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’m still struggling TBH, despite reading the SK 2020 election wiki page. It’s the first election 18 year olds have been allowed to vote in & a new Feminism Party ran candidates, but no seats. Clue?

They weren't born in SK

Ah, thank you.

I asked for a kdrama round but was voted down by the rest of the family 😊

I would so love a kdrama quiz, it would be such fun!

I am currently watching ep 9 of APOYM sans subs, and tbh there's not much difference
I do like ML & FL & the supporting characters but the story is so slight it's like a mood piece without any real substance

I finished watching W last night. I enjoyed it and it was lovely to see LJS. I'd left it for a bit so I wasn't as desperate to find out the ending as if I'd have kept watching it, I think.

My goodness ep 15 of Weather was a hard slog (watched it on drama fast), so dreary! And PMY so unlikeable. I hope the last episode is better.

Started Born Again but not sure about it yet. The 80s hair for the MLs is a little challenging

Oh gosh. I forgot about Born Again for a hot second. I'll have to put it on my list for tonight! I've really struggled to watch anything lately. No matter how excited I've been to watch things, I just can't seem to settle.

I was really into The World of the Married for a little while and then it just dawned on me how unlikeable 90% of the characters are. I'm not going to sit and watch people I don't like do things I don't care about.

We've been listening to podcasts during the daytime as an alternative to just music or radio so I think my pub quiz abilities are slowly rising. I've learned a lot of useless facts today. While not related to this thread, any podcast recommendations are appreciated.

DH rates Adam Buxton’s podcasts. There’s a great one with Miranda Sawyer where she talks about middle age & your changed perspective.

Just watched the perfect tooth rotting fluff that is 1% of something. It was just the thing that I needed, contract relationship and a ML who actually looks like he was enjoying the kissing 🤭 Complete and utter fluff that required no brain cells to be engaged 😁

I enjoyed it too, though it didn’t score that highly on the spreadsheet.

I have two busy evenings ahead of me being virtually sociable, so I’ll be keeping an eye on the early reviews for Born Again.

boartyard... Oh god! I loved Adam and Joe when they were on Radio 2... I have their shows saved and they make us absolutely roar with laughter... They were so so funny!... I really miss them... I still love to listen to Adam Buxton podcasts now and again.. But I really miss Joe... If you feel like a real chortle... naughty school boy humour... Honest to goodness cheeriness... Look up Adam and Joe Radio 2 podcasts... Their jingles and songs are legendary in this house... 😂😂😂

Ooops! Apologies! Nothing to do with kdrama! 😂 😂

Look what I made today!! 😂 😂 Still not kdrama but the youtuber whose tutorial I followed was korean! 😂 😂

That's so cool! Pretty material

Ooh did any of you watch the TV series Adam and Joe Go Tokyo? I remember loving that

girl... Don't think I've seen that! I'll look out for it... Oh! I do miss Adam and Joe! They were just toooo cheeky! We used to listen to them in the car and when they got too risqué... Me and Dh would be silently sniggering away and kids hadn't a clue! 😂 😂 😂 😂

bettys... Thank you!... Luckily I've got lots of lovely material due to my frenzied Tote Bag Creating a couple of years ago!... Ooo! I should find some BTS themed material and make a bag!!... 😯😯😯😯💜💜💜😁

There's only a not v clear version on You Tube Bea unless the BBC decides to raid its back catalogue to entertain us in lock down. It's from 2003 I think, so pretty old now.

Aww! I'll content myself with the podcasts! 👍... Thanks -girl x

Re Adam and Joe, The Toy Patient (their soft toy version of the English Patient is hilarious - its on YouTube) and the football song (also on YouTube).

Catching up on APOYM. I’m getting really fed up of the actor playing teen HJI. He shows up in everything. He’s ubiquitous and has been acting as a child for a while, so you’ll see a 10 year old and as his face comes into view, I think “it’s him again!” Like kdrama Where’s Wally, but less fun. I guess he’ll switch to more grown-up roles shortly, FFS.

*boatyard.... Nam de Reum... 😂😂😂... Yes... He does play EVERY young version of male lead but I like him... He was great in Come Hug Me... And good in Just Between Lovers... He turned up in Hotel Del Luna too but playing an actual character!! Not a young version!... I'm surprised he's not getting his "own" roles by now as he was just lead in A Beautiful World... You'd think he would have become far too starry to just play young versions! I'm surprised he hasn't turned up in Weather as young SKJ! 😂 😂 I was expecting it! 😂 😂...

Adam and Joe... Their soft toy star wars skits! 😂 😂 😂 They would have been huge in this tik tok era as their minds!... 🤯🤯🤯😂😂😂

I’m surprised he hasn't turned up in Weather as young SKJ!

Wash your mouth out Bea! Anyway, I’m thinking of deducting a point from my score every time he shows up as young ML in future. There must surely be more than 1 male child actor

Nam Da Reum is only 17 so I guess he’s still in FT education & can only do guest roles. I think he’s really good, loved his role in Hotel del Luna

It’s just a shame he always has to do the flashback-at-a-funeral-look-sad spot 😂

I'm finishing off WSL and Nam Da Reum is in that too!