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…

Any Korean chillout type artists that fellow addicts would recommend? I’ve started having music on quietly in the background because WFH should have some benefits, right?

Really enjoying APOYM, it very atmospheric and existential. Only half way through but bracing myself for further angst. I feel I can live with the angst as long as I am watching Jung Hae-In, he makes it more bearable

Boatyard there’s a Spotify playlist called Dalkom Cafe that might suit.

Otherwise I can recommend Epik High, Bevy Maco, red House, Jeebanoff, John OFA Rhee, ADOY, Rad Museum, Jay Park, V, Crush, Yaejie, 1415, pH-1, Sam Kim, Hoody, Groovy Room

I can live with the angst as long as I am watching Jung Hae-In, he makes it more bearable

Indeed!👍😉😊

Boatyard.... my absolute chill out is RM Mono ... you won't be surprised... but it really is the most soothing of soothing things... sigh!

announced today...BTS tour cancelled/postponed until all this is over... makes sense and it just gives me more time to save up for the most ridiculously priced tickets i am going to get!!!!.... and I will!!!!

Epik High, Bevy Maco, red House, Jeebanoff, John OFA Rhee, ADOY, Rad Museum, Jay Park, V, Crush, Yaejie, 1415, pH-1, Sam Kim, Hoody, Groovy Room

Thanks Betty.

Bea - RM’s mono is on my frequently played list, as I started listening last time you recommended it. I like it too. 👍

Bevy Maco is spot on. 👌

I've just got up to the bit in Nokdu where the Widows Village gets attacked 😨. That was surprisingly violent! And the Kings Newphew had a v sudden switch to evil. But nice to see the ML in a black assassins outfit 😁👍

nice to see the ML in a black assassins outfit oh yes!!!!! Skills

Today's chill out work groove on a loop has been:
Stay by BOiTELLO
Endless Night by Red house
So Faded by Bevy Maco
It's All Love by Jimmy Brown
Paper Mache by Jeebanoff
Over It by John OFA Rhee

I have found the best glass for prosecco 😍 These Stella glasses keep the fizz going for aaaages. I figured that a glass with the dinner that DS made would be nice and lifted this for the size 😳

Currently on a C-drama binge. Finished My Girlfriend which was ok. Moving on to The Love Equations but I might hold off until a few more episodes are subbed completely.

Keeping it classy, Monkey. (I am drinking red wine out of an Ikea tumbler.)

ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ boaty I'm just pleased that it's not a plastic cup 😂

monkeywench I like your style! 👍😬😎

Thanks for the music recommendations. My playlist seems to the the music they play in the dramatic romantic parts of shows so could do with trying something different. It helps with the WFH and blocking out the schoolFH. There is some Crush in there.

Brambly - I like O3ohn (you will recognise some songs from kdramas) and We Are The Night. Also 92914 for chilled electronica.

The fake cherry tree in 100 days is soooo crap. When it popped up again in a palace scene I groaned.

I weirdly really enjoyed the superhero fashion mermaid one, Legend of the Blue Sea. I don't know why because I found the ML actively unattractive. I guess it was just a lot of fun and I liked her so much, and her homeless BFF etc!

Personally I dropped that bionic airport one. Just found it boring. Also dropped the weeping friend of ghosts thing with Terrius as the ML - the FL is the weeper from Camellia and she was weeping again! Pull yourself together, woman!

I caught up with Hotel Del Luna (recommend) and Goblin (also rec). I did enjoy Goblin despite it being problematic as fuck, good lord. (Or perhaps because.) And then I picked up the 2ML and 2FL from Goblin in Touch Your Heart and I found that actually pretty fun and enjoyable and well made. Not 'What's Wrong With Secretary Kim' or 'Her Private Life' tier or anything but pretty solid.

Hi lohoko. Have you posted before, but under a slightly different name? Your name looks familiar, but only sort of.

the FL is the weeper from Camellia and she was weeping again! Pull yourself together, woman!
She did cry a fair bit in those two dramas!! 🤣🤣
There’s also a fair bit of weeping in the penultimate episode of APOYM & I am it’s all getting a bit maungy 😒

I should be catching up on APOYM but I’m stuck in a sageuk riptide. Gotta love the manbuns and swordfights. 😄

I do love a good manbun & sword fight, especially if they’re in assassin black (the Joseon equivalent of black suit & shirt 😉)

JHI is wearing another fugly stormtrooper type overcoat, beige with leather lapels 😖

I reckon you could put JHI in a bin bag and he’d still look good.

He certainly wore prison scrubs well in Prison Playbook....was just wondering if he’d done any sageuk & apparently he was in one called Three Musketeers (2014)

Hmmm. 2014? The plots and production values get shakier the further back you go. Also, he’d probably look about 16. I’m not sure that would be comfortable viewing.

Oho! I am enjoying 100 days far too much. Self-administered 🥾🍑 tonight.