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…

Well thanks to Aesops I paused the traumatic ep of It's Ok to scurry off to the seduction scene in MUF and while noting that the VP is the attractive Dr from Dr Romantic really REALLY want to go to that LP bar on our Ms Latte's Daebak Tour to Seoul!!

I'm wondering if the Dad is faking the amnesia 🤔

I should clarify & say that there are many attractive drs in Dr Romantic 2 , he is the one fascinated with bones.

Good twist at the end of ep 3 MUF. Omo!

MUF is a good find boaty!
I guessed the BIL twist at end of ep 4 but not the reveal at the end of ep 3.
It's a binge-er!
Nice to see that ML has a sympathetic role instead of playing loser ex-bfs ( Camellia, Personal Taste ) though 2ML is more attractive and I want his flat.

You have pulled ahead of me on MUF, Betty. I fell asleep during ep 4 last night, though your guess about BIL has made me guess at a twist I’d not considered.

I couldn’t decide whether the mum was being painted as unfairly harsh & unforgiving, but each little reveal and twist flips your sympathies backwards & forwards between her & the Dad.

Oh Boatyard... You have got to get back into It's Ok! It's just beautifully doen and the character development and growth (sorry sounds a bit poncey!!!) of the three Leads are just gorgeous!!!!... It's very very satisfying to watch!!!!st got to the end of Ep 13!!!!

MUF ep 6 !!
Did not expect that 😯 That is to say, if I understand it correctly 🤔
It's a binger for sure ..

I will catch up with It’s Okay, don’t worry - I can see it’s classy. I’m just finding MUF more in tune with my current mood. Real life got in the way last week, plus I seem to have fallen asleep a lot when I’d normally be blasting through shows.

There should be incidental music bingo on this thread. I’m losing count of the number of kdramas I’ve seen where Debussy’s Clair de Lune is on in the background in a smart restaurant or bar. It is as ubiquitous as the white truck of doom and rooftop apartments. (MUF ep 4 this time.)

Oooh good idea! You can add Eric Satie to the list and BTS references (FL sings bits of ‘Fire’) Oh and Moonlight Sonata You could also add cross-references. In My Golden Life they played a couple of tracks from While You Were Sleeping which was out the same year.

Also location bingo . The LP bar ( I Wanna Hear Your Song ) and laundromat ( Hyena ) have been used before

Gah!!.. Why oh why have I done it??
I had loads and loads of its OK to catch up on... So I've been happily slowly working my way through... Never having to wait for the next ep... Just calmly going through it and not feeling the need to watch ALL of it... But now I've just caught up... Ep 14 ... It's ended on a a great cliff hanger... And now I have to wait till Saturday!!!....
ARRGGHHHHHHHH! 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡
As the great Thom Yorke said...
I do it to myself I do... And that's why it really hurts!... 😭😭😭😭😭

I paused halfway through episode 14 - I will wait to get back to it after what you’ve just said!! 🤣🤣

Is this the most ridiculous wine decanter ever? How would you clean it?
MUF ep 9

@bettys

Is this the most ridiculous wine decanter ever? How would you clean it? MUF ep 9

Lots of Fairy and hot water, a thumb over each spout and shake, shake, shake, ideally without dropping it? Surely in monied kdramaland, that’s not your problem - it’s the housekeeper’s?

@bettys

Is this the most ridiculous wine decanter ever? How would you clean it? MUF ep 9

Yep! what Boaty said but also a few grains of rice in there (uncooked) for a bit of abrasion!

Surely in monied kdramaland, that’s not your problem - it’s the housekeeper’s?

Of course, what was I thinking??? 🤦🏻‍♀️

I like Bea’s tip about rice.

@boatyardblues

I like Bea’s tip about rice.

It's a good tip for cleaning out bottles with a bit of gloopiness at the bottom!! 😁👍💪

I've got a sticky bbq sauce bottle on the side to wash out for the recycling. I'm going to try the rice trick because I usually spend twenty minutes swearing at it and then giving up at 70% clean.

Its Okay has to be one of my top dramas of 2020. It didn't grab me straight away but the bit of effort was worth it. It's such a well executed story with great development for all the characters.

MUF is terrific. Everyone’s back from the island and it’s getting interesting. Not sure how I feel about the VP being Thistle, but otherwise it’s all good.

My favourite thing is that so many deep dark secrets have escaped from the family vault and not one of them has the full picture, everyone just knows one or two bits of the puzzle. Except poor ML: everyone tells him their problems. He’s a veritable wailing wall. I almost want him to get blind drunk and splurge everyone’s secrets in one glorious bean-spillage extravaganza. But he won’t, because he’s so decent. Weirdly, I’m finding the actor attractive in this when I’ve hated him in everything else I’ve seen him in. Go figure...

Except poor ML: everyone tells him their problems. He’s a veritable wailing wall. I almost want him to get blind drunk and splurge everyone’s secrets in one glorious bean-spillage extravaganza. But he won’t, because he’s so decent. Weirdly, I’m finding the actor attractive in this when I’ve hated him in everything else I’ve seen him in.

👍 seconded

Yep! what Boaty said but also a few grains of rice in there (uncooked) for a bit of abrasion!

Hmmmm will try this with my cordial bottles that need a good clean before I decant my latest batch of rhubarb gin into them