MsLatte’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #15): Tiring of your usual telly during lockdown? Want to be transported somewhere else? Try our escapist boxset recommendations

[boatyardblues]

A quiet corner of MN for serious addicts of Kdrama, or the K-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. 

We also dip into Japanese, Taiwanese & Chinese drama as & when. 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)

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
Hospital Playlist (Netflix)
Itaewon Class (Netflix)
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. Quite a few of us are learning Korean, Japanese and/or Mandarin (some more diligently than others admittedly), so we swap tips and links to language resources. Basically, anything topical goes.


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…

Cassini did you write that in invisible ink?

bettys 🤣🤣🤣

DP has started watching Kingdom of his own accord. Do I ask if he's enjoying it or leave him and see if he discovers more dramas on his own?

Let him finish it and then ask him.

It was supposed to be a funny meme about home schooling!

It's similar to DSs levels of learning today 😂😂😂

And there is nothing wrong with a bit of Andy!

Thanks Cassini 😊

The most eye-opening thing about Go Go Squid is the whole e-sports thing, which I’d been entirely ignorant of. DH tells me the top teams have psychologists. DS1 just showed me the prize money rankings for the gaming e-sports. $46m for effing Fortnite. 🤯

Sorry, psychologists AND nutritionists.

I was also gob-smacked by the whole ESports thing, which had totally passed me by. I had no idea! I've just finished watching The King's Avatar which is also about Esports, but although pleasant enough with Yang Yang from Love O2O is not as good as Go Go Squid. Quite heart-warming but no romance.

I've just started Extracurricular, it seems very dark so far but good.

DS was very smug about telling me how much you can earn as an esporter as well as moaning about how I may have cut his budding gaming career short by making him switch off 😂😂 God loves a trier... had to give him marks out of 10 for trying.

😳 $46 million to play fortnite 😱

I've got one episode of Signal left but I'm saving it for tomorrow. Its been v emotional. I was a bit teary seeing Ooyama following little kid Saegusa about.
And I want the FLs green jacket that she wears all the way through.

I didn't realise there was a Japanese and Korean version of Signal. I've watched the Japanese one. Is it the Korean one the one on the recommendations list?
I was trying to find the older threads where it was discussed but I can't find it.

Is it the Korean one the one on the recommendations list?

Yes, it is - only kdrama in the main list, but it sounds like you’ve enjoyed the Japanese one so we could add it to the non-Korean category below if you’d recommend it.

Kdrama Signal was fab too, although I found some of the murders really graphic.

I’m loathing how ditsy FL becomes around sourpuss ML in Go Go Squid. I much preferred her lecturing the new student intake with great confidence. I hope she bucks the giddy little kitten act soon.

Kdrama Signal was great, I'll add the Japanese one to my list.

One episode of Extracurricular down and it is good, though maybe too dark to binge. As well as 2ML from Itaewon it has AI Ji Soo from APOYM as the FL and she is far less drippy.

Agree the ditsiness of FL in Go Go Squid is v annoying. After all she is a brainy special programme scholar who is a best-selling online music star in her spare time but that all goes out the window when she sees ML

After all she is a brainy special programme scholar who is a best-selling online music star in her spare time but that all goes out the window when she sees ML

This, in spades.

Id recommend Japanese Signal so far, I'll confirm tomorrow in case the ending goes haywire

What I liked about Go Go was that he is in awe of her and keeps on telling her not to be afraid of being herself when she is with him. There a bit where she's putting him on a pedestal and he tells her that what he has achieved is nothing compared to what she can do, especially since he has nearly 10 years on her.

That’s good to know, Monkey. I will persevere. Also, that fluffy white kitten was either sedated (not good) or very comfortable draped over him in the flashback sequences. If the latter, I am prepared to give it a fair hearing.

I am now seeing a thaw. She’s still a ditz but he’s much more likeable when he smiles.

She is a ditzy but I suppose genius or not she is barely 20 and been pretty sheltered if she was going to Uni at 15. (Far too invested lol)