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…

@TheGirlWithTheArabStrap

I watched ep 12 of DAYS today, it was v good. A move on from overly sad. Still not sure how it will pan out with 4 eps to go??

I liked this week's episodes of DAYS- I reckon elven 🧝‍♂️ team leader is ahead to get the girl but part of me thinks she should walk away from both as it's never going to end well! It was nice (for want of a better word!) To see a return of doom doling out some punishment and being a bit meaner- I did like the way they keep referencing back to earlier episodes- DAYS is definitely my favourite thing I'm watching at the moment. Gave up on backstreet rookie which never happens, I might pick it up again but probably not. Watched the first episode of monthly magazine home- ok but nothing groundbreaking so far? Last episodes of SIMAA-F this weekend, struggling to care but determined to finish it!

I’m watching the self defence scene in MFEO through my fingers because you just know she’s going to knee him in the nuts and incapacitate him. 😥

And there it is… 😂

Hydrogen Gave up on backstreet rookie which never happens, I might pick it up again but probably not^

So did I. Just very unappealing somehow.

@boatyardblues

And there it is… 😂

😂😂😂

I’m enjoying MFEO and also the fact there’s a good bank of episodes because I’m late getting started. 😄

This morning’s school run was on foot & in the pouring rain. The big umbrella gave a very Kdrama vibe 😂.

@JinBhoot

This morning’s school run was on foot & in the pouring rain. The big umbrella gave a very Kdrama vibe 😂.

It's not quite as romantic with your kids, I imagine 😂

Trying to work out whether to cancel my lunchtime swim or just swim there and back.
Last MFEO coming on Monday. May want to keep episode 12 until 13 is there to save on nail-chewing.

@polkettle

Trying to work out whether to cancel my lunchtime swim or just swim there and back. Last MFEO coming on Monday. May want to keep episode 12 until 13 is there to save on nail-chewing.

13 is quite dramatic.

Just as a TW: contains pretty graphic depictions of male violence.

Sorry episode 12!!

@FedUpWithBriiiiick Hahaha … the return walk was so peaceful & quiet

Yeah I got halfway through it FedUp and then thought no I'll save this until I can watch to completion.

I feel like I've got so behind on everything I'm watching! Today I'll finished Kill Me Heal Me, Tomorrow SIMAA-F will be done, then I'm going to finish the other ones I'm watching before starting anything new.

I think I'll let a couple of eps of HP build up before I start watching.

My eyes may have leaked a little while watching Hospital Playlist 😭😭 Kdrama has cornered the market in sad mums.

Where is cheeky chops’s lerv rival?

He's given up. Not appearing in this season.

Oh shame…..the plot thickens…or rather us left wide open for a new to appear 😉

Ooops nearly laughed out loud on the train reading Yumi’s Cells having just come across Etiquette Cell wearing a hanbok 😂😂

Where is cheeky chops’s lerv rival? who is that?

Some of the dialogues are amazing, e.g this one resonates so much with my job >>>
‘What is the best you can do in this moment? Just focus on that’

Mr ex-military new shoes Jin
I don't think the fat lady has remotely sung yet on cheeky chops chances. It's gonna be an agonising and delightful 12 weeks...

I miss my daily dose of Mr Binn 😔

It's hard to overstate how little happens in today's installment of SIMTAF. Honestly think you could go straight to tomorrow's without noticing. It's like when I stopped listening to the Archers for 10 years and it made no difference.

@polkettle

It's hard to overstate how little happens in today's installment of SIMTAF. Honestly think you could go straight to tomorrow's without noticing. It's like when I stopped listening to the Archers for 10 years and it made no difference.

Jeez it's such a CHORE watching it. A real shame, because the premise was good.

I just feel asleep watching it! Literally got 40 minutes into it and fell asleep for an hour on the sofa! 😴😴

And while you were sleeping she made some gimbap and caught a mild cold and her dad changed a lightbulb.