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…

Ooh has it finished? Report back pls.

Oooh yay 2eps of You Make Me Dance which is perfect for my Friday night wine

Thanks for the reminder @bettys 👍

The relationship is so sweet in You make me Dance 😍 if he'd eaten all those eggs though 😬 he might have turned into Mr Strong!

... Yes! A Love So Beautiful requires no thoughts at all! Thus the reason why I finished it in about 2 days... It was okay! Nothing amazing... Found FL annoying and (very shallow here) her body is too tiny for her head... Like a sindy doll! 🙄

Picking up Do You Like Brahms again abs and I've remembered why I stopped watching it... Insipid meek lead female character! (arrrgggh) and everyone is mean, vain, shallow and horrid! Ugh! I'm just grimacing through! All characters (apart from talented pianist) are objectionable! Everyone is just miserable... 😣😖

Total soothing froth but I like the FL's funny low dimples Bea . Intrigued by them as not usual dimples. Between Lovestruck and Dr Romantic I've been spending a lot of time with her recently.
Yes Rowdy - on the one hand you have all those K-Drama characters desperate for a poo and on the other you have one being presented with 24 boiled eggs... Balance people, balance 🙄! It is SO sweet though 🥰 And dancer is so beautiful.

Brahms! ... I'm skippitydoodahing through it now! They're all sooo pitiful! 😖😣😩😫😩😫😩😫😩

@polkettle... Dimples?! 😂😂😂

@Bea Brahms was just utterly depressing...just so chaste even for kdrama

@BramblyHedge... There's NO joy anywhere! No fireworks! It's just pitiful and dreary! I'm getting quite cross at the lack of oomph! 😫😡

Watching find me in your memory- it's nice easy watching so far but finding it slightly odd seeing Moon Ga Young playing an actress after being a teenager in true beauty! I'm liking Kim Seul-Gi as the sister, I need to find some other things she's in

It's 10 pm with the dreariest kdrama Brahms! I've been driven to drink! (I hardly ever drink!)... An M&S Raspberry Mojiti should cheer things up! 😂😁🎉

There's Dimples Bettys and now there's Oddly Low Dimples. Just imagine their theoretical crinkle faced children! They'd be like Shar Peis or whatever those very foldy dogs are.

In Brahms the chap who works in the chaebol’s music foundation office played Se Ri’s eldest brother in CLOY. The greedy, stupid one who had some sweet scenes with his wife.

Well done for persevering Bea! I hope the mojito helped! I don't think I'll be bothering with Brahms, life's too short.

Hydrogensonata I found it weird seeing Moon Ga Young play a bitchy character in Tempted after watching her be so lovely in True Beauty. I think she's a good actress.

Hi
New to the thread, but have you seen Sky Castle or dear my friends, particularly love the latter about a group of 50-60 year old women who are friends. Would love some recommendations

I’m afraid I ghosted Brahms and never finished it. It was so drippy and meh. What a waste.

I caught up with Hello Me last night, though I had to rewind once or twice after nodding off. The humour is a bit broad for my liking and KYK’s mugging is moderately irritating, but the two actresses are sweet together and I am hoping the silliness gives way to a half-decent romance.

Welcome twoseven! There are lots of recommendations in the thread header, but we can also help you match your current mood if you tell us what you are after.

Cry laughing at the 99ers guess the song camping this morning @JinBhoot . BTS and Blackpink fans will be Shocked and Appalled 😂
Apologies for confusing who I was talking to in my possibly slightly drunk dimples musing last night Bea. Hope mojito helped Brahms

@boatyardblues

Welcome twoseven! There are lots of recommendations in the thread header, but we can also help you match your current mood if you tell us what you are after.

Thank you! I am loving working through the recommendations at the top of thread. Its great to find like minded people!

Indeed. It’s such a niche interest, thank God for the internet.

Wotcha @twoseven ! Enjoy!

Welcome @twoseven

I started watching Dear my friends but it was slow paced, will come back to it when I’ll be in a mood.

@polkettle are they uploaded with subtitles? I can’t find it, please share link.

Welcome @twoseven! Enjoy!

I'm loving Search www such strong female characters 🙌 I'm liking Im Ju Sung much more in this than I did in Chicago Typewriter I can't believe she's 41 too! Brilliant 😀

Here you go @JinBhoot

There are 3 parts (and also 2 of a spin off of the spin off not subbed yet 😉) The BTS outrage is in 1/3 about 18 mins

THANK YOU @polkettle
It’s a fun watch, I am laughing continuously. Camping gear & gadgets are interesting. I am teeny tiny bit tempted to think about camping.

The planning stage and director’s face. It looks like my dad when siblings & I used to make holiday plans 😂😂😂

They all get along very well, I wonder how are they going to develop romantic interest among two.

One of the speculation theories I was reading, in S1 Yeon-seok (Dr. Ahn, Peds) was shown with headaches in few episodes. I hope fans are reading too much in to it.