MsLattés Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #20): With Hyun Bin off the market, the ajummas off darkness begin researching his ‘oppa fabulous’ replacement in earnest

[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/Netflix)
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)
Misaeng (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)
Kiss Goblin (Viki, webdrama)
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)*
King: The Eternal Monarch (Netflix)
Kingdom (Netflix)*

Mystic Pop-up Bar (Netflix)
The Guest (Netflix)
Train to Busan - film (Amazon Prime)

W: Two Worlds (Viki & Netflix)*
Zombie Detective (Viki)


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)
Lost Romance (Viki - Taiwanese)
Love O2O (Viki - Chinese)
Morning Call (Netflix - Japanese)
Put Your Head on My Shoulder (Netflix - Chinese)
Some Day or On Day (Viki, Taiwanese)
The Romance of Tiger & Rose (Viki, Chinese)
Tientsin Mystic (Netflix, Chinese)

Thread Regulars’ Top Scoring Dramas of 2020
(courtesy of Hello’s kdrama spreadsheet, updated by/for thread regulars. Marks out of 10.)

1 - Parasite - 9.05 (10 Votes)
2 - It's Okay To Not Be Okay - 8.88 (9 Votes)
3 - The Uncanny Counter - 8.50 (4 Votes)
4 - Once Again - 8.40 (5 Votes)
5 - Hospital Playlist - 8.21 (7 Votes)

2019’s top scoring dramas:

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
🥾🍑 (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…

Ooh so fresh and shiny! Thanks Boaty. By the way did anyone see Son Ye-Jin's birthday haul post on Insta. So much cake and she can't possibly eat a bite of them poor teeny tiny love. What do you think happens to them? Some of them are works of art.

Boatyard thanks for the new thread.

Thank you for the new thread Boaty! what delights will we find in this thread!?

Thanks boaty !! Does the title mean we need to create an oppas-we’d-invite-to-the-pub sheet? With The Ahjummas of Darkness providing live music 😂

Thanks for the new thread @boatyardblues!

I spotted the typo in the title. 🤦‍♀️

Thanks boaty lovely new thread!!
Work has been crazy this week 😱. But after my night shift tonight I'm off for the weekend. Whoop!!

Thanks for the new thread @boatyardblues caught up with true beauty - just need the next episode subtitling quick!
Loved Su-Jins reaction to seeing her without makeup- I really hope they keep the friendship going strong

I really hope they keep the friendship going strong

I don't think that's what Su Jin intends

I don't think so either I just watched tonight's episode. It's really funny with a lot of drama!

We’ve just finished Whats Wrong with Secretary Kim. It’s so adorable.
I loved all the office scenes, especially Ms Bong and Mr Yang.
The only thing I don’t like in the K dramas that we’ve watched are the scenes of people getting drunk. They go on too long and I’m an emetophobe and am worried there will be vomiting scenes as there so often are in American or European films. However fortunately this hasn’t happened so far in Korean ones.

@Andante57 you don't normally see it happening, it's usually the ML patting FL's back or looking down at his suit/fine knitwear that she's just thrown up on during the piggyback and yet still inexplicably falling for her in spite of her dire drinking habits

I have just finished Choosing Spouse by Lottery which was much lovelier & more feelgood than I expected. Was it one of yours @Dontwanttobeyourmonkeywench ?

Bettys oh no! So there are vomiting scenes in K drama. I thought maybe I was safe.
None in Crash Landing fortunately.

@Rowdythree and @bettys I agree it probably won't ☹️ to be fair there has to be some drama from somewhere! Haven't watched episode 9 as it was only on 80% subtitled - saving it for a Friday night treat!

Run On was lovely again today, though there’s still the odd patch of cryptic subtitling. I wanted to go and sit in the comic book store and have kimchi fried rice brought to me. That was such an odd scene. Great location, but really?

I've done 4 episodes of Once Again and enjoying it but it does feel like a bit of a life sentence knowing there's 96 more to go. Hoping there'll be a fair few mini plots and resolutions along the way.

@boatyardblues

Run On was lovely again today, though there’s still the odd patch of cryptic subtitling. I wanted to go and sit in the comic book store and have kimchi fried rice brought to me. That was such an odd scene. Great location, but really?

Run On is lovely but I worry that the plot is dying in its arse a bit for the FL.

Run On is lovely but I worry that the plot is dying in its arse a bit for the FL.

Yeeeessss.....tbh I'm more interested in lovely Im Siwan and his tousled hair bringing bullied athlete back to form & winning races, than his awkward relationship with FL.
Also more interested in relationship of unlikeable CEO & artist, and the dynamics in Im Siwan's family

@bettys

Run On is lovely but I worry that the plot is dying in its arse a bit for the FL.

Yeeeessss.....tbh I'm more interested in lovely Im Siwan and his tousled hair bringing bullied athlete back to form & winning races, than his awkward relationship with FL.
Also more interested in relationship of unlikeable CEO & artist, and the dynamics in Im Siwan's family

Word.

Also how cute was Siwan when he was a "nerd" in FL's daydream? The curly bap and glasses and pouty mouth 😍

WARNING!
Do not watch Partners for Justice if you are at all sensitive to operations/body parts being sliced open/distressing scenes it is very gruesome.
Kdrama seems to have no problem with showing such scenes yet will always blur out knives (and soft toys/logos )

.......which made the prosecutor throw up - I'm not surprised so maybe one to avoid @Andante57

Thank you for the warning Betty!
There’s a website called Phobias at the Movies which makes note of films which contain vomiting, snakes, blood, needles, spiders etc so one can check before one watched, it I don’t think they’ve got onto to K dramas yet.

She does do it very neatly into a black bag so you don't see anything! It was more the scene where the forensic scientist finds out the woman is pregnant - it's in the first half hour of ep 1 so not a spoiler - that horrified me.
Other than that it seems like it might be quite good, two whole series are up which is rare for a kdrama so quite a binge.

Wowser! Thread #20!!!!... What on earth do we chat about! 😱😁🤭🤭🤭

I'm casually watching Run On at the moment... I can't get to grips with it! I can't make out whether I'm supposed to be rooting for them or not? It's all too subtle for me!
I'm racking up True Beauty (not watched latest two eps yet! 😁😁😁😁
And very very much looking forward to Uncanny Counter this weekend!
Interesting to see the spreadsheet expanding! 😁🤭😁...