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…

Oh I was going to catch up with Navillera ....might wait until the next eps if it’s a teary episode

Loved the bathhouse. It's that KDrama emotional sweet spot of punching you in the feels without being maudlin or syrupy which they are SO good at.

I'm still catching up with Navillera. It's glorious.

We’re only half way through Navillera and I’m already pondering which of my other faves gets ousted to make room. My top 5 is filling up with these brilliantly observed quiet works of genius. I am excited to see where they will take us with the remaining 8 episodes, but I may keep some tissues to hand.

I will start Navillera once all episodes will be onair & hopefully we will have a happy ending.
How is Vincenzo so far? Still fun to watch or have gone off rail?

I'm watching Navillera but I'm not up to date with it yet. Easter holidays, and less covid restrictions means less time for K drama 🙈 I'll get my tissues ready for when I watch the next couple of episodes!

@JinBhoot - ah noooo, re SITR. 😭 Well maybe he was a bit controlling - they both could have done with letting each other know what was going on a bit more and discussing plans (especially "I've asked work to let me move to America for 3 years and you're coming too" 🙄), but I mostly quite liked that he was looking after her.

Navillera ep 7...

MY HEART 😭

Anyone know what’s filling the Weds/Thurs weekly broadcast schedule post-Sisyphus and Hello Me? I have lost track.

Yuh-Jung Youn is awesome ... her BAFTA speech was perfect.

Staying in my bed the whole day is my pleasure and my hobby. I like to watch TV or just doze, not thinking about anything—it’s whatever I want to do. I'm sorry to say that I’m really enjoying quarantine, because I can rest. I don't have to see anybody. I can just stay home 24 hours a day and stay in bed, my favorite place.

a24films.com/notes/2021/04/how-to-live-well-according-to-yuh-jung-youn-1

PS: she drinks white wine

Another day, another Chinese drama hero who likes to decorate with lovely horse pictures 🐴🤷‍♀️ 12 year old me would have been entranced.
What's your verdict on Hello Me Boaty? Worth a gulp down?

It was quite sweet Pol, but a bit broad and goofy for my liking. I so want to see if KYK can pull off a straight role or serial killer.

We are halfway through My Love from the Star and limit ourselves to two episodes every evening. Luckily DH is better at deferring gratification - if it was just up to me I’d going on watching it until I fell asleep!
It’s so good - except Do Min-Joon isn’t very nice to Song-i - telling her to get out and refusing to help with the sleeping bag.
Also, does anyone find Netflix’s sub titles unsatisfactory - they flash on and off the screen so quickly that sometimes I miss them.
We tried to watch it on Viki instead but then got into a complete muddle trying to upgrade our subscription so we’ve got to stick with Netflix for the time being.

I've just caught up with Navillera oh my goodness you were right boaty 😪😪😪

Hospital Playlist Season 2 coming June 17th @JinBhoot ! 👩‍⚕️👨‍⚕️👨‍⚕️👨‍⚕️👨‍⚕️🎉

@polkettle

Hospital Playlist Season 2 coming June 17th *@JinBhoot* ! 👩‍⚕️👨‍⚕️👨‍⚕️👨‍⚕️👨‍⚕️🎉

🎉Whoop!!🎉

@TheGirlWithTheArabStrap

I've just caught up with Navillera oh my goodness you were right boaty 😪😪😪

I did a big sob noise.

@FedUpWithBriiiiick it was pretty emotional all the way through but then the ending 😭😭😭. It is a very good series

@polkettle

Hospital Playlist Season 2 coming June 17th *@JinBhoot* ! 👩‍⚕️👨‍⚕️👨‍⚕️👨‍⚕️👨‍⚕️🎉

Yayaaa & 17th June is Thursday, start of my weekend 🎉🎉

I am looking at script reading photos ... it looks so different yet not odd (masks & transparent partitions etc)

www.soompi.com/article/1464303wpp/watch-hospital-playlist-confirms-season-2-premiere-date-cast-reunites-excitedly-at-script-reading

The title music cheers me up immensely 🎶 tring tring trrrrrrriiiing 🎶

I've finally finished The Uncanny Counter I'm glad I stuck with it but I didn't find it an easy watch!

Very happy to see Ik-Sun in HP reading line up and be reassured that she will not be stuck doing her PhD in Swindon for the series.

Super speedy histopathology results during an operation in ep 21 of YAMH 😂. I should have expected nothing less from the excellent Chinese health service!

😂😂😂 Truth or dare while being completely sober!! (ep 22 YAMH) I'm v v jealous of their holiday house though

I've had a gin(s) now so ill continue monologing.
Why have I got to middle age without someone confessing their love via a tent full of condensation, balloons and romantic notes!?!!!

@TheGirlWithTheArabStrap

I've had a gin(s) now so ill continue monologing. Why have I got to middle age without someone confessing their love via a tent full of condensation, balloons and romantic notes!?!!!

As Pol said, it’s a lot of single use plastic.

I’ve got to the sad bits of Chicago Typewriter now on my rewatch.