MsLatte’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #14): Special welcome to any MNers stuck at home who need escapist boxset recommendations

[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)
The Fiery Priest (Netflix)

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)*
Signal (Netflix)*
Suspicious Partner (Netflix)*
The Lies Within (Netflix)*
Tunnel (Netflix)*

Historical/Period drama (“sageuk”)
100 Days My Prince (Viki)
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)*
Where Stars Land (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)
I’ll Go To You When The Weather is Nice (Viki - currently airing)

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)
My Mister (Viki)**
Prison Playbook (Netflix)*

Stove League (Viki)

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

Extraordinary You (Netflix)
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: Two Worlds (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)
Go Go Squid (Viki - Chinese)
Instead of Tipsy Why Not Get Drunk (Viki, Chinese)
Love O2O (Viki - Chinese)
Morning Call (Netflix - Japanese)
Put Your Head on My Shoulder (Netflix - Chinese)
Tientsin Mystic (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…

You seem v emphatic about Tales of Nodku bettys so will defo go back to it

I am with Betty on Tale of Nokdu. The leads had excellent chemistry and it just gets better & better as it goes on. But Robot is lovely too.

Yes! Nokdu and Robot lovely! Nice and warm! 😊😊👍

Well, if you are all agreeing that's a very good sign That's me sorted for a good few hours viewing then, yay

I clicked on this thinking it would help with me learning Korean - not so much

How many dramas do you recognise? Nearly all of them for me

Well, if you are all agreeing that's a very good sign

Or we are very, very wrong, but there’s a lot of groupthink on the thread.

I needed fluffy so currently on Flower Boy Next Door. I also recognised way to many dramas in that link 😂

I never finished Flower Boy Next Door, can’t remember why now. I’ve started Kakafukaka which is .... well I’m not quite sure yet but quite male-centric 😆

I wish Japanese FL weren’t so ditsy it makes me want to smack them

Of course I never would, I hasten to add. I’d just stare at them scornfully.

bettys it's my pet hate as well! Probably why I prefer kdrama

I quite like branching out now and again as you can find some gems but it often serves to remind me why kdrama is best 👌

The ending of Kakafukaka didn't go where I thought it would and I really appreciated it. Although I'm not sure how his inability to write is also connected to his other problem. Its hardly if it produces words on a page for him.

Habaek is good but could have been great. It just seemed to miss a trick here and there imo 6/10

hello hmm I’m more intrigued to stick with it now if the ending is unexpected.
Never underestimate how the male psyche is wrapped up in their performance 😉

nettya it's nothing extraordinary, it just made me go 'hmm that's different.' So, don't be expecting dinosaurs and explosions or anything else that amazing.

I quite enjoyed ep 9 of Weather. I even rewound & watched the scene with SKJ teasing PMY about picking a fight. I’m not convinced they have the best chemistry (unlike PMY snogging KJW 💥🔥), but it is adequate.

I wish Japanese FL weren’t so ditsy it makes me want to smack them. Of course I never would, I hasten to add. I’d just stare at them scornfully.

I’m not convinced they have the best chemistry (unlike PMY snogging KJW 💥🔥), but it is adequate.
Agreed. Maybe it’s the restful vibe of the drama but the fizzing fireworks aren’t there, it’s sort of awwwww instead of phwoaaaar! The making of scenes are very relaxed & cosy too.

Agreed cassini about Habeak - there were some great scenes which kept me watching, but overall there weren't enough per episode to lift it from good to great - I think I'd give it 6/10 too.

I did enjoy the scene where he cooks for her though, maybe even more than the abs in the bathtub - probably my age, he's a little young for me, so while I can appreciate him like I would a fine piece of art work, now I'm firmly middle aged it appears the way to my heart is through my stomach

I did enjoy the scene where he cooks for her though, maybe even more than the abs in the bathtub

I seem to remember Park Morgan fixing things around the house and doing the hoovering in WWW was similarly well received on the thread. 😆

My lot (specifically DH) have reached the "are we there yet?" stage and I'm running out of gin(s). I may have to do an Amazon delivery of alcohol to go with the now missing bag of cat food.

If I commit murder my Netflix list will be enough to convict me 😂😂 All those crime dramas and documentaries 🤫🤔

Frogs 🐸 those are exactly my feelings on the matter! He cooking and cleaning skills over abs now (I got old without noticing)

DS and DH keep wanting to talk to me and I can't get on with watching any dramas!! 🤯

But DH has followed my hints/strict instructions and ordered me the Jinzu gin 😁

Posting because of the SK topicality, but also because it made me laugh: news.sky.com/story/trump-gets-seoul-population-wrong-by-28-million-after-boasting-he-knows-south-korea-better-than-anybody-11966163