Ms Latte’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama Addicts #12)

[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 [[
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/streamed_tv/3758420-Ms-Latte-s-Daebak-Cybercaf-Kdrama-Addicts-11?topicid=16582&threadid=3758420&pg=1 here]] but our ‘Addicts Recommend’ list below is cumulative so includes recommendations and favourites from all previous threads.


Shows marked with an asterisk 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)
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)*
The Lies Within (Netflix)*
Tunnel (Netflix)*



Historical/Period drama (“sageuk”)
Crowned Clown (Viki)*
Mr Sunshine (Netflix)
Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung (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)
The Secret Life of My Secretary (Viki/Netflix)
Thirty Not Seventeen (Viki) or as Still 17 (Netflix)

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

Another Miss Oh (Netflix)*
Because This Is My First Life (Viki/Netflix)
Chicago Typewriter (Viki/Netflix)
Crash Landing on You (Netflix - still airing)
Descendants of the Sun (Viki/Netflix)
Doctors (Netflix)
Fight For My Way (Viki/Drama bus)*
Go Back Couple (Viki)

Just Between Lovers (Viki)*
Melo is my Nature (Viki)/Be Melodramatic (Dramafast)
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)
Bride of Habaek (Netflix)
Hwarang (Viki/Netflix)
The Last Empress (Viki/Netflix)
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:

Before We Get Married (Viki - Taiwanese)
Love O2O (Viki - Chinese)
Morning Call (Netflix - Japanese)
Put Your Head on My Shoulder (Netflix - Chinese)

Thread Regulars’ Top 5 Dramas of 2019 (courtesy of Hello’s kdrama spreadsheet, scores range from +10 if very good to -10 for truly awful)

1. Her Private Life - 9.40 (5 votes)
2. Melo is My Nature - 9.00 (5 votes)

3.= Crash Landing On You, The Crowned Clown, The Lies Within, and The Tale of Nokdu - 8.75 (4 votes)

1. Hotel del Luna - 8.50 (4 votes)

5.= Romance is a Bonus Book, and Search: WWW - 8.17 (6 votes)

The Most Disappointing Dramas of 2019

1. Melting Me Softly -4.17 (3 votes)
2. Abyss -3.33 (3 votes)
3. When The Devil Calls Your Name -2.33 (3 votes)
4. Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency - 0.33 (3 votes)
5. Vagabond 1.25 (4 votes)

Honourable mention for the worst drama of the year goes to Chinese/Mandarin Well Intended Love on Netflix, which scored -10 (2 votes). It beggars belief that Netflix commissioned a second series, but there you go. 🤷‍♂️

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.

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…

Hello Trueweirdness... Come enjoy the kdrama and Kpop!.. 😂 💜💜

(Waves to everyone) Thank you for having me! The other thread has made me so cross!! I'm pretty new to K-pop and particularly BTS - I absolutely love them!! But I have no one irl to share my obsession

💜to everyone 💜

I know I shouldn’t be laughing, but I feel like we turned up at a gunfight with rolled up newspapers. I don’t think the AIBU thing should be attempted too often, but if we’ve led a few lost souls to a safe haven I feel it was worth it.

😂 😂 Swiping at them with my rolled up Guardian and Soompi paper edition! (if one existed 😂 😂 😂)

TheGirl!... That's another fine mess you've got us into! 😂 😂 😂 😂

Swiping at them with my rolled up Guardian and Soompi paper edition!

That is so MsLatte!! 🤣🤣

Oh and thanks TheGirl, I appreciated the backup 😊

😂😂😂 Don't mess with the kdrama fans.

Well it seemed to get pretty dramatic while I was away! I had to focus on work to avoid sending a strongly worded email to Netflix.

I'm catching up on Stove League today so I can join in the whisper discussion! (Also have 3 new Chinese dramas that are airing so I might get lost along the way.)

I found season 2 of Romantic Dr Kim surprisingly easy to get into. Familiar characters help, but the pace and exposition are spot on too.

I’m glad there’s a few of us watching Stove League now. I have the sense that the first half has been laying a lot of groundwork and building interest in the characters. I’m kind of assuming this will mean huge payoffs for the audience now the action is kicking up a notch.

Boatyard... Yes! I think this about Dr Kim... To be honest I've still not got through all of season 1!... It did feel very slow!... Might return to it once I've finished kim 2!... I do so love Head Nurse and Anaesthiologist (sp? 😳)... They are basically together aren't they?? 😂 😂

Also getting through Great Doctor... Was stuck at airport for a couple of hours yesterday and watched a little of How To Eat Bread... Got half way through 1st ep and compared to the quality ones we've been watching... It was a little meh!... Might go back to it if stuck and need something I don't need to think about! 😂 😂 😂

I popped back in to AIBU to see if the noise had died down and the OP has posted an interesting link to a worldwide handsome men list ... most of BTS are on there 😉

I am travelling soon and worrying that I may not get access to next weeks episode of CLOY and Stove League 😱

Dammit!!! Someone tell me not to go anywhere near AIBU!!

I just drove past Twickenham and I can’t help wondering why BTS are playing there instead of Wembley. It’s not as big

Some possible good 'uns coming up on Viki

I'm holding out hope that the season of good dramas is coming to free us from this drought. Thankfully the 2 I've started have been okay but work needs my full attention now 😭😭

I have a deadline looming for a new project I haven't even started yet but I am just faffing about getting my thoughts together

I'm holding out hope that the season of good dramas is coming to free us from this drought.

Me too. This time last year I was newly signed up to Viki so was filling my boots.

I have had to myself into a good mood after that AIBU thread

Step away. There’s no point trying to win the haters round. If we have potentially acquired some new regulars on here, we have extracted some good from the situation. It’s interesting how anglocentric some of the views are. I feel like the last 2 years has broadened my outlook, even if its in a particularly specific direction.

Wise words boatyard

Ha just spotted Bettys and Bea on that AIBU thread still. You're braver than me. It's a scary place outside of our lovely thread.
Im at home this afternoon, with a brew and Dr Romantic ☺️

The Girl!!!!!

I'm definietly taking a step back... I had already f=but that lost comment about "asian population" made me see red!!!!!

Yup that comment is just horrible!

I haven't had much time to look at it but from what's on here, I think I'll stay away.

Finally watched the last five minutes of The Ghost Bride and was all set to praise Netflix Taiwan for not ending on a cliff hanger then the last 2 seconds happened. I even checked the timings for the 'twist' just to make sure I wasn't imagining it. Two bloody seconds and now I'll be wondering about it for weeks if not months.