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…

Getting fed up with Brahms they're just all so maungy!!

Not convinced I’m in the mood for mopey, introspective Brahms after emotional-technicolour Find Yourself.

As some may have guessed, hunibuni et moi. For some reason I'm logged in under that name on my laptop and can't switch. I tend to use my mobile more so I completely forgot lol

I did wonder monkeywench/hunibuni

boaty try Dating in the Kitchen on Viki, cDrama romance with food. 12 episodes of 24 are up, and Olga has the rest

I remembered Zombie Detective would have more episodes up, so I’m just catching up.

I agree Sung Hoon comes across like he might be agreeable company.

Ugh I might have to stop Brahms until it's all up so I can take a sneaky peak at the end, it's just too tortuous.
And what-on-earth-do-they-see-in-her 2FL is such a feckin' cow

I'm watching Zombie Detective too boatyard. I'm on ep 2, the dancing bit made me roar with laughter 🤣. And CJH doing his exercises in a vest is quite fun too.

Late nights caught up with me. I had to keep ‘rewinding’ ep 3 of Zombie Detective, but I crashed out regardless. I will rewatch tonight or over the weekend.

Wow, you are all powering through the viewing hours this week! I've not managed much as recently out of quarantine so making the most of our freedom. Seriously need to find something to binge.

Question on Find Yourself. I don't know what it was but after I started watching it (only ep 1) it felt very triggering re discussions on marriage and women being 'left on the shelf' Does this continue? Or is it setting the scene for some spectacular setting the record straight moments?

Aesops - consider it a jumping off point for what follows, which explores the double standard and conventions around marriage. You’re OK to get cracking. 👍

I've got the day off and apart from going to the supermarket I don't need to leave the couch till I pick DS up from school! 😁

I've got ep 4 of Zombie Detective to watch and then I need something else to watch, maybe Find Yourself...

Nooo - I went down the rabbit hole of Find Yourself. I decided to watch it as I quite enjoyed Love O2O. and now hooked after watching episode 5
I'm not getting good vibes from 2ML, even though ML is very young and I'm still not getting a full sense of his character, I'm rooting for him all the way
I don't want to commit if the ending is not happy!

Fear not the ending of Find Yourself is 🐝🐝🐝😊

Ep 5 is such a surprise for a Cdrama isn’t it?

It certainly was, I had to rewind to check that I had heard correctly

Also, in ^Love O2O, can I just check that they were alluding to a same sex relationship between the two programmers- K.O and 2nd brother?

Also, in Love O2O, can I just check that they were alluding to a same sex relationship between the two programmers- K.O and 2nd brother?^

I think so although it is not made obvious

fifi it's very much alluded to. The AO3 fanfic is filthy 😳😱 I suppose you could also take it as 2nd bro being bi. This thread has saved my sanity during Teams meetings lol 😆 My great plan for the day is to start Zombie Detective. This article says I must ogle oppas to improve my brain function. Sound like a legit study, so I'm going to make sure I improve my brain power 😆 🤣

www.koreaboo.com/news/kbs-reports-looking-handsome-men-improves-brain-function-memory-in-women/

😂 There's lots of shirt off scenes in Ep 4 of Zombie Detective to help improve your brain power Monkey if you don't mind a well muscled chest covered in zombie make up.

So good of you folk to consider how to improve my brain function 😉😂😂

Everything this post says it all!! 😂👍😍

If the link works!...😩👌
kdramaxoxo.tumblr.com/post/630811231057494016/SINCE-WHEN-HAVE-YOU-BEEN-WATCHING-KDRAMAS-HOW-DID

[quote Dontwanttobeyourmonkeywench]fifi it's very much alluded to. The AO3 fanfic is filthy 😳😱 I suppose you could also take it as 2nd bro being bi. This thread has saved my sanity during Teams meetings lol 😆 My great plan for the day is to start Zombie Detective. This article says I must ogle oppas to improve my brain function. Sound like a legit study, so I'm going to make sure I improve my brain power 😆 🤣

www.koreaboo.com/news/kbs-reports-looking-handsome-men-improves-brain-function-memory-in-women/[/quote]
That's hilarious!!... I spy KIM TAEHYUNG!! 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂
Love the inclusion of a man in a white coat!... It MUST be true! 😂🙄

Brahms is soooo mopey. Putting aside horrible 2FL, not really sure what they see in wet 1FL either. Really hoping that she finds her inner voice or something at the end of this.

Very much liking Record of Youth though...chemistry

Great links Bea I think my link to kdrama was this thread! I was searching on Mumsnet for Netflix recommendations and I presume one of you suggested Strong Woman Bong Soon and I watched that and then Mr Sunshine and was then hooked. And lurked on here for recs for a while before I posted.

Watching season 2 Kingdom! 😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱👍👍👍👍👍👍

thegirl... Yes! Sgbs and Healer and sec Kim will always be thought of fondly as the first ones that gripped me!

I've slowly got into Romance is a bonus book and up to ep 7, it's quite slow paced and I'm not sure I can continue unless a few surprises reveal themselves via extended characters etc. Both ML are handsome but I have to say 2ML has one of my favourite type of smile when his whole face and eyes light up and you have to smile with him 😍 After this will dive back into Find Yourself as I cannot watch more than one at a time (yet🤣)