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…

Had a day of high drama IRL. Fell asleep on the sofa trying to watch ep 4 of Search, only waking in the noisy bits. I will have to try again tomorrow.

www.soompi.com/article/1434058wpp/kim-myung-soo-is-a-handsome-secret-royal-inspector-in-upcoming-historical-drama

Soompi (the font of all knowledge! 😂) Is full of interesting upcoming dramas!... But... Lovely Hair Myung Soo!... In a historical drama?! 👍😁... But what about his lovely lovely hair!?... We'll never get to see it!! 😭

Currently watching...
Search !... Great fun! Love Nokdu ML...
Feisty FL... so Far so good!...👍
Nine Tails.... Lovely good fun so far... 😍
Find Yourself... Still getting through... I really like it... But... 40 eps is just waaaaay tooo long! 😣😩
ROY... Have given up until I find out if 🐝 satisfactory ending... I will await to hear from bettys... 😏
brahms... Given up... FL too miserable and wet... Very annoying FSL... Anyone made it to the end? Is it worth it? 🤯😖

I've also given up on Find Yourself Bea!

Have finished The King Eternal Monarch - liked the ending, thought that was the best of both worlds (ha!) for them.

Am now watching Lost Romance and it's the perfect OTT nonsense I'm in the mood for, so thanks for mentioning that one bettys Somehow I can foresee a (nicely scented) happy ending coming for them I liked The Romance of the Tiger and The Rose too, where a writer went into her screenplay so v similar idea.

Wondering if the ramifications of farting in front of your partner episode of Melo might be the best hour of telly ever written.

Well I watched the last 5 of RoY and I don’t think I’ll bother with filling in the gaps

bettys I've just watched the last episode of ROY watching the last 5 minutes was the best decision!

fifi 😆👍 what a waste of a great cast!

I’m looking forward to Do Do Sol tomorrow and catching up with Zombie Detective

frogs you might want to follow Lost Romance with Before We Get Married if you haven’t already seen it

I’m currently whizzing through First Romance which is amicable enough!

I've just finished Hwarang (again), I really enjoyed it. Definitely best last episode!!
That's rubbish to hear about ROY 🤔

I think I'll pick up Hwarang next. Bit fed up of C-dramas. Just finished Dating in the Kitchen which wasn't bad but same old age difference/stuck up ML & kooky FL tropes, although Rosy Zhao is good as usual.

Need a sageuk to cleanse the palate!

Ohhh just checked my notifications on Netflix and new (old) drama alert! VIP with Jang Na-Ra... any word on this?

Polkettle makes me think I need to watch Melo again so I can binge on it this time instead of being hobbled by broadcast speed and v v slow subs. It had some of the funniest and also most poignant scenes I’ve ever seen in a kdrama.

Fedup new (old) drama alert! VIP with Jang Na-Ra... any word on this?

I started it when it aired (last year?) but for some reason didn't finish the first episode and never went back to it.

I think you were right about that chap in the gloves, Betty. He’s taking that ramyeon recipe to the grave, isn’t he?

😭😭yes I fear so! How are you coping with the zombator aspect of it boaty? Or should it be predombie?

It’s really OK Betty. It’s the DMZ, soldiers, seldom seen monster - all a bit abstract. It’s different when the zombies are gnashing at you on public transport or in your apartment stairwell. I’m not sure why Kingdom’s Joseon zombies were so terrible. I think the dodgy soup and being chomped on your walk home through the woods or going about your domestic chores was more relateable, in spite of the period costume and details..

@boatyardblues Funny you should say that when I'm wishing I hadn't ploughed through it so fast but enjoyed each episode more slowly as it didn't need a storyline gallop 😂. Watching Misaeng over a month has really been rewarding. Such sharp writing in both series. Think Melo made me laugh and cry more than any other so far.

Just settling down to the Blackpink documentary (Netflix) with DS2. We tried some Mamamoo on YouTube but DS wasn’t as keen on them “a bit scary”.

I just discovered there is a second series of Dr Romantic! Yay, so that is now going to be my next one. My Mister will have to wait!

Enjoy rowdy... I think I enjoyed Dr romantic 2 better than 1!.. 🤔😁

Very much enjoying Search... But the time jumping is... 🤔🤔🤔😖😖😖... And there's lots of... "that doesn't make sense? Why would you do that?"... The attack in the lab??... Get out!! Why are you stopping to phone? Why are you calling Yoon? What's he going to do? 🤔🤔🤔🤔😳🙄😂

Bea - I’m having similar issues with Search, especially phoning from the morgue! 🙄

Obvs he wasn't going to get there in time, so maybe it was just to show her knee-jerk reaction is to call him.... (can't blame her )

I also think Dr Romantic 2 is better!

The time jump thing is annoying it put me off RoY too hope it’s not an ongoing trend

Anyone else think “hubba hubba” when the next stage imugi stepped out of his bedroom in ep 7 of Nine Tailed? That’s one fine looking monster!

Oi!!! Find Yourself... SPOILER! You've been warned.......

*

skippitydoodahed the last 10 eps!!!! 41 eps later... where was the extended epilogue???? where??? where???? 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️

Yes a 🐝 friendly ending... but!!!!... when it says 1 and a half years later... we're supposed to get a very good closure....! we get the happy couple... the parents who accept it... but what about her brother? where was the cooing happy cooing baby with prof song and hubby? where was content and happy single mother coping with two kids and holding down a job at the flower shop?
where was ailing but happy dad???

where was luming happily engaged to a fab woman???
where oh where oh where?
where was happy ex colleagues in their newly aquired house?
min mins best friends who are now a happpy couple...????

I'll say it again!!!! where is my extended happy epilogue... ???
that was the rubbishest ending it was like... 😡😠😡😠
"yes! we've made you trawl through 41 (!!!!!) eps to see them happpy together.. oh it's done... The End!!!!... Goodbye!" 😲😲😲😲

I am Not Amused!!!!!!!! 😣😱😡