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…

I'm glad someone but the bullet re MGL. I'll wait for the verdict 😁 RL is seriiu6sly cramping my style, so much so that I indulged in a covert Duolingo session during training lol I've been too tired with elearning and actually having to be dressed and interacting with people

I’m on ep 3. The twins’ mum is shady, the heiress’ mama a biyatch. Tough call for FL really, as they’re both unlikeable. As is sex offender ML. 52 hours, you say? Tricky.

I’m a bit fed up of the Mums being portrayed as monsters or shrews and the Dads as saintly and loving.

I’m a bit fed up of the Mums being portrayed as monsters or shrews and the Dads as saintly and loving.

I've definitely noticed this pattern and wonder if this is more to do with K censorship rules ie if the Dads got up to half the tricks the Mums do it would be classed as abuse. Saying that, the biggest bully in MGL is the Grandfather/Chairman. Whose face is somewhat out of proportion.

On ep 36 now and after ep 30 it's slowed down considerably. Not sure how they can pad out 16 more hours but I'm committed !

Aesops - if there are slow episodes in the soggy middle, please make a note of the chunk we can safely skip.

Boatyard skipping!!😱😱🤣🤣

It started dipping after 30, I'm on 36 and getting fed up of a particular storyline that is dragging on,and on, and on ...

Will let you know if and when it perks up.
I'm FF'ing a lot.

I’ve just fired up Was It Love and had to pause to comment on Son Ho Jun and the teacher at the glitzy party. I don't know if its the camera angle, but its like watching the Two Ronnies, with SHJ in miniaturised Ronnie Corbett mode. The teacher is so tall and broad!

boaty he is indeed tall & broad but not my favourite 😉
In order of preference (why am I even thinking about this????)
Gangster
Writer
Teacher
Actor

Mine is:

Gangster
Writer
Actor
Teacher

My bidding on the Daddy likelihood bet:
Writer
Actor
Teacher
Someone else altogether

And I searched on the gangster’s previous works. I need some capture-recapture viewing to ascertain whether it’s the role or the man.

^My bidding on the Daddy likelihood bet:
Writer
Actor
Teacher
Someone else altogether^

Agree with this 100% I think there is an outside chance something happened to her in that video gangster was watching

Has anyone seen Mama Fairy & The Woodcutter? I checked the spreadsheet and it is not listed. It has both Yoon Hyun Min and Seo Ji Hoon (ML & 2ML) from All The Guys as leads. Seo Ji Hoon is greatly improved by his haircut and smart suit in All The Guys.

Woah! Just about 3 min 20 sec into Mama Fairy (Viki), Yoon Hyun Min gets home and hangs his suit jacket in to something that looks like an empty fridge in his kitchen with a blue light. I’m wondering if it zaps any odours with UV or is a drying closet. What is this space age contraption? And do I need one in my life? Has anyone seen anything like it before?

I started Mama Fairy when it aired but couldn’t get on with it. Recently went back & watched the last episode & didn’t regret not watching it all. I’ll be interested to see what you make of it.
Completely forgot to add it to spreadsheet.

Ep 8 of MGL and desperately hoping FL gets her feistiness back soon

I fell asleep so missed about 10-15 min towards the end of ep 1 but it was OK. Some really cheap CGI and a bit hokey, but fun hokey.

Loving the typo on the cat’s orange jumpsuit in Mama Fairy: Brave Spave Explorer. Mind you, I think any attempt of mine at Hangul would be littered with similar errors...

I confess I am already ffwd-ing MGL (ep 12) - the poor family parents are so maungy and the mum unlikeable.
However was wondering where I'd seen the good-looking chauffeur before and lo! - he is the 2ML from RIABB

I've been skipping lots from MGL 37-44.
it started so well for me but it's so slow now. Sigh. They needed to keep this show shorter and pick a better looking ML, I really do find him deeply unattractive 😕

The ML is not at all attractive even without the dodgy sex allegations.

@bettys

The ML is not at all attractive even without the dodgy sex allegations.

Completely agree.

I am enjoying Mama Fairy because the two chaps are easy on the eye. Poor Yoon Hyun Min seems typecast again as a prissy, buttoned-up type - OCD/germphobe this time. It would be great to see him play a stoner hippy for a change, but I doubt it’ll happen. I’m trying to work out if kdrama casting is worse for typecasting than Hollywood, or about the same. Sung Hoon seems unlucky with the projects he’s offered - he has great comic timing and should be offered more funny roles.

Finally finished MGL after skipping lots I watched the last two episodes
Not enough story to fill 52 episodes which means that all the plot and characters filled out in first half then just turned into a misery fest for 16 episodes. I will give it 8/10 for the first half then 6/10 for second half which was overly maudlin.

I need to find another!

Aesops I’m on ep 16 should I just skip to the last two episodes?

I would Bettys only to tie up any lose ends. Even the ending is a letdown TBH
I so enjoyed the start?😢

Loose ends Not lose ends