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…

Doh! I think you told me about it. 🤦‍♀️

I did!! 🤣

Oooo! It was sooooo good! 😂😂😂....

I'm amazed and delighted with the pace of it... Things are moving sooooo fast! I expected one of the scenes we got (trying not to spoil!) to appear at the end! 😁

And the scenario we're left with now!... I honestly didn't expect a full house turnout! 😂 😂 It's hilarious!

I just love the switch from absolute skulduggery and angst to full on joy! I blubbed a fair bit in the first 20mins... Man Boks story is just sooo gorgeously told!.. And the women of the village!... I really applaud how the writers have developed such endearing and worthy secondary characters!...

Think it's going to be missing next week! Arrrggh!

... And! Feeling very smug!... I spotted it was kim soo Hyun Alien!.... Very pleased with myself! 😁😁

OMG that was such a good CLOY episode, I cried,laughed and held my breath with fear.
Simply cannot wait another week 😕
There seems to be nothing that is holding my interest apart from this now so TV viewing is way less.

Waily waily!😱😱The next episode is 1st February 😳

Yes it is. The question is: how do we bridge the gap? We need a plan. Has anyone found anything good lately to distract us?

I've started Flower Boy Next Door on Viki which is quite sweet. hello gave it a 7 on the spreadsheet
Moon Embracing The Sun is good, but it may be tragic plus I'm in the mood for modern.
Stove League subs are slow grrrr!

I’ve gone back to Hotel del Luna after a long break and can’t remember all the past life so I’m semi-permanently confused. Looks amazing, regardless. I’d love to live in Sanchez’s amazing house for a bit. The hotel decor is rather too busy for my tastes.

Flower Boy Next Door was very of its time but I liked it when I watched it.

I did a massive boaty shuffle with my entire to watch list and found nothing that really kept me watching so in exploring new territory. I've watched Korean dramas, Chinese dramas, Taiwanese dramas, Hong Kong dramas, Japanese dramas and what's next? Thai dramas!

So far (2 episodes into a popular university(?) drama) they're very heavy on the visual appeal, 3 shirtless scenes and lingering shots of men's bums in tight jeans. I might need a 🥾🍑 and a 🥾 back into Korean drama land!

I'm not proud of it but I'm giving myself a 🥾🍑 now. Thanking my lucky stars I'm not working today!

hello that must hold the record for a 🥾🍑😂

hello!... 😱😱😱You stayed up till 6.39am?? 😱😱😱😱😱
What on earth were you watching???

Wow Hello I hope you are asleep now!
Loved, loved, loved CLOY! As other people have said, the sad bits with Man Bok were so emotional. But then the joy of the last few scenes! I can't wait till Feb!!!!
I also spotted the alien 😁.

I heard on the news this morning that a case of coronavirus has been reported in South Korea, as well as the original outbreak in China and cases in Japan and Thailand. Worrying stuff.

The Japanese aren’t having much luck with hosting sporting events. First the typhoon during the rugby world cup, now this when they are busy prepping for the summer Olympics. My MN ad banner has lots of tourism ads for Tokyo/Japan at the mo.

I am popping into this thread (with my virtual fingers over my eyes so I can't see any CLOY chat) to say I finished Encounter and it was much more angsty than I usually like, but overall I liked it. FL did MN proud when she talked to her exDH about the problems she'd had with his mother And I liked that they didn't cop out and have them run off into the sunset together at the end. Interesting seeing the dated an underling when you're the boss from the FL's point of view instead of the ML's - definitely uncomfortable double standards at work there. And I don't know how realistic the portrayal of family and business needs completely trumping any right to personal happiness were, but that was pretty grim. In summary, it's safe to say I prefer my romances a LOT fluffier than this one!

I'm still awake! I can't seem to sleep at all. I was exploring Thai dramas and then ended up down a Thai rabbit hole. Safe to say I'm now a lot more knowledge about Thailand in general.

It's worrying news about coronavirus. The World seems to be having problem after problem lately yet all I seem to be hearing about is the royal family. Maybe I need to change up my news sources.

Tried Tales of Nokdu next but didn't get into that, so have started The Great Doctor and I love it, although that's because it's so bad it's good IYKWIM So far we have -

ML with fringe over one eye that in no way stops his periphery vision during sword fights
not to mention, I don't know why they give the bad guys swords, they should all just run away from ML to avoid certain death, no matter how many of them there are
ML only gets wounded for our heroine to tend him, all stoically endured no matter how serious
FL poisoned - so ML finally gets to tend FL
dastardly plotting against a king struggling to come out from the shadow of his in-laws and become an independent king and nation
weird supernatural powers of various characters
a time travelling to the past FL who when threatened with death and dismemberment asks them what they are like?! and cracks open the alcohol rather than falling into line
some fab outfits - sword fighting in long coat dress outfits? no sweat

Only criticism I have so far is that there are 24 episodes and that's a lot of tv to find time for. But I'm giving it my best shot - sleep's for wimps right?

But I am not up to hello's standards!

A HUGE thanks to betty and boatyard and bea who recommended viki to me. You have given me hours and hours of joy

jumping I don't think I even want to be up to my standards. I'd kill for a solid 8 hours sleep these days. I don't think I've had more than 3 hours a night for the past 5 years.

Just read some news about China banning single use plastic bags in major cities by the end of 2020. If they can do it then hopefully it'll make a small positive impact on the environment.

I'm sorry to hear that hello, I thought it was personal preference so you could (over)indulge - not much worse than how rough you feel when you need a reasonable amount of sleep and just can't get it

Good to hear about China and the bags, I know they've had mixed environmental standards there but that's a good step in the right direction. The coronavirus is worrying news though.

jumping so glad you are enjoying Viki!

Have to admit I loved Tale of Nokdu, it ticked a lot of boxes for me 😉
Engaging ML & FL with chemistry
Generous amounts of shirtless scenes
Good story
Humour
Fun secondary characters
Implausible fight scenes
Female kickass assassins

But I am liking the sound of The Great Govtpr even though I have avoided as am not a fan of Lee Minho

Govtpr ?? Doctor ifs!!

The team behind Tale of Nokdu did such a good job at creating a drama in my opinion. It had so many amazing females with proper stories that didn't just exist to further the stories of men that every other drama seems a bit pale in comparison.

The whole widow village in Nokdu and the explanation about young widows being expected to follow their husbands to the grave (with or without a helping hand) has been helpful in understanding other dramas, like the Joseon back story in My Love from a Star. I thought Nokdu was fantastic - perhaps frogs needs to get past the first couple of episodes.