MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #23): Need help sorting your low stakes Cdrama nerd poppets from your kdrama oppas and flower boys? C’mon in!

[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)*
Navillera (Netflix)*
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
#Alive (Netflix)
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)
Sisyphus (Netflix)
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 ‘You May Also Like’
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)
You Are My Hero (Viki, 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 bum 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…

😂 His yoga range may be limited but he's very good at what he does.
I think location shoots are a must if I am to keep him from getting bored. On the other hand he's not good with wind...

re: Vincenzo... just did a quick check! Yes! from Ep4 it starts to get gripping and shocking annnnd... importantly for me... i started to like the characters... up till then i didn't really care much for them but then they started to become much much more likeable - up till then it all felt a bit cartoonish and over the top (and not in a good kdrama way!)... so worth sticking to... if only for the hilarious obvious in your face product placements too!!!! DH is aghast at the shamefullness of it all!!!

How practical is it to be a designated driver when you’re scared of trucks? 🤔

Miss Crow with Mr Lizard

She's very safe Bettys. Provided you're not in a hurry.

So I Married The Anti-fan is starting to get uploaded on Viki. Will report back on first episode

Fellow J-drama fans: AVOID I Bought My Boyfriend on a Loan. To put it politely... it's dogshit.

Briiiiick, I'll join you in watching So I Married the Anti Fan 👍

DH is away so I'm trying to get my jobs done and the kids sorted so I can sit down and get stuck into something new for the weekend 🙌

Ahhh total disaster two episodes before the end of YAMH, I smashed my iPad!
New one now received and back on the drama bus 🚌 phew 😅
I will join in on Anti-fan and try to catch up with the thread!

Oh no Cassini! What a nightmare 😱

Find yourself a man who spontaneously electrocutes a fish when he looks at you.

Mr Crow and Miss Lizard

Jang Nara and Jung Yong-Hwa went to the ep 6 exorcism exceptionally poorly prepared, particularly on the second visit. I would have gone in my scraggiest old joggers, not a decent suit or my best badass Matrix coat. 🤦‍♀️

Anti-Fan got better as episode went on - I'm keen to watch next episode. FL is 2FL from Run On, and she's very watchable. So far, so good!

Oh! It also has the cute coffee shop guy from BTIMFL in it!

So, I finally got round to watching the final 2 episodes of MLFTS and, meh. I really wanted to love it but there was just too much moody staring into the distance while being asked the same question 3 times, and then looking sad instead of answering. Not for me. So I need to find my next fix! Does Navillera have any romance or is it more of a slice of life type thing? I want some good snogs after 21 episodes of 'we kiss for a second then he collapses' 🤣

Lots of feels but not much romance in Navillera Larry. Particularly fine snogging in Don't Dare to Dream, Lovestruck in the City, Her Private Life and Search WWW imo if any of those appeal and you haven't done.

Thanks @polkettle I will check those out, I've seen Her Private Life but not the others.

Oh! It also has the cute coffee shop guy from BTIMFL in it!

I’m in!!🙋🏻‍♀️ Just the kind of random kdrama connection I like!

Boaty have you caught up with Oh Master ? It’s kind of fallen off my radar.

I’ve got sucked into Miss Crow and Mr Lizard. Relieved to note that ML probably won’t need the services of an osteopath when snogs eventually happen.

@boatyardblues true - I'm sure she's got some all black sauna clothes somewhere in that wardrobe? I like the relationship between Kang NaRa and the office manager and now I'm intrigued about how she knows that cop? I reckon the office manager has got some secrets...

Making my way through Vincenzo & hello me and will have to have a watch of anti-fan as well, it's nice to have a mix of slowly released and more bingeable stuff. Hello me is ok, I'm mostly watching for KYK if I'm honest, Vincenzo has definitely got more interesting from episode 4 onward

I'm worried about the amount of floor space his bionic egg room and bionic egg room approach corridor take up in his apartment Betty's Give he's an award winning architect I really think he could have thought more ergonomically about space usage.

He hasn’t won that big award yet polkettle.... wonder if you can squeeze 2 into that pod?

I was worried that he wasn't brushing his teeth before he got in his charging pod but turns out he also has a blue satin sheeted king size. So you know - choices...

Oh haven’t got to the blue satin sheeted king size yet....they’ve just gone fishing 😳

Boaty have you caught up with Oh Master? It’s kind of fallen off my radar.

I fell asleep part way through the first of this week’s episodes (knackered) & need to resume viewing over the weekend. It’s holding up but I’m not sure where they are going with white suit man.

Jang Nara’s salt caddy is amazing - I have no idea how they get all that salt out of that tiny tube. Interesting that salt is a cultural thing for warding off evil spirits in S Korea too.

@LarryUnderwood I can vouch for the snogs in www:search, I haven't seen the other two

I've just finished Kill it definitely not light hearted, romantic or happy in any way, shape or form! Good plot, cast and well acted though. I'm glad it was only 12 episodes.

Onto something lighter tomorrow, I've finished all my 'on the go' ones now, so a fresh start tomorrow 👏

I've started reading a webtoon called Ymui's Cells that is being turned into a drama with Kim Go Eun as the FL, it's a good story, about the cells controlling the emotions and behaviour of the main character. (a bit like numbskulls in the Beano if anyone's kids read it ) looking forward to the drama anyway 👍

@Rowdythree... Numbskulls! 😂🤣😂🤣😂... There's a blast the past! 🤣