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’m somewhat confused, they seemed to go from a mountain rescue to a table death with nothing in between

I’m so glad you said this. I looked down at my phone to MN momentarily and it all got strange, but I decided to just roll with it seeing as I was interested to see where he was carrying her off to. It does have the odd touch of fever dream editing, but it makes me pay attention. Which episode was that? I may watch again to see what I missed.

Eeek I hated The Light In Your Eyes it was a -10 for me I hope d sad he’s does all right by the boys! It was a very Marmite drama 😟

End of episode 8 boatyard . I’m finding it all rather badly put together which is disconcerting and a real shame considering the setting & visuals

I think the shirt thing was very jarring after Oh My Venus as everyone took their shirts off all the time! Obviously Hug Me is a serious and angst filled drama so shirts off is much less appropriate. - - I'm so shallow--

😂 Strike through fail!

Thanks Betty. If I can get DS2 off the telly, I’ll watch again. We foolishly introduced him to Glee at the weekend and there are 6 seasons. He has the boxset binger gene. 🤦‍♀️

I’m on ep 9 now and it seems he didn’t die....?!?! I am totally confused by the editing and the subtitles aren’t helping. Early Soompi posts said it was a romcom rather than romdrama iykwim but it seems unsteady in its handling

Yes, not dead table death. Like I say, fever dream editing...

I watched that bit again. It still made no sense. 🤷‍♂️

Just started on My Mister. The Rat is quite dashing in this! 😮 What a difference a decent haircut and a smart suit makes!

Oh I’m glad it wasn’t just me !

Yes The Rat is v v different in My Mister. I will be very interested to see what you think of it.

I am currently having to look away a lot in Dr Romantic 🤢

I’m not in the right mood for Dr Romantic. I want to thump them all, not just the baddies. Time out in the Forest with soothing nature sounds and the Man of Marble (human statue) for scenery was perfect. Annoying to have caught up & to be back on the broadcast schedule.

Watching the bit with the concrete survey of the industrial chimney in My Mister through my fingers. I hate heights. 😩

After episode 13 of Dr Romantic I want to thump them all too

My Mister is so fucking bleak. I’m about 2/3 through the first episode and I’m going to take a housework break to cheer myself up. (It’s good too, but blimey!)

I'm back now and happily had plenty of time to watch CLOY, hoping to finish it tonight. I'm really enjoying it - I like ML and FL and how they compliment each other and the story too, so far it's all good. But I have to ask, as it's happened in a few different kdramas now -

WHY DON'T THEY PUT PRESSURE ON GUNSHOT/STAB WOUNDS IMMEDIATELY??

Stop with the SHOCK! HORROR! TEARS! and find something to put on that wound RIGHT NOW!

Sorry to shout, it's really been bugging me - yeah, yeah it's only a tv programme, and I might be a little too invested, but even so!

It is at first but then after the first couple of episodes and especially later it gets heartwarming. It's a rewarding watch.

Sorry that was for boatyard

frogs yy and they heal and are leaping up from their hospital beds in no time at all !!

Thanks Betty.

Frogs - I feel the same about the pressure on wounds and CLOY particularly annoyed me because they are soldiers, so that should be basic combat first aid. 🤦‍♀️ But I’m going to consistent and whinge about the sloppy infection control measures in kdrama operating theatres and hospitals. Another spurting wound and arterial spray in the surgeon’s face in Forest! 🤯

bettys ha yes they do - and my abs (such as they are!) are twinging in sympathetic pain as they do that leaping

Smiling when they've got a split lip is another one - ouch! Always at the FL mind you, so maybe they don't just don't feel the pain

I agree boat, I'm not in any way medically trained but if I know to do that, you'd expect soldiers to. Jars a bit even when I'm sucked into the story.

And I have to agree with you about infection control/the spurting wounds with blood going everywhere - I haven't seen Dr Romantic or Forest but iirc the doctors in Descendants of the Sun were bad at that. Tsk!

YY to being bugged by medical inaccuracies.
I have found a new most slappable person in a kdrama. The female journalist in Come and Hug Me. She is nearly as evil as the serial killer!

OH OH OH TheGirl!!!! She is vile!!! Bea & I ranted about her when we were watching it !

Super horrible!! 👹

Come and Hug Me!... thegirl... It's epic and I loved it!... Except that female journalist!! Arggh!... Soooo slappable! Put her with Dr Romantic Anaesthetist... Arggh! A slapfest!! 😡😡😡

I’ve been ousted for Glee again. Ah well, kimchee stew for dinner tonight. 👍 My boys did say: “again!?!” in aggrieved tones. We might have had it twice last week. 😂 I’ve promised a side order of gyoza to soften the blow.