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…

😂 Help me! I've obviously spent too much time seeing his face on my telly! My next drama must not have him in! Intervention needed! 🙏

Andante - that's one thing I find unusual about K dramas, is the amount of times they mention the handsomness or beautifulness of the main actor/s. I mean it's usually true, but it is mentioned more often than not... Maybe they have it written into their contracts

Yes maybe, or perhaps the writers think they’ll get the actors they want if they flatter them.
In Crash Landing Lee Shin Young must have ended up very big headed after all the references to Lt. Park’s handsomeness.

I'm having a bit of a crush on Sung Dong Il at the moment! I don't usually go for an Ahjhussi but there's something about his twinkly eyes

Noooooo!!!!! Rowdy needs help - stat!!

Niche Rowdy! Like fancying Howard in Take That.
Really enjoying The Package (Sad Ahjumma giving really top notch sad now) but also enjoying that new episodes of MC&ML are arriving fully subbed and first thing in the morning like magic. Why couldn't that have been true for YAMH?

Quite giggly at the MC&ML award ceremony Bettys - from the intriguingly named Ginobili Weir's lacklustre speech for a Lifetime Achievement award to the low rent perspex trophy itself it's all 👌 Dress code seems to be all OVER the place too.

I was always a Mark Owen fancier, so not very niche 😂

New episode of Law School today, plus DH and I have got one episode of Navillera to watch, plus 2 episodes of Save Me, everything is coming to an end. He fancies Shadow and Bone, so I'll give him a break from K dramas for a while 😂

Quite giggly at the MC&ML award ceremony Bettys - from the intriguingly named Ginobili Weir's lacklustre speech for a Lifetime Achievement award to the low rent perspex trophy itself it's all 👌 Dress code seems to be all OVER the place too.

Gah I have Things To Do today but now I just want to watch MC&ML Love a dodgy award ceremony, hoping for it being held at the bottom the stairs as in one cdrama, or with about 6 people there trying to look like 60

For those of you with iQIYI I can recommend Love Scenery. It skips along nicely with likeable characters although the 2nd love line is tedious. Many many examples of wool overcoats and fine knitwear, although not quite up to kdrama standards. Nice chemistry between leads, quite low-stakes but sweet, and a good despicable villainess, also quite low-stakes as you just know she is going to fail. Haven't finished it yet so I hope they're not going to spring a 3 years later/goes to study abroad/is in a coma storyline. More action than Sandra Ma's ankle socks and the drillmaster though.

So I strayed into J-drama today for the first time, as I used to study Japanese and thought it would be fun. OMG, maybe I picked the wrong ones but I had totally forgotten how much more sexually open Japanese media tends to be. It was positively SHOCKING after all the chaste Kdramas I've been binging

Those of us that watched Bridgerton over Christmas had a similar reaction to all the pumping buttocks, Larry.

@LarryUnderwood I know!!! I had the same 😱 when I first watched jdrama after months & months of full knitwear bed gear in kdramas. I think the first jdrama I watched was Scum’s Wish which was errmm ...different 🤣. However there are some really good fun and lovely kdramas so don’t be completely out off

JDRAMAS!!! Chuffing autocorrect. I have got used to clutching my pearls at the occasional jdrama now, and actually rather enjoy the differences between kdrama, cdrama, jdrama, Taiwan & Thai drama. There’s a trope thesis in there somewhere.

@bettys yes it was scum's wish!!! Cor. Its really funny, I lived in Japan for a while and studied it for several years, used to read a lot of Japanese (translated) fiction and watch films but haven't really done that for a long time. I'd totally forgotten how slightly dreamy and psychedelic the TV can be, with all the narration of inner thoughts but no actual communication of those thoughts to anyone else. And the really high girly voices. I remember Japanese colleagues sometimes commenting on how much more forthright Koreans tend to be, and watching the dramas I can now see what they meant!

And I do remember when living in Japan how interesting it was being in a culture that was so completely untouched by judeo-christian attitudes to sex/sin/shame. Not that there aren't strict rules or norms around sex etc because it was (at least then).still quite a conservative place in some ways, but the roots behind those ideals are completely different.

That was my sense anyway!

And weeeeird plots! J-dramas are always odd. 8 - 10 episodes, no fucking about with wistful sighs or gazing out windows.

Get in, be a pet, have sex, have a contract marriage, have sex, be jealous, have sex, save from a kidnapping, have sex, make a porno, have sex, arigato.

@FedUpWithBriiiiick

And weeeeird plots! J-dramas are always odd. 8 - 10 episodes, no fucking about with wistful sighs or gazing out windows.

Get in, be a pet, have sex, have a contract marriage, have sex, be jealous, have sex, save from a kidnapping, have sex, make a porno, have sex, arigato.

🤣🤣🤣 yes!

OMG @polkettle I was hoping to see Oppa at polling station 😁 you read my mind

Yes, great topical pic today. 😄

I haven’t updated on Bossam on Viki but I think it’s going to be decent. The first 2 episodes are a masterclass in plotting to box the characters in. I like a logical, internally consistent script. Again with the praise for Jung Il Woo with long hair and peasant trousers. 👍

@LarryUnderwood

And I do remember when living in Japan how interesting it was being in a culture that was so completely untouched by judeo-christian attitudes to sex/sin/shame. Not that there aren't strict rules or norms around sex etc because it was (at least then).still quite a conservative place in some ways, but the roots behind those ideals are completely different.

This is very interesting, please elaborate further. I am very intrigued to know the history of conservative values, was it power driven (set by rulers) rather then religion?

@JinBhoot I'm no expert, I'm afraid, the above was really my own observations. I think confucianism had a big influence but perhaps was not as pervasive as it was in e.g. Korea. But I really don't know.

The rules and norms that I observed were around privacy, not really publicly displaying affection in the way you might see in the UK. And people kept their family life and dating life quite separate, hence e.g. the abundance of love hotels (I mean, that's a space issue too).

2FL in MC&ML is Chinese Dora The Explorer!! 😂

@LarryUnderwood one of the reasons I like this group/thread is variety of perspectives & observations. It’s much more interesting to see things from general public’s perspective then filtered media or academics.

@boatyardblues

Yes, great topical pic today. 😄

I haven’t updated on Bossam on Viki but I think it’s going to be decent. The first 2 episodes are a masterclass in plotting to box the characters in. I like a logical, internally consistent script. Again with the praise for Jung Il Woo with long hair and peasant trousers. 👍

Looks good Boaty! 👍