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…

[quote TheGirlWithTheArabStrap]@FedUpWithBriiiiick sounds like an excellent dream!!!
I will be watching the Brits later but I won't get home from work til half 8 so hope I won't miss their category 💜[/quote]
Robbed again! 👺👺👺

Well I’ve just sworn at ITV flippin’ feckin’ Brits and come here for some light relief and phew!!! Dimples and kdrama boyfriend quiz is just what I need 👍

Humph I got Lee Dong Wook from Touch Your Heart which is ok……but I was hoping HH KJW from Her Private Life

Off to check out Dimples in the shower now - busy busy so muc

@JadeSeahorse I wasn't holding out much hope when I realised Haim were actually there 🙄

[quote TheGirlWithTheArabStrap]@JadeSeahorse I wasn't holding out much hope when I realised Haim were actually there 🙄[/quote]
TBH I thought the biggest threat was the Foo Fighters but, in fairness, I don't really know much about Haim. 🤔

Brits... Not really surprised! Hey Ho! BBMAS... Up next... Butter television debut!.. McDonald's meals (though not in UK! 😭😭😒😔)... And the glorious glorious FESTA (and Japanese album!!)... No rest for ARMY!

Watched first ep of Doom at Your Service!... It's good! X

I really like Haim 😬

I nodded off during my rewatch of Mr Sunshine. I decided to pace myself with Jasper and not blow those dimples in one glorious binge.

I don’t know anything about Haim. I thought they sounded familiar but I realised I was thinking of Hanson (of Mmm bop fame).

@Bea

Brits... Not really surprised! Hey Ho! BBMAS... Up next... Butter television debut!.. McDonald's meals (though not in UK! 😭😭😒😔)... And the glorious glorious FESTA (and Japanese album!!)... No rest for ARMY!

Watched first ep of Doom at Your Service!... It's good! X

Bea oh guru! Do you think there will be a world tour next year before enlistment? And would there be a chance in hell for getting tickets or are they already carried over from cancelled dates?

Some very contrived scenarios in Use All My Talent. 🙄

@FedUpWithBriiiiick

Bea oh guru! -. Ahhh! I have reached peak ARMY status! 😂😂💜

Do you think there will be a world tour next year before enlistment? - I think they will try their damndest to do a world tour! I think there's a good possibility! Fingers crossed! 🤞💜... Knowing how much they love touring! But I'm afraid they just won't fit it all in! All the places they need to go! 😭

And would there be a chance in hell for getting tickets - yes I think so! They might not be pit vip at the front tickets... But I think if you want to see them you've got a chance... At the last uk Wembley tour I know tickets were being offered up in the gods on the day / week before ... Some were on gumtree etc ... Not the bestest tickets... But still there... If you want a chance to get ahead of the crowd... Getting Army Membership (official fanclub) gives you priority 💜... Next tour I'm going all out! Going to try and get Vip tickets! And then on other nights whatever I can get... Floor or gods! I don't care!! 💪💪💪Determined!! Slightly obsessed.. 😳😳😳

are they already carried over from cancelled dates? ... No tickets were sold for the cancelled dates! 😭😭.. They kept putting off the sales date as Covid was appearing and then just cancelled altogether! 😭... I wish they had gone and sold ... as US ARMYS got their tickets and they have kept them for whenever the tour starts! How lovely to think you've got through the hell of ticketing and you're just waiting for the date announcement!... I cannot stress how much my heart was beating when I got my last tickets! And that was when I was only fun loving ARMY!... I'm afraid I've turned to the dark purple side now and have gone completely BANGTAN fixated! 😭😭

And this concludes my Bangtan Musings! 💜💜💜💜💜

Thank you Bea!!

Top notch ott nonsense confession in MC&ML 😂

Keep an eye out for the orange glasses frames in ep 4 of Use All My Talents (business pitch rehearsal). It would take someone quite edgy to pull them off. The guy wearing them is not that person.

Sigh. I really really want to do that quiz...but it doesn't work on my phone, and I don't want to do it on my work laptop in case somehow my boss finds out that I'm secretly obsessed with kdrama (god knows how, but I can't shake the feeling that using my work laptop for my secret passion is crossing a line). I have a quite senior job and this hobby is not in keeping with it.

On another note, I have only 2 episodes of fight for my way left, and I think this might be one of my absolute favourites. I just love it. I will be slightly bereft when I finish it. Started SYHH too, loving that, it will fill a little of the hole FFMW will leave, but not completely. Sob.

Also, what is this spreadsheet I keep seeing people talk about?

The grief post finishing a good drama is real Larry. Luckily there's a cure...

I will dig out the link and send it to you, Larry.

@polkettle

The grief post finishing a good drama is real Larry. Luckily there's a cure...

I still haven't dared watch anything else with Hyun Bin since CLOY...I can't bear to move on from Cpt Ri . I definitely overinvested in that one and I was left utterly bereft.

And what is this cure?

@boatyardblues

I will dig out the link and send it to you, Larry.

Thank you!

Have PMed. 😄

Starting another good drama stat!

I’m stuck watching S1 of Colony with DS2, despite having already watched it in 2018. Counting down to 9pm when he hands over the remote.