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…

@Dontwanttobeyourmonkeywench that’s fab! 👏👏😆 💜💜

Ahh Monkey that's excellent!!! 😍

Another 🙌 for Monkey’s DD.

I’m catching up on Mr Queen and wondering why the Queen keeps going to bed with those giant, ornate hairpins still in her painfully tightly plaited barnet. That’s got to be a terrible idea on several fronts, not least because the filigree looks so fab.

Ha boaty I was just thinking the exact same thing about the hairpins. I'm all caught up with Mr Queen. I really can't work out how they will end it.

@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's fantastic Monkeywench those BTS boys surely are excellent role models! Well done your DD for giving him a talking to!

DH and I are about to start the final CLOY! Can't stand to wait for tomorrow so we're staying up late with some beer... Bless DH. He does put up with me sometimes

twitter.com/withhyunbin/status/1359291884523331584?s=19

Also Hyun Bin lunging....

@Dontwanttobeyourmonkeywench 👌👍👏

All I can say... Yesterday's BTS Run episode was another corker! It was filled with laughter and nonsense... Just lovely and hilarious to watch! 🤣😂🤣😂👌😅

@Rowdythree It's the bit where he twiddles his ankle around that makes that advert I think. Muscle Bin but also Vulnerable Muscle Bin 😉

@Dontwanttobeyourmonkeywench Further cheers for your DD 👏

@Rowdythree

twitter.com/withhyunbin/status/1359291884523331584?s=19

Also Hyun Bin lunging....

That video clip gave me flashbacks to lockdown 1, where our regular daily walking route featured a young man doing his kettle bell weights routine out on his lawn. He was not as chiselled as HB, but his intensity was similar.

That must have made your daily walk enjoyable Boaty

Watched LOADS of eps of Mr Queen last night... It's very exciting! I love the kitchen staff... And the queen's ladies.. But the dowager and bitter cousin/brother! Arrrrgghh! 😡😡😡😡😡

Mr Queen in the tango scene when he says 'keep this up and we may need to get a tent' ha ha the Joseon version of 'get a room', This show will be in my top 10 if it ends well!

I've started Royal Secret Inspector on IQ and it's not bad at all. Also She Would Never Know. I'm interspersing with episodes of The Love By Hypnotic although the dastardly deeds are becoming a bit repetitive.

I just finished Hospital Playlist (getting ready for season 2!) and started Mr Queen... the first episode was so funny, I was laughing so much in the middle of the night! The Chinese professor dad and History professor mom sure came in handy for the chef!

I just read up on Cheoljong, the real life king that Mr Queen is very loosely based on. It makes for a very sad read, especially all the children that didn't survive so I am taking to heart the warning that prefaces all the episodes saying that it is not related to real historical events.

Wow! Cheoljong was on the throne 1849-1864. That’s pretty recent and the comparison with what was going on here, with Victoria on the throne and the industrial revolution, the feudal system, the concubines and all the poisoning is quite 🤯.

Those BTS boys are such good influence. 🙂 Great to hear Monkey wrench

Thanks to the recommendation of the latest Run BTS dd and I watched the latest two yesterday and were laughing so much.

Has anyone been on the latest BTS game? Rhythm Hive. I've been a bit addicted to it. it's teaching me lots of the older songs as I have no good cards for the songs I love. Wish Blue and Grey was on it.

I've also recently watched I'll go to you when the weather is nice which fit my need for slow comfort, but was a bit too slow in places.

Watching Eternal monarch and not really feeling the connection between the two leads.

Can anyone directly link the BTS Run that had you all howling last week? They are quote long, so I don’t want to watch the wrong one. I’m in need of some guaranteed lols.

Watching Eternal monarch and not really feeling the connection between the two leads.

I felt the same. WDH was great value though. 👍

It's here boatyard. Or look for episode 127 on YouTube.
m.vlive.tv/video/234891

Whoa, he lost 5 sons/heirs? And all the court manipulation due to his lack of cultural background and murdered by his own (adopted) family?Gosh, what a tragic story.

I was also looking at his successor, Gojong, but not clear from Wiki why he was picked - he was randomly picked as he was seen flying a kite in the garden? Time to watch more Joseon kdramas.

Does Olga have the rest of My Little Happiness? All caught up and really loving not having all the angst 😁 Tempted to start Go Go Squid 2 but it's not complete either...

Yes she does

Happy days! Been busy with Olga watching Perfect and Casual as well 😁

@Dontwanttobeyourmonkeywench

Does Olga have the rest of My Little Happiness? All caught up and really loving not having all the angst 😁 Tempted to start Go Go Squid 2 but it's not complete either...

Yes, she does. Perfect and Casual is a good easy going filler.