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…

Is Hospital Playlist out today?

I love the age-appropriate Oppas discussion. Thankfully most of my favourites are in their 30s which seems acceptable... Only Hyun Bin is actually older than me though.

I saw Minari at the cinema on Monday which I really enjoyed, although it was a little melancholy. For some reason, I was surprised it's mostly in Korean with it being an American film. I was pleasantly surprised.

Currently watching Hyde, Jekyll, Me and making my way through the Netflix list before subscribing to Viki!

@Rowdythree I'm watching Doom ep 10 later! I shall look forward to it 😁

@bettys 👌🔥🔥 actually, I stopped it at that point as I had to go to work, I'll be watching again later 👀

Finished Law School. Final verdict = too much law.

OK so Doom ep 10 was a tear jerker after initial sexy v neck bit 😪

Oh no, I'm not prepared for that, I might just stop at the sexiness! I've had zero time for K drama today ☹️ got lots to catch up with tomorrow now

Tonight was a strike out for me too. We watched Loki en famille, then I napped through 2 or 3 episodes of Remember Me. 😄 I’d occasionally wake up, think “ooh, Seo In Guk looks nice in that shirt” and nod off again. It looks to have been an important run of episodes so I’ll have to rewatch tomorrow.

@sakura06 it’s next Thursday- 17 June (Hospital Playlist)

Thanks @JinBhoot

@polkettle

Finished Law School. Final verdict = too much law.

I just finished it too Pol, agree there was a lot of law, and not a hint of romance disappointingly 😒

Need to catch up with Doom and Youth of May now

SYHH also complete. Really enjoyed the whole series. Between the black truffle crisps, the pants in a can and the wrinkle stick definitely up for a niche PPL Daebak award.

Were Profs Yang and Kim a couple do you think Rowdy? There were sort of hints in their car sharing and some of their conversations that I thought was going to be a reveal bit then... nothing... Infuriatingly little personal story development really given the pregnancy bleeding in ep 1. She must have had excellent wrap around childcare assuming the baby was okay.

aHA. Law School written by a man. Explains everything about all the Big Plot being dealt with at the expense of plot I actually cared about 🙄

That explains a lot Pol particularly about Prof Kim's baby, I assumed she'd lost it in ep1, but clearly not! I don't think they were a couple, Prof Yang was definitely a bachelor! It would have been nice if there were more personal development but I think there were too many characters and side stories to develop any.

Overall I enjoyed it, but it won't be in my top 20! 😂 It was weird at the end too, 1 year later, then a few years later... 🤣🤦‍♀️

I don't think she lost it because there was reference to her child in later episodes but 🤷‍♀️. Yes, I'm overthinking it. But honestly - that entirely random final walk of the three of them 🙄🙄🙄 Really good middle of the series but a hot mess towards the end imo.

Agreed! It felt like the end was a damp squib after the tenseness and storyline in the middle part of the series.

She definitely didn't lose the baby as like you said there were references to it, also there was a car seat in the back of her car. Weird ending 🤷‍♀️

Neither of you are convincing me to watch it.......

@bettys I wouldn't be convinced either 😂 I'm glad I wasn't the only one to watch it though! Cheers Pol 🍺

I am currently watching 4 series on iQUIYI, 4 on Viki, and 4 that I NEED to start on Netflix as I’m getting FOMO.
Just as well I made this Dalgona coffee yesterday which kept me awake until the wee sma’s

I've currently got 3 on the go, but so many in my Watch List! I almost got up at 4am this morning to catch up, but I lay there tossing and turning instead, what a waste of time!

And that Dalgona looks bloody amazing 👍👌

🍺 Rowdy. Yeah, enjoyed the journey but not the destination. Strictly for fans of Crown Court... Or jigsaws. Or elephants. Although actually not jigsaw fans because his habit of wandering around with a single piece would make you twitchy.

... I present to you my Dalgona! After sampling and feeling the after effects... I tweaked the recipe! From two tablespoons of instant coffee... To just the one! 🥰😊🤯😱💪

This is a coffee trend that hasn't reached my part of the world yet 😂 I know what I'll be doing today in order to catch up on all my dramas

I should have done what Bea did

Here's a recipe but cut down on the coffee unless you really REALLY need to catch up on your dramas!!