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…

242Mummy Yes!!!! Thank you!! I knew it from somewhere but couldn't place it. It's a great image but an unusual choice for an interior set, with a sort of half-arsed curtain over it.

I think it's going to be JJ-S as in the how they met flashbacks there have been a couple of shots where FL has been looking at him in an awestruck way. I am quite liking him in this. Although if I were Prof Chae (and as JKH is otherwise occupied) I would go for Cpt Ahn

YYS’s character is too earnest and choirboy-like in this, which is a shame as I was admiring his broad shoulders earlier. I wonder if he’ll end up with the surgical resident.

Thanks Cassini and Bettys for recommendations for DGD's next drama.
She has watched and enjoyed Oh my Venus and now CLOY.
Have now suggested Weightlifting Fairy. Simply because she is quite young (13) she may enjoy the cute friendship dynamics amongst the teen angst it portrays. Chimaek aplenty too!

boatyard... Ahhh! Pinnochio is one of my faves! Toasty Toasty LJS! 🥰😍😍.. I know he's all lanky and boyish... But... He's just sooo charming endearing and lovely!... Deffo watch Pinnochio next! 😂

I like that Koreans have the ‘anju’ concept -food that is served with alcohol

So many characters in HP that I’m interested in....the OBGYN resident that always gets her make-up wrong....Yoo Yeon Seok’s mum & the chairman....Capt Ahn...JKHs resident who put all his savings into a flat & is bound to get scammed...there’s a lot of detail

Is anyone else finding that they are enjoying APOYM more now that it has picked up its pace a little and there are fewer lingering shots of characters staring into space?

I'm really enjoying it to wind down from the hectic day to day of entertaining a hyper toddler. I'm using it as a nice back drop to work on my korean language learning too.

The only benefit to this pandemic is that DP is catching up to me in language learning so we're able to have shaky conversation!

I am idly rewatching O2O whilst doing other things and just noticed the FL lives in Wuhan 😷😷😷

My excitement today is that A Witch's Love with PSJ, is now available on Viki. I couldn't view it before as it was restricted in my area, so I sent a message to them asking to make it available. Not sure if that is the reason I can now view, but I am pleased. This will be my weekend viewing after I have finished Shopping King Louis, I am half way through and enjoying it.

Sorry Viki has it down as A Witch's Romance as there is another drama called Witch's Love, all very confusing.

Thanks for the heads up fifilacklustre I suffered through dodgy ads to watch bits of this last year but now can peruse in comfort

Happy to spread the joy .

Ah fifi - it’s like you were always here!

Also, I like your approach of emailing Viki. We’ve used the Netflix feedback form to make suggestions, but I’d happily pester Viki too. Which email address did you use?

On the language front, I need to up my game both on the apps and learning vocab. Despite having limited vocab and knowledge and grammar, I notice I’m picking up more & more. The Korean sentence structure means the words are spoken before they appear in the subtitles, so I know I’m “getting it.”

Link below boaty . The link appears on Viki when you are searching for a video and it tells you that the video you are looking for is not supported in your region. So far I have asked for, Gogh, Starry Night, Me too, Flower, Marriage not Dating. I can see that Marriage not Dating^ is coming sometime in July.

support.viki.com/hc/en-us/articles/360034633713

That's strange I'm sure I watched Gogh The Starry Night on Viki last year, maybe it ran out of license? It's def. not available in the UK now though I've just looked

Kim Ji Young: Born 1982 is now available on certain streaming sites should you wish to dodge boobage

I've caught up with Miaow which is getting very poor ratings but which is suiting my fluffy requirements perfectly. Now to catch up with APOYM, Weather & the first ep of Eternal Monarch - busy busy!!

Better do a bit of work too I suppose

Kim Ji Young: Born 1982 is now available on certain streaming sites should you wish to dodge boobage

Which ones, Betty?

I watched Gogh fairly recently too, last 4 months I’d say.

Miracle of miracles, I spotted a set of men’s hair clippers on some verboten shelving when I was collecting a prescription and asked ever so nicely if they were still selling items from the screened off area. Last one in the store! I can’t wait to ruin DH and my boys’ hair this weekend. 😂

I’m catching up on Weather and loving the rice cake festival. The shot of them pounding the rice cake dough with a giant mallet explains a lot - tteokbokki are referred to as ‘spicy glue sticks’ in this house. We’ve them a few times but no-one is clamouring to have them regularly.

DH has now decided he's going to grow his hair so I don't get to have a go with the clippers 😭😂

Bread pudding rice cake! (I wish I could remember what it’s called, the one with jujube.) This festival is making me hungry, but I am really enjoying watching it. It reminds me of the village food festival where we stayed in Italy a few summers ago, though colder.

DH has now decided he's going to grow his hair so I don't get to have a go with the clippers

Spoilsport!

I bought some instant 떡볶이 once and it was my guilty pleasure treat. I need to buy some more when this is all over!

Since DP is trying to learn the vocabulary, he's put stick notes all around to label things. It's quite funny as he even labeled our son (아들)

I think Welcome/Miaow is just the slice of bizarre I needed right now. It gives me little giggles every so often. Especially the bit about neutering Hong Jo.