MsLattés Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #22): As pandemic restrictions ease the Ajummas of Darkness and ARMY recruits are on spring manoeuvres, camping under the cherry blossom

[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)*
Lovestruck in the City (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)
To My Star [BL] (Viki)
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)
You Make Me Dance [BL] (Viki)


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…

Drunk Shu Wenbo was acting drunk like a person who has never actually been properly messy drunk. He was far too coherent once his friends tipped him into bed, but that was on the scriptwriters for cramming too much in.

Oh yeah, fancy a) not backing up your research data and b) leaving a logged in workstation in a shared office (one with access to patient data no less!) unlocked. 🙄 She’s lucky her workplace has more lax data security policies than mine - it would have been a reportable breach and investigated.

Spud-She-Likes!!! 🥔🥔😂😂

Scripting Your Destiny added to list ....unless it’s a frustrating ending 🤔

It was a bit of a frustrating ending to me tbh but enjoyed the show too. Hmmm. Not sure...

@bettys is that the one with unexpected twerking?!
Anyone still watching how to be thirty? I don't want to give up but I'm feeling increasingly frustrated by it - I think the short episodes definitely don't help!

I'm still watching it @Hydrogensonata, like you I'm a bit frustrated by it! The episodes are too short, and I didn't understand the final scene in the latest ep, why was the other friend suddenly crying? She hadn't been in the entire episode up until that point!

I think the first love needs to do one, and she should get with the nice director, where they can drink beer and do their laundry together in the laundrette forevermore.

The announcers young chap is beautiful though! It's worth watching for him😍

Spud she likes 😁
@Rowdythree he certainly is, I'd agree the first love is dodgy - I can't decide if he knows the other girl turned up to talk to her? I'm also not keen on how quickly the FL has turned into a complete mopey sap where he's concerned.

@Hydrogensonata @bettys is that the one with unexpected twerking?!

Yes it is but I haven't got to the twerking yet. I'm at episode 20something and there seems no end to the bad luck the FL keeps getting (and her mum is a nightmare!) but the chemistry with ML is spot on.

Am catching up with YAMH doing Sunday chores so haven't watched latest HTB30 but agree with previous comments

He's her first love and they've slept together so by Law of K-Drama they're going to end up together aren't they (much as I prefer Option 2)? It's a shame that no-one has learned by 30 how to have an actual conversation that could resolve this whole series in one episode but 🤷‍♀️

I watched the first episode of Oh Master with Olga (after first thrashing my way through a thicket of pop ups). I agree that it’s not quite hitting the mark yet, but I will persevere because I’m enjoying the hanok setting so much. #houseporn

I am also slowly coming to the conclusion that Lee Min Ki is probably odd IRL too, though the jury is still out on whether it’s endearing oddness or alienating oddness.

Agree ré houseporn in Oh Master.

Normally I’m a fan of tousled hair but I don’t think it’s working on LMK, he looked much better with it slicked back in the shower 🤭😆

I’m loving Navillera. What a great concept for a drama and so brilliantly executed. 👌

@boatyardblues

I’m loving Navillera. What a great concept for a drama and so brilliantly executed. 👌

It's fab so far, isn't it? The only k-drama that is holding my attention at the mo...

You know you watch too much drama when you recognise one of the LD company Board Members from at least two others where he plays the same Slightly Sneaky Board Member No 2 😆

I love that Fate is leaving a taciturn message! 😂😂😂😂

It's because their youthfulness has started the taciturn sequence Bea. What can you do?

I can't stop laughing! 😂😂😂🤣

@Bea

I can't stop laughing! 😂😂😂🤣

Ah Westlife. Every vinyl collector's holy grail. DH can only dream of owning it.

WE ARE BOLD.
WE ARE BRAVE.
WE CAN DO ANYTHING ANYTHING.

Every fucker has the ringtone. I'm going to hear it in my sleep 😫

I’m caught up with Oh Master and I can’t see the problem with it. It was a bit slow but otherwise it seems solid. Maybe my head has been turned by the hanoks. 🤷‍♀️🥰

What with the Westlife vinyl and WE ARE BOLD.
WE ARE BRAVE.
WE CAN DO ANYTHING ANYTHING this thread is making me snigger 🤭🤭😂😂

@Cassini You know you watch too much drama when you recognise one of the LD company Board Members from at least two others where he plays the same Slightly Sneaky Board Member No 2 😆

Yes.... and then spend too long on MDL looking them up just to double-check which drama it was you saw them in.....

@FedUpWithBriiiiick

WE ARE BOLD. WE ARE BRAVE. WE CAN DO ANYTHING ANYTHING.

Every fucker has the ringtone. I'm going to hear it in my sleep 😫

Glassy eyed and sweating...back in 'Nam... (or rather 'Hai)

Pacing the waiting room with Mi Ka until the surgery subs are up.
PROTECT THOSE LEGO BUILDING WESTLIFE LISTENING SNUGGLE POPPETS AT ALL COSTS.

@bettys 🤣🤣🤣 yup 👍🏻