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…

I feel this is ver appropriate for the members of this thread 😂😂

😂😂😂 Very true!

🤣🤣that’s so me!!

Twogether is such a nice programme! The wetsuit is even more alluring than the pyjamas 😍 and I was chortling at the yoga class 🧘‍♀️

Twogether is very lovely. As is the wetsuit.

I've just caught up with It's Okay, ep 4 is too sad! 😢. The young ML and his mum 😭😭😭

I’ve been watching Oh My Baby, in the company of Olga and her lovelies - not too many pop-ups today. Mr Kim would be welcome on here - loved the team effort with Eu Ddeum. I noticed Byeong-Eun Park said the F in fighting very accurately - I’d wager his English is good (assuming he speaks it). His character also slightly redeemed himself this week. Still enjoying Eu Ddeum as a character - there’s something quite appealing about his boyish, straightforward enthusiasm for everything. Things seem to be righting themselves so I can take this one off the danger list.

Have watched ep 1 of I-Land... X factor meets Big Brother! It's nail biting and traumatic! But good!
Got Zico (B Block)... Rain... And Bang Si Hyuk (Big Hit Entertainment and Father of BTS! 😂) as observers and commentators... Not judges as everything is decided by the contestants! It's brutal but intriguing! And they're all sooo good.. They're all trainees with varying degrees of experience... Worth a watch for a break in drama now and again... Viki...
Am about to catch up on It's Okay... 😁

Gah! Block B!... I'm quite chuffed I know who all observers are! 😂 😂

Hmm. Olga had ep 16 of OMB up just after 10pm but it’s glitchy tonight and buffering/skipping. I will wait.

Ep 3... It's OK!... Oh it's marvellous! Really really enjoying it! A lovely cameo from Kwak Dong Yeon! (I loved him in Love In The Moonlight)... It's about time he had a proper proper lead in a drama... 👍😍

Preferably with a man bun... Dressed in black! And handy with a sword! 😂 😂 😍❤️

I persevered and have now finished OMB. The ending felt a bit rushed, but I really enjoyed it.

It's very frustrating waiting for Viki to fully sub last episode of Oh, My Baby, still only at 57% grrr.

morning all... logged on this morning to find this thread about 8th down the list for Streamed TV!!!!??? what the flip! we're always in the top 3!!!
This this is to remedy that!

Spent all evening watching Hamilton with the kids... it's so good and i'd sort of forgotten how sad it got! I loved it...Kids too... and dh dipping in and out of it...

so no drama watching for me though very much looking forward to catching up with It's Okay...

If Covid hadn't hit and all plans gone as expected... yesterday and today... I would have been at twickenham losing my mind with the Bangtan Boys! (and prob frozen to death!) sigh! ... come hell or high water i will be shameless and epic once again at a BTS concert!!!

Aww Bea you must be missing them 😢. Hope you get to see them soon.

I'm not sure I'm going to fit any viewing in today, I'm having a massive cleaning session because for the 1st time in 14 weeks someone is coming round to our house!!!! It's ridiculous we are so excited to see my BIL 😂😂😂

We are back at the top of Streamed TV and in Active 👍

I am looking forward to It's Ok, and will prob watch a double whammy of Backstreet Rookie tomorrow. I have been idling through Mr Fox & Miss Rose (CDrama Viki) which is absurd but fluffY fun

I’m shattered this week (work is intense) so I have been falling asleep on the sofa a lot this week. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Just watched Ep 2 of I Land!... It's sooo brutal!.. In an intense pressurised booting out way!... But I'm transfixed!

thegirll... Yes! I miss them! 😭😭I'm very sad but as someone very rightly pointed out on twitter the other day... ARMY (fans) obvs miss them lots but we've got vids... YouTube... Docs... Reality shows.. Twitter updates... Weverse... An online concert... So we actually see them lots whereas BTS only way of seeing ARMY is at concerts and shows and obvs that's not happening... So I'm sure I can survive! I'm a grown sensible woman ffs!... But I really want to go mad at a concert and jump up and down and sing in very jumbled korean! 😂 😂 😂

I’m not getting any kdrama action today. DS1 is kblocking with YouTube videos about supercars 🥱😴 and we’re going to watch the Eurovision film on Netflix later.

Having a Taiwanese drama binge and finished Hello Again which was nice and sweet. Currently watching Back to Home and googling salt farming, which is quite interesting.

It's been a day of catching up with news from old friends due to the flooding in Kyushu. At least everyone is safe, but a few of my friends were saying that between COVID and the flood they don't think they'll be able to recover financially 😣😢

The pictures of the flooding in Kyushu look dreadful, it’s just one thing after another isn’t it?

I am tempted by those Taiwanese dramas. I have turned my brain off after a week of deadlines so may follow up Mr Fox & Miss Rose with those. I fell asleep in Its Ok 😱

I watched 2 episodes of Chernobyl on Now TV last night many months after I’d planned to watch it, then some Nokdu before turning in. I looked the Chernobyl fire up online to see how faithful the TV series is. There have been only 2 nuclear energy accidents rated at seven—the maximum severity—on the International Nuclear Event Scale, Chernobyl & the other being the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan. I hadn’t appreciated that Fukushima was so serious - I knew it was a big one, but not that bad. Japan seems to be unlucky lately. Mind you, the San Andreas fault is overdue a big correction/quake and I spotted this while googling: www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/nuclear-plant-near-san-andreas-fault-ran-for-over-a-year-with-emergency-systems-disabled.html The way 2020 is going so far, perhaps we should add California to our watch list. Damn! I need to find me a fluffy kdrama or tdrama...

I'm oscillating between two currently, both seem very fluffy so far, Sweet Munchies which is satisfying my K Food obsession and Radio Romance

I’ve just checked out Sweet Munchies - it sounds ideal. I’m finding It’s Okay hard going as I dislike FL’s character so much and Oh My Baby is all wrapped up. What I do know is that Chernobyl is exactly the kind of bleak, soul-sucking TV that sent me down the kdrama rabbit hole. I don’t feel that I have the same stamina for it any more.