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…

I'm looking forward to Vincenzo on Netflix starting 20th.

Me too fed up.

Oooh

There are soooo many excellent BTS Run episodes... they'rejust soooo funny and joyful...

Taste of Korea ep20
Jungkook and his sweet potatoes!

Bts vs Zombies ep24 (title says it all!)

Variety Show of Memories ep 30 & 31

Bts & Manito ep 33 & 34
(Photo game is 34 I think and just the funniest thing ever!)

Bts Golden Bell 39 & 41...the silence game!

BTS school 63, 64, 65...
ep 65 being the funniest... with forbidden words during a debate about Mint Chocolate

Summer Outing 83 & 85
Water park games ending in a very sweet warm meal around a camp fire and gifts...

Photo Story 118 & 119
with one of the funniest funniest endings ever!

K Ham special 125 - i love the cooking eps but also they have a famous chef on (his show Korean Porkbelly Rhapsody is on Netflix!)and the members are sooo in awe and startruck by him... it's endearingly funny!

Lucky 7 126 & 127 - the games are so ridiculous and just the hula hooping!

Hello 2021 ep 128 - This tuesdays... just playing games and laughing so so much!...It's ridiculoous but just funny...

All can be found on youtube or if you're willing to navigate your way around VLive www.vlive.tv/channel/FE619 it's the most sensible webpage... (which i find perplexing!)
just funny funny funny! in its purest form...

Ended up watching 1% of something inbetween episodes of healer - it was ok easy watching and no suprises but there was a bit too much wrist grabbing and she should've stamped on his foot more

I've got the last 2 eps of Misaeng to watch tonight. I just want to hug all of Sales Team 3 and the newbies and hope that they will be OK 😪

Also I love that Bea can list the best Run episodes including episode numbers 😁

Just having a little quiet sit and gaze into space after finishing My Mister. What an emotionally intelligent drama. Outstanding.

@TheGirlWithTheArabStrap... Google helped! 🤭🤭... It's easier if anyone wants to find them... 😁😆

Hahaha Bea I was impressed with you expert knowledge 😂😂😂

Just having a little quiet sit and gaze into space after finishing My Mister. What an emotionally intelligent drama. Outstanding.

@polkettle Quite. I think it took me a while to settle back into ordinary dramas after watching My Mister

@polkettle

Just having a little quiet sit and gaze into space after finishing My Mister. What an emotionally intelligent drama. Outstanding.

It's very, very special.

Thanks for the numbered list Bea. I’ve saved it on my phone. 👍

My Mister was amazing. It started out so bleak that I almost lost heart, but Betty told me to keep going. It’s an absolute gem, so powerful in its quiet revelations about the human condition. I wish all TV was that well observed and as full of heart.

My Mister is brilliant. Like boaty I nearly stopped watching as the beginning is so harsh.
I've just finished Misaeng too. I was worried that the ending might not be very happy after ep19 and the beginning of 20. But it was good (and a bit bonkers). I'm sad I've finished it 😪

Heeellllp! My Little Happiness is so damned addictive. 🥾🍑

@TheGirlWithTheArabStrap I think the ending of Misaeng wins the prize for the most outrageous and glorious 'Quick! Cram in the PPL!' final episode. Mr Oh in his cowboy hat making Geu-rae roll his eyes in Petra has all my heart.
Thinking about My Mister and how it sets itself up as a thriller. In a UK drama that plot would have been resolved with some high octane action and big twist jinks. I loved that essentially in this case it was resolved through introspection, love and humanity.

@boatyardblues

Heeellllp! My Little Happiness is so damned addictive. 🥾🍑

Hope you've gone to bed . It really is, it's like a huge sugar rush!

I'm over 30 episodes into BLWL... I think it must be a daytime drama like Doctors or something. I'm enjoying though now.

I'm fighting the sudden urge to rewatch Strong Girl Bong Soon it's like an old comfy jumper that I can't throw away... There are so many other things I want to watch though!

Helloooooo
My AL is starting tomorrow & football season is in full swing ... yipeee
I am planning to break all records of binge watching.

In the last week, I have watched
Doctors it was a light story. One question, why ML was in high heels all the time, she isint that short. At times it bothered me so much.
Healer it was also good. In the last episode, why was he recoding Q&A session, was it for broadcast? I was also hoping for a scene where mother hears about her daughter.

I agree, My Mister was an exceptionally well written drama. Really enjoyed the dialogues. I watched it while watching Misaeng

I am currently watching Fight for my way

I have also watched 1/2 episode of Once again & 1st episode of Another Miss Oh both are not clicking yet.

Just realised Princess Hours is now on Viki! Been wanting to watch this for ages. Hope it's not as naff as Boys Over Flowers...

I'm rewatching Romance is A Bonus Book and it is super comfy and cosy... I'm really enjoying it...

Mr Oh in his cowboy hat making Geu-rae roll his eyes in Petra has all my heart absolutely Pol 😍

@Rowdythree I love BongBong MinMin! It always makes me smile and is always worth a revist. I rewatched Suspicious Partners a whole back and so far I think it's the only one where JCW had proper chemistry with his FL.

Currently giving my malware blocker a good workout with Olga watching Gokushufudo and pmsl.

oooh it's got the ML from Kimi Wa Petto in

Have any decent dramas landed in the Weds/Thurs slot? Aside from My Little Happiness and Mr Queen, I’m at a loose end.