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…

Only two episodes to go on Mr Queen and feeling quite worried (I know I know, it's just a drama) about how it will end.

And yet so much to love about ep 18:

Charades!!
So Bong's forensic skills (aaaahahahahaha!)
The lovely lovely female camaraderie between the three of them in the woods please please let them be alright!

@boatyardblues with the height difference I had to raise an eyebrow at her dressing gown being long enough or wide enough 😂😂 my Dh is 6'4 and I'm 5'3 (rounded up), there's not a mission unless it's my longest gown

I am clearly one of the thread giants amongst all you petite ajummas. Let’s just say that I would tower over Im Siwan if I was in heels. There’s a reason I like all the race horse and cart horse oppas.

I'm not a petite ajumma either Boaty, I'd need a strapping Oppa to give a piggy back ride home

Fully up to date on Mr Queen...
Sudden revelation that Kim Jwa-Geun is Korean Alan Rickman.

Sudden revelation that Kim Jwa-Geun is Korean Alan Rickman

Ha ha!!!! Although Alan Rickman was actually rather fanciable (Sheriff of Nottingham ) & Kim Jwa-Geun simply isn't

No this is v true. More AR in Die Hard perhaps.

Let’s just say that I would tower over Im Siwan if I was in heels. grin There’s a reason I like all the race horse and cart horse oppas.
Same boaty and Rowdy 😂

Uncontroversial opinion - My Mister is a bit blooming brilliant isn't it?
Halfway through.

I bloody loved My Mister. In my top 5 of all time.

Plenty of vomming in My Little Happiness too.

@boatyardblues @Rowdythree and @thegirlwiththearabstrap me too- I'm a smidge taller than Im Siwan even in my bare feet - definitely prefer a strapping Oppa otherwise if have to do all the carrying 😁
I've been watching to my star over lunch- perfect length for a quick lunchtime fix and healer in the evenings - there really is a lot of lovely knitwear and I liked spotting Kim Mi-Kyung- she appears in so many things I've seen recently

Thanks for the warning boatyard - I’ll give that one a miss too.

@Hydrogensonata I like Kim Mi Kyung too, have you seen Inheritors? She's very good in that.

I'm trying not to start any new dramas until I've finished the ones I'm watching. I've got Misaeng, Graceful families and BLWL (although this one is 100 eps)

I fancy Dear M that is coming soon on Viki... Need to have a tidy up of what I'm watching... I don't like having so many on the go

I'm on ep 15 of Mr Queen... It's taken me a while to get into it... It is ever so funny but I feel like it's taken its time to get down to the nitty gritty!
Anyway... I am enjoying it... But... Why, is everyone so oooo awful!... The two Queen dowagers! the numerous old bearded scheming men in court! The awful cousin who seems to have no story except loving the Queen!... They are all very tiresome and am eagerly awaiting they get their proper comeuppance! 😡

Watched both seasons of Master Devil Do Not Kiss Me, because it has the FL from PYHOMS and My Little Happiness.

It was... not to the same standard. 😂

I have just watched the whole of To My Star which was lovely and as previous posters said, a tad better than Where YOur Eyes Linger, maybe because overall it just felt happier. I particularly liked the fan who gave restaurant owner a hard time at the end.
And it’s still only 9.30 😲 what can I watch now??

I'm going to try Luca on Viki although ever since boaty said she reckoned Kim Rae Won wore a hairpiece I've been surreptitiously checking his hair out....

Luca looks good @bettys

Luca is very crash bang wallop

A bit of fun... I couldn't answer most of these but I bet some of us can!

K-drama crossword

https://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/comments/lfwf6e/thoughtittwouldbeefuntoomakeaakdramacrossword/?utmmsource=share&utmmedium=iossapp&utm_name=iossmf

I tried the crossword but couldn't get many

Luca is very heavy on fights and explosions, not sure I will stick with it tbh

I'm having a proud parent moment 😊 My DD has converted her nephew into a RM/Jimin stan BTS fan and gave him a lecture on toxic masculinity after he was being a little shit to his mum after coming back from visiting his dad (who is a walking stereotype of a certain type of Norn Irish male) She's 2.5 years older than him, so he actually listens to her. She was showing him the boys and GOT7 and how tactile they are with each other while telling him that people who and a problem with men hugging, kissing or holding hands were the ones with ishoos, and being nice and kind to your mum was what nice people did. Apparently he went home and made his mum a cuppa and did the tidying up and laundry as an apology. Long may it last! Now all I need is for her to actually tidy her room without threats 😂😂

@Dontwanttobeyourmonkeywench

I'm having a proud parent moment 😊 My DD has converted her nephew into a RM/Jimin stan BTS fan and gave him a lecture on toxic masculinity after he was being a little shit to his mum after coming back from visiting his dad (who is a walking stereotype of a certain type of Norn Irish male) She's 2.5 years older than him, so he actually listens to her. She was showing him the boys and GOT7 and how tactile they are with each other while telling him that people who and a problem with men hugging, kissing or holding hands were the ones with ishoos, and being nice and kind to your mum was what nice people did. Apparently he went home and made his mum a cuppa and did the tidying up and laundry as an apology. Long may it last! Now all I need is for her to actually tidy her room without threats 😂😂

That is so nice!