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…

Wondering if We Chat is genuinely central to every interaction in China or just pays a lot of money to every drama. I have real We Chat FOMO.

Thanks Bea and Hydrogensonata for the advice to stick with Vincenzo. I am watching Bride of Habaek on my own and DH and I have decided that might be more fun to finish first (even though he's seen it before) 🙈 It is glorious (and very well categorised by you all in the recommendations)!

It's Ok to Not Be Ok got a brief mention in a Guardian opinion piece this week (which is about the slogan) but it was still quite fun to see. www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/apr/28/its-ok-to-not-be-ok-hashtag-mental-illness

Just caught up with Anti Fan. I like it. I like ML and FL. I like BTIMFL cafe chap. I like that the FL is hot tempered, non-simpering and has a gob on her - and that she winds ML up. Their mutual antipathy will give some great scenes (until they go gooey, obvs). The shower scene in ep 1 was generous too. 😄 Off to a good start. 👍

Sorry I did not read the piece properly and it is a serious discussion about mental health which probably didn't come across in my description there, so apologies!

@boatyardblues

Just caught up with Anti Fan. I like it. I like ML and FL. I like BTIMFL cafe chap. I like that the FL is hot tempered, non-simpering and has a gob on her - and that she winds ML up. Their mutual antipathy will give some great scenes (until they go gooey, obvs). The shower scene in ep 1 was generous too. 😄 Off to a good start. 👍

Agreed! It's got a bit of a WWWSK/Her Private Life feel I think?^^ Snappy dialogue, progressive, etc. Cameos a-plenty too!

It's definitely caught my attention better than Oh Master!

Oh wow that sounds right up my street!

Loving your work over on IG Pol. 👏

Yes Bin’s before and after snaps were particularly good 😂

Dimples aka Jasper Liu is coming to Netflix with Use for my Talent on 11th May - it’s the cdrama remake of Clean with Passion For Now 👍 Have been following his travels on IG in Tibet? China? Just stunning 😍

Saving SIMAA-F for double ep with wine tonight !

Still enjoying Miss Crow & Mr Lizard & now it seems that she too has after effects from the crash 🤔 Must say the king size blue satin sheets seem like a better option than the egg. Plus he keeps his shoes on in the egg 🤯 Can’t help but feel that with a mechanical heart they are missing lots of shirt-off opportunities

Liking the BFF in MC&ML too. She is very bendy... 👀 (Mr Binn could only dream of her likely yoga moves)
Looking forward to joining in the Anti-fan fun.

(Did snigger over ML's conversation with Dr about his "excessive discharge")

@polkettle what did you just say?????

🤣🤣🤣 So funny. I can't say it again! I didn't think it was anything that irreproachable. Let's see if HQ pass it...

I am so curious now......

I'm so curious! 😂

Reproachable not irreproachable 🙄 Will both be an anticlimax and make you laugh. All I can think is that they're worried I may need urgent medical attention.

Go Pol! You’ve topped 100 followers since this morning (currently 102).

That's fantastic well done pol !!

In MC&ML is the wannabe gf in the office (Man Ling) the one that was right at the start of ep 1 who was going to meet the parents? Or can we expect a First Love who dumped him when he got ill to turn up just when Ml & FL get together? Not that I'm familiar with all these trope oh no.

Having just got to the end of all available episodes Bettys I think she mighta just turned up 😉... It's not scowly office witch.

The Insta thing is larks. But also now pressure is on to deliver HB realness to the International Fans 😱 .
And see photo attached... It's totally definitely Him 😉😁

Phew. I've been cleared by HQ. Love that teaming words excessive and discharge together triggers intervention.

🤣🤣🤣🤣 at MN thread police being triggered by those two words....

And

😱😱😱😱 is it really????

Oh just checked with my glasses in and it’s not....phew....no pressure then 😂

Pol I love the Bon at hairdresser’s, kuddos to your salon for keeping up with the spirt 😊

*Bin

I will now avoid using the hashtag as our thread might start showing up in the google search results. I don’t want weirdos showing up here. I love our little corner & my virtual friends here.

😂 At Pols comment triggering MN thread.

I'm ready with wine for a double bill of SIMAA-F 🍷 I thought I'd manage to sneak loads of K drama in this weekend, but the opposite has been true 🙄 oh well, at least it's a bank holiday weekend!

Loving the Bin updates on IG. Well done Pol!! I'm working this weekend and have managed to watch zero drama 😲. I'm off on Tues waiting in for a delivery. Hopefully it will be really late so I have a good excuse for not leaving the couch 😁