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…

ahhh! @LarryUnderwood I get you... but I have to say... I just want to take them home and feed them and tell them to go to bed early!..I am deffo old enough to be their mother... and frequently shout at the screen "Behave yourselves!!!"... they are just incredibley incredibley talented and endearing... especially JK... he's like a puppy!,,, (vlive that has just aired is comeplete proof of that!!!) 🤣😂..
The joy they bring is is invaluable .... I've been guffawing to myself like a loon for the last couple of days in anticipation... DH finds it hilarious though slightly worrying!!!! 🤣😂🤣😂🤷‍♀️

@bea definitely with you on that too

@bea what is this vlive of which you speak?

@bea what is this vlive of which you speak?

Oh Larrry, you are in trouble….

I was watching VLive they are so cute & honestly JK & Tae’s hair 🤣🤣

VLive is an app that streams live content of kpop artists

I sense we may be losing Larry down a rabbit hole! Fighting Larry 💪

Ahhh OK. Yes I really am getting in too deep. I know I should stop but I don't want to, this last year has been so shit and now I have this amazing world of romance and puppydog singers to delve into. Like Bea said, it's very joyful. But my family definitely think I'm weird!

@Rowdythree gamsahapnida

No judgement here Larry! Anything that gives us a bit of joy is to be celebrated! ❤️ I had a bit of a BTS thing, but I've come out of the otherside 😂 they are a lovely bunch though and very easy on the eye

Vlive can download onto your phone and bts use it to live stream... It's hilarious..🤣... There's loads and loads of "lives" on there not to mention the genius that is "Run BTS"... . If its a live stream subs become available a couple of hours later (or if you're desperate you can head to twitter and get live translations!)
sorry @LarryUnderwood! You're in for a world of chaos and hilarity!... There's a widely held belief and a saying that you always find BTS when you really need them... 💜😍 Enjoy! X

Definitely no judgement from me Larry! I love Jungkook's long, purple hair in the Butter MV, I'm sad it got cut off.
I'm in work so can't see the VLive yet 😭

Oh no! I'm loving short haired jk! 😁👍

Yep I think there are two ways to go with an obsession. Cold turkey or lean into it really hard to let it burn itself out. I'm leaning.

@LarryUnderwood... Go ahead!! I'm 2 and half years down the line and it's 100x worse when it started!!... 😭😳

2021 has been crazy for my top 5 kdramas list! True Beauty went straight in, then Mr Queen topped it, and now Vincenzo! I thought it was recency bias/higher production values and decided to watch older dramas - and now Healer has overtaken them all! I wonder if DAYS will need to be added soon. I need a stable top 5 list!!

Is anyone’s top 5 list dominated by 2020/2021 dramas?

My Top 6: (In no particular order, but the first 5 all scored 10 and Moon Lovers is 9.99999 recurring)

My Mister
Mr Queen
Crash Landing On You
Because This Is My First Life
Her Private Life
Moon Lovers Scarlet Heart Ryeo

...Mr Queen is 2020

I find it really difficult to pin down a top 5, it's really fluid. The only one that is continuously there is Strong Girl Bong Soon, Suspicious Partners too as these were the first K dramas I watched, and I watched them several times before moving on 😬 True Beauty is in it too, I keep having the urge to re watch, but I'm trying to hold off a bit longer. Maybe Search:www too 🤔 I think the other spots are vacant at the moment

Mine chop and change... though... i think my consistently top is

Crash Landing On You 🥰😍
True Beauty
... and The Crowned Clown always pops in my head for Top 5

Looking at my marks on the spreadsheet...top top scorers are
Uncanny Counter
NAvillera
Hotel Del Luna
Romance Is A Bonus Book
Nokdu
Because This Is My First Life
Come & Hug Me
Fight For My Way
Healer
Love From A Star
Moonlight Drawn By Clouds
Suspicious Partner
W Two Worlds
Weightlifting

ooops.. that's rather a lot

....completly forgot SGBS!!! How could i???!

Sooo looking forward to this...
Praying to the Kdrama Gods that this will be good!!!! 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏Youth... note that they decided not to use the real members names (there was... understandabley a bit of a hoo hah when they announced characters would have same names!- daft!!! and would stir up sooo many issues!!!)

I am still new to this malarkey so there are so many I haven't seen. But my top 5 (so far...)

1. CLOY/Goblin - can I have a joint 1st? CLOY made me sob harder than anything I've ever seen. But Goblin just pierced my heart in a sort of slow low-key way.
2. Vincenzo (I haven't finished this yet though so will that change?)
3. Secretary Kim
4. Fight for my Way
5. Strong Girl Bong Soon

But I keep changing my mind.

And need to add special mention to IONTBO and BTIMFL, I loved them too. Maybe I need to change and add ok not 2 b OK to my top 5? It's too hard!

Aah I forgot About Goblin! Yes that's up there in the top 5 too! 😂

Just watched today's SIMAA-F, it was better, ML much nicer to FL and they're starting to have a bit of chemistry. The 2ML is really annoying me though, so many red flags with him. Everyone should just stay well away from him, what a dick.

Been away for a while but just want to wish a VERY Happy Butter Day to all my fellow army!

Wasn't sure first listening but God now I am hooked!

JK's hair and the eyebrow - Hell's teeth! 🥰💜

@LarryUnderwood

I am still new to this malarkey so there are so many I haven't seen. But my top 5 (so far...)

1. CLOY/Goblin - can I have a joint 1st? CLOY made me sob harder than anything I've ever seen. But Goblin just pierced my heart in a sort of slow low-key way.
2. Vincenzo (I haven't finished this yet though so will that change?)
3. Secretary Kim
4. Fight for my Way
5. Strong Girl Bong Soon

But I keep changing my mind.

That’s 6 Larry. 🙅 Which of your 6 favourites are you going to sacrifice? It’s like Sophie’s Choice. 😄

Can I suggest we start thinking about a new thread title 🧵 🪡?
Something with "lean in" as that seems to be very appropriate to our obsession and RH neg references??