MsLatte’s Daebak Cybercafé (kdrama addicts #10)

[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 Dramabus (non subscription, maybe dodgy) and AmazonPrime. 



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)
Graceful Family (Viki) - potboiler!
Healer (Netflix)*
Heartless City (Viki)

He is Psychometric (Viki)

I Hear Your Voice (Netflix /Viki)

Life on Mars (classy remake of BBC series, Dramafast)

Live (Netflix)

Pride & Prejudice (Netflix)*

Prison Playbook (Netflix)*

Suspicious Partner (Netflix)*
Tunnel (Netflix)



Historical/Period drama (“sageuk”)
Crowned Clown (Viki)
Mr Sunshine (Netflix)
Tale of Nokdu (Viki)



Romance - lighter & fluffier
Beating Again (Netflix)
Coffee Prince (Netflix)
Don’t Dare to Dream (Netflix, or as Jealousy Incarnate on Viki)*
Gogh, The Starry Night (Viki)
*
Happy Once Again (Netflix)
Her Private Life (Viki)*

His Master’s Sun (Netflix)

Love from a Star (Netflix)*

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/Netflix)*
Descendants of the Sun (Viki/Netflix)
Doctors (Netflix)
Fight For My Way (Viki/Drama bus)*

Just Between Lovers (Viki)**
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

Goblin (Viki)*

I am not a Robot (Netflix)
Legend of the Blue Sea (Viki/Netflix)
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)
Hwarang (Viki/Netflix)
The Last Empress (Viki)
Sassy Go Go (Netflix)



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


Not Korean but just try it

Regulars occasionally branch out into Japanese, Taiwanese and Chinese drama. The Chinese & Taiwanese stuff is much more variable quality-wise, so we’ve noted anything decent here:

Love O2O (Viki - Chinese)
Morning Call (Netflix - Japanese)

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 its possible we 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…

Woohoo! Thanks boatyard 😉😊

No problem. We have a steady-state format at the mo, so it’s not much bother. If I’m not around for a roll-over, I’m not precious about someone else doing it.

I’m confused by Doctors. A lot of the politicking seems to be around whether the government will allow hospitals to run for profit. There must be limits on fees/regulation. I’d assumed medicine was privatised like the US with a bit of Cinderella state provision for the have-nots, but they are talking in this 2016 series about whether the government will pass legislation to allow a for profit sector & the wheeler-dealers seem to think not. I wonder if it has changed since.

I always thought it was a heavily subsidised insurance type deal. So you pay something, but not massive amounts. Although I know its something like 88% of hospital beds are in privately owned hospitals, so surely there's a profit to be had somewhere?

In the management board in Doctors one of the ‘for profit’ agitators makes a comment about the hospital making most of its ptofit in the cafeteria, not from the medical care so I’m assuming the profit is made from ancillary services like catering & upgrades to private rooms etc.

I'm v hungover after a friend's birthday party last night. I'm hoping some kdrama in pajamas will make me feel better 😨
I'm going to catch up with Vagabond first and then Doctors.

I was up until 2am (old time) watching Doctors and I watched some more in my pyjamas this morning.

We’ve just had a delicious lunch of galbi jjim (slow cooked beef short rib soup) with a small bowl of steamed rice on the side to stir in, plus side dishes of pork and kimchee fried rice (using up roast pork) and cut radish kimchee. The mooli I bought in the market yesterday was comedy huge. DS2 asked if I enjoyed peeling it as much as last time. I had to own up to having cut it into sections to get it on the scales to weigh it, as it was too long - boo!

Very impressed with you making your own cut radish kimchee boatyard!
I am travelling home from God’s Own Country and looking forward to a cup of tea, chocolate digestives and an hour of drama

Mmm Boatyard that sounds delish!

I have realised that I can no longer spell kimchi properly. I think kimchee may have stuck after last winter’s kimcheese toastie innovation.

I can take no credit for the bought cut radish kimchi. It packs a certain punch that the cabbage one doesn’t. 👌

Kim Rae-Won’s hair in Doctors is a bit strange. There have been a couple of scenes where I’ve wondered if its a toupee. If its his real hair, the stylist needs a talking to. I’m finding him a bit shiny and plastic in this, as if he hit the botox a touch too hard before filming, but his amiable performance and pleasant voice are carrying me through.

😱😱Nooooooo! I can’t unsee that now😩

Sorry. 😞

Sadly I have just spent the last half hour trawling through images of Kim Rae Won trying to analyse his hair.... it looks more natural in his last couple of films so I think it may be the Julius Caesar brushed forward styling in Doctors.

He has a film just out this month which looks like a romantic comedy with Gong Hyo Jin - An Ordinary Romance. His hair is a bit sticky-uppy but you can see the natural hair line on the forehead.

Note to self - must find other things to do on a Sunday evening....

www.soompi.com/article/1361839wpp/jung-yu-mi-and-gong-yoos-film-kim-ji-young-born-1982-surpasses-1-million-moviegoers

This article says Kim Ji Young, Born 1982^ is smashing Box Office records in S Korea. I am hopeful it will get a UK release.🤞I have also preordered the English translation of the source novel on Amazon - due out in Feb.

I'm so excited for the film! I'm hoping Netflix might get it eventually. Im trying to read it in Korean but I'm only making slow progress. So might have to pick up the translation when it's out.

😂😂😂Very funny reference to BTS in ep9 of Melting!... BTS and JCW!... but ambassador you are spoiling us!.. 😂😂😂... Sadly only a mention though! No actual appearance! 😂😂😂💜

Yes that was funny!! 💜 BTS must get the most mentions in drama for a kpop group.

Creative use of the shower at the end of episode 10 😉

I loved the mention in Hotel De Luna... It was soooo funny!.. And sweet v💜😍

Bea Lovely Eyes Junho's recent film Homme Fatale is on dramafast. The subs are well dodgy but it is quite amusing....only seen the first bit over lunch mind you.

Lovely Eyes Junho! 😍😍😍😍... I'll make my way over!! 💕💖❤️

I need a bingewatch to tide me over the on-airs......anyone seen Mad Dog? It has Woo Do Hwan & 2ML from Healer in

I haven't seen it bettys but hear mixed things. More good than bad though so might be worth a shot?

Betty - Any chance you can watch Terrius Behind Me on the wild frontier services and report back? I feel I’m letting Ji Sub down by not having watched it, but watching on my phone is meh and I want to know if its worth it.

I've watched it! It's not up there with Master's Sun or Oh My Venus, but it's a tidy little drama with very good sub characters. There's a great gang of nosy school parents, and a likeable villain. All round rather enjoyable, and although there is attraction, no huge romance. It's a comedy spy thriller and worthy of the list I'd say.

I think Homme Fatale must be subbed by a bot or an app as one line has just made me snort involuntarily: ‘The problem with the glove box does not concern my family’ totally random and out of context