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…

Chicago Typewriter Music
There must be a playlist on music streaming sites. For now enjoy this YouTube one

Healer was the second K drama I watched! JCW is very sexy in it!

I haven't yet. I know. I am just a padwan in the Ways of the K-Drama. Healer is very much on my radar but there are just so many sweeties in the jar and I get distracted.

4 episodes in to Lovestruck in the City and what I can say is that I think it's going to be really frustrating to wait for the last four episodes when I've burned through those available.

@JinBhoot I agree the OST to Chicago Typewriter is superb! I think SaltnPaper also did the music for Cheese In The Trap and other dramas their music is just lovely.

@polkettle

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.

I have to say, Bridgerton was quite the assault on the senses after 2+ years of kdrama. 😂 There was shagging all over the place, complicated athletic shagging too.

@Rowdythree

Healer was the second K drama I watched! JCW is very sexy in it!

Although technically he meets the threshold for stalking and seems terminally stupid, in that he lives in a freezing cold warehouse and hasn’t thought to hive a bit of it off and make it habitable. Otherwise, it’s grand. 😄

The freezing cold warehouse does mean lots of lovely jumpers though boaty 😂

Watched Bridgerton this week as I had some quilt binding to sew so couldn't do subtitles. It was FILTH I tell ya. Filth. Realised I am very over watching pumping buttocks. I have been recalibrated.

Realised I am very over watching pumping buttocks. I have been recalibrated.

This made me laugh so much DH asked to see what was so funny.

@polkettle

Watched Bridgerton this week as I had some quilt binding to sew so couldn't do subtitles. It was FILTH I tell ya. Filth. Realised I am very over watching pumping buttocks. I have been recalibrated.

😂😂😂

Realised I am very over watching pumping buttocks. I have been recalibrated

Snort!!🤣🤣

I like FL’s forward unni in True Beauty. The poor English teacher is like a rabbit in headlights. 😆

@TheGirlWithTheArabStrap

The freezing cold warehouse does mean lots of lovely jumpers though boaty 😂

It was the knitware that did it thegirl

@polkettle that made me laugh! I haven't watched Bridgerton yet... Not sure if I want to or not now, I might need to watch it, just to check if I've been recalibrated 😂

I'm definitely recalibrated, in the Cdrama I'm watching there have been several mentions of sex and some 'proper' kissing which is more than enough for me .

Oh my - just finished watching Chicago Typewriter, what a hidden gem. Everything from music to sets & story telling between past & present was lovely.
First couple of episodes were slow and I almost abandoned the show.

Now to the difficult bit - what to watch next? I must chose something light as this was bit on a sad side.

Agree with Bridgerton - as soon as I read it’s made by Shonda Rhimes, I knew it’s not for me.

I’m enjoying all the nods to kdrama in True Beauty. I’m up to the Parasite rip-off.

Ended up spending most of today watching Radio Romance- there were some god bits but the ML definitely met the bar for basically stalking the FL and I was cheering for her to run off the the PD who personally seemed a lot more attractive and sane.
The ending was a bit rubbish as well- the whole mystery with his friend was a bit deflating. And he just forgives him Mum who was horribly controling and abusive?!
Definitely watching misaeng next and won't be pulled off course by Netflix fluffy suggestions

6.51am...I wonder if the Mr Queen subtitles are complete...

Still only 73% ?? Noooo! shakes fist at cruel world

I’m making great progress with True Beauty, up to ep 10 and likely to catch up to airing speed today. I am enjoying it a great deal, especially the oppa bounty, but it’s not on a par with CLOY or HPL in my view. Maybe it is the high school setting that undercuts it for me. I’ve also felt they had to contort the story to fit the kdrama pastiche in a couple of times, which is the tail wagging the dog. The performances are great though and I’m enjoying the unni/teacher romance as much as the main one.

@polkettle this is why I watch sans subs as soon as it is up as I just can't wait, then I popped round to Olga's.
I have been rewinding a certain scene where the Queen storms into his room where the king is in semi undressed Ninja gear - KJH's tiny reactions are just so good!

@bettys Perhaps some things don't require subs...
I've done episode 7 of Lovestruck in the City and I really really like it. JCW definitely Grrr.

My Duolingo lesson today is making me snigger.

TheGirl 🤣🤣 useful in so many situations!

Thrown up on while piggybacking....
Got caught in the rain....
Fell in the lake....
MIL threw water but ML dishes in front....

Or ami I just living in dramaland?😆