MsLattés Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #21): With our ranks swelling due to pandemic ennui, the Ajummas of Darkness are building an ARMY 😉 of Addicts.

[boatyardblues]

A quiet corner of MN for serious addicts of Kdrama, or the K-curious. 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 Queen (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)*
Run On (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)
True Beauty (Viki)
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)/Hot Stove League (Netflix)

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)
Peninsula - film, Train to Busan sequel (Amazon Prime, iMovies)

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)
My Little Happiness (Viki, Chinese)
Put Your Head on My Shoulder (Netflix, Chinese)
Some Day or One Day (Viki, Taiwanese)
The Romance of Tiger & Rose (Viki, Chinese)
Tientsin Mystic (Netflix, Chinese)

Thread Regulars’ Top Scoring Dramas of 2020 (updated for thread #21)
Courtesy of Hello’s kdrama spreadsheet, updated by/for thread regulars. Marks out of 10.

1 - Mr Queen - 9.4 (5 votes)
2 - Parasite - 9.05 (10 Votes)
3 - It's Okay To Not Be Okay - 8.88 (9 Votes)
4 - The Uncanny Counter - 8.50 (4 Votes)
5 - Once Again - 8.42 (6 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 explained or 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…

Thanks for the new thread. Love the title 🙂

Oh and the egg tip sounds very useful. I spent far too much of my life chasing eggshell with a teaspoon!

sisybus sounds interesting thegirl I'll hunt out a trailer. Too many good shows to catch up on. I've finished King eternal Monach now so deciding what to move onto next.

Jin - the in joke is the reference to ARMY (all caps), the collective name for BTS’ fan following. Of which Bea is one. I can’t remember where Ajummas of Darkness came from. I think we might just have been riffing on a similar reference in a kdrama and it stuck. Can anyone else remember? bloody perimenopause

We are currently watching episode 4 of Lalasolsollalasol and I’m finding the Doctor a bit sinister. However maybe I should stop second guessing the plot.
The locations and sets are great - though that seems to be the case for all the K dramas we’ve watched so far.

I had to go back to thread #18 but it's here and it was you boaty

The princess in My Princess is currently listing all the “embarrassing forums” she needs to leave before her inauguration and it becomes a matter of official record. 😆 “Noonas of Darkness” sounds right up my street, although ajummas might be more truthful.

@Andante57 Dodoetc is a lovely drama as long as you stop at ep 14 otherwise you will be spitting out your soju in annoyance

Oh okay - it’s annoying when these otherwise excellent dramas end badly.
Thank you for the warning boaty.

Sorry, just noticed I spelt the title wrong and thanked the wrong person!
Thank you bettys and yes, it’s dodosolsol etc!

Thanks Betty. I knew it stirred something in me. 😂

Thanks @boatyardblues & @bettys for title explanation. What is MsLattes? Is it reference to something?
Daebak = awesome
Sorry about dissecting the title.

I am on last couple of days of AL and it’s making me really sad. I don’t want to go back to real world. Beach scenes & sunny weather on Lovestruck in the city (LITC) didn’t help either.

I have spent whole day on sofa browsing various shows. Ended up watching S1 of My First First Love On Netflix there is option of English audio so you can multi-task (but I didn’t).

Might crack on with S2 after DC goes to bed.

@Hydrogensonata I have found Gogh, the starry night on YouTube so will check it out. Total 20 episodes- 18 to 20min each.
@Rowdythree I have added Dr. Romantic on the list.

DC tucked in, DH working nigh ... I have quite a few recommendations- I must end my AL with the bang 💥

Oops I seem to have tripped and fallen into Love is Sweet via YouTube (and nobody caught me 🙄). Very much liking new riff on coat sharing with ML whipping his off to put around FL waist for sudden period onset discretion.

I am so enjoying Love is Sweet it may beat Find Yourself for favourite modern Cdrama

I started off thinking ML was a bit meh but have fallen for his elegant tailoring & charm 😍 - apparently he’s another one that studied ballet- and have added Ashes of Love To the list

@JinBhoot MsLatté is a reference to Her Private Life where KJW uses the name to create an online persona so he can enter a chatroom

Betty beat me to it, but Jin you must watch Her Private Life if you haven’t seen it yet. It is brilliant, on a par with CLOY quality-wise. I also love the way they bring the fan chat rooms online to life. KJW’s alter ego is extra funny for this reason. All credit to him, he’s very game. 😆

The Swiss Miss hot chocolate scene with the brazen ‘PPL’ coaster in ep 14 of Lovestruck in the City made me hoot with laughter. They’re having so much fun with the PPL. 😆

Ms Latte was brilliant! I loved Her Private Life, Jin definitely watch it if you can.

Kim Jae Young is now in my top Oppas list... 😍 After seeing him in BLWL and 100 days My Prince

I have installed viki - is it free with ads or free for 7 days or there is free version?
At what point it will ask me to pay?

You can have a free trial for 7 days, or watch with adverts for free, not sure if it asks for payment after that...i just signed up as I'm impatient

There isn’t a free version, though you may be able to get a free trial period. I have Viki Pass Standard, which is $4.99 per month but DH bought me a year’s subscription for Christmas.

I don’t think you can access Her Private Life without a subscription as it is one of their own productions.

I watched Her Private Life on Viki before forking out. There are ads but not too bad. Some other content you can't access without paying bit you can carry on watching with ads indefinitely or have a week without for free.

Yes @JinBhoot her private life is one of my favourites! The fan chat rooms are fab - great chemistry between the leads as well, fab supporting characters too

Currently watching pinocchio - so far the best bit is where the mean reporters dad turned up when he was an intern to throw snakes at someone who picked on him- I fully laughed out loud.

Also Lee Jong-suks mullet hairstyle before the makeover is certainly interesting

I really enjoyed Pinocchio Hydrogen
Park Shin Hye is also the FL in Sisyphus which I've just watched ep 2 of. I thought it was going to be quite serious from the first episode but its more action/blowing things up. And the FL makes young 2ML strip to his pants because she needs to borrow his clothes (and so we can see his six pack) when they are in his bedroom with loads of other clothes she could wear 😂.

the FL makes young 2ML strip to his pants because she needs to borrow his clothes (and so we can see his six pack) when they are in his bedroom with loads of other clothes she could wear

Of course!!🤣🤣

The 2ML in Love Is Sweet kickboxes to relieve stress - cue lots of shots of him topless in the ring whenever he is frustrated.

I finished Lovestruck in the City earlier. I liked it. It was very nicely done. On balance, much as I loved the building and the light, I fell out of love with the minimalism of JCW’s hanok. I’d like to see it 6 months after Eun-o moves in with all her clutter so I can reappraise its homeliness. It was all a bit shiny, ascetic spaceship for me with the vast expanses of white and hidden cupboards.