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…

@bettys 🤣 Which of us is cast as 2FL ? That is the question. It's alright. I'll be too busy dancing in the table with Jo Jong-Suk and you can hop on HB's motorbike and make a getaway.

@boatyardblues There night be a certain amount of leg drag it's true. But you know - 💪 fighting. And maybe it will start to snow and we can just sit for a while on a park bench and watch it together while he sobers up. And then he can give me his coat and... sigh

It's so hard to pick 3. I basically change my mind every drama 😂. But Seo Kang Joon is my no. 1 I think, based on his beautiful, beautiful face and racehorse legs.

@polkettle there are no 2FLs on our night out...it’s more like WWW: Search or Melo where there are lots of v strong FLs

@bettys Phew. Actually in all honesty I reckon we'd have a better night out with the Gangnam Leopards. I'd love to have dinner with Korea's hardest working actress Kim Sun-Young. She'd be a hoot. How many Subway sandwiches has that poor woman had to bite into with enthusiasm over the years .

Ah now the Girls’ Night Out is an entirely different entity! Definitely Gangnam Leopards, Kim Sun Young, the giggly ghost from Oh my Ghost, Gong Hyo Jin ... loads of soju to be drunk followed by ‘you’re my besht beshtest friend ever’.....

🥰 Perfect line up.

Kim Mi Kyung has to come on the girls’ night out. I’d put good money on her being fun company and I bet she can hold her soju.

Park Seo Jun, Lee Dong Wook, Hyun Bin.

I'm a classicist. ;)

For girls night I second Kim Mi-Kyung for sure, next to her would be Lee Jung -Eun, that Oppa looks like FUN 🤩

Aesops how was your shopping trip to New Malden?

It was quite scary Betty's!
Very busy indeed with little social distancing. Saying that DD and I planned it with military precision as the queue for the check out went right around the store. She stayed in queue with a basket of various Ramen (light weight) and I dashed around filling up a trolley with:
Korean veggies and fruit (including Perilla leaves which are amazing!)
Ton of rice
Frozen Kimchi Dumplings 🥰
More frozen dumplings, plus more!
Soju and Makgeolli (all consumed already)
Rice cakes
Oh, and much more!

Not as big as I thought it would be and almost identical to the one we visit in Toronto when there. Would go again but aim for mid week

They do an online delivery too but not for frozen goods which was what I really wanted

These two were the overall favourite from the 'Aesop's Family Dumpling Taste Test' - bought about 10 different ones

Ooooh perilla leaves how did you use them?

I always go to the one the A3 which is quite big but they don't stock Bibigo kimchi which I really like. I'm going to look for those dumplings next time I go

Back to CLOY for a sec:

Why don’t SeRi and Captain Ri ever go to bed together? This is the first KDrama that I’ve watched, are they always sex free?

Perilla leaves used for lots:
Lining lettuce wraps for BBQ/Gimbap and using in stir fries. Taste quite fresh with hint of aniseed/mint

Right Aesops I’ll get some on my next trip. I really want to grow some but haven’t been able to find seeds

@Adante57 yes they are very often sex free 😱. Often no one looks like they are enjoying kissing either. There are occasionally ones where it's implied they've shagged but it's quite rare.
It's totally different in Korean films though. Check out The Handmaiden as an example 😆 🐙 vvnsfw

these are the ones that i get from my local Seoul Food...I fry them (from frozen!) or I "pot sticker them"... fry carefully until the bottom get crispy and then throw in a little cold water and put a lid on so they steam ....they're delicious!!!!

FFS DDSSLLS is so frustrating!!! Only halfway through ep 15 but it is bloody annoying

@bettys if its annoying should i bother???

I'm not watching anything real time at the moment... rewatch CLOY - which is just magnificent!
and dippin in and out of Nine Tailed...

what should i be watching?

A dumpling taste test is noble and necessary work @AesopsMables I salute you.
@Andante57 While the sex is never remotely graphic due to strict censors (often happens mysteriously under two duvets and three pairs of pyjamas) and it's always much more about simmering romance as in CLOY, ones where they do get it on and you feel they're having fun include Her Private Life, Don't Dare to Dream, It's Okay to Not Be Okay and What's Wrong with Secretary Kim. Watching all of those I've needed a little fan down at moments... But sometimes I also need a fan down after a particularly good hand hold 😂

Oh and the brilliant Because This Is My First Life. That has happy casual sex outside marriage! Absolutely shocking behaviour 😉

@bettys if its annoying should i bother???

Bea it's been absolutely lovely up until now and then at eps 14 &15 they threw in a huge curveball and now with one episode to go and judging by tomorrow's preview I really don't know what's going to happen! So watch this space and I'll let you know tomorrow if it's bee-friendly or not!

Right, better go walk the dog (in the dark) and then watch something silly later to cheer myself up. Waikiki should do the trick it had me in stitches last night.