MsLattés Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #20): With Hyun Bin off the market, the ajummas off darkness begin researching his ‘oppa fabulous’ replacement in earnest

[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)
Some Day or On Day (Viki, Taiwanese)
The Romance of Tiger & Rose (Viki, Chinese)
Tientsin Mystic (Netflix, Chinese)

Thread Regulars’ Top Scoring Dramas of 2020
(courtesy of Hello’s kdrama spreadsheet, updated by/for thread regulars. Marks out of 10.)

1 - Parasite - 9.05 (10 Votes)
2 - It's Okay To Not Be Okay - 8.88 (9 Votes)
3 - The Uncanny Counter - 8.50 (4 Votes)
4 - Once Again - 8.40 (5 Votes)
5 - Hospital Playlist - 8.21 (7 Votes)

2019’s top scoring dramas:

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
🥾🍑 (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 can't knock Lenny Kravitz in that scarf though! He looks amazing!

David Byrne! 😎

Olga teasing with the last 8 episodes of my My Little Happiness sitting there waiting to be subbed. One of my hopes is to see SFL out of denim short - I mean could they make them any shorter

Loving the picture of Lenny Kravitz.

@fifilacklustre

Olga teasing with the last 8 episodes of my My Little Happiness sitting there waiting to be subbed. One of my hopes is to see SFL out of denim short - I mean could they make them any shorter

Loving the picture of Lenny Kravitz.

It's a wonder 2FL doesn't have a permanent case of thrush.

@FedUpWithBriiiiick @fifilacklustre also those dangling threads on the shorts are very unsightly 😖

While waiting for the subs I have started Way Back Into Love on Viki with the same ML and his eyebrows in this are much softer 👍

I will be interested to hear what you think bettys it took me a while to get through it. So far I like My Little Happiness a lot more.

Are we showing our age by commenting on what the youngsters are wearing . To be fair, my youngster wouldn't go out in such short shorts!

@JinBhoot Doctor Stranger has Lee Jong-Suk as ML. He is by far the most entertaining thing about it.

fifi I can already tell there will be some skipping involved....

In case anyone hasn't seen and might be interested, this looks great. I just need them to do one for K-Drama
kccuk.org.uk/en/programmes/k-pop-academy/19th-k-pop-academy/

Have you read the programme, Pol? Almost none of the content is kpop related. It’s language, culture, art. There’s even a kimchi making session FGS. It sounds bloody marvellous. I would have to be sick the week of the choreography session, of course, but I’m sure Bea would have a go. It’s BTS sneaking a Korean-language album onto the Billboard chart under the cover of Dynamite.

I know - I am tempted!

OMG I keep reading it as turnips (vegetable) and was trying to make sense. Had no idea what you guys were talking about. Is this some new terminology in fashion/pop culture?? Am I living under the stone? Why I am so behind times? I have so much to learn.
THEN I saw images posted by @polkettle and now it makes sense phew order of universe is restored.

We are 1.5 days closer to weekend, yayaaaa.

I have started Chicago Typewriter, slow start so far. ML’s study & house is lined with books 🥰. I seem to be selecting dramas with ML in publishing/writing.

[quote polkettle]In case anyone hasn't seen and might be interested, this looks great. I just need them to do one for K-Drama
kccuk.org.uk/en/programmes/k-pop-academy/19th-k-pop-academy/[/quote]
Looks great but they want a short video ... I hate such tasks.

That course sounds ace! But I also would hate to do a video and dancing. I mean I love a good dance, but it's definitely more enthusiasm than choreography 😂

I'd be interested in it all except the KPop aspect... I just can't get into that... Ah well

My word the lawyer is really making those Ferrero Rocher last! (MLH)

And she's finally out of shorts (ep 21)

[quote polkettle]In case anyone hasn't seen and might be interested, this looks great. I just need them to do one for K-Drama
kccuk.org.uk/en/programmes/k-pop-academy/19th-k-pop-academy/[/quote]
If it wasn't for the requirement to make a video of yourself I'd be tempted.

Actually I don't think it is a requirement to make a video - that's an alternative to filling in an application form?

Anyone watched tonights run on? I'm still enjoying it but not entire sure what it's heading towards- the bit where young-hwa is begging his Mum to let him stay out made me laugh, and when Dan-ah and Mi Joo turn up in those sunglasses
I'm saving true beauty for tomorrow- I've for a day off so planning some serious TV watching and relaxing! Working my way through oh my ghost in the meantime - so far Jo jung-suk is playing pretty much exactly the same character as in DDTD

Just starting to watch True Beauty, looks like we will have some big events in today’s episode based on the preview.

I’ve been saving Run On and Mr Queen to binge - - any recommendations on which one to binge first?

@Kseason I'd suggest Me Queen first!

Mr Queen that should be!

Hydrogensonata I've just watched it, I loled at those bits too!! I'm hoping Seon-geom's Mum divorces her awful husband and everyone lives happily ever after 😂

I'm watching Misaeng now, I've been saving it. Although Netflix confused me tonight by calling it Incomplete Life on the home screen. And then back to Misaeng when I clicked on it. I know they are the same but translated, but why is Netflix switching them around?

@Kseason I'd also say Mr Queen if you want a laugh. It's comedy bits are excellent

Agree with Hydrogen go for Mr Queen I am disappointed with Run On