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…

[quote Dontwanttobeyourmonkeywench]@Rowdythree I love BongBong MinMin! It always makes me smile and is always worth a revist. I rewatched Suspicious Partners a whole back and so far I think it's the only one where JCW had proper chemistry with his FL.

Currently giving my malware blocker a good workout with Olga watching Gokushufudo and pmsl.[/quote]
BongBong and MinMin are my favourite couple! I've watched the show so many times, I never get tired of it 😂 Suspicious Partners is another favourite JCW definitely had good chemistry with the FL in that... I've never seen anything else that she's been in though...

Just finished My Little Happiness. A perfect 🐝 ending

@Rowdythree off the top of my head... FL in suspicious partner... Shopping King Louis and 100 Days My Prince... She's good in both!
😁👍

@Rowdythree Suspicious Partners is another favourite JCW definitely had good chemistry with the FL in that... I've never seen anything else that she's been in though...

She was in 100 Days My Prince and Shopping King Louis , but she was also doing a degree at university so took time out for that.

boaty I was thinking also that weds/thurs are a bit dry without Run On or True Beauty . However I am quite enjoying Royal Secret Agent & She Would Never Know both on iQIYI (free with ads but legit so no boobs thankfully) and Perfect & Casual which is a cdrama contract marriage thingy (Olga)

Is Suspicious partner interesting watch? It popped up in the Netflix recommendation.

@JinBhoot It’s good! JCW in fine lawyerly form!

@jinbhoot I really enjoyed Suspicious Partners, and it's completely different to what you might expect from the title.

JCW has some lovely suits with ankle grazing trousers on to

We haven’t had a decent Korean contract marriage drama for a while. Have they fallen out of favour?

A question for Bea and maybe other posters: is My Little Happiness in standard Chinese (Mandarin) or Cantonese? I looked at a map and Shenzen is very close to Hong Kong. I am curious to know if it is Cantonese because it’s so close to HK. I can’t put my finger on why, but I’m finding it easier to get my ear into. I can’t work out if that’s because I’ve grown more accustomed to Mandarin or whether it is a related Chinese-family language.

Ankle grazing trousers - turtle necks - sneakers (or what ever they are called) without socks ... fashion is bit odd in Kdrama land 😂
People fully suited booted in their homes. Since March I have rarely came out of pajamas.

Female fashion- I do love delicate earrings worn by ladies. And head gear/pins (specially bridal) in Chinese historic dramas. Where can I source them in UK? Any Amazon or eBay sellers?

What is contract marriage as I keep reading this term in Kdrama articles.

It’s like BTIMFL, where the ML and FL marry for convenience/contractual reasons/conglomerate business marriage/any reason not love, often not liking each other at all, and there is a gradual thaw and meeting of minds, lips, hips. Such fun (in kdrama land, I imagine the reality would be awful).

This is my first post on this thread, hope you don’t mind if I join in. I’ve been recovering from an operation and after several days trying to concentrate on heavy TV dramas, I came across CLOY. I am totally hooked. I immediately followed with Something in the rain and Another Miss Oh.
I would love some recommendations on what to watch next but worried it won’t live up to CLOY. I am having withdrawal symptoms!

Welcome aboard Birdy! We are very much of ‘the more, the merrier’ mindset here. You have also got off to a cracking start with some really solid dramas. There’s a lot of love for Because This Is My First Love on here, but if you fancy a change of pace/theme we can suggest alternatives. My Mister is outstanding, but hard going at the beginning. Prison Playbook and Hospital Playlist (same writers) are both good. Tell us what you’re in the mood for and we’ll make suggestions.

Mr Sunshine is very beautiful with lots of action and a standout cast.

I would prefer a romance drama. I am still recovering and not sleeping well, so anything that is easy to follow.
I only have Netflix. I have just googled Viki. Is this free to join or do you need to subscribe?

I have read some positive reviews on Her Private Life, but this is not on Netflix.

Thank you for the suggestions so far. I’m going to check out Mr Sunshine and Because this is my first love.

How did I not know about these Korean dramas before?!

I know! Once you start watching them, there’s no going back.

Sorry, that should have been Because This Is My First Life, not Love. It’s lovely.

Welcome @Birdy65, wishing you a speedy recovery.

I have recently watched & enjoyed Chicago typewriter, it’s a romantic story over two eras. Title song is in English & on my playlist these days.

Romance is a bonus book - light & fluffy

Because this is my first life - fun & light

Hospital playlist is my top favourite, you might need to re-watch first 2-3 episodes to make sense of all the characters. Once you are in, it’s fun watch.

I am currently watching Fight for my way (ep7) and it is just about to irritate me, they need to move story.

They all are on Netflix

Viki (www.viki.com) is a streaming service which hosts a huge amount of Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Taiwanese content with a smattering of other countries’ output. Most of it is other networks’ content, but Viki also make their own original content. The cheapest way to subscribe is a 12 month sub (circa £50), or pay a few quid monthly. It’s worth paying the extra £1pm for the sub that includes Viki content. Her Private Life is one of their own. The subtitling is done by teams of volunteers, so it can take a couple of days for currently airing series to be subtitled but the volunteer subtitlers are more faithful to Korean honorifics, relational terms (eg noona, hyung) and add translator notes (TN) to explain points of culture or eg a man switching to informal speech, indicating a more intimate relationship. A lot of us prefer the Viki subs.

Welcome Birdy - I agree CLOY is a very hard act to follow.
Rowdy, how did you enjoy the last episode? I’ve rewatched lots of scenes but I don’t dare watch the last scene at the border as it makes me sad even thinking about it.

We’ve just watched the final episode of Do You Like Brahms? It’s an adorable series and it shows the immense pressure music students are under. (There’s also quite a funny YouTube video by Two Set Violin, two classically trained comedians, analysing it for accuracy)

So what next? DH is away for work next week so we’ll wait till he gets back before we start something new. We thought maybe Goblin - does it have vomiting scenes?

I’m thinking back Andante and I think you are safe with Goblin, as the FL is underage so there’s no falling out of bars absolutely wrecked. It is a great series.

Well maybe not underage, but about 18 and there’s a big age gap. 😉

Thank you boatyard for that excellence advice - Goblin it is then.

Welcome @Birdy65, wishing you a speedy recovery 😊

Welcome Birdy! Once you start on K drama's you'll find it difficult to stop! There are so many good ones on Netflix (Viki is great too, but if you don't want to subscribe then Netflix will keep you going for a while) Weight Lifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo, Descendents of the Sun, Strong Girl Bong Soon, WW Two Worlds, Hit the Top are all great... Let us know what you decide to watch next ☺️

@Andante57 I cried my eyes out at the last couple of CLOY episodes! The border scene... Omo 😭 what's the overall consensus about the end? Did they live happily ever after in Switzerland, or did they just meet up briefly every year...?