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 thought so too, Girl. I thought the observations about hierarchy and not asking questions for fear of making a mistake were also interesting.

Agree the social aspects of that report were very interesting

Soo dreary! Its such a shame. It should have been brilliant

@bettys seen both healer and my secret terrius. Don't mind a bit of so ji sub!

Which drama is APOYM?

A Piece of Your Mind - Viki. Very slow and atmospheric, but likeable cast/leads.

Hello what platform are you watching Girlfriend on and who are the leads so I can find it please?

I have been saving up weather for a binge watch... is it not Bea 🐝 friendly???

It’s OK cassini. Even if the ending is meh, it’s worth it for SKJ pouring coffee meditatively in good knitwear and the supporting cast’s stories. Bizarrely, PMY is the worst thing about it. (I haven’t watched ep 15 yet, mind. That could be the kicker.)

Lovely WSL guard in this inst post: www.instagram.com/p/B_U3l4WpCY5/?igshid=a5vppsnxnppk

Noooo! Are you saying Weather is a let down of an ending? I've still got 15 and 16 to go... if it just fizzles out I'll be FURIOUS!! 🤬😡
I thought it was heading to something good! PMY character had better pull her socks up and grow up! 🤔🤔

🐝🐝🐝🐝

Lovely WSL security guard is lovely 😍. I finished WSL this afternoon, which was cute. Was the last scene mentioned earlier? Why didn't they show his face?

I'm about to watch ep 16 of Weather I'm feeling a bit annoyed about it already!

I haven’t seen ep 16 yet but I read a recap and I think it is 🐝 friendly if a little lowkey.
Agree with boaty, PMY is the worst thing about it.

Am v looking forward to Monarch with its many handsome men tomorrow!
Currently having a family viewing of Reservoir Dogs as DS (20) has never seen it.

Why didn't they show his face?

Someone on here had a theory about scheduling conflicts.

Am v looking forward to Monarch with its many handsome men tomorrow!

God, yes! It’s prime escapist fluff. I am absolutely gobsmacked I am anticipating something with Lee Min Ho in it so eagerly.

OK the end of Weather was OK, definitely cheerier than the previous episode. I guess they could just have 16 episodes of SKJ making coffee and looking dreamy, but added the dreary bits for contrast?!

I'm also looking forward to Monarch tomorrow 😁.
I need to find something else to watch now I've finished W, WSL and Weather.
I had a little look at APOYM but I think I'm in the mood for something a bit silly/cheery.

Cassini It's got Lawrence Wong and Xu Hao as leads and I'm watching it on dramacool. (if you're going to use it I'd suggest using an ad blocker or it's a nightmare to navigate)

I've been watching a lot more on my laptop and I'm revelling in the 1.75x speed feature. Watching Netflix on the TV feels so slow now!

I quite enjoyed the first couple of episodes of Monarch but I really can't wait for episodes so it's going on the back burner until all the episodes drop. Time to Huntis now on Netflix, so that's on the list for when I can get DD and DH out of my way. Seriously, I have so many dramas to watch!! How dare they want to spend time with me??? (Possibly tongue in cheek)

Time to hunt... Film.. Netflix... Choi woo shik... Lee he joon... Ahn jae Hong... Looks promising! 👍

Monkey! Cross posts! 😂

So the last ep of Weather was ok, but really didn't think PMYs character was written very sympathetically, and she played it quite blandly, so the drama hung on SKJ looking lovely making coffee, the setting and the secondary characters. Rather enjoyed Lee Jae Wooks romance and the bicycling sister's crushes.

Bea 😂😂😂 I was worried that it wouldn't be released until they had sorted out the controversy about distribution. Apparently there was already an international distribution agreement but Netflix got the drop with the Corona disruption. DH and I were saying that it must be hard for film studios who already had premieres etc in the pipeline. I think Sky is showing quite a few of the new releases on Sky store on the dates they would have been released but it's not cheap. In my area, we can get a family discount ticket for 4 (1/2 adults 2/3 kids) for 20 odd quid, but I have to say that I would be reluctant to pay that to watch it at home if it's going to be on Sky cinema within the year (not that I need to be adding films to my list...)

The trailer just came up for me & it looks bloody epic. Great cast!

Dh and I started Time To Hunt... It looks good but we were really tired so will try and continue tonight! The cast is great... I love how one moment we're watching these actors in a kdrama being soft as soft... Calm and quiet and some chaste glances and maybe a kiss!?...
And then effing and jeffing and shooting things up!
They seem to have this wonderful acceptance in Korean entertainment... You can be /do anything... There are no rules!... Also see duality of Kpop... One minute cute and cuddly and then... Yikes! Stop looking and smouldering like that! 😱