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…

I loved My Unfamiliar Family too pol

Rowdy he's such a gorgeous boy! I'd let him chew my jumper any day 😍

It's definitely impossible to be mad at him for chewing jumpers!

My Unfamiliar Family added to list!

I just finished Reply 1988 I thought it was fantastic! I have a warm fuzzy feeling now 🤗 I really didn't want it to end! Are the other Reply series worth a watch, or should I just stick with that one?

I watched 1994 too, but ages ago. I did really enjoy it but it was a while ago. Yoo Yeon Seok is a v handsome baseball player in it if that helps 😊

Thanks thegirl handsome baseball players always help 👍 I've got plenty of other things lined up to watch, so I'll bear it in mind when I need something to new to watch.

I watched a bit of last night’s SYHH in bed this morning (thanks menopause early waking) and liked the Blue Salt place in the forest. I’m a touch worried Kim Mi Kyung has had work done and is losing her essential KMK-ness. I like her so much I hope she does Zellweger herself.

doesn’t

Just finished MC&ML Bettys... Let's just say I do not think they paced their 36 episodes in the most evenhanded way. And the mandarin that got shared on a sofa in YAMH starts to look racier and racier in retrospect.

pol I am also on the last stretch OF MC&ML and my interest is flagging.....agree with the pacing it has lost ground. I have no interest in the second couple whose main purpose is to pad out the show. May have to go back to She Is The One for light relief

Started My Roommate Is A Gumiho on iQ which is alright....they seem to have borrowed the lighting from the Park-Morgan-In-A-Crisp-White-Shirt swoon scene from Search WWW

Good grief, the court trials in Law School are a complete shambles! It's really annoying me! 😒 So many conflicts of interest!

Also rather enjoying Moonlight on iQ. The FL is a bit girly annoying and I’m worried the ML’s neck might snap but they are poppets. ML is from Romance of Tiger & Rose which he was really good in, and is v likeable in this too plus he has fluffy woofer (Old English Shepherd)
There’s also an infuriating despicable editor - every office has to have one 🤷🏻‍♀️

Anyone watching the new one on Netflix Mad for Each Other?

I'll start it tonight I think.

Another fun one starting on Monday too Racket Boys

I'm a bit behind with DAYS, I keep saving episodes so I don't have to wait nearly a while week between them. So I'm not up to date on the thread as avoiding spoilers. But I find logging out of the app and then logging in again sorts the issue with Chromecast.

Loving DAYS so much!

Oooo new Contract Marriage Hello Mr Gu coming to Viki ASAP! Mainland Chinese with newbie ML/FL

@Cassini

Oooo new Contract Marriage Hello Mr Gu coming to Viki ASAP! Mainland Chinese with newbie ML/FL

NOICE

Hmmm...see what you mean about Kim Mi-Kyung Boaty. Definitely had a hitch up.

Wha?? Have to wait a week for another episode of SYHH? Boo hiss.
I do like a little sofa bounce boogie to the end credit theme tune. I'm so very cool.

Mouse!!! On viki.. it's sooooo confusing the random jumps around the timeline... but it's good... though very very gruesome and brutal!!!!

Hospital playlist- new teaser
I wonder when Netflix will have S2 promos & episodes with dates.

@boatyardblues

I watched a bit of last night’s SYHH in bed this morning (thanks menopause early waking) and liked the Blue Salt place in the forest. I’m a touch worried Kim Mi Kyung has had work done and is losing her essential KMK-ness. I like her so much I hope she does Zellweger herself.

I thought the bamboo forest in SYHH looked so lovely - very relaxing! Liked spotting KMK but she did look like she's maybe had something done- I hope she doesn't loose the way she can say a lot with just an expression.

@polkettle - I have the theme tune on my running play list

Watching emergency couple in-between everything that's still airing which is so far very easy watching. I mostly want more DAYS but still going with SIMAF, SYHH and taxi driver. I really hope this week's SIMAF get better and the ML stops being quite so horrible to the FL. Or she runs off with the manager and leaves the three of them to their angsty shiny suited love triangle.
Actually even if he gets nicer she should nope her way out of the whole thing.

I wish to commend DAYS for its realistic kissing scenes. 👌

(I was watching again.)

I feel spoiled by DAYS. SIG is mighty fine but I also like first love barista and the elven king. Plus PBY is such a fantastic FL and the lady writer 2FL is a good character.

boaty yes you get the impression that SIG has actually had RL relationships that involve kissing etcetera

So will 2FL be choosing between cheery barista ☕️ and elven king 🧝‍♀️? 🤔