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…

This was one of the funniest! Rm and Jimin trying to make Dalgona coffee with Hand whisks!! (not recommend!!!)

I followed this recipe! 😂😂😂

Gah! Now I feel like making it!... Use hand held whisk!! 💪👍

There was a HUGE hoo hah on twitter a couple of months back...
American woman claiming she came up with the idea and selling kits to make the coffee for $$$$'s! Very condescending accusations about cultural appropriation!! It was 🤯🤯😱😱at the audacity of her! Very similar to the American women who decided to "redesign" the Chinese game mah Jong with "prettier" designs and then selling on for oodles!.

All ait toe distasteful!... They got called out on it though! The ignorance And audacity was mind blowing! 🤯😖😡

Crikey! I will watch Jimim and Namjoon's attempt before trying it myself 😂

That’s how the coffee was made in my part of the world. When I moved to west in my late teens/early 20s. Flat white, Latte & cappuccino was a shock. Black coffee was very Hollywood/film prop.

For me coffee will always be hand beaten with cream & full fat milk. Drip coffees are not for me but I am a tea person.

Dalgona, sourdough & banana bread was the it item of lockdown

Dalgona, sourdough & banana bread was the it item of lockdown

Hungry now!!! Also quite fancy making a steamed coffee cake with condensed milk (another thing picked up from dramas...although that was a Chinese one)

Lion had condensed milk in Her Private Life due to his coffee allergy! It just reminds me of 1980s puddings... Oh that's evaporated milk 🤣

I've just checked Rowdy and the recipe is with evaporations not condensed milk - Doh!!

Evaporations???? evaporated milk

It's useful to have in the cupboard then, along with a tin of Spam!

Exactly!!

Hahahahahaha Ocado doesn’t recognise the concept of spam, it could only show me spa products 😂😂😂

@polkettle

🍺 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.

Not really tempting me into law school! I've been watching my roommate is a gumiho on iqyi- I'm really enjoying it despite nothing in particular happening finishing off SYHH tonight and then like @boatyardblues I'd started remember me for Seo In Guk after watching DAYS. Is there anything else in particular I should watch on IQYI? Age on half plus seven means age appropriate oppas could go down to 25 for me which seems very young! What makes an age appropriate Ajusshi though? SYHH has cemented my soft spot for Ahn Gil-Gang

I watched Remember Me a while back for Seo In Guk after watching Shopping King Louis (Which I preferred). Ended up skipping to the end on Remember Me for some reason.

@Hydrogensonata if you watch one series on iQ that isn't available on other platforms, watch Love Is Sweet (Cdrama) for office romance shenanigans

@bettys

Hahahahahaha Ocado doesn’t recognise the concept of spam, it could only show me spa products 😂😂😂

I bet Asda or Morrisons would see you right. 😄

I’m not long back from drinking prosecco in the park with some friends. DS1 said over dinner that we’re just like his school friends (year 11s). 😂 I’m so behind with my dramas at the mo. 😩

Usually perfume ads are bonkers but I have found this lipstick ad 💄

www.instagram.com/p/CP5ur88J-l2/?utm_medium=copy_link

Well that's a bit bonkers Jin! 😂 I never watch adverts so I miss out on the crazy stuff!

bettys I started Shopping King Louis today for Seo In Guk. I also added The Smile Has Left Your Eyes to my watch list for the same reason.

@boatyardblues

I’m not long back from drinking prosecco in the park with some friends. DS1 said over dinner that we’re just like his school friends (year 11s). 😂 I’m so behind with my dramas at the mo. 😩

I like the sound of your evening Boaty 😂🥂

I’m not long back from drinking prosecco in the park with some friends.

ha ha coincidentally I'm just back from drinking prosecco too - but at the allotment! sigh...gotta love long summer evenings....will prob now wake up at 3am having had a weird dream about lipstick and catwalks

rowdy I never watched The Smile Has Left Your Eyes because I read the recaps as it aired and the ending is ...erm... not bee friendly

Mmm prosecco in the park/allotment sounds lovely!

Missed your post last night @boatyardblues but 🥂 cheers!!! 😁💜

How far would we go to watch a drama? BBC News - Why Kim Jong-un is waging war on slang, jeans and foreign films
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-57225936

rowdy I never watched The Smile Has Left Your Eyes because I read the recaps as it aired and the ending is ...erm... not bee friendly

Aah, I heard it was sad, I saw it on a list of underrated dramas so thought I'd give it ago. I seem be too drawn to the weepy ones lately!

A weepy drama has its time and place. A good sob can be very cathartic.