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…

Melo ep 7 was great. FL cycling through various writing scenarios at the start was very sneaky, but I did like that the outfits kept changing. I really enjoyed the director’s morning of his favourite sounds, especially the subtitler’s use of “loafing”. Great to see another chap who knows how to keep a tidy house and positively enjoys doing laundry. I’m starting to see why having more women writers makes for more enjoyable writing. Also tickled to see FL using the dreaded brand placement floor cleaner in the background in their flat.

‘Tis indeed good. I thought 2ML had split up with his cheating gf but apparently not. I loved the ‘magic carpet’ 🤣 and the demo of how to make it look like you’re kissing 😆

Yeah, the magic carpet ride was a hoot, especially when the dogs appeared.

I fancy one of those hot dogs, and loved how the beer appeared as soon as the ds went to bed

Was there any meat in those hotdogs? Just looked like crunchy coating and cheese to me? I thought they all took crazy risks with their lovely sofa. Perhaps that’s why FL was sitting on a throw last week, covering up ketchup stains from the last time.

I want to know what Pyongyang-style cold noodles taste like now. Probably like the underwhelming ramen I had in Wagamamas a while ago, my most crushing meal out ever.

Don’t tell DH, but I finished up the delicious kimchee and pork gyozas from our freezer with homemade ramen whilst he was at Ikea earlier today. Sorry, not sorry DH.

The Waitrose food magazine had a recipe for for easy kimchi. Probably tastes nothing like the real thing but I have added the ingredients to my Ocado order and am going to give it a go

My friend made kimchee earlier this year and it was great (he gave me a tub of it), albeit fiercer than the bought stuff. It’s not hard to make.

Again, Melo delivered. I thought the documentary maker’s sudden self-awareness was really poignant. I also love So Min and Min Joo. I could watch those two all day. Overall, terrific writing, great stories and a great ensemble cast.

Hotel del Luna finishes today! I am excited for the ending. I'm going to hopefully watch Melo while stripping the beds. Someone hold me accountable today after yesterday's Graceful Family shaped stumbling block.

I love So Min and Min Joo too. I really want them to get together. Didn't see the similarity to Absolute Boyfriend's apartment though tbh. Loathe the cheating gf though did find the whole angle of not ever seeing things as your own fault interesting. He was very restrained in not bringing that up.

Going to watch ep 15 of Hotel after I've been good and actually done something today

I’m working. See you later!

Hi- I popped up on the last thread and thanks to all the recommendations have become a bit addicted to (mainly romantic) kdrama. I have the Viki app now and wondered if you all pay for advert free or torture yourselves with them. I ask become some reviews say it doesn't work very well and is a waste of money (i.e. you still get adverts).

Brambly I pay for it, I couldn't deal with ads and waiting for certain shows. £5 a month and I've never seen an ad or had a problem with it. Some people must be unlucky to get ads with the paid version.

I pay for Viki and don’t get ads.

Ok - two out of two is good! I'll commit 😀

I pay too. A lot of the shows we have liked recently on the thread are Viki originals. I get for value for money.

brambly... I've paid and don't get ads!..
Oh dear! Once you get viki... That's when the serious watching starts... Says the woman who's just completed a mahoosive pile of ironing whilst watching bts videos all in order starting from earliest!! (15 year old jungkook! 😂😂😂😂😱😱😱😱)... They have so ooooo many vids! 😂
On ep 3 of hotel... I think its the most well done kdrama!.. Plot... Acting... Visually... Storyline... It's gorgeous!!!

... Not ep 3!

Ep 15! 😂

I enjoyed ep 15 and how in the past Gu Chang Seong made her sell her horses like the cars 😆

I think the is the most beautiful woman! She's truly enchanting! And I Love Man Wol... With Scarlet they are my favourite Female Characters...

Bea I think you will like Seok Hui in Graceful Family too!

Was anyone else affected by the funeral rituals in ep 9 of Watcher? I was intrigued by the elaborate wrapping of the corpse and the detail around placing him in the coffin, but I felt so sad for Seo Kang Jun’s character and the kindness of his colleagues.

Make Haste Make Haste to YouTube!
😱 GRR JCW

Boatyard... Watcher is good! And I love Seo Kang Joon in it! He's just doomed!... I hope it all ends well for him!... I've just watched ep 15 of hotel and the scene of the picture taking almost had me blubbing! 😭😭😭

bettys ... Will add to watch list! 👍👍

Betty - Where did you say you’d found Secret Terrius?