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…

Thanks Bea! Happy New Year to you too!! 🐀🎉🧧

Happy new year to you too Bea

I have finished the Great Doctor - loved it, it was just what I was in the mood for. I fancied something really cheesy next so I'm watching Noble My Love as it's only 7 episodes. There are so many red flags, he's controlling and practically stalking her but equally he's obviously smitten and I did love the way he dealt with her 'friend', so I'm torn. Of course, we have the obligatory fighting/shirt off to deal with stab wound scenes to enjoy - I'm so shallow

Happy new year!
🧨🏮🇰🇷
I'm sure there are some younger than me here too. 🧧🧧🧧🧧🧧

jumping if you're having a Sung Hoon spiral try watching I Picked Up A Celebrity On The Street on Viki, it's funny and much better than Noble, although it ends a bit suddenly as they had production issues.

Happy new year everyone! 🧧🧧🧧Wishing you all happiness and health!

It's horrible how the CoronaVirus is spreading. I'm watching breakfast news and they were saying how they don't go to a GP if they feel ill, they all go to hospital (which explains why they get rushed to hospital with tummy ache and colds in C and K drama). With transport, including private cars, being banned it will be really hard to get medical help and risky if you have other health problems as you'll probably pick it up.

So hard with it being new year too.

Thanks bettys, I think I will look at that one next - funny and Sung Hoon sounds promising Real life is a bit of a grind at the moment, it's great to have these kdramas to dive into for escapism.

That's interesting ginger I've always thought it was for dramatic effect that they ended up in hospital on a drip if they had a temperature or were just knackered, didn't realise they didn't have the GP system.

On the coronavirus thread someone was saying there’s a view that fatalities have been limited so far because the most poorly people are on ventilators and in ICUs. Once all those beds and units are full & the poorliest people can’t get the treatment they need, the death rate may start to rise. 😕

The Chinese government are aiming to build a 1000 bed hospital in a week apparently. They've got 'armies of workers' working round the clock to get it built.

I hear they've got 2 confirmed cases in France now as well so it's spreading fast.

The Great Doctor is like those Sunday tea time series you used to get eg Robin Hood with Michael Praed and his lovely long hair (showing my age )

Enjoyable fluff that has improved my opinion of LMH, I am even looking forward to his upcoming drama, though he's still doesn't make it on to the pub list

I was partial a bit of Jason Connery era Saturday teatime Robin Hood back in the day. That’ll definitely age me. I also think a lot of the chaebol-based kdramas hark back to classic 80s soaps like Dynasty, Dallas and Fallon Crest. The back-stabbing shenanigans and bastard siblings were de riguer.

Has anyone else watched Starter for Ten on Netflix? I’m doing a shuffle and it’s very quirky and darkly funny in the Korean way. The (presumed widower) Dad has already had a conversation with his nerdy son on the way to school about whether he’s been “choking the chicken” (masturbating), there’s been a decoupage life-sized ideal woman created by the son and described by his Dad as a “she-male Frankenstein” and the son fixed his cop Dad’s siren light so it plays Für Elise.... and I’m only 5 mins in! Looks like it could be very entertaining. The episodes seem to be only 10 min long, so eminently shuffleable.

OK, completely ballsed that up - it’s Love for Ten: Generation of Youth.

Yikes! Box cutter cliffhanger in ep 6 of Dr Kim S2 was a bit .

Happy New Lunar Year all.
No CLOY this weekend 😲?

I dashed through all my errands yesterday with the intention of watching early eve before going out. Anyone know why it's not on?

Still not found anything else to watch that sticks. Not watched VIKKI for weeks

Will invest a couple of hours tonight ...

The TV in South Korea is full of new year specials right now like Idol Star Athletics Championship and so on which replaces all the normal TV Aesops

I'm working on finishing some shuffles I started, although I think im resorting to rewatching baby faced Jasper Liu in When I See You Again. I'm using it as a little drama sorbet between everything to cleanse the palette.

We need to unearth another unexpected gem like The Other Miss Oh to keep us busy. Anyone had any joy?

Ah ffs i just posted on t'other thread again! SOMEONE STOP ME

I'm coming to the end of The Great Doctor (using a fair bit of 10' ffwrd as the baddies get a bit repetitive) and massively looking forward to upcoming eps of Dr Romantic . However definitely need Another Miss Oh type binger. Bread is being pushed on Soompi - its from 2016, can't help feeling it might be a bit stale hahahahahah I'll see meself out.....

I almost posted on it last night, Betty, but deleted what I’d written before backing out of there. It’s such an annoying discussion.

Betty you are the voice of reason on that thread.
Im kdramaing in pajamaing today. Me and Dr Romantic 😁

I can't help but think Doctor Romantic would be a great name for a NHS based dating app. I mean he does essentially that but on a smaller scale and a lot slower if the airing rate is anything to go by.

I just spent half an hour peeling chestnuts for my yak sik recipe attempt, but 20 mins earlier de-stoning and rolling jujube dates and setting the (exorbitantly expensive) glutinous rice to soak. I have a creeping sense that the end result may not justify the effort, but I’m travelling hopefully. If it turns out to be delicious I will set myself a reminder to buy a pack of ready peeled, vacuum sealed chestnuts in the run up to Christmas, as that’s been the faffiest bit so far.

It’s this recipe: crazykoreancooking.com/recipe/yaksik

That cake sounds interesting boatyard, very healthy for a cake!

There is a NHS dating website, but it's v boringly called Services Dating. Dr Romantic would be a much better name!