MsLatte’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #17): I need suits and dimples and questionable morals

[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 as they are peppered with pop-ups of “Olga” and friends offering a good time, which gets in the way of the drama.

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/Netflix)
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/Netflix)*

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)*
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/Netflix)*
Kingdom (Netflix)*

Mystic Pop-up Bar (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…

ML has strange features. Not very attractive unless he smiles. 2ML much more attractive in this than his character in Camelia as I think was noted earlier in the thread.
I want 2FL apartment.

@AesopsMables

ML has strange features. Not very attractive unless he smiles. 2ML much more attractive in this than his character in Camelia as I think was noted earlier in the thread. I want 2FL apartment.

If I had 2FL’s apartment, I’d buy roller boots, a decent sound system and a glitterball and amuse myself having a roller disco every night in that huge echoey open plan living room/diner.

Yes Boatyard- it's designed for parties!

I'm really loving My Unfamiliar Family. Just really quietly loving it. What a find!

I’m almost sorry I’ve nearly finished it. It perfectly fits my current mood.

Just finished ep 9 and will have to squeeze another in now after that ending.
Something about the cinematography in parts of it reminds me of Melo although completely different stories. I think the FL scenes in particular remind me of it.

I’m all done & have scored and commented on the spreadsheet. I loved it - everything about it was just right: casting, story/writing, pacing, payoff. Really enjoyable.

I've wandered into the Cdrama world and started Go, Go Squid. Not sure about it, it's so different from Kdramas. I also didn't expect it to be so heavily state influenced -very naive of me .
It's even tamer than K dramas, and where's all the angst
I'm a 1/3rd of the way through, so I'm going to stick with it, nothing to do with the ML being so good looking .

@fifilacklustre

I've wandered into the Cdrama world and started Go, Go Squid. Not sure about it, it's so different from Kdramas. I also didn't expect it to be so heavily state influenced -very naive of me . It's even tamer than K dramas, and where's all the angst I'm a 1/3rd of the way through, so I'm going to stick with it, nothing to do with the ML being so good looking .

That’s the only thing that kept me watching, fifi. He’s in Tientsin Mystic on Netflix too, which is very different. I’m not keen on his adorned hair and hippy outfits, but as a river life guard he strips down to his swimming trunks enough to make it worthwhile. His Insta feed is pleasing.

Oh, I may have to watch it, just for the sake of contrast and compare .
I plumped for Go.Go, because of the high score on the spreadsheet, so I'm hoping it picks up.
I've got Gu Family Book, on the go as well., I'm only a couple of episodes in, and already there have been murders, enslavement betrayals, tragedy, and falling in love instantly - ahhh, normality .

Go Go chugs along at roughly the same speed. It’s no kdrama, but Li Xian carries it.

Tientsin Mystic is interesting - as it is Netflix produced, it has a more international feel to it and a bigger budget. I enjoyed the Chinese 1930s styling. It’s a period I’m interested in design-wise. Since Betty recommended it I’ve been watching in fits & starts. I find some aspects of the story difficult to follow, but I'm not sure if its because of how I’m watching it or whether the plot assumes knowledge I don’t have.

Li Xian 😍

I have also finished MUF .... and kind of preferred the VP but he went around things the wrong way 🤷🏻‍♀️

I am waiting for some downtime to finish Its Ok but am dipping in & out of Into The Ring which I can’t quite follow but like the ML & FL so far

Just finished it’s okay and was happy with the ending. Everything tied up nicely.

Good to hear Brambly !! Definitely wanted a 🐝 ending for this one!

I'm away at the moment and think my drama watching will not be as plentiful! I sooo want to finish OK but want to make sure I can watch properly without interruptions! Plus! My drama watching has been curtailed quite a lot due to dd getting heavily into Anime and we watched the first season of Attack On Titan on Netflix together... Now she insists I watch with her the remaining seasons! I'm enjoying it and it's nice to do something with her but that leaves no time for drama watching! Argh! Ottoke! Ottoke!!

Finished It's Okay, loved the ending. It's just been gorgeous all the way through. Lots of beautiful crying and kissing 😍.
And I've started MUF too, seems good so far. 👍

I've finished it's Ok - just wonderful. Everything about this show was so well done, The acting from everyone was superb, the storyline was so tight, well thought out, and gave space for each character. The location was beautiful, Every scene could evoke so many emotions. The humor was so well timed, I could be feeling very sad, only to end up smiling/laughing. The last fairy tale was so lovely, so hopeful, as well as being honest about all the trauma the three of them faced. This is a 10 for me, this is my favorite show this year.
Betty it will be good to hear what you think about Into the Ring I'm still enjoying the quirkiness of it, I really like the way the interactions between the M&F leads. I'm annoyed with Viki about the length of time to sub!

Has anyone watched the web drama Bing Goo (Frozen Love)?
I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's time travel romance. The parts from the 70s are fun, and a wee taster of life in SK then. An element of nostalgia for me, seeing the fashions - although I was still very young then . It definitely has flaws (plot holes, trying to have complex storylines in a short time, ), but there are some lovely moments, and I liked the M&F leads. Very short, 2 1hr -ish episodes.

Anyone else feel like this weather is great for summery kdrama, the kind where the leads are melting in the Seoul summer heat and you can hardly hear the actors for cicadas? I’m boiling and fed up at what the humidity is doing to my hair.

Right, I’m back! Haven’t been active on Mumsnet for ages and really missed this thread so...

Hello to all the people who have joined since I was last on here! I have been a kdrama aficionado for about 5 years, also some JDramas. I’m learning Korean too and was one of the early active posters on this thread. I am also crazy about Kpop and have had some of my artwork featured on Knowing Bros/ Men on a Mission/ Ask Us Anything, where my dolls and notes were given to each of the presenters and they said I was funny and Kim Heechul said I had broken his heart.

Currently late to the party and watching Crash Landing on You

I also keep kdrama bullet journals and have a score board for tropes too.

Has anyone watched What Happened to Mirae - a webdrama on YouTube. I watched it because it started Kangin from Super Junior but thought it was very sweet

Welcome back Heechul! We now have a googledocs spreadsheet which we are collectively updating to help one another find the good stuff. I am sure HelloSwellow (spreadsheet queen) will send you the link in due course. It’s lovely to have you back. 😄👋🏻

I wonder where all our recent delurkers have gone. Hope you are still around guys. No need to be shy, jump in any time.

HeechulOppa hurrah you’re back!!!!! 👍👍 Good to see you! Thanks for the webdrama recommendation, that & fifis suggestion are added to my list.
I have been away and without WiFi 😱😱 so have quite a lot to catch up on

Hello heechuloppa. I am probably new since you were here and am about 18m into my kdrama journey. I tend to lurk and then have flurries of activity.