they include the reference to eating Ramen together. “There are social implications” (Netflix and Chill) and she just looks at him blankly. |
Ha, I love that too. One thing I've noticed with Netflix translations is sadly they write over a lot of Korean language nuance that is really endearing. On Viki, the subtitles are better about capturing and explaining jokes, and using actual Korean words that are really easy to pick up on after you see them explained once (ie: "oppa", "noona", "ahjumma"). Viki subtitles will note if someone drops formality in their language, for instance, and unless the characters explicitly talk about it, Netflix rarely notes those details. I noticed in a recent show I watched that a charater referred to an older woman as "grandmother" for the entire show, and the subtitles referred to her as "Mrs. _____" the whole time. |
I've noticed that Netflix does that too (with the honorifics), I wish they were more clear! Its a big deal! Wish I had Viki. |
I don’t speak Korean but I think English is one of the few languages that doesn’t discern between levels of of politeness. Even Spanish has two levels and many others have three or more. I think it would be difficult to convey that concept to the American audience no? They are clueless. Even watching a drama that is not about white people is out of their comfort zone..... |
A lot of shows are free on Viki, including some very popular ones, like Goblin (aka Guardian: The Lonely and Great God). Always worth checking. CLOY and other Netflix "originals" will only ever be on Netflix, though. |