MsLattés Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #21): With our ranks swelling due to pandemic ennui, the Ajummas of Darkness are building an ARMY 😉 of Addicts.

[boatyardblues]

A quiet corner of MN for serious addicts of Kdrama, or the K-curious. 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 Queen (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)*
Run On (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)
True Beauty (Viki)
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)/Hot Stove League (Netflix)

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)
Peninsula - film, Train to Busan sequel (Amazon Prime, iMovies)

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)
My Little Happiness (Viki, Chinese)
Put Your Head on My Shoulder (Netflix, Chinese)
Some Day or One Day (Viki, Taiwanese)
The Romance of Tiger & Rose (Viki, Chinese)
Tientsin Mystic (Netflix, Chinese)

Thread Regulars’ Top Scoring Dramas of 2020 (updated for thread #21)
Courtesy of Hello’s kdrama spreadsheet, updated by/for thread regulars. Marks out of 10.

1 - Mr Queen - 9.4 (5 votes)
2 - Parasite - 9.05 (10 Votes)
3 - It's Okay To Not Be Okay - 8.88 (9 Votes)
4 - The Uncanny Counter - 8.50 (4 Votes)
5 - Once Again - 8.42 (6 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 explained or 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…

😎

@Rowdythree I'd agree the ending of love with flaws did seem rushed compared to the rest of the series - there were some very funny bits fit it felt like they were expecting more episodes some how and then had to cram into everything in!
Currently watching my way through once again still and clean with a passion for now which apart from the name putting me off seems very easy watching!

@Hydrogensonata I'd agree, if they'd had another 5 or 10 episodes to finish off the stories better I would have been happy! Like you say, it's as if their budget was suddenly cut and they had to squeeze everything into one episode. Some bits were funny and heartwarming. I want the second Oppa to get his own series!

I'm about to start How to be 30 on Vicki, anyone else? Only one episode available so far

Bea - the FL has just found a BTS poster and listened to Spring Day in ep 4 of Sisyphus so watch that 😂

@TheGirlWithTheArabStrap

Bea - the FL has just found a BTS poster and listened to Spring Day in ep 4 of Sisyphus so watch that 😂

I saw that in a trailer!... It's tooo sad! Of all the songs to listen to when the world has gone to pot!! 😭🌍😭🌍😭😭😭😭😭💜💜💜💜💜😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Sisyphus is my new favourite thing. I like the bickering between ML & FL and the humour. I also like the nerd-McGuyver aspect to the ML. It is top notch timey-wimey fun.

My absolute favourite bit of today's Sisyphus (ep 4) is Cho Seung woo the genius inventor of the quantum whatnot timey wimey machine jigging backwards & forwards in the car to try & make it go faster

I had to rewind it to watch it again it made me chuckle so much

He is fab and the sparkiness between him & Park Shin Hye is great

I know! He's an absolute revelation in this. He’s so convincing as the taciturn, intense prosecutor in Stranger, I had no idea he had the capacity to charm. He’s highly watchable and very attractive in playboy mode.

@JinBhoot The 99ers camping show looks a treat 🥰

@polkettle where is it? Which platform?

@JinBhoot It's going to be on YouTube next week I think. Just a teaser for now

[quote polkettle]@JinBhoot It's going to be on YouTube next week I think. Just a teaser for now[/quote]
I can’t wait for end of the day I am on video calls back to back. Please post a link here for a sneak peak

Here's your fave sweeties @JinBhoot

Chinese/Taiwanese drama mystery number 283: Why does nobody ever drink white wine?

Oh ! polkettle ! (In my head that sounded like Nessa from Gavin & Stacey)

I have noticed this too ! It's always red wine - why? Obvs rosé would be pushing it

@polkettle

Chinese/Taiwanese drama mystery number 283: Why does nobody ever drink white wine?

A mystery for the food and drink category along side: "why do people order coffees and cake, but never finish them?"

#ChinaSaysNOtoCapitalistScumDrinkPinoGrigio

So right about the cake. I'm always going "But...!" plaintively as they get up from a cafe table.
Started Sisyphus with DH. Top larks.

[quote polkettle]Here's your fave sweeties @JinBhoot [/quote]
Thank you 😊
This has cheered me up after a long day.

[quote polkettle]Here's your fave sweeties @JinBhoot [/quote]
Oh my god amazing!!! 😍😍😍

I've just started Run On and it's not what I thought it was going to be all. I'm finding the violence against the runner distressing. I'm on episode 4 so will watch this and then decide if I will continue. I don't know why I thought this was going to be calming, relaxing, almost boring show. Instead, I'm raging against the perpetrators. Nothing like a Kdrama to get my blood boiling .

Ghe team violence is a springboard to launch ML down a different path. You are nearly out the other side of it Fifi. I’d keep going. I know we were divided on Run On, but I really liked it. 🤷‍♀️

Good enough for me boaty will keep going. There is a lot I'm liking the ML relationship has a Into The Ring vibe, and the secondary characters are interesting. What divided people so much?

Finally finished And The Winner Is Love which was rather repetitive and chock full of noble idiocy.

Have now started Ashes of Love in search of beautiful bedding. Thanks fifi for explaining wuxia & xianxia - watching the two back to back has made it clear which is which. There are 3 of the same actors in this but the style is very different.

I sort of liked Run On but found the conversations between characters confusing as if I had missed a key point somewhere and by the end of the show didn't care very much about the main couple (although Im Siwan rather delightful) , but there were some quirky aspects to it that were fun.

Run On is worth watching for the birthday surprise scene, which was brilliantly choreographed and made me laugh.