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…

I nodded off during Mouse ep 9 and woke to see Lee Seung Gi . I was also awake here and there to catch some guff about brain transplants. It was an impressionistic smattering of content, but I had the sense it had massively jumped the shark. Is it still making sense if you are watching fully awake, or has it gone coco loco?

Lovely new thread!!!

And lovely cardboard Bin!!! I can't wait to see his new outfits 😁

Watching The Perfect Match (and finishing Healer) Taiwanese cooking drama from a few years back. Total froth with farce elements but everyone is having such a good time that it's proving a fun watch.

You've all gone Mad! I think lockdown has done it to you all! 😱🤣😱🤣😱🤣😅🤣😅

Vincenzo is still brilliant! 👍❤️
Navillera is just soooo sad! But lovely! 😍😢
River with the Moon still puzzles me as I'm watching in 15 min snippets... Who whilst eating breakfast and it should be brilliant!... But its just not engaging me!😕😳😕
Mouse is still on back burner! But will deffo return 😁

@Andante57 make sure you find the final extra epilogue bit to Star on YouTube! It is missing from Netflix! 😱😡

Bin of the day... 🥁

SHERIFF BIN

@polkettle

Bin of the day... 🥁

SHERIFF BIN

Yee-haa!

😂🤣⭐ Howdy Sheriff

Bin of the day... 🥁 SHERIFF BIN

‘There’s a snake in my boot!’

Excellent badge-making there.
(I want hair like the pony’s😒)

Bea oh thank you.

SPOILER ALERT.............SPOILER ALERT........

Was it the bit when she wakes up and finds him in bed?

I hope in some future unrelated series there’s a cameo of them together with their children and dogs like Kim Soo Hyun’s Secretly Greatly one in Crash Landing.

We are now watching The Producers as we want a break from getting over emotional.

Love the Bin sheriff look.

[quote bettys]@Birdy65 I’m watching She Is The One too, quite enjoying it, it is marshmallow fluff stuff [/quote]
She is the one is definitely going to be more risqué than YAMH. There has been kissing within the first couple of episodes!

Oh getting stuck into She is the one (SITO) tonight then!

Looks a good un and the first few eps of Octogenarians... are up too for a return to nerd poppetry 🥰 Will investigate when I've left Taiwan.

Gah have also been in Taiwan watching HIStory 4: Close To You thinking it was complete only to be faced by ‘Available Today^ on what I though was the last episode 🤦🏻‍♀️ Am now faced with the Taiwan Torture of one episode drop a week.

Note to self: Always always check MDL first 🙄

@Andante57

Bea oh thank you.

SPOILER ALERT.............SPOILER ALERT........

Was it the bit when she wakes up and finds him in bed?

I hope in some future unrelated series there’s a cameo of them together with their children and dogs like Kim Soo Hyun’s Secretly Greatly one in Crash Landing.

We are now watching The Producers as we want a break from getting over emotional.

i can't find the actual youtube eng sub clip... but this should clear it up...

myrarapop.com/2014/03/03/video-extended-epilogue-for-man-from-the-stars/

much more satisfying ending in my book!!!!

Oh thank you Bea!
That’s ADORABLE! Why on earth didn’t they show that on Viki or Netflix?
It says under that clip that there was talk of a prequel or sequel but the series was made 7 years ago so I doubt very much it will happen.

How is Hwarang?
Just noticed one of the BTS member is in the cast. Was it before they became famous?

Hwang! 🤣🤣🤣... It's completely bonkers! But good fun! It's like a historical pop video! And it's got one of my most favorite endings in a kdrama!... Great soundtrack!... Which brings me to...

Yes! It's got Kim Taehyung in it! (V)... It was just as they were getting more and more famous... 2016?? Not the global epic ness like now ... But they were just beginning to win loads of stuff! 💜😎👍

Hwrang... Deffo worth a watch... Park Seo Joon never looked right with long hair!... Go Ara... Couldn't really warm to her character.. Park Hyung Sik was lovely!... That shower scene!!.... 😱🙈🙈🙈🙈😅😂🤣

@polkettle

Watching The Perfect Match (and finishing Healer) Taiwanese cooking drama from a few years back. Total froth with farce elements but everyone is having such a good time that it's proving a fun watch.

I watched that and enjoyed it.

@polkettle

Bin of the day... 🥁

SHERIFF BIN

The rocking horse is a lovely touch. 👌

I have to disagree about PSJ's long hair Bea! I think he looks totally sexy 😍😂

Hwarang is good fun though, there is a particularly memorable shower scene and lots of long haired beauties 👍👍

I’m back to watching #Alive in 10 min bursts from behind a cushion. The Koreans give great zombie. Their zombies are the best (worst) and very convincing. Do you think they have specialist extras agencies.

Hwarang is good fun though, there is a particularly memorable shower scene and lots of long haired beauties

Absolutely agree! Bonkers as a mad 80s pop video but loved PSJ, PHS and of course V 😍 but I am a sucker for long haired fellas and swishy sword work

Anyone watched Love Unexpected Cdrama on Viki? I need something soothing after a couple of hours wrestling with Mac issues. And the many many red flags of HIStory 4.