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…

Seo Kang Joon is gorgeous, and I agree he should have been chosen in the Cheese in the Trap! He's too young to be on my age appropriate Oppa list too 😬 born1985 or earlier is good to go on my list 😂

Seo Kang-joon is due to enlist this year 😓

Asking for friend
Technically what is appropriate age gap for age appropriate oppa

Jin, I've gone 5 years younger, tbf I'd accept slightly younger if the opportunity arose 🤣🤣

Seo Kang Joon is lovely and completely wasted in Weather! Arrrghhh!! 😡

He's my June on my lovely Kdrama Calender! 😂😂 A gift from my like minded partner in kdrama crime! 😂😂😂

@JinBhoot

Asking for friend Technically what is appropriate age gap for age appropriate oppa

I'm 38. I'll go to 32. That, coincidentally, is how old Park Seo-joon is.

Huh. What a coinkidink.

I'm 42. I'll also go to 32 for exactly the same reason @FedUpWithBriiiiick 🤣🤣🤣

My closest age appropriate Oppas are Sung Dong Il 😩 and Lee Byung Hun 😎

If we use the "half your age plus 7" rule then I can go down to 27, which fits Seo Kang Joon in but still seems a bit rum 😂.
In actual real life I'd go down to 35 I think. 🤔.
What a lovely friend giving you that excellent calendar Bea

Man, my choices are limited if we cap at 5 years younger and leave me with lots of weather-beaten/macho older oppas. More ahjussis. 😄

@bea I want that calendar 😍

My calender is mooost excellent! Containing scenes from all my favourite kdramas! It was a Xmas pressie! 😁😍🥰😍🥰

@bettys

My closest age appropriate Oppas are Sung Dong Il 😩 and Lee Byung Hun 😎

Nothing wrong with Sung Dong Il @bettys 🤣

This is only age appropriate Oppa's anyway, other younger Oppa's are allowed 😉

@bettys

My closest age appropriate Oppas are Sung Dong Il 😩 and Lee Byung Hun 😎

Similar here. Lee Byung Hun is solid and I’m fight Betty for him but Rowdy’s welcome to Sung Dong Il. I like the half your age + 7 rule though. There are some very fine men in that range. 👍

Sticking with Yoo Jun-Sang for age appropriate Oppa. But not sticking with age appropriate, although did get a bit queasy about that 21 year old Chinese one 😁
Finished Reply 1994 and really enjoyed it (❤️ all the dramas from that team as character rather than plot always central), Definitely enjoyed it much more for knowing who the husband was from the outset as whole 'mystery' was tediously overplayed.
Now I can catch up on everything else 🥰 Last Law School tonight - hoping it's all going to come together like a jigsaw of an elephant because the 'let's confuse' editing has been maddening at times.

@polkettle Your Bin of the Day today made me snort laugh 😂

‘Oh! Mr Bin!’ Is an ear worm now!!!😂😂

Yoo Jun-Sang is a good call pol 👍

I hope the final Law School is good Pol there has been so many twists and turns. It had better come together like a giant 🐘 jigsaw puzzle

Oooh just found a drama on iQ WITH 21YR OLD cHINESE OPPA (NOW 22) called Beautiful Reborn Flower with very mixed reviews pah caps fail (again)

I am watching Hot Stove League . It is interesting so far (ep4). I am not familiar with the sport so it goes above my head but rest of the story is captivating. I love stories about underdogs turning things around.

These days my Kdrama watching is on slow burner in preparation for Hospital Playlist 2.
Episodes in Korea will be on air every Thursday at 9pm. Will it be same for UK? 9pm Uk time or lunch time (9pm KST)

Omo Seo In Guk is incredibly sexy in Doom ep 10, in his V neck showing off his collar bones it might be a bit early in the morning to watch it 😂

He is definitely on the age appropriate Oppa list for me too! 🙌

Thanks for Oppa advise … I like half your age plus 7 but for me they all seems too young … 5-6 years gap is good.

Just FF for any hint of his clavicles and lower arms in a nice crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled up Bettys... mmm
Slaps own cheek hard
I reckon midday Jin. Going to rewatch season one this weekend. I'M SO HAPPY THEY'RE NEARLY BACK 👨‍⚕️👨‍⚕️👨‍⚕️👨‍⚕️👩‍⚕️🥰

Stove League is great, JinBhoot. Got the delicious Namkoong Min 😍

🙌🙌🙌 for Hospital Playlist!!