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…

Has anyone caught up to the end of Mouse ep 4 yet? I’ve just seen ep 5 is subbed. I am now counting down to my sofa time this evening and may prioritise Mouse ep 5 over tonight’s Sisyphus. I’m desperate to see how the ep 4 clanger shakes down.

Hi to all the new posters.

Shakura I'm looking forward to the final part of Arthdal Chronicles when they finally finish.

Just realised the CDrama I'm watching, which was only 20 something episodes when I started is still airing and will be 45 episodes long! The Sword and the Brocade I have always avoided the super long ones. Still, it is so beautiful and nice easy watching. FL has a lovely ornate window in her rooms which is circular. Think I've fallen in love with it and need to work out where I can get one just like it and how to convince dh to get it installed. I can't find any images of it online to share.

Lots of the doorways in her apartments are circular too, making such lovely framing for the shots of the beautiful clothes. (I'm wondering if my love of Hobbit holes is influencing me at all here).

Also watching Sysiphus with dh and ds, but behind you all. Loved the drone car chase!

Sorry, Sakura not shakura. I think that's the Japanese word for cherry blossom?

Id love to be in Japan or Korea for cherry blossom season. So beautiful.

Cherry blossom season would be amazing to see, we have beautiful blossom here so I can just imagine how pretty it must be... One day!

I'm getting quite worried about the end of Cat Man I've only got 2 episodes left to go, I can't see how it's going to end happily 😬 I started it as I wanted a bit of fluff to watch, but I'm concerned now!

DH and I only have 3 episodes of Mr Queen left, it's all getting very exciting now. I'm wondering what I should tempt him with next, Mr Sunshine, or Sysiphus? 🤔

I have a big birthday in 2 years that will be celebrated by going to Japan in spring to see the cherry blossoms!

@hawthornknitter welcome! It's all good stuff here!

@boatyardblues... Even though I loved (odd word to use! But you know what I mean!) the 1st ep of mouse... Haven't managed to venture into more yet... I think I have to be in the right frame of mind! 🙈🙈🙈... The murderous dark mind! 😳

River Moon (can never remember the full title!) is my watch at the moment... Not avidly binging on it but its good! We've just changed ML! and it's a bit weird as new bloke is soooo different to jisoo just in physical presence alone so I'm finding it a bit jarry adjusting! But it's good enough to keep going!! 👍😁

I think I might have a go at You are My Hero... What a title! 😁🤭🤭🤭... @bettys
... I think you said it A mix of DOTS and D Day!??... Now this could turn out to be genius or horrific!! 😱😱😱😱🧐... We'll see! 👍😳

Hero! Great beginning! 👍👍🤣

Bea it's much more good-natured than DOTS and so far isn't dragging like DDay though I do skip some of the 'this is how the brain functions' bits

Last night randomly started watching Something in the rain ... two episodes done and it’s very fluffy so far. Easy watch with few forwards (I have bad habit of watching stuff with hand on forward button, rarely with Kdrama though)

But I have read it will become really dreary & FL’s mother is annoying. Is it happy ending? Worth spending time on it?

Jin, Something in the rain is the only drama I couldn't finish! I loved it at first but couldn't watch it due to the FL's mother... I watched the last 5 minutes to see how it ended. Imo it's not worth it

I liked SITR. Son Ye-Jin and Jung Hae-In were really great in it. It’s a great micro-study in SK family dynamics (of a specific type) and social morays (eg marrying well, social standing).

I'm with Rowdy I couldn't take the MIL even though ML & FL v cute as a couple and jumped to the last 5 minutes which didn't make me want to watch the rest either. Also found the OST v annoying for some reason.

I do like Jung Hae In, and usually watch everything he's in... I liked the Noona aspect to the relationship too, I just couldn't stand it! 😂

@gingerbiscuitandacuppatea Yes, that's right. Sakura is cherry blossom in Japanese. I would love to see cherry blossom in Korea. Lucky to have seen it in Japan a few times. Really hope they start filming Arthdal Season 2 soon!

I love Son Ye Jin so will have to add Something in the Rain to my growing list!

I clearly didn't read everyone's messages properly and just thought a Son Ye Jin romance sounds lovely.

Just "fell" into the eruditely titled In-house Marriage Honey JDrama. Total saccharine unreconstructed fluff which I appear to be galloping through.

Something in rain had good parts and I enjoyed it overall, but did drag a bit near the end and became a fair slog. I think it all resolved well.

@polkettle

Just "fell" into the eruditely titled In-house Marriage Honey JDrama. Total saccharine unreconstructed fluff which I appear to be galloping through.

What platform please?

@sakura06

I clearly didn't read everyone's messages properly and just thought a Son Ye Jin romance sounds lovely.

I stand by my positive appraisal. Yes, the mother is very fixed on marrying her daughter off in a very specific way and utterly rigid in her thinking, but there is a lot to admire and enjoy in SITR. It was my 2nd kdrama and I liked it. If you start it & it isn’t floating your boat then you can still skip to the end or jump ship like everyone else has said. 🤷‍♀️

FedUp I’ve just found it on Viki & added it to my list - I need MDL on speedial 😂

Should add that I'm not particularly proud of my gallop. Very guilty pleasure territory. There is soothingly little plot and FL doing weird cutesy thing. But worth watching the bonkers title sequence.

@polkettle

Should add that I'm not particularly proud of my gallop. Very guilty pleasure territory. There is soothingly little plot and FL doing weird cutesy thing. But worth watching the bonkers title sequence.

No need for justification, Pol. There’s no shame or judgement here. Everyone one of us has been (or will be) sucked into something inexplicably crap but bingeable at some point. It is a fact of life for an addict.

Thanks chums!

@polkettle

Should add that I'm not particularly proud of my gallop. Very guilty pleasure territory. There is soothingly little plot and FL doing weird cutesy thing. But worth watching the bonkers title sequence.

Never feel guilty!! No judgements here x

@bettys

FedUp I’ve just found it on Viki & added it to my list - I need MDL on speedial 😂

@polkettle @bettys ohhh it's a fake marriage one! I love fake marriage ones!!!!

I'll have this watched tonight!