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…

I’m such a sucker for an ice-skating drama. I’m watching Zero Chill on Netflix and it’s gloriously trashy/soapy.

@bettys

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

It was so sweet 🥰 I think the Vietnam thing happened when the creditors wanted to force Si On out of his home in order to use the deposit to pay off his debt... The handsome Hyung signed a contract to stop that, which meant he had to stay in the job he was trying to quit...hope that makes sense 😂

Teaser, whatever its other contents might or might not be, the secret sex dungeon has got a lovely framed police dog photo.
No, YOU were up at 6.30 am scanning sub status and then straight down the mine with those adorable dorks. Not to mention completing YMMD (aw!) and watching JJS be a steak cooking nerd all before breakfast.

My only issue with You Make Me Dance is the actual romantic atmosphere of their house on a 24 boiled egg a day diet.

I know right 😂, even next to the 'I love you' cake, there was a tray of 24 hard boiled eggs 🥚😂

Sounds like recipe for constipation. 😖

Oh the cringe in the restaurant scene 😬 you plonker Drillmaster... all you had to do is say yes 🤦🏼‍♀️

Cassini yes! And did you see the window of opportunity light up in female SWAT woman's eyes?

So far though she hasn't made a move on either Drillmaster or cute-but-dense eejit phew

Bettys I'm not sure I don't have third lead syndrome for mr Lu the non swat policeman for 2FL. Tim Nice But Dim is practically a potato 🥔

Bettys I'm not sure I don't have third lead syndrome for mr Lu the non swat policeman for 2FL. Tim Nice But Dim is practically a potato 🥔

I can see your point, Tim Nice But Dim is so frustrating I would have given up ages ago.

Quite a nice potato out of his jacket though...🥔🧥

So which one should I start with - Chinese disaster fluff or Korean BL dance thingy?

So which one should I start with - Chinese disaster fluff or Korean BL dance thingy?

You can whistle through the latter in an afternoon, only 8 episodes ☺️

Is it webtoon length Betty? (Lack of research but I’m trying to claw my way back out of the ice-skating nonsense. The pull is strong.)

Aaahhh. ML in You Make Me Dance is a beautiful dancer.

It’s just all luvverly boaty 🥰

Two more episodes of YAMH have appeared unsubbed ..... I would be quite happy to get 2 eps every day 😎

Is YAMH on Viki?

I have 14 episodes on YouTube, is this the show?

Yes that’s it! It’s on Viki 👍

YAMH.. Was that a mobility scooter?... 🤔

It is a real hoot! And very sweet... 😍🤩😘🥰

Honestly not sure I've laughed more all year then watching the latest subbed HP "game caterers" @JinBhoot Crying at second part.

Loved the YAMH romantic mobility scooter - circle of dating life from first date to last.

Evening all. I note that we are 50ish posts out from filling this thread and needing a new one. Top work everyone! 👍 Time for your suggested updates to the OP, to include platform and category, plus anything else helpful. Newbies - any ideas about info that is missing that would have been useful?

I was updating my immediate family about the thread last night and recent new additions. When I said we had nearly filled thread 21 and each one is 1,000 posts, my family looked like this > 😮😮😮 “But what do you talk about, Mum, to have written 21,000 posts? That’s unbelievable!” said DS2. Believe, said I. 😆

Is this thread the fastest we've filled one? I've barely watched anything this thread. Should we add Lovestruck in the City to the romance section?
I'm sure Sisyphus will go in too but it's not finished. I don't think they could end up making it crap though.
I'm with holding judgement on Vincenzo it's bonkers enough that it could take a strange turn 😂

When I said we had nearly filled thread 21 and each one is 1,000 posts, my family looked like this > 😮😮😮

It’s pretty impressive actually, especially when you think originally there were just 3 of us 🤣🤣

I think it’s great, for me it’s like an ongoing conversation with like-minded enthusiasts that makes me laugh, informs me, shares intel, has widened my world view and knowledge and has cheered me up no end at times. And obvs there is no one in RL who shares this interest so its a safe place of good-natured sharing. Other than mild difference of opinion over the delights or not of PSJ I can’t think of any arguments at all.

I’ve added Lovestruck, Girl. 👍 Agree about Sisyphus - it augurs well, but so many of you were burned by DoDoEtc that we can hold on ‘til the next OP