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…

Slippers in office seems to be very common, I haven’t seen female staff with slippers though. After pandamic I will suggest mandatory slippers at work, I am sure pajamas will be pushing it too far 😂 #PerksOfWorkingFromHome

I am loving being able to work in weekend clothes during COVID. Today I was reasonably smart above waist but leggings with jersey shorts over the top to spare my boys the horror of my middle-aged lycra arse at lunchtime. The shorts were due to ironing backlog & tunic shortage, but they’re so damned comfy I might wear this combo more often. Not in public obvs.

The other thing I love about the pandemic is Zoom yoga class: once on mute you can huff, puff, laugh at the impossibility of stretches and fart loudly to your heart’s content.

I’ll be cracking on the True Beauty tonight. 👍

I'm up to date with Run on now. I'm not sure why but I really enjoyed this episode, I didn't want it to end. I find the show quite relaxing to watch, it's really nice.

I felt for poor Oh Mi Joo running that race, bless her! That's exactly what I would be like! What is the mystery illness that Dan a and her brother seem to suffer from? Only 2 episodes left to answer questions!

Enjoy True Beauty Boaty, I'm jealous that you're watching it for the first time from the beginning

A hahahahahaha the cat's revenge for being neutered (Way Back Into Love ep 10) is hilarious!!
Certainly not as well behaved as the puddy tat in BTIMFL!

Arghh, still waiting on the subs for My Little Happiness. Can't find anything to watch either. Feeling in a drama slump - woe is me

Ooh up to date on Mr Queen. Ooh. The FL is really great.

On my way to Call My Agent I have fallen into Lovestruck in the City. Anyone watching?

Ah, 2ML in True Beauty is deadly assassin Dan-Ho from Nokdu. Definitely sexier in saeguk ninja get-up than school uniform. 🤷‍♀️

Agreed Boaty!

I've just watched the first episode of Misaeng, I hardly recognised Im Siwan, especially when he was chasing through the streets of Jordan! Is there only one American actor in Korea?! This same guy keeps popping up in so many dramas! He's not even any good

It often seems like there’s only one American actor. Mr Sunshine’s US army buddy David Lee McInnis springs to mind as another, though he is Korean-American.

"On January 28, South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Foundation for International Culture Exchange released their 2021 Overseas Hallyu (Korean Wave) Survey"

They obviously didn't consult our threads as Lee Min Ho came out as the top actor

I see CLOY was still best drama. 👍

Has anyone seen Peninsular yet? Was it any good? The reviews on iMovies have been written by absolute muppets, so are no use.

Just spotted a magic refilling Americano (continuity error) in ep 3 of True Beauty in the tyre change scene. 👌 😂

I am watching Chicago typewriter and I can see why there is asterisk * on it (see OP).
I am loving the sets, it was a slow start but after couple of episodes (big reveal), show has now picked up.
Music is good and some of it is in English.

@polkettle

On my way to Call My Agent I have fallen into Lovestruck in the City. Anyone watching?

Trailers look interesting, I might start it after my current show.

Proper lolling here at FL’s talent show cock-up in True Beauty. 😂 How long was she in the loo???

Need to go to bed...

@fifilacklustre ré Way Back Into Love, I have been enjoying it more since the cat escapades, but somehow it's not as good as My Little Happiness.

They seem to be only subbing 2 episodes of MLH a day which is frustrating as they are all up chez Olga so I will wait until they are all up & then binge. According to MDL ML is in an upcoming historical drama My Wife Is A Thief that was filmed before MLH which may be why his eyebrows are so elaborate.

Oh, the synopsis for My Wife is a Thief looks good. I found another show last night as a filler until subs completed- My Love Hypnotic. Definitely not the best production, sets, and some of the actors are terrible, but the ML is amusing me with his sleepwalking antics so I'm going to keep watching, Need to fill in my tedious Saturday somehow
polkettle, it will be good to hear your feedback re Love Struck in the City, I was wanting to watch because of Ji Chang Wook but seen reviews, and it all seems very angsty with unlikeable FL.

polkettle, it will be good to hear your feedback re Love Struck in the City, I was wanting to watch because of Ji Chang Wook but seen reviews, and it all seems very angsty with unlikeable FL.

I second this, I just can't do angst at the moment, and am very disappointed with JCW's drama choices since his return (I've even dropped the Grrr from his name )

I will look into My Love Hypnotic as CDrama is proving angst-free and with no Uncanny Counter I need something to fill the Saturday gap while waiting for Mr Queen

(Of course I could fill that gap with tidying up/work/making marmalade as oranges have been sitting in fridge for a while now but that prob ain't gonna happen)

My plans for a productive morning have been waylaid by True Beauty.

bettys I'm very impressed that you are even thinking about making marmalade! The SFL is shaping up to be a bad'un, SML has just joined and he is very good looking.

boaty I get waylaid every day .

Did you go to sleep Boaty?

I've started watching My ID is Gangnam Beauty I never fancied it before, but thought I'd give it a try after enjoying True Beauty it has the ML and 2FL from true beauty in.

Only did the first two episodes last night (and they're only 30 mins) and also confess that I don't think I've seen Previously-Known-As-Grrrr-Until-He-Let-Bettys-Down (PKAGUHLBD) JCW in anything else yet 🤔 but really liked the first two. By KDrama standards it was proper steamy too. Omo.

OMO @polkettle have you not watched Healer yet? It should be required viewing for anyone starting their kdrama obsession journey