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…

I like Oh Master and it’s not just the house.

I like Oh Master and it’s not just the house.

😂😂

It’s now clear why the mum is behaving in a certain way, but am still mystified by the man in white 🤔
LMK looks good in a suit👍 Not so keen on the baggy modern hanbok trousers. Nana looks good in everything 😠

Not so keen on the baggy modern hanbok trousers.

With bicycle clips he could use them to get his shopping home from the market hands free. 😄

Kfilms currently available on UK TV:
The Gangster, the Cop, The Devil - BBC iPlayer
The Witch: The Subversion - Film 4

Coming to Viki:
Beyond Evil
Sell Your Haunted House
Wild Grass - Sandra Ma from YAMH with Johnny Huang from Love Designer - will the romance be speeded up???

Coming to Netflix:
Law School - with Kim Bum who was more interesting than Lee Dong Wook in Tale of the 9 Tailed IMO

Last instalment of Hospital Playlist Camping

Shout in the silence with Yeonseok (Peds) & Kyungho (cardio) was hilarious and I was in stitches.

I wonder when will they announce date of S2.

That section actually made me cry laugh Jin and have rewatched several times. Really loved this spin off interlude - they all come off so well in it and the relationship between them seems genuinely warm and lovely.

@bettys

Kfilms currently available on UK TV: The Gangster, the Cop, The Devil - BBC iPlayer The Witch: The Subversion - Film 4

Coming to Viki:
Beyond Evil
Sell Your Haunted House
Wild Grass - Sandra Ma from YAMH with Johnny Huang from Love Designer - will the romance be speeded up???

Coming to Netflix:
Law School - with Kim Bum who was more interesting than Lee Dong Wook in Tale of the 9 Tailed IMO

I would bloody hope so. With Jonny Huang about, no ankle sock is safe. Be whipped off quicker than you can say "ni hao".

Good lord. Just seen the trailer. Serious Lynch vibes 😳

@FedUpWithBriiiiick yes trailer looks seriously good!
I was reading up about Johnny Huang. He was in one of the first Chinese BL dramas (Addicted on Viki) which got pulled off air 3 eps before the end as was too raunchy. AND the 2 MLs were forbidden from acting together again or even being seen in public together 😯

In fact I read somewhere that MLs are only allowed to be in one BL drama for fear of being typecast 🤔

Seriously good! Pumped Pug might just me a new dream buddy for me 😍

*Plug

Boatyard - I agree about the morning run in DOTS - They are so muscular I wondered if they are actual soldiers as opposed to actors.
We are throughly enjoying it and the romance was for real at the time even though the marriage didn’t last.

I read that several actors were approached to play the army officer but some turned it down apparently because they didn’t like the idea of the military haircut.
That surprised me as I thought actors just jumped in to whatever part they were playing, good, bad or ugly.

@FedUpWithBriiiiick

Seriously good! Pumped Pug might just me a new dream buddy for me 😍

😂 💪🐶 How's SOML going Fedup I gave up around 20 as wasn't buying the ML enough and too many schemers (plus drop.off in silk pyjama count) but you're enjoying? Quite enjoyed today's HTB30 - a bit meatier.

I quite like SOML. ML is very tactile. The scheming continues unabated unfortunately, but the silk pyjama rate has increased. Silver linings!

There was a nice lifting-FL-onto-table-for-snogs-and-more in the most recent episode.

Caught up on Navillera now, and it continues to impress. Determined to get into Oh! Master for aesthetic pleasure if nothing else.

Oh la la! I shall investigate...

Just caught up on YAMH... Those minxes! 😠 Not sure whether Mi Ka is just too cool or just not very experienced with such things. I like to think she's just super confident and cool 👌 I'm glad something has happened though, I was getting bored! 🥔 Needed a bit more mashing imo! I wonder if he's bought the correct Catzilla for 👠

Off to catch up on HTB30, I'm also really enjoying Scripting your destiny even if there are many plot holes!

@FedUpWithBriiiiick that made me laugh out loud- Mi Ka strikes me at sort to wear socks to bed as well - will the captain ever manage to get them off?! (I do like her character though - it was just that mint green number and then her college commenting she looked all dolled up )
I'm have a date tomorrow to catch up on YAMH with an Easter egg
@polkettle yes this episode was better but I do think they're trying to shoehorn too much into 30 minutes episodes- just as you stat to get into one of the friends stories it jumps and leaves you hanging - @Rowdythree how are you finding HTB30?
I've been watching bits of some older full on melodramas in-between work- think twins, secret identities,amnesia, evil chairman, more amnesia, birth secrets, wobbly sets and even more amnesia! Just need to find my next watch to fill in-between YAMH and HTB30

I attempted to watch Full House (Someone mentioned it upthread or previous). I couldn't get through the first five minutes due to ancientness, but I will persist.

2004 k-dramas are on par with current j-dramas in terms of ropey hair and sets, so I'm sure I'll manage 😂

I’m trying to catch up with YAMH but keep nodding off (bloody peri insomnia 😞). I have seen Mi Ka’s unsexy pistachio sack though. She needs some fashion tips from her STBSIL or her BFF.

Also I agree with whoever said Shu Wenbo was more their style. I approve of the captain’s stature and flower boy looks but he needs more breadth and heft. I’m not hopeful he’d be able to carry me home from a night out. Shu Wenbo shows more promise in that regard.

@boatyardblues

I’m trying to catch up with YAMH but keep nodding off (bloody peri insomnia 😞). I have seen Mi Ka’s unsexy pistachio sack though. She needs some fashion tips from her STBSIL or her BFF.

Pistachio sack 😂

@boatyardblues

Also I agree with whoever said Shu Wenbo was more their style. I approve of the captain’s stature and flower boy looks but he needs more breadth and heft. I’m not hopeful he’d be able to carry me home from a night out. Shu Wenbo shows more promise in that regard.

The 🥔 looks like he would give throwdown for sure.

If he works out where to put it...

@boatyardblues I agree with 🥔 being a manlier choice but I am still Team Lu, he is unproblematic: doesn't try to take advantage of drunk 👠 and he took his rejection on the chin well and then still went to help Xian Xia get her man 🤜🏻