MsLattés Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #22): As pandemic restrictions ease the Ajummas of Darkness and ARMY recruits are on spring manoeuvres, camping under the cherry blossom

[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)*
Lovestruck in the City (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)
To My Star [BL] (Viki)
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)
You Make Me Dance [BL] (Viki)


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…

Huzzah!! Welcome all! Thanks for the thread title @boatyardblues... 👍❤️💜🙏👌👍As always!

Going to do household chores until subs up for YAMH! 😁😁😁😁

Excellent thread title boaty 😁

And you said you couldn’t think of a title! 🙄😆💜Thanks boaty!

The longer on had daft games and Korean BBQ. I was riffing on the HP camping trip. MN said no. 🤷‍♀️

Thank you Boaty

Love the new thread title!
Planning to catch up with HTB30 later and start on you are my hero as I'm feeling a bit left out from model making disaster scenes/mobility scooter dates and I need to know what's in th secret room

Great new thread title @boatyardblues. Thank you!

I am just sitting in a leisure centre having just had my vaccine! Yey!

Waah still NO ep 20 subs waaaahhh! Come on subbers...it's almost like you've got Sunday plans and families. Give me the commitment of a Chinese SWAT agent/neurosurgeon on call.
Excellent thread title - was just admiring cherry blossom appearing on street.

Hooray FedUp ! Hope it doesn't knock you out but if it does a good excuse to curl up with a screen...

Wow. This would make an amazing Oppa loving Oppa K-Drama BBC News - North Korea’s ‘only openly gay defector’ finds love
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-56323825

Oh that is quite a story!

@polkettle

Hooray FedUp ! Hope it doesn't knock you out but if it does a good excuse to curl up with a screen...

I might just find that happens anyway... 😂

I have sneaked a peak at beginning of ep 21 sans subs to see that my prediction of kiss timeline episode wise was correct Cdrama is nothing if not predictable (part of the fun IMO)

Oh now I've peeked 😁

I’ve seen the mountain diorama with all the cocktail stick flags now. 👌😆

Thanks for the new thread Boaty

Gah! Was posting on last thread! Ooops!

Started Beyond Evil on Boobage Site! (thanks @bettys!)... It's really nice to see Yeo Jin Goo in a role in modern day setting... Real life... Not a crazy drama. .. All his dramas are usually historical.(crowned clown) .. Supernatural (hotel del luna) or bonkers as conkers! (Absolute Boyfriend)... And his styling is very different from previous roles!... It's good to see!! I really rate him as an actor! 👍Looking forward to more gritty ness! Kdramas really go all out in serial killer territory! 😱

YAMH - ML is from rich family, 😁 this can’t get any more cliche. Good looking (I prefer 2ML), kind hearted, popular, not chasing girls, eye for one lady, respected among colleagues, great career AND rich .... I love it 😂
This is the type of crack fluff we all need. I am currently waiting for episode 9 to appear.
It may or may not appear fingers cross

No one does romance drama like China.

Formulaic? Sure.
Subtle (or not so subtle) propaganda for the great state? Aye.

But easy watching*, good acting, moreish, gorgeous MLs, strong FLs. What else could you want?

*You Complete Me exception to the rule. What a drag that one was... I still hear the FL gurning "Gao Shan!" in my sleep. Even the moley nose lad couldn't save it.

Speaking of YAMH... anyone else fancy a KFC? Can't think why...

Also, got to try that cold medicine. Pops up everywhere 😂

I’ve been trying to work out what YAMH stands for. I’m I right in guessing it’s the drama ‘ You are my hero’?
I have a work deadline by the end of the week so I will start watching then. I really don’t have the time to get hooked on another drama, though I feel like I’m missing out!

I have just finished Itaewon Class. Definitely worth a watch but I’m not sure if I’m saying this as I’m so enamoured by PSJ
I felt the drama started off brilliantly but became tiresome towards the end.
I wasn’t really taken with either of the FL and I don’t think there was that much chemistry with PSJ and the FL he ends up with. PSJ was as lovely as ever.
I’ll be interested to hear what others thought of this drama.

I’ve been trying to work out what YAMH stands for. I’m I right in guessing it’s the drama ‘ You are my hero’?

Correct. Please don’t start it if you are against a deadline. It is so hard to stop once you’ve started.

YAMH - You are my hero
I don’t know who started it but it’s has spread like a wild fire.

@Birdy65 I agree with your Itaewon Class assessment.

Oh I've even had to watch ep 22 without subs 🥰 Set up for the day (despite sad lack of KFC breakfast delivery 😁🤢) Not sure how I'm going to cope until Thursday without my daily delivery of 2 episodes of brave cuties but just possible it may increase my work rate...sigh.

@Birdy65... yes Itaewon was great to begin with but got tiresome towards the end and both FL were equally tiresome... i didn't believe his relationship with either of them... loved his story with his dad though and the bad guy was the baddest of the bad... though he normally plays such lovely characters... it was odd to see him being soo horrible... and can we ever get over PSJ's hair?... It's a good job we love him sooo much to put up with it!