MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #25): We may not always agree (on shows, oppa preference, wonky fashion) but we are never disagreeable…

[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)
Doom At Your Service (Viki)
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)*
Mad For Each Other (Netflix)
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)*
Move to Heaven (Netflix)
My Mister (Viki/Netflix)*
My Unfamiliar Family (Viki)*
Navillera (Netflix)*
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
#Alive (Netflix)
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)
Sisyphus (Netflix)
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 ‘You May Also Like’
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)
You Are My Hero (Viki, 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. 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 bum 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!

@bettys I'm going to start Devil Judge for my top Oppa Ji Sung 😍

@Jisungismylife

www.dictionary.com/e/slang/half-your-age-plus-seven/

[quote TheGirlWithTheArabStrap]@Jisungismylife

www.dictionary.com/e/slang/half-your-age-plus-seven/[/quote]
Thanks

@Rowdythree only 60% Subs 😩

Oh no! I was hoping to start that with DH tonight! Will have to wait until tomorrow 😒

What is the half age plus7 rule?

Say you are 44 years old, your threshold is 44 / 2 = 22 + 7 = 29. Oppas 29+ 👍, oppas

@FedUpWithBriiiiick

Nice little cameo from Lee Kyu-hyung in HP this week. Playing a normal person for once and not a lunatic 😂

Ahhhhh … it kept bothering me where I have seen this guy.

@FedUpWithBriiiiick @Rowdythree I've not seen Strong Girl yet! Will watch it soon. Thanks.

@boatyardblues agree on Reply 1988! DH and I were at loggerheads over that as we wanted different people!

@sakura ... Not seen Bong Soon!!!??? It's bonkers as conkers! but the leads - Park Bo Young and Park Hyung Sik - are the sweetest swoonsomes ever!!!! 😍🥰😍

i think i may have given up on Mouse, though dh said he'd still be up for the rest of it... got Beyond Evil and Devil Judge in my sights next!

@Bea

i think i may have given up on Mouse, though dh said he'd still be up for the rest of it... got Beyond Evil and Devil Judge in my sights next!

I did the slow fade on Mouse too. I’d got to the stage where there was some suggestion of brain transplants in infants (although I didn’t stick around to find out) and that was it for me. Too silly and too grim in equal measure.

Must. Go. And. Work but now TOTALLY gripped by The First Half of My Life which I am about 3/4 through now. Genuinely don't know how it's going to end and it's got better and better, which you have to say is unusual in a CDrama. If you have Amazon and you fancy something a bit more -for want of a better description- 'grown up' (not in the Adult Content sense) then worth your time. Themes of reinventing yourself post kids and break up and managing family politics may resonate. Plus even though he's a leeeeetle bit mansplainy JinDong rings my bell.

Here are some photos from Korean exhibit at the British Museum

Sarangbang - male space in the house.

We are half way through Mr Queen.
I think I read on here a comment that some K dramas start off full of comedy and get progressively darker and this seems to be happening with Mr Queen.
Kim Hye Sun and Kim Jung Hyun are brilliant but it’s getting pretty serious - though we’re still enjoying it.
The sets are quite incredible - it’s sad that so many lovely old houses have been lost to redevelopment in Korea, though I suppose that could be said about many places all over the world.

@JinBhoot

Here are some photos from Korean exhibit at the British Museum

Sarangbang - male space in the house.

Amazing Jin! Do you know how long the exhibition is on for? Hoping to get down to London for a day at some point over the summer

@Rowdythree I think it is a permanent exhibit. I wish they had lot more but it’s a very small collection.

There is Japanese section as well. Didn’t see Chinese so not sure if it’s there or not.

Every time I make a pact not to visit museums with kiddies in the toe. I thought things would improve in tweens/teens BUT nahhh. I think my kids are allergic to cultural enrichment.

That's @jinbhoot, I think most kids are the same! My younger two are quite interested in Japan, but probably not the historical aspect! 😬 My eldest is now a classics student, after being allergic to cultural enrichment for most of her life 😂 so there is hope!

I like how whenever a particular museum or gallery trip from the past is discussed with mine, the only thing they will remember is the snack item they got from the café.
Tbf I'm much the same...

@Bea Watching Strong Girl is definitely something I should remedy! DH has seen it though and we tend to watch together.

@JinBhoot that looks really interesting! I've been in the Japanese galleries but will have to check out the Korean ones too.

If you have a child who loves Kpop, kdrama, kmovies there are various universities that do Korean studies, some linked with TSOL, Japanese, linguistics, law, history etc.

^ From this fascinating thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/4287321-Particularly-fantastic-less-conventional-undergrad-degree-courses?msgid=108792871

@JinBhoot

Here are some photos from Korean exhibit at the British Museum

Sarangbang - male space in the house.

Beaut. I'm so jealous of you London types. The closest I get to Korean culture in NI is the Asian Supermarket 🙄

I’m motoring along now with Reply 1997 and getting fonder of SIG by the day. The late night mercy dash to rescue FL from the creepy guy was great telly. I’m enjoying the final weeks of high school (December) outdoor scenes being accompanied by the thrum of cicada and cricket chorus. 😂

Pol - Was it you that recommended the Nothing Much Happens podcast for myy insomnia? It is amazing! It is unlikely I’ll ever need sleeping pills again. I stirred last night and resurfaced in the second, slower reading and thought “oh I know this bit” and went straight back to sleep. The people who make it are geniuses. 😄

I finished Reply 1997 last night. Not sure what I thought about them fighting so much, and Yoon Jae pressing to stay the night was a bit 🤔. But overall I enjoyed it. 1988 is definitely the best though.

I’m up to ep 15 of Reply 1997. No spoilers please!