MsLatte’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #14): Special welcome to any MNers stuck at home who need escapist boxset recommendations

[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)
The Fiery Priest (Netflix)

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)*
Signal (Netflix)*
Suspicious Partner (Netflix)*
The Lies Within (Netflix)*
Tunnel (Netflix)*

Historical/Period drama (“sageuk”)
100 Days My Prince (Viki)
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)*
Where Stars Land (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)
I’ll Go To You When The Weather is Nice (Viki - currently airing)

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)
My Mister (Viki)**
Prison Playbook (Netflix)*

Stove League (Viki)

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

Extraordinary You (Netflix)
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: Two Worlds (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)
Go Go Squid (Viki - Chinese)
Instead of Tipsy Why Not Get Drunk (Viki, Chinese)
Love O2O (Viki - Chinese)
Morning Call (Netflix - Japanese)
Put Your Head on My Shoulder (Netflix - Chinese)
Tientsin Mystic (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…

Whacky hair colours look fab. I too am becoming greyer by the day. Currently trying to cover by pulling back into a sloppy bun.

Just about to finish last of Hyena

I had purple lowlights done (mumble) years ago and used to top up at home with Manic Panic. If I recall it is vegan and not animal tested but also gentle and washes out/semi-perm. My hairdresser recommended it.

I’ve spent ages on the Manic Panic site. I like some of the greys, but there are so many pretty colours...

I've got a Quarantine Fringe... I went a bit gung ho... And chopped off more than I intended... I think in the back of my head I was thinking... "no one's going to see it anyway!!"... Sniiip! 😱

Ds who normally has a "fade"!... And very short hair said he was going to go korean during Quarantine complete with a parting! 😂 😂 😂 .. He's got much more darker hair than me... Practically black!... He could pull it off! 😂 😂

Her hair was as dark as DS's without the curls

Wow! That’s some fine bleaching there. Mine bleaches down to a carrot orange rather than white blonde, which limits me to darker dyes. I’m starting to see my grey in a different light. I might go Barbie pink.

Lovely Horribly has got off to a slow start and its probably a solid 7-8 but I like FL (more than “handsome” - not to my eyes, plain - ML) and the story has grown on me.

I'm starting Sweet Dreams another C-drama on Viki. Enjoying I can't hug you as well but needing to flit every few episodes. Is anyone finding it difficult to focus? I'm really struggling to keep focus by the time I get time to watch stuff.

Yes, I’m struggling to focus and find I am flitting between things.

I’m enjoying hearing about the Quarantine Haircuts and seeing the pics! I’m also finding it hard to focus 🙁
Am continuing Kings Avatar though I do get confused with who’s who, and there doesn’t seem to be any romance 🤨

Just finished Hyena

Ep 15 has a great start with a brilliant scene between FL and ML. Very very funny. She also wore some killer metallic rainbow platforms.

Won't add spoilers here but - let me know if anyone gets to the end as there is a scene with a shockingly funny one liner from the hysterical girlfriend 😮 I've never heard anything remotely like this on a K Drama before and wonder if it's not that unusual but down to the limited number I've watched.

strong 8/10 from me

^^

Bea just don't give in to the bowl cut 😂 totally not drama related, but DS made me watch an episode of Tiger King with him (Netflix). 😲😲😲 I have scurried back to the relative sanity of dream infiltration and energy sapping vampires, although it may explain why some Walmart's sold out of guns and ammunition before toilet paper when the proverbial hit the fan 🤔😂

Hahaha. Glad I’m not the only one still up.

I spotted this on the wiki entry about South Korean national military service, which I clicked through to from an actor’s profile:

Music and arts
Exemptions are also granted to violinists, pianists, and ballet performers, but not to K-pop stars, actors, or directors.

I wonder if it is to do with the high level of continuous practice/training required to stay in peak condition that allows for exemption. Not sure why other instruments aren’t covered (viola? Cello? Flute?), but the massive parental enthusiasm for violin & piano lessons makes more sense now.

The clippers I ordered have arrived but DH and DS have got nervous about letting me loose on their hair 😂.

DH wants to watch Tiger King too. I saw a little bit but it looks super weird!

You got clippers? Everywhere we looked is sold out.

I was enjoying Lovely Horribly in a filler-fluff sort of way, but made the mistake of reading the leads’ wiki entries. The ML had a rape scandal in 2012 in all too familiar circumstances which was settled out of court. 😟 It was the FL that was keeping me watching, but I’m not sure I’ll bother now. I’ll find her in something else.

🤮won’t start it then! Was just coming in to say if you mean FL Song Ji Hyo then she is in Emergency Couple which KLAXON 🎉🎉 KLAXON !!! is now on Viki & all eps are up!!!

She is also in a film called Frozen Flower which has an awful lot of sex in and is about the same king as was in Faith The Good Doctor but with rather a different approach 🤣

I am going to start Emergency Couple today as haven’t seen it yet

Emergency Couple here I come!

🎉🎉KLAXON!!!!
Also coming to Viki is BOrn Again with Park Morgan & Elfin Lee Soo Hyuk

Hahahaha. I’ve just looked up Emergency Couple and see that CJH is in the main cast. Now I know why Betty had it bookmarked. 😁

Oh yay! I've been wanting to watch Emergency Couple, so that's going on the extensive list.

Just looked up Emergency Couple. Looks good! I'm going in ..,

boatyard🤷‍♀️😉😎

boatyard the clippers took a couple of weeks to get here from ebay via China 😁