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 completely missed the knitted stuff in Healer when was it?
It was mentioned quite a lot here so I thought Hacker Ahjumma will knit something remarkable. Which she didn’t 😆

So what are we all looking for? Give me the episode number, I’ll go back & watch it.

@Rowdythree

I loved JCW in Suspicious Partners the best... Nothing I've seen him in since has lived up to that

I agree - it was better then Healer ... May be because of combed back hair 😂

Lovestruck in City: it looks like he has some kindda photo filer on his face. Can’t pinpoint what it is, perhaps some surgery or Botox?

No one else caught up with Oh Master yet then? First of all, Han Bi-soo’s father is eeeevil. What a bastard! Secondly, the last few minutes: WTF?!?!? What just happened? I’m intrigued but also confused.

Lovestruck in City: it looks like he has some kindda photo filer on his face. Can’t pinpoint what it is, perhaps some surgery or Botox?

I commented on this when I watched it too. He’s like JCW but not quite JCW. He needs to be carefully he doesn’t go the same way as Renée Zellweger.

@JinBhoot

I completely missed the knitted stuff in Healer when was it? It was mentioned quite a lot here so I thought Hacker Ahjumma will knit something remarkable. Which she didn’t 😆

So what are we all looking for? Give me the episode number, I’ll go back & watch it.

It's been a while since I watched it, but I think it's after she finds him ill in his cavernous, freezing warehouse home. I seem to remember nice polo neck jumpers once he's out of bed 👍👌

I've not watched Love Struck but I'm tempted to, just to see what's going on with JCW's face 😬

@JinBhoot

I completely missed the knitted stuff in Healer when was it? It was mentioned quite a lot here so I thought Hacker Ahjumma will knit something remarkable. Which she didn’t 😆

So what are we all looking for? Give me the episode number, I’ll go back & watch it.

It's all the way through!! A polo neck here... Sweater paws there!....

boaty ré Oh Master I find the extra plot twist with the man in the white suit quite jarring. I’m not sure it needs it.

Also tempted to check out Lovestruck to see JCWs face

Here you go.... All nice and cosy!...

In that last photo, he looks like he supports Newcastle United 😂

This is a nice chunky jumper...

Viki will not let me screenshot but tireless early morning research shows that it's episode 11, 34 mins in that he pulls back the curtain and reveals his wardrobe as music swells.

That Wild Grass film with Pumped Plug and Sandra Ma (she of besocked poppet fame) is out today on Viki. 💃

Excellent, thanks for the heads up FedUp 👍

Is suspicious partner any good?

I'm ripping through love from the star so need to plan my next one!

Thanks for the time stamp pol ! And the swelling music is stuck in my head now.....maybe the Eternal Love is for his knitwear....

Larry I thoroughly enjoyed Suspicious Partner

larry I loved Suspicious Partners too, it's up there as one of my favourites

I'm not sure what to start next, options are Goblin, It's okay to not be okay or Another Miss Oh

@Rowdythree

larry I loved Suspicious Partners too, it's up there as one of my favourites

I'm not sure what to start next, options are Goblin, It's okay to not be okay or Another Miss Oh

I'm watching Another Miss Oh at the moment, it's good. I would recommend watching Marriage, Not Dating (on Viki) first because it has a lot of nods to it that are funny, but it's not essential to have seen it.

But Goblin all the way for absolutely essential viewing!

Arrrrgh! @bettys beat me to it!
However! Here's my contribution!

BEHOLD!! THE FINE KNITWEAR!!

Maybe I'll give suspicious partners a watch as JCW is so recommended in it- I remember enjoying the knitwear selection in healer and not being overly distracted by shoes with no socks and cold ankles.
@rowdythree they're all good choices but is say goblin first?
I'm watching marriage not dating which is a good contract engagement comedy whilst waiting for sell your haunted house and starting vincenzo. Has anyone watched hello me! On netflix? I'm tempted solely for Kim Young Kwan but I haven't seen much about it on the thread so wondered if its worth a watch?

I'm in the minority but I was a bit 'meh' about Goblin....mostly because of the age difference
.....but I did like Gong Yoo in long-haired swishy sword warrior mode!

BEHOLD!! THE FINE KNITWEAR!!

That's a much better shot Bea !

Thank you both. Such a boon to be able to peruse the selection at length.