MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #24): where we ‘lean in’ to our obsession. Non-judgmental support served up with a side-order of kpop.

[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)
Doom At Your Service (Viki) - still airing
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)*
Move to Heaven (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…

They had a coach... That went over the trickier bits... They talked about it in a recent magazine article... I've noticed their English is getting really good... Recent interviews they've been much more willing to answer... Not completely fluent but they definitely understand... (maybe due to repetitive nature of questions??... 😁😂😂😂🤣🤣🤯🤯😡😡😡)

Festa itinerary for ARMY!... or the curious!. It's relentless! But amazingly fun! 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣💜💜💜

I love the number 8 incorporated into the design... They're celebrating 8 years together! 💜👍💜

🤦🏻‍♀️ I didn’t spot the 8 💜

I love their posters... Look at this one for the 2021 Muster!.. 🥰... And how they got the 8 into SOWOOZOO (which means mikrokosmos - lovely song!).. And infinity... 💜🥰

😂 Mad last episode of MC&ML wasn't it Bettys? ALL the plot in the last 5 minutes. Started on Reply 1994 as a half term treat (along with all the current screeners)

Aah, I just realised who the bad guy is in Youth of May, he's the bad guy in CLOY! Omg he plays despicable human so well! Had he ever played a good guy?

Happy sigh. DAYS was lovely this evening, just lovely. I may have cried a bit too.

@boatyardblues

Happy sigh. DAYS was lovely this evening, just lovely. I may have cried a bit too.

It was a good one (although they've all been so far) - I think they always set up the next one as well- can't wait for tomorrows. I thought the scene at the company dinner was really well done and the reaction of her friend

Watched my roommate is a gumiho which was ok and easy watching and finished taxi driver- I'd really recommend it- the second half is very different from the first but in a good way

Mouse... Is compelling but sooooooo confusing!...

Taxi Driver sounds good Bea. I’ll get on to it once I’ve got all the half term kdrama blocking family jollity out of the way.

Mouse seems to have taken a swerve to kdrama crazy land... Dh said..." If its going that way!... I'll never watch a kdrama with you again!"... 😱🤯😱🤯😱😭😭😭🤯😱😱😱

I got to about ep 6 or 7 of Mouse. It was getting weird then, with a hint of brain swaps though I didn’t stick around to find out. LSG was back at work after his head injury and acting out of character.

Dimples Insta feed has suddenly become a reverential hand dripped coffee nerd out 🙄 😪

Saving both episodes of DAYS up for a double bill later.

Started watching Hello Mr Gu, and despite some shoddy acting and scenes in the first episode, has settled into itself.

Hello Mr Gu Is very light and frothy with 30 min episodes so perfect for dipping into while on gardening breaks (emetophobes avoid vomiting scene towards end of ep 4).

Looking forward to a double dose of DAYS tonight and also Pumped Plug in uniform 😎

Thanks for the warning bettys.

We’ve just finished Legend of the Blue Sea - it’s adorable.
I wonder what Park Ji Eun’s next series will be - whatever it is I’m looking forward to it.

Yup, @Andante57 you'll know the bit when it comes up. FL is drunk on sofa mucking about. You can stop there, and move on to episode 5.

Thank you FedUp.
My only criticism of Korean dramas is so many drunken scenes - though I know they are often necessary so things can be said which wouldn’t be said sober!

DAYS is at 83% - can't resist anymore and I'll just have to re watch it tomorrow to pick up any bits I miss

I watched at 98% but I think all gaps had been filled in by the time I got to them as it was a seamless hour of joy. I love it so much!

Morning 😉

I've finally caught up with the comments. Glad everyone is well and @polkettle I loved your essay on why you like kdrama. I agree, I've never been asked if I'd 'run out' of US /British dramas! 🤔

I've been watching my first j drama - good morning call. And firstly can I say I feel cheated, there is none of the sexy romps I was promised, even though the couple have lived together since they were 17! When the ml tentatively suggests that the fl might sleep in his room the 2ml pops up to ask to stay over (Noooooo!) and when they do finally share a bed it's back to back duvet fighting!

Also, bloody netflix's subs mean a lot of nuance is missed and makes it harder to understand what's going on. I'd given up trying to work out why the characters seemed to be called different names... Until, in the 2nd series, part of the plot, revolved round explaining that in Japan it's common to call people by their surname and explaining why ml calls fl by her surname. So it finally made sense, but it's a bit hopeless that netflix was subbing in the first names at random!

Morning @polkettle - seaweed soup? Is it your birthday (or Mr Binn's)? Happy birthday if so. 😊

Happy happy tieth birthday @polkettle!!

Altogether now!

🎶 saeng il chuk ha ham ni da
saeng il chuk ha ham ni da
sarang ha neun Polkettle shi
saeng il chuk ha ham ni da 🎶

🍷🍷🍷