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…

Showing as 2 on my Youtube....

haha bea - total meltdown for internet and fans if they were .
Thanks for the link, waiting with my daughter along with the other 10,000+ people

Oh god! Ep 20 of my ReWatch of Love From Another Star... And I'm blubbing away! 😭😭😭... And along with BTS singing Spring Day... I've practically been crying all day! 😭😭😭😭😭

Aww Bea, I watched the Tiny Desk concert too, it was ace!
Its very stressful in Once Again at the moment. The mothers have found out about the kids dating 😳😳😳

thegirl... 💜🤩... I'm gutted it was only for 14, mins and just three songs! Obvs! They had to do dynamite!... Save Me was an unexpected delight!... Spring Day is forever my favourite and always makes me blub and even worse it easy the version with all the woah ohhhhs at the end... and that version deffo makes me blub! It's hilarious! Spring Day is HUGE fan favourite!... It's not lefttthe melon top 100 (korean charts) ever since it was released... It holds the record... They've not sung it live for three years and since Covid they've sang it 4 times! 😱😭😭😭😭😭... Read the lyrics... It's just beautiful all about you missing loved ones and we will meet again winter will pass and spring will come again!... 😭😭😭😭😭💜💜💜💜💜💜

Loved the performance yesterday, it was the first time I heard Spring Day and it is beautiful, so heartfelt the way it was sung. I ended up watching it alone as my daughter wasn't interested! I feel she needs some kind of indoctrination, just like me
bea I may start watching that again. I'm rewatching While You Were Sleeping, forgot how much I liked it, Hopefully, Lee Jung Suk will be offered a good script when he finishes his military service in January, and be more like Kim Sung Hyun and not Ji Chang Wook!
thegirl - never a dull moment in that family

I of course meant Kim Soo Hyun and not Kim Sung Hyun . Now going to see if there is an actor callee Kim Sung Hyun.

Oh fifi if you love you should watch the mv... the most gorgeous aesthetically pleasing video over... I could just live in it....make sure you turn the eng subs on.... it's just soooo
and then if you want to dig deeper you can read a a theory as this will make you even more....
Enjoy!!!

My goddaughter just called round ( to deliver shopping as still in quarantine) very excited about her crush on one of the young actors in Meteor Garden. Mentioned that she has started a k drama group at her school! Her parents are reporting that when she should be doing her homework there is Korean language coming from behind her bedroom door 🤣
They blame 'Auntie Aesop's' 😳

ts very stressful in Once Again at the moment. The mothers have found out about the kids dating 😳😳😳

Enjoy it The Girl lovely scenes coming up between the mother and son-in-law. I am really missing it

Bea I might have googled the lyrics last night. I have seen the MV before (because you posted it) but hadn't really got into it. I watched it quite a few times last night 😂 and now agree it's lovely ❤️.

Naughty Aunty Aesops! 😁👍

thegirl ... My work recruiting for the ARMY is done!!!!

Started watching Record of Youth!... It looks promsing!!!!!

Bad Bad Aunty Aesops 😡

( 🤣🤣👍👍👍😆😆)

Am I missing why either the ML and 2ML in Brahms like grumpysocks 2FL? What is her attractive quality?

..
Looking like a sour puss!! 😑

Am I missing why either the ML and 2ML in Brahms like grumpysocks 2FL? What is her attractive quality?

She’s a case of BSFLS (Bitch Second Female Lead Syndrome) -it needs a better acronym but you get the picture.

She is supremely bitchy in episode 7 😱 and I think ML has seen the light

Bettys... ugh! not looking forward to that then!.. also still waiting for FL to stop nodding, lowering her head and agreeing to everything!!! Stand up straight woman and say what you think!!!! Gah!!!!!

Also the the FLs violin teacher is USELESS!! FL is too compliant and beginning to annoy me she needs to get a grip!!

I find the side details quite interesting about the life of a classical musician eg the dependence on competitions and ranking and not having much of a say in your own life because of appearances & standards.

.....and judging by next week's preview I wouldn't be surprised if BSFL wants to plays Francks sonata......aaaaaarrrgh I might have to drop it until all the eps are up it's slow torture

I'm getting my slapping hand ready!!!!!.....

@BramblyHedge

Am I missing why either the ML and 2ML in Brahms like grumpysocks 2FL? What is her attractive quality?

Isn’t she the heir to a large fortune and its spin-off arts foundation? There’s your answer.

Ha! You've hit the nail on the head, boaty, with all that behind her Bitch2FL doesn't have to be nice or considerate of other people's feelings!

2FL’s black culottes in ep 7 Brahms are shocking. She’s so slim and yet they add so much volume. A definite case of the clothes wearing the woman rather than the woman wearing the clothes.

An aside that only you guys will appreciate: I’m loving working from home, as I was able to make omurice for lunch today for me & DH. I went a bit heavy on the gochugaru paste, so it was fiery but delicious. Strangely, with us both working home, lunch is a bit like date night, as we rarely get to eat together without the kids.