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…

The erstwhile Daddy agent from the future looks like Will from Will and Grace in the later seasons after he’d had work done.

Also the eager young alarm man in Matrimonial Chaos (also young cop in Stranger) reminds me of Dev Patel from Slumdog Millionaire.

I’m not sure I have a useful contribution to make at the mo - too grumpy and addled.

Just been watching Roman Holiday - such a lovely film and elements reminded me of kdrama.

Sounds like you need something soothing to watch boaty

I’m not sure I have a useful contribution to make at the mo - too grumpy and addled.
Boaty - I hear you, exactly how I've been feeling, especially the last few weeks.

Come over to the light and frothy side = Once again. It's soothing,uplifting and bloody funny in bite size pieces.

I absolutely love Roman Holiday - one of my all time favourite films, along with Singing in the Rain. I have both on DVD.

Just been out for a walk with DH & the nights are drawing in. Saw some bats though. (This should be on the dull news thread.)

I agree with Aesops, Once Again is very restorative!

Missing is surprisingly moving, the bit with the little boy was nicely done for such a grim scenario.

I am watching so many on-airs I am having to keep a list. I keep forgetting to watch the end of To All The Guys and I'm not bovvered.

Watched Alice very good. So many questions!

Where is the last page of the book? If she is the little girl she surely knows where it is?
Why did that guy have the book in the future? I thought she took it and kept it in 1992?
What's happened to the 'clients'? Why are they allowed to time travel - is it because they have mental health issues due to trauma? Is it a paid service?

But for me the most important one - What did she do all day when her son was at school?. Watch Kdrama?

Sorry things are a bit rubbish boaty I hope you find something relaxing/distracting to watch.
I had a BTS dream last night! I won a competition and they all turned up at my house as a surprise prize!
I was thinking that this is strange because I don't think I've entered a competition and how annoyed all the actual Army/Bea would be.
I remember feeling pleased but also shy and didn't really know what to say 😂😂😂

Thanks all for your good wishes, but I feel a fraud for soliciting any. Things are really OK - we are all well, my job is not at imminent risk, we have a roof over our heads. I’m just finding work hard and frustrating because there is so much uncertainty. My friend has a phrase ‘nailing jelly to a wall’ which describes most of my job right now. I don’t think there are many people who are NOT grappling with similar challenges in these peculiar times. The looming winter also makes me gloomy and introspective. Time for more kdrama sunshine!

Watching My Only Love Song Netflix for silly fluff and nonsense! It's fun so far! Great feisty FL (FL from Are You Human Too)...
She's an actress filming a historical drama so it's set in Dae Jang Geum Park... I keep expecting to see SUGA in full on

mode! 😅😂

boaty... Hope you're feeling better! 😘😘😘

thegirl 😂😂😂😂😱😱😱🤯🤯🤯😂😂😂💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

I’ve started #Alive on Netflix. I have mentioned before how I struggle with zombies, but - perversely - I think this may be the distraction that I need. Wish me luck!

Ha! 20 mins 44 seconds. Not bad. I almost clicked away at 11 mins. 😂 Off to find something less anxiety-inducing.

I'm rather surprised by how much I've enjoyed the first 2 episodes of Record of Youth. Also liking Park Bo Gum in this, even if he does look like he's on the verge of tears most of the time!

Bea that was a sneaky dose of Suga there!! Such a fab MV though.

boaty I didn't think #Alive was that bad, but I do like a zombie flick, it's horror films I can't take.

I’m not very good at horror movies and have a real aversion to zombies. As a general rule, I am not allowed red wine or tea in my hand if I’m watching anything scary because I’ve startled and thrown it over the sofa so many times before. 😆

My daughter has just announced that she is going to the cinema today after school to see BTS film. I didn't even know cinemas had opened!

1. She doesn't like BTS - friend does and no-one would go with her.
2. Why I'm not invited? - to be fair she did say to her friend I would go with her

3 She refuses to take Jimin doll - AIBU

YANBU!!

On the other hand she may be won over to the Bangtan side

Oh, I do hope so. I keep showing her good looking young Korean actors, but she is having none of it. I would happily marry her off
Jimin is her favourite in BTS - if she was forced to choose!
Thanks Bea, I'm in need of light and fluffy so will watch My Only Love Song.

I started My Only Love Song but made the fatal mistake of looking up the actors & turns out the ML was in that scandal about sharing explicit videos in a Kakao chatroom which put me off.

I may take a look at Heart Surgeons on Viki as it has Go Soo from Missing in it.

I'm so over this working during the day lark... give me nightshift where I can catch up!! Lol My weekend of uninterrupted viewing has been put on hold as DSD1 is about to give birth to DC3, so I'm on babysitting duty with a rugby morning thrown in...sooo excited (about the baby, not the rest 😁)

bettys, now in a dilemma - do I watch the show or not! I've also been searching up shows with Goo Soo, I'll wait to see what you think of Heart Surgeons.

Definitely going to watch Record of My Youth as the storyline looks interesting and I liked Park Bo Gum in Reply 1988 and Love in the Moonlight.

monkeywench a baby, how exciting. I hope all goes well.
Does this mean you have a 'grandparent' status?

Bettys !!!! Now I don't want to watch it!!!!!

Fifi Yes film out today and the trailers look lovely .... but i don't think I want to sit in a cinema and I have no one to go with anyway!!!!

I will await it's arrival on Weverse... and then i can sit there in my BTS T shirt / Hoodie / Chimmy Headband / Chimmy Slippers / Min Yoongi Doll / drinking various beverages from my BTS Artsy Mug / BT21 Mug / RJ Cute Mug... waving My Army Bomb... did I mention I quite like BTS?

bea, I feel you need more merch