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…

Thanks everyone for the tips. @Bea, I love how enthusiastic you are, although it is a tiny but like you're speaking a different language. 🙈 I think maybe I need a beginner's guide to bts. I totally see the attraction though, as they do seem v sweet and talented.

I've followed a couple of links on the previous thread, so saw them on agt and also the v moving video where it starts with someone on the train tracks in the snow, then there's a train/cafe. It's beautiful - though making me with I could speak Korean! I'll have a look at the other suggestions next. 😁

@leeloo1... Spring Day mv... The most gorgeous and well loved bts song! There's soooo much to say about that song! 😭😭😭... I recommend to get the gist of that... It's my fave! I could listen to it forever! (I do! 😂😂])

Short intro? this one quite good!

Enjoy! 💜👍😂

boatyatd... Find yourself... Only ep18... Soooo looooong way to go yet! 😂😂😂

ginger... They have said both concerts will have slightly different set lists!!... They've spent 8x more on it than BangBangCon (last online concert) ...!! And there's 4 huge stages!!! 😱😱😱🤯🤯🤯🤯

I'm currently working with an ARMY. Everyone avoids us at breaks 🤣🤣 I'm totally hooked on T.O.P's speaking voice so have gone down a Big Bang rabbit hole, along with a slightly unhealthy (according to DS🤔) obsession with Jackson Wang (GOT7). Quite enjoying the visuals SuperM as well. Our breaks are epic 🤣🤣

monkey!... 🤭🤭🤭... I'd be a nightmare if I had an ARMY in my real life day to day! 😂😂😂... Jackson Wang is good!! I was intrigued with his past life as a world class fencer! 😂😂😂... I'd love to be on your breaks! 😂😂😂🤭🤭🤭

We take the opportunity to practise korean badly while discussing outr mutal love of Yoongi 😍 I really like working with her because the shift just flies in lol

Ahhh! Min Yoongi! 😍😍😍🤭🤭🤭

Oh I want to be on your breaks too monkeywench ! What larks! I recently disappeared down a Baekhyun rabbit hole, I just love his voice. He is second most played on my Spotify playlists.

Min Yoongi is my bias wrecker!!😍💜🤷🏻‍♀️

Thank you Bea we are looking forward to it.

Monkey wrench those breaks sound such fun!

Betty - I see Puff Guo is back on Viki in Falling into You.

The Nine Tailed Fox is good. Annoying that it’s only just started airing & there’s a wait on new episodes.

Finished Find Yourself. Found myself FFing the scenes between Fanxing and Yuan Song when the maudlin music started as they did drag on a bit. Overall though I enjoyed it and as others have commented it's similar to K Drama.
Have my goddaughter over tonight for sleepover and she has asked if we can start a drama together 🥰 Any recommendations appreciated (she is 14)

What kind of 14 year old is she? Sheltered or savvy and already dipping her toes into more grown up stuff? I like Goblin and think that could resonate with a teen, but I know others here think the age difference between Goblin and the girl is ewwwww.

Nokdu?

aesops... Legend of the blue sea?... I would have said Strong Girl as its sooo sweet and funny and bonkers... But the serial killer storyline might be a little too much?... Like boatyardsays?... What sort of 14 year old is she?
Rookie Historian?... She Was Pretty?

Aesops......again depends on her style but:

Extraordinary You
Black
Descendants of the Sun
My Love From The Star
Gogh The Starry Night
Put You Head On My Shoulder (Chinese though so maybe not best for indoctrination purposes)

boatyard I saw the Puff Guo drama but it is such torture waiting for ONE episode a week I am going to wait until it all drops.

Currently flipping through My Unicorn Girl as it was recommended on Soompi or somewhere which is very sweet unforgettable fluff. Find Yourself has raised the bar now for Chinese dramas.

Actually Black is probably too dark for a 14 yr old.....(although I would've watched it at that age) so maybe While You Were Sleeping ?
Some dark themes but also sweet stuff

Thanks all. She has never had a boyfriend and prefers playing hockey to dating currently. However she is Sassy and has a huge crush on Dylan Wang.

I've never watched Strong Girl or Goblin
Both highly rated

Aesops I guess if she has a crush on Dylan Wang then she's seen Meteor Garden ? The 2ML in that, Darren Chen, is playing the ML in My Unicorn Girl . It's tootling along in a Put Your Head On My Shoulder style quite nicely. Have also just added Go Ahead to my list as it has the ML from Find Yourself

My Unicorn Girl features white a lot of ice hockey & figure skating as they are sports students.
You could also try Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo as that also features sport

I saw this on Soompi earlier.

So true boatyard