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…

Looks who come for Christmas at mine! 😁

Merry Christmas all- I'm very glad I've found somewhere to chat about K-drama and got some great suggestions for new stuff to watch. Definitely made the latter part of this year more bearable!
Settling in to watch run on after my run this morning- won't be moving far from the sofa for the rest of the day!
Have a lovely day 🎄

Hey hey TheGirl you got Tae!!👍👍💜💜🎄🎄

😍😂

Happy Christmas lovely people. Got to the eating liqueur chocolates and rewatching Don't Dare to Dream on my phone end of the day. Adding my appreciation to those who've been here all along for being so generous in sharing this chat thread and essential KDrama wisdom with a newcomer. You've really made me smile the last few months.

Evening all. I haven’t watched any kdrama today (yet), but DH and I have been crying with laughter watching the original Borat film with DS1 (15) as DS2 was busy playing a new game upstairs. It’s so close to the bone it is painful to watch, but also very funny in places. You have to wonder if it could have been made now.

Thank you for all your witty contributions, excellent treasure-finding and valuable turkey warnings over the last year. It’s great that the thread is growing and we are seeing new posters. It is good for all of us if the scores are moderated by a larger sample of viewers. We’ll be updating the next header with 2020’s top scoring dramas, so don’t forget to update the spreadsheet with your scores over the next week.

Merry Christmas one and all!
@TheGirlWithTheArabStrap... Kim Taehyung! 😍

I dipped my toe into Lovestruck in the City before I go to bed. Anyone else finding JCW rather flat in it? It’s so odd. All the elements are there, but it’s like he’s lost his spark or something. I’m finding him unengaging and uninteresting in this. What happened to edgy, sexy Suspicious Partner JCW?

That's disappointing Boaty, I love JCW! I want very keen on the K2 either, in fact I gave up on that 😬 I wonder if it's because of his military service? 🤔

It might just be me. I’d be interested to see what others think.

Boxing Day tasks.....tidying up the wrapping paper, sorting out the pressies, stripping the turkey for a pie, walking the dog and......adding scores to the spreadsheet!
I have updated with the ones I have watched and so far it's looking like Dr Romantic 2, Once Again and Hospital Playlist are strong contenders, with a possibility of XX and Extracurricular (although I think only me and hello watched that)

I don’t feel like it’s such a strong field this year.

Bum no Uncanny Counter this week 😡😡

Boo to no Uncanny Counter!
Right, I'm going to update my scores on the spreadsheet as I've not done it for ages. And then I'll start Run On ✔️

OMG - I have found my tribe. HELLO lovely people. wave, twirl & slide just like Dr. Yang Seok-hyung enters his mum’s hospital room (Ep9)

I have recently discovered Kdramas and I am loving it. I don’t know why it took me so long.

I have enjoyed watching CLOY, it gave me little bit of East & West Germany vibe.

Then I watched Hospital Playlist, OH MY. I have watched it atleast 3 times (very out of character for me). After watching this show I soooooo want to have four best friends all working in the same field, so that we can be colleagues too and hang out together every day and live our best lives together. (In general I am very rational & realistic person - I can only blame this ridiculousness on loneliness due to Lockdowns & Tier4 OR this kdrama addiction?)
After re-watching all episodes, BTS, casting tapes & special concert, I am finally ready to reluctantly move on.

I have just started Itaewon Class. It seems interesting story but my heart is still with Hospital Playlist.

Welcome JinBhoot! You are absolutely in the right place and a great opening post too. If you are still grieving the end of Hospital Playlist, I’d suggest Prison Plsybook, which is by the same writers. Don’t be put off by the prison hardnuts in the first episode or two, as it quickly gives way to a terrific character-driven drama.

One of the Reply series (1988 or 1994) would also fit the bill.

Hello @JinBhoot ! I also discovered KDrama this year and totally fell in love with Hospital Playlist. Have you discovered the "making of" content on YouTube plus the live 99ers concert? All very delightful with a new episode every week which is keeping me going until Season 2. Very happy to nerd out on significance of all cliffhangers with you. Second the recommendation to watch other dramas of writer/director but if you're an Ik-Jun/Jo Jong-Suk fan then don't miss Dont Dare to Dream either. About to make a cup of tea to bring back to bed to continue my important rewatch work...

Sorry - duh - just reread post and see you HAVE watched all YouTube content.
HP also has most effective product placement in that I genuinely wanted an Egg Drop sandwich after watching.

Welcome jinbhoot you are definitely in the right place!

I get what you mean about your heart still being with a series, that happens to me a lot, in which case I usually watch the series again. By the end of the second viewing I'm usually ready to move on 😂

Welcome jinbhoot!

Hi JinBhoot 👋👋 you are very welcome!

Hello JinBhoot... Welcome! 👋👋👋😁

Thank you @boatyardblues for the recommendations.

@polkettle Few weeks ago after watching them eat, I made a nice cheese omelette sandwich at 11pm. Since then I have already searched for the copycat recipe. I am looking up the dishes & recipes as I go along but currently I am too busy (watching) to cook any . Hopefully someday I will find a nice Korean restaurant with delicious dishes (and cater to my dietary requirements).
I love reading about various cultures and their way of life.

Thank you @Rowdythree, @FedUpWithBriiiiick, @bettys & @Bea

HP season 2 reading has been delayed due to rising cases in Korea so I do wonder if season will be ready for April.

In twins’ audition tape (YouTube), director kindda indicated that as seasons will progress they will have new lead characters. This has made me sad, I like these 5 because they are perfect middle aged bunch. In most of the dramas/films this age bracket specially women are shown as mean, biter, boring, hopeless and bringing spark in life by meaning less affairs (I am looking at you, US dramas).

Part of me also thinks they are so close and manages to hang out because they are single and even the one with the child has great support system. I know it’s all fantasy but I do wonder. Next season will be interesting to watch with 4 leads in relationship.

PS: None of my friends IRL are watching this drama so I am typing my thoughts here.