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…

Suffice it to say that Kim Tae-Ri is a very versatile young actress very versatile 😳😂

My MIL was bang on with her “soft porn” review, though the creepy uncle’s interests were eeeeeeeeew. Can anyone clear up the wooden mannequin/hoist arrangement? I’m assuming it was the mannequin’s wood that she was sitting on, but I wasn’t paying sufficient attention to know whether she was sitting on it or sitting on it IYSWIM, or was it meant to be vague so all the aristo pervs could fill in their own blanks?

Feel free to disregard the question above. I was thinking aloud. DH watched part of it before going to bed. Turns out that scene was confusing for him too, but I don’t think there’s any knowing. There were a few bits where I was cocking my head trying to work out the angles, like an Escher painting with human bodies.

I watched it a while back so I would have to rewatch to ascertain the finer details and I'm not quite sure I want to go there.......

No, I agree - an excellent film, well acted and plotted, but once was enough. Like Oldboy, another of Park Chan-Wook’s films. I sense a theme...

....although I am quite taken by Court Lady Choi's precious item from Qing (Mr Queen episode 6 about 60 mins in)

True Beauty! It's very fun and just what I need at the moment and the best bit??... Having The Nolans "I'm in the mood for Dancing" on the ost! 😂😂😂😂💜🥰

Ep 3! True Beauty is luvvverly!! Cosy and funny and very sweet! 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰😍😍😍

The Nolans! 😂 It always makes me laugh when I hear Congratulations by Cliff Richard being sung, but the Nolans is a whole other level!

Well I've watched all the episodes of Run on, and am now impatiently waiting for new ones. I don't normally watch series until they've all been released, but I got tempted. The only other one I've watched as it was released was One Spring Night I'd forgotten how frustrating I find it 😂

With Sweet home finished I need something else to tempt DH with. Are there any similar programmes? Something not romantic, a thriller or horror?

Extracurricular - not horror but very dark in tone, fairly noir for kdrama

And obvs Kingdom but you've prob seen that

Also Strangers from Hell with yer man from Run On

The Guest is dark too.

Thanks for the suggestions, yep we've seen Kingdom, I will check out the others, see if any take DH's fancy 👍👍

Anyone done Some Day or One Day ? Would be my first foray into Taiwanese drama. Not sure I'm ready but the review has me intrigued.

@polkettle Some Day or One Day is on my list so report back if you start it. Otherwise I can highly recommend Before We Get Married or Lost Romance as my top Taiwan dramas

@Rowdythree... I've found anything by OCN quite good for watching with DH... recent good watches were Train (viki) and Flower of Evil (viki) were really good! Thrillery enough and serious enough to intrigue dh even though he had a few quibbles with plot! But good stuff!... And also... He really liked Tale Of Nokdu! 😂😂😂

Just done the first episode @bettys Intriguing! Side characters very caricaturish and some clunky bits but I like the FL who has a pleasingly big nose and mysterious shifting timeline/parallel universe/doppelganger or summat plot has already drawn me in. Not as nice to listen to as Korean but maybe that's because I'm not used to it. Shall do another right now...

I’ve started watching Find Me in your Memory on Netflix. It seems to be all there, so I am jogging through the boxset. It fits my mood just now.

Also - has a really gorgeous opening credit sequence and catchy title song.

I’m enjoying FMIYM way too much. Time for a 🥾🍑 to get me off the sofa & to bed.

Though once again I am staggered by the lack of medical confidentiality. 🙄

Hello everyone 👋 I've been MIA on the K Drama front for a month or so, I found myself going down a Scandi Noir rabbit hole after discovering The Bridge. All 4 series complete and topped off with Home for Christmas. All excellent viewing 👌
Just dipping my toe back into my father is strange, it's looking remarkably similar to Once again which I adored so diving in!

Hope all had super Xmas and will catch up on the thread today 😀

Welcome back Aesops!

Oh my! Sad reveal at the end of FMIYM ep 6. 😭

I've paused my many, many mid-watch-few-episodes-in Ks and Cs for Bridgerton. Need a brain detox as am overcome with melodrama 😂😂😂