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…

@bettys

Pull on your white coat and stethoscope and run down the hallways with us!! 🏃🏼‍♀️🧑🏻‍⚕️🚑🚒🚓💉💉💉💉💉💊💊🩹🩹🩹🩹🩺🩺🩺🩺

😂😂Loving your extravagant use of medical supplies Bea don’t you know there is a shortage in Cdrama land and it’s all hands on deck to break open the tiny ampoules with plucky neurosurgeon?

It was a tense 5 mins there of copious shots of little glass bottles being thrown in the bin and a good montage of injecting into the iv port! Sterling medical drama tropes! 😷😷😷😷😷💉😂😂😂

@JinBhoot yep caught up how to be thirty- episodes are only 30 minutes and there's only 7 out so far.
I'm thinking the first love/manager is definitely up to no good! I like the three female leads as well- I'd definitely like to hang out with them!
And yes second twenties was very wholesome and easy to watch - the FL was very well played and not at all irritating
@polkettle if only I'd known there was a need for diorama makers in emergency situations- I used to build scale set models for theatre design - I should've branched out!

Westlife? Westlife?... Run for hills Dr Mi! Run for the hills!

Wait till you see what’s in the secret room 😂😂👨‍✈️🔑🔓

Wrong emoticons.....I am not remotely suggesting moustachioed village people are hiding there 🤭

@bettys

Westlife? Westlife?... Run for hills Dr Mi! Run for the hills!

Wait till you see what’s in the secret room 😂😂👨‍✈️🔑🔓

It's his Sex Room! 🤭😱

🤣🤣🤣 I couldn't love this conversation more.
@Hydrogensonata next major natural disaster, grab your pva glue bottle and pipe cleaners and step up to the mark goddamit. They need you.

It's his Sex Room! 🤭😱

Omo!! Crying with laughter 🤣🤣🤣

👋 Hi Cassini! Glad you’re on the YAMH monster jeep ride too!

Hospital Playlist Goes Camping

• @polkettle episodes with English subtitles are up.

Steaks, kimchi stew & roast chicken ..... uffff I am drooling 🤤

I watched ep 10 of Sisyphus on my phone last night because it wouldn’t load in Netflix on our AppleTV. I’m debating watching it again to better enjoy Jo Seung-Woo looking mighty fine in his hoody the special effects. 😁

Thanks Jin - can't wait to see how JJS hand aged steaks turn out.
Up to date on YAMH So much delightful rescuey rescue! Random birthing woman in forest a particular highlight.

pol have you seen the date? Was that a mobility scooter they were riding?

No! Only seen subbed episodes. Oh everything about this show is such a treat ☺️

I know!!! 🥰

I have just bookmarked IAYH for the weekend.

YAMH... the secret room was most dissapointing! 😖

Would you rather it was a Sex Room?

It probably would be a sex room for some people with Specialist Interests 🤷‍♀️ Wait and see.

@bettys

Would you rather it was a Sex Room?

No! 😱😖😖😖😖😖😖

Earthquake!! 😱😱😱
I'm getting D-day flashbacks!! 😖😖😖

@Bea

YAMH... the secret room was most dissapointing! 😖

I’m guessing cup noodle store.

I’m going to say the live broadcast on Mouse ep 5 is such a doozy, it has jumped the shark. No network would allow that to go out live. 🙄

You Make Me Dance was very sweet! I may have missed or forgotten something about the credit arrangement though as I didn't understand why the Vietnam thing came up

@polkettle I'll pack my go bag ready- glue, pipe cleaners 1:25 scale ruler and a nice sharp craft knife and some model card should do the trick for any disaster!
I'm going to have to watch YAMH if only to find out what's in the secret room!

Right... Have made as far as the subs will allow me with YAMH... 22%...Will continue tomorrow! Great load of stories going on amongst the fallout literally! Of the earthquake! Great load of escapist nonsense! It's what I thought DOTS should have been! Love the 2 leads and everyone else! Feisty FL... Not the conventional baby talk, wispy delicate beauty if Cdrama.. She's great! Just normal! 👍👍👍

[quote Hydrogensonata]@polkettle I'll pack my go bag ready- glue, pipe cleaners 1:25 scale ruler and a nice sharp craft knife and some model card should do the trick for any disaster!
I'm going to have to watch YAMH if only to find out what's in the secret room![/quote]
Ahhh! The secret sex dungeon! 😱😱😱😖😖😖🤣🤣🤣

🤭🤭🤭