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…

I've noticed I seem to be leaning towards films more during the lock down. Disappearing into a world for 2 hours and then having a story completed seems to be an easier task for me to accomplish than watching several episodes.

It has however lead me to question my taste. I apparently love a good mafia/contract killer film. Maybe I'm secretly a huge fan of contracts?

hello I think that’s why I’ve watched a lot of webdramas recently, 1.5 to 2 hours and you’re done! They get to the point a lot quicker.
Now on ep 14 of Personal Taste & gritting my teeth whenever bitch2FL appears with her folded arms & smirk. I so want to kick her in the shins.
I want a happy ending for Director Choi who is the nicest character of them all.

There is something nice & tidy about a contract plot isn’t there? Be it marriage or killer.

I’m on the final episode but agree it’s been uphill work. I also want to kick 2FL in the shins (and worse). There are too many unlikeable characters in this, full stop.

bettys it's been 10 years (😱😱) since I watch Personal Taste so I can't remember much of 2FL. Is she more or less horrid than 2FL from Before We Get Married?

Contracts do make for a clean story. You know exactly what you'll get for the most part. I must say I'm going to love the day the two cross paths. Contract marriage and then hired to kill your husband to be? Yes please!

Contract marriage and then hired to kill your husband to be?

That’s almost the plot of Mr&Mrs Smith the Brangelina film (that wasn’t very good)

I’ve been thinking about something. I read a COVID article about obesity and poorer patient outcomes. It referred to different obesity rates in countries that had been affected & said in SK ~5% of adults are obese, whereas the UK was >30%. There seems to be a lot more social pressure to be slim and have a good appearance, but I’ve been wondering if the tendency to have soup at mealtimes helps. I remember the Michael Mosely BBC series about different weight loss approaches and there was evidence that soup filled you up and was low enough in calories to help with weight maintenance and loss.

Phew! Personal Taste is done. I give it a 4. SYJ and LMH gave it a good effort, but the plot was by the numbers, there were too many unlikeable characters and the production was Home & Away (as I remember it in the 80s) standard. Plus the 2FL and the 2ML’s awful father were rage-inducing.

I need something decent next or else DH will think if I’ve lost the plot. Is Memorist good?

Time for a 🥾🍑but I’ve finished Personal Taste, didn’t want it hanging on until tomorrow. It would have got a 5 from me but lost a whole point because of her awful moustache in the cringey section where she pretended to be a man 🤢 so it’s a 4

I enjoyed Memorist boaty. Very twisty plot, a bit scary with lots of tension balanced by some adorable side characters.

boatyard I like Memorist but I haven't seen the ending yet.

On the topics of soup, do you think it helps that a lot of them are clear soups as opposed to blended vegetable soups?

Yes, I am assuming clear soups are lighter on calories (though maybe not salt!).

I wonder if there's a genetic component too. I know East Asians are more likely to be lactose intolerant and some explanations for it include the lack of dairy in their natural diet. So maybe they are predisposed to handle higher salt diets?

Also I'm taking a moment to fawn about WDH again. Not only is he amazing at acting as Yeong and Eunseob. He's also amazing at acting as Yeong pretending to be Eunseob and vice versa. The man is so versitile.

Not only is he amazing at acting as Yeong and Eunseob. He's also amazing at acting as Yeong pretending to be Eunseob and vice versa. The man is so versitile.
Totally agree 😍

^Not only is he amazing at acting as Yeong and Eunseob. He's also amazing at acting as Yeong pretending to be Eunseob and vice versa. The man is so versitile.
Totally agree 😍^

Me too! The bit where he is in Corea and someone calls 'Captain Jo' in the locker room and he replies 'Yeah? Oh- yes' (deep voice) had me rewinding & chortling

This also had me laughing - only in Seoul!!! Sex dolls used as football crowds

I’ve just realised through doing Drops that ‘w’ next to ‘h’ isn’t pronounced, so all the time I’ve been saying Hwarang in my head as ‘huwrang’ it’s actually ‘harang’ 🤦🏻‍♀️ is this right?

In which case it’s pronounced Woo Do Han not Huwan 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

(Pppsssssstttt for those of you who have adblockers his film The Divine Move 2: The Wrathful is now online)

Agree with everyone else that King is showcasing WDH’s talent & his is the standout performance so far. It’s definitely not LMH’s show at this stage.

bettys there's a little bit of asperation in the hwa from what I can tell. I've listened to him introduce himself a million times and you can hear the hwan instead of a han.

This was a really interesting read for the background information about social attitudes to gay people & relevant legislation in SK, though a depressing read: theconversation.com/gay-korea-homophobia-sparked-by-seoul-coronavirus-cluster-driven-by-protestant-right-138491

Thanks hello, I now need to go find a clip of WDH with his soft asperations 😆
Ive just added a couple of things to the 2020 spreadsheet and noticed you’ve added description notes to the titles! 👏👏 Can we have a colour for web dramas like we do for film please?😊

boaty that article is somewhat depressing, like reading one written in the 80s 😒

Boaty... I loved the Memorist... really intriguing... very twisty and turny and great great characters... is a bit gruesome and dark to begin with but is is really good ... I thoroughly enjoyed it!!!

I really need to get onto google docs so I can enjoy Hello’s spreadsheet in all its glory. Are the notes fun? If so Forest it should say “The acting is more wooden than the forest.”

I'm not sure why but I bloody love the spreadsheet, it's a great resource - thanks to hello who keeps it up to date & organised & puts up with me randomly adding things

Randomly started watching The Brightest Star the other day . Getting bored but I'm 31/44 in so skipping might be the way to go. It's been disconcerting to find that Zi Tao has some chest hair. I think I've become so used to smooth chests that it threw me 😂😂 Don't know why since DH could probably provide several men with enough hair transplants just from his back, never mind his chest 😂😂😂🦍🦍