MsLattés Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #18): Our piggyback taxi service has been suspended whilst we are socially distancing

[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)*
Stranger - 2 seasons (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)
It’s OK Not To Be OK (Netflix)

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 Handmaid (film, Netflix - content warning: explicit sexual content)
The Package (Viki)



Straighter ‘Slice of Life’ dramas on universal themes
Hospital Playlist (Netflix)
Into The Ring (Viki)
Itaewon Class (Netflix)
Live (Netflix)
My Mister (Viki/Netflix)*
My Unfamiliar Family (Viki)*
Prison Playbook (Netflix)*

Once Again (Viki)
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)
My Secret Romance (Viki)
The Last Empress (Viki/Netflix)
Sassy Go Go (Netflix)



Mad as a box of frogs/uncategorisable

Strong Girl Bong Soon (Netflix)
School Nurse Files (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)
Find Yourself (Netflix - Chinese)
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 love the explanations of idioms & folklore on Viki, I often pause to read them properly for the added context

Same.

Yes Rowdy, some of us are learning Korean, although with varying degrees of effort and success.

I've updated the spreadsheet with my watches and scores! What a way to spend a Saturday morning 😂

Well done FedUp & welcome to our shared timesink.

Fantastic Boatyard I'm so happy I found this thread!

Soo lovely to see new enthusiastic posters! Welcome all!! 👍💪

How could we forget to mention the ‘learn’ mode on Viki? Parallel English and Korean subtitles. 👌

Rowdy I'm on a 183 day streak on Duolingo, trying to learn Korean. I can recognise a few words when watching dramas (but only a very few 😂). The drama watching is just submersive language learning, honest!

Shallow I know, but I’m enjoying Lee Dong Wook in chains in hell - those abs!

Whatcha watching boaty 🧐🧐🧐😁

Those who have watched My Mister.
Does it get any brighter? I'm on ep 10 and the fight scene/grandma going into home on top of all the beatings, it's brutally sad. Intend to watch it but may have to space out as so very dark.

That's a great steak thegirl! I couldn't get on with duolingo... I use an app called lingodeer, I've gone back to the beginning after having a break over the summer. Thankfully I don't seem to have forgotten too much stuff!

I agree about the submersive language learning, that's my excuse for watching them, if anyone asks 🤣🤣

@TheGirlWithTheArabStrap

Whatcha watching boaty 🧐🧐🧐😁

Tale of the Nine Tailed on Viki. Very enjoyable supernatural romp.

Aesops - stick with My Mister. It does get brighter and the payoff is so worth it.

Aesops My Mister is worth the upsetting bits, I felt like it was too much at some points too, buts it's really heartwarming in the end.

I've tried Lingodeer Rowdy but I've paid for Duolingo so feel I need to persevere 😁

Going to check out Tale of the nine tailed now 😊

Good luck thegirl if you fancy some conversation practice, pm me

I'm taking the plunge with Goblin. Held off for ages because I was "saving" it 😁

I loved Goblin. I could watch it all over again.

I’m reading a book which just referred to a tree called Chosenia arbutifolia and I knew it would be a native Korean tree. Just one of the tiny ways kdrama has broadened my horizons.

Aesops My Mister is worth all the upsetting dark bits, the cathartic payoff is awesome, & even though I sobbed for most of one episode near the end it was good sobbing if that makes sense.

boaty Nine Tailed Fox is changing my view of Lee Dong Wook in a very positive sense. It may be the red hair and abs devil-may-care style. I couldn't get on with Goblin at all, I just skipped most of it - except the bits of Gong Yoo in ancient battle mode with long hair swinging a massive sword

I use Drops for learning Korean, it's v quick & easy for vocab

The first ep of Nine Tailed Fox has made several Goblin references 😂. I'm enjoying it, love a bit of mystic/fantasy drama.

I'm not sure I'm ready for an actual conversation Rowdy 😂😂😂, I'm v rubbish

I'm rubbish too thegirl 🤣 I'm determined to improve though!

Did anyone see Memory? I don't think it's on Netflix anymore, but I sobbed watching that. Everything about it was so depressing!

I think I'll make My Mister my next one to watch

My Mister is a brillliant drama. And it's not all doom and gloom. You'll laugh your head off when he gets the Dyson out 😂😂😂

I laughed when ML in My Mister did karaoke in the neighbourhood bar. He’s really big in musical theatre in SK in real life and I thought he’d be amazing. He pulled off being really bad very well. I guess if you are trained and can sing well, you also know what makes for a bad performance.

"boaty Nine Tailed Fox is changing my view of Lee Dong Wook in a very positive sense."
bettys he's also an age appropriate Oppa, and 6'1 ✔️✔️😁

Yes, I like Lee Dong Wook better in this too. That said, there have been a couple of scenes where he looks like he’s had a lot of work done. It makes me think some of these chaps won’t age well - in the same way that some American stars don’t.

TheGirl he has definitely has moved into the two ticks Oppa group now as far as I’m concerned 😆✔️✔️

Started to watch Search at only 40% subbed but was so tense I’m going to have wait until full subs 😩 (or visit Olga) Was thrilled to spot Yeon Woo Jin in a support role but feel he is doomed. Aspect ration is a bit off so don’t know if that’s ‘cos so far all I’ve seen is the 1997 bit & it’s a flashback effect or if it’s been shot in CinemaScope stylie