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…

Do you think the FL in Encounter was tsundere? She started off closed off and career driven, following her divorce. Same actress as DOTS too I think, I quite like her.

Good call, though I think she was rather closed and intensely private rather than tsundere. From my limited viewing - and Monkey may have better insight here - many male tsundere are pretty rude and brook no social niceties, whereas FL in Encounter had good EQ and very effective relationships with business contacts (like the old fella in Cuba). In short, I think a woman who behaved as your typical tsundere does would not be successful in business.

Another reason for me to start watching Flower of Evil!...

Oooh well spotted!!!

... Well! Twitter really spotted it! 😂🤭🤭🤭🤭

Ooooh. Ep 6 of Alice - FL’s apartment is the same one & block as FL’s in Where Stars Land.

Is anyone else having problems at the mo with Viki not rolling into the next episode of a series, but restarting the same episode?

Tsundere usually refers to people who are quite stern/standoffish/ rude with most people but do/say totally cute/lovey stuff to a very select few, especially of the opposite sex. Suga is a good example of someone who says stuff that can sound harsh but yet his actions show that he actually cares. In Go GoSquid, Li Xian's character is similar in that he's strict to the point of being harsh with the team yet his actions show how much he cares for them.

I think that it's something that isn't common in FL characters because the attraction is the gap between words and actions of men in a society that is very patriarchal with a certain amount of machismo. On the flip side, the whole kawaii/aegyo thing would be the female equivalent IMO. So having a very capable woman who indulges in aegyo softens the edges IYSWIM. They discussed this on 7 Billion in Love where the foreign panel said they couldn't understand it and it was explained as a way of saving face/avoiding confrontation/ diffusing a situation but they weren't convinced 😂

So Alice was created in a parallel universe !?🤯🤯So Tae Yi really isn’t the detectives mother? 🤯🤯

I’m not sure Betty. I got that there are parallel universes, but I thought the people in the shiny hilltop business centre were sending people back in time, not between worlds. I am quite confused, but planning to roll with it. I think it is the same world, as Tae Yi likes the same breads as ML’s mother. Plus the soju shot trick/habit she learned from her sunbae.

This is scarily accurate! 😂

@leeloo1

This is scarily accurate! 😂

Omo!

This is scarily accurate!

It is!!😱😱

Omo! So true 😂

leelo1 frighteningly accurate . I love the cure though, only watching more drama will do .

bettys the throwing-up scene was very funny. Not sure if I'm going to be able to commit to all 22 episodes because the pop-ups from Olga are driving me mad!

For some reason, my Viki won't let me watch the last few episodes of Once Again - very frustrating that I can't see the end . Not going on Soompi or other sites in case I see something about the ending.

Certainly I seem to be up til 2am watching the latest series and then when I feel rough the next day... Watch more to cheer myself up, like hair of the dog! 🙈

I finished watching Who are you - it was gripping at points, but I found the ending was a bit dull really.

I started Dr Stranger, but found it a bit stressful. I'm with @fifilacklustre, I want light and fluffy (like romance is a bonus book, so pathos, but with a beautiful oppa ready to swoop in and save the fl), with a bit of arm-pulling for dramatic tension!

Gah really enjoying Missing But it’s 2 weeks until the next episode 😡😡

fifi agree ré Olga’s pop-ups and the slightly soft vision quality. It’s a fill-in drama iykwim but I’m still enjoying it, I’m up to episode 8.

I haven’t watched the final eps of Once Again yet, saving up for later!

Ahhh, finished Once Agan, like saying goodbye to family

Also finished Once Again, a very 🐝🐝 ending with things neatly tied up & a sweet wedding (obv restricted by Covid) - though could’ve had more judo guy & noona.

Slow subs on Brahms so watched Record of Youth & am really enjoying it. I am becoming converted to PBG (still not convinced by those teeny scarves on men) & enjoying all the women’s stories specially the new agent - JJampong! Nice that the overbearing mum has her good points - immediately backing off when 2ML says her hovering around will put women off 😂

hold onto your coffee cups!
Coffee Prince Réunion? (I haven't watched it yet! 🤭😳😱)

Exciting!! Can't wait for that reunion 😍

I see HH KJW has his man bun again - I’m in !👍😂😎

I'm watching Train at the moment and trying desperately to work out who the accomplice is 😂. One of my guesses just got disproved. Just about to start ep 8 😁

the girl.... 🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭😁😁😁😁😁🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

OK so there's been a big reveal in ep 8/9 but there's still something else going on I'm sure 👀. Also there is still 3 hours to go 😂

Oooh you know you've got a classic kdrama love quadrangle when you LOATHE the 2FL ( Brahms )

@bettys

Oooh you know you've got a classic kdrama love quadrangle when you LOATHE the 2FL ( Brahms )

I thought she had batshit obsessive potential like the 2FL in Before We Get Married. Has it come to pass?