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…

Love Jimin’s dancing 💜💜I have lost many a happy half hour to random youtube clips of his body rolls 🤣

I can easily identify them no matter the hair colour AND I know their real names but singing-wise other than V (swoon), RM, Jimin and Suga I resort to those colour coded YouTube vids to see who’s singing what. It was Vs voice that got me in to BTS.

There's a pansori musician (sort of Korean opera) who's got practically the same voice as V and every time I hear it, it gives me chills. Deep voices are something out of this world.

I randomly heard V’s when it came out & that was what hooked me in to BTS, and I even watched Hwarang 🤣 which once I’d got over wtf-is-this-it’s-bonkers I rather enjoyed 😆

I watched their debut stage live and kept up with their promotions until Run. So 2015? Since then I've not listened to much but I'm happy to see how big they've got. After working so hard, it must be nice to finally get the rewards.

I should specify, I don't mwan live in person. I mean I watched it as it was live streamed, I was so excited for their debut.

This is a kdrama board for kdrama people...

I’m only sad because truthfully its still only RM I can pick out of a line-up. I thought I had Suga nailed too, but yesterday has made me reappraise. 😞

you'll get there boatyard I caught up on Melo and you're right, it really is a league of its own. It'll be in my top 5 for this year easily.

I haven’t had much time for kdrama at all this week, but the Chusok schedules have also interrupted some of our regular shows. I dipped my toe in Radiant Office when I came home tipsy last night. By the time I turned in, the jury was still out. Has anyone seen it who can give a considered view?

😂 😂 😂 hello... Wowser! Since debut! I've loved watching their early stuff! I'm always amazed at how long they've been going... 😱😱😱
It akways feels like quite a recent thing!.. I think as there's just sooo much content! I'm constantly coming across new stuff! I love the whole storyline that runs through their videos... It just feels soooo incredibley creative and new...💜❤️ I think with Kpop... When compared with Western music... For us over here we're so used to pigeon holing... If you're a singer songwriter... You're a singer song writer and you should look like this and only do that... Whereas Kpop.. You're an actor.. You're a model... You're a dancer... You're a singer... Someone wrote... When confronted with the 'oh they're manufactured' spiel... Actors are trained... For years.. They audition for roles... Why not groups? 😂😂👍

And I love this from twitter...

Dishonest: Kpop is so artificial and all the dudes look like girls to me.

Honest: I am deeply uncomfortable that there is another definition of masculinity that doesn't involve gun slinging and beer chugging, and I can't understand the idea that Asian men can be desirable.
😂.... 😂😂😂

Boatyard... Same here... Rookie not on... Which is my main watch at the moment! ... And I'm not absolutely compelled at the moment! 😱. I'm happy to watch one or two eps then turn in!!... Last night I went to bed around 10.30!! Thus I missed out on bts chat! 😂 😂 😂 😂... Which was probably a good thing! 😂

Interesting tweet about masculinity. Kpop reminds me of 80s Western pop, when men wore pastels, frills, make-up and blong without everyone insisting they were women. It shows how narrow Western norms for masculine presentation have become over the last 30 years.

Blong = bling

Shit were the 80s 30 years ago ?😱 I soooo fancied Phil Oakey back in the day (Human League) so maybe that’s why I’m attuned to the kpop look. The Dishonest/Honest tweet is spot on. Also don’t get the downer on idol training, after all we have as Bea says, many drama schools and the Brit school

I have been chugging through Good Doctor but skipping the hospital politics bits. WTDCYN seems to be unaffected by Chuseok so can catch up on that but am disappointed no Rookie Historian this week. May have to resort to my ‘ get around to watching sometime’ list

I'm going to use chuseok to force myself to finish the mandorin dramas I've been running behind on. I can't keep up with daily dramas for some reason. I miss one day and then instead of watching two the next day, I just let it overwhelm it

Park Morgan ⚠

So, makkeoli - how is it served? Chilled or room temperature? I picked up some kimchee baek (white kimchee - without chilli) and more of that tasty five spice tofu. I will be cooking up a storm shortly. Seemed rude not to buy accompanying booze.

Why does makkeoli come in such fugly bottles?

막걸리 is surprisingly good. 👍 Hic.

White kimchee a hit too. 👌

DH says “like a sweet prosecco mixed with Horlicks”.

Might be too late but makgeoli should be chilled and shaken before drinking or it splits. People usually drink it out of bowls but only because its easier to mix back up then it is on a glass! With that and kimchi, you've definitely got your probiotic boost for the day.

Fortunately there was a label on the back from the UK importer with instructions, so it is both chilled and shaken. Both DH and I are pleasantly surprised. DH has nicknamed it ‘alcohorlicks’. I like the slight fizz. 😆

Is it the Korean equivalent of peasant hooch like mead or scrumpy here?

Oh now I want to try. I will have to add to the list for my next trip to the Korean supermarket.

At moments like this, I begin to wonder if Betty is local to me, but I think not.