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…

I’m glad I’m not the only one whose WTF?!?!? meter broke watching Well Intentioned Love. Whichever joker translated the title into that flagrant lie of a title needs sending back to translator school, unless it was deliberate and their irony was turned up to 11. Abusive Coercive Control would be more accurate.

In terms of structure, Before We Get Married was hewn from the same block. ML with no/inappropriate boundaries and a screaming sense of entitlement; browbeaten FL with wobbly boundaries and a knack for choosing wankers as boyfriends. Jasper Liu’s character was like a completely different character at the end. Ke Fei and her various beaus had far more balanced, healthy relationships.

The growth in BWGM was the reason it worked. He realised he was a horrible person and at least attempted to fix it. In WIL he seems to love the fact he's batshit, as if that's a charming personality point.

It does seem to happen in Mandarin dramas more than Korean ones. The jury's still out on Japanese dramas because while the ones I can bring to mind are not as bad as that guy, they're still crossing boundaries and being a bit overbearing.

Definitely agree that The character growth in both ML & FL in BWGM was what made it work, plus there was some humour with Kafei & here shenanigans.

Was feeling fed up as have been travelling all day & stalled a bit with My Country but then realised I have an episode of The Lies Within to watch

The Lies Within is shaping up a treat - watching now. Posting in pause whilst DS1&2 have burst in to tell us about the Fortnite live event. 🙄

I started a Chinese drama called My Girlfriend and its quite a fluffy mess right now. She's got a 'curse' so if she confesses to a man, they'll turn her down but find their true love within 3 days. She also has narcolepsy? It's making for quite a strange show so far. With 30 minute episodes, it's a light, fluff fest between heavier dramas that demand more attention.

I'm going to catch up on The Lies Within after walking the dog. It's my reward for slugging it out in the cold and dark.

Got the telly to myself, wine, 2 episodes of Graceful Family and a day off tomorrow!
Almost makes up for working all weekend 😁

Ha loving the MLs Dad standing up to Director Han!!

I need to catch up with Graceful Family. Sounds like the thrills and spills have continued apace.

I'm loving the female detective's satoori in The Lies Within. I'm loving the story so far, it definitely keeps you on your feet.

Ooh pretty good kissing scene too!!

Interesting cross-posts there. I was scratching my head wondering how I’d missed the kissing in The Lies Within, then realised that Girl was talking about Graceful Family. 😆

I wonder how Aesop’s getting on with BTIMFL.

Yes TheGirl I gasped at the kissing scene. I knew it'd happen at some point, but still didn't see it coming!

Woah! There’s a translator’s note on Secret Life of My Secretary that says working hours are 52 pw in Korea and were 68 before 2018! 😮 Explains why hardly anyone cooks at home, they’re all in work until very late and tend to eat with colleagues straight from work.

Boatyard I've just finished clearing dinner, DD and DH are watching watching a movie downstairs and I am now tucked up ready to start episode 10 of BTIMFL. Still really enjoying it and savouring the slow burn between FL and ML without a clue as to how it is going to turn out for them. Meanwhile enjoying how the other characters stories play out.

I even re-wound to watch it again because it surprised me so much 😂😂😂

I'd better stop moaning about work, at least it's only 38 hours a week not 52!

I’m so envious of you, Aesops. BTIMFL is wonderful.

With Lee Min-Ki in mind, I particularly liked his (almost imperceptible) reaction during FL’s press conference, the gradual shift in his level of interest and then action. It was a really great bit of acting and classic Lee Min-Ki. He and You-Young Lee are fantastic casting - 10/10 to the casting director that thought to pair them.

Agree The Lies Within is proving to be pretty classy all round, and it's good that LMK is able to showcase his acting skills, although I also think his his comedic timing is pretty darn good.

Catching up with Melting and I'm going to add comedy gangsters to hello's list of things I don't like in kdrama. They are just tiresome, I wish GRRR JCW's comeback project had been just a straight romcom rather than slapstick or the muddle that Melting is. There's enough of a story with the older GF and family loss without loopy amnesiac long-haired professors.

although I also think his his comedic timing is pretty darn good.

Just thinking about LMK getting that call from the police station about his errant ‘son’ in The Beauty Inside still makes me smile and I watched it months ago.

bettys I agree with the comedic gangster types. Im adding people like the man in SWDBS who wore a lot of black and screeched a lot. Characters that are only supposed to be there to be funny or create funny moments and usually miss the mRk by a long shot.

Another actor/idol has died by a suspected suicide. Sulli was found dead by her manager earlier. She played a cameo role in Hotel del Luna and was a member of the group f(x).

After Jonghyun's suicide, things were supposed to change with more help being offered to famous people. It's a damning indictment of the stress idols and actors and put through.

So awful, she was so young

It feels a bit odd to talk about dramas after that message but I find it hard to dwell on these things for too long.

I watched season 2 of Good Morning Call and got SLS. It has taken all that I've got not to tut at the TV at FL bad decisions.