Asian Addicts Anonymous

Happy belated 4th of July if you live in the US! I hope everyone had a happy and safe holiday. Instead of marathoning Asian dramas like I have been doing, I watched UK series Kiss Me First in its entirety on Netflix. Confused as hell and disappointed and yet still craving a second season. If you like game dramas, it might be good for you, especially if you like the relationships between people and a messed up sociopath…or would Adrian be a psychopath? Don’t know.

Okay, sooooo, Netflix search features have become nicer. I am not necessarily talking title-wise, because you do wonder about some of the “official” English titles being employed, but by country! I just learned this today. I am happy. Makes my life easier! Try it. Just search for the name of the country. Movies and television series will pop up and they even have refined searches so you can look for dramas, etc. Sure, it depends if the metadata is tagged correctly still, but better than nothing. Yes, some of these dramas I am mentioning have actually been around for awhile, but I am just discovering their existence now due to the new search function. Enjoy.

After bringing in a few Club Friday segments, they have brought the entirety of the 7th series. This series contains 7 mini dramas (i.e. 4-5 episodes each). This series by GMM25 is inspired by a real radio show called Club Friday. It is now in its 8th series, plus there’ve been unnumbered ones like To Be Continued, etc. And, if you didn’t know yet, Netflix has added the third season of Thai drama Hormones.

Looking for something a little less heavy? Accidental Daddy is part of Thai drama Love Rhythms The Series. A popular DJ’s life is turned upside when a young woman turns up claiming to be his daughter. The drama stars popular Thai comedian Udom Taephanit. Or check out the two seasons of Thai sitcom Ha Unlimited starring Tuck Boriboon, Ball Chernyum, and Na’Kom Chuanchuen. Three comedians start a company designed to spread happiness across Thailand.

Mr. Sunshine’s streaming debut is 2 days away in the US! The drama stars Lee Byung Hun, Kim Tae Ri, and Yoo Yeon Seok. A man returns to his Korean homeland from the US at a historical turning point and falls in love with a noble woman. This drama is by the creators of Gong Yoo’s Goblin.

Are you into youth musicals? Our Shining Days (Shanguang Shaonu, 2017) stars Xu Lu, Peng Yuchang, Liu Yongxi, Li Nuo, Lu Zhaohua, Han Zhongyu, Luo Mingjie, Chen Yusi, Eason Chan, Yan Ni, and Geng Le. The movie focuses on a musical high school which has two orchestra that do not get along—one focused on traditional Chinese instruments and the other on classical music. One girl could care less about the rivalry until she falls for a piano player who looks down on traditional music. She forms her own band to show its value only to be rejected.

King of Peking stars Zhao Jun, Wang Naixun, and Han Qing and follows the strained relationship of a traveling projectionist who begins a DVD pirating business and his young, skeptical son.

Interested in Malaysian dramas where they are speaking Malay versus Mandarin? Check out Tundukkan Playboy Itu about a playboy under pressure from his parents to settle down who finds himself falling for a woman like no one he’s ever met. Love and contempt collide when a self-sufficient architect is forced to work with a snobbish industrialist in Hati Perempuan. Dhia Sofea follows a young woman who embarks on a quest to connect with her biological mother after learning of her adoption as an infant. Sort of in the same vein, we have Dawai Asmara where two girls from very different backgrounds fight to discover who their biological parents are.

In Akulah Balqis, a little girl must enter an orphanage after her parents are arrested. She later escapes and finds her life taking a dramatic turn when she meets a model. A man flees his wife’s infidelity by moving to Sarajevo in Satu Hari. Just as he finds love once again he is forced to choose between his new life and old. Two young people trying to better their lives meet in Kuala Lumpur in Padamu Aku Bersujud.

When his father passes away, teen Wadi struggles with family, work, and love in Wadi. Mak Cun focuses on a woman with an entrepreneurial spirit who launches a beauty cream business that helps to inspire other women to take chances. Spain Uoolss’s story continues in Ajaibnya Cinta where a young graduate returns home and finds himself involved with four different women.

Coming to the US on July 20 we have a new drama starring Nakao Akiyoshi, Tamayama Tetsuji, and Onoue Hiroyuki called Jimmy ~The True Story of a True Idiot~. The drama follows a simple-minded fool in 1980s Japan who becomes a comedic superstar after meeting comedy legend Sanma. Then, on August 1 we have Japanese drama SWITCHED starring Shigeoka Daiki, Kamiyama Tomohiro, Kiyohara Kaya, and Tomita Miu. I have seen the trailer for this and was definitely intrigued. A popular and pretty girl switches bodies with an unpopular classmate, but nobody will believe her. Really, I liked the premise. Our popular girl has two childhood friends, one of whom becomes her boyfriend. Unfortunately her boyfriend doesn’t want her in the chubby classmate’s body while her other friend does his best to help her. Kind of the typical what matters more—looks or personality. I tried to find the trailer or MV that I watched on YouTube, but I couldn’t. Drat.

If you’re in love with Terrace House: Opening New Doors, Season 3 is starting July 31!

Taiwanese drama Bardo was announced back in August of 2017, but there is no news on its exact release date yet. This is an eight episode drama following the journey of a man awaiting execution who escapes from prison to protect his family only to find himself a pawn in a much larger game. I’ll keep you updated if I find out an official release date.