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…

I actually think series 2 of Doctor Kim if better than the first

I second what bettys said. I cant quite put it into words why, but it's better. Maybe it's because we already know the side characters or maybe the ML/FL have more substance or even because the bad guys are so bad but it just seems meatier and easier to digest.

I got interrupted by having to cook which was awkward as I was very teary-eyed at that point

Sorry I meant to say it IS a good episode, I will have to rewatch certain bits as it was only 89% subbed but I was stealing a moment while the others were still out.
Interesting that you think the subs are better on Viki than Netflix TheGirl we've thought that before too

Oh yeah, I never thought a person could be a subtitle snob but after 2 years of pinging between Viki and Netflix I’m definitely a subtitle snob. I recall a discussion on one of our very early threads where someone in the know said that the mini explanatory notes are considered very bad form/unprofessional in proper subtitling circles, as the subtitles should stand in their own right. Personally, I find them helpful and I especially like when they indicate the speaker’s switched between formal and informal speech.

The Viki subs seem to be a more literal translation of the Korean (says she who's knowledge of the Korean language is based on these threads and some dramas). The Netflix subs have a lot less words, but it's frustrating when the character has said a lot more but it's been summarised into a catchy English phrase. It might be correct form in subtitling circles but I like hearing how things are phrased in Korean.

Who knew that I would even have an opinion about this 6 months ago 😂😂😂

I agree. There are a couple of things that are consistently framed differently and are the same in Mandarin dramas. Of course, I can’t remember all of them now, but one is definitely along the lines of “go back” where you’d say “come home” in English.

Hahaha. There’s an air hostess caught up in a scandal in Revolutionary Love walking along the street pulling her wheely suitcase along behind her and drinking soju straight out of the bottle with a bendy straw. That’s a very bad day captured right there! I am inspired by the bendy straw idea - why bother with shot glasses? Cut out the middle man!

I took a look at Revolutionary Love but think I’ll wait until all the eps are up (unless you say it’s really really good then I won’t be able to resist)

It is pretty funny, but Siwon is mugging like a champ in this so I know it won’t be for everyone on the thread, because he’s a bit Marmite for some of you.

Nurse Eun Tak!.... 😁😍

I packet of tissues later... Blub! It was sooo well done! An enjoying this season soooo much! I hate the weasley doctor right hand man to the director... I'm pretty certain the director will see the evils of his way and turn his back on the dark side! 😂

You’re all crazy! Dr Romantic isn’t up to 90% subs yet, proper Swiss cheese. I’m waiting until tomorrow.

I'm kicking myself off Viki. I got through 5 episodes of Dr Kim 2 today

Well done Girl. I need to go to bed shortly...

I’m revisiting Moon Embracing The Sun on the basis that it is very enjoyable but easy to pause for when the on airs are subbed. So many good ones but all bunched towards the end of the week 😤

Plus Netflix so downloadable as am travelling at the weekend

I got sucked into pinterest and saw this - that's how I felt when I found these threads

My first picture posted on MN

Got sidetracked when I was looking for something else and started Melting Me Softly. I think 'oh dear' sums that one up - I quite liked some of the ML/FL romance and the question about what the 2FL should have done when he disappeared for 20 years, but I should never have doubted the low score in the OP - what a disappointment How on earth did it get a 9.3 score on viki?? Had to skip through about two thirds of it in the end.

Then I watched Touch Your Heart, I felt like something sweet and that certainly was. I liked how they were together (once it got past her being so actressy to start with) and how he was happy to stay in the background for her career. Bit disappointing he did the noble self sacrificing thing for a minute though. I did love the wrist grab scene where she grabbed him from that blind date he didn't know he was being set up on and hauled him off - nice to see it the other way round. And I enjoyed the bit where she's saying about him being tall, even though he's not an actor - clearly height is definitely an asset for a male actor

Now I'm watching City Hunter with a much younger Park Min Young and it's one of those ones that's so bad it's good, maybe because it's dated now? The first half was very A Team on a mission, now The Plan is falling apart a bit, so we'll see. They are certainly generous with the splatter every time there's any blood ML's dad is a bit of a nightmare and I'm predicting a splendid kdrama worthy death for him in the last episode. I'm mesmerised by the ML's clothes - some are fab but most are AWFUL - patterned trousers, low cut t shirts under suits, just NO.

Fab meme there frogs. 👌

This one as well for these threads

I should never have doubted the low score in the OP

👍🤣😆

This one says it all

Too true! I'm wearing a lot of under eye concealer these days

I watched way too many episodes last night. Didn't skip a single second but kept saying to myself 'Do we really need 15 seconds of longing gazes? Just say I miss you, eejits'

I'm sure I'd have some insightful quips if anyone listened to my chuntering while watching dramas.