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…

I’m finding it quite amusing how we all lead one another astray.

Ohhhh! I can't find anything to watch at the moment! 😭😭😭😭

Join us in Another Miss Oh Bea Side note, the actress who plays FLs mum has so many children if the dramas I've seen are anything to go by. She's always the FLs mum too. She must just have a look about her.

I love the FL’s Mum - aka Healer’s handler and HPL Park Min Young’s Mum. I like that she is so grumpy in this, and also a couple of screws loose like the FL. The weird dancing in their kitchen cracked me up. I’m also enjoying ‘the Alien’ in her various drunken states.

Urgh horrible work day 🤪 made it through by using the crappy phone signal at work to look at pictures of BTS on Instagram on my break. Actual videos are not possible cos of crappy signal.

Watching The Lies Within now. Might have to finish off with a bit of My Fellow Citizens before bed to lighten the mood.

Oh good, Girl - I’m glad someone else is giving My Fellow Citizens a go. I thought it was very clever and also laugh out loud funny.

I’ve just got to the twist where the Alien’s daytime persona is revealed.

Chicken fillet humiliation. 🤣

A hahahahaha!!🤣🤣Just seen it!

I feel so bad for Oh Hae Yeung 2 😟

I know! But there are hints OHY1 didn’t have such an easy time. I suspect there’s more to come.

hello ... May give it a go tomorrow! 😁

thegirl.... That's another rabbit hole you don't want to fall down! 😳😂😂😂

I am really enjoying Another Miss Oh. As Bea said recently, it comes alive when the supporting characters are entertaining too. The alien reminds me of the Gangnam Leopard, but an out of control, unboundaried variation on the theme.

I'm really enjoying Another Miss Oh too, and think the fun secondary characters really add to it (which is great as I'm not a fan of Eric)
FL's parents are fab - the lunchbox scene is just lovely!
2FL's background coming to light is interesting, not just the stereotypical can't-let-go ex girlfriend.
I'm not sure it needs the vision bits, maybe there'll be a twist.

It's good fun that a few of us are watching together

hello if you can do it I'd definitely like a pre-2019 tab on the scoreboard so we can add dramas like this one - maybe with an extra column for the year?

bettys it's already done! I did it last night it should appear as an extra tab at the bottom of the screen. i've added everything from the list that's pre-2019 too. i can add a year column just tell me where to put it.

hello excellent work! Thank you I've started adding my scores.
Maybe a column next to the title for year & country eg SK 2018. We can abbreviate so TW, C, J etc. And scores in red.

Just added my scores for pre 2019.... oooo there's some oldies but goodies on there....

The spreadsheet is fab. I tried to edit it but it wanted me to download the app, which I don’t want, so here are my scores:

Beating again 6
BTIMFL 10
Black 7
Chicago Typewriter 8
Coffee Prince 5
Descendants of the Sun 6
DDTD 8
Goblin 9
Gogh 8
Happy Once Again 7
Healer 7
Heartless City 8
His Masters Sun 7
I picked a celeb 6
Just Between Lovers 8
Legend of the Blue Sea 6
Life on Mars 8
Live 9
Mr Sunshine 8
Pride & Prejudice 6
Prison Playbook 9
Radio Romance 7
Red Carpet 7
Something in the Rain 8
Suspicious Partner 6
Beauty Inside 8
Last Empress 5
The Package 8
30 not 17 = 6
Tunnel 9
W: 2 worlds 8
Secretary Kim 4
While you were sleeping 7
You are my destiny 5

I feel there’s a major bias in the back catalogue at the mo because its the ‘addicts recommend’ cut. We need to add all the crap ones we bailed on to get a proper view.

I remember someone saying on a much earlier thread - one of the SK resident early posters - that they hated Jo Jung Sook and found him punchable. I’ve watched enough kdrama now to be able to benchmark him & I find him smug and annoying too. I was reflecting on that as I scored DDTD, but decided it deserved a good score nonetheless.

I remember someone saying on a much earlier thread - one of the SK resident early posters - that they hated Jo Jung Sook and found him punchable. I’ve watched enough kdrama now to be able to benchmark him & I find him smug and annoying too. I was reflecting on that as I scored DDTD, but decided it deserved a good score nonetheless.

boatyard I nearly wrote the exact same post! Interesting how perceptions change as you ‘graduate’ through kdrama 😆

Heading into Ikea.....I may be some time.....😱

Watch out for LSG and his assassin tail - go carefully, Betty.

I've added in your score boatyard I agree with the adding in crap ones for a rounded picture but thought if I added all the crap ones I've seen we'd be here all week.

bettys stay safe and don't get distracted by all the fluffy throws and pillows! I own too many fluffy throws because that's what happens when you move 10 minutes away from ikea.

The scissors are my downfall!!... You can never have enough!! 😂

Boatyard what about Melo? I didn't see it on your list!

Is it worth me scoring when I've only watched 8 fully? Also it may skew the Prison playbook scores as I seem to be the only one scoring it an average 😳

Really enjoying another miss oh , must say the beds in Korea do not look comfortable at all? Lots of nylon/polyester quilting and mattresses not springy at all. Saying that I am a bedding snob (just bedding nothing else) and have to sleep on an abundance of feathers and thick cotton bedding!🤣

Aesops she sent me the ratings for Melo in a pm when we were just doing 2019 shows. You should definitely share your scores! Your opinion is worth as much as anyone else's.

I must say I agree with the bed comments. I need my thick down duvet come winter or summer. I don't think I'd last long with their tiny thin comforters.