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…

@hawthornknitter Brilliant! You have worked hard 👏👏

Episode 17 @jinbhoot! You're almost there 👍

Nooo! Why does it now say Available in one day for YAMH?? It was Available Today earlier. I NEED MY FIX

Bugger!!! It’s not on Olga either 🤬🤬

I’m not sure about Oh! Master yet......it was nice to get a shower scene but I didn’t really need to see LMK texting while on the loo 😖
The man in white thing still seems off-kilter, but I think the LMKs mum knows something to do with that scenario & that’s why she wants him to move back home.I

@polkettle

Nooo! Why does it now say Available in one day for YAMH?? It was Available Today earlier. I NEED MY FIX

Nooo! I didn't know I needed this fix 3 days ago, but now I definitely do!!! 😦😦

Ep 3 Vincenzo... Getting annoyed by over acting over the top lawyer daughter! 😡🥱

@bettys

I’m not sure about Oh! Master yet......it was nice to get a shower scene but I didn’t really need to see LMK texting while on the loo 😖 The man in white thing still seems off-kilter, but I think the LMKs mum knows something to do with that scenario & that’s why she wants him to move back home.I

I'm not sure yet either, Bettys. Halfway through episode 2.

But I will say one thing... that 🍑 blocked my enjoyment 😂

Cry-laughing at overdubbed fluent French of FL in SOML

@polkettle

Cry-laughing at overdubbed fluent French of FL in SOML

Amazing how she went from "ou est la gare" on Duolingo to fully fluent explaining the nuances of the Chinese fashion industry 😂

@boatyardblues

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

I also watched it again yesterday. The lovely Harry Golding.

* UPCOMING DRAMA ALERT *

Jung So-min has a new show out in June called Monthly Magazine. ML is horrid baseball ex from When the Camellia Blooms

She just does not age!

So is joining IQIY for Oh Master a yea or nay? I’m hearing lukewarm enthusiasm so far.

I think it might be a good binge watch. There’s just one aspect of it that’s annoying me but I can’t say as it’s a spoiler. You could always pop over to Olga & try it out before signing up

@Rowdythree I'd agree chief Shao is channeling his inner Austin powers in the flashback- I do like a good flashback where there's no attempt to make them look you get just a slightly different hairstyle- the best one had to be in once again where the two mums flashback to themselves as high school girls 😁
In between waiting for YAMH I've started beating again - enjoying it so far but did shed a few years about the lovely fiance - I know he had to go to make the story happen but he seemed so nice ☹️
Also randomly watched noble my love-title put me off but it was short so thought I'd give it a go- the FL needed to run away fast - I'd not recommend it and the ML is portrayed as being all romantic but is a complete psychopath who thinks running someone's business is the best way to repay them for saving his life/make her fancy him. What's worse is it works!

What's SOML? I like the sound of fashion school!

@boatyardblues

So is joining IQIY for Oh Master a yea or nay? I’m hearing lukewarm enthusiasm so far.

I'm a little lukewarm so far. Hold off for now 👍

@Hydrogensonata

What's SOML? I like the sound of fashion school!

Sunshine of my life

Sunshine of My Life no great shakes but I'm in now and the episodes seem to slip past 😁. Some nice Suzhou scenery and embroidery. Love Designer covers pretty similar ground but more engaging central couple for a fashion focused story. Although no Paris or model school.

pol I was just looking up Love Designer on the spreadsheet and am intrigued by your comment of ‘unexpected twerking’

I stand by the comment Bettys. There was twerking and I was not expecting it 🤷‍♀️ 😁

We’ve just finished Hotel del Luna which we loved. Usual high standards of script, acting and wit.
However the last few minutes involved Kim Soo Hyun walking into the Hotel Blue Moon and declaring it open. Presumably this was to lead the way for a second series but according to google there are no definite plans.
Whether the powers that be decided against it or whether Covid made filing difficult I don’t know.
I wish I was Elon Musk or some other billionaire and could say to the writers and cast of CLOY “name your price folks for a second series”.

Anyway we are taking a short break from K drama to watch Deutschland 89 and then I think we’ll opt for Descendants of the Sun.

Obviously I've just had to go back for a little Love Designer rewatch ☺️. You should probably not base your whole decision whether to invest in the 45 episodes on the twerking. Especially now I've made it no longer unexpected. But they are a saucy pair...

Oh Andante tell me what you thought of D89 when you watched it!