MsLatte’s Daebak Cybercafé (kdrama #8)

[boatyardblues]

A quiet corner of MN for serious addicts of Kdrama, or the Kdrama-curious. (MsLatte is a Her Private Life reference.) Most of our viewing is drawn from Netflix and Viki, with a sprinkling of Dramabus (non subscription, maybe dodgy) and AmazonPrime.

The previous thread is here, but our ‘Addicts Recommend’ list below is cumulative so includes recommendations and favourites from all previous threads.

Shows marked with asterisk(s) are more uniformly loved or admired. In categorising series, its important to note most Korean dramas have multiple strands - e.g. supernatural, romance and a thriller; crime series with fantasy elements. Genre-busting mash-ups are normal. Series that are tagged as dark may also have moments of comedy or the absurd, likewise fluff can have heavier moments. View the categories below as best approximate & ask if you need guidance, eg about suitability for younger teens.

Comedy (with a side order of absurd)
I picked up a celebrity on the street (Viki)
My Fellow Citizens (Viki)

Crime/Thriller
Come and Hug Me (Dramafast)
Healer (Netflix)*
Heartless City (Viki)
He is Psychometric (Viki)
I Hear Your Voice (Netflix /Viki)
Life on Mars (classy remake of BBC series, Dramafast)
Live (Netflix)
Pride & Prejudice (Netflix)*
Prison Playbook (Netflix)*
Suspicious Partner (Netflix)*

Historical/Period drama (“sageuk”)
Crowned Clown (Viki)
Mr Sunshine (Netflix)

Romance - lighter & fluffier
Beating Again (Netflix)
Coffee Prince (Netflix)
Don’t Dare to Dream (Netflix, or as Jealousy Incarnate on Viki)*
Happy Once Again (Netflix)
Her Private Life (Viki)*
His Master’s Sun (Netflix)
Love from a Star (Netflix)*
Pinocchio (Netflix)
Radio Romance (Netflix)
Romance is the Bonus Book (Netflix)**
She Was Pretty (Dramabus/Netflix)*
The Beauty Inside (Viki/Netflix)
Thirty Not Seventeen (Viki)
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo (Netflix/Viki)
What’s Up With Secretary Kim (Viki)**
You are my Destiny (Netflix)

Romance - heavier weight/more grown up themes
Because This Is My First Life (Viki)*
Chicago Typewriter (Viki)*
Descendants of the Sun (Viki)
Fight For My Way (Viki/Drama bus)*
Just Between Lovers (Viki)**
My Strange Hero (Viki)
One Spring Night (Netflix)
Red Carpet - film (Netflix, very adult content)
Search: WWW (Viki)*
Something in the Rain (Netflix)
The Package (Viki)

Supernatural/zombies/vampires/fantasy/sci-fi - lighter & fluffier
Goblin (Viki)*
I am not a Robot (Netflix)
Legend of the Blue Sea (Viki/Netflix)
% Orange Marmalade (Netflix)
While You Were Sleeping (Viki)*

Supernatural/zombies/vampires/fantasy/sci-fi - darker/more grown up themes
Black (Netflix)*
Hotel del Luna (Viki)*
Kingdom (Netflix)*
The Guest (Dramafast)
Train to Busan - film (Amazon Prime)
W (Viki & Netflix)*

Guilty Pleasures (for the joy, not the quality)
Hwarang (Viki/Netflix)
The Last Empress (Viki)
Sassy Go Go (Netflix)

Mad as a box of frogs/uncategorisable
Strong Girl Bong Soon (Netflix)

Not Korean but just try it

We occasionally branch out into Japanese, Taiwanese and Chinese drama. The Chinese & Taiwanese stuff is much more variable quality-wise, so we’ve noted anything decent here:

Love O2O (Viki - Chinese)
Morning Call (Netflix - Japanese)

We have some lovely occasional posters with links to Korea who pop in from time to time to provide the context for some of the more baffling cultural references. (Although we may have scared them all away since our early threads with the fangirling. If you’re still reading, please say hi.)

We are generally fans of all things Korean, so equally happy to talk about Korean cookery, language, film and music when the mood takes us.

We have a few frequently used acronyms:
FL/2FL = female lead/2nd female lead
ML/2ML = male lead/2nd male lead
SLS = Second Lead Syndrome (where the FL/MLis too dense to realise how much better the 2ML/2FL is)
🥾🍑 (boot, peach) = kick up the arse to go to bed

We also abbreviate titles if they’re long, but usually only after using the full title & acronym together or an obvious abbreviation. Some favourite actors & actresses have been abbreviated for speed/efficiency, eg Lee Jong-Suk (LJS), Park Min Young (PMY), Ji Chang Wook (Ji Chang Wook) and his hotness Kim Jae Wook (HH KJW). Don’t be afraid to ask for help/clues if we’re not making sense or have descended into acronym soup.

If you want to join us down the kdrama rabbit hole, welcome! Pull up a chair, say goodbye to early nights and get stuck in…

Oooh. That's definitely a good one boatyards. Probably the Hong sisters because you've got too. Park Hyerun and her team who wrote While You Were Sleeping, Pinocchio and Page Turner because Page Turner was so emotional in only 3 episodes and I want to know how they can do that to me. Then probably the writers of Before We Got Married to ask what the flip they are doing.

What about you boatyard? Also well done for succumbing to the Viki subscription Aesops enjoy all the dramas, even the ones you never thought you'd try!

Good call on the Hong Sisters, Hello.

I feel I urgently need to meet the writers of Melo, because it’s subtly subversive but still feels truthful. It’s a man/woman team - Lee Byung Hung and Kim Hye Young, both writer directors & closer to us in age. I suspect they were both drawing on their experiences with all the set insights & writer/director stuff.

Also Kwon Do Eun, who wrote WWW. I love all those well-written women and the humour.

I agree with all of hello & boatyards suggestions & while scrabbling around for someone new to add the list I looked up the write of Her PRivate Life and it was created by Kim Hye Young too!

Also writers Im Mea-Ri (for Beauty Inside) and Yoon Nan-joong (Because this is my first life), both women.

I watched ep 3 of Melo until the subs dried up. The writer and the awful director are great value. I liked the token male housemate’s soundtrack to the post-disaster analysis.

Not sure how far everyone has got with Melo but loved how token male housemates relationship was revealed & how dense arch frenemy the actress is

I thought that was good too, Betty. I have more to say when everyone has caught up.

Caught up with Hotel del Luna and loved Chan Seung's little giggle at the BTS fan - Yeo Jin Goo & Jungkook are friends aren't they?

They are! Jungkook always sends coffee trucks to Yeo Jin Goo's dramas.
Japanese drama In Time With You has been a pretty great drama that anyone getting into japenese dramas would find easy to watch. It's not quite fluffy but not quite hard hitting, it's just a solid drama about nearing 30, personal growth and relationships.

Anyone else picturing Aesops in the kdrama equivalent of a drunken stupor? How are doing, Aesops? It feels like a progress report would at least allow us to vicariously enjoy your new found Viki wonderland experience.

DH is out tonight so I may be joining Aesops

hello is Page Turner dreadfully sad? I’m not in the mood for tragedy, I may just catch up with WTDCYN which seems to be picking up

I plan a crash & burn evening because I worked most of the weekend. It’s not ideal, but much of my kdrama consumption was 10 min bursts.

bettys it's a little sad in a I feel for you way. it's more touching, and is all about doing what you have to for love. it's 3 episodes long so it's perfect if you want a filler or a quick over and done with a good story. it's amazing what they can fit in to 3 hours.

I’m glad there’s a flurry of activity this evening. I have been wondering if the new title is too obscure & we won’t attract new ‘walk-ins’.

actually, ill rephrase a little, it's sad but not overwhelmingly so. the sadness is understandable but it's been a while since I've watched it so I remember it as heartwarming as a whole with bits of sad.

boatyard new people will be drawn to us, they'll hear the sound of subway product placement and know they have found their place on MN

Evening all.
DH is working away tonight so I've just got DSs swimming lesson to get through then it's time for the last episode of Goblin, episode 14 of Watcher (if the subs are done) and then I should be able to fit in something else too.
Maybe Melo from the reviews on here.

Eye-catching visuals in the Return the World to You banner on Viki.

I got confused reading the description for it, gave up and watched the trailer and I'm still none the wiser. I do agree, there's a visual motivation to watch it.

I'm still here! And jealous you're all getting caught up on your watching!... I'm going to be away for another week! Much as I love holidays... There's a certain comfort in familiar schedules!! 😂 😂

I’ve decided I am going to wait until Bea & The Girl have finished Watcher before committing myself to catching up with it.

Two glasses of rosé in & the visuals of JKH in WTDCYN are appealing très much. Plus the dynamics are becoming more fun.

Does it look like Return the World To You could replace BWGM in the OMGwhyamiwatchingthis category?

I don't think it could replace BWGM, I've had a quick nosey and it's just very confusing apparently he died but is still very much alive and runs a company that competes with his ex girlfriend who was also his business partner?

Oh, how disappointing. What about all those HisStory series from Taiwan?

I've only watched HisStory 3 and it's a cop falls in love with a mob boss (who's trying to go legal) story. It's bizarre and contains a lot of stalking by the cop.

The HisStory series is all about gay relationships with the exception of one story where a woman is reincarnated into a male body and has to make her ex fall in love with her/him again. I didn't watch HisStory 1&2 because they both contain relationships I'm not comfortable with (they both have step brothers relationships and 2 has a student/teacher relationship)