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…

We watched S1 of Dark before I fell down the kdrama wormhole. 😄

Thanks for the recs Monkey I think kvariety is a way in for DS 😁. He didn't properly watch Twogether but did keep asking lots of questions about what they were doing and why was I laughing.

Thanks for the info on Tokyo life monkeywench, it adds more depth to the snippets we glean from dramas. I am at the length of time it can take to commute

Running Man sounds like it might be the one 😁 Some of the tasks are painfully funny, like the acupressure mat relay complete with hurdles 😂😂

bettys that's pretty much the lower end of average. Depending on which end of Tokyo you're travelling from and to, it can involve a few line changes. Different train companies cover different areas, often overlapping, and some stations only have the normal trains (stop at every stop) instead of the fast train (specified stops) or Express (limited stops), so you have to really check your line operator and station. My uncle used to commute from Chiba, which is a prefecture adjoining Tokyo, and his commute was shorter than my dad's because dad had a couple of line changes that involved crossing through Shinjuku station. If you ever want to get lost, Shinjuku and Tokyo station are perfect 😂 Shibuya station can also get complicated (where the famous cross walk is) so there are huge signs pointing towards the exit for the Hachiko statue because everybody knows it.

Good to know! We are in the early stages of musing over a possible family trip to Japan so am filing away info.....of course it won’t be any time soon!🤷🏻‍♀️

If you can manage the London Tube system then it's not too bad and my sister said that they improved a lot of the signs in the stations and at the ticket booths for the Olympics

@bettys

Good to know! We are in the early stages of musing over a possible family trip to Japan so am filing away info.....of course it won’t be any time soon!🤷🏻‍♀️

It’s on our wish list too. Also making notes.

... It's on everyone's wishlist I suspect! 😂 😂

Thegirl... Hamilton is on Disney on 3rd July!. It might be the first non kdrama I watch for ages!!, 🐝household very very excited! 😂

Japan is definitely on my wish list. I was hoping that I could combine this with a trip to SK - not for a couple of years yet ,
Myself, daughter and niece are excited about Hamilton. I still have to see it live, a trip was planned, but not able to go.
I've already missed three musical shows and two concerts this year already - bloody Covid! I have a concert in November, so hoping that will still go ahead

We had tickets for the Book of Mormon later this year which have been pushed to the back end of 2021. I’d also persuaded my SIL to go to one of BTS’ July gigs with me this year for a laugh. COVID sucks. 😕 Still, first world problems and all that...

I'm not really in to musicals but I've heard lots of people rave about Hamilton. Do you think its worth giving it a go?

Me and DH have been to Japan twice (pre kids when we had a cheap mortgage and spent every spare penny on travel) but the last time was 10 years ago exactly! 😢. It must be really different now. We didn't have smart phones or anything.

boaty, Book of Mormons was one of mine. Never mind I already have four shows booked for next year, so lots to look forward It really is a first world problem!
I'm very envious thegirl that you have been. If I ever do go I will be using monkeywench as my travel guide

fifi I'll loan you a sister lol they speak English so everytime someone I know is travelling they get roped in in return for goods. My middle sister can be bought with bras 😂 Japan is so not the place to be big of boob

Hahahaha. He wears them well.

🤣👍they suit him!

😂😂

Oh monkeywench, I will bribe with Bravissimo - I share her pain.

I've managed to finish Gogh, Starry Night, which I really enjoyed. Lots of wrist grabbing and brooding looks, along with lots of flaws, but it gave me pleasure to watch.

Is there a BBC reporter on here -re Will Ferrel and Eurovision movie
www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-53217853

😂😍

if everything had gone to plan this year i would have been going to see BTS this friday and saturday!

Thegirl... Hamilton!? Worth it! Oh my goodness!!! Yes!!! definitely!!!!

even the trailer gives me goosebumps... i was very lucky and seen it twice!!!!!

bea

Has everyone who was watching It's Ok caught up? I haven't as of yet, and actually forgot about it! Don't think I'm bonding with it yet.

I have, I am still really enjoying it. I can see why (in the drama) they took out an injunction against Zombie Kid though. But as the backstory gets revealed it becomes clear why her stories are so very dark. Very good cameo from Kwak Dong Yeon

I still need to catch up on It's Ok, and I will watch Hamilton seeing as you liked it so much Bea