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…

(Read it on the font of all knowledge)

I like how the beginning of the week is filling up nicely with in-airs and tomorrow it’s YAMH woo-hoo!!

@bettys

First episode of Oh! Master is up on iQUIYI

Fairly standard set-up so far except for one bit that I wasn't expecting and I don't know how that is going to come in to play Also not sure why the mother is forcing the sale of the house.

I just finished it. Ok so far, I'm not hugely enamoured with Nana yet, but maybe it's just because she's not Jung So-min 😁

I think the mum wanted to sell to force him to come home to live?

I just read the personal data part of iQUIYI‘s privacy policy and it says you have to give access to your camera and photo library to access sone services. 🤔 I’m not sure I’m down with that. I might have to wait for Oh Master to turn up of one of the shady sites or Netflix/Viki. Also, I’m not convinced my marriage would survive a third streaming platform. 😆

What services do they need access to camera etc? 😱

I have that switched off in the privacy settings.

It says you have to upload a photo of yourself for some services.

I like Sisyphus’ shirt collar in ep 11. It echoes hanbok design but teamed with a modern/western suit jacket. 👌

@bettys

Bea!! 😂😂

Joseon Exorcist is taking a break for a week due to the controversy over Chinese props ... so you may want to wait before you start! 😕

What! Flipping heck, can't they get these things sorted before it airs! I was going to start that with DH tonight 😕

Due to being in my sick bed for 2 days, I'm up to date with YAMH and I'm looking forward to tomorrow's installment! Loving all the romances, ML and FL are really cute. I also really love the journalist friend and I like her style (although not the purple stilettos and ankle socks for a trip to the mountains) how many episodes to Cdramas usually run for?

Sigma’s shirt - I stand corrected.

Batik making history the neurosurgery explanations of Sunshine of My Life... There must be a Chinese scriptwriter shorthand for "insert relevant section of Wikipedia here".

I just read the personal data part of iQUIYI‘s privacy policy and it says you have to give access to your camera and photo library to access sone services

I didn’t have a photo up at first then got bored one day & put up a photo of Tae & Suga in Sindy’s car for my profile pic 🤷🏻‍♀️ I don’t think it’s obligatory

I have gone off the reservation and I’m watching Crazy Rich Asians on Netflix. It’s shiny, shiny tosh but enjoyable tosh.

I am pleased to report that Crazy Rich Asians makes your average cdrama look like Dr Zhivago. One for the ‘joy not quality’ list.

@boatyardblues

I have gone off the reservation and I’m watching Crazy Rich Asians on Netflix. It’s shiny, shiny tosh but enjoyable tosh.

Ah that's a grand wee film.

Ahhh! It's deffo switch your brain off and just go with it! 😳😂

Rowdy I think it's going to be 40? 8 new eps coming over next 4 days 🥰
Jab for me yesterday so gone back to bed with Viki today (feel absolutely fine, just milking it). Meddlesome minx behaviour happening in SOML 🙄 but also joy of fastest green screen car journey through Paris traffic ever, plus "model school" which involves 24 hour a day runway practice in t shirt uniform while Linda shouts at you. Very Fame!.

Ooh great Pol I was worried it would be over soon! Enjoy your time in bed with Viki 😂

@polkettle

Rowdy I think it's going to be 40? 8 new eps coming over next 4 days 🥰 Jab for me yesterday so gone back to bed with Viki today (feel absolutely fine, just milking it). Meddlesome minx behaviour happening in SOML 🙄 but also joy of fastest green screen car journey through Paris traffic ever, plus "model school" which involves 24 hour a day runway practice in t shirt uniform while Linda shouts at you. Very Fame!.

Laughed at the runway school too. How that wee shortarse cousin got in?

Wish ML would bloody get the finger out and speak clearly to FL. No wonder the poor girl is confused 😂

Ugh episode 13 of SOML and ML just gobbed out a load of water from his mouth on the front path. Gross! 🤢

(I am working... promise!(

I just watched that bit Fedup Bizarre! Was it supposed to be go-getter manly? Disappointing too that the silk pyjamas count has dropped off. 2ML seeming like a much sexier option. I like that Model School seems to have no standards for model looks at all (or interest in fashion) and it's all about GRAFT 💪

@bettys - found that Sisyphus song, it's by Doko:

I was wrong about Mr Potato... his own mother thinks he is a gourd 🤣🤣🤣

Weekend is approaching & I have started Mr. Queen.

YAMH: 40 EPISODES 😳
I have watched till 14th episode, how many more episodes till FL finds out about identity of SWAT uncle?

The dancey track on the Sispyphus credits is on Apple Music - Stay: Tempus by GSoul