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 saw the trailer for that yesterday boaty, I liked the look of it too, so will probably give it a go one we've finished Sisyphus.

@boatyardblues... Dd and I watched House husband yesterday! It's hilarious and bonkers as conkers! It's soooo random and surreal! It's very funny... And the cat Gin is 😂😍💕💜😍😂
Not sure I could watch the whole lot but fir quirkiness and out there ness... 👍👍👍😁

I watched YAMH on Viki. Subs suddenly appeared at lunchtime. First episode the odd hole but nothing that matters.

I needed to refresh. The YAMH subs suddenly appeared. ✨ Just on ep 40 now...

@Rowdythree I liked I am not a robot!
Saving YAMH for Monday when I'm off and having a relaxing day- been watching oh my baby and hoping this week's HTB30 will be better- I'll be gutted when YAMH is all done!

He recycled the ring?

I will wait for everyone to catch/finish YAMH before I post my final thoughts as they are a bit spoilerish.

Anyone watching Writing Your Destiny on Viki? I’m only 10 mins in and crying with laughter at the show-within-a-show ‘Accounting for the Married’. The abs reveal scene is hilarious. 🤣

A good finale for YAMH 🥰 !!
Some random thoughts....
They are going away but leave a bowlful of mandarins on the coffee table??
Odd finger to put the ring on 🤔
Mint green polo neck & overcoat for hospital bed snuggles 🤣🤣
I think the noticeable lack of celebrations (apart from the previous one for 🥔 & 👠) may have been covid related but actually rather liked Stare of Doom & her beau’s approach

Aside from the [unspecified exciting event] I thought ep 40 was more a ‘best bits’ clip show than a proper story episode. It all wrapped up very satisfactorily but I had been hoping it would go out with more of a bang than a fade.

I've just seen this thread!
I watched Revenge on Netflix a while back and thought it was amazing. So much so, I've re- watched it twice since.
It's a Thai drama - not for the faint hearted. It's the story of a mother driven to take revenge for the vicious attack of her daughter. A very unusual story which I thought worked really well and though very sad, left me with a real sense of justice being done for the physical and mental destruction of a beautiful, young girl! Anyone else seen it?

www.netflix.com/title/80244271

Were Stare of Doom and beau buying a single wine glass as a present?

YAMH more of a simper than a bang ending, but an enjoyable show nonetheless!

@FedUpWithBriiiiick

YAMH more of a simper than a bang ending, but an enjoyable show nonetheless!

*Whimper

Welcome 20questions! If I recall, a couple of regulars have dipped their toe in Thai drama though our heavy viewing tends to be mainly kdrama with Chinese, Taiwanese and Japanese drama as a parallel or side interest. I’m sure I won’t be alone in welcoming recommendations for other countries’ output.

The ML (god) in Writing Your Destiny is very broad of shoulder. I approve. 😍

@boatyardblues

The ML (god) in Writing Your Destiny is very broad of shoulder. I approve. 😍

Are we talking Pumped Plug levels of broadness here, Boaty? This is important.

Writing Your Destiny is a veritable feast of tall, broad, beautifully turned out young men. The FL writer is a firecracker too. It’s a shame it’s a webtoon miniseries.

Who is pumped plug? All I know is there was a scene where he is shot from behind and I was transfixed by his broad shoulders. There’s a lot of tailoring involved so possibly some shoulder pad heft, but firm foundations to build on.

I really enjoyed writing your destiny, and yes Boaty the drama within a drama ab reveal was hilarious 😂 ML definitely very tall and broad, he'd be a good one for a piggy back ride!

I've finished YAMH, ep39 was good, but I wanted to give Xing Kelai a slap! Not sure he was much use in that situation! Ep 40 had lots of good feelz... A very enjoyable series. My first venture into the world of Cdrama.

Quite interested in the extreme variations in approach to acceptability of pre-marital shagging in CDramas (as compared to reasonable consistency of progression in KDrama) in sometimes being all or sometimes being nothing. Really hope that Mi-Ka's acceptance of first of MULTIPLE (why settle for one?) proposals signified a bit of action for both of them before her 2 years in America. Metaphorically signified by saucy tangerine sharing? Agree ep 40 underpowered after excitements of EP 39 but remain delighted by series.

@polkettle although my viewing of cdrama is not as extensive as kdrama, the trope seems to be that ML & FL don't get it on until they are married, whereas 2ML & 2FL are usually pretty norty. The exceptions being YAMH's Spud-She-Likes (no action) and of course Johnny Huang as ML in Love Designer (PLENTY of action)

@boatyardblues Pumped Plug is Johnny Huang who is fit AF but somewhat resembles Plug from the Bash St Kids. He is as broad as ML from Scripting Your Destiny - maybe not as tall but definitely more norty!

@20questions Hellooooo! I have dipped my toes in Thai drama with Love By Chance (sweet BL drama) but don't really know much about it so thanks for the recommendation!

You're right, although FL and ML also leapt straight into bed in Love is Sweet Betty's but strictly wedding ring first in My Little Happiness although sort of similar plot set ups. I just don't know the rules!

FL and ML also leapt straight into bed in Love is Sweet

Oh yes how could I forget? - mind you it was 20 episodes and 10 yrs or something later!

There are various permutations eg the fake marriage to love trope where they do shag but it's alright 'cos technically they are married/engaged anyway (Love in Time, Perfect & Casual, Well-Intended Love)

Thanks for the replies. Wasn't sure if Thai drama came under the umbrella of K or not (my geography is rubbish!!)
Thoroughly recommend 'Revenge" on Netflix- just make sure you get the right one as there are quite a few titles 'Revenge". I have posted the link further up.
I found it highly original and immensely satisfying in a sort of dark, twisted way. The main characters are endearing and warm and (in my opinion) you are totally drawn in to the story. However not for the faint hearted...