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 liking your approach Monkeywench 😉👍🤣

Less is more never worked for me 😁 Probably why I should step away from the fridge 😂😂

Watching Hospital Playlist. “Aunt Terminator” 😆

Memorist is GRIPPING!! and dark!! 😱😱

It is!! But I just want to shout PUT THE LIGHT ON FFS!! if you're going to go into a dark house where a murder has been committed

Yoo Seung Ho is very good in this (and strides about in dark coats swishing behind him)

Where is the power coming from for the mountain cabin in Weather?

And does he have the light on a timer?🤔

WFH full time with full house ( empty nest didn't last long) is seriously limiting my viewing. Up to ep 10 of Hyena it's really good. I intend to lock myself in my bedroom with a bottle of vino at 5pm
DH is making a curry tonight and I've asked him for a room take away 😂

Room takeaway? Genius. We’ve just had an earnest convo about extending our Netflix subscription, as DS1’s sudden addiction to Japanese animé is stuffing up our 2 screen limit. He’s also started learning Japanese on Duolingo. I honestly don’t think it would take much to bring him over to the dark side, which I find hilarious because he’s the most scornful of my kdrama addiction. He’s loving W. Out of interest, are there any live action Japanese series that are suitable for a 14 yo and similarly high concept. I still have that boxset of Deadnote (unwatched) that I picked up in the charity shop.

Excuse the missing ? in my previous post.

Right it's time to give Hyena a go as it's found favour with boatyard and Aesops

Room takeaway 🥡 is a genius idea 💡

10 mins in to Hyena & already 2 shirtless scenes 👍😉😆

Hmmm ep 1 of Hyena down and I'm going to agree with Aesops re FL. She was excellent in Signal but I don't think she's a great fit for this (and her clothes are fugly)
Loving Joo Ji Hoon as smart arse lawyer, it's a perfect foil to zombie killing Prince

She looks much prettier in the girlfriend outfits. Less so with the Chicago wig and shiny trouser suits.

Klaxon!!

Rugal with Mighty Fine Choi Jin Hyuk is on Netflix, first episode today!
That wasn't advertised at all

It’s very violent 😳

Implementing a new tradition for Saturdays in the Aesop household for the foreseeable
Self isolate with K Drama/Wine/Food and my new air humidifier-utter bliss

We have implemented a Saturday family movie night to try and mark the weekends as distinct from weekdays. It’s getting in the way of my kdrama catching up, but we all have make sacrifices for the greater good in these crazy times.

Omg! Started watching Rugal on Netflix! OCN!... So it's not fluffy!... But!! It's soooo violent! 😱

Bettys! Just seen your post!... It's... 😱😱😱😱

Just caught up with Weather Anyone else spot some weather-related continuity issues? Heavy snow on the ground at night. Nada the next day, not even at higher altitude.

Oh yes, I made my second batch of kimchi today. It says to leave it out for a day to get the fermentation started. I’m such a stickler for food hygiene, this is really bothering me because I used the foul fermented shrimps and fish sauce. Feels all kinds of wrong not to be refrigerating it.

Foul as in I find them a bit repulsive, not that I used manky ingredients.

Only issue I'm having with Rugal is that the bad guys are called Argos. I'm imagining them in red uniforms asking you if you'd like an email receipt. He's set out on a mission to destroy Argos and I'm slightly concerned that he might get Sainsburys too.

boatyard A bit late to the party but Full Metal Alchemist and Bleach both have live action films. I can't remember the ratings of them but I know the first has some weird mutation magic scene that might be a bit graphic and the second has a huge monster fight scene at the end. So it might be worth looking them up online for more information.