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…

It was very tasty. Basically Korean gnocchi. I don't think it was totally off either, as there’s a scene in Korean Odyssey where ML & FL have dinner in tteokbokki restaurant and ML orders “mild” (creamy) tteokbokki because he doesn’t like spicy food. The thing that I most liked about that scene was the different shaped tteokbokki in the sauce (hearts & something else), so a bit like alphabetti spaghetti.

I almost can’t watch Graceful Family for dreading what eeeeevil TOP lady will do next

Also, the gleeful stepmother and her “love shot!” 🤮

I think I might have reached kdrama saturation point!!!!

I've only got ONE drama on the go (Rookie Historian)... did a flick through viki yesterday and though some promising ones (Moments of 18 / Melo ) nothing grabbed me to watch a whole episode!!!!

In the mood for something light and not too heavy! Or am i just having a rest until Melting me Softly starts!!!!???

I don't know what to do!!!!!!!!

I’m somewhat the same though have quite a few currently airing on the go. Was also scrolling through Viki this morning . May start Good Doctor - anyone seen it?

Can recommend Melo

Thing is, there still aren’t any English language series I want to watch.

Oooh just remembered I haven’t watched My First First Love yet

Good Doctor is okay! Nothing groundbreaking but it's good. They say the ML has autism but it's more like savant syndrome, but there's lots of 'he's odd' comments. It's like a 7/10 on a good day, more like a 6/10 though.

Thanks hello , Good Doctor has passed the 10 minute test. It may be a skipper, and the autism / savant syndrome matter is dealt with a bit awkwardly, but it has the advantage of Crazy Kang and racehorse legs Kim Young Kwang in supporting roles. Oh and the woman who always plays the spurned gf ( 30 but 17 violin player, ballerina in You are my destiny & booker ex-gf in Hospital Ship ) but so far she hasn't been given much to do.

bonkers not booker

... As conkers!! 😂 😂

🤣🤣

I was chiding the kids earlier for being at dinner and said I’d leave for my (non-existent) island if they didn’t knock it on the head. DS2 says: “I bet it’s Korean island with your Korean husband!” What a dismal fail as a burn, because I spent the next 5 mins pondering who I’d decamp to Jeju-Do with. I still can’t decide: choosing just one is too hard. 😩 So Boaty’s Monday night question: who would you decamp to Jeju Island with?

Being cheeky

Hmmm! It'd have to be someone funny!... Let me ponder!!...

Before you get any ideas, Bea, BTS count as 7, not 1. You have to pick just one!

Ooooooh good question

Hmm if it’s Jeju rather than a desert island the survival skills aren’t needed....

Are we stipulating you have to take someone who can speak jeju satoori or are we assuming language issues don't exist?

Let’s assume language difficulties can be overcome. I am sure every one of us could communicate our needs one way or another.

I have to say DS2 was like this > at the serious consideration I gave his off the cuff idea.

did you manage to come to a conclusion boatyard?
I think it'd have to be Jisoo, or Park Hyungsik. Probably Jisoo because I couldn't let him be a second lead again in this imaginary island fantasy.

I’m still thinking. I’ve ruled out HH KJW because of the smoking.

Hilariously, DS2 said my Korean cooking isn’t advanced enough to snag a Korean husband (cheeky monkey) but I said perhaps my mastery of other cuisines (including British) would be viewed positively.

Graceful Family is properly schlocky. Almond sauce with steak, though. Quelle horreur!

My cooking is alright on a good day so maybe I'd need to make sure Jisoo could cook first, otherwise he's out.

It's absurd the amount of thought I'm putting into this.

On Jeju there would be a lot of sitting outside the beach shack watching sunsets....or picking oranges...

I wouldn't rule out HH KJW for smoking , he could bring his guitar (and cheekbones). I'm giving JKH serious consideration as he'd be funny and would bring his dogs. Plus he likes walking.
On the non racehorse front I am considering Ji Sung (V fit) or Jang Hyuk (manly)

Almond sauce with steak, though. Quelle horreur!
Absolument! Not sure what almond sauce would actually work with.

I'm not intending to cook much on Jeju.