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…

Oh! Mr Queen actually a 20 episode run! There was I thinking we were at end game.

That’s good news. I hate a rushed, unsatisfactory ending.

Yes, definitely felt like there was more story left than could fit into a final episode.

I’m waiting for viki subs to Mr Queen. Figure it will tide me over until Run On.

Are you up to date with True Beauty Boaty?

Not yet. The brouhaha has erupted at FL’s new school and her lovely teacher is about to arrange a meeting with her parents, so everything is up in the air. 2ML has rumbled her BFF’s role in it. I stayed up far too late last night trying to catch up but it was a school night so had to admit defeat. 😄

I am somewhat agog at the plastic surgeon suggesting lots of surgery in True Beauty. She’s bloody gorgeous. A dermatologist would have been a better starting point. Madness!

I like her Mum’s reaction though. 😄

Watching healer and misaeng at the same time- agree that draughty warehouse isn't very practical and he should probably stop ordering takeaway to what's meant to be a deserted warehouse- it's just a bit suspicious

Catching up with Mr Queen- can't wait to see how it all ends up and enjoying the but where she goes up against the queen dowager etc

I really really meant to eke out Lovestruck in the City and I really really haven't 😔 Can't stop watching. So good. So agonising to have to wait for final 4 episodes though. Gah! Sharp, funny, sexy, sad.

@bettys yes that bit was fab! I love court lady choi

I’m caught up on True Beauty and on tenterhooks after the last 5 mins of ep 14. Hwang Im-Yeop is getting more handsome by the episode, the coffee shop flat cap is all wrong for him. Shiny boots HIY at the end of ep 14 is 👌. I also found his Insta account from his wikipedia. 👍 He looks very natural in the candid photos, but the Cosmopolitan shoot clown trousers are hideous. Even the floofy dog can’t rescue that shoot.

Now enjoying the Queen on the offensive, dishing up her revenge.

The floofy dog is saying ffs get me out of here it’s ruining my image

(The clown trousers, not Hwang In Yeob obvs)

Don’t dare to dream- I am not enjoying it but too late to quit now.
I want her to end up with a nice guy but I am sure she will decide on news anchor.

At times I am finding FL very annoying.

This is the second drama, I have watched this week, where Go Kyung-pyo will not get the girl. He deserves happy ending.

I thought Go Kyung-pyo was the better bet in DDTD too, Jin. 🤷‍♀️ I suppose you could settle on it being a good outcome, in that the leads were both annoying and them getting together left GKP free to meet someone nicer. 😄

Isn’t work annoying? It totally gets in the way of kdrama. 😞

@polkettle!!
.. You need to watch Healer.
It was one of the first kdramas I remember being absolutely obsessed over and stayed up all night to watch! Plenty of 🍑👢... And JCW definitely definitely deserved his grr... Oh @bettys.. I'm sooo sad😖 to hear Lovestruck is not worth my peek!... and he's lost his grr.... It was one of our first nicknames! 😭😭

I'm only watching Mr Queen at the moment... I'm going to watch last 4eps of true beauty when they all drop! I've been quite busy with work so it's been easy to rack them all up...

Will need to start looking for something to replace as everything is coming to an end!

Meanwhile... SPOTIFY has been launched in SK... This was interesting to read newsroom.spotify.com/2021-02-01/spotify-launches-in-south-korea/ esp thought the links at the end of the article might be interesting! Ost dramas etc! 😂😂😂👍😁

Ré Lovestruck I may give it another go once the eps are all up to see if JCW can regain his Grrr!

Thanks for the Spotify link Bea - I didn’t know that it was not available in SK. I will be exploring those playlists today!👍

I've started Graceful Family it's about a horrible Chaebol family, not sure if I like it yet. Its a bit American in style, but I'm intrigued enough to keep watching

@boatyardblues

Isn’t work annoying? It totally gets in the way of kdrama. 😞

I have work today, the one day of the week I put make up on at the moment... I feel like I've been transformed a'la Im Ju Gyeong style 😂

@boatyardblues

Isn’t work annoying? It totally gets in the way of kdrama. 😞

💯

@bea I consider myself told and I absolutely will because I am a good girl and take my Grrr study module seriously 😁. As I say I'm loving Lovestruck 🤷‍♀️ but would advise waiting until all episodes there as, if it does suit your tastes, you don't want to stop (I'll confirm whether 🐝 but 🤞)

@Rowdythree Graceful Family is hilarious. It's very OTT. Look out for a very dramatic funeral 🤣🤣🤣

@boatyardblues

I thought Go Kyung-pyo was the better bet in DDTD too, Jin. 🤷‍♀️ I suppose you could settle on it being a good outcome, in that the leads were both annoying and them getting together left GKP free to meet someone nicer. 😄

Definitely, they are made for each other.

I am on ep18, after fast forwarding last 5 episodes, but can’t take it anymore.

I started watching DDTD after Chicago Typewriter to off set the sadness & heavy feeling. It was a good drama & I really enjoyed it but it made me sad so I wanted a light romantic stuff but ughhhhh. I should have watched cat & dog videos to cheer up.