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…

bettys I guess it helps ramp up the tension for the last episode, which was really good?? But be prepared to think "Why can't you just shoot him????" a lot 😂

Ohhhh! W:Two Worlds is one of my absolute faves... It's gorgeous to look at! (not just of Toasty LJS! 😂 😂 And his magnificent race horse legs!)
This has been on my to watch list for ages, you've just reminded me. 😊

thegirl.... Oh! You're in for a fun fun ride! 😂

APOYM...........I'm not sure. It looks lovely, sounds lovely, & should be quite soothing but I'm annoyed by the one-sided love. Maybe I'm not in the mood for sad & wistful, quite frankly the only way the story is going to move along is if she doesn't come out of that hut.

The pianist is played by the ace marksman in Kingdom. Normally a pianist should be all swoonsome but I'm preferring his Kingdom look right now

Actually I'm more in the mood for W: Two Worlds I may refresh my memory of Toasty LYS.

I have to say that, rewatching with DS, it nips along better than I remembered.

Still watching Kingdom in bitesize wuss chunks, so not got to the ace marksman yet.

Toasty LJS is just as lovely as I remember 😍, 2 episodes into W. Looking good so far 👍

LJS is in an upcoming Chinese drama called Jade Lovers that's set in the 1930s. He looks great in the promo images but I don't know if he speaks Mandarin. If he doesn't, I don't know if I can put up with bad dubbing.

Is this one that was filmed before he went to do his military service? He looks young in it, & I don’t think he’s out yet

As far as I know... Toasty is still in army.. 😭

It looks like release was delayed 🤔

It was filmed in 2016 so he's going to have a real baby face in it! It makes me all the more excited it if I'm honest.

Ha I’ll watch anything With Toasty in, but if it’s dubbed I may have to take a leap of faith and just go with it 😳

DS1 is enjoying W, properly lolling at the FL’s consternation when she gets stuck in the manhwa world for 2 months. Toasty is talented, no mistake, but I am again being reminded that he does absolutely nothing for me.

I just think Toasty is lovely in that boyish charm way... His characters are always soooo charming and lovely! ❤️ Pinnochio... While You were Sleeping...w... Romance... He's just very comforting and heartwarming and reliable !... Like Toast! 😂 😂 😂 😂

I've just watched a funny and rather sweet Chinese film on Viki called Science & Sensibility. I only watched it for Li Xian who is 2ML but it was charming!

Of course that could be the soju talking....

I agree with Bea re Toasty. I wonder if he will look more grown up when he gets out of the army?

I've started Duolingo! I'm so rubbish at the speaking bits. Total flashbacks to GCSE French oral exam where the teacher bollocked me at the end of the exam cos she thought I was being rubbish on purpose to annoy her!?

I've started Duolingo! I'm so rubbish at the speaking bits.

I like the listening tasks with the tortoise icon. I can work out what they are saying relatively easily when they slow it right down.

Remind me again that I actually like my lot?? DH on furlough since Tuesday and disrupting my viewing, DD seemingly lost the ability to pick up her mess and DS has developed selective deafness. I have yuzu wine and it's now after 5PM...

I hear ya sister! I need a lie down in a dark kdrama-filled room for half an hour before I even attempt to cook dinner.

Science and Sensibility was nice. My Bossy Girlfriend is another nice Korean film on Viki. It's not often that you get a disabled lead in Korean programs, so it was refreshing. It's very much an Awww film, tho the title is misleading.

I've been watching a Chinese series called Hot Girl about a bodyguard training facility. Nothing to write home about, but it has a lot of kick ass females in it. I only watched it because I find Dilraba Dilmurat stunning to look at, but you really need to leave your brain at the door and ask no questions when watching this lol

I haven't watched any drama since home schooling began 😭 this weekend I am locking myself in the bedroom with IPad and wine 🍷

monkeywench I agree with you about Dilraba Dilmurat. She is absolutely stunning. I loved her in Three Lives, Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms but I've yet to watch Eternal Love of Dream. I didn't start it when it started and now 50 hours seems daunting.

I watched a snippet of her on I think it was a variety show, and the hosts were commenting on how different her actual speaking voice is compared to the characters she plays. She has a really nice speaking voice and DS is totally smitten with her now 😂