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…

Gah remind me NEVER to watch an open ended season drama again!! Love Alarm grrrr!

It has reinforced why I like kdrama with its complete stories and closure.

Just been catching up on some Love Alarm, which I’m enjoying. Its interesting to see same sex attraction addressed for a change. Coupled with Melo, it seems like it might be becoming less taboo to mention it. The only other gay storyline/character I have come across (apart from Antique Bakery) is the closeted professor in Cheese in the Trap, who had been shunned by his family and his relationship was portrayed as troubled/tragic. On that basis, its interesting to see gay relationships addressed more positively/openly. What I’m struggling a bit with is how dark the FL’s backstory (near death experience) is. So bleak.

Xpost. Oh no.... Maybe I should quit while I’m ahead.

No no no keep watching it you've started so you have to finish! I think it's good it's just sooooooo frustrating that there is no conclusion and no second series in production yet as the actors aren't free. So it could be ages until it wraps up.

Agree with same sex mentions, there seem to be more of them even if they are not fully explored. I still don't think that the main plot shift (I think in ep 5) is fully explained though. Just.....why did she do that?

I need a quick burst of OMGwtf pringles tv now...... Behind Your Smile for a bit with a

My next challenge, which I am studiously avoiding by MNing, is to find DS2’s football boots - last seen in June. 😩

In the random cupboard under the stairs? That's where our shoes always disappear too!

I didn’t find DS2’s but there was a whole shelf of DS1’s outgrown football and rugby boots in the cupboard under the stairs. Like a shoe shop, I lined them all up and DS2 tried them on until we found pairs in the right size. We also found a hardly worn pair of DS1’s school shoes (he had a massive growth spurt between y7-y9) in the right size that fit DS2.

Success! Always good when things like that happen. All I've got in my cupboard is some old carpet that needs taking to the tip and a dog bed. I might try use that as a distraction technique while waiting for BWGM subs.

I realise I am bothered by Love Alarm in a way that reminds me of Cheese in the Trap......I think I only like clearcut endings, and happy (ish) ones at that!

Well done on sourcing shoes btw boatyard!

It’s only a partial win. DS2 seems to need the in-between blazer and school-specific jumpers & sports kit. 😩

I'm not looking forward to those years. I'll happily keep my little almost one year old and his infinite path of destruction.

There is light at the end of the tunnel! By the time they are in 6th form they are much better

£300 on uniform & stationery so far and we are only half way down the list...

We have twin DD's both at uni - that's when the expenses really start

I'm trying to play hostess this weekend but all I want to do is watch TV!

I'm waiting for ep 5 of Melo. My neice messaged me from her hols to say she finished oh my ghost in 48hrs

Starting them young aesops 😂
DP is going out for the evening so I'm settling in for some drama viewing.
We're going away to attend a family event tomorrow so no dramas for me all day, so I'm really hoping BWGM subs are finished tonight!

Wow! That’s impressive work by your niece, Aesops. 😄

We’ve just finished the back to school shop. 😩 Beans on toast and gruel until pay day. I’m really looking forwards to flopping in front of a kdrama with a drink.

BWGM on 84% at the moment

It was around 71% whenI checked 15 min ago so let’s hope the lead subber has put a rocket under the others.

I’m filling in with Behind Your Smile but not giving it full attention as am in the garden with wine 😎

I “re-watching” the bits of Behind Your Smile that I fell asleep in last night.

Watching BWGM right now. I couldn't wait for more than 94% subs. 321s hair is weird for some reason? Kefei is a wonderful little bit of sassiness in every scene. She's definitely the best character.

If I hear more about how hard people's life is, I'll cry. Having a hard life doesnt mean you can be a huge dick to other people! They need a good slap.

I feel these characters could have been used for interesting case studies in my abnormal psychology lectures