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 do get a cool down period following great dramas. If I watch anything too soon after, I feel it gets scored against the great drama so I'm always disappointed

I’ve just started watching Hyena. I suspect the take-down of the cocky ML will be hugely enjoyable - I’ve just got to the first day of his new case in ep 1.

Right, anyone else staring down the barrel of 4/6 weeks isolation with the small people?
Given that I would like not to go totally🦇 💩 do we think there is anything I can make a primary aged boy watch with me? Maybe a Chinese sword and sandals with a simple plot? I tried one with him which he enjoyed until the horse's head in the bed scene 🤦🏼‍♀️

Cassini The Untamed is very swords (some flute) and sandals. It has plot, and I can't bring it every episode to mind but the only kind of scary thing is a flying 'zombie' that's not really a zombie and some big mass sword battles.

I'd check out some previews first in case I've missed something.

Thank you 🙏 Hello

helli... I've read such good things on the Untamed and rave reviews... But I just get soooo horribley confused by it... I feel like I should thoroughly enjoy it... The vengeance... Fighting... Bromance... Epicness... But I just don't know what the flippin heck is going on! 😂

It took me a while to figure it out but the first few episodes are set in the present when Wei Ying has possessed someone's body to solve some murders. There's a section in the middle that's set in the past leading up to how he ended up all 'evil' and then you go back to present day murderer hunting and heavy bromance. Not once is there a handy sandy '16 years earlier...' card shown on scream. That would be far too helpful of course.

Apparently they were supposed to be lovers but Chinese censorship stopped that in its tracks.

I think those 50 hour Mandarin series might be about to have their moment. Put your head on my shoulder was pretty tame - I watched most of it with DS11 - but probably v v boring for younger children.

I’m enjoying the ML/FL dynamic in Hyena hugely, particularly how much she’s got under his skin. It’s very entertaining.

I think some production companies have realised 50 hours is too long because they released a 20 episode abridged version of The Untamed. Unfortunately, Netflix decides to share just the full 50 hour version.

hello It's the beginning bit that just left me soooo perplexed... He died... Going over the cliff and then appears again... And no one seems to know who he is... And it's just alll over the place but I do recognise there's a good story in there somewhere and I like the two male leads who seem to be very funny and engaging!... Yes! I'd read about the censorship! It's very obvious though! 😂 😂 😂

I totally get you Bea

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR ANYONE INTENDING TO WATCH. UNLESS YOU'VE ALREADY STARTED IN WHICH CASE IT'S NOT REALLY A SPOILER BECAUSE IT HAPPENS IN EPISODE 1

Also would it be a🐝friendly ending because it ends with him dying, but you see his death in the begining?

I have the whole after/evening to myself and fully intend to spend it watching Hyena If I like it
Not had chance to watch anything all week with real life getting in the way.
Flights to Seoul now cancelled😭

Oh Aesops - that’s disappointing news about your Seoul trip. Although it does now mean me can all stop giving you jealous side-eye.

I’ll be watching more Hyena later - we’re heading out for some fresh air shortly before hunkering down. I absolutely love how the FL in Hyena is running circles around ML. I’m sure if they team up at some point they will be formidable.

That should have been ‘we’ but it’s probably a Freudian slip. I was very envious.

Oh no Aesops 😢. You must be so disappointed.
We have a holiday booked for Montenegro in a couple of weeks. They don't have any Corona virus cases, so I'm worried they will decide not to let us germy Brits in.

aesops... Hopefully it's just postponed! Good things come to those who wait! 👍👍👍🥰😘

hello.... I might give it another go! I might need some explaining once I decide to delve! 😂🥰

Sorry to hear that Aesops, it's such a shame. I wasn't giving you jealous side-eye at all oh not me it was all that boatyard person

Definitely just boatyard with the side eye. I would never do such a thing! Hopefully, you're able to rebook for a later time.

😂🤣😂

I was looking forward to being your 'Foreign Correspondent'
We changed the flights to New Year for different location to visit relatives.

Who knows what is going to happen, just counting my blessings here for now and hoping everybody stays safe.

When all this is over we should plan a group trip! We could all set a date, then meet up in Seoul (although I really want to visit Jeju) only meeting face to face first time in Korea! Just like a K-Drama plot 🤓
How exciting would that be!

Hyena looks good so far, one episode completed.

I was kind of thinking if enough of us got BTS tickets we could have a meet, but I’m wondering if the boys will want to come to guinea pig herd immunity theory Britain this summer. It will be interesting to see whether the tickets actually go on sale this coming Friday.

Although I very much like the idea of a Seiul meet up. Mojitos at Namsan Tower, Terrius style?

Of FFS! Seoul!