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…

All the kids on the doomed plane in Vagabond did for me on Friday night.

hello I got confused, I thought The Running Mates: Human Rights was something to do with Running Man and therefore a variety show, especially with the poster image its got.

There's obviously a triangle developing in Flower Crew, just when I was hoping Kim Min-Jae might actually get the girl and be the ML. By the laws of kdrama, the first one she kisses, accidentally or otherwise will be the one she ends up with.
I watched it on dramafast so the subs weren't as clear, did the pregnant girl's husband-to-be know she was pregnant? If not how is she going to pull that off?

Rabbit and Zorro are making me laugh (Melo).

Yes the kids on the plane and the nephew trying to text his uncle before he lost consciousness. Maybe because it's in Morocco but the action scenes had a Bourne-esque feel to them. I wish all the eps were up at once.

Thought I might have a look at You're All Surrounded as it has Lee Seung-Gi in, anyone seen it?

I tried Betty. I couldn’t find me groove, but LSG is in good form in it. Caution: also features Korea Knightly (Go Ara, for the newbies).

God, so many typos. Shoot me now.

Ooo-er I'm put off now.
Might have a boaty shuffle then, You're All Surrounded , I Remember You (Viki) or Running Mates (Viki) which actually looks very interesting now hello's mentioned it

bettys the poster for The Running Mates does look a bit variety-esque. I don't think the title helps either. The alternative title is Running Investigators which also sounds a bit variety.

As for the pregnant lady's almost husband knowing about the pregnancy. I'm not sure. I rewatched it a few times and didn't manage to catch anything saying he did. I assumed it was more he went off to the war and then she found out.

I've skippitydoodah ed my way through *you're all surrounded 'it was OK... Ahn Jae Hyun was the draw for me as I really love him in Beauty Inside and enjoyed Blood... Though now a little distracted by the divorce melodrama itself! 😔😳

Sooo tired. Managed half an episode of Human but I can’t keep my eyes open. Night all. 🥾🍑

Morning all
Just realised there is a new thread after posting on old one!

Place-marking

Aesops just seen your last post on the other thread. Did you have the free trial with Viki & is that why it’s asking you to repurchase? I cast from my phone on to the tv using AirPlay for Viki viewing, works a treat!

I’ve never been prompted to pay on Viki, but I have a rolling monthly subscription.

@bettys yes, in order of preference😂

@boatyardblues - korea knightly - made me laugh, so funny. Kiera gets slated a lot for her acting on an period drama fan page I’m on. She’s like marmite!

I know the payment prompt comes up if you don't have a default payment method in the play store. I don't know about apple devices though.
Just been on an almighty hike this morning and my thinking is 2 hours of hiking is worth at least 1 hour of drama viewing. So I'm going to dive into whatever appears first on Viki

My Viki logged me out yesterday and was asking me to pay. Is that it? Are you still logged in?

I think I might be becoming addicted. I don't seem to be able to have a break between them! Just finished Healer and need to find a new one. I'm also secretly listening to BTS and my 13 year old will disown me if he finds out. Even wondering if anywhere sells kimchi or soju so I can try them out. Do I need help?

Brambly!... 😂😂😂... Welcome welcome! It's a slippery slope... Healer?.. BTS?...soju!... You are well and truly caught! 😱😂😂😂...
Whatever you do... Don't... I repeat don't look up bts on YouTube... You will never ever recover!... Trust me!.... 😭😭😭
Avert your eyes now!!...

💜💜💜💜💜

@bramblyhedge I loved healer. Have you seen kill me heal me?
Tesco definitely sell kimchi with the sauerkraut. My husband wanted some as he saw a diet programme about fermented foods being good to loose weight. He’s only got through half the jar in 3 months!!

Brambly... Don't look!!....😱

Brambly!... Next...
Suspicious Partner with GRR JCW (healer) on netflix

Bea youre not showcasing the dorky cute years like this when seokjin and namjoon made it really obvious they couldn't dance. the group dance with vixx makes my heart happy too. 2014 was a good year for boy groups.

Brambly There is no return once you start watching BTS and craving Soju! I second Suspicious Partner as your next watch, (although I also love Kill Me Heal Me ). The next step in your addiction if you haven't already done so is to take out a Viki subscription, then you can watch Grrr JCW in his new series.
By the way, you can get soju on amazon, and kimchi paste in Waitrose, plus if you are anywhere near the A3, Korea Foods is THE best Korean supermarket!

Bea you keep coming up with amazing BTS vids. I was hypnotised by V and Jimin in that one (as usual)

Love how they put names on them - maybe boatyard is up to speed with her hangul and will be able to tell who's who!

Ahhh! Bts early years! This is one of my favourites!... bettys... V and Jimin being naughty!😂😂