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…

did they die in previous life trying to reach out to one another, so it's made that they could only touch each other?

oooh I like this!!!

I've been vicariously watching Mystic Pop Up Bar through people's posts here and conversations with other drama watching friends. I can't bring myself to watch it because of Hwang Jung Eun. She just grates on me so much.

I've been watching Japanese drama Ouroboros which has an interesting premise. Top gang boss and police lieutenant work together to solve the murder of an orphanage worker who looked after them as kids. I'm a sucker for mafia/gang stories so hopefully this turns out interesting. I'm only 2 episodes in and it's grabbed my attention.

I sometimes stop myself from posting as it feels like I am monologuing if no one else is around!

This is me too. I dip in & out regularly. Lesson here: let’s just post.

Yes please post! I so enjoy this thread and check it often, even if I only intermittently join in. Keep talking!

I always read and enjoy everyone's posts even if I don't post that often. 😊

😂😂that’s all good to hear I will feel less like I am wittering on to myself then!!!🤭

Drama wittering is the best!!!

It's like a little community. I feel its akin to seeing someone in the street and giving the head nod when they say hello; I don't have much to say but I want you to know I'm listening.

I love the community feel too but we stupidly got a puppy 🐶 last weekend and I haven't sat down for longer than 20 minutes since! Someone recommend a web drama so I can at least watch something x

I will happily rewatch The Great Wall on a Saturday night after my grape 🍇 juice 🥤 consumption exceeds my ability to read subtitles! It is a really good B 🎥

Cassini what kind of puppy?

Webdramas:
Where Your Eyes Linger - Viki
Best MistAke - Viki & Youtube
XX - Youtube
Ending again - Youtube

And not forgetting the glorious Boy Next Door (Youtube) for which I will forgive Jang Ki Yong the sin of appearing in Born Again 😩

Working cocker spaniel 🤦🏼‍♀️

Oooh adorable!! Have you named it a kdrama themed name??

Awwwwweeeeee!!!! 귀엽다 gwiyeobda!!

im off to cassini's house to procure another dog! if we can secretly name it for you bomi is a good option for a girl. it means beautiful, which it is. maybe jaehee for a little boy, it means shining, because look at that luxurious coat.

not that i have thought about korean inspired animal names before. my mum definitely doesn't have a cat named minseok.

Oh cassini your puppy is gorgeous.

Unfortunately he was named by my son after a Disney character...

I like the puppy! 🥰 Best kind of derail.

Got to admit that I’m pretty fed up of lockdown. It comes to something when painting skirting makes for a good evening. 😩

Football is back on TV 😫
So I can now legit be on my laptop 💃🕺

I can't bring myself to watch it because of Hwang Jung Eun. She just grates on me so much.

Me too hello!! But she is really ok in Mystic !. I'm not planning to watch her in her upcoming one though To All Guys Who Loved Me even though it has Yoon Hyun Min from Tunnel & My Holo Love in it (oh well maybe I will but just not admit to it)

It sounds like Mystic improves. I got about 15 mins into ep 1 and there was an awful OTT screechy scene and I just hit the off button and retreated. Sounds like I need to give it another go.

Me too hello!! But she is really ok in Mystic I'm not planning to watch her in her upcoming one though To All Guys Who Loved Me even though it has Yoon Hyun Min from Tunnel & My Holo Love in it (oh well maybe I will but just not admit to it)

Oh come off it Betty. You are so going to watch it for Yoon Hyun Min. 🤣

Football on the telly here too, so I watched Mystic on my phone. Oooh at the "which one is the reincarnated prince" cliffhanger! 🧐