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…

Sisyphus I know that feeling all too well. Lying in bed staring at the same four walls, then along comes a handsome drama lead to distract you for 16-50 hours and suddenly lying down seems less awful. (It is still 99% awful in my experience though)

A Viki subscription starts at about £3 per month, not much more than a frothy coffee in the before-times. I think its an entirely reasonable cost to have thousands of hours of wild escapism on tap.

@helloswellow exactly!

Ooh really? That’s cheaper than Netflix (although admittedly there’s more variety on Netflix)

Although we have VIKI I can only watch it on the bedroom tv as I mirror it from phone so only really good for films or 'Duvet Days'
So happy to see Nokdu on Netflix as only watched 3 episodes so far. Plan to finish it this week!

It’s worth paying for the enhanced Viki, as some of the really good ones like Her Private Life are Viki-produced content. The upgrade is about £4.50 per month - still not a fortune.

Hii Sisyphus. I've only been on the forum for a couple of months, so a relative newbie. I've found everyone to be welcoming and informative I've also had lots of laughs. I would definitely upgrade Viki, it's such value for money. I've had endless hours of entertainment from it, and it's been a lifesaver during lockdown.

My Netflix and Viki cost less per month than it would for wine/coffee/socialising weekly. As I pointed out to DH, it's cheaper than his Sky sports and it means he gets to watch footie in peace 😁

😂 😂 😂 BTS ref in Mystic pop up! 😂 😂 😂 😂 I laughed and laughed! 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜👍👍👍🥰

The viki app is available through my amazon fire firestick which I plug into our older smart telly in my bedroom! Obvs got subscription so I can get to the goodies! ... I dragged am armchair into my bedroom when I knew lockdown was coming!... It's my bolthole when I've had enough of everyone! Netflix... YouTube... Viki... Sorted! 😂

whispers do you think we should warn Sisyphus about j drama???? 🤭🤫😳😵😉

... Sssh! 🤫🤫🤫Not yet! Don't want to scare her off!.... 🤭🤭

It’s just a lot ruder than k/t/cdrama, isn’t it? More sex, more niche practices etc.

Anyone watched or stuck with when my love blooms? I have skipped through most of the second half and felt it could do with some lighter moments

until j drama, id never seen some frank talk of sex on tv. ^I'll do it in my next life' taught me things about dating apps and one night stands, I'll never need to know but at least I do now.

Thai BL drama is definitely the rudest🤭 interesting to see more Kdrama looking at the BL genre. It's huge in Japan, which is ironic since some Japanese can be really homophobic yet love the genre.

I've been stuck in chaste... Innocent kdrama for soooo long now... Any mention of a bedroom makes me clasp my pearls and handbag 👜 in horror! Who will think of the children?! 😱.... 😂

My Husband Doesn't Fit is on Netflix and I spent most of it shouting "vaginismus" at the TV. The Naked Director looks at the development of the porn industry in Japan and has more nudity of the realistic kind than I ever wanted to see lol Nakey Oppa types only please lol

I spent most of it shouting "vaginismus" at the TV.

Hahaha only on Mumsnet can you get that kind of sentence.

Those Dramas you subbed monkeywench - Mood Indigo & The Novelist were pretty frank!

Korean films are much more sexually switched on than the dramas

Brambly I think you're the only one who's been watching Where Love Blooms....it sounds like a bit of a downer

bettys 😂😂😂

I started Tempted, watched 1 episode, hated all the characters so looked up drama reviews, saw it wasn't all that and gave up. The only other one that I've stopped like that is Black Knight.

Anyone seen May I Blackmail You? JDrama on Viki?

monkeywench I started Tempted, watched 1 episode, hated all the characters so looked up drama reviews, saw it wasn't all that and gave up.

Was that our reviews you read on the spreadsheet?

Lol maybe...

@helloswellow

until j drama, id never seen some frank talk of sex on tv. ^I'll do it in my next life' taught me things about dating apps and one night stands, I'll never need to know but at least I do now.

Making notes here Hello. 😉

Dis anyone else find the dance at the company sports gala near the end of Shy Boss really cringey?