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…

Finished Korean odyssey yesterday and just deciding what to watch now- might try goblin as that's recommend in the top post and popped up on Facebook and looked good

sent ds off to drama GCSE practical today with a clenched fist and "fighting!"

Hydrogensonata I really liked Goblin the only thing that's a tiny bit off putting is the age difference between the FL and ML. But it's an excellent drama.
I'm waiting ep 1 of Start Up, hopefully it will make up for School Nurse weirdness for Nam Joo-hyuk.

sent ds off to drama GCSE practical today with a clenched fist and "fighting!"
😂✊ Good luck to your DS!

Good luck to your ds polkettle!

If anyone likes EDM, my ds's gf has just introduced me to Peggy Gou , a Korean DJ and producer based in Berlin. The tracks are now featuring on several of my playlists

Thanks for ds well wishes. Weird year for him... Random question of the day. Anyone know whether the same corgi plays 'Robin' in While you Were Sleeping and chef's dog in 'Oh My Ghost' ? How big is the Korean Drama pet acting pool? Also wondered if it was the same retriever in RITBB and DDTD...

Only 3 episodes of Record of Youth left but think I'm going to have to wait until they are all aired & then sneak a look at the end as it feels so doomy, and if it's going to be a bittersweet ending I want to be prepared for it.

Just finished Goblin. Bloody loved it 😭

@FedUpWithBriiiiick

Just finished Goblin. Bloody loved it 😭

Well. Except the age difference...

Yeah but... If you’re 600 years old or whatever, there’s always going to be a big gap dating a mortal. When you get to that stage, the differences are marginal to the immortal. (I know, I know. It is a bit off.)

Is anyone else watching More Than Friends? The ML is so bloody annoying, I’ve been cheering FL on when she’s been giving him the cold shoulder, but now she’s wavering over the Namsan Tower invite I want to kick her up the backside. She should run to the CEO and not look back, be cherished and supported for the rest of her days. The ML is a selfish pig who will gradually suck all the joy out of her life. Arghh! Noble idiocy, especially the self-harming kind, makes me so cross.

Im not watching More Than Friends but noble idiocy is so annoying!!!
I've just watched the second ep of Start Up, its been very entertaining so far.

I have zero sympathy with ML in More Than Friends. He’s had 10+ years to realise what a gem FL is and has kept her dangling all that time. Even his back story is not sufficient to justify the self-pitying wallowing IMO. He’s is, as FL’s BFF says, a total jerk.

Haven't had as much watching time recently - RL can be so inconvenient!

My Secret Romance was just what I was in the mood for, it really is a classic guilty pleasure watch. My first suggestion for the OP, I feel like I've really arrived now

I'm most of the way through the King Eternal Monarch now, and am thoroughly enjoying it. the horses and swords scene might have been totally anachronistic, but I certainly appreciated it! Woo Do-hwan is certainly stealing the scenes he's in, the scenes when Korean him is pretending to be Corean him are particularly entertaining me.

think I will have a look at Lost Romance that bettys mentioned next. Sounds fun!

I've watched the last episode of Brahms, and there was more smiling in it than all of the other 15 episodes put together .

fedup, Goblin is in my top 5, I really love it. I think like bettys - what do a few hundred years matter when it comes to true love .

I'm also enjoying Lost Romance and just waiting for the subs to be done fro the last episode.

fifi is it safe to go back into Brahms? Is it a 🐝 friendly ending?

I was so keen to watch the last ep of Lost Romance I viewed it sans subs 🤣

Started nine tailed! It's good! Looking forward to hearing about end of Brahms!... It will determine whether I can be bothered or not!!

@bettys

fifi is it safe to go back into Brahms? Is it a 🐝 friendly ending?

I was so keen to watch the last ep of Lost Romance I viewed it sans subs 🤣

Yes all safe, it was my favourite episode of the whole show . Just looked at subs for Lost Roamce 80% so nearly there - hopefully, it's will be a 🐝 friendly ending too?

Oh that's doorbell bettys, I'm getting a delivery of, reed diffuser, vitamin B supplements, various snacks, and face packs - don't know what's come over me 🤣🤣

Oh that's doorbell bettys, I'm getting a delivery of, reed diffuser, vitamin B supplements, various snacks, and face packs - don't know what's come over me

I want some popcorn chicken, and that dried squid snack FLs friend is always scoffing. It's a good ending, even without subs, and I got a little (good) chill with 2MLs ending

Really looking forward to watching Lost Romance again with subs, and also Do Do Sol Sol and now Brahms. Hmmmm what have I got in the freezer so I don't have to actually cook tonight......

jumpingfrogs WDH is excellent in Monarch the Korean/Corean bits were ace!

I really like Do Do etc but Lee Jae Wook as a high schooler? C’mon people! All kinds of wrong, or perhaps I’m alone in finding him too grown up manly for such nonsense?

I had to look up 12th grade ages, so the previous year he would have been 18/19 ie 19/20 in the present (irl LJW is 22)
Agree though that he seems a lot older in manner so would not have guessed that storyline twist. Guess it’s a noona story after all 🤷🏻‍♀️

irl LJW is 22

No way! I would have said 27 or 28.

I've just looked up information on the school system in SK and whilst I knew some stuff from the dramas I've watched, I'm shocked at how much work the kids have to do. They see four/five hours of sleep a night as a good thing and the only way to get into a university, even more work to get into a SKY university. Really all they seem to do is study.
When do they get the time for all the 'fangirling'

Watched 4 episodes of goblin last night- really enjoying it so far - the
age gap is a tiny bit but love the way the it's shot and it's moving along nicely not too fast and not too slow so far!