MsLatte’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #13)

[boatyardblues]

A quiet corner of MN for serious addicts of Kdrama, or the Kdrama-curious. (MsLatte is a Her Private Life reference.) Most of our viewing is drawn from Netflix and Viki, with a sprinkling of Dramabus (non subscription, maybe dodgy) and AmazonPrime. 

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)

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, Dramafast)
My Secret Terrius (Netflix)*
Suspicious Partner (Netflix)*
The Lies Within (Netflix)*
Tunnel (Netflix)*

Historical/Period drama (“sageuk”)
Crowned Clown (Viki)*
Mr Sunshine (Netflix)
Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung (Netflix)
Tale of Nokdu (Viki)*

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)*
Pinocchio (Netflix)
Radio Romance (Netflix)

Romance is the Bonus Book (Netflix)*

She Was Pretty (Dramabus/Netflix)*
The Beauty Inside (Viki/Netflix)
The Secret Life of My Secretary (Viki/Netflix)
Thirty Not Seventeen (Viki) or as Still 17 (Netflix)
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo (Netflix/Viki)
What’s Up With Secretary Kim (Viki)*
You are my Destiny (Netflix)


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/Drama bus)*
Go Back Couple (Viki)
Just Between Lovers (Viki)*
Melo is my Nature (Viki)/Be Melodramatic (Dramafast)
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 Package (Viki)



Straighter ‘Slice of Life’ dramas on universal themes
Live (Netflix)
Prison Playbook (Netflix)*

Stove League (Viki)

Supernatural/zombies/vampires/fantasy/sci-fi - lighter & fluffier

Goblin (Viki)*

I am not a Robot (Netflix)
Legend of the Blue Sea (Viki/Netflix)
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)*
Kingdom (Netflix)*

The Guest (Dramafast)
Train to Busan - film (Amazon Prime)

W (Viki & Netflix)*



Guilty Pleasures (for the joy, not the quality)
Bride of Habaek (Netflix)
Hwarang (Viki/Netflix)
The Last Empress (Viki/Netflix)
Sassy Go Go (Netflix)



Mad as a box of frogs/uncategorisable

Strong Girl Bong Soon (Netflix)

Not Korean but just try it
Regulars occasionally 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)
Love O2O (Viki - Chinese)
Morning Call (Netflix - Japanese)
Put Your Head on My Shoulder (Netflix - Chinese)

Thread Regulars’ Top 5 Dramas of 2019
(courtesy of Hello’s kdrama spreadsheet, scores range from +10 if very good to -10 for truly awful)

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.



We have a few frequently used acronyms:
FL/2FL = female lead/2nd female lead
ML/2ML = male lead/2nd male lead
SLS = Second Lead Syndrome (where the FL/ML is too dense to realise the 2ML/2FL is better)
🥾🍑 (boot, peach) = kick up the arse to go to bed



We also abbreviate titles if they’re long, but usually 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 am cackling at the misfires on the team’s arrival at their new assignment in WSL. The new leadership team has some serious history - the spats in their meetings are going to be wonderfully entertaining if the first one is anything to go by. Consider this a small, cautious boaty signal.

I'm making myself go to bed now I know the result of the job interview in My Mister. I'm v glad I followed all your advice to keep watching, it's really good!

Well done, Girl. You’re doing better than me. 😩

I got halfway through Wok of Love on Netflix and just can't get back into it. My Viki list is getting ridiculous, so I might tackle a few on there. I watched Life Risking Romance on Viki, which was a film that was only a couple of hours long, so good for a break. Nothing too exciting.

Does anyone know where I can watch City Hunter with Lee Min Ho? It's not available in my region on Viki and can't find it on Netflix or Prime.

FL being a bit cackhanded/disaster prone and very warm-hearted has thawed ML, although his smiles are still reserved and constrained for now. I also got a new soup idea from the noodle shop scene. It’s not just the romance and oppas I watch for.

I can’t help, Monkey, as I usually swerve anything with Lee Min Ho in it.

Forest is not quite what I expected from the trailers...

Cassini I don't think anyone expected Forest to be what it is!

Monkeywench City Hunter is on dramafast if you don't mind ads/pop-ups

I fell down a web drama YouTube rabbit hole last night. XX is engaging (2 FLs who used to be best friends until one betrayed the other run a bar) but YouTube's habit of running into other clips meant I accidentally started Ending Again as well (contract marriage hooray). Eps are only 20 minutes long, so quite handy when you wake up at 2 in the morning wondering if your flight is going to be cancelled.

Were you expecting something mystical, something like Lost with the forest as a visual metaphor for the afterlife, Cassini? I was!

WSL has 30 min episodes too, Betty.

Monkey I ploughed through all of Wok of Love, I'm not sure it was worth it tbh!

Exactly boaty! It is just a bog standard rich CEO argues with feisty heroine drama.

I’m enjoying WSL loads. The president’s visit to the T2 team is funny. Surveys the chaos, then deadpans: “I’ll come back later.”

There is so much to enjoy in WSL, I’m not sure why we haven’t watched/discussed it before. I’m enjoying the security guy supervisor and his judo champ female work partner’s faltering not-quite-romance (because she’s as hard as nails and so uncompromising) as much as the main couple’s. Also, their head of team and whatever is (not) going on between him and the head of passenger services. There’s so much history and so much is left unsaid... But conversely, it is moving apace in other areas.

I think I'm going to join you on WSL after I finish XX. The reviews I read seemed to imply that the second romance was more interesting. However I am supposed to be away for the next few days, flights etc permitting and am not sure of broadband. I've been downloading stuff on Netflix but Hyena isn't available for download

I like the FL (Chae Soo-Bin) too - she’s so enjoyable to watch in WSL that I’m even more excited about the imminent Pieces of your Mind, where she plays opposite Jung Hae In in the ML role. I think they’ll be a good pairing.

Oooh it has Rowoon in who was so good in Extraordinary You !

I will add XX to the spreadsheet it was very enjoyable

Adding XX to the list. Started with My contracted husband Mr.Oh on Netflix. Having a bit of a Netflix binge because if I open my laptop for Viki I might have to do work stuff and I'm on A/L so don't want to.

I confess I dropped Mr Oh it seemed very dated somehow in the way it was filmed.

Mr Oh was a bit dull too. I almost finished it but couldn’t be arsed to watch the last couple. The secondary characters weren’t likeable enough.

I'm finding it difficult to get into Extraordinary You. I have so many half watched series I think I got to the second episode of Black Knight before I gave up.

It’s better to abandon than pursue a sunk costs ‘watch to the bitter end’ approach. Every hour abandoned in a season is another hour for something better, or even something entirely different like reading, talking your loved ones or the gym. Yeah, not really - just different kdrama. 🤣

I've just blubbed my way through the end of Me Mister, it was so touching and lovely. I want to move to Seoul and live in Hugye!
I've just read back through the thread and totally agree with all the comments. It was really really good!

I rather like Me Mister as a title for it!!😉

I think it will remain as one of my most memorable kdramas ☺️