After months of seeing @brandon watching 솔로지옥 | L25?? in the activity log, I decided to start watching it. I hadn’t watched any reality TV in a hot minute, but at least it being in Korean makes it slightly more interesting. I still can’t get over the fact that they cast 5 guys and 4 girls though, they’re basically setting one of them up for failure from the beginning.
So far, I’ve noticed a lot of things related to intonation. Some of the girls have a really girly sounding intonation, that I hear occasionally but never this much. So that was interesting. I’ve also learned a lot of words related to dating already. I have a feeling that the more I watch this, the easier to understand it will get, as it is pretty repetitive.
Now, time for a bad not exactly pick up line from the show:
AB형이죠?
저요?
네, AB형이죠?
아니요.
뭔데?
나 인형.
Yep, that really is a conversation that happens . I have no idea if it’s actually a common wordplay, but to dare to say something like that, I could never.
It is. You will also learn every ‘filler’ word under the sun, as people are talking about their feelings and stumble through sentences, unsure what to say. It can also make seemingly simple sentences a little hard to understand, as the exact nuance carries a lot of weight.
Regardless, the vocabulary is probably the easiest i’ve found on television, outside children’s shows! And you get some cultural knowledge, as everyone knows 솔로지옥. There was quite a bit of drama around one of the contestants in season one, i’ll leave you to guess who ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
I tried watching SpongeBob, but I found the voices hard to understand. Obviously it doesn’t help that I couldn’t find a version with Korean subtitles (why, Netflix, why?) so I’m watching it with no subs, but it’s really not as easy to understand as I expected. Vocab is easy, sure, but the voice acting is really throwing me off.
I continue to watch the new 아바타: 아앙의 전설 S1 | L30?? on Netflix with dubs and subs. Since I have language reactor premium, I get the actual subs of the dubs via asr (machine learning), which seem very accurate surprisingly.
The show itself is ok and quite easy! Much easier than 장송의 프리렌 S1 | L28 which good lord had a lot of magic battle terms this episode . That show also doesn’t have korean dubs, which is very sad.
I continue to try to look for a live action korean show that strikes my interest, but most of them are way more difficult in my experience than avatar.
열여덟의 순간 S1 | L29?? | Natively - Although I just started watching it recently, I was considering dropping it because the first couple of episodes just felt too slow and boring, but it has started to improve.
I only have one episode left of 열여덟의 순간 S1 | L29?? - I binged most of the episodes over the past couple of days while knitting a pair of socks (haven’t even finished the first sock yet, I’m very slow ). It took a while to get into it, but it has turned into a great drama - I even shed a few tears at some episodes… Hopefully I’ll finish it tonight and write a review.
In other news, I’ve passed the 1k mark for contributed books and videos for Korean!
I’ve just started 연애혁명 S1 | L30??, an adaption of a comic, 연애혁명 | L30??. It’s incredibly silly and funny - the end of episode 1 had me in stitches!
I’ve also watched a bit of 안나라수마나라 S1 | L31??, which is another adaption of a comic - 안나라수마나라 시리즈 | L24??. Was not expecting the first episode to open with a musical number, but I loved it!
I finished the first episode of 안나라수마나라 S1 | L31?? - I’m not sure it could be classed as a musical, since there were only 3 songs in an hour-long episode, but it is indeed very magical.
Watched some more of 연애혁명 S1 | L30?? - I thought the cartoonish effects would be annoying after a while, but I’m finding myself missing them during the (slightly) more serious scenes. I’m hoping the female lead thaws out soon though, because that girl is ice!
I finished watching 연애혁명 S1 | L27??, which I enjoyed. I’m sad there isn’t a second season, but I’m planning to read the original webtoon at some point to find out the rest of the story (the main couple’s relationship in the show finishes at a satisfying place, but the other characters’ stories don’t).
I also recently watched 추억의 마니 | L25 which was lovely and touching. I really want to read the original novel - unfortunately it doesn’t seem to have been translated into Korean, which is a bit disappointing.
Those shows where only the first couple episodes have subtitles on Viki are the bane of my existence. I feel tricked everytime this happens, because my listening comprehension is still at a level where I need some Korean subs for most shows.
So true. I think it’s because Viki only provides English subs and everything else is translated by volunteers (which seems unethical since Viki profits financially from unpaid labour, and I’m sure it’s illegal in the EU).
Other services like Netflix and Disney+ don’t have that problem, so they’re safer if you want full subs rather than taking a gamble with Viki.
IIRC the translators get a free membership, so that may be how they get around some legal snags, but I’m not a lawyer and certainly not a European one. I also think Viki has volunteer translators for English too, unless they changed things since I last looked at their program.
I’m mostly just salty knowing that closed captioning exists for many of their Japanese shows (can’t speak to other countries) and they’re choosing not to license it.
I finished watching 안나라수마나라 S1 | L27??, which was amazing!! The webtoon is definitely going on my to-read list, and I’ll have to check out 지창욱’s other dramas because I’m a little in love with him now.
I’ve just started watching 멀리서 보면 푸른 봄 S1 | L30?? - I can’t comment on the plot yet, but I’m not convinced by 박지훈’s acting… His role in 연애혁명 S1 | L27?? was perfect because the character seemed to have basically the same personality as him (or at least how he acts in reality shows, behind the scenes, etc): cheerful, playful, and full of 애교. He just doesn’t suit the cool/bad boy type of role… I dunno, maybe I’ll change my mind once I’ve watched a bit more.
Also, I keep waking up with the songs from 안나라수마나라 S1 | L27?? playing in my head… Not that I’m complaining!
ETA: Discourse isn’t letting me post again, so I’ll have to settle for an edit.
Since I wanted to see more of 지창욱’s work, I decided to start watching 웰컴투 삼달리 S1 | L27??. His character’s mother is a 해녀, which seems like a fascinating occupation, so I’m hoping we see a lot of diving footage. The drama is set in 제주, and the scenery is gorgeous - if nothing else, the show will definitely be a visual treat.
I noticed in the credits that they thank the author of 엄마는 해녀입니다 | L15; I’m guessing they used a quote from the story. Another book to add to my to-read list!
I thought I’d diversify the type of shows I’m watching, so over the past few days I’ve been watching old episodes of 아는 형님 | L29??. There was a time when I was obsessed with the show, but I haven’t watched it for quite a while. It makes a change from all the scripted shows, anyway. I keep finding myself smiling and laughing to the point that my face hurts…
I also started 보이즈보이스 S1 | L30??, which is a reality show following some voice actors as they prepare for their roles in the audio adaption of a BL webtoon (범을 길들이는 요령). It features 한기찬, who was the lead in 너의 시선이 머무는 곳에 S1 | L27??, which I really enjoyed. I have high hopes for this.
I just watched a kid’s show, 시크릿 쥬쥬, following a group of magical girls (fairies) fighting against witches. The episodes were only 10 minutes each, so it was easy to watch, with lots of repeating vocabulary. It was a nice bridge from Didi’s podcasts to actual native media! I’m excited to move into web dramas next.
. I have no idea if it’s actually a common wordplay, but to dare to say something like that, I could never.
. That show also doesn’t have korean dubs, which is very sad.
). It took a while to get into it, but it has turned into a great drama - I even shed a few tears at some episodes… 
Hopefully I’ll finish it tonight and write a review.
The webtoon is definitely going on my to-read list, and I’ll have to check out 지창욱’s other dramas because I’m a little in love with him now. 
