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…

I'm only on episode 5, but am finding it subtly nuanced, and very different to Once Again which has the same central theme of divorce.
Not only does it have grumpy director No. 2 from Melo aka the kickarse detective from Sense8 but it also has the wicked chauffeur from My Golden Life
And I like the interfering Siri on MLs phone

I started it in 2018 when it aired, just after watching Stranger and I think the difference in tone as a newbie drama watcher didn't gel. Rewatching the first episode 2 years and many dramas later I have a totally different take on it.

Is anyone watching Alice? I’m quite enjoying it though more violent than usual fare.

@BramblyHedge

Is anyone watching Alice? I’m quite enjoying it though more violent than usual fare.

Me! I watched the first two episodes earlier this week & posted here. My thoughts are v much in line with yours - interesting and very well done, but my God the violence is 😱. I do plan to stick with it, as it seems promising.

Bea I've just watched that BTS video. It's really good! Choreography and dancing looks so natural. Song is v catchy too. Jeez, I can't get into K Pop ..

Off on hols tomorrow and looking forward to time off work and lots of drama viewing!
Up to ep 12 of once again - the Gimbap shop owner is a great actress, her facial expressions are so spot on as is the Stuntman son's touching scenes with his ex wife 😢

Aesops... 👏😁... This isn't just any kpop! This is BTS!!... 💜🥰💜🥰💜

With BTS... along with the music... Dancing... Visuals... Cuteness... Hilarity... Sincerity... Silliness... Joy... It's all about the lyrics / sentiment!... This song... 😱😭😭😭 Cry with me!! 😭😭😭

... And of if you enjoy Choreography...

@boatyardblues - you are spot on with your recommendations! I've just (after several 2-3am finishes - yawn) finished watching It's OK to not be OK. Wow, that had some seriously creepy moments (I did not guess who the FL's mother was!), but was so lovely overall and what a fab ending. I loved that sang-take gained some independence at the end, so gang-tae could too.

I thought the ML and FL were a far better match in this than in my love from the stars - in that I thought the FL would annoy the ML if they actually got together. Here they were lovely and their characters actually seemed to grow and complement each other. ☺️

Glad to have helped leeloo. Our pooled hours of viewing on here are so immense in scale, we can usually make mood, genre or oppa-suitable recommendations. 👍

What a bitch the woman he's having an affair with is!!!!! ( Matrimonial Chaos ) The scene in the dress shop with the other gf & wife is just evil

I also want to visit a noraebang with Bae Donna & Lee El, they're so cool

ML and grumpy director do drunk noraebang later on & that looks fun too. I was also taken with the individual noraebang booth you see Bae Doona in earlier on. I’m usually quite drunk when I do karaoke, but I find singing my socks off very cathartic and good for stress busting, as well as fun.

I'm at the divorce party bit which is ace.
I think the sister might be keen on her flat-mate. The scene in the hospital with the ex-bf was very well done, and also her scene with the ghastly nephew.
There has to be a reason for grumpy director's behaviour ....

I've been enjoying those videos Bea 😍.

I'm also enjoying Once Again so thanks for persuading me I could cope with 100 episodes 😁. I loved the mothers fighting in the street 😂

I’ve just finished Matrimonial Chaos, but it took me by surprise because I wasn’t paying attention to the episode numbers and it was very homely and low key. It was like finding you’ve eaten the last Pringle in the tube when you thought you had at least 10 more. 😭 I enjoyed it immensely and now I’m sad its done. I’m just hoping the Alice subs are up quickly & that Stranger has dropped on Netflix. Our Apple box just threw another wobbly and switching it off and on again isn’t helping, so I’ll probably have to watch on my phone.

It may be the red wine & the fact that I want to be in Bae Doona & Lee El's girl gang but my interim score (currently on ep 15) is an 8 for Matrimonial Chaos, what will you give it boaty?

Definitely an 8. Not sure I can push it to a 9, much as I loved it.

I think I might have added a new column B to the pre-2019 tab by blundering about on the spreadsheet. Mianhae.

Hello peeps! RL is seriously eating into my drama time... Is it so bad that I wouldn't mind being sick just so I can catch up??🤔

Gosh monkeywench haven’t seen you for aaaages!!! 👋👋 RL is a bugger isn’t it? 😫

Lovely to see you again, Monkey! 🍻

I'm wistful for lockdown days lol just with money this time. School Nurse Files is going on the never ending list after I watched the trailer.

My Boobage list is also getting out of hand because FB keeps on tempting me with snippets😆 Thanks to the snippets I found the trailer for Go Go Squid 2 Appledog's time. Allegedly Li Xian has a cameo 😀 I'm guessing it will be released towards the end of the year.

In other news, my sister finally joined the dark side and has been binging DOS and Oh my venus and is trawling through my Netflix after falling for the Bongbong Mingming duo😉 Another one roped in lol I also found out that my dad loved My Mister and has been watching a lot of period K/C drama 😁

Hi Monkey! Good work on your family kdramaing 😁

monkey, you are doing a better job than me, I keep trying to convert people but they are not biting, even though most have seen Parasite and love it. I hope you manage to get more watching time today.
I've been watching Queen In-Hyun's Man, which is good fun and easy to watch. I started yesterday and nearly finished! It's well-acted and a good storyline, ML is so lovely and adoring. I wasn't aware of the back story of the relationship between the ML+ FL - Ji Hyun Woo + Yo In Na before watching it but can see that the chemistry is more than just normal M&FL acting

Queen In-Hyun's Man - are you watching it on YouTube fifi? I also watched & enjoyed it recently, but forgot to add it to the spreadsheet.