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…

You’ve just reminded me I still have half of season 2 of Kingdom to finish. I have to watch it from behind a cushion, like Dr Who when I was a nipper, and only then in 10-20 min bursts. 🤣

I'm catching up with Alice but that's a bit mopey at the moment too and I'm losing patience with it and the 'romance' line

I think I need to follow the advice on here earlier & go look at some handsome men to improve my brian function

Wowser! Finished kingdom season 2! 👍😱👍😱👍😱👍😱👍😱😱👍👌😍🥰😁

(Fell asleep on sofa - off to bed now.) i just spotted that we are nearly out of thread, so I need your additions/snips for the OP.

Add:
Find Yourself (Not Korean but decent category)

What else?

Maybe School Nurse Files just to add to the mad as a box of frogs category?
My Unfamiliar Family and Once Again in slice of life?

Also maybe Into the Ring in slice of life?

It’s Ok to not be Ok ?
Darker romance

I just spotted we didn’t have Stranger in the Crime/Thriller so have added.

Betty - Now The Handmaid is on Netflix, should I add it. If so, which category? Also assuming it needs a content warning.

Hmmm Handmaiden is either Thriller or Dark Dark Romance but def needs a High Sexual Content Do Not Watch With Children/Aged Parents/Pets Warning

Don’t forget frogs suggested My Secret Romance for Guilty Pleasures

Thanks for Frogs’ reminder. I will add both.

Flower of Evil

Which category Bramble? Crime/thriller?

Have hit pause on Alice for now as seems to be disappearing up its own timey-wimey arse (will go back to it if someone tells me it's got good again)

However....nearly spat out my toast in surprise as at 1:53 minutes in to Lost Romance (Taiwan Viki) I was faced with a full frame shower scene of abs with a suggestion of manly down there hair

Good grief bettys 😳 😁😁😁

Starting to enjoy RIABB more and more It's like a slower gentler version of BTIMFL
On ep 11.

Have you got to the Girls' Night Out yet Aesops ? One of my favourite parts

Aesops... Ahhh! I loved RIABB... It was just gentle and sensible!... Ex husband of bickering couple popped up in Kingdom! Lots of familiar faces in there... Sgbs comic relief right hand man min hyuk (?)... appears too... As does another surprise... That's all I'm saying... No spoilers from me!!...

Have you got to the Girls' Night Out yet Aesops ? One of my favourite parts

Yes Bettys! It was so much fun!! I imagined us all visiting a club in Seoul on our MN longed for trip, can you imagine the moves we could practice? Particularly you Bea ,** as I have every confidence that you can teach us all the BTS choreography 😂

aesops!... 😱😱😱... Dance moves!? No!!... Shameless shouting and general excitement?... Yes!

New thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/streamed_tv/4040822-MsLatt-s-Daebak-Cybercaf-Kdrama-addicts-18-Our-piggyback-taxi-service-has-been-suspended-whilst-we-are-socially-distancing?watched=1

Went out with dd into town today fur a birthday treat (visit to a Manga store!) and our city centre hmv has the most enormous BTS poster up by the front entrance and my inward glee and barely contained excitement at just seeing it there (I've seen it there before!...) causes dd to roll her eyes and sigh in exasperation and embarresment!.. I shudder to think what my behaviour would be like if I ever managed to get to Seoul... By all accounts... They are everywhere!!.... Pride and joy of Korea!

Bea - Many years ago my housemate went into a local record shop and asked what they planned to do with their Harry Connick life-size Jr poster board when his album promotion ended. They took her details and phoned her to collect him when they were done with him. He graced our living room until she returned to Spain at the end of her exchange year. She gifted him to me. He went out with the rubbish when I moved out.