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’m loving the use of MBC’ DaeJangGeum Park sageuk filming location for a rap MV. Also liking Suga’s hiphop take on the royal hanbok. 👌

And it’s a mad mashup of Moon Lovers (scar), Crowned Clown (identical) Time to Hunt (dystopian car chase)

and Hwarang of course

I’m rooting for Captain Ahn but I’m concerned that Prof Chae has had a crush on Ik-wan since they met 🤷🏻‍♀️

I’m behind on my viewing (I blame Agust D) but just got a bit teary eyed over So-Mi’s video in HP

but just got a bit teary eyed over So-Mi’s video in HP

I’m afraid my reaction was completely different. I couldn’t believe they were all cooing over such a flagrant breach of patient confidentiality. 😮 I have a friend who does filming work in NHS hospitals occasionally and she says the paperwork and patient and staff consent processes are extremely rigorous. Nice sentiment, but still... (Yup, I have a heart of stone.)

I watched Oh My Baby at 71% subs before I started King today, which I think is quite telling.

Sooooo, if I say my absolute top tier of kdramas are:

1. Crash Landing On You
2. Fight For My Way
3. My Mister
4. What's Wrong With Secretary Kim
5. Her Private Life

And that I really enjoyed:

1. Itaewon Class
2. Goblin
3. Because this is my first life
4. Healer
5. Legend of the Blue Sea

And I found these worth watching:

1. Melo Is My Nature
2. Legend of the Blue Sea
3. Tomorrow With You
4. Chicago Typewriter
5. Hotel del Luna

And I do not want:

1. Anything with Lee Jong-suk (reminds me of Michael Jackson.)
2. Teen or High School setting
3. Terminal illness / disability storylines
4. Relentless weeping
5. Gore

Then what should I watch next, wise ones? I am currently in a kdramaless state!

I don’t know what’s next for you lojoko, but I’m thinking we really need to see some of your scores in Hello’s spreadsheet of wonders.

OK, I have reviewed my list and so far I would suggest:

Argon - short series on Netflix about the media
Heartless City - dark, seamy crime drama, not light viewing but good
My Secret Terrius - fun (and funny) spy doo-dah
Prison Playbook - prison based but really about male friendship, brilliantly done (just push through first couple of episodes, which are a bit grimy)
Search: WWW - bloody brilliant, 3 fantastic female characters at its heart. Do this one first!
Signal - time-wavy thriller
The Lies Within - classy political thriller, Scandi-noir Korean-style
The Beauty Inside - hard to define, but good
Tunnel - another time-wavy thriller

If you like sageuk, there are several I’d recommend.

Search: WWW is a must! As are your scores added to the spreadsheet. I think I may have sent you a link previously but if I haven't, let me know.

Whoo! Treasure! I'm opening Search:WWW right now!

(Where is the spreadsheet?)

I do enjoy sageuk but I suppose I am pickier because I find that the pace isn't just slow but glacial. I loved The Crowned Clown actually, and watched aaaaaaaaall of Empress Ki even though it was a bit of a slog at times!

Actually, I’ll add the proviso that both Tunnel and Signal have serial killers that target women and some of the murders are quite graphic.

OK, if you like Crowned Clown the Tale of Nokdu is a must and Rookie Historian was fun too.

Agree with all the suggestions, Search WWW is a must!
I found The Lies Within gory
Your top 5 is bang on lojoko and nearly identical to mine!

Just watched The KIng and glad to see there was not just one but TWO trucks of doom!!

At the end I’m not sure if I was cheering for LMH or Maximus 🤣🤣

Love how in Corea it’s all sword swishing cavalry high jinks, but barely any WDH in this episode

I found The Lies Within gory

Oops, yes - its a bit like Seven with all the dismembering. Scrub that.

I thought LMH leading the cavalry into the melée was unbelievably dumb, especially with so many armed men and the recent death in his family. It would have served him right if a stray bullet ended his bloodline. And another thing, nowhere enough WDH this week. It was pitiful. Have they chained flipflop & joggers WDH in the royal dungeon?

Sorry Betty - in my haste to post my ire about the cavalry charge I missed your WDH comment. We are both in agreement and vehemently disagreeing.

LMH leading the cavalry into the melée was unbelievably dumb, especially with so many armed men and the recent death in his family.

Oh yes vv silly practically, but visually it was fab and I bet the writer & PD were revelling in it.
Likewise with the video in HP, in RL it would of course infringe all sorts of privacy rights, but in dramaland it was a sweet moment, and I think it was a shout out to all the nursing staff in SK (I could be wrong but I think they were filming through Covid)

You are right of course, Betty. I was very grumpy last night.

I've added Oh My Baby to the spreadsheet and agree with Boatyard that it has started strongly. It combines humour and pathos rather well. I was at the attitudes to sperm donorship & single motherhood in SK. It's a good role for Jang Nara and the MLs are all good (but she's going to end up with the tsunderere, right?)

Also watched The Divine Move 2: The Wrathful in compensation for the distinct lack of WDH in King, only to be disappointed by the stingy amounts of screen time he got. And he's a baddie. Again. Reminiscent of Divine Fury but without the swamp monster. Other than that it's an ok action-packed film, quite dark, and the ML has THE most impressive set of abs. Also added to spreadsheet.

Various streaming sites seem to have closed (dramafast, dramabus) so maybe we should remove them from the header recs list boaty for the next thread

Just rewatched the end of King, I hope Maximus was alright.

bettys they did a major cull of streaming sites a couple of days ago. I think about 10 popular ones got taken down

I watched Where Your Eyes Linger and I am invested. I have a weak heart for longing looks and fondness though.

but she's going to end up with the tsunderere, right?

God I hope so. It’s obvious he really, really likes her. I loved his dust up with the school kids and the “ok boomer” comebacks. I’m older than the ML and I’m not a boomer - Gen X thank you very much.

they did a major cull of streaming sites a couple of days ago. I think about 10 popular ones got taken down

Time to start submitting more requests to Netflix’s online feedback form.

Oh good I've been waiting for Where Your Eyes Linger to start!

It's a shame that King Maker: The Change of Destiny has Park Shi Hoo in as the premiere got a good review on Dramabeans - but with the caveat that Park Shi Hoo was in it! Apparently the young leads do a great job of selling the back story.