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…

Well I have thoroughly enjoyed You’re My Pet it’s the most kdrama-like jdrama I've seen, if that makes sense.😜

I need a 🥾🍑, but I want to say that A Piece of Your Mind is growing on me. It’s seriously slow, but that accident in the forest is everything Betty & I hoped for. 🎉

boatyard 😆
By the way if you need something frivolous now you’ve finished ExtraordinRy You don’t forget all eps of Well Intended Love 2 are now up 😉

Did anyone see the news that SJS got married? Congratulations to him and his new wife! Commiserations to everyone else who hoped to fill that position.

It counts if I'm married to him in my mind, right? 😉

That's nice news

I've got that post-binge restlessness......want something else fluffy now.

Have taken a peek at latest ep of Weather & PMY is beginning to really annoy me

Go back to APOYM. I’m up to ep 5 & the two leads are becoming much more likeable/more interesting.

Well intended love 2 is just not as good as 1 😱 he may have been a stalkery, psychotic arsehole but at least he was attractive! The FL this time around doesn't seem into it at all.

In other news I thought my dreams would be dark and disturbing last night what with the news about Boris, but no.. I had a full colour performance of Girls Generation Gee....

In other news I thought my dreams would be dark and disturbing last night what with the news about Boris, but no.. I had a full colour performance of Girls Generation Gee....

😕🤣😆

Well intended love 2 is just not as good as 1 😱 he may have been a stalkery, psychotic arsehole but at least he was attractive! The FL this time around doesn't seem into it at all.

Oh I thought he was attractive in this too, just more gawky sort of overgrown schoolboy can't believe he's in with a chance at the girl of his dreams charm

Every single time I see a horse my brain goes "gee-gee gee-gee baby baby." It's been 11 years! It hasn't stopped. Someone save me.

What’s the gee-gee reference? I feel like I’m missing out on some killer earworm tunes.

Aaaaaarghhhh. That’s going to be rattling around my head for days.

hello cassini officially evil. That is going to stick 😏

Also, I used my homemade kimchi in the kimchi stew tonight. I’m a bit scared of it because it’s very, very spicy & frightened we’ll all get the runs from eating it. It’s the fermented shrimp that worries me and the idea you stick a load of smelly raw stuff in a box and ignore it for a while that gives me The Fear. Bought stuff is OK because those people know what they’re doing. It has been in the fridge, but still... If I don’t post again (or for some time) its more likely my kimchi got us than COVID19. We’ve been isolating plague house-style for nearly 14 days as the kids had fever/coughs. I have plenty of loo roll though, so if we just get the runs we can survive this.

It tasted right & looked right, smelled fishier than usual due to the fermented prawns and fish sauce. DS1 yelped after the first spoonful of the broth. ‘Tis very, very spicy. 😂

We will send help if needed 😷

Why should i suffer alone 😈😈😈

Cassini and I will always supply earworms when needed. Maybe like a belated music Monday?

boatyard we'll send out a search party if needed! be safe, drink milk!

boatyard I am envious of your homemade kimchi. I have just opened my last pack and am not sure when ill be able to get more

*I have just opened my last pack and am not sure when ill be able to get more^

This is what spurred me on to try making it again. I cannot live without kimchi stew. Even DS1 has relented and says he likes it. I think I’ll find a less poncey recipe though. This one has a pureed Asian pear and red pepper in it and it feels over soggy, if you know what I mean.

I think I bought out asda's stock of kimchi last time I went. I'll be eating it for months and I'll love every single bite.

Asda sells kimchi? Awesome!