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…

If you lived closer I'd pop round with some freshly made!!!!.....😍❤💜💜
Thanks Bea 😘

God.. I love watchiing the youtubes of Korean street food.... once you start watching one you can't stop!!!

I'm loving all the food talk! The Hotteok look delicious Bea, I'd also like the recipe of you have it. We had Ramen last night (not the instant type!) enjoy your samgyeopsal Aesop I can't eat spicy food, which is one thing that concerns me about my Korea trip 😂

I've not had any time to watch K dramas this weekend! Which is very disappointing as I need to find out what happens to Nokdu when he goes to work at the Palace! Managed to get a bit of Korean learning in though.

thegirl enjoy run BTS, my dd and I used to have Run BTS evenings, I love the randomness of it! We haven't watched for a while though...

Rowdy... recipe approx 3 posts back...xx

Thank you! It took me too long to write my post!

😂😂😂👍👍👍

I can't eat spicy food, which is one thing that concerns me about my Korea trip

Rowdy In Korean Odyssey Lee Seung Gi’s character doesn’t like spicy food and he has the creamy option in a tteokkbokki (sp?) restaurant. Looked lush! They also have Papa Johns and Subway everywhere if you need something less spicy.

Search - oh my!

Huzzah! More info on the drama which will be based on the Bangtan Universe... Hopefully it won't be as flipping confusing as the BU... My mind will explode if they include the time travel and alternate tinelines! 😭😱😱🤯🤯🤯... Looks promising!... Please let be good! Please be good! 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💜Youth

Any recommendations for KDrama chat podcasts?

Hi all, can't believe how many posts I've missed over the last few days - loving the food posts.
Welcome to all the new posters.

I'm still getting through C-drama at moment. I gave up on Way Back into Love - got fed up with the storyline and characters, and the acting is not great. Finished Go Ahead - pondering over this as the acting was very good, especially all ML and the FL. I loved the interactions and the relationship between the two dads. The whole family interactions were lovely, but the trauma of the MLs, and the awful mothers was too much for me. I wanted punishment and retribution for one of the mum's .

Now watching First Romance, which is sweet, easy-going with good ML & FL, also like the secondary characters.
Also, Le Coup De Foudre, I'm enjoying this, but don't think it would be everyone's cup of tea! I like that at the start you know the ending for the ML and FL. The timeline jumps around a lot and the adults play the roles of themselves in school which is a bit off-putting, but I just went with the flow . There are funny moments along with heartwarming moments and enough angst to keep it all flowing.
I'm really missing binging a good K-drama, DDSSLLS, and Zombie Detective are keeping going just now.

First 2 episodes of Search are pretty good although it is pretty dark - literally have trouble making out what's going on with all the night-time stuff.As for the special task force that gets formed, I have never seen such a good-looking unit of military men

@bettys

First 2 episodes of Search are pretty good although it is pretty dark - literally have trouble making out what's going on with all the night-time stuff.As for the special task force that gets formed, I have never seen such a good-looking unit of military men

I hear you about the darkness. 🤣 I turned ep 1 off about 8 min before the end as I sensed a gory bit & wanted to go to bed cheery. I haven’t seen the task force bit yet but the sweaty basketball game was very enjoyable. You could bounce coins off ML’s abs of iron. I dread to think how much training and snack restraint it takes to sculpt such beautiful tone.

I also enjoyed the basketball scene 😊. I was waiting for the Viki subs so I've only seen ep one. I presume ep 2 is done now but not checked yet.

I can confirm that Run BTS did cure my depression last night. 18 episodes and I slept like a baby 😂😂😂.

Was just coming here to say the basketball scene was excellent reward for nail biting opener but can see I am not the first...

@TheGirlWithTheArabStrap

I also enjoyed the basketball scene 😊. I was waiting for the Viki subs so I've only seen ep one. I presume ep 2 is done now but not checked yet.

I can confirm that Run BTS did cure my depression last night. 18 episodes and I slept like a baby 😂😂😂.

I love that kdrama is so all-encompassing that it can distract and cheer. It has been a great escape for me the last couple of years. It’s probably no accident I fell into it after a significant bereavement.

TheGirl... 18 eps!!!!! Wowser!
New Season starts tomorrow! very excited... someone mentioned on twitter that BTS has released new music each month this year!!! an dthey released teh Concept Photos for BE today... it's all very exciting... can't believe we're saying goodbye to MOTS era and heading in to BE era... my head is spinning...

Going to start Search as soon as I have an evening free (and the living room to myself!!!)...

Bea you are as bad as my coworker who is all excited after preordering the album

Dontwanttobe... you don't want to see my list of pre order stuff!!!.. . it's a good job it's coming from s Korea as it comes in dribs and drabs... (along with uk stuff!)... so it's like a sloooow trickle of goodies... the only way i can keep up with my ill gotten gains is by looking through my paypal account / weverse account / and the excited hysterical text messages i send my ARMY friend! ....

my excuses are...

it's lockdown i'm not getting out much... it's my birthday... it's summer!... it's lockdown... it'll make a good pressie to myself as it will get here around xmas... it'll be something nice to look forward to in the new year!... It's lockdown... all my plans have been scuppered... i've got an unexpeected windfall... it's lockdown...I can do what i damn well like with my money! I've earned it!!!! ... It's sooooo cute!... Ooooo!!!! Look at the lovely packaging! The attention to detail!.... I've got a MIN YOONGI photocard!... ooops my finger slipped.......

Oh my finger has slipped before now...I am waiting for delivery of an In The Soop mug & apron because my finger slipped (I’m a sucker for a nice mug 😳)

I’m enjoying Search though I’m not sure how they can basically spin out Predator for 16 episodes. Maybe there will be some singing and dancing or a romance later. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Just starting ep 2 and can’t wait to see Betty’s hawt squad.

Well they’ve managed to spin Predator out into 6 or so films, so anything is possible 😂

I just realised I use MDL all the time now, I hardly ever go on IMDb. I just looked up Bae Doona and Stranger is listed as Bimilui Soop & because of BTS’s In The Soop I instantly knew it was Forest (of Secrets) - I’m fluent!!! 😂😂

Bettys !!! Your're fluent I Tell you!!! Fluent!!!!!!!!

🤣🤣🤣