MsLatte’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #16): Serving up guaranteed corona-free escapism throughout lockdown to lurkers, passers-by and regulars.

[boatyardblues]

A quiet corner of MN for serious addicts of Kdrama, or the K-curious. (MsLatte is a Her Private Life reference.) Most of our viewing is drawn from Netflix and Viki, with a sprinkling of AmazonPrime. There are also platforms streaming content illegally if you go looking, but we don’t promote them.

We also dip into Japanese, Taiwanese & Chinese drama as & when. 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, no major site yet)
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 (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/Netflix)*
Go Back Couple (Viki)
I’ll Go To You When The Weather is Nice (Viki)

Just Between Lovers (Viki)*
Melo is my Nature (Viki)/Be Melodramatic (other sites)
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

Hospital Playlist (Netflix)
Itaewon Class (Netflix)
Live (Netflix)
My Mister (Viki/Netflix from June)
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 (no mainstream platform yet)
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 decent quality
Regulars also 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 Scoring Dramas of 2019
(courtesy of Hello’s kdrama spreadsheet, which are updated by/for thread regulars)

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. Quite a few of us are learning Korean, Japanese and/or Mandarin (some more diligently than others admittedly), so we swap tips and links to language resources. Basically, anything topical goes.


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…

Morning! I spent the weekend watching Oh My Baby and I'm up to episode 7. It's grown on me. The story line is great and I've proper roared with laughter a few times. The FL is annoying me a bit though, I think it's that she seems a bit ditsy and shocked sometimes when she is obviously super capable magazine editor.

I've also seen the latest ep of Mystic so we know who the Crown Prince is 👀. The ML defending the security guard in the supermarket was v cute.

Did you also see in the news that K-pop fans booked lots of tickets for Trumps rally in Tulsa and then didn't go, so it was really empty 😂.

😂. And this comedian on BBC World News recommending everyone to Stan BTS & play their latest track 😂
twitter.com/btsukunite/status/1274658482210377730?s=21

BTS Army (and kpop stans!) Rule The World!!! 💜

Ace!

@TheGirlWithTheArabStrap

Did you also see in the news that K-pop fans booked lots of tickets for Trumps rally in Tulsa and then didn't go, so it was really empty 😂.

Hahahahaha.

I feel ignorant actually. What did Trump do to draw the ire of BTS’ Army?

I think it was Trump being critical of Black Lives Matters protests in the US. And BTS made a big donation to BLM. But that's just me guessing, I don't hang out with any other K-pop fans apart from the ones on this thread 😁

Ohhh, just watched the first episode of it's Ok, it's dark! Those fairy stories are chilling. I will be watching it weekly, so I can drip feed myself.
Already the relationship is shaping up to be an emotional S&M one - what will happen by episode 8 ...it may veer into Handmaiden territory .
The acting is very good so far. It already has me hooked.

@boatyardblues

I feel ignorant actually. What did Trump do to draw the ire of BTS’ Army?

Nothing on particular... He's just thoroughly unpleasant! 😂... Army always doing good things... Very organised! Usually things like donating to food banks... Supporting educational charities... A group of armies even bought some rainforest land in the shape of the number 7 to celebrate the release of Map of the Soul 7... So basically just doing good in the world! 🌍 💜

Here! 😂

That's amazing Bea! Lovely Army 💜

Amazing Bea! 💜💜💜

It’s Okay is intriguing but I haven’t yet started to warm to the characters. Still not sure what to make of FL. I know we are all supposed to think she’s the one in the field of flowers, but it could be misdirection.

Re BTS and Trump - that was genius idea! Hit where it hurts = ego. Raises their own profile too, I may have to read further and listen to BTS 🤔

Just finished Nokdu and thought overall very good would give it 8/10.

I hope it doesn’t backfire when they are next touring, e.g. angry rednecks picketing venues. I doubt it will help BTS ‘break’ the US, as the right wing media will be much more hostile. It was still a good thing to do. 😄

I’ve just spotted that My Fellow Citizens is on Netflix too. They’ve added a lot of Korean content recently.

Hey boaty as tour operator for the Ms Latte's Daebak Drama Tour d'you think we can incorporate a couple of these spots?

Bangtan Spots

Wouldn’t a photo of the Addicts in Hyangho Beach Bus Stop be just fabulous? I reckon we’d still just about squeeze in. 😄 Great link Betty.

I’ve had the (rather relieved) nod from DH that should such a tour ever happen he would be more than happy for me to go with all the MsLattes!! 🤣🤣

I think only a lottery win would improve our finances to the point where separate long haul holidays are an option for me and DH 😁. But I can dream!

I will happily join you on that tour. . I am determined to go to SK next year. I have been looking at flight prices and hotels in various places. There is a lovely B&B in Jeju that I fancy.

Link pls fifi!!

all those BTS places would just make me cry as i'm such a sad Fangirl... the bus stop is one of my most fave pics of BTS (it's my phone lockscreen! 💜... i love the song Spring Day and the sentiment behind the song just makes me soooooooo soft!... as does the train station though i read recently they've started to stop people from going onto the tracks now...
I've managed to read a lot of all the places in the vids... the empty swimming pool for the prologue Butterfly mv is lovely too!... they're sooo evocative of their mv's!

- if you get sucked into this vid... you're opening a whole can of worms 💜 worthy of the most angsty / tragic kdramas!!!! don't get me started... which leads me to - they're actually producing a drama based around the stories in the BTS mv's... the Bangtan Universe or loosely based....please letit be good... please let it be good!!!!

Aesops... be careful ... once you start delving into the wonders of BTS there's no getting out of it... just know that they're not your average k pop band... it's so so much more!!!! 💜 💜