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…

Ep 4 of Monarch was a little slow until the end and with that finish I want the next episode NOW!!!!!

Same. It’s good. Seriously good.

Helloswellow I looked at my messages and it seems like last time I emailed you my scores in message. I can’t seem to find a link. Would you mind resending - sorry :-(

Jury seems to be out on whether this is legitimate or whether Kim Jong-Un is just out of the public eye avoiding COVID. Anyway, seemed worth a mention: nypost.com/2020/04/25/kim-jong-un-in-vegetative-state-japanese-media-report-says/

Ré the ID card in Monarch, is it just me cos I didn’t understand how at first they said she would get it in October, but then it suddenly turned up even though the date on it is November??

boaty my dad said that there is intense speculation about the NK situation and if it's true whether it might pave the way for the process of reunification to start slowly, especially with the current situation. Asian Boss has some good videos about N/S relations and it might be the case that with the world economy tanking, China gaining a better foothold internationally (especially with the damage 45 has done to international relations), so not needing to keep NK sweet, and SK managing tight control of CV19, now might be the time where the economic impact might not be as bad.

Her colleague said hers had been overlooked by the card issuing people, hence the delay in her getting it. I still can’t get my head around the time-shift stuff, that it was dropped when he was a child. I hope it is properly explained, even if it’s freelance scientist-style maths bollocks. We should be drawing up a bingo card. I’m sure Einstein’s theory of relativity will get a mention & wormholes. Also, was the boy that bumped into her the parallel kid version of LMH? What age do you get fingerprinted in SK? Maybe the kid version is too young?

That’s interesting - thanks Monkey.

I thought I’d have a look at Secret Romance because I sometimes enjoy a Sung Hoon drama. The night of passion is a right clunker - it looks more like being cornered by the office lech than a mutually agreeable experience. I’m so close to ditching it...

boaty with first couple fi episodes are ropey but he does get better

Is it a contract marriage drama?

Not really, she gets a job at his company and they clash then fall in love. Few nice twists in the tale and you start to see that he's more into her.

Memorist is sooooo God! 👍👍👍

Uh oh. I fell down a rabbit hole. Headed off to bed now.

I just don’t have Bea’s ARMY stamina. (Which has reminded me of the ARMY reference in this week’s Hospital Playlist.)

ARMY reference in Hospital Playlist was very neat, and explained a lot. I also love the running gag about her trying to follow makeup trends. Also loved the guest role of Corporal Jang who was also in Prison Playbook. Thoroughly enjoy this drama so much

It has to go on header for #15 in slice of life!

for Monarch is fun and kind of how I imagine us addicts would be if we got together 🤣 (though I’d swap the maekgolli for soju)

It has to go on header for #15 in slice of life!

Already done!

My Secret Romance gets better as it goes along, I watched it ages ago but there is a really good bit in the middle section where the ML really steps up in a way that would be approved of on the Relationships board here 😉

bettys that video was 😁😂

I’m in recruiting mode again. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/3891309-Whats-good-on-Netflix-that-isnt-crime-murder-drugs-etc?msgid=95961557 Interestingly one poster before me recommended Kingdom and another Tokyo Stories, so even if the OP isn’t interested maybe we can tempt them over.

boatyard you're a virtual town crier. hear ye, hear ye, ditch the violence and embrace the soft, fluffy, story driven goodness!

as Bong Joon Ho said, once you get over the one inch tall barrier of subtitles, a whole new world is yours.

I was thinking we should mention in passing that some of us are also having a stab at learning Korean, Japanese and Chinese in our OP? We do swap tips & links to online resources.

I’ve been thinking about SKJ breaking with his previous agency and moving to new one where he can choose his projects. Do you think Sung Hoon is hamstrung by his agency or is it range? He gets lots of looky-likey projects where he basically plays similar roles in borderline duff shows.

I think mentioning the language learning would be beneficial. I recently got an advance reader copy of a language book with the top 1000 or so words and phrases in Korean. I've got to go through it in a bit more detail but if it turns out to be useful, I'll share it.

I think Sung Hoon is pigeon holed and really needs to move agencies. I'm sure he has range based on his variety performances.