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…

@sakura06 Oh God! Good Morning Call was the one to switch me onto kdrama!!!!!... Flicking through netflix... came across it .... thought it looked fun... watched it ... slightly bemused over the whole teenager living by herself and the tsundre male lead who takes tsundre to another level.... thought... that was fun... what else is there?.... Strong Girl 🥰/ One More Time ...

OMO!!!!... just went onto my netflix profile to see if i could pull up my viewing history!!!!!!!! and it's got EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!! so i can see in what order i watched stuff!!!! It's amazing!!!!!... Good Morning Call / Noble / One More Time / Hwrang / Suspicious Partner... and then........EVERYTHING!...🤣

I wonder if i can pull up my VIKI Habits????....

39 episode series of Octogenarians and the 90s complete and not ONE snog for poor Blue Balls.

39 episode series of Octogenarians and the 90s complete and not ONE snog for poor Blue Balls

That makes YAMH seem positively racy!!!

Do they get together in the end though? Is it a good watch otherwise?

They do get it together in the most oblique slowburn way. But not really the point of the show. I enjoyed it as a dip in and put down early morning insomnia watch - kind of Chinese Call the Midwife except it's Call The Care of the Elderly.

@Bea I'm enjoying it. Uehara is a bit of a prick though. 'Tsundere' definitely accurate! Yuri's character is quite odd hanging out with the teenagers and behaving as she does whilst drunk!

It's cool your Netflix has your whole history!

@LarryUnderwood I bought a book on Hangul which has helped me with Duolingo. I was getting nowhere with Duolingo alone! I'm thinking of signing up for a class at SOAS or UCL but would prefer to do one in person, rather than online.

Inspired by @Bea I have just downloaded my Netflix viewing history - it's striking! After Sense8 (Bae Doo Na) followed by my first Kdrama there is barely anything else All the Marvel series and Danish / French series disappear and are replaced with SOLID KDRAMA
So starting June 2018 it goes:
Stranger
Black (Him Off Black Song Seung Heon )
Nine: Nine Time Travels (First time skipped to the last episode)
Saimdang (Song Seung Heon in robes)
Mr Sunshine - and then @boatyardblues started this thread
Live
Healer (Grrrr JCW! Knitwear!)
Oh My Venus
Strong Girl Bong Soon (which Bea was watching!)
Dramaworld
Reply 1994 (as it had Dong-Mae sorry Yoo Yeon Seok in but I only watched the first 3 and then last episodes)
Oh My Ghost
..........and so on!

It also shows when I jump ship and skip to the end and has reminded me of some I'd forgotten I'd watched

I succumbed to Viki quite shortly after so I could watch Suspicious Partner which wasn't on Netflix at that point.

Hmmmm I can't find my viewing history in total on Viki but I see that I joined in August 2018 so the onset of addiction was rapid although I didn't take out a proper subscription until later - and boy has it been worth it

Ah no I’ve just remembered it wasn’t Suspicious Partner I joined Viki for, it was What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim? which STILL isn’t on Netflix

Yes! Sec Kim was the one that got me into viki as upto then I was watching it in 10 min snippets on YouTube! @bettys and @boatyardblues lured me over! 👍😂

Not that much luring needed Bea ! 😂

Feeling slightly bereft having finished Word of Honour and am missing the handsome MLs and their lovely soulmateship.

Saving DAYS & Vincenzo for tonight as DH & DS are out so can watch on telly with pizza & wine 💃🕺🍕🍷🍷🍷

Yes WWWSK brought me to Viki too!

How do you check history on Netflix & Viki?

There's no way to check on Viki, so I keep everything I've seen in my Watch List.

On Netflix, you have to be on the laptop. Go to your profile and from there you will find Previously Watched 👍

Hold onto your hats!!!! It's going to be the sound of the summer!!!!! Making up my Pancake Mixture in anticipation!!!!!!!!

Friday! 21st May!!!!! 😎💜💪🥰

Don't tell me big shoulder pads are coming back !

nah!!!!!!! But Swaaaaaaaaaaag! is!!!! 🤣😂😎

@bettys did you see the lacy undergarment teaser pics for Butter? Shoulder pads are the least of our worries 😂😍

Big fan of butter. This could be my tune. Mmmmmm. Buttterrrr.

I'm planning a buttery bake up on Friday in celebration!! 😂😂😂

Ohhhh yeeessssss

@TheGirlWithTheArabStrap I did see them, I thought they were ever so slightly pervy

@bettys yes! 😁👀

Very Cheeky! 😲🤭🤭🤭

Was baffled by dramas presenting people with rhesus negative blood being apparently impossible to find donors for when it's such a standard first line trauma supply here. Finally looked it up to find only 3 in a 1000 people are rh negative in Korea (as opposed to 17% here) 😯 Truly ya learn something every day in KDrama land.