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 on a night shift and reading this thread on my break, and wanted to join in the love in. I don't have anyone in real life to discuss the finer points of kdramas so I really enjoy these threads.
I have some wine in at home, just need some grapes now 😍

Hi all, just back from my evening in K-Town

It was fantastic!

Shopping:
Lots of face masks
Heavy (good quality) steel chopsticks and long spoons
Dried noodles with black bean powder
Eye cream

Restaurant:
Korean BBQ with Galbi Beef and spicy pork.
8 side dishes
Soju
AND
Magkeoli (Makkoli) which is an extremely delicious milky rice wine

That dinner looks fantastic, Mabel! And I agree about makkeoli.

They had loads of fancy Korean face masks in TK Maxx recently. I nearly bought this one because I liked the packaging so much, but realised a photo would be just as gratifying - whereas using the mask would probably set my eczema off.

I am gradually catching up with Vagabond, so I’ve got past the episode where FL passes out drunk at LSG’s kitchen table. She’s currently doing a food shop in Morocco for the mad emperor* (her NIS boss). 🙄

• He’ll always be the mad emperor in Last Empress for me.

Incidentally, we are

He’ll always be the mad emperor for me too, although I actually like him a lot as an actor. He was in Age of Shadows last night he is very versatile.

Love the face mask pack from TK Maxx, great graphics though £5.99 seems vair expensive, Boots own brand is cheaper and made in Korea. Crap packaging though which doesn’t add to the ‘I am a character in a kdrama’ feel of slapping one on. Need to go to TKMaxx now

Aesops I am very envious of your Koreatown shopping & dining. I have been looking for proper metal chopsticks everywhere. Ordered some off Amazon but they never arrived - too cheap & fell out of a hole in the bag somewhere between here & China 🤔 Sounds like you had a great night!

Boatyard... I bought some of those Face Masks in TKMAxx the other day... i loved the descriptions on the back....imagine walking along the Han River on a rainy day... or something like that... yes! I loved the illustrations... very cute... I love aFace Mask!... shame I haven't turned into IU yet!...

I think the current title is very funny and should stick... unless someone can think of something funnier!...

The Age of Shadows is on iPlayer if anyone missed it

ooo! didn't catch up properly.... I properly luvs this thread too!... Where else can I exclaim my love for kdramas and my undying devotion to the magnificent 7!!!

BTS have just opened up a humongous pop up store in Seoul but only open for 3 months.... Hoping dh will take me.... though very very unlikely...!

I like the title! I nominate Graceful Family, Doctors and Gogh The Starry Night for inclusion, all on Viki. hello recommended Doctors to me so I think it gets the required quota of thumbs up

I support bettys nominations! I bloody love Doctors, its definitely list worthy.

Anyone have opinions on Tale of Nokdu? I think it could be list worthy but I'm not 100% sure.

Oooh yes to both Tale of Nokdu and Flower Crew Joseon Marriage Agency although both are still airing

I need categories too. Is Graceful Family a crime/thriller or guilty pleasure, for example?

Graceful Family - Definitely Crime
Tales of Nokdu - Historical
Doctors - Romance - heavier weight?
Joseon Marriage Agency - Historical
Goghs Starry Night - Romance - light and fluffy?

Lol I would’ve said Graceful Family was a guilty pleasure.

It is chucking it down today I am heading home for a late lunch if sushi tuna wrap & Extraordinary You

I'm torn because it's good quality guilty pleasure. If only it had been a little bit worse, then it'd be firmly in guilty pleasure territory.

Ooh Aesops that night out sounds ace!
I think Graceful Family should be in the list and I would say it's Crime.
Im loving Doctors too.
I'm not sure about Flower Crew I don't feel as drawn into it as some others. Maybe need to see how it pans out?

I like the thread title too.

Cool, let's say crime for Graceful Family - its true that if it was less good it'd veer into guilt pleasure.

Another Doctors fan - great! I am really enjoying the little relationships between the characters like the 'uncle' & 'aunt' that keep staying over at 2MLs house.

I think Flower Crew does hinge on the next few episodes. It's good but always the last one I catch up on.

The actor who played the father in Graceful Family was in a car accident earlier this week that resulted in the death of a 17 year old. Apparently it was a total accident, due to dark but my heart goes out to the young man's family.

That's just so awful, 17 is terribly young it doesn't bear thinking about.

Right. I have dispatched my boys to bed and finished the work I brought home. Now I take command of the remote.

I’m in the mood for daft, flashy Vagabond. I want FL to get very, very drunk again. 😉

Glad to hear everyone is comfortable with the current title. I like the mental image It captures of the online fan forum in Her Private Life, though I dare say I don’t look nearly as well put together as KJW’s Ms Latte. 😄

I'm more of a Ms Own-Brand-Instant-Coffee most days.

I've just got home and DP has offered me some alone time, straight to dramas with some fluffy socks on. I'm unsure what I'm in the mood for so might do a little shuffle through my currently watching and see what catches my attention.

I’ve just got home and DP has offered me some alone time, straight to dramas with some fluffy socks on.

I hear ya! DH is away with work so I am revelling in my hideous grey fleece and, once I’ve finished my cuppa, I’m moving onto the plum soju.