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…

Why enjoy one good thing, when you can enjoy ten good things? I used to be the same until I realised I'm losing nothing by watching/reading more varied matierals at the same time. It gives me an easy out too if there's a boring bit!

I've got myself into a muddle with all my watching....
I write it down here to get it all straight in my head fore than for anything else!!!

On the go...
Melting Me Softly
Vagabond
Signal

Started but will try and pick up once the above three are done...
Flower Joseon Crew
Tomorrow With You
When The Camelia Blooms (not sure I'll get back to this one)

To Watch
Because This Is My First Life
Beautiful Love, Wonderful Love
Tale Of Nokdu
Extraordinary You (This has been getting good write ups.... waiting to come to netflix/viki but might gave up and goto dramafast)
Gogh The Starry Night

and I bet I've forgotten something!!!! argh!

Moment Of

My 'to watch' is out of control! There's 49 in my notes and it's always getting longer.

Gogh is easy - that’s a single evening if you get started at a sensible time.

I have 4 lists I keep on my phone:
Done (categorised so I can remember the good, the bad and the mediocre)
Ongoing: I have to keep track of what episode I'm up to as sometimes I leave them for a week or two (or more in the case of Confession)
On air : Handily categorised by day so I know I can watch it the next day
To Watch : A very random collection

I'm only a step away from a spreadsheet

I feel a spreadsheet in my near future. The notes function on my iphone can’t really cut it anymore.

Currently there is a lot of good stuff on air, but a good old binge-watch is always handy for the Sunday/Monday gap

I've got MyDramaList which is great because you as an almost spreadsheet in app form but it doesn't organise by airing day which would be perfect!

Bit of a snigger moment in Black Knight where the FL brings out of a dainty carrier bag a beautifully beribboned pack of.....,..Ikea Jubla candles 🤣🤣 Forget the massage armchairs that’s a PPL I actually have in my house right now !! 😉

Have we discussed Korean music finds recently? I still have O5ohn on heavy rotation, but I’ve recently added We Are TheNight’s Vertigo album. They have some great tracks on Spotify.

Also 92914, which is laid back chill out stuff, and 1415. Basically lots of laid back melodic electronic stiff and some acoustic guitar stuff.

I have a Heize, Suran and Crush on rotation today. All of them have done really popular OSTs but Heize and Suran do more chillstep style music, while Crush is very R&B. It makes me feel like I'm living an easy breezy life despite the messy kids toys and loud washing machine.

AKMU are also on my playlist but they're far more varied with lots of pop, electronic and ballads. They're a brother/sister duo which is quite nice.
I think Bolbaggan4 are on here too and they do lots of acoustic laid back stuff too

I also listen to Heize, Suran and Crush, and Penomoco, pH-1, Jay Park, Gray, Sam Kim, Hoody and GroovyRoom. Will try out AKMU, 1415 and the other recs today. Epik High are probably my most listened to though (and BTS of course)

I'm partial to Epik High. I have playlists full of pop, ballads, rock and rap depending on the mood. My house is a hodge podge of weird non-English music between me and DP.

Do I really have to say!!!!???? BTS always! I'm sorry! But it's the truth! They've just dropped (one of my faves from Persona Album) I love their lyrics... they just make me want to cry!

However I do love it speaks to my love for Busted anthemic epicness!!! ]

and I also love love this from GOT7 written by Psychometric Guy himself!

But yes! It's generally BTS all the way!

We've got Shine by Pentagon on right now. DS loves to dance to it. At what age does the cute little bum wiggle dance stop? Because he's never growing past that.

I'm tempted to say never...but DS (20) would be mortified

I’m feeling properly grumpy today (crap day at work). I can’t wait for dinner to be done/over so I can retreat into my fluffy k-cave and cheer myself up with daft romance and buff chaps.

Well, SLOMS was perfectly OK but it wasn’t up there with the best. I now need a good distraction. Not sageuk, but lots of buff men would be a bonus.

Spicey ricey for dinner again tonight, by the way. I’m still experimenting with the recipe. I added uncooked stirfry pork strips and frozen prawns tonight and too many mushrooms. It was a bit sloppy (too wet) but still tasty.

I know you said not sageuk but for buff chaps you should give Tale of Nokdu a go, s’on Viki & is fun

I’m enjoying Black Knight & Kim Rae Win’s sincere gazing but am skippitying a bit. Need to catch up with Vagabond though

I could go back to Black Knight & I have lots of Vagabond to catch up on too. Hmmm. Decisions, decisions.

Arrrgghhhh!! Vagabond!! The baddies are sooooo bad!! I'm hoping for comeuppance soon! 😱😱😱😱

I've hit a wall with Vaganond already, is it worth pushing through?