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…

@Bea

Sell your Haunted House! Viki! 👍👍👍 It's good so far!! 😁👍

Yep I'm really enjoying it and I want the next episode up soon!

Watching Vincenzo and hello me! I agree with whoever said it's Kim Young-Kwang being KYK but it's easy watching the younger Bahn ha-ni is really quite irritating- although 17 year old me would probably be equally irritating! Took me ages to work out where I'd seen the husband before before clicking he was the husband in www:search - he's obviously does a good line in chaebol slightly sad husband's

Thinking of watching taxi driver as a completely different change of tack as clips keep popping up on my Facebook and it looks good

Hope bin enjoyed his swim!

the younger Bahn ha-ni is really quite irritating- although 17 year old me would probably be equally irritating!

She becomes less annoying. I was itching to slap her for the first few episodes, but it did pass.

I've just been trying to work out who you all are on IG from Bin's followers 😂 I've def got some of you. I think my account is private??
I didn't watch Navillera last night as I fell asleep before I'd even put it on. I'm watching it now 😍

Been unfaithful to the K/C/T/J's tonight (gasp 😱) and binged through the whole of Starstruck on iPlayer. Not hard to do as it's only 6 × 22min episodes. It's lovely! Very KDrama feels. Proper belly laughs and great chemistry. Bit Home for Christmas-ish

@polkettle

Bin thinks somebody has a VERY good boy dog and somebody else poaches a brilliant egg 🤷‍♀️.

I believe Instant Pots are excellent at poaching eggs. I do happen to own one...

I'm crap at identifying insta accounts but I have managed to get @bettys and @boatyardblues 👍

@FedUpWithBriiiiick

I'm crap at identifying insta accounts but I have managed to get *@bettys and @boatyardblues* 👍

And @Rowdythree! Puptastic

Ahhh I've just finished Navillera😪😪😪
It was so lovely and very nicely finished. I think it might be my favourite this year so far.

Hello, lovely insta people 👋 I think I've figured out a few of you

I've also just finished Navillera it was lovely, Song Kang was lovely, the relationship between Chae-Rok and Mr Sim was lovely, the ballet was lovely, and the fine knitwear and coat at the end was lovely too. I had leaky eyes and a swollen throat from holding back the sobs. I also rather liked the blonde haired bad boy so I'm glad him and the goalie were on the road to achieving their goals (geddit? snort). That has to be the most lackadaisical proposal ever, but very glad that it worked out.

It was nearly perfect but wasn't quite up there with My Mister for me., perhaps because it felt quite one-note. I was tearful from about episode 7-12, albeit in a positive, cathartic way.

Also loving the insta gang by the way!

Agree @bettys, it's in the tradition of My Mister but just not quite as perfect.

One thing that slightly grated on me the whole way through was the ages of Mr & Mrs Sim. The actors looked way older than 70. Just bugged me a little.

I was niggled by the final scene of Navillera at the rail crossing if I’m honest. The previous ice-cream scene suggested to me that he was too poorly and it was unlikely, but I feel mean for even mentioning it.

Mr Sim actor is 76 IRL and his wife 79.

@boatyardblues

Mr Sim actor is 76 IRL and his wife 79.

She especially looked closer to 80 than 70.

Early morning watch is Octogenarians and the 90s which from the number of people sobbing in other people's arms both credit sequences is going to go full throttle on cockle warming. It's amiable rather than gripping so a good daily dip for me. But - 😱- nerd poppet is a spivvy bad boy! I think he may be on a Journey along with sulky FL. He gets his kit off in episode 3 though so 👍👍

He gets his kit off in episode 3 though so 👍👍

Like a good journalist, this is the hook you should have led with. 😉

Sorry. Ep 3, min 36. Bring a loofah.

@polkettle

Early morning watch is Octogenarians and the 90s which from the number of people sobbing in other people's arms both credit sequences is going to go full throttle on cockle warming. It's amiable rather than gripping so a good daily dip for me. But - 😱- nerd poppet is a spivvy bad boy! I think he may be on a Journey along with sulky FL. He gets his kit off in episode 3 though so 👍👍

Excellent. Just what the doctor ordered.

Pol - I see Binoftheday is up to 44 followers. They can’t all be from this thread. You must have broken out to the internet randoms. 👍

Yes! Genuine People I Don't Know are up for cardboard Bin fun. Just hoping I don't outrage any SuperFans.

This could take on a whole life of its own Pol! Mr Binn could become just as big a star as the real Mr Hyun Bin 🌟

@Rowdythree

This could take on a whole life of its own Pol! Mr Binn could become just as big a star as the real Mr Hyun Bin 🌟

No pressure, like. 😉

None at all... 😂

49 followers now! I guess it’s not just us who want a bit of daily Bin in our lives!

Mind you, I reckon a lot more people are lurking in MsLatté’s Daebak CyberCafé than actually post 🤔