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…

How worrying is it that when a Hyun Bin photo popped up on my Facebook feed earlier I peered closer to see what the 'Bin of the day' update was... 🤦‍♂️

I'm really enjoying SIMAA-F! It's fun, it also has my favourite gangster from Bong Soon in! Can't wait for more episodes

@polkettle Just checked for the latest adventure of Mr. Binn. You outdo yourself every day! Amazing!

@Rowdythree

I'm really enjoying SIMAA-F! It's fun, it also has my favourite gangster from Bong Soon in! Can't wait for more episodes

Agree. It is a lot of fun. It’s pitched just right and the leads are engaging.

,🙇‍♀️ Sakura and all for the comments and fun.
It's admirable how little interest She's the One has in following conventions on narrative flow, character motivation and plot coherence. It's like they're using a lucky dip scene selector in the editing suite 🤷‍♀️😁

It's admirable how little interest She's the One has in following conventions on narrative flow, character motivation and plot coherence. It's like they're using a lucky dip scene selector in the editing suite

It is pure brain fluff, makes MCwithML look classy. I am up to date with MCwithML and SIMAA-F so She Is The One is my next port of call
#bankholiday #toocoldtogardenanyway

It doesn't stop me enjoying it obviously.

I'm watching ep 9 with only 48% subs but it doesn't really matter....

What does SIMAA-F stands for? Is it on Viki?

And MCwithML?

She is the One ... enjoyable fluff or waste of time?

Depends on your personal critical faculty fluff settings Jin 😉 I'll happily watch almost ANYTHING ☺️ But I'd say MC&ML - (Miss Crow with Mr Lizard) is better if you want paint by numbers Chinese nonsense soothingness. Plus it has bionic egg.

Jin SIMAA-F is So I Married An Anti-Fan also on Viki

Taking a trip back in time to watch Full House. One question:

WHY WOULD SHE NOT REPORT THOSE THIEVING TWATS TO THE FRIGGING POLICE?!

As you were...

Am watching It's okay no to be okay, loving it. Think it's my favourite so far (only 5th but still), no aliens, dead people etc, just great story and acting. Just finished the family photo shoot scene, phwoar!

@FedUpWithBriiiiick - I'm watching Full House at the moment too and thought the same thing. It's like FL half realises how out of line they are and half is saying "oh, they sent me to China with no money or accommodation, sold my house, stole all my stuff, took out credit cards and loans in my name... It's a good thing we're friends! Those pesky guys, what are they like??" 🤔 🙄

Oh my god lol twitter.com/Glitter_brawl/status/1368303966254206977

[quote leeloo1]@FedUpWithBriiiiick - I'm watching Full House at the moment too and thought the same thing. It's like FL half realises how out of line they are and half is saying "oh, they sent me to China with no money or accommodation, sold my house, stole all my stuff, took out credit cards and loans in my name... It's a good thing we're friends! Those pesky guys, what are they like??" 🤔 🙄[/quote]
The friends are the worst. THE WORST!!

@FedUpWithBriiiiick that Twitter post is hilarious and SO TRUE!! 😂

I liked the opposite forehead move in Navillera where hard nosed eldest son brought his fringe back down post job exit to show he'd gone fluffy.

Basically fringes are key in denoting status for men. I feel the same can be said for curly/frizzy hair in women. Eg She WasPretty , My Secret Terrius etc

@bettys

Basically fringes are key in denoting status for men. I feel the same can be said for curly/frizzy hair in women. Eg She WasPretty , My Secret Terrius etc

Now THERE'S a thesis subject...

LOVING the fringe analysis!! That twitter thread is excellent 😂.

It reminds me of Plain Jane in Neighbours many years ago, she takes off her glasses and let's down hair to be revealed as super hot gf of Mike 🤣

In She was Pretty I much preferred the FL's frizzy pre make over style 🤷‍♀️

Vincenzo! Finished! It was fantastic and fab! Great story of good and bad and murky!
Excellent ensemble cast with characters who you feel a bit "meh" about at the beginning but really care for as the story progresses!
And for gods sake! Someone Give Kwak Dong Yeon a lead part! (think he'll be inundated after this!!) he was truly epic in this! He was lovely in Moonlight Drawn By Clouds! (one of the very few I loved with longer hair!) and just wonderful in Vincenzo! 👍💪👍💪👍👏👏👏👏

This is the type of content I like to see on this thread @bea 😁😍