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…

My clippers are ancient... But got them out the other day to tidy hair! (not mine! It's had enough trauma already!... I've been thinking of getting rid of them for ages! I'm glad I didn't now! I live love the idea that when all this is over... All those explanations to hairdressers... "well!... All I had was a pair of IKEA scissors...." 😂

I've caught up on weather now! SKJ is truly truly lovely! ❤️ Sigh!...

Memorist also caught up with! It really is gripping (and genuinely frightening at some parts!) but I'm beginning to lose patience with the continuous twists and turns... bettys are you still watching?... There's soooo many red herrings... I'm like... "awww! Come of it! Enough!..."

Ever Night... Although beautifully made... Great action sequences... I find the acting a little irritating... It's quite over the top... Esp... FL... Got yo to ep 12... Then thought I'd skippitydoodah with some added reading if summaries of eps... And I've even given up cheating now!... It's just toooo long and drawn out and too many characters in the real world and mystically!... I've given up!... Might go right to ep 61... But I'm not chomping at the bit as I heard there's a Season 2!!... There's even. More..?....?..., 😭😫

... Oh yes! Happy Easter All! 😂

Bea I love ML & FL in Memorist but I am in a weird quarantine mood where I can’t concentrate & just want fluff so I have paused on it & will come back ‘cos it is good I think but not where I am right now!

Same with Ever Night - just can’t concentrate! and there is a S2 and FL kind of annoys me, she was in Don't Get Tipsy Get Downright Pissed and seemed too young for that

Strangely I am enjoying the gaming element of Kings Avatar and I’m not a gamer

Started Emergency Couple & CJH is a bit of a dick in it but I guess he’ll have a ‘journey’ 🤣

DH was in the lounge with me. He always comments on the “ya!” shouting and hair-pulling and also what he calls the “CBeebies tippy-toe music”, which has made me hyper-aware. Emergency Couple currently has a lot of both.

And yes, CJH is playing at being a twat with alarming effectiveness.

Firstly - thanks (not thanks) to Boats DH for pointing out the obvious that is now going to annoy me forever more.

Secondly- Extraordinary You, why did you not force me to watch it earlier?!? It is brilliant, especially in these weird times. I am enjoying everything about it, especially the meta jokes on Kdrama tropes 🤣🤣🤣

Oh I might not start lovely horrible then 😟

I also have ancient clippers that I used with good effect on both the males in my life 💇🏻‍♂️💇🏼 DH may have to appear on local tv at some point 🤷🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️👨🏻‍🦲

Cassini!... Yes! Extraordinary You is lovely and funny!... And has lovely Calming Rowoon! 😍😂👌

Rowoon and SKJ are the kdrama oppas du jour - gentle, eminently huggable and quietly thoughtful.

Firstly - thanks (not thanks) to Boats DH for pointing out the obvious that is now going to annoy me forever more.

😞 Soz.

Started Emergency Couple & CJH is a bit of a dick in it but I guess he’ll have a ‘journey
I hope so! Im 😂😂😂 at the electrocution and then unnecessary actual mouth to mouth resuscitation

One of the CBeebies type backing tracks in Emergency Couple is more like the looping gaming track on a retro game like Mario or Sonic. I’m kind of rocking along to it, but it makes me smile every time they use it.

Bea - a new nickname is born LCR lovely calming Ro-woon 🥰

Cassini... 😂😂... He's equally lovely in Where Stars Land too!! Lovely Calming Rowoon! 😍 I'd be interested to see what he does next!.. He's got lovely smiling eyes too! But that nickname has already been bestowed upon Lovely Eyes Junho! 😂

😁 LCR 👍
Emergency Couple has been my most successful binge of lock down. Just sending myself to bed after 5 episodes 😳 and that's only cos I'm on an early shift tomorrow.

Heeelllllp! I’m stuck in an Emergency Couple vortex. Someone chuck a rope or life belt in...

Me too...... I need a 🥾🍑

I’m so going to pay for this tomorrow. 🤦‍♀️

Haha bettys and boatyard did you make it out of the vortex? I'm 😴 but on my way to work, hopefully I'll fit some Emergency Couple into my break 😁

🥱🥱After the vortex the only way to recover is Hot Cross buns and more Emergency Couple 🤣🤣

I turned in a few minutes before 2am 😱, woke up at around 7.30 but went back to sleep until just now.

And I’m debating whether to watch mire Emergency Couple in bed or whether to go downstairs for breakfast first. I’ve pulled a muscle in my thigh, so lying down flat in bed is more comfortable.

Now in supermarket queue wishing I’d thought to pack headphones...