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…

hello no no not weird things really, I was just querying an editorial/writers decision about something. There's a theory it was meant to be 40 episodes not 32, so the ending is a little rushed, but it is Bea-friendly

Hmmm after extensive research it appears it is the real thing, so must have been the writers’ creative decision 🤷‍♀️

It works regardless, and you can fill in the blank for yourselves. It’s absolutely ideal as a jumping off point for the slash fiction community. I wanted to see more of Agents Oh and Na. Surely a mumblecore spin off series of them trying express their repressed emotions more overtly would attract a lot of WSL viewers?

As long as its a 🐝, I'm okay. I've watched too many shows with terrible endings lately.

I wanted to see more of Agents Oh and Na. Surely a mumblecore spin off series of them trying express their repressed emotions more overtly would attract a lot of WSL viewers?

I loved their last scene and wanted much more!! Kim Kyung Nam (Oh Dat Gi) played the brother in Come and Hug Me and is due to appear in The Eternal Monarch

Don’t worry hello it’s a 🐝

WSL... oh dear god!! Please reassure me that section chief gong gets run over by a plane!!... What an unpleasant character!! 😡

WSL!.. It'd better be a 🐝!!... Except for section chief gong of course! 😡

bettys... Memorist is great... But maybe wait a bit until there's more eps up... Last time I looked ep 3 was only 34 % subbed! 😭😡😣... Argh!! But I've started now!...

Team leader heo as well can get squished! 😡

I've just cought up with the latest two episodes of Tell Me What You Saw; there was a lot of strangling/garroting happening 😣. It's pretty grim! But I want to know who's getting to the end alive 🤣. And Jang Hyuk still looks amazing.

Anyway back to lovely, fluffy Where Stars Land 💫

Just started Memorist, also quite dark but 👍

bettys... But funny too! 😂

I’m watching Prison Playlist, though finding it difficult to settle because, well, events.

Events = real life stuff, not that I’m a wedding planner or owt.

It's one of my absolute favourites boaty. Where are you up to in it?

Oh balls. I’m watching Hospital Playlist. I’ve already watched Prison Playlist aaaages ago & loved it. Anyone else watching HP and wondering which of the 4 men Prof Chae was (is?) carrying a torch for? And do we care to wager that they have all carried a torch for her at some point?

🤣 Well I havnt watched that yet, so I can't help 😂

I'm sorry real life is a bit pants for you right now boatyard. It must be difficult to face such uncertainty for the next few months. You can always find a safe repeive from real life in dramaland and here with your virtual coffee shop buddies.

I’m not special. Its pants for everyone right now and I have fewer things to worry about than some people. It’s just got to me the last couple of days. But thank you gor your kind words. Anyway, back to the shiny shiny escapism. 👍

Once again I'm very glad to have this lovely friendly thread ❤️ and the shiny, shiny escapism 😊

Once again I'm very glad to have this lovely friendly thread ❤️ and the shiny, shiny escapism 😊

Oh me too! 👍😘

I’m about to start HP (viewing was severely disrupted by my surreal escapade in France last wkend) but in answer to boatyard I am going to take a guess by looking at the cast that Prof. Chae will have a yen for Jo Jung Seok but will end up with the one whose name I don’t know.

Although as the season is potentially open ended it may be unclear at the end.

I'm starting to feel put off the second I find out its an open ending. I'm slowly becoming more of a Bea and needing nice, tidy endings. Look at the damage Netflix has done to me.

I'm one episode in to HP and if all the eps were up it would probably take over my life, rather like Prison Playbook did. I'm hoping there will be a neat resolution to the first series if they do another, the drama landscape must be shifting at the moment in SK.

I am very much likingJung Kyung Ho again after the messy When The Devil Calls Your Name, and even Jo Jung Seok is gaining traction with his cute Darth Vader stunt. I'm sticking with my prediction of him & Dr Chae, though I reserve the right to change my mind. Kind of wishing for a bit of Dong Mae to pop up (unlikely)