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’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

Quoting myself now I spoke too soon - have been pulled right in to this one now

We do not replace oppas. We collect them.

Oh yes! I have a list on my phone of anyone that catches my eye. I use it to decide whether something new is worth a shuffle, even if the starting premise hasn’t caught my eye. It is getting longer and longer.

Bettys... I love the Pinocchio "15 eps later" It is just too true... However I have to admit I've not been sucked into a Peachy Boot Watch for a while....CLOY would be a Peachy Booter but arrrggghhhh we have to wait!!!

I should never have doubted the low score in the OP
Frogs... Trust the system!!!! (in a threatening ominous voice! )

Bea you would like Moon Embracing the Sun! It has pixie faced alien as grown up ML and Yeo Jin Goo as young ML. It’s a bit close to 100 Days in story but has more serious tone. Beautifully shot

I see news that Jang Ki Yong and Lee Soo Hyuk will be in a drama called Born Again together! Plus ML from Nokdu will be in a new military drama.

I'm excited to see dramas are picking up now.

bettys and Bea I hereby pledge not to ignore the scoring advice on this thread again

It just had to happen didn't it? Son Ye Jin Takes Hyun Bin Clothes Shopping In “Crash Landing On You”

frogs... Pats on head!... Well done!! 😂

bettys... I KNEW IT!! 🙄🙄🙄

Yup! Yup! Yup! I will take a look at moon embracing (surprised I haven't already!)... But! Better have satisfactory ending!! 😂

V true memes 😂.
I spent today in a secondary school talking to 14 year olds about my job, which was fun. One 14 year old was being ribbed by her mates about being obsessed with kpop and kdrama. She is obviously a junior addict as when I asked her who was her favourite kpop band she already had a list written on her hand! The band was XO, but she hasn't watched CLOY. I had to drag myself away!!!

TheGirl was she reassured to meet another addict?

Gah that should've been The Girl not TheGirl

Frogs you know we would never guide you wrong!

Bea I will let you know if the ending is unsatisfactory or not . I think we should add it as a category on the spreadsheet ie S + Satisfactory Ending and U = Unsatisfactory Ending ( Black Knight aaaargh!!) we usually agree as a group pretty much. Although I wouldn't want to put anyone off watching Black for example which is great until the last 15 minutes.....

Perhaps we need a short ‘health warning’ comments box on the spreadsheet for exceptional cases. For Melting Me Softly, it would just say ‘JCW’s welcome home turkey.’ Yes, yes - I know it’s really bad form to big up your own quips, but I think that one does the job admirably.

bettys I think she might have thought I was a crazy old lady 😂😂😂

I still get annoyed about JCWs coming home turkey. What a crap show for such a good concept. I'm still sulking over it all this time later

.melting... It had sooooo much going for it and it was just... Pants!

It wasn't even good pants, like super comfy big pants. It was like super itchy lace that scratches you all day pants.

I'd like a pants but good guilty pleasure drama on soon as well!

It was... Ohhh! They look sooo pretty! I'm buying those as they will match my bra and I will at last be a proper grown woman.... But in reality... Yep! Too itchy and fancy and just too silly and a let down!.. Plus you can't chuck them in the normal wash! 😱😡

👙I am chortling at the pants analogies 🤣🤣

I'm not convinced by Grr JCW's next choice either. He should do another action drama

Hi Kdrama fans. I'm new here, although been following your discussions for a bit. My first watch was Signal (which isn't in your list above?). I was sucked in by the theme song. I am just about to watch the last episode of Tunnel. What shall I watch next?
I like crime dramas, especially with the time travel element both these have. Not keen on romance.
I am also attempting to learn Korean on duolingo:)

Hi Sophie & welcome! Good to see another fellow Duolingo bod here, although my efforts are a bit stop-start. If you like your crime dramas dark and brooding Scandi-style, The Lies Within on Netflix is really classy and twisty. Suspicious Partner has a mystery and a romance all rolled into one.

Hi pagansophie I loved Tunnel too! My favourite crime drama is Watcher. No romance or time travel but lots of Seo Kang Joon glowering and running round on his racehorse legs. It's v twisty/turny.

Oh yes, Life on Mars (dramafast) has time travel and its really good.

Ooh yes The Lies Within is also great!