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…

It was just so refreshing that their relationship was that way, don’t you think Girl? It was stronger for it.

I want to have that bar as my local

Oh yes, it was a great bar. Although I’m liking the ambience of Fox Bride Star (bar/noodle place) in WSL. There aren’t enough customers though.

Oops! 😂
It was just so refreshing that their relationship was that way, don’t you think Girl? It was stronger for it.
Yes definitely, the age difference would have made it creepy if it was romantic. FL is so small and childlike as well.

Hospital Playlist is coming to Netflix tomorrow!!!!! They kept that quiet! Only one episode a week though, and open ended season, though it’s not clear whether it means a cliffhanger or not

I have just slogged all the way to the end of My Lovely Girl (only 16 eps but felt like 35) and really don't know why I bothered 😕

Make sure it’s suitably scored on the spreadsheet to spare us all the same pain, Cassini.

It took a while for me to place the slim, moustachioed gangster in WSL, then I realised he’s Dong Mae’s yakuza second in command in Mr Sunshine. This moustache is all kinds of wrong.

There was an interesting segment on today’s Woman’s Hour with a female film maker who has made a documentary about ‘leftover women’ in China. She wasn’t Chinese and I missed her nationality, but she came at the phenomenon with an outsider’s perspective. It was talking about there being 30 million extra young men due to the one child policy (and presumably sex selective abortions), so there’s huge pressure on young women to marry early and marry well. There was an interesting discussion with one of the Chinese women in the documentary (now living in Europe & married) about how children feel duty to their parents fortheir parents bringing them into being, so parents are very involved in decisions about their marriages. It’s worth listening to on catch-up.

It’s one of the main cultural differences that struck me when I first started watching kdrama - the pressure and level of involvement from parents, then how that plays out post-marriage. We see it all the time - for example, the fallout from the strategic marriages in Graceful Family and WWW.

I’m loving Agent Oh and Agent Na’s relationship in WSL. They’re both so painfully reserved, it’s brilliant to watch. It’s taking every fibre in my body to resist shouting “just tell her/him how you feel!” every time they are on screen together.

I love a good 'What are you doing? Just tell each other your feelings!' type of show. It pulls at the heartstrings and is usually a testament to the chemistry between the actors. Bad chemistry is one of my biggest turn offs in a drama.

In 'Worst Bosses/CEOs of Dramaland' news. I thought WIL series one ML was bad, but I appear to have stumbled upon a joint winner for entirely different reasons. This Guy is the Biggest Mistake of my Life follows a temp worker in Japan who gets drunk and trips up the CEO of her company. He then follows her round asking her to make him her slave and demanding she embarrass him because he loves the way it feels. He repeatedly stalks her, and does things like empties an entire jar of instant coffee over a workers head because they had the audacity to ask his 'precious one' to make them a coffee. I'm 40 minutes in, do I continue to see how bizarre it gets?

Walk away Hello, that one sounds like you’ll end up feeling sullied.

Where Stars Land was very enjoyable and had a Bea-friendly ending. I’ll give it 8.5 & recommend it as a lovely romp. Proper kissing too, with convincing chemistry.

I’m just getting stuck into Hospital Playbook. Lots of my faves, so happy viewing. I just hope there will be some more decent female characters along soon.

By the way, I’m glad you popped in this evening Hello. I’ve been talking to myself all day.

Every time I opened the app to check in, I got distracted before I had a chance to reply.

At least your monologue was insightful. I must check out that documentary on Chinese women. I can't imagine my parents being that involved in my marriage plans. On one hand it feels like it would be nice to have someone care so much and share the burden, but on the other, do I need my mum and dad picking my partner, or fighting over where I'll live and when we'll have children?

Just checking in 👋👋 I am away with friends for a few days and haven’t viewed any kdrama today 😱😱😱
Just time for a quick fix before 🥾🍑
WSL or Hospital Playlist though? Hmmmm...

WSL is more fun & nips along. Still wading through Hospital Playbook - it’s quite slow.

In PP the female doctor just cracked 4 eggs into a glass and drank them raw. 🤮

The band practice is very funny. 🤣

I'm checking in too! I'm away at the moment so no drama watching! Will be fun to catch up!

Glad to hear WSL has a satisfying ending boatysrd I started it ages and ages ago... Maybe I'll pick it up again!

Interesting to hear about the women's hour discussion.. It's odd as it's very recent history for me.. . It should feel like something that happened at least 2 generations back as my mum and dad were "introduced" to each other... It wasn't a... You must marry... But it was a introduction with a view to end in marriage...
Luckily they liked each other on meeting... And here I am.... Not sure how much control my grandparents had... But my mum always said whilst looking at her wedding photos she didn't have a clue who the majority of people were as she had virtually no say in the plans... 😱... When I showed 😱😱😱... She'll say its just the way it was in those days...
That's why I'm astonished that I have (with my siblings) .. in one generation... Have had such a complete different unbringing... Mum talks about lighting fires to cook food in the village and keeping a pig in the yard... Dad talks about fleeing to a tower in the village when bandits came tearing through his village! (??!) now my mums daily Sunday activity is mooching around John Lewis... the jump is very weird! 😂

It must be so strange to have both of those experiences in your life. Maybe those experiences made them determined to raise you differently which is why there's such a huge leap in just one generation? On a different note, mooching in John Lewis on a Sunday does sound lovely and relaxing.

Going back to that Woman's Hour segment, I failed to explain the ‘leftover women’ label. I guess the closest here would be ‘old maid’ - its a young woman who, despite the sex imbalance, has not married young. There was a sense that they were seen as tarnished goods for leaving it too long & the term was government approved to help stigmatise these women, many of whom have successful careers & aren't ready or interested in settling down. The film maker talked about parents descending on city parks at weekends to ‘advertise’ their adult children & about how few of them would agree to be filmed because of the social stigma of having unmatched children. 😮

Talking about shifts between generations, my Dad would have been 75 this year and he remembered writing on slates at primary school. My aunt (his sister) told me about the poor kids in their class coming to infants school in winter with newspaper layered under their clothes/wrapped around their bodies to keep them warm because their families couldn’t afford coats. This was the UK.

Morning! I only watched one (!) episode of drama last night. It was Tell me what you saw and it seemed really over the top, gory and with some v unlikely coincidences. I've really enjoyed it up till now so I think I must be in the post My Mister period that some of you mentioned up thread.

I do think My Mister calls for space. It left me feeling uplifted and reflected. I wasn’t in a hurry to crowd out that good feeling.

Reflective...