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…

I've just got back from supermarket too, is it me or has everything gone up in price? I thought I would make Pork Belly and Kimchi fried rice for dinner, decided to make a later lunch instead so I can get stuck into Emergency Couple for most of the evening as only managed a single episode last night. Looking good though.

Yes, I think prices have gone up, though I was in Lidl so there were many bargains to be had.

Anyone else getting this manga google ad on the thread?

I'm living for the Emergency Couple binging that's happening. When I watched it, I binged 4/5 episodes in one night only to find out it was half way through airing. The remaining wait was torture. I love Song Ji Hyo as an actress and she's really funny and down to earth on the variety show Running Man.

I've been jumping in and out of Rugal and am loving the kick ass woman, Mina(?). I love a well choreographed fight scene. Typical OCN drama though; all doom and gloom to start then sort of fizzles to pants and rant(-worthy behaviour)s. (I so wanted it to rhyme but I couldn't make it happen.

I really want to binge Emergency Couple this afternoon but I’m going to have to do some parenting, darn it.

RESULT!! my sister has just texted me that she's on ep 10 of Crash Landing on You!! 😂 😂 😂 You cannot imagine how excited and accomplished I feel! 😂 😂 😂 😂

I seeded CLOY as fun thing to do in lockdown with a group of friends. I’m waiting to see if I manage to reel anyone in with Hyun Bin.

And well done Bea. 💪

I've been getting similar ads on the app! I'm starting to think they can hear my thoughts about forced cohabitation being a good drama trope.

I'm jumping about dramas a lot today and nothing is sticking. I did have a little giggle at Hospital Playlist earlier though. Nothing quite seems to fit the current mood, does it?

Why does everyone look hotter in a black shirt? (Grumpy ER resident in the ballroom dancing scene, though the smile may have been a factor. 😄)

So this happened in between episode binging. It looks darker in the house but it really suits her. Now channelling her inner Kpop star and dancing away on video chat with her friends. My mother is scandalised 😂😂

I think longer hair is my version of a black shirt. In that I seem to think every actor looks hotter when they've got luscious locks. A few notable examples include Kim Jae Wook in Coffee Prince, Lee Soo Hyuk in Scholar Who Walks the Night, and Kuang Tian in The Ghost Bride. Although I feel I might be alone in this opinion.

monkeywench She's wearing it well, I wish I had the gall to go that bright! How she's wearing that shirt in this weather is a mystery to me though!

hello don't let the sunshine fool you! It's quite nippy where I am, especially when the wind blows. I'm letting her do all the things my mum didn't because I can 😂

I think my version of a black shirt is when the hair is brushed off the forehead, that and rolled up shirt sleeves with big watches swoon

monkeywench she looks fab! It’s a gorgeous colour.

I agree with longer hair & crisp white shirts - HH KJW in Coffee Prince with long hair, white shirt & black apron swoooooon Oh and skinny black jeans 😍

But I am a sucker for a bit of the new romantic look (I loved Phil Oakey in his early Human League days, high heels and all)

oh yes monkeywench Especially artful shots of CEOs rolling up their sleeves during a strategy meeting. I thoroughly endorse this!

This also kind of appeals to women too, I think they look better in dramas when they're in a good set of trousers, like Scarlett from Search: WWW. Although maybe I'm just projecting and think they look better when they're comfortable.

Monkeywrench - your daughter’s hair is fabulous. It’s cemented my resolve to order some Manic Panic dye to make the most of my grey. I like the blue steel one, but it will be lost in amongst my natural colour so I need to for something like fuschia or purple.

I’m loving everyone rocking their Crocs and scrubs in Emergency Couple too. When you have a well-proportioned man he’s look good in anything. The grumpy ER doctor is growing on me.

I've got that slightly panicky feeling that everyone is ahead of me in Emergency Couple, is that weird/needy/competitive??? I'm only on ep 4 as I've actually had to do stuff today

Ep 11

Dammit I can feel a late night coming on🤬

Fab hair do!

Ep 4 for me too 📺

🤜🤛 Cassini😬

What were you doing staying up so late last night to be still on ep 4, Betty?

I mean I'm tempted to rewatch it with you all so you're ahead of me bettys

I keep thinking I should dye my hair a nice turquoise green. Then I remember the upkeep the last time I did it and suddenly I'm not a fan of the idea anymore 😂 Maybe I'll have to be adventurous during this time of isolation and leave it with a nice ombre look.

I love your daughter's hair monkey 🤩
I'm just about to start episode 9 of Emergency Couple 😁
Grumpy ED Doc is doing a terrible job of being grumpy but is excellent at being a sweetheart. And CJH is being less of a dick now.