MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #25): We may not always agree (on shows, oppa preference, wonky fashion) but we are never disagreeable…

[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)
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)*
Mad For Each Other (Netflix)
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. 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!

Just one more week until Kingdom: Ashin of the North @bettys!

🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️🤺🤺🤺

Beyond Evil is a good shout Pol! It's that the one that won lots of awards recently?

Cannot wait for Ashin of the North! 🧟‍♀️🧟‍♂️🧟

Aaargh keep forgetting about Beyond Evil how is it panning out Pol?

I've started MMH but not quite hooked in yet in spite of hanok envy. In ep 2 the oil-filled perfume burner thingy is a health & safety hazard only rivalled by the tissue box coffee table fire feature from Be Loved In House

Only 2 episodes in but involving if familiar chalk-and-cheese-buddied-up-cops-in-small-town-with-a-serial-killer-but-then-there's-a-twist territory so far.

I have access to Amazon Prime this week. Are there any good kdramas or films I should be focussing on?

pol mentioned a cdrama called The First Half of My Life I think …she’s scored it 8.5 on the spreadsheet it sounds good

Good meaty CDrama Boaty but depends if you have enough time with Prime for a 40 episoder given sunshine and other things you might want to watch. Takes a few episodes for one to get sucked in but really builds in momentum. No simpering silliness either.

Ah, 40 episodes will not be doable. Films and/or a 20 part kdrama would be do-able.

Gah it is so hot and my brain has gone to mush so instead of MMH or starting Beyond Evil I have sloped off to Olga's to watch Unforgettable Love Cdrama which I saw recommended on Dramabeans.

I've only been watching for 20 minutes but so far we have had ML accidentally falling on top of FL, an outrageously cute toddler with ishoos that only FL will be able to resolve, a swift kick up the arse for bastard ex-boyf, dodgy fashion choices and the uptight ML from Perfect & Casual. It is going down very nicely with a glass of cold white wine.

boaty Amazon are really poor on the drama front, and their search function is dreadful. Searching for 'kdrama' just brings up a whole load of random suggestions.

It is much easier to search actor....films on my list are The Beauty Inside - the original film with a whole host of cameos playing the person whose face changes every day - The Singer , Hello Ghost, MIRACLE IN cELL nO 7 and Crazy Romance with Gong hYO jIN

aLSO Cdrama Love Is Sweet is on there which is a light office romance with nice chemistry between the leads , co-habitation plot and a cute dog. Easily bingeable in a week with a wee bit of skipping

I enjoyed Nevertheless this evening. It’s almost better that there is some unresolved sexual tension between ML/FL. I’d also be happy for the Beanie/Bangs partnership to spin off. I could watch that guy all day, flipflops ‘n’ all. And a 💜 for the unni-loves-unni storyline - so cute. Finally, a heartfelt hiss at Seol-a. What a snake!

Placemarking

Welcome @Thisisworsethananticpated. 👋

@bettys

Gah it is so hot and my brain has gone to mush so instead of MMH or starting Beyond Evil I have sloped off to Olga's to watch Unforgettable Love Cdrama which I saw recommended on Dramabeans.

I've only been watching for 20 minutes but so far we have had ML accidentally falling on top of FL, an outrageously cute toddler with ishoos that only FL will be able to resolve, a swift kick up the arse for bastard ex-boyf, dodgy fashion choices and the uptight ML from Perfect & Casual. It is going down very nicely with a glass of cold white wine.

Bettys you ledge. This kind of brainless fodder is just what the bagsanim ordered.

Yikes! I've never been to Olga's house before. Can anyone DM me a map and instructions?

DM’d FedUp but I had to look 박사님 up 😂

I would also like the keys to Olga's please.

dramacool.fm but get ready to see porny pop-ups.

@bettys

DM’d FedUp but I had to look 박사님 up 😂

Me too, but I was able to correctly guess the spelling to bash it in to google translate. 👍

Sorry to hear about your mum @FedUpWithBriiiiick. Hope she is ok.

After dragging myself to the end of Itaewon Class, I'm pleased I loved my next drama which was 100 Days My Prince. Absolutely adore Kim Seon Ho and would love to see him as the lead in something.

Will hopefully get around to a Viki subscription soon! What was the consensus on My Roomate is a Gumiho?

@FedUpWithBriiiiick@polkettle.... 😖😖😖🤭🤭🤭🤭... Watch out gory the boobies!.. Or girls who want to be your friend! 😂🤭🤭🤭👀

for the boobies... I really should proof read!

@sakura06... I've just started Gumiho and I'm thoroughly enjoying it! 👍👍

Thanks Bea! Definitely looks like my cup of tea!