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…

Between YYS excessive overpacking, JJS hanging about like a spare wheel, cooking arguments and them all getting progressively drunker and gigglier it's pretty delightful fan content.
I have also noted headaches. I think all one can say is that he knows an excellent neurosurgeon...

@polkettle... 😂😂😂.. How could they not know Boy With Luv! 💜🤣... Very funny!.
Finally!!... FINALLY got to the end of Brahms!... Sooooo the quiet!... So so... Dreary... Sorry to those who liked it but it was just toooo calm! Arrrrgh!... Netflix kept giving me a warning of "intense emotional scenes".... God almighty! If only!!... I just wanted to know how everything ended but it took soooo long getting there... And even when happy things happened... It was 😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑.... It's done!... Next!....

Omg! Watching Mouse... It's horrific!! But horribly compelling! It's the most brutal I've watched sooo far! 😱😱😱😱

Ok, so I haven’t had a break from Kdramas. I’ve had to isolate so of course it made sense to keep my mind occupied rather than go stir crazy.
Also, I admit that I’m addicted. Just how do you get back to ‘normal’?

I finished watching What’s up with secretary Kim and Fight for my way. Absolutely loved both but I think this was mostly down to PSJ .

Im now having withdrawal symptoms, similar to the ending of CLOY!
I also watched Where stars land, though found the ending very disappointing.

What next?

@Birdy65 i am also looking for my next fix watch.

I have just finished W- Two Worlds Apart, very entertaining, you might wanna give it a try.

I have had to pause The Eternal Love 2 as I was so much enjoying the FL’s train of thought about her true love as she is led to the altar to marry the baddie...

‘I only want to live ordinary days of petting a cat and touching your chest muscles....’

🤣🤣 don’t we all??😆

Anyone else finished ep 4 of Mouse? I’m not quite sure to make of it. Is it a partnership? A rivalry? Two parallel tracks? I feel didn’t do it justice, so I’ll add a few more: Most unexpected.

Just how do you get back to ‘normal’?

I’m not sure we’re the right people to ask. This summer mark my 3rd anniversary down the rabbit hole.

It will be 3 years in dramaland for me too.

Beginning to get FOMO with Mouse

It’s really good Betty. Dark and the bodies are racking up, but tight plotting and already some surprises. With such a big shock at the end of ep 4, I’m really not sure what comes next. It’s like so many kdramas, in that it has already taken an unexpected turn and leapt off into the unknown, whereas a US show would have kept plodding along in the same groove.

‘^I only want to live ordinary days of petting a cat and touching your chest muscles....’

🤣🤣 don’t we all??😆^
@bettys absolutely!

@Birdy65 if you need more PSJ try Itaewon Class 👍
Also you can't go back to normal.... You are sucked into the kdrama world mwahaha!

Have now finished The Eternal Love 1&2 but before I head into Eternal Love (the proper xianxia stylie one) I will have a quick kdrama blast with Mouse & possibly Vincenzo

Finished A Love so Beautiful yup - as Bea said- pleasant enough to breeze through but no real oomph or chemistry. ML a bit taciturn and dreary, FL overly perky and all very chaste.

@bettys

It will be 3 years in dramaland for me too.

Beginning to get FOMO with Mouse

Same, 3 years for me too! once you're in, there's no going back!

I've not got FOMO about 🙁Mouse though! That I can live without... Can't wait for the blood and guts of "Joseon Exorcist and Kingdom, but real life murders... No thanks 😬

River Moon is also doing well.. M though still in the jisoo era! I love the female lead! Very watchable and engaging! Might watch that tonight! Mouse is too dark and t scary though excellently done!
@boatyardblues not got to ep 4 yet.. Only finished ep 1... Though the preview for ep 2 is such a change in tone from ep 1.. I already feel the twists and turns coming!... (and I've got theories already!! 🤭🤭🤔🤔🤔)

Bea - ep 1 was especially gruelling. I was more or less watching the camping ground bit through my fingers. It does ease up a bit in eps 2-4. The bodies are still racking up but the run-up to the crimes are not so overt. Some of them are bodies found after the fact.

@boatyardblues... Yes! I actually engaged the 10 sec fwd button when I sensed something was about to happen!... I was holding my breath! 🙈

Ep 1 was as long as a film....who.... which baby......what...noooooo! I’m completely baffled and not sure I want to watch ep 2!

Keep going Betty!

Three B's! 😂😂😂

Mouse... I'll continue... I think its a great set up... Intrigued,!...

Subs up for this too @JinBhoot in case you missed and again I'm weeping.

Made a start on Love Alarm 2 yesterday. Annoyingly, no "previously on..." to catch you up, so basically flipped back through series 1 episodes to recall the finer detail.

OK so far, bit slow, lots of slo-mo windy curtain action. I'll keep watching.

@polkettle and @bea have you caught up with HTB30 ep 6 yet? She's definitely right to be cautious if him! Loved it when the bar lady dumps the ice bucket over her exbf head... Feel like doing that to my DH today 😂

Yes! I think this is all going to be about misunderstandings and miscommunication and he's not a wrong un but... Loved the 'well done on your day' song 😊
DS came good on MD card (although HB appears to have new role as bell boy)