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…

Aesop you are on a roll with the conversions! I always recommend Descendants just for the sheer amount of eye candy 🍬😉

Aesops oooh tricky what do you watch after CLOY if that was your first?? I’d go for either BTIMFL or Her Private Life

I will admit to EC not being all I hoped it would be but I am ffwrding to the end determinedly and am then going to have a glorious binge catchup of Weather, APOYM & Miaow

Oh and I agree with boatyard that the oafish behaviour in the stairwell with the stethoscope was the last straw

bettys... BTIMFL...! Yes! I was thinking the same as my sister will be needing a gentle shove to the next one after CLOY... I was also thinking Healer...

Yes Healer is another good starter drama, although the start is a little confusing with all the flashbacks...also Search WWW would be good as it has great FLs in (and Park Morgan & Lee Jae Wook) but they are on Viki though maybe you could cram it in to a week's free trial if they are doing them

Morning all. I am very long time lurker but just wanted to come and say hello.
I now have an obsession with Kdrama and thanks to recommendation from everyone on here I have been able to watch some amazing dramas. I have pretty much watched most of the recommended list - only Kdrama though.
I am finding it a bit hard at the moment though to settle on a good drama. I feel I need something warm and fluffy with not too much angst but failing to find one to settle on. Any ideas?

Hi fifilacklustre - love it when long-time lurkers pop up! It feels like our work is worth it

It'd be worth asking hello to send you a link to the spreadsheet which is far more extensive, though as yet isn't categorised, just scored.

I'm finding it hard to settle to a drama too right now, but am enjoying some of the currently airing ones. Off the top of my head & without double checking if they're on the header, for light n fluffy try:
Shopping King Louis
The Beauty Inside
Doctors
Splash SplasH Love
Radio Romance
Love in the Moonlight

Plus there are some great little web dramas around on Youtube:
^XX
Big Mistake
One Fine Week
The Boy Next Door^

I'm working in the categorisation! It's just in a separate sheet for now to make life easier for me 😂 They will eventually become one. Maybe by the time lock down is over.

I second all of bettys recs. They're fluffy and lovely. Just what you need.

Thanks bettys. I haven't delved into the web drama world , so may give it a go. I have watched a few suggested on your list and have been toying with watching Shopping King Louis, so will definitely watch it now. I prefer watching when all episodes are dropped, that's why I am waiting on Weather, APOYM & Miaow.
Would love to have spreadsheet, so will ask hello. I will keep 'lurking' and drop in now and then. Not that great on social media, but love to lurk and really appreciate this thread.

Welcome Filia 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 so nice to have more of us 😆

I would recommend One Percent of Something if you are looking for the perfect "formula" k drama.

Private Life is also a great way in and can lead on to the FL back catalogue including Secretary Kim.

Still 17 is also good for a bit of a weep and if you need to let some emotions out during this stressful time watch Come and Hug Me with a huge box of tissues!

But if you want total brain mush niceness then try the Chinese drama O2O (as we have just been discussing).

I'll send the link to you shortly so keep an eye on your inbox! It's organised by pre 2019, 2019 and then 2020 so if you need an all dropped drama you can peruse the 2019/pre2019 sheets safe in the knowledge the best dramas there are all ready and waiting for you.

Does anyone else go 'Private Life drama baby leave me out^ whenever they see Private Life written??

This is what happens when you delurk fifilacklustre you get sucked in welcomed with open arms!

Hello Cassini and thanks. I have watched all of those apart from Come and Hug Me, not sure if I can do that much sobbing at moment. I am more drawn to 'happy endings' just now. Another one I have watched recently is Secret Romance, which I enjoyed. I do like Sung Hong . I also liked the OST in it.
Thanks hellos, I will keep a look out for it.

I sent the link via pm! I may have rambled a lot in the message too but I am sure everyone here would welcome your ratings on the spreadsheet!

Please delurk more often! We like new people!

Gah EC is annoying me now (ep 19)

I'm going for bettys option re EC 😁 I will admit to EC not being all I hoped it would be but I am ffwrding to the end determinedly
Welcome fifilacklustre !

I made bibimbap for lunch. I added too much spice, I'm sitting here with kimchi on my tongue to stop the pain! Where's the pickled radish when you need it!

😂😂😂 Just cross posted there bettys

I watched ep 19 last night and ffwd through all the crying!!!

It comes to something when kimchi is soothing, Hello. Ye gads woman, how much spice did you use?

Welcome Fifi! I just told DH another kdrama fan has delurked on the thread, as he is convinced I’m a solitary nut. He sighed and said: “another has fallen!”

Also, please join in as a regular fifi - if you’ve been lurking for a while you’ll know that we’re not exactly aiming for highbrow critique.

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. Bettys my family are convinced I have gone a bit crazy and keep talking about my Korean obsession. I have told them the best way to cure me is to send me on a trip to Seoul, but no one is biting . I am definitely sucked in but I love it so much and it so good for my sanity,
I am determinedly watched EC to the end last night, it really wasn't what I was hoping for but I didn't want to give up. Maybe give it a generous 5.5, as I did laugh at some moments and it does have CHJ in it .
Boaty at no stretch of the imagination would I be looking for high brow, just hoping not to be flamed, I have lurked on mumsnet long enough to know the dangers .
hellos, thanks for all the trouble and effort in sending me links, sorry that I couldn't get it open.

If the spreadsheet link doesn't work, you can always do what the live boaty does and put your scores on the thread and I'll post them over there.

Google must be tempremental today. I can't think of any reasons why the spreadsheet won't work for you but will for me. Google sheets is a bit finicky at times but we'll get there eventually.

boatyard I think I got distracted while adding the chilli flakes and maybe added too much. It was delicious once I got through the spicy pain though.

I can’t think of a single flaming on the kdrama threads. Even when I vehemently disagreed with Betty and Bea about What’s the Matter of Secretary Kim in the early days (when it was just the 3 of us), it was all very amicable. What unites us (our overwhelming love of kdrama) is stronger than what divides us (usually differing opinions on the relative merits of oppas).

I forgot how deadly hot my homemade kimchi was and added extra gochugaru to our kimchi stew on Monday night. We’ arranged to “have dinner” with my in laws via Facetime, so they were treated to everyone at our end coughing, blowing noses and complaining noisily about the extreme spiciness of my stew. 😂

I will look at posting my scores, might take a while as I need to consider them carefully.
Boaty I liked What's Wrong with Secretary Kim and recently watched it again for second time.
I did try to start Hyena but I didn't like the characters at all, I may go back to it.

Boat I was only thinking yesterday that we deserve a Mumsnet gold star 🌟 I think we must be the longest running thread with no deletions or even reporting 🥳