Tgirl

Hi everyone,

I'm curious about Asian TV series (Korean, Taiwan etc) but have never watched any. I'd like to buy some, but haven't a clue which ones or where to shop. Would you have any suggestions for me? I'm in Australia and have seen them for sale on eBay.au, but don't want to accidentally buy pirated ones. How do I tell if they are official releases?

Many thanks,

Tgirl

toddly6666

There was a tv series based on Crouching Tiger story (http://www.yesasia.com/us/new-crouch...0-en/info.html). I don't know if it's any good though.

Most of the period piece soap operas look pretty damn entertaining. I'm not so sure about the contemporary stuff though - they look a bit annoying and too melodramatic.

It's nice that most Asian TV series have English subtitles on their dvds.

DVDude!

Fox With Nine Tails (aka Forbidden Love) is a Korean TV series. I've been waiting to find it on eBay. Here's the link for more info:

http://www.asiandb.com/store/detail.pfm?num=4633

Tgirl

DVDude, I took your advice and bought Forbidden Love - it sounds very interesting. I bought it on eBay, I so hope it's not a pirated copy.

Thanks,

Tgirl

DVDude!

No problem. Which version did you get? There are several versions and I'm always wary of eBay due to bootlegs. There's one on there now for $34.95 plus S&H that I'm considering.

Tgirl

Oh dear, the one I bought was only US$18 plus US$5 shipping to Australia. I didn't know there were different versions, gah. This is what it said in the description:

Item Number: 120568466806

'This is Korean drama Forbidden Love (8 discs, 16 episodes) and special features. This is the complete full version of the whole movie. The item is sold in a box set. The disc is DVD-9.

Language: Chinese and Korean
Subtitle:Chinese and English'

I just typed 'Forbidden Love' into the eBay search engine, I didn't see any that were $34.95.

Normally I buy US/UK TV series from the big companies like Amazon or DD, I don't trust eBay for those. Have I bought a pirated one by mistake?

Thanks,

Tgirl

DVDude!

I hadn't seen that one until yesterday, as a matter of fact. Since it's Chinese and inexpensive, I'm guessing that it may be a bootleg. A good indication is to check reputable sites and if it doesn't show up there, it's either out of print or a bootleg. I just checked DDDhouse.com and a couple of others and I didn't see that one listed. DDDhouse.com is a reputable site (or at least it used to be) for Chinese DVDs. I hope it's not a bootleg though!

I don't think we're supposed to link to eBay auctions, but here's the item number of the one for $34.95: 280458100797. The pic is of a legit release, but I've got an inquiry in to the seller regarding whether or not it's a bootleg. Some will lie, of course.

EDIT: I just noticed that the auction has a link to their site with many of the same items: http://www.importedinventions.com/fo...ma-series.html. There doesn't seem to be anything that's a bootleg--if the covers are legit, of course. It doesn't help you out if you bought a bootleg, but you might be able to dispute it if you did and order from here. I'm still hoping that they'll respond to my question; if no response, it's not necessarily an indication of it being a bootleg.

Anyone ever ordered from these guys? http://www.importedinventions.com/

logboy

theres quite a lot of asian tv series released on cheap sets in malaysia - again, english and chinese subs on these sets - but malay discs have a bad reputation for the quality of subtitles. i'd suggest, since the Q is generally about asian countries, that focussing on each country individually will help. for example : korea issues very well-subtitled discs and there's one or two good korean companies with english sites to buy from (plus yesasia) and you should find plenty of reviews, information, recommendations on korean TV on specific sites (which i can't point do - don't follow the stuff).

http://www.k2dvd.com/
http://www.seoulselection.com/ (DVDs within bookshop section)
http://www.yesasia.com/global/en/tv-series-dramas.html

flixtime

If you want to sample some Korean TV shows without having to buy/rent the DVDs, maybe try some viewing online over at dramafever.com. The site offers a nice selection of shows and they are English-subbed.

squidget

^ this. I use drama fever because I'm a K-Drama addict. It's a good site and the prices are godo compared to buying sets. If you must buy Yes Asia is somewhat reasonable and they do offer free international shipping.

If you are new to the K-Drama scene, shows I recommend are:
Winter Sonata
Jewel in the Palace
My lovely sam-soon
Damo
All In (starring the ever so dreamy byung-hun lee)
Boys over flowers

newginafets

I love Korean/Taiwanese TV series, yess they are mostly melodramatic but that's what i'm looking for

Endless Love/Autumn in My Heart
Full House
My Girl

Tgirl

Thanks for the recommendations, I will look into them. There are so many series it's hard to know where to start, but now at least I have a few to consider.

Thanks again,

Tgirl

Tgirl

I just received the Forbidden Love set I ordered from eBay. I have no experience with pirated dvds, so I'm not sure what to look for, but this set looks like the real thing. Is there something that would tell me for sure?

Thanks,

Tgirl

newginafets

is there another show called Boys over Flowers or is it the same with Boys Before Flowers?

btw, i don't really know how to spot pirated DVDs, maybe try putting the UPC number?

divemaster

YesAsia has frequent sales on Korean TV box sets. Anything form 20 - 80% off retail. I've picked up a few. They often have sets designed especially for the U.S. market, meaing the English subs are good and easy to read (and no Chinese subs getting in the way). I highly recommend YesAsia.

I very much enjoyed All-in. My Lovely Sam-Soon is great. Very funny and a good romance with drama. I'm watching this for the second time this month.

My wife begged my to buy Damo, which I did. She enjoyed it immensely but I've yet to watch it. We're watching Happy Together right now as well. This does not show up on the IMDb, but it stars "the ever so dreamy byung-hun lee" (as an above poster described him LOL) as well as as Ji-hyun Jun and Tae-hyun Cha (the couple from My Sassy Girl) and Ha-Neul Kim (Ditto, My Tutor Friend). I'm about halfway through the series and am enjoying it.

Which brings me to Stairway to Heaven. Absolutely a 5-star rating. I finished this series last month and I must say I've never been as emotionally invested in a work of fiction (TV, movie, book) as this series. It's gut-wrenching. Two episodes at a time was all I could take. It's just that you care so much for the people involved, and the "bad guys" (in this case, a stepmother and her daughter) are perhaps the two most evil and reprehensible people I've ever seen on the screen. If you like Korean melodrama romance, you must watch this.

squidget

I think its the same - different places have different titles. In regards to pirated dvds, the ones I've seen are pretty obvious. The DVD label itself looks cheap and logos look muted.

squidget

I'll have to watch Happy Together, I do love byung-hun lee (side note, he was great in the good, the bad, the weird.)

newginafets

Oh yeah, Love Story in Harvard is good too.

Tgirl

I just ordered the complete Jewel In The Palace from YesAsia, even after a discount it's not cheap. Ah well we only live once... It sure sounds like an interesting costume drama. YesAsia has different pricing depending on where you live, I was wanting to get My Lovely Sam-Soon but it's expensive to Australia.

Tgirl