MsLatte’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #16): Serving up guaranteed corona-free escapism throughout lockdown to lurkers, passers-by and regulars.

[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 AmazonPrime. There are also platforms streaming content illegally if you go looking, but we don’t promote them.

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, no major site yet)
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 (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/Netflix)*
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 (other sites)
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/Netflix from June)
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 (no mainstream platform yet)
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 decent quality
Regulars also 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 Scoring Dramas of 2019
(courtesy of Hello’s kdrama spreadsheet, which are updated by/for thread regulars)

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…

Well here's the promo for Spellbound for anyone who wants a glimpse

Is Spellbound a recent release, or old & knocking around on one of Olga’s dusty DVD shelves?

The Handmaid is on at stupid o’clock (01.50, think) on C4 this Wednesday. The funniest thing is my in laws messaged me to tell me, as they know I rarely watch terrestrial TV.

Spellbound is 2011 so not quite a VHS off Olga's shelf as 'twere but with a very young looking LMK and Son Ye Jin.

The Handmaid is very much worth recording but DO NOT WATCH WITH YOUR IN LAWS!!!!

No chance of that, Betty. They are at the other end of the country. I noticed it was tagged as ‘particularly liable to offend’ in the Daily Mail (MIL’s screengrab). 😂 MN kdrama addicts’ translation: woohoo!

Loved Shy Boss throwing so shapes in his slippers.

Some...

But but but 😧 (filthy playground/wedding dress-related WTF moment)

wedding dresses in unsuitable locations riles me up as much as shoes on a table. it's just not right is it. maybe they should have a miuse of fashion warning for those situations, and the ones with people in garish or awful outfits.

Goodness, things are heating up with North Korea!

fifi i saw the new! it's definitely a stressful situation isn't it.

Has anyone watched The Great Wall? I know it's got Matt Damon in but he's essentially just there, like a weird painting on the wall. Strong woman who's in charge of an army. It's lovely.

Not watched it hellos, but I will look for it now. I haven't watched any English speaking films/programmes this year at all! In fact, the last series I watched was Modern Love Stories, which could easily be Kdrama

hello I watched The Great Wall a while back (before kdrama kicked in) and rather enjoyed it....I might revisit it now I’ve watched a whole load of CDramas

Great Wall!... Watched when we were on holiday!... A lot of nonsense! But fun enough! 😂

Awww! Netflix... Tale of Nokdu and Angels Last mission... Lovely hair Myung Soo.. I'm quite tempted to rewatch! 😂 Two lovely lovely dramas... 👍🥰

I keep getting Nokdu trailers on Netflix which make me want to watch it again.

I've watched all the episodes of Mystic Pop Up Bar that are up now. It was just what the Dr ordered, really easy watching. The young ML is so sweet it's like he's made of candyfloss and rainbows 😍.
I'm going back to try Oh My Baby again now.

Tale of Nokdu was a stand out drama for me. The more I sit on it, the more I think it was really something special that I could rewatch and still think was brilliant. Maybe I should test the theory?

I hope everyone is okay! Hopefully not to busy that your drama viewing is suffering 😂

I hope everyone is okay! Hopefully not to busy that your drama viewing is suffering.

I noticed we’ve slowed a little. Personally, my work is bonkers at the mo and expanding to fill the evenings. We’ve also been prepping a room/decorating ready for a delivery this weekend, so little time to watch kdrama or post. This weekend marks the end of the prep. I’ll be back to a more normal kdrama-in-pyjamas routine this weekend. 🎉 I’m still reading and posting as & when. Final episode of Shy Boss for me tonight, so I’ll be looking for recommendations later.

I hope everyone is okay! Hopefully not too busy that your drama viewing is suffering

I sometimes stop myself from posting as it feels like I am monologuing if no one else is around! Plus I'd be wittering on about dramas no one else is watching ( Sweet Munchies ) I actually want the ML to get together with the 2ML but that'll never happen.

Glad TheGirl & fifi are also watching Mystic Pop-up Bar . Do we think ML & FL are going to have a Goblin-esque romance line?

Do we think ML & FL are going to have a Goblin-esque romance line?
I think so! He's definitely not going to be wishing his spiritual abilities away by the end of the series.

I'm working normal day shifts this week so in theory I should have evenings free for viewing, but DS is going to bed later and later at the moment and it's cutting in to my kdrama time 😪😂

Oh I agree the young lovely ML will want to keep his abilities! I actually think
SPOILER
SPOILER
SPOILER
SPOILER
SPOILER
that the onion peeling ML who was in the heavenly police force is the reincarnated prince who went on a slaughtering spree after FL hung herself but neither of them know it 'cos of their grown up appearance/change of bodies. Like the 2nd romance line in Goblin

Re Mystic Pop Bar, I'm still trying to work out which one of the ML is the Crown Prince, I keep swinging between them both, but I am more leaning to the older ML. Good to know what others think, bet you have it sussed.
I'm also watching Fix You, which is interesting. I like the ML/FL, not sure about them as a couple though, but I'm only third of way through, so it might come together more.
Planning to binge watch Good Casting this weekend. I may start Sweet Munchies.

bettys, thinking similar to you. Also, what's the story as to why the young ML and SFL can touch each other without consequences? My random thoughts are - did they die in previous life trying to reach out to one another, so it's made that they could only touch each other? Is the young ML the reincarnated mother of FL? Is that why he came with the binyeo? Plus, older ML keeps alluding to the fact that her mother may be closer than she thinks! I have lots of ruminations

Trying to work this out is part of the joy of a drama 😁