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…

OK, I liked what Inspector Han’s new director did. I think she’ll be OK. Phew!

@boatyardblues

JiSung - it’s probably worth mentioning that Black was extended by two episodes mid-run and this was a really poor decision by the production team. Be prepared to feel very angry. However, in every discussion we’ve had on here we’ve always come down in favour of it and scored it highly because it is 90%+ fantastic up til that point.

Thanks. To be honest I think quite a few dramas could be cut down by 2 episodes!!😂

I dipped my toe in Not Just Friends. So far so meh. I need to finish ep 1, but it’s not setting my world alight. I haven’t spotted a single likeable character yet except possibly the bellboy from HDL, who is a chef in this.

Are we seeing the impact of COVID, do you think? Smaller, less ambitious dramas so that interruptions to filming don’t stuff up the networks’ finances. Where’s a hot-off-the-press lavish sageuk when you need one?

Interesting question boaty. You can already tell by the lack of crowd scenes & empty restaurants in shot when dramas were filmed. It'll be interesting to see how DoDoLaLa whatever it's called pans out as it's already had filming stopped & air date put back and is finally starting on Netflix this week.

Search has the potential to be big budget - v glad that is going to be on Viki although Jang Dong Yoon will be in full military gear instead of fan-dancing

Episode 8 of Lost Romance and FL goes to work in a maid café -WTAF?😱 I’d never heard of them but apparently they’re a thing, especially in Japan.
Fair do’s though, feisty FL can barely stop herself from terrorising the male customers 😂

Dear God! en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maid_café

Have been squirreled away over the weekend just watching Find Yourself which was delightful fluff. Wasn't keen on the brother's relationship with the student but apart from that, it was a fun watch. Delved into Dating in the Kitchen which is passable so far.
It's been so interesting watching the different cultures and attitudes to dating and marriage with the K-drama and C-drama. In the C-drama's the women are dating and so much younger than in the K-dramas.

Catching up with thread and at the maid café - it says a lot about their attitude towards women.

Yes, definitely crossing the line between cosplay and acting out your fetish in the public sphere. 🤮

Hi all! Was waiting for the new thread to start to pop in. Been a K/C/J-drama fan for about 18 months now. Started with Mr. Sunshine and went (up? down? ) from there.

Currently watching Record of Youth, Stranger and Somewhere Only We Know (C-drama).

Welcome FedUp! I am increasingly of the view there are quite a few of us around. Glad you have delurked - the more the merrier!

Mr Sunshine hooked me in too.

Hello Fedup. I've not ventured into the J-drama territory as of yet but always willing to try. I was looking at Somewhere Only We Know before deciding on Dating in the Kitchen, so it will be good to hear your views.

Hi FedUp !! I think the very first thread was inspired by the need to talk about Mr Sunshine....

Maid Café notwithstanding, Lost Romance Is a lot of fun, I just wish I’d waited a couple of weeks as it is still airing 🤷🏻‍♀️ The ML is the same one from Behind Your SMile , although as time goes on a case of SLS is building up 😂

welcome fedup... enjoy the chat and recs and general chit chat!!!!

I'm in ep 6 of Find Yourself... it's a nice piece of fluff whilst waiting for ALL of Brahms to finish as I don't think i want to sit and wait to see what miserable 2fl is up to whilst she waits to get her face slapped!!!!... so will wait till the end...

also ROY is on my rota.. but happy to watch that as it airs...

did we forget to put Train on the recs list??... i thoroughly enjoyed that one...

^did we forget to put Train on the recs list??... i thoroughly enjoyed that one...€

My bad. I’ll add it to my draft for #19. Assuming its in crime/thriller heading.

boaty... not your bad at all... i forgot to mention too!!!
Thanks xx

Thanks for the warm welcome! Just finished Somewhere Only We Know (supposed to be WFH... 😬). Wouldn't recommend it, first half is good and then it's crap. Put Your Head on My Shoulder is still the best C-drama out there!

Oh Fedup, good to know about Put Your Head on My Shoulder this will be my next binge watch

PYHOMS is awfully... chaste. Otherwise it’s rather fun, though I personally Find Yourself has recalibrated the cdrama bar.

Hi, love the new thread title! Hi Fedup

Maid cafes are very odd aren't they. We recently watched the anime Steins Gate as a family and one of the characters works in one, sure I've come across them before too as lots of anime viewing happens in the family.

I just added a couple to our spreadsheet that didn't seem to be on it for 2020. I thought I saw others had mentioned School Nurse but couldn't spot it so added. Hope that's ok. What a completely bonkers kdrama that was! The first couple of episodes were good in a very off the wall way, but it seemed to go downhill after to me and the ending very meh.

Really enjoying the lavish Hotel De Luna at the moment.

Hello everyone! Yay new people!
I'm supposed to be pre night shift napping but I'm watching Find Yourself and series one of BTS Bon Voyage. I'll regret this at 4am when I'm knackered (or will I? I've got both series download on my phone so just more time for viewing? 🤣😴)

TheGirl when I used to do night shifts I reckoned that feeling relaxed was better than struggling to sleep😉😆
There’s always coffee

Love the new thread title FL just got piggy backed home (after drinking too much beer and soju) in my latest episode Tomorrow With You. It's OK, the premise is good, but a bit slow imo. Did anyone else watch it?
Please would it be possible for me to have access to your spreadsheet? need to start deciding on my next watch.

Don't know if any of you have read Haruki Murakami (extremely weird and not to everyone's taste). His book Norwegian Wood has a maid cafe, that's where I first heard of them.

I read most of Haruki Murakami’s back catalogue a few years ago, but not the one with the maid cafe. Definitely writes weird books, but good weird.

The English language indie film I mentioned upthread involved Keanu carrying Winona at one point, but bride over threshold style which led to lots of bickering about how cumbersome she is. Of course, I was mentally chiding him for not offering a piggyback, which would have worked way better.