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…

The whole she-has-to-make-herself-love-him-but-he-has-to-stop-her concept is great! She's obvs already falling for him though what with holding his hand to being the colour back in his world and jumping in front of him.
I also really like that the love triangle ISN'T on the OTP so maybe for once Lee Soo Hyuk will get the girl - 'even so, how can you just kiss her?' ha ha!!! 3 times quieter & quieter so funny

Spotted on Soompi the font of all knowledge that ML of SIMAA-F has just been released from the military and the drama was filmed in 2019 - wonder if that explains the dynamic? ie We have moved on a bit in the last couple of years from unlikeable MLs

@Rowdythree I will have a think and come back on that. Off the top of my head, I'd say first, understand clearly what your aims are. If you want to be a passive/receptive user (ie you want to read and listen, but you don't expect to actually speak or write Korean) then you'll probably have more success with self study alone, as issues like pronunciation and accuracy are less of a priority. If you want to cover all skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking) then a teacher or a structured language exchange with a native or near native speaker is essential. If you're clear about what you want to achieve then it's easier to set an appropriate path. And, for example, if you don't think you will ever actually speak Korean with anyone, and it's really just for understanding kdrama/kpop (and that is a great goal!), then you'll be better investing the time in studying vocabulary and grammar structures than in learning to talk. A teacher would still be useful though, as there will be so many nuances, double meanings, colloquialisms etc that will be difficult to pick up on your own. Korean is a hard language for native speakers of English, so you might as well invest the time wisely.
My plan is to learn hangul using the workbook I've got, then work through a couple of chapters of the textbooks I have. If I enjoy it then I will book online lessons as I would like to cover all skills. But for a language like Korean, to make decent progress you will need to put in several hours per week. At my workplace we estimate around 2 years of full time study for Japanese/Mandarin/Korean to reach professional proficiency (can work in the language), and that includes 6 months of in-country immersion training. And full time means exactly that - 35-40 hours per week of lessons and self study. Our full time students of East Asian languages work their arses off. But they end up fluent and they have high aims.
Don't want to put you off at all, just it's important to be realistic about what your goals are and how long it might take.

What about 35-40 hours of drama watching a week Larry 🤔😁? I think we may have the "immersion" side covered.
(great - if daunting - advice btw)

@polkettle it will definitely help! Seriously, exposure to written and spoken language in the form of pop culture is absolutely brilliant for developing language skills. But also structured formal study is necessary too - and it will make the journey much quicker! I was watching a video where RM from BTS was taking about learning English from watching Friends. He watched with Korean subtitles, then English subtitles, then no subtitles. That's a really really good approach - but he will also have studied English grammar and vocab at school formally, if not elsewhere too.

Thank you for your advice Larry! I definitely couldn't commit to full time study! Ha, when would I watch my dramas if I was studying all the time! 😂 I think my aim is to be able to watch dramas without subtitles, and when I travel to SK, be able to communicate effectively without relying on people knowing English.

I've been studying by myself daily for about 3 years, and at the beginning of this year joined a class with a Korean teacher which had really helped me progress. We have a WhatsApp group where we can practice conversations and ask any questions. Also my reading and speaking has definitely improved since having a teacher. I'm not in any rush to learn though, slow and steady is fine by me.

@bettys

The whole she-has-to-make-herself-love-him-but-he-has-to-stop-her concept is great! She's obvs already falling for him though what with holding his hand to being the colour back in his world and jumping in front of him. I also really like that the love triangle ISN'T on the OTP so maybe for once Lee Soo Hyuk will get the girl - 'even so, how can you just kiss her?' ha ha!!! 3 times quieter & quieter so funny

Spotted on Soompi the font of all knowledge that ML of SIMAA-F has just been released from the military and the drama was filmed in 2019 - wonder if that explains the dynamic? ie We have moved on a bit in the last couple of years from unlikeable MLs

I'd agree it's a great concept- I thought he wants her to love him enough to want to destroy the world for him? It's definitely draws you in a loy and it's hot a good balance of some genuinely funny bits as well as as more dramatic/threatening bits

@Hydrogensonata ah yes I'd forgotten the 'he wants her to love him enough to want to destroy the world for him' bit - oooh it's so tricksy!

That sounds really good @Rowdythree, slow and steady is the way to go!

@LarryUnderwood that's really interesting ... I would so so so love to be able to understand and read it... i'm of the camp to be able to read and understand and not necessarily be able to talkand converse... I just love BTS lyrics sooo much and i would love to be able to get the gist without having to go through a translation... to be able to listen and know what they're saying kwould be 🥰 but also i recognise that there are sooo many nuances that i would miss out on ... there's so much word play ... sigh!!!!... maybe i should just go and love in s korea for a year or two and just immerse myself!!!
🤣😂🤣😂

My thought on the bed scene in DAYS:

"Damn, those pillows look comfy."

That was what you were thinking? It wasn’t what I was thinking, at all.

Well. That was my first thought...

Team Leader Cha's face is verr verr strange.

That’s because he’s an elf that has strayed in from LOTR

@bettys

That’s because he’s an elf that has strayed in from LOTR

They're taking the Hobbits to Isengard.

Snort!!😂🧚

@bettys

That’s because he’s an elf that has strayed in from LOTR

😂😂 He absolutely is! 🧝‍♂️

@bettys

That’s because he’s an elf that has strayed in from LOTR

It is uncanny.

🧝🏼‍♂️🧝🏼‍♂️🧝🏼‍♂️

@fedupwithbriiiiick 😁😁
He does have very striking features.

I'd agree the bed looked very comfy, although I have to admit that wasn't my "first* thought.

Although all that pointy rock wall in his house is very atmospheric but I bet it's a nightmare to clean- complete dust magnet

It's very 'World of Interiors' Doom's place isn't it? 'Doom's crag of granite behind his hewn oak bed conveys the immutability of the natural world and evokes feelings of humanity's pathetic puniness, while his elegant shelving unit of mini vases has echoes of a columbarium"

@polkettle

It's very 'World of Interiors' Doom's place isn't it? 'Doom's crag of granite behind his hewn oak bed conveys the immutability of the natural world and evokes feelings of humanity's pathetic puniness, while his elegant shelving unit of mini vases has echoes of a columbarium"

Much Kevin McBride.

@LarryUnderwood what you're saying about formal teaching of languages is really interesting!

Bit alarmed at the info on Rh - as I'm another one! Must never get in an accident there!

Do you guys kind me asking what DAYS is?

@Hydrogensonata

Although all that pointy rock wall in his house is very atmospheric but I bet it's a nightmare to clean- complete dust magnet

Cold too (speaking from bitter experience of a stone-walled holiday cottage in February).

I want to ask:

1. whether Team Leader Elf is the building owner who occupies the penthouse or whether happy barrista is. Which of them owns the place & which is the guest?
2. Has the CEO of the publishing firm gone for good? Is he a puppet CEO whilst Team Leader Elf is the real owner? Has he not returned from Bali because he’s been fired for dissing PBY so publicly at work?

Team Leader Elf is giving off covert chaebol vibes IMO. Plus he carries a torch for PBY.