AfterNoona Delight: KDrama Dishing and Deep Dives

Let's be real...Afternoona Delight Podcast needs more sageuk content! Resident historical co-host, Lia Riley, joins forces with Sarah from Kdrama This, to wallow in The King's Affection. This 2021 Netflix Korean Drama blesses us with a most excellent beta hero (Rowoon), a crown prince who is secretly a woman yet has THE BEST BDE (Park Eun-bi), and yet another second male lead smoking hot cousin (N...

A much-requested listener topic has been for us to discuss our favorite mature heroes (we debate what age we consider mature), and we aim to please. Get into all the hot ahjussi talk with us, and of course there is more Ahn Oh Ju talk, because it wouldn't be mature hero thirsting without our favorite complicated villain.  Kpop Rec: Devil by Max Changmin Book Rec with a mature hero: Gray Hair Don't...

All any of us want out of life is to be happy...even if we're quarantined in an apartment building as neighbors slowly contract "madman rabies," a zombie-like virus. Join us as we compare quarantine food lists, find out which one of us is best prepared for the apocalypse (of course it's Lea), and share why all it takes to help us understand science is--a Power Point. It's Happiness, folks, and we...

Megan and her daughter give a recap on seeing Ateez live in New Jersey. We fangirl over Mingi, give props to the venue for a smooth experience, and confirm we'd do it all again in a heartbeat. Atinys for life! (Excuse some minor and brief sound issues. Recording with an eight-year-old is hard.) Kpop Rec: Star 1117 by Ateez Are your family and friends sick of you talking about K-drama? We get it......

We love quirk, and fortunately, Kdramas are full of it. We discuss Mad For Each Other, a 2021 Netflix drama with unconventional leads and surprising depth while also discussing some of our other favorite quirky Kdramas. We also get a little quirky with our humor, because hey, it's been a long week. Laugh with us! Kpop Rec: Hard Carry by GOT7 Book Rec with Quirk Rock Bottom Girl by Lucy Score Are y...

My Name is one of Netflix's newer K-drama offerings and takes a compelling look at the complex psychology of revenge. The compact eight-episode series is structured more like a novella and while it's grounded in some predictable gangster plot points, Han So-hee, Ahn Bo-hyun, Chang Ryul and Park Hee-soon bring character nuance to an otherwise brutal saga. If you have a hard time with violent crime...

We tried, folks. We really did. But our highly anticipated first drama of the new year, sadly, did not live up to our expectations. While this drama is visually stunning, a masterpiece of cinematography, we just needed so much more from the story and characterization. Join us on a journey to find out why this drama is all at once binge-worthy but also a hot mess of every sci-fi trope imaginable. ...

We rewatch some of our top dramas (Goblin, Healer, and Reply 1988) and discuss why we like them using the popular T. Taylor book, 7 Figure Fiction: How to Use Universal Fantasies to Sell Your Books to Anyone. Yes, we explain what Universal Fantasies are and how you can use them to determine which K-dramas will appeal to you. And why sometimes we like to indulge in a fantasy about being whisked awa...

Full deep dive to come, but we had to pop in to give you our initial reaction to the first episode of this highly anticipated drama. Will there be Imugi eggs at the Balhae Lunar Research Station? We can't be too sure. What we do know is this: The moon is full of canyons that lead to the abyss, a five-year-old sample of SOMETHING, and quite possibly--tigers. We'll see you again after episode 8, but...

Join your AfterNoonas for an episode where we discuss our favorite podcasting moments, Kdramas tropes that we loved the most in 2021, and our hope for next year, both in podcasting and Kdrama watching.  Kpop Rec: The Real (Heung version) by Ateez ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Afternoona Delight attended Day 3 of BTS's Permission to Dance concert at SoFi stadium in Los Angeles and watched the Bangtan Boys bring the fire and set the night alight. How did seven guys from South Korea make a sold out stadium of 50,000+ feel intimate and connected? Did the spectacle live up to the hype? Special guests include concert goers Bronte (Lia's eleven year old daughter and new ARMY)...

We deep dive into Go Back Couple, a listener-recommended drama that we all loved and consider an underrated gem. We explain why a certain scene is surprisingly one of the most romantic we've seen in a K-drama, sympathize with tired mom Jin Joo, and get a little personal. Join us! Kpop Rec: Happy Death Day by Xdinary Heroes Book rec with a second chance at love: Last First Kiss by Lia Riley Join us...

We're back at Yulje Medical center with our fab five doctor-musician-besties and the rest of the amazing ensemble cast of Hospital Playlist. We've got more Crocs, more surgeries, more music, tons more love for one of our favorite dramas, and-- some unexpected Phil Collins fangirling? Welcome to part two of our Hospital Playlist deep dive.  K-pop Rec: Very Good by Block B Join us on Patreon at http...

Welcome to part one of two as we deep dive the feel good, slice of life drama that has all things we never knew we loved--surgeries and singing--in a Kdrama. That's right folks, it's Hospital Playlist, and all three of us adored both seasons of this drama so much that one episode was not enough to do it justice. So sit back, kick off your Crocs, and join us on the first part of our journey to Yulj...

With special guest listener Sarah, we deep dive into the popular 2021 K-drama Hometown Cha Cha Cha. We discuss why this drama nailed the pacing, how it gave us so many amazing romance tropes, and why it's one of our favorite small-town romance dramas to date. Follow Sarah on instagram for drama reviews and recs @kdramathis K-rec: Korean food blog: https://www.koreanbapsang.com/ K-romance book rec...

Lia interviews dentist Dr. Charlene Lim about Hometown Cha Cha Cha's choice to make Yoon Hye-jin a dentist. Learn what the drama got right, and where there was a little creative license (ahem, extensive Hermes purse collection). Also we touch on Kdrama fandom life in the Philippines and how watching dentistry get practiced in Covid-free Gongjin provided lovely escapism. ★ Support this podcast on P...

We dig into Start-Up, the divisive 2020 drama with a flipped Cyrano trope starring Nam Joo-Hyuk and Bae Suzy. Megan explains why Nam Do San resonated with her so much, and we discuss why we found Good Boy's story arc to be satisfying, while recognizing there are many who don't agree. Get into it with us! Kpop Rec: Good-bye Baby by Miss A Book rec: The Court series by Sarah J. Maas ★ Support this p...

We are excited to welcome our guest Corinne from Love. Sex. Literature Podcast as we explore our favorite kiss scenes in Kdramas, our favorite actors who know how to make a great on-screen lip-lock, and everything in between. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Afternoona Delight is back with another installment of our Second Male Lead SOS because our poor, lovelorn SMLs deserve their own happily ever afters. Naturally, we heeded the call and--we wrote them! So sit back, relax, and listen as Gye Sun-woo (My Roommate is a Gumiho), Choi Young-do (Heirs/Inheritors), and Good Boy aka Han Ji-pyeong (Start-Up) all get their long overdue HEAs.  K-pop Rec: "Stic...

In our first Halloween special, we discuss the 2020 mystery drama Zombie Detective, starring Choi Jin-hyuk as the hottest zombie we've ever seen. This episode goes a little off the rails, so stick with us and go along for the ride. (As always, it's Lia's fault.) Kpop Rec: Bad Love by Key ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

We discuss why the 2020 Kdrama Into the Ring is a hidden gem with a fantastic beta hero and an alpha heroine. We explain why this drama is about so much more than small-town politics and get into our favorite scenes as well as why Koo Se-Ra's hair is its own character. Kpop rec: Deja Vu by Ateez Book rec with a beto hero: A Girl Like Her by Talia Hibbert ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Secretary Kim gave us incredibly chemistry, Park Seo Joon as a narcissistic but damaged chaebol, and Park Min Young as a capable secretary with unlimited pencil skirts. We get into all the sexual tension, crazy backstory, and humor of this 2018 drama. Kpop Rec: Thrill Ride by The Boyz Romance book rec with a untouchable CEO: Into My Arms by Lia Riley ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Squid Game. Everyone and their pet cat is talking about this drama that’s taking the world—and TikTok by storm. So what is it? Over-hyped horror? Compelling capitalism cautionary tale? We dig into how the creator worked to bring this story to the small screen for almost a decade, how it adheres to horror conventions and why it’s breaking out stars left and right. We never want to play tug of war a...

Over the course of our Kdrama watching, we have made a list of references that we want to understand better, so we dedicated an episode to a little research! We give some background info on soju tents, bank books, the Go game, as well as some questions asked by listeners. We turn the lens on ourselves as well and highlight some very American things that make other countries scratch their heads.  K...

The 2017 action film Midnight Runners has everything we love about buddy cop movies: Action, comedy, some sweaty abs, and big sticks. We dive into what made it fun, talk about how there are some important underlying lessons, and discuss why we'd watch the duo of Park Seo Joon and Kang Ha Neul in just about anything. Kpop rec: What Type of X by Jessi Romance book abut law enforcement: Something Abo...