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…

Not yet Bettys I have that ready for when I fancy a darker genre

I am very happy to have discovered a Korean/Japanese fast food supermarket near Waterloo for emergency supplies of PSJ oops I mean kimchi

Excellent Bettys! My office isn't too far from there.
Tonight I'm home alone ready to binge new K Drama and these!

I've got emergency supplies of that chapagetti in my cupboard Aesops! I'm settling into My Country after I fell a bit behind. As much as I love Woo Do Hwan, I'm struggling with it

Just looked at Tune In briefly and unless it gets rave reviews from anyone on our thread wont bother as it's dubbed

Going to watch next 2 eps of Camellia then may start Prison Playbook or Vagabond
Ooh decisions!

Happy weekend everyone

Just looked at Tune In briefly and unless it gets rave reviews from anyone on our thread wont bother as it's dubbed

It’s worth a fiddle on your Netflix settings, Aesops. Often when Netflix are trying to tempt people over to the dark side, they set it to default to dubbed in English but you can reset it to Korean with English subs. That was definitely the case when they were plugging Kingdom heavily.

Prison Playbook trumps Vagabond, deffo. It’s a great series.

What boatyard says Aesops. Plus I like your nail varnish. The Korean place is just down from the Fire Station bar outside Waterloo station.

Prison Playbook is not too dark, it has a whole raft of characters you root for.

Evening all! Hope everyone is well and have husbands and significant others squared away for the night and small people ready for bed so we can catch up on the important things... ipads charged and ready for Friday night!

I am excited about new Vagabond, but also shattered after an incredibly busy week. I’d like to think I could stay awake for the whole episode but its looking doubtful. I then have a busy weekend of real life adulting. 😞

Nice to see you again Cassini, by the way.

Thank you I have been busy with professional exams and then half term but now back in the habit

I am catching up with Go go squid tonight whilst waiting for subs on Mengfei comes across, the maddest and funniest thing I have seen so far!

I was expecting to see more Vagabond up tonight. What’s going on?

Cassini I liked Go Go Squid! Definitely felt like they could have done it in 30 episodes though. I'm so glad the MLs career has taken off.

If you've got any interest in 1920s China, may I recommend Arsenal Military Academy? It has Xu Kai and Bai Lu from The Legends in incase you've seen that.

^Due to a national baseball event in South Korea, episode 14 will not air on Friday, November 8, 2019 and will instead air on Saturday, November 9, 2019 at 22:00 KST.
Revised Episode Airing Schedule
Episode 14 - 20191109 @ 22:00 KST
Episode 15 - 20191115 @ 22:00 KST
Episode 16 - 20191116 @ 22:00 KST^

Pah!!!

Bloody sport! Well, I’m getting my LSG fix from Surrounded tonight.

I'm heading in for my 3rd attempt at Hwayugi after I've caught up with Camellia. It remains to be seen if LSG is as strawberry-liscious with that hideous haircut.

Camellia so good tonight fully caught up and noodles eaten. Taking myself off to bed with a Korean sheet mask and going to try Prison Playbook

It remains to be seen if LSG is as strawberry-liscious with that hideous haircut.

I think its his determination to not like or have any kind feelings towards FL - but then starting to care and feeling horribly conflicted - which makes Korean Odyssey/Hwayugi so much fun.

Good choice, Aesops. The character development is brilliant, so stick with it even if you’re not 100% sure. Also, the devil captain - soooo buff. 👌

The character development is brilliant, so stick with it even if you’re not 100% sure. Also, the devil captain - soooo buff. 👌

Absolutely second that, Prison Playbook is a slow burn. At first you're a bit non-plussed but you get drawn in and by episode 3 I couldn't stop I was so invested. The devil captain appears a few episodes in, worth waiting for.

I nearly didn't watch as I couldn't care less about baseball but so glad I did, it's in my top 5

I loved the episode with the mass quiz for the noodles and the discovery of their secret weapon. The friendships are so poignant too. It was great.

Hellos i have that on my list!

I definitely have my finger on the fast forward for bits of it, 30 would have been a better length. And her clothes ....

Oh gosh Cassini her clothes are terrible. This is why I prefer period pieces from China because they're always beautifully dressed. Whereas anything vaguely modern has horrendous wardrobes. They've got to be easily 10 times worse than any bad dressing in Korean dramas!