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…

I just noticed we’re now within 50 posts of topping out this thread, so it’s time to suggest additions & updates to the header.

Brilliant deletion message!

Oh that’s hilarious! And rather nice of MNHQ!

However.....it’s Boys OVER Flowers so maybe they were just humouring us? Would love to know if they do read our threads or walk among us 😂

@bettys

Oh that’s hilarious! And rather nice of MNHQ!

However.....it’s Boys OVER Flowers so maybe they were just humouring us? Would love to know if they do read our threads or walk among us 😂

It goes by both titles: www.hulu.com/series/boys-before-flowers-2113c940-a5b0-491d-a49a-6090d788871a?dl=false I think we have a sympatico mod.

I think we have a sympatico mod.

Marvellous!
Can we get Hulu here in UK? No that I'm looking for yet another subscription....

Oh we can’t......
Oh well back to Netflix, Viki, Youtube, Amazon & Olga 🤷🏻‍♀️
That’s quite enough to be going on with !😂

For the new thread I would add Twogether and Mystic Pop-Up Bar and also Parasite (slice of life? Or maybe a film section?)

Wrt to All The Guys I think the basic premise that they are competing for her is a little flawed....after enjoying her v much in Mystic I'm back to wondering why they are fighting for her....with her weird 60s plasticky earrings

@boatyardblues

Hahahahaha! I just saw the deletion email for my reported post this morning:

Hi boatyardblues,
We've broken off our all-night binge of Boys Before Flowers to withdraw that post for you.
Back to it now.
Best,
MNHQ

They walk among us! 😘 OK, own up - which one of you is the MNHQ mod?

Ha! Ha! Ha! we're noticed by mnhq????

I have nothing to report except still needing to catch up on It'sOkay - I'm going away for a couple of days so I'm lining them up!

Very slowly making my way through Marriage Not Dating!... I don't like any of them except maybe nice chef boy and funnily enough I like his mother... her parents are objectionable and blonde haired guy is awful!... but it's good as a filler....

Noticed Train on Viki ... it looks good and gritty! OCN i expect nothing else from you... will pop that one on my watch list...

was sewing last nighht so i couldn't watch anything that needed proper attention so popped on Hotel as now on Netflix and IU is the most gorgeous... surely to act / sing (collab with Min Yoongi!!!!I love that song!) / and look as beautiful as her is surely surely not fair!!!! argh! I love Hotel... it really is so well made....

and that is what's going on in my drama head at the moment!!!!!

there's lots more stuff coming up (i keep reading about upcoming dramas on soompi!) but i forget!!!!

happy kdramaing all!!!!!

I get a little worried when a post by Bea isn't full of emojis. You must be properly busy!

I've got nothing to suggest for a new thread. Maybe Psycho but It's Okay or whatever title it's going by. It's visually stunning and I'm loving the story so far but it might be too early to call it?

hello..! 😂😂😂..
I wrote it on my laptop! There's no fun emojis from mumsnet.🙄.. Much more interesting ones on my phone! 📱😁🥰... Thus the lack of emojis! 😁😆😂

I agree on Mystic Popup Bar.

@bettys

For the new thread I would add Twogether and Mystic Pop-Up Bar and also Parasite (slice of life? Or maybe a film section?)

Wrt to All The Guys I think the basic premise that they are competing for her is a little flawed....after enjoying her v much in Mystic I'm back to wondering why they are fighting for her....with her weird 60s plasticky earrings

I really liked the neon yellow plastic jewellry in a recent episode. I know I’m a fashion dinosaur but it reminded me of the 80s neon craze.

and that is what's going on in my drama head at the moment!!!!!

I particularly enjoyed this inner monlogue Bea - it really sounded like your flow of thoughts. 😁

You're right boaty her accessories are more 80s than 60s, but that doesn't make them any better imo.....coincidentally a friend & I were looking at photos of us in the 80s & 90s today, all lipstick and big hair

Hahahaha just pausing Was It Love as scene with FLs assistant heaving into a black plastic bag on way home in a taxi while on phone to gangster made me laugh so much

Is Mystic Pop-Up Bar in the light or dark sci-fi/woo category.

Dark

I just watched that too bettys 😂😂😂

Why does this seem so familiar? 🤔
I have do much to do and yet...

@TheGirlWithTheArabStrap

I just watched that too bettys 😂😂😂

Same, though news of season 3 was a surprise as I hadn’t even noticed a second one.

TheGirl it reminded me of my younger days
monkeywench exactly that!

Was It Love is proving to be the highlight of my week so far.
Although I am quite enjoying Amensalism as well which has not bad production values for a TWDrama, and a nice romance between the leads.

I’m not sure about Twogether - it’s a variety show rather than a drama. /chieflibrarianmode

Was It Love is proving to be the highlight of my week so far.

Seconded.

Wossat???? Season 3 of Was It Love? boatyard? WHATTTTTT???

No - Dark, the German thingy on Netflix with the wavy-gravy wormhole and all the fab mushy pea green mark 1 VW Golfs in the 80s power station car park. 😆