MsLattés Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #19): Our noona days may be behind us but the ajummas of darkness will unleash their inner Gangnam leopards as the festive season approaches

[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)*
Stranger - 2 seasons (Netflix)
Suspicious Partner (Netflix)*
The Lies Within (Netflix)*
Tunnel (Netflix)*

Historical/Period drama (“sageuk”)
100 Days My Prince (Viki/Netflix)
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)
It’s OK Not To Be OK (Netflix)

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 Handmaid (film, Netflix - content warning: explicit sexual content)
The Package (Viki)



Straighter ‘Slice of Life’ dramas on universal themes
Hospital Playlist (Netflix)
Into The Ring (Viki)
Itaewon Class (Netflix)
Live (Netflix)
Misaeng (Netflix)
My Mister (Viki/Netflix)*
My Unfamiliar Family (Viki)*
Prison Playbook (Netflix)*

Once Again (Viki)
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)
Kiss Goblin (Viki, webdrama)
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)*
King: The Eternal Monarch (Netflix)
Kingdom (Netflix)*

Mystic Pop-up Bar (Netflix)
The Guest (Netflix)
Train to Busan - film (Amazon Prime)

W: Two Worlds (Viki & Netflix)*
Zombie Detective (Viki)


Guilty Pleasures (for the joy, not the quality)
Bride of Habaek (Netflix)
Hwarang (Viki/Netflix)
My Secret Romance (Viki)
The Last Empress (Viki/Netflix)
Sassy Go Go (Netflix)



Mad as a box of frogs/uncategorisable

Strong Girl Bong Soon (Netflix)
School Nurse Files (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)
Find Yourself (Netflix - Chinese)
Go Go Squid (Viki - Chinese)
Instead of Tipsy Why Not Get Drunk (Viki - Chinese)
Lost Romance (Viki - Taiwanese)
Love O2O (Viki - Chinese)
Morning Call (Netflix - Japanese)
Put Your Head on My Shoulder (Netflix - Chinese)
The Romance of Tiger & Rose (Viki, 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 didn't not like it, but I don't remember being so drawn in.

I was rooting for Son Ho Jun in Reply 1994, though I think we were supposed to root for Yoo Yeon Seok.

In Reply 1988 my observation is that FL looks after Go-champ Taek, a bit like one looks out for a small, easily distracted child, whereas Jung-Hwan looks out for FL and it is a more balanced relationship of equals. I’m definitely not skipping or peeping to cheat (no spoilers pls), but I really hope the 2015 sofa husband is Jung-Hwan because the alternative is too depressing.

Hey everyone, I hope you're all well?

So I watched The Legend of the Blue Sea finally and loved it, especially the Oceans 11 feel at the beginning. Though I have to admit I've slightly gone off Lee Minho (I feel very disloyal that I've fallen for slightly more versatile oppas), but I thought this show really suited him -- omg, his line of uniforms & vehicles! I also liked FL more (I wasn't sure about her in my love from the stars), but again, I thought she was excellent in this and bits like the nod to the Ring as she came through the attic door were very well done.

It also had the bonus that watching it in my laptop meant my kids thought I hadn't watched TV for a week, as I hadn't changed netflix to my log in! 😂

I also loved While you were Sleeping and 7 secrets. 😁

Since then I've watched Hotel del Luna and I'm hoping someone can explain the ending to me... Was it current-day Yeon-u who becomes the hotelier at the end? Or was I confused by then? And if it was him then where did Mi-Ra go? Also why/how does FL seem to be with ML at the end? Putting her head on her shoulder etc? Was it real /his imagination /hopes... I just don't know?

Oh and I just bought myself (well technically dd, as I thought they could be sexy dads for her Lottie dolls, but they're really for me!) V and Jimin in the entertainer sale. I don't know whether to laugh or cry at myself that I was seriously tempted to drive miles to fetch a click and collect order so that I could get Jin too! 😂

@leeloo1 I'm getting one of those dolls for Christmas 😂

Trying to binge Gogh The Starry Night and almost done but very frustrated by massive holes in subtitling from episode 14 onwards. They disappear and then come back despite apparently being 100% subtitled (although episode 14 where the problem began said 65%) I've tried reinstalling but no joy. Anyone else experienced this? I mean it's not that hard to follow the smouldering gazes without but...

@TheGirlWithTheArabStrap - I'm glad it's not just me! 😂 Who are you getting?

Chuckling at the doll excitement but I did just secret santa my work ARMY friend a BTS desk calender and productivity journal (since we always joke that her productivity is nil when it comes to the boys 😁)

Suga & V wish you a very Merry Christmas!

polkettle, not just you, I had the same thing when I watched it as soon as it dropped onto Viki. I was so annoyed that I wrote a stern email to Viki politely telling them to get it sorted . Obviously, the email wasn't that impactful . I ended up watching it on Dramacool.

leeloo1 re Hotel De Luna, from my recollection Mi Ra was going to marry Yeung So.
The ending with Chang-Sung sitting on the bench with Mang-Wol's head on his shoulder is ambiguous. I remember reading lots of theories around at that time about ending Was he dreaming? Had he died and meeting her in the afterlife as they had promised?
I felt it was the perfect ending, I thought he was dreaming of a time where hopefully they would be re-incarnated and reunited.
The owner of the new hotel Blue Moon was Kim Soo Yun- again the best cameo role ever.
I'm am leaving the re-watch of this as a special treat to myself.
I'm sure someone else will come along and give a better explanation.

RE - dolls, I think you should buy the whole set, then set up love triangles, just to get her used to Kdrama themes.

It's a surprise leeloo 🎉😁

@bettys - 😂 thanks! I love that your bts friends have found themselves face masks and a very cool car to drive!

@fifilacklustre - ah, re HdL - I rewatched the end and that explains why the hotelier looked familiar! 🤦‍♂️ I'd thought it must be one of the characters we'd already been introduced to, but couldn't place him.

Re the bts dolls - tbh if the entertainer had still had the full set available for £30 I'd probably have got them! As it is, we'll have to have a solitary love triangle with the 2 I got and the random reduced Emma-Watson-lookalike-Belle doll who was also available! I hope she's saving her energy for what she's going to be enjoying after Christmas! 😂

I can't believe I'm envious of a doll's life 😂

😂
@fifilacklustre Aha - thanks. Sorry to report your Stiff Email had no effect. don't think I missed too many subtle nuances but frustrating.

Dammit, BA has dropped its flights to Seoul. I was hoping for this as my Christmas present from the family. I hope they had the foresight to know this and booked with another airline - business class of course 😂

Hi! Just found this thread, massive kdrama addict and just korean culture in general, one of my best friends from when I was at university, was from korea so he sends me all sorts of delicious snacks from Seoul every now and again! after I pester him relentlessly

Currently watching fermentation family and hoping to start watching: start up this weekend, definetly will be working my way through the list in the OP for any I haven't watched yet.

So... 안녕하세요 여러분

Welcome Ydoodle! You’ll find this a very accepting thread, as we share a common (if somewhat niche) passion. It makes me so happy when new posters join - more of us to crowdsource the treasures.

My in laws watched the The Handmaid and Little Forest earlier this week. MIL described The Handmaid as “soft porn” but they enjoyed it. 😄 She also messaged me to say she was starting to understand my attraction to Korean things. 👍

Hi @Ydoodle, come and join in the chat!

Haha my MIL would be v cool about that sort of thing but I'm having a massive cringe thinking about watching The Handmaid with my parents 😂

Hi Ydoodle!

Anyone watched You Complete Me on Viki yet? Got the nice fella with the mole on the end of his nose in it. Worth watching?

Hi Ydoodle ! If we pester your friend from Seoul will he send us delicious snacks too????

FedUp of course I immediately had to look up who the nice fella with the mole on the end of his nose is and have now added that to my list

I am nearly at the end of Lucky Romance which I have only persevered with because of Ryu Jun Yeol, FL is very tiresome even though she isn't shouting in this. He's in lots of films on my list (Taxi Driver, Hit and Run Squad) so I am saving those up for Christmas.

I am catching up with Futmalls in a desultory way, although it is a little disappointing as they have hidden Bruce He's dimples under a depressed geeky veneer as he is obvs pining for drippy FL.

Christmas cards sent, paperwork done so I am now at liberty to start & binge Start-Up

I am so behind with my Christmas prep this year it’s unreal.

I don’t seem to be able to crunch through the kdrama at the mo. I’m so tired I keep falling asleep on the sofa and having to rewatch episodes the next evening. It makes for slow progress.

Welcome Ydoodle.

Fedup, I am on episode 6, so very early on, and so far it's okay. FL has not managed to annoy me completely. I started watching because Hu Yin Tian from A Love So Beuatiful is the main leade. It's 40 episodes so not sure if I will stick with it.

Noo bettys, I was looking forward to seeing Bruce's dimples [grin0