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…

Graceful Family is still only 41% subtitled. 😡

Seo Kang Joon in his boots & uniform was what made me watch the whole damned thing. I’m 40 mins from finishing it and he’s still not back in uniform damnit!

Boatyard!... Almost done! 😂 😂
I've got visitors this evening! I fear my drama watching will be limited! 😭😭😭😭

I skipped to the end & he still wAsnt in his tight black piped trousers & boots 😡

Am enjoying When fheCamelliaBlooms - new on Netflix

So, more Are You Human tonight or start Camellia? Is it heartwarming, Betty? I could do with something cheery.

DP is on lates all week so my drama viewing has been limited! I'm living vicariously through you all so tell me the best things to catch up on or start when I get my drama time back.

Yes! Camelia looks really good fun!... Looking forward to a shed load of fun stuff coming our way!!... Catch the Ghost (undercover subway cops!) looks good fun too!... Melting... Vagabond...flower Crew... Nok do.. . Ahhh! But ambassador you are spoiling us! 😂😂😂👍👍👍
..

Camellia is funny. The reason most of the local men end up socialising there is because all the restaurants are run by wives, MIL, aunts etc of the men or their colleagues: “there are spies everywhere!” 😂 You don’t get much of that small town insight with all the Seoul based dramas.

As an aside, we are nearing the end of the thread. Time to start reviewing the list and agreeing any additions.

Yikes! Already?!....😱😱😱
Hotel del Luna...? Whoops! Already included!

Rookie Historian... A fun fluffy watch.. (historical / netflix).. Bettys you're watching too!... What do you think?

Watcher... (thriller / viki) Come for confusion and gloom but stay for the Race Horse Legs! 👍❤️😁

Hit The Top... (time travel! /netflix).. Not finished yet but fluffy fun!

Just finished Man x Man (spy / thriller /comedy Netflix)... A fun romp with great secondary characters!)... However not sure if anyone else seen this... I think the list only includes dramas a few of us have watched? Thus some sort of consensus?..

And that concludes my thoughts!... Visitors have left... I think I've got time to catch up on Rookie!... 😂👍👍😁

I watched Man to Man ages ago. It’s OK but I didn’t think it was list worthy. Happy to be overruled if the consensus is to add it.

Melo definitely has to go on the list, but under comedy or more grown up romance?

Back from a night out!

Rookie Historian - agree with Bea that can be added to the list.
Also agree Watcher", Hit The Top & Man to Man^

Don't forget Before We Get Married

Hmm if we were being picky I would choose Are You Human over Man to Man
Just checked and Absolute Boyfriend isn't on there either for robot lurve
I did like Hit The Top and binged it happily but I've still got SLS and need to watch Joseon Flower Crew to get over it for some more Kim Min-Jae

Had to go out before I could finish the first ep of Camellia but already like the setting, Gong Hyo-Jin & Kang Ha Neul, and all the random ajummas in the food alley with their hopeless husbands.

Melo should go in the same category as Because This Is My First Life

How long can I keep monologuing before someone tells me to get me coat?

I think 1% of Something should go on the fluffy romance list.

I’m here Betty, just shuffling recommendations across to my new draft OP.

Should Absolute Boyfriend go under light romance or sci-fi?

Agree with 1%, who doesn't love a contract marriage?

Is it too early to say with Graceful Family?

Bettys! 👍👍👍😂
Absolute Boyfriend.... Both? 😂 Sorry no help there! 😂

Absolute should be sci-fi/supernatural light & fluffy

Is Angel's Last Mission: Love on there? That should be supernatural but also has quite dark bits in

I think it was Hello who expressed fondness for the contract marriage genre yesterday and I found myself inwardly agreeing, which is funny because it’s dodgy AF if you give it any thought. Somehow them being thrown together by circumstance and working it out is generally fun. I’m trying to think of Western examples - there’s a Vegas drunk wedding one with Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher (IIRC), but drunk wedding =/= contract marriage.

The only western contract marriage where they end up in love I can think of is Danaerys & Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones .....oh and The Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer 📚(spoiler)

The only western contract marriage where they end up in love I can think of is Danaerys & Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones

His utterly vile rapey behaviour towards her in the early seasons was one of the reasons I stopped watching GOT. Even more urgh if she grew to love him. Are you sure it wasn’t Stockholm Syndrome?