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…

Actual who am I kidding they all look good.

100%! I like how Na-Ri says he’s less handsome in bodyguard mode. It’s rubbish, but diff’rent strokes for diff’rent folks I guess.

I've started Personal Taste but I'm not sure about it - it might be too much LMH in a day. If someone tells me that Son Hye Jin becomes less down-trodden then I might continue with it.
Is it just me or is it a kdrama thing of that era that all the biatch 2FLs who steal boyfriends/sleep with men have short hair? Apart from in Secret Garden I can't think of a FL that has short hair - oh ok Coffee Prince 'cos she was supposed to be a boy.

SYJ does become more assertive and joyful (I’m up to ep 12) but she’s still suffering with a self-harming level of empathy and naivety IMO. It improves enough to make it acceptable viewing, though no-one on the lighting crew has found the dimmer switch yet.

Incidentally, is a traditionally constructed house a major status symbol in SK? The male BFF had a lovely one in Hotel de Luna and there was an ‘old money’ family in one kdrama where the hideous in laws lived that was properly old, likewise the rich family in Money Flower.

Hanoks (the traditional houses) are becoming the new it thing. They're very much a status symbol because of how expensive they are to build and maintain but they are so beautiful. I think it would be worth it if you've got the money to spare.

I’ve been making DH watch bits of Personal Taste for the detailing and the lovely brick work on the boundary wall. We’ll never have the money, but we fantasize about building a house from scratch. I really like the Korean and Morrocan style of house with a walled garden and covered verandah. I also like the Japanese style of structured garden with koi ponds, stones and ornamental trees. I like the traditional Korean houses I’ve seen a lot, but I do wonder how warm (non-draughty) they are in winter.

WDH suits his pastel stripy hanbok. The girl twin is brilliant value.

Girl twin is fab. WDH in both worlds is fab. Story is in a bit of a slump though

Possible spoiler/confusing plot point
So did Sin-Jae’s mum in Corea work in the palace? And in Korea she employed other young Lee Gon’s mum as a cleaner?

The Chinese drama Intense Love is out there catering to the fans with it's commentary on the ML's hands.

Sounds like one for boaty 🖐

Depends. I love a shapely hand, but I fon’t want to wade through 30 hours of cdrama to get there.

They're nice hands. A solid 7/10 in terms of hands, a little boney which is why they're not a solid 10. There is a sentence I never thought I'd type.

Hmm those 2 episodes of King were a little bit blah. The twin sister was the best but! And WDH in both worlds 😍.

The product placement was very obvious but I was v excited to see that the Kimchi was the exact same brand, style and packaging as the one I just brought!

The house in Hotel del Luna mentioned up thread was absolutely gorgeous!!!

The product placement was very obvious but I was v excited to see that the Kimchi was the exact same brand, style and packaging as the one I just brought!

Same here, but I’m left wondering if its because it’s the Branston of beans or the Heinz. Does Heinz need PPL to sell its beans?

As much as I'd like to think it's because it's fancy Kimchi I think you're right 😂

Just pausing my Sunday morning dramas-in-pyjamas to say how much I loathe the 2FL in Personal Taste - a robber has broken in she is despicable!

bettys you know that everyone reading your post is now humming 'bananas in pyjamas' or singing dramas in pyjamas, here comes the female lead, dramas in pyjamas, I wish it were me

🤣🤣🤣🍌

Couldn’t find an emoticon for pyjamas!

how much I loathe the 2FL in Personal Taste

I agree. She is utterly vile. However, LMH and 2ML are equally culpable because they both know what she is capable of & she’s playing them like banjos, credulous divs that they are. 🙄

I'm on episode 10 and I don't know how much more of downtrodden FL I can take

I’m in sunk costs territory, so ploughing on but I will be scoring conservatively for the spreadsheet.

I’m also thinking I may need to revisit my Go Go Squid score, as may have been too generous because of Li Xian. It was a bit ponderous in places.

Episode 14: Training my woman.

Oh thank goodness he’s now told her!! I’ll watch a bit more....

Just checking & I gave Go Go Squid a 7, but I only reached Li Xian standom after Tientsin Mystic. GGS is a bit slow in parts, especially the bits he’s not in 🤣