MsLatte’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #17): I need suits and dimples and questionable morals

[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 as they are peppered with pop-ups of “Olga” and friends offering a good time, which gets in the way of the drama.

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/Netflix)
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/Netflix)*

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)*
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/Netflix)*
Kingdom (Netflix)*

Mystic Pop-up Bar (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…

My local Korean shop is out of cut cabbage kimchi pouches. 😱 I had to buy some very expensive stuff in a jar to get us through the next week.

The kids were so gutted to have missed out on omurice when DH and I had it earlier this week, I’m making omurice for lunch.

Been furiously trying to find something new to watch. Have afternoon free to dedicate to TV. Help!! I started Romance is a bonus book up to ep 3 and although it's OK I'm not truly invested. It's a favourite on here so I may need to persevere a little longer.

Loving the Korean food menus!

Boatyard I bought the Kimchi brand that the I'm Korean AMA poster recommended. Misread the size and got a sack of it. It's really tasty and perfect amount of spice

I've been experimenting with my rice cooker and made a couple of cakes this week. Ginger&Pear and Blueberry & Yoghurt
Very nice.

Cake? 🎉 Recipes if you please....

www.bbcgoodfood.com/user/630667/recipe/mary-berrys-gingerbread-cake

Pat dry some tinned pear halves and lay face down in pan. Then pour cake mixture on top. Cook for 1hr 10mins

Sooo moist and fluffy.

Going to try doing my Xmas pudding in it this year. Perfect size and shape.

This is in the Yum Asia recipe booklet
Just substituted bananas with Greek yoghurt and blueberry compote. Only takes 50 mins

Another hack with the Yum Asia rice cooker: I put about 10 frozen gyoza in the steaming tray and put it in above the rice a couple of weeks ago. We were doing 2 or 3 cups of sushi rice, so plenty of room above for the steamer basket. The gyoza came out perfectly steamed & it didn’t affect the rice. 👍

I’m having a sofa afternoon with the cat. We are bingeing Find Yourself. It’s really hooked me. The supporting cast have good stories too.

Episode 10 of Find Yourself and FL decides she needs to lose weight so kneels on sofa and shimmies - if that works while watching kdrama it’d save a lot of time & effort!

Interesting how it highlights several times the different atttudes between men dating younger women vs women dating younger men. Are we supposed to like 2ML though? Cos I really don’t like him or his niece though I think they’re supposed to be funny rather than villainous

Apparently (according to FL) you won’t gain much weight while you’re on your period so you can watt fatty chicken claws 🤮 and although you shouldn’t drink beer whilst on said period it’s ok if you warm it up in your mouth first🤔🤔🤔

EAT fatty chicken claws 🤦🏻‍♀️

I'm not sure about the end - fitted in with the rest of the show, let your imagination run wild . I'm just disappointed as I wanted some kind of Buffy type show, although there is a 'cult' following vibe to it. A few more episodes would have helped maybe give more sense to it for me.

frogs My Secret Romance is a guilty pleasure of mine

I have a free afternoon and evening and need something to binge. I've tried Dr Romantic 2 twice and can't get into it - help, any suggestions?

I've tried 3 so far and nothing is pulling me. I may have to start in the cleaning 🤨

On the cleaning

Find Yourself, Aesops?

Betty - I like the player twin. I still like the 2ML at the mo.

OK, watched 5 mins of Find Yourself it's got legs so I'm going in.
I have to get used to the North China accent ..

I like the player twin. I still like the 2ML at the mo

I like the player twin too, the sibling relationship is fun. I think what I'm not keen on is the very slight tinge of gaslighting in 2MLs tactics with FL, especially in the car scene where she asks him if she's his backup (ep 12)

Ah, yes. He is underhand.

FL does do some daft things though - gah - the necklace thing is annoying me!

Record of Youth has a Fight My Way feel about it...

The necklace is annoying.

OK, 2ML in Find Yourself has crossed the line in ep 16. Singling FL out for sulking and silent treatment is in controlling arse territory for me. Team Toyboy all the way!

Oh I’ve always been Team Toyboy!!!