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…

Not much rain here, though it’s quite windy.

DS2 is k-blocking me by watching endless Top Gear repeats in the living room. 🙄

K-blocking!!!🤣 good phrase

Started Twogether and wondering if the Latte crew would be up for inviting them to whatever place you are. I so would since I'm in the arse end of nowhere within 10 to 20mins lol TBF there maybe 4 days where it doesn't rain 😂😂😂 I would have to strongly recommend waterproof gear and warm clothing, even in the summer

We get a lot of rain too, Monkey. Not as much as you by the sound of things, but still plenty.

Yeah, Scotland gets better weather than us at times lol Not called the Emerald Isle without reason. DD has joined me and is now in love 😂😂 She's laughing her head off at their financial crisis and having to be shoved off the cliff

Oh no FOMO I’m going to have to catch up with you guys on Twogether!! Is your DD in love with both of them monkeywench? I watched the fan greet on YouTube earlier in the week, they were so lovely! It was via screen & translated 3 ways but they seem such genuine guys.
I would so invite them, but London has been done so much, the Emerald Isle I can def imagine them going to! Where is everyone else?

Yup, DD loves them both and refuses to accept that LSG does any action films 😂😂😂😂

They need Mister Goo at the OK Psychiatric Hospital 🤣🤣

Awww! Mister Goo!! 😂 😂 😂

Oh!!! Jaspers pyjamas!!😍

If I was that fan at the end of ep 2 of Twogether I would have imploded! It made me squeal with excitement for her 😂😂😂
LOL that they had to play against a little kid to win at Badminton 😂

Damn it. Fell asleep on the sofa again. Between k-blocking son and tiredness, my drama viewing has really gone to pot.

I couldn’t even stay awake for It’s Okay. 🤦‍♀️

I'm back, fashionably late of course. I was just talking to DP yesterday about suggesting an opening page for new spreadsheet users just to explain scoring and adding notes etc. We really are on a similar wavelength.

I've been watching a lot of mini dramas to help with my flagging attention span. This heat is a nightmare. We had exactly 3 minutes of rain yesterday and it was lovely until it left a humid mess behind.

Haha... I planted a seed... in the mind of DH. It germinated today. He marched into the bedroom & announced
"I've been thinking about Netflix, I'm putting my foot down"
Me "it's ok, we already discussed it, & agreed we probably can't justify it at the moment"
DH "No - I've decided we should get it"
Me
DH "It's only £whatever per month"
Me
DH "And we can cancel it any time if we need to"
Me "Wow that sounds really good"
DH "We can share the cost"
Me "Ok, whatever you want dear"

He totally believes it's his idea. I'd previously said I was willing to pay for it ...

Has anyone seen When The Camellia Blooms?

🤣🤣Sheer brilliance Sisyphus! I like your style 😉

I enjoyed When The Camellia Blooms , especially the street of ajhummas!

I gave When the Camellia Blooms a 6. There was some skipping involved but it was nice. The ahjummas made the show in my opinion.

I added an introduction page to the spreadsheet. I don't know if it was really needed but I'd love to hear feedback. You can tell me to scrap it if needs be, or change it. I don't mind at all.

I really like the Introduction hello, but then I would say that wouldn't I?
I enjoyed your note on Romance of Tiger & Rose, that's so funny, it's one of my favourite scenes too! I am having a Ryan Ding spiral & also watching Intense Love which was filmed at the same time, he is on the up definitely. Interestingly it must have been filmed in Winter/Spring as there are very few people in the outside scenes, definitely looks like social distancing was going on.

Sisyphus if you haven't already, then ask hello to PM you the spreadsheet and then you can see all the notes & scores we've given. I highly recommend you have separate profiles on Netflix as other wise the algorithm will bombard everyone with kdrama suggestions

Yes, definitely quarantine hour kdrama on Netflix. I hardly get any English language recommendations & have to check DH and DS1’s profiles to see what’s been released. Mind you, DS1 got into animé so his profile is going swirly too.

Squirly. Autocorrect is so annoying.

Just chuckling at the temple tour with the guide rattling away in Mandarin and Lee Seung-Gi grumbling because he can’t understand a word she’s saying.

I’m intrigued by the lycra sleeves they are wearing. Are they sunblock sleeves? If so, that’s great as you still have the comfort of wearing an airy t-shirt.

Good work Sisyphus! You definitely need a separate profile though else your DH won't be able to find non Korean stuff.
I love the intro page of the spreadsheet 👍

I like the intro, though I might want to review some of my scores.

Boaty they look like rash vests to me, the kind you wear under wetsuits. However it also occurred to me that Jasper may have been going into filming a Chinese costume drama after this and so would have had to avoid getting a tan