MsLatte’s Daebak Cybercafé (kdrama addicts #9)

[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 AmazonPrime and search engine-accessible content available on shady non subscription streaming sites (listed as ‘alt site’ below). The subtitling on alternative sites is variable in quality and the pop-ups can be adult themed...

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, alt site)
Live (Netflix)
Pride & Prejudice (Netflix)*
Prison Playbook (Netflix)*
Suspicious Partner (Netflix)*
Watcher (Viki)*

Historical/Period drama (“sageuk”)
Crowned Clown (Viki)
Mr Sunshine (Netflix)
Rookie Historian (Netflix)

Romance - lighter & fluffier
1% of Something (Viki)
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)*
Morning Call (Netflix - Japanese)
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)**
Melo is my Nature (Viki)/Be Melodramatic (alt sites)**
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
Absolute Boyfriend (Viki)
Are You Human (Netflix)
Goblin (Viki)*
I am not a Robot (Netflix)
Legend of the Blue Sea (Viki/Netflix)
Love O2O (Viki - Chinese)
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)
Before We Get Married (Viki -Taiwanese)
Hwarang (Viki/Netflix)
The Last Empress (Viki)
Sassy Go Go (Netflix)

Mad as a box of frogs/uncategorisable
Strong Girl Bong Soon (Netflix)

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 (JCW) 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…

To sum up my Saturday morning can’t wait treat of Melo on Dramafast in one emoticon would have to be 💨💨💨

With a side order of 🐇

I am impatient for sad director’s story to develop most, I rather like the introduction of angry director (and visuals)

(It’s all good by the way)
But disappointed that we’ve only got 3 more episodes to come 😩

I'm back to say Graceful Family might possible go straight to top 7 for this year for me. I thought I had it figured out but apparently not!

What do you mean hello ?

bettys I thought I'd figured out everyone's motivations and how it was going to play out and then episode 7 happened. Now I'm trying to figure out why the dad is acting the way he is and what TOP/Director Han are going to do with the new information. All I have that's certain is Director Han is evil, but is she evil because she wants power or is there an alterior motive? I think I might get too invested in character motivations in dramas, especially mysteries and thrillers.

I am working again this weekend, so on a kdrama go slow. Just checking in on my tea break. 👋

I can’t decide whether its a blessing I woke up at stupid o’clock this morning so I could crack in some kdrama or a disaster for my productivity. I am very tired, so don’t hold out hopes for staying awake long this evening. 😞

boatyard I was also up at stupid o'clock this morning and managed to catch up on Graceful Family, I think it is a good tactic 'cos you can then crack on with other stuff.

hello Hmm yes I agree I didn't expect such a quick turn around of affairs after ep 6. I think the dad is ill, he really doesn't look well. I feel very sorry for the youngest son, I mean what a shit dad!! And the poor 2nd son who wants to do other things but can't cos he is groomed to take over. I wonder if he and his wife will develop feelings for each other with the new dynamic they have? I sort of hope so (even though Director Han has other plans)

Director Han is so eeeevil there has to be a reason for it, but I can't think what unless she has some weird secret plan to take over MC group herself.

I'm looking forward to high camp shenanigans in outrageous get-ups between the mums of the sons

I'm hoping the 4 kids come together and just say bollocks to their parents. I feel bad for the youngest son too, his dad obviously couldn't care less and his mom only had him because sleeping with a rich person is apparently a good idea?
Maybe Director Han's reasoning will become clear. Probably though some more weird flashbacks

Another tea break.

It’s weird the Chairman is blocking the FL, who actually wants the job and has the smarts for it, to favour his 2nd son, who doesn’t. Is the 2nd/3rd generation chaebol thing vaunted because by the 4th/5th generation the feckless, spoiled heirs are too busy partying or in-fighting to run the business?

There must’ve some reason he doesn’t like his daughter the FL and prefers son/s of mistresses. Is he anti-women? Brainwashed by eeeeevil step mum? Was his first marriage an arranged one? Hence in a previous ep the grandfather brought 1st wife & young FL into house saying she was a daughter of XX family and so should be there?

There’s probably a hefty dose of sexism at play.

Dd1 left for uni today so I'm all forlorn and sad! 😭 😭 😭 No drama watching for me today as have been packing etc but will prob cheer myself up with something this evening.... 😭😭😭

Oh how exciting, is it her first year? It's very discombobulating we went through it last year. Definitely watch something to take your mind off things.

I can recommend Vagabond. In fact I may have to steal Lee Seung Gi from boatyard for Jeju Island duties now he's got rid of the Korean Odyssey haircut.

Yes! First year! 😭😭
Vagabond might be a good bet as it looks very exciting!! 😂
This is about as close as I'm going to get to jeju Island! 😂

Taking the lead from Hello’s 2015 peak Sung Hoon, I’m on the fence about whether Vagabond represents best Lee Seung-Ji. His haircut in ep 1 suits him better and his stunt scenes, fight choreography/skills are impressive but he looks absolutely shattered. I can imagine this production was physically draining though. No doubt a few weeks of Jeju Island sunshine and the tender ministrations of a MsLatte would bring him back to form.

That Korean Odyssey haircut was horrendous. hello's question of the day. This might be a difficult one to answer what's one haircut or style you saw on an actor and thought 'i love you and think you're great, but please stop' because it was so wrong.

Mine might just be Seo Kang Jun's blond days. i.pinimg.com/originals/66/90/5e/66905e66d5333ba5a35c9c5cbf666c76.jpg

Oh no - that blonde barnet is well dodgy.

😱 He looks like a Midwich Cuckoo!!!

Currently counting down to 9pm when my boys turn in... What should I watch first? Vagabond? Camellia? Latest Graceful Family or internet wilderness early Melo? More Are You Human? I’ve got too many on the go! I reckon I’ve got an hour or an hour and a half of juice left in the tank tonight and limited screen time tomorrow, so I need to choose wisely.

i love you and think you're great, but please stop

I can't find a single haircut that DOESN'T suit HH KJW

PSJ's new cut for his next drama is worrying me though

boatyard I'd go with Vagabond or GF if you haven't already stared Camellia

I'd avoid Graceful Family then. The best bit is the last half so requires your full attention. I couldn't pick between the other options but GF is excluded.

I noticed something this week. I looked up the cast of Are You Human because I recognised several supporting cast members but couldn’t place them. As I looked down each of their profiles I noticed I had seen the majority of each of that back catalogues. It made me wonder if I’d eventually reach saturation point and my viewing would slow to match the broadcast rate of current releases.

Thanks both. I have started Camellia, but I’m leaning towards dumb and noisy (Vagabond) or pretty wallpaper (Human). Melo’s too good to watch overtired, it deserves my full attention.

10 years later and I'm still waiting to attain full saturation. I'm deluding myself but there's just so many dramas!
PSJ's new hair is questionable. I've yet to see one person pull off that really short fringe.

Yes dumb & noisy or pretty wallpaper probably your best bet if you're tired and may nod off.

It made me wonder if I’d eventually reach saturation point and my viewing would slow to match the broadcast rate of current releases.

I've wondered this but then as there are roughly 80 dramas a year and we only see a few on Viki/Netflix there will always be some that get released that we've missed and can binge.