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…

Isn’t Fated to Love You the original of You Are mY Destiny? The Jang Hyuk Jang Nara Choi Jin Hyuk one?
I started Bromance a couple of weeks ago and ran away 🙈🙉🙊

Must admit I like the airing weekly element of 😱 and 🤣 and sometimes 😍

I had the brainwave of watching the trailers, which is the Boaty Shuffle on speed. Behind Your Smile seems to have many similar features to BWGM, if the trailers are anything to go by.

BWGM sans subs is up, I'm heading in.....

Incorrigible Betty.

I’m 10 mins in to Behind Your Smile. It could be a worthy successor to BWGM, you know...

Hi all as usual not keeping up at all with the dramas. At the moment I am watching Beautiful Gong Shim on Netflix which I am quite enjoying. Don't tell me the ending!

Good to see you Teacake. I like Beautiful Gong Shim, including the ending. Same FL as Absolute Boyfriend - very likeable actress.

Yikes! I think the fiancée in Behind the Smile might be as persistent as Limpet. There’s no love lost between these two, they’re frostier than the ice sculptures at their engagement do.

Behind Your Smile was wonderful in a weird omgwtf way. It's definitely a good one to watch for commentary, though a few episodes are a bit fillery and pointless.

Bromance is a bit pants. The ending is anticlimactic and the best part about it is one of the side characters dad, and there's a mob boss with visual potential!

Right reporting back from BWGM sans subs - I really wanted the subs but still got the gist of it. Will rewatch when subs are up
I will just say one thing: tdrama doesn't do the kdrama thing of going to bed in full knitwear thank goodness!

teacake if you like Namgoong Min in Beautiful Gong Shim watch Good Manager (Netflix) next! I think it's better and has the added bonus of Lovely Eyes Junho

Your summation sounds promising, Betty.

Mmmhmmm Him Off Black coming to Viki 😎

OK 2 minutes into Behind Your Smile and I'm already thinking there are budget restrictions as there must be about £10 worth of notes floating down and the worst fake rain I've ever seen

Look, you said we needed a BWGM replacement, not a classy production. Have I not delivered on the brief? 🤷‍♂️

1000NT$ is £25.91, so they spent at least £75 - the old lady got a fistful of 3 from FL.

Ahh that ending to BWGM was definitely not what I was expecting! Oh my.

Is Behind Your Smile the current contender for a Friday night 'what is this' drama?

I think so, Hello. It’s in the same groove quality and mood-wise, with a revenge twist.

No spoiling on BWGM pls. I am waiting on the subs.

I've watched Behind Your Smile so Ill await your comments on it!

I'll leave it there on BWGM. I'm forcing myself to wait til tomorrow to watch it properly. I'm going to distract myself with something else before I give in to the temptation.

I’m beginning to think as far as tdramas go that BWGM is a classy production!!

Agree with hello that if you watched last week’s preview for BWGM you will have a nice surprise ré the ending 😀

ML in Behind Your Smile is a major draw, I’ll own it. I liked his b&w dogtooth check suit and the bright blue tie combo very much. It was bordering on kdrama standard tailoring and he wears it well.

I'm going need sending to bed at this rate just starting ep 3 of Behind Your Smile. It’s glorious Pringles TV, trashy AF.

I’m working through Love Alarm & I have a feeling I am going to be disappointed by the end so will need some Pringles tv to make up for it

The noisy credits on ep 4 woke me. In the process of hauling myself to bed.

how are the subs for BWGM still at 0?! back to Mr Temporary and its lack of pringles-ness.