MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #42): Where we weigh up two smokin’ hawt chaebol hotelliers, one tortured by loss and the other crippled by abandonment issues

[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, AppleTV and Disney+. There are also platforms streaming content illegally if you go looking. We don’t promote them as they are peppered with pop-ups of “Olga” and friends offering a good time, but we can point you in the right direction. We also dip into Japanese, Taiwanese & Chinese drama as & when.

The previous thread is here
but our list is cumulative so includes recommendations and favourites from all previous threads. Shows marked with a star 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. Writer/actor Simon Pegg referred to it fondly as “tonal chaos” - it’s part of kdrama’s charm. View the categories below as best approximate & ask if you need guidance about suitability for younger viewers.

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
Bloodhounds (Netflix)
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)
Little Women (Netflix)
My Name (Netflix)
My Secret Terrius (Netflix)🌟
Signal (Netflix)🌟
Somebody (Netflix, content warning: sexual & violence)
Snowdrop (Disney+)
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/Netflix)🌟
Mr Queen (Viki)🌟
Mr Sunshine (Netflix)
Our Blooming Youth (Viki)
Pachinko (AppleTV)
Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung (Netflix)
Tale of Nokdu (Viki/Netflix)🌟
The Forbidden Marriage (Viki)
The King’s Affection (Netflix)
The Red Sleeve (Viki)🌟

Romance - lighter & fluffier
Beating Again (Netflix)
Business Proposal (Netflix)
Coffee Prince (Netflix)
Dali & the Cocky Prince (Viki)
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/Netflix)
His Master’s Sun (Netflix) 🌟
Hometown Cha Cha Cha (Viki)🌟
Love from a Star (Netflix)🌟
Lovestruck in the City (Netflix)
Monthly Magazine Home (Viki)
Pinocchio (Netflix)
Race (Disney+)
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)
Twenty-five Twenty-one (Netflix)🌟
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)
Yumi’s Cells (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 Course in Romance (Netflix)
Crash Landing on You (Netflix)🌟
Descendants of the Sun (Viki/Netflix)
Doctors (Netflix)
Doom At Your Service (Viki)
Extraordinary Attorney Woo (Netflix)
Fight For My Way (Viki/Netflix)🌟
Go Back Couple (Viki)/Couple on the Backtrack (Netflix)
I’ll Go To You When The Weather is Nice (Viki)
It’s OK Not To Be OK (Netflix)
Just Between Lovers (Viki)/Rain or Shine (Netflix)🌟
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, Netflix)🌟
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
Gaus Electronics (Viki)🌟
Hospital Playlist (Netflix)🌟
Hospital Playlist 2 (Netflix)🌟
Into The Ring (Viki)
Itaewon Class (Netflix)
Live (Netflix)
Misaeng (Netflix)🌟
My Liberation Notes🌟
Move to Heaven (Netflix)
My Mister (Viki/Netflix)🌟
My Unfamiliar Family (Viki)🌟
Navillera (Netflix)🌟
Prison Playbook (Netflix)🌟
On The Verge of Insanity (Viki)
Once Again (Viki)
Our Blues (Netflix)🌟
Stove League (Viki)/Hot Stove League (Netflix)
Racket Boys (Netflix)
The Good Bad Mother (Netflix)
Would You Like a Cup of Coffee (Viki🌟

Supernatural/zombies/vampires/fantasy/sci-fi - lighter & fluffier
Alchemy of Souls (Netflix) 🌟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)🌟
Delivery Man (Viki)
Happiness (Viki/Netflix)🌟
Hotel del Luna (Viki/Netflix)🌟
King: The Eternal Monarch (Netflix)
Kingdom (Netflix)🌟
Kingdom: Ashin of the North (Netflix)
Mystic Pop-up Bar (Netflix)
Peninsula - film, Train to Busan sequel (Amazon Prime, iMovies)
Sisyphus (Netflix)
Sell Your Haunted House (Netflix)
The Guest (Netflix)
Train to Busan - film (Amazon Prime)
W: Two Worlds (Viki & Netflix)🌟
Zombie Detective (Viki/Netflix)

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)
F4 Thailand (Viki)
Find Yourself (Netflix - Chinese)
First Love (Netflix - Japanese)🌟
Go Go Squid (Viki - Chinese)
In House Marriage Honey (Viki, Japanese)
In Time With You (Viki - Japanese)
Instead of Tipsy Why Not Get Drunk (Viki, Chinese)
Lost Romance (Viki, Taiwanese)
Love O2O (Viki, Chinese)
Meet Yourself (Viki, Chinese)
Million Yen Women (Netflix, Japanese)
Morning Call (Netflix, Japanese)
My Little Happiness (Viki, Chinese)
Put Your Head on My Shoulder (Netflix, Chinese)
Rinko Wants To Try (Viki)
Some Day or One Day (Viki, Taiwanese)
Sweat and Soap (Viki, Japanese)
The Makanai (Netflix, Japanese)
The Romance of Tiger & Rose (Viki, Chinese)
To Fly with Me (Viki, Chinese)
Tientsin Mystic (Netflix, Chinese)
You Are My Hero (Viki, Chinese)*

AVOID aka “the shit list” 💩
Melting Me Softly
The Birth of a Beauty
Well-Intentioned Love season 1 (S2 is fine & stands alone)

Top Scoring 2022 Dramas
Courtesy of much-missed Hello’s kdrama spreadsheet, updated by thread regulars. Marks out of 10.

#1 My Liberation Notes 9.45
#2 Alchemy of Souls 9.10
#3 First Love 8.88 (Jdrama)
#4 Our Blues 8.83
#5 Gaus Electronics 8.75

Top Scoring 2021 Dramas
#1 The Red Sleeve - 10
#2 Happiness - 9
#3 Devil Judge - 8.75
#4 Squid Game - 8.6
#5 Navillera - 8.57

Top Scoring 2020 dramas
#1 Mr Queen - 9.4
#2 Parasite (film) - 9.05
#3 It's Okay To Not Be Okay - 8.88
#4 The Uncanny Counter - 8.50
#5 Once Again - 8.42

Top Scoring 2019 dramas
#1 Her Private Life - 9.40
#2 Melo is My Nature - 9.00
#3 tied: Crash Landing On You, The Crowned Clown, The Lies Within, and The Tale of Nokdu - 8.75
#4 Hotel del Luna - 8.50
#5 tied: Romance is a Bonus Book, and Search: WWW - 8.17

We are fans of all things Korean, so equally happy to talk about Korean cookery, language, current affairs, film and music when the mood takes us. A few of us are learning Korean, Japanese and/or Mandarin (some more diligently than others), so we swap tips and links to language resources. Basically, anything topical goes.

We often resort to acronyms and/or abbreviations of show titles or actors’ names. 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've added My Dearest to my ever expanding list TheLoup 👍

I quite enjoyed Meteor Garden. Although a little long it was more consistently paced than Boys Over Flowers I thought. Be warned, though, that it features an extremely annoying Gareth Gates track. It got stuck in my head for ages and drove me mad. The other regular tracks, including the ones sung by Dylan Wang and other cast members were fine, but that Gareth Gates one.....

I've only actually watched the Japanese BoF - I tried the Korean version but couldn't get into it. I'm enjoying MG so far though - maybe it's the Dylan Wang effect. Please, no one tell me how old he is I know he is completely age inappropriate 🫣

I'm laughing at Gareth Gates being on the soundtrack - how? Why? Still, I'm glad he's getting some work - hwaiting GG!

I recommend the Thai version.

I am in the middle of a big Park Song-Hoon crush thanks to Not Others. May be my favourite show of the year so far. Always a sucker for a slice of life/romance cross over but I think its also been a subtle and touching exploration of family dynamics. And filthy funny in places.

I'm desperate to start My Dearest and, Mask Girl. DH and I have just started Silo so we'll need to finish that before starting Mask Girl.

Thanks for the Strange Planet recommendation, Fedup. Actually Mask Girl has calmed down and is black comedy in ep3!!!

Popping on re Meteor Garden - where can I find some of Shancai's rich-guy-attracting perfume? Holy good grief, how many sons of business empires do you want young lady?

OK, well I’m binging through Moving and it’s gone from strength to strength. Tonkatsu Mum’s backstory is 👌 - she’sca total badass. I loved all the 80s/early 90s flashback scenes. It reminded me of the North Korean bits of CLOY, with shades of the Rocketeer. 👏 The violence is still unflinching but there’s so much else to enjoy. The king tonkatsu scenes are making me hungry, though. I hope they lay off them soon.

I've just finished the last two eps of Heartbeat , I'd read some opinions of the ending do I was expecting it to some extent, but it was v emotional! I cried! I totally wasn't expecting that from the daft campness of the beginning.

TheGirl, it did go from comedy to serious didn't it? Looking back from the beginning, realistically, it was the only ending possible, but could have benefited with a glimpse into the future where they meet in their new reincarnations. This has been done before on k-dramas tho. I think I would have preferred that it remained pure rom-com.🧐

https://www.instagram.com/p/CwMzS4jh5vL/

After recent comments about the woeful local mapping apps along the lines of "if tourists can't speak/understand Korean they should stay away", this initiative is more realistic about the importance of Korea being more welcoming to foreigners. I'm sure there'll be some pushback against it from those who refuse to accept the adapt or die narrative.

Yes I was waiting for a reincarnation flash forward! But no 😪

Finished SYIMNL and did really love it, but there were a lot of plot holes and an odd section that I think had been shifted from earlier on in the drama. I don’t want to put what in case of spoilers , but the Azaleas ? What was that about ?
Seemed to be significant and then went nowhere, along with several other threads , so I am left confused !

Same. I didn't hate the ending but it was like, well no one really won here did they? I suppose FL learned to enjoy life (and snog Taecyeon).....

SPOILER

Is she supposed to just grow old like Miss Havisham surrounded by memories in that mansion forever? Give Do Sik sunbae another chance #pragmatic

I can't even remember the azaleas TheVix! But will say that I think the Web toon better all round in both coherence and ending.

Bereft at having finished Not Others. Top notch all round and a must for slice of life fans. Loved the casualness of the twist about her honorary brother in the final episode too. Well played.

I'm just about to start the last episodes pol - can't believe it's already over!

I've now finished Mask Girl and would recommend in spite of my initial misgivings at its darkness.

It is different from any other kdrama I have seen in that it is a sophisticated and subversive portrayal of current SK society. The joke is really on them and their love of the effects that the physical mask of plastic surgery provides. There is a hilarious scene where the prisoners question the protagonist about the work she's had. Tick yes to all except her breasts. Those are real!!

Along the way we also get the masks of anonymity, family relationships, the hypocrisy of the religious mask etc. Most of all there is the glorious and ironic take on the unintended consequences of realising one's desires. This isn't a spoiler but I would not have been surprised if it had ended with the daughter becoming Mask Girl2!

I think it was to show that the young female character was Seo-ah's mum in her next life... Gladioli were Seo-ah's mums favourite flowers that she displayed in the hotel, so we see her with gladioli to show that connection.

Plenty of plot holes though, but still very enjoyable 😊

Spoiler alert No I understood the Gladioli, it was the Azalea bushes, all dying in the mother’s garden, and the soil being strangely dry. Seemed to be leading somewhere are then never explained.

Oh, I totally missed that 😂

I'm on episode 6 of Mask Girl and agree with Miggs that it's novel and subversive. Definitely darkly funny in places too (emphasis on dark). Feels like a fresh watch.

I was lucky enough to see a preview of Past Lives yesterday. Beautiful, beautiful film in all meanings of the word. Teo Yoo and Greta Lee (in fact, all the cast) are just stupendously good. I want to rewatch Love to Hate You now 😁 The host of the evening said general release had been put back to November from September because of the actors'/writers' strike 😬 hope that isn't true!

I think it represented the bad luck Ban Ji-eum was bringing to the people she was reconnecting with from her previous lives. Like an ill omen of what would happen if she kept seeing them.

Yes I thought that was what they were trying to suggest, but at that point they hadn’t met. I think their meeting was shunted to later on , but had originally been earlier in the story. It felt as though there had been more of a story there between her and her mother, but it had been cut out. Dd thought that too, but she says she is “suspicious of 12 episode K dramas, as they are always over cut” .
Same with the frightening security man, and the brakes. Who cut the brakes ? We never knew .

Heads up: Everyman cinemas are doing some platinum screenings of Past Lives. I can’t make the screening at my nearest one. 😭

This looks WELL fun 🤩

www.instagram.com/reel/CwT3y2GpyP8/?igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==