MsLatte’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #13)

[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 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)
My Secret Terrius (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)**
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)
Romantic Dr Kim - seasons 1&2 (Viki)
Search: WWW (Viki)*
Something in the Rain (Netflix)
The Package (Viki)



Straighter ‘Slice of Life’ dramas on universal themes
Live (Netflix)
Prison Playbook (Netflix)*

Stove League (Viki)

Supernatural/zombies/vampires/fantasy/sci-fi - lighter & fluffier

Goblin (Viki)*

I am not a Robot (Netflix)
Legend of the Blue Sea (Viki/Netflix)
My Holo Love (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)

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/ML is too dense to realise the 2ML/2FL is better)
🥾🍑 (boot, peach) = kick up the arse to go to bed



We also abbreviate titles if they’re long, but usually with an obvious abbreviation. Some favourite actors & actresses have been abbreviated for speed/efficiency, eg Park Min Young (PMY), Kim Jae Wook (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…

By post-daebak, I mean the kind of ‘wow’ factor you get from a really well conceived, written, executed and produced drama.

I've watched the first episode of Weather. It's quite slow and reflective, I'm enjoying it so far. Nice to have a countryside setting, and SKJ is rather endearing. It reminds me of RIABB in style.

I had the post-daebak don't-want-to-spoil-the-mood thing after My Mister too. I think I watched a couple of films as couldn't settle to a drama.

And I download the OST on Spotify there are some cracking tracks on it.

Oh yes, the music was brilliant - well done whoever sorted the OST out.

I watched Bea’s BTS links. I think it’s fair to say they’ve “broken” the US and are working hard to capitalise on that. I still don’t much like On and, after watching that other film Bea posted with the marching band and jazz group recording, find the nuance and all the trouble they’ve gone to is swamped by the wall of sound. It will probably be epic in a stadium though. My favourite track on the new album so far is Outro: Ego. I get a good work out if I listen to it on my walk home.

I've just typed out a really long reply and I lost it! 😭😭😭😭😭😞😞

boatyard. You'd think they have "broken" the USA but over there radio play is a huge deal and the answer to success... And they're still not getting it... It's mind boggling with all the records they are breaking... And the amount of physical albums they've sold (unheard of in this digital age!)... It's just not happening.. Same over here in this country... The language just seems to be a step too far for the mainstream... Lots of commentators have been incredibly blunt and just said its pure xenophobia... 😞😔... I do think the USA are a little more up for it... Over here they don't get it... It's still seen as a curious novelty (pretty Asian boys who dance) and the mindset of boyband "only teenage girls scream at them... Not worth taking a more in depth look... It's for silly girls".... Sigh! I'll stop now as I could go on forever about it... 😱😱😱😳😳😳... Thank you for giving me the space to rant and fangirl! 😂 😂 😂

This is a nice article! ❤️

Just finished Dr Kim.... Dr Kim 3! Dr Kim 3!!.....

bettys... Oooo! Race Horse Legs SKJ new drama out! 🥰🥰🥰.. Woo hoo! That Park Young Min is a lucky lucky lucky lady! 😳

Ginger ... Ahhh SGBS!... Such nostalgia! One of my very first! And the one that made me sought out this thread!... I needed to get in touch with someone who had watched it! Thank goodness I found Boatyard and Bettys! 😂 😂 😂

DD and her friends have liked Kpop for years (at least 4/5 years), sort of stumbling across it via Japanese anime theme songs on YouTube and heading down tht rabbit hole. For me it's something to enjoy with her and let's me spend time with her, it was Cohen brothers films with DS (tho he was really conflicted about going to a Steel Panther gig with me. Apparently knowing the lyrics was bad enough, his friends thought it was hilarious that I was the one dragging him to it.)

She gets really annoyed when people think that she's only following the trend, especially since her group of friends are more niche in their tastes. They have all been influenced by watching how hard some of the groups train, especially groups with members who have to learn Korean.

Oops just fell down a BTS rabbit hole on YouTube. Must... stop.... watching...

Before that Dr Kim was ace! Excellent ending, tears, triumph, redemption, romance ❤️

thegirl... The BTS Rabbit Hole is sooooooo dangerous!! Look at me!... 😭😱I'm a wreck... Early morning live streams... Constant twitter checking... Streaming... Merch!... Ticket sale anxiety... Boring RL friends and virtual! 😱😳😬.... I'm wrecked!! 😭😭

I didn't manage to sleep last night so did the biggest boaty shuffle I've ever attempted. I shot for the moon, and landed in a weird place of not remembering any plots or actors so can't quite recall what was worth carrying on with when I'm in the mood. Lesson learnt; take notes in future.

I'm knackered now 😴😂. I'm pretty sure I have got their names sorted now though 😁

thegirl.... Nooooo! That's how it all starts...
"I just wanted to know their names...."
It's well known in the fandom that this is where it all starts!...You are well and truly stuck now... You'll be learning the fanchant now...! and rewatching ALL the content on YouTube! Goodbye! Farewell! ....

This.....

I’m still confused about Jimin, Jungkook and the other guy that I can never remember. At the current rate of progress, I reckon I’ll be able securely identify 7/7 by early 2021.

It’s Jhope in the meme above, isn’t it?

😂😂😂😂😂
That meme was totally me last night!!!
And yes that is JHope!

Great. I’ll get to work on the other three.

I watched the official MV for ON earlier. It looks very expensive, but its also bonkers in that special grandiose BTS MV way. There’s a giraffe FFS!

Me too! It must have cost loads 🤯

Two questions if anyone can help please -

I think someone on here mentioned watching Graceful Family? I clicked on the wrong youtube video and it turned out to be clips from GF and it made it look like over the top fun - is it? Does it have a Bea friendly ending?

Also - why does FL keep calling ML 'Lord' in Love 020? I find it bonkers that his friends call her Mrs Nai after they've dated for all of half an hour (her words) but whatever. I can see where they got that one. But she's called him Lord talking about him and to him. Am I completely missing something about his role in the game or something??

I don't know about Love 020 but Graceful family is excellent fun! Lots of chaebol family being awful to each other, really kick as FL and the most hilarious death and funeral ever!