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…

Oh, now I just want to skip to that part .
I'm halfway through The Romance of the Tiger and the Rose and finding it very entertaining, so far I've laughed at something in each episode.
I'm still watching More Than Friends but finding it very tedious. I think the writers are trying too hard to have this profound dialogue going on w and it's not and all just boring and repetitive.

Whoop whoop, night shifts done! So I've got an afternoon on the couch 😁🙌. I'm going to watch Search then Start Up
Is anyone else watching Start Up? The mistaken/pretend identity love story is a bit annoying. They could have told FL way earlier, she obviously going to be pissed off. I like the rest of it though. Good side characters and sibling rivalry.

Not started it thegirl but you now have my interest piqued re the love story, I may now start watching.

Ooh just finished Search ooh... Did slightly remind me of spectating at a laser quest party at times and laughed when baddy shouted "Does this make any sense?" ... Still, lots of fun and glad the something nasty in the DMZ is resolved and kick ass mum played her part.

Search was only 10 episodes long!!!! I didn't realise till the last episode started. I wonder if its because of coronavirus affecting filming? Zombie Detective was short too.
They still managed to wrap up the story lines and it was a very tense final showdown. I won't say who survived from our predictions 🤫.

Ooh Polkettle you watched it too! Yay for the kick ass mum! It was hard to tell who was shooting who a lot of the time 😂

@TheGirlWithTheArabStrap It really was! I mean they spent all that time putting lights in but I really think the army had bought a dud set of low voltage from Korean equivalent of B&Q because it made naff all difference 😂

Search is only 10 eps!!?? 😳😳😳😱😱😱

I need a drama which dh will watch with me! Flower finished! Search... About to finish! 😳🤔🤔🤔... Now what??!

I’m watching the last 2 eps of Search and am so worried about the characters I like & detest the baddie so much I have had to take a break and a top-up of wine.

Agree they got the lights from some knockoff market stall or the cheap as chips will only last 5 mins section of B&Q

Isn’t having a whopping great scorpion tattoo or whatever it is a bit of a giveaway??

Agree bettys my heart was really hammering during the end of ep 9 and first half of ep 10!!! 😰

I am a bad Addict at the moment. I’m watching a very enjoyable Norwegian series on the ‘Flix (Home for Christmas). The singleton 30 yo FL lies to her family that she has a boyfriend at Advent dinner (1 Dec) and they insist she brings him for Christmas dinner (24 Dec). It’s basically loads of hilarious dating escapades against a deadline, but loads of rude bits because it’s Scandi not Korean. Her louche housemate is hilarious. Not one to watch with your teens, unless you want to kill them with embarrassment.

Actually 10 eps was about the right length, they couldn't stretch the story much further. Very enjoyable although I did think at the end "oh hang on.. but it doesn't reeeeally matter, the baddies got their just desserts and there were some nice touches with Yeon Woo Jin

Hmmm I just watched the first episode boaty and it's not bad at all - I am already invested in either the bartender or the doctor being there on Christmas Eve

@bettys

Hmmm I just watched the first episode boaty and it's not bad at all - I am already invested in either the bartender or the doctor being there on Christmas Eve

Yes, its one of those two IMO too.

Ooh I loved Home for Christmas. Is there a second series yet? 😁 about the Scorpion tattoo and agree about something missing from ending but 🤷‍♀️

Just signed up for this!
kccuk.org.uk/en/programmes/korean-food/traditional-korean-wine-class/

Gosh polkettle that link has made me hungry and thirsty! Looks good.

Ré Home for Christmas 6 episodes were not enough....I want to know who turned up at the door!

Do you make the Makgeolli yourself while the class happens Polkettle? I might sign up too!

@bettys

Gosh polkettle that link has made me hungry and thirsty! Looks good.

Ré Home for Christmas 6 episodes were not enough....I want to know who turned up at the door!

Oh no! Are you telling me there is no resolution? 😧

boaty there is resolution for some.....but it is open and it looks like the 2nd series is available 18th December👍

Thanks for the link polkettle, so much going on there. I will keep this for future reference.

Just got a confirmation email and it says they'll send through an ingredients list for makgeolli on the 20th so that's an unexpected lockdown project 😉