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…

@polkettle

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.

I’d be popular in S Korea then. 😄

You would but when visiting whatever you do, DO NOT GET RUN OVER BY WHITE TRUCK OF DOOM.

I’ve just looked at the Wiki page on blood type distribution globally out of curiosity and now I’m a bit freaked out about travel to SK, as my blood type is very scarce there.

Ha x-post with Pol.

@LarryUnderwood I think I might try getting a book to have a go at writing. I've done Duolingo for over a year now and don't feel I've progressed that much.

I ❤️ the DAYS subbers. They are super quick. Any minute now...

I was baffled by that too Polas I'm rhesus negative, I could have given Prof Yang my blood instead of that creep 😠

Also must not get run over by white truck of doom when visiting SK, unless any of my children can donate their blood to me 😂

@LarryUnderwood and @TheGirlWithTheArabStrap I have an app called Write Korean which is good for learning hangul

Interested in how they treat trauma patients now. I wonder if they have a more difficult time providing emergency medical care if they haven't got supplies of O neg to squeeze into people before crossmatching. Or do they import it? 🤔

@Rowdythree thanks! I've just downloaded that app

Another great DAYS episode. Damn. Now we have to wait another 6 days for another.

@TheGirlWithTheArabStrap to be honest (full disclosure, I've worked in the language teaching industry for a LONG time), apps like duolingo are really only a supplementary aid at best. If you want to make proper progress you need a teacher - online is fine although not as easy to build rapport, but in my business we've switched to virtual 100% since covid and we've seen no change in attainment levels (satisfaction may be different). A decent textbook, with supplementary grammar and vocal workbooks and some kind of accompanying listening material is the next best thing. Duolingo, memrise etc are great for memorisation of vocab, patterns etc but they're really not great at the contextual work you need to do.

Might be worth trying a service like verbling (I don't work for them!) to find an affordable online teacher.

Although I accept I may be biased as well because of my work background!

@boatyardblues

Another great DAYS episode. Damn. Now we have to wait another 6 days for another.

It's so good- gutted it'll be 6 more days till the next one ☹️ the DAYS subbers are amazing for getting it done so quick!

It's definitely my favourite drama at the moment followed closely by SYHH - actors are great -love the way Dong-Kyung doesn't back down from doom. The storyline is really good and it feels like there's lots to uncover and the supporting characters are interesting- I love the younger brother even if he's not been the best brother so far. Plus I love Park Bo-Youngs wardrobe- definite Daebak lovely knitwear award nominee! I want to know what god's up to and what is she going to use her wish on?

Loving DAYS, but a bit confused about the contract. She has to make a wish or the person she loves most will die? Or is it she gets a wish but also has to call for doom on the world or the person she loves most will die? - because if she doesn’t call for doom that’s breaking the contract. So does she get to live at all?

I'm up to ep 3 of DAYS and loving it!! But I'm also confused about the contract bettys

Thanks for the language learning tips Larry 🙏😊

Any other tips Larry? 🙏

Have yet to watch latest ep but my understanding of contract is she dies regardless but is kept pain free for 100 days and gets a wish of her choice. By the end of her 100 days she must also wish for doom to be brought to the world or else her loved one will die. She has worked out that of course brother will die either way in that scenario so loving Doom is potentially clever way to save her brother and world.

The rh neg issue is also a problem in China. Which leads to my "rabbit hole" story, I started with a couple of episodes of Mr Sunshine when Netflix was promoting it, then it started throwing up Love 020 and I was hooked. I googled it and it said 020 is in the same universe as Boss and Me (whose whole storyline revolves around "panda blood" the FL's very rare blood group) with Zhang Han and I watched that on YouTube then found you lot and like everyone else ended up on Viki for WWWSK and My Private Life!

How did you find us Cassini? Were you already on MN & spotted is in Active threads or did the thread come up on google?

I am almost certain it was google but I was on here at the same time 🤷🏼‍♀️

my understanding of contract is she dies regardless but is kept pain free for 100 days and gets a wish of her choice. By the end of her 100 days she must also wish for doom to be brought to the world or else her loved one will die. She has worked out that of course brother will die either way in that scenario so loving Doom is potentially clever way to save her brother and world.

Thanks @polkettle that makes it much clearer!

Loving today’s Mr Binn 😂😂 he thinks he’s soooo funny

Just caught up with Doom wah, I love it! It's so good, Seo In Guk is super sexy, which helps 😁 I'm loving the story line though, and I can't seem to picture which way it's going to go. I'm a bit unsure what role God is going to play so far 🤔