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…

Youtube has preview clips of YAMH.
I saw few with eng subs but can’t find them now.
ML will get unwell. If we throw in memory loss it will be a cliche full house

Finding scheming to sweetness ratio off balance in SOML and the chemistry lacking, gone into another Sandra Ma drama - Love Me if you Dare Top notch cod Sherlock nonsense so far with Knightrider-style pervy talking car called Andy 👍👍.

@polkettle

Finding scheming to sweetness ratio off balance in SOML and the chemistry lacking, gone into another Sandra Ma drama - Love Me if you Dare Top notch cod Sherlock nonsense so far with Knightrider-style pervy talking car called Andy 👍👍.

When I read posts like this I’m reminded why I find most US and UK telly so pedestrian now. We are only using one octave of the piano whereas the cdrama and kdrama writers have torn up the rule book and are not only using all of the octaves, but also drumming on the legs and lid of their baby grand and strumming the strings.

@boatyardblues 😂😂😂

I rather enjoyed Love Me If YOu Dare (The ending is a bit 🤔 not majorly but put your own interpretation on it kind of thing)
Hadn’t clocked the FL was also Sandra Ma & was just thinking age gap between her & Wallace Huo was big so looked her up & shes 33!!!! How does she do it?

Too right Boaty
Oh 😒 to a 🤔 ending but it's such silly fun at a MERE 24 episodes I can probably take that now forewarned.

"Professor Bo, are you trying to say that this victim has been cut into six pieces at once?" Irresistible.

Grrrr the mum in Love Designer is so annoying!!! Interfering bar!

I have started Its Ok Not To Be Ok ep3
Both main leads are adorable & seems like roles were written specially for them.
Loving FL’s wardrobe & I wish I had that zero Fs given attitude.
Hopefully story will keep me occupied as usually I find irritating/unkind, no regard to others feel type behaviour & attitude very irritating (exactly the kind of behaviour I wish I had 😆)

Oooo! @JinBhoot it's fab! It's sooo lovely and heartwarming in a coat of spiky feisty ness!!

What are YAMH subs taking sooooo long!

DH and I thoroughly enjoying Vincenzo! It's our sitting on the sofa watch it together watch!

YAMH... Possible spoilers....

'
In Surgery...

I'm glad they're not showing Capt Swat getting his growth being pulled out through his nose Egyptian styleeeee! 😳😱

#subsweats

🤣😱🤣😱🤣🎶🎶🎶

take it from the top!.. 5, 6, 7, 8... I'm crash landing on youuuuu!!!! 🎵🎶

I may have slightly welled up when Chae-Rok opened his fridge and saw all of Mr Sim’s lovingly labelled Tupperware (Navillera ep 3). 😭

Re the CLOY musical, will it be a stage production or a film/tv series?
The article in Soompi didn’t make it clear (unless I missed something).

Smiling at the billiards as that's exactly what happens when 80yo F-in-L plays 16yo DS at pool following youth spent in snooker halls.
It's a gorgeous show.

I thought Mr Ki’s reaction when he realised he’d shouted at Mr Sin was absolutely fascinating and very telling about how deeply ingrained respect for elders is in Korean society. He was so contrite.

I love this series so, so much. Chae-Rok and Mr Sin’s relationship is just lovely. This will likely be elbowing something out of my top 5 when it is done and dusted. It has a similar quality to My Mister.

Saving my Navillera episodes up to tomorrow night for double the delight 😊

At a loose end and I realised I never finished Stove League, so I’m taking the opportunity to finish it now.

@boatyardblues

At a loose end and I realised I never finished Stove League, so I’m taking the opportunity to finish it now.

Ah it's a grand show. Worth finishing!

I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed all the strategising, dirty deals and manoeuvering. Nam Mingoong is brilliant in it but I like how the rest of the team have stepped up too.

I’m on ep 15 so not far to go.

I'm up to date with Vincenzo now but I feel like I'm losing interest. I'm not sure I care what happens to anyone?? So many OTT characters.
But I have just watched the first 2 eps of Navillera which looks lovely.

Anyone else cringing at the number of surfaces Shu Wenbo touched with his unwashed raw chicken hands in ep 27 YAMH? He didn’t wash them on arrival either. 🤢 It was like a food hygiene public information film. I guess we need to hang on to ep 28 for everyone to be incapacitated with diarrhoea.