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…

ELAINE!!!!!!!!

DDSSLLS 🤣🤣🤣

Omo! Imugi looks to be wearing lifts (or heeled shoes) at the end of the company dinner scene. 😱 Is FL tall?

Just watching Melo and laughing out loud at Han Joo doing her OPPA!!!! thing 😂😂😂

@FedUpWithBriiiiick

Just watching Melo and laughing out loud at Han Joo doing her OPPA!!!! thing 😂😂😂

It is one of the funniest things I have ever seen on television. There’s so much I enjoyed about Melo. I will watch it again over Christmas, I think, but limit myself to one or two episodes a day so I can really savour them.

@boatyardblues I just can't get over how GOOD it is. It really fucking GOOD!!

I truly believe that ep.7 of Melo is the best hour of television I have ever seen (Kingdom permitting).

Episode 9. I'm crying again.

Time for bed FedUp. 😉 (I have been catching up on DoDo. 😄)

@boatyardblues

Time for bed FedUp. 😉 (I have been catching up on DoDo. 😄)

Ha! My DoDo catch up is tomorrow 😁

Night!

@FedUpWithBriiiiick Just wait until you get to episode 13... SO GOOD.

I am galloping through Hospital Playlist. Having watched one episode a while back and found it hard to get to grips with all the characters I went back in (on a must watch more of oppa JJS whim...) and now totally in love with ALL of them. So happy making!

I'm really going to have to give Melo another watch, I maybe wasn't in the right frame of mind when I watched it before.
polkettle I thoroughly enjoyed Hospital Playlist, all the acting was great, the storyline is well written, characters develop so well. I loved their band, a great showcase for JJS Also, they all looked like they were having fun. Hopefully, the next series will be as good.

@fifilacklustre I think Melo is a bit Marmite. It's SO meta and playful with expectations and that never lets up. I recommended to a friend but she found the interruptions to her suspension of disbelief too jarring as a whole although she did really enjoy some of the individual funny scenes. I think it works well to dip into as a "side dish" to a more conventional watch.

Full night K Drama viewing, going to catch up on DOHDOH then try a couple of films for a change as I have only seen Parasite
I've been looking at my completed view list and my top 3 are : Once Again/BTIMFL/Melo.

[quote polkettle]@FedUpWithBriiiiick Just wait until you get to episode 13... SO GOOD.[/quote]
Just watched it 😂😂😂 so funny!!

Is it just me or are the trainers ML gives FL in 9 Tailed really really fugly?

@bettys

Is it just me or are the trainers ML gives FL in 9 Tailed really really fugly?

Not just you Betty. Just hideous. 🤮

She appeared to be wearing a sack as well 🙄

Not kdrama, but I’ve enjoyed Dash & Lily on Netflix this evening. Festive too.

I watched Enola Holmes last night... It was fun and gasp.... In English! 🤯😱🤯😱

Enola Holmes was great fun.

Dash & Lily has gone silly on New Year’s Eve, but its been good up til now.

Finished Melo and got to say it's up there with BTIMFL for me.

I felt it lost a little bit of drive in the last couple of episodes, but the high points during the series are spectacularly funny and clever, and make up for that. I loved the meta-ness of it, but can see how unseasoned KD watchers would find it off putting.

What next? Hmm... I'll go with something serious to counterpoint. Season 2 of Stranger, and continuing Flower of Evil.

(DDSSLLS exception to the rule )

Season 2 of Stranger was excellent, FedUp. (And BTIMFL and Melo are my all time favourites too. 👊)

Very excited as DD agreed to join me on a trip to H Mart in New Maldon today! It's about an hour away. Going to stock up on

lots of frozen goodies that they do not offer on delivery. And Makgeolli, Lots of. 😋

OOOOh Aesops I normally go to Seoul Food near New Maldon (behind the B&Q on the A3) so let me know if HMart is any good - actually you could go to both if you have time......