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…

Did Hung Jae In’s ripped abs and manly press-ups not compensate, Aesops? There were several compensations for me, even if it was a total sausage fest (negligible female characters).

For some reason Viki has released loads of Chinese dramas recently and is a bit slow on the Korean ones.

I noticed that too.

I had a quick look at the spreadsheet. It’s interesting to see which ones are consistently high scored and which ones were more divisive.

Her Private Life is off bounding in front of every other drama. I think it deserves its current place at top of the board.

Boatyard- apart from So Ji Sub in Venus I don't believe I have been attracted to any of the actors. Not unusual for me though as applicable to most actors. Excluding of course the irresistible Javier Bardim

Sausage Fest
*
Hello,* will take at look at Her Private Life for sure

Even crazy Javier Bardem in that recent Bond film, Aesops? I thought he was too crazy (and that bob!) to be sexy in Bond.

www.instagram.com/p/B5CDz-kFYkO/?igshid=1d7iteleeu1nc

Odd question but do you reckon this is extentions or his actual hair? What are our opinions on Lee Dong Wook with his long hair?

I rather like long hair on men but Lee Dong Wook leaves me cold, though I think he’s ok as an actor

I think it suits him

Looks real to me though I’m no expert.

I realise I could have put this in one post. I have just been out in this v frosty morning & think my brian and fingers have frozen

It's alright bettys I love reading a train of thought over multiple posts.
I think it suits him but he looks a bit meh. I wouldn't want to chat to him in the pub, he seems a bit too chic?

I wouldn't invite him down the pub either, I can't exactly explain why. He's not exactly standoffish, just a little remote seeming. Gong Yoo however has a long standing invitation to the pub.

I think he gives off an unapproachable air too and isn’t on my pub list either, bit I liked him more after watching Goblin. The long hair is not for me.

boatyard dunno how far you've got with PYHOMS but there is a bed scene in ep 22 if you are watching with your DS - it's not rude just awkward/funny. I have finished it now and am looking at Don't Get Tipsy Get Downright Pissed or whatever it's called

I think Don't Get Tipsy, Get Downright Pissed has a nice ring to it. I got to episode 12 in 2 days and it was pretty good, nice pacing and decent secondary characters, lots of story. Just lechy kissing that makes me feel a bit eww.

Good heavens the end titles for Don’t Get Tipsy go on for ever and show the whole story practically 🤨

5 minutes of ending credits! It's like they think each episode is a blooming movie.

The lechy kissing isn't as bad as him saying "I'm the boss" before he dives in....though he did seem to be getting into it a bit too much considering it was for research purposes (the bit where they react where they swapped senses)
The leads aren't as endearing as in PYHOMS somehow, why are the FLs always so ditsy in Cdrama?

re-enact not react

They're ditzy, and badly dressed. I'm assuming it's the kind of love story that Chinese viewers like; ditzy woman with misogynistic male?

DS and I have noted FL inPYHOMS is so petite she looked like a different species when she was walking home drunk between ML and 2ML.

Wasn’t there a similar US tv female archetype a few years ago - something like ‘manic pixie dream girl’? I remember DH reading an article about it. Think Zooey Deschanel in New Girl.

boatyard Id say manic pixie dream girls are a good way to define these FLs too. Bubbly girls they exist for the purpose of convince a broody man they can do anything they want if they put their minds to it.

If anyone is looking through the 'From Fake To Real Romance' collection on Viki, beware of the Japanese drama Scum's Wish if you watch with children. It's essentially 12 episodes of soft core porn. There's another reasons to avoid it but just thought I'd give everyone a heads up.

Thanks hello , I'm now curious as to what the other reason to avoid Scum's Wish is!

Random question - why do girls always put a cushion on their lap? The 2FL in Tipsy has one on her lap even though she is sat at a desk & wearing trousers (so not a modesty thing)

bettys It also has 17 year olds getting physical with each other while pretending the other is a teacher they fancy. It's just a bit icky.

Maybe it's a comfort thing? I do it some times without thinking.