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…

ginger!!!!😱😱😱

I am so into Once Again I haven’t even caught up with Was It Love 😮 though I may have to after boaty’s mention of the gangster

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Ga Hee's revenge on her ex-h for standing up their son!! Skills!

@gingerbiscuitandacuppatea

My internet is broken. No kdrama happening here 😞

Sorry, that sentence does not compute. No kdrama? Noooooooo.....

I was thinking that about flat shoes too! I'm tall so I like looking at what flat shoes people much trendier than me are wearing 😂

I've just properly snorted with laughter at the Mum of the 2 Dr's finding out that one of them isn't living in Turkey anymore 😂

@gingerbiscuitandacuppatea

Why do they often wear huge white trainers with nice outfits? I noticed this yet again in pop up bar the other day.

I started off feeling consternation about this, but now I just feel envy. Lockdown has been a bit like maternity leave, in that I’ve worn my comfy biker boots, trainers or walking sandals most days. My feet are very happy at the moment. I’m dreading going back to the office and having to wear formal shoes.

I had a long drive today which gave me plenty of time to think.......instead of life, the universe and everything, my thoughts turned to endings in kdrama., especially those which have bothered me for some reason.
They fall into 2 categories for me:
Extremely Bloody Annoying!!! 🤬 (crap writing / shitty ending / the writer didn't have a clue how to end it)
Sad But Cathartic 😭 (everyone dies / main couple don't get together / generally un 🐝 friendly)

For EBA!!! I nominate:
Black Knight
Cheese In The Trap

For SBC :
Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Goryeo
Possessed

Anyone got any more nominations?

I definitely agree with Cheese in the Trap and would like to add Vagabond to the EBA category for its rubbish, we want a second series ending!

Oooh good one Girl

Betty - How could you have missed Black from your EBA list?!?!?

😱 you’re right boaty Black is definitely EBA!! (Though the rest is good)

I finished S1 of Stranger last night and I just finished ep 2 of S2. It’s brilliant! I love Bae Doona and Cho Seung-Woo. Their relationship is really interesting, especially in this new series. I’m curious to see what impact their new job roles will have on their relationship. I love it so much, but I’m also hugely frustrated by it (in a good way).

The head of the prosecutor side (Gunner Jang guy) looks different in this - I can’t work out if its because he’s older and gained weight, or whether he’s had work done but I wasn’t sure it was him at first & was only certain when there was a close up scene and I could scrutinise his features more closely. His mouth is very distinctive.

Had a morning full of Once Again
Really enjoying it!

Me too Aesops 😊. Ive got to stop for a bit now so I can get our stuff ready for going camping next week.

For those of you that enjoyed the dull news thread, there’s a sequel: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/4006800-Come-and-tell-me-your-dull-and-unexciting-news-THE-SEQUEL Again, it is very soothing, the MN version of the shipping forecast.

I do like a bit of dull news, thanks for the link boaty

So in the latest episode of Once Again the TV in the background was showing Into The Ring

How meta!

I’m finding the dodgy prosecutor from S1 of Stranger both hugely irritating and a bit pathetic, and therefore sympathetic, in S2. He’s so obsequious, but also also slipping down the greasy pole at alarming speed.

He’s a character that you somehow want to be saved morally

oooh that leads to a new category of characters for me bettys who else could be better if given just a little shove?

hello Junho’s character in Chief Kim is one for sure!

Netflix was playing up so I started Alice on Viki. It’s interesting - high concept and initially a bit bleak, but very promising. I quite like the unusual, non-neurotypical characters that kdrama seems to embrace. Makes for some different dramas.

Some of the fights and violence in Alice are buttclenchingly grim. The little psycho with the baseball bat and hammer... Omo!

i love the phrase buttclenchingly grim! 😂 i do not love little psychos with hammers. i remember talking about Alice when it was still in preproduction and its already out? it's mad how fast time is flying.

I watched the first two episodes last night (ie am caught up to broadcast speed). The violence is quite something, but story and cast are good. ML (Joo Won) is very good in this which is a surprise, as I watched him in Morning Cantabile (to the bitter end, as is my tendency, don’t bother) and he was kind of meh in that.