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!

I got bums rather than boobies Bea 😁 But worth it for soothing Japanese mountain bath and lobster curry with added hand hold.

Respect to those putting up with boobs and bums in their quest for a good drama! ✊

I'm getting a little annoyed with the teenage moodiness of the Racket Boys and their useless coach/dad! I'm only on ep 5 so I hope these improve 😬

I'm off camping tomorrow, got Nethertheless downloaded, not that I'll need keeping warm in this heat! 🥵🥵 Sadly, no Soju bottles to put in my wellies though 😄

Camping in this heat? 😱 Sending thoughts & prayers Rowdy. 🙏 There isn’t enough soju in the world to get me camping again. Even if you told me I’d be sharing a two man tent with Song Kang it would not shift my nopeometer.

I watched an episode of You’re my Spring earlier and it was rather dark and unsettling. I was also uncomfortable with Yoon Park in that role. He’ll always be sunny Crazy Kang for me. Dark and brooding? No likey.

I'm not looking forward to wrestling with the tent I have to say Boaty! But sharing a two man tent with Song Kang definitely sounds worth the effort 😂

I might concede for Song Kang if a) it wasn’t a heatwave, b) it was glamping with a decent bed and c) Song Kang put the tent up and did all the cooking.

Oh, and I could be liberally doused in Jungle Formula to see off the biting insects.

🤣 Let's try and arrange that Boaty 👍

Just saw the age of Crowned Clown’s ML (Yeo Jin-goo) he was just 22 when Deane was released OMG jaw drop
I am very impressed with his acting, specially the King part.

Any recommendations for his other dramas.

Not sure who is Deane meant to say drama.

I’m not a fan of him Jin, but others on here loved Hotel Del Luna.

He's in Beyond Evil Jin. Good in that so far but as watching with DH it's early days.
It's Yoo Yong-Seok I'd take as a camping partner as he already has ALL the kit as seen on his YouTube channel and seemingly an ADHD streak that means he'll also do all the work. In this heat I'm imagining he'd take off his shirt to do some peg hammering...

Jin Yeo Jin Goo started as a child actor and is amazing in Moon Embracing The Sun (2012) , so much so that when the story then moves on to the adult actors and his part is played by Kim Soo Hyun I couldn’t quite enjoy it as much. Quite neat that in Hotel del Luna Kim Soon Hyun also makes a cameo.
He is also good in My Absolute Boyfriend although the ending is a bit disappointing.
I loved The Crowned Clown

@JinBhoot Yeo Jin Goo! I love him... I've thoroughly enjoyed all his dramas... Absolute Boyfriend is spectacularly ludicrous... but fun watching all the same... The Crowned Clown is in my Top 5 ... It is just sooo beautifully done... i think i might do a rewtach soon... and Hotel de Luna is marvellous... he's just sooo good... I'm keeping Beyond Evil for when dh and I have some tiime to sit down and watch... i think it'll be one which he will enjoy... Orange Marmalade is another one of his early dramas... quite silly but he is very good in it... 😍

@boatyardblues

I might concede for Song Kang if a) it wasn’t a heatwave, b) it was glamping with a decent bed and c) Song Kang put the tent up and did all the cooking.

@rowdythree there's still a fair bit of teenage sulking on racket boys but they become a lot more endearing and you start to see the good points of the coach- I'd say keep going!
@sakura06 I'd say gumiho starts off well but gets a little bit circular towards the end and the 2ml is tragically underused as it goes on. Oh and for some reason MLs nostrils become increasingly distracting! Still worth a watch.
Watched nevertheless- awh mr beanie hat and girl with the hair 💕 I'm still not convinced it won't end in tears but I quite enjoyed that Na-bis comment to Seol ah at the end, next week's episode looks good, shame it's 7 days to wait!
Racket boys later

Thanks @Hydrogensonata I'm excited to watch Nevertheless too after everyone's positive comments.

DH has persuaded me to watch Doctors (due to his love for Park Shin-Hye). Loving it so far but keep having to pause when we notice people from previous dramas to discuss who they are. A lot of acting talent in this one!

I've had day off and started early for a run and then retreated indoors as it's just so hot- started you are my spring- I'd agree @boatyardblues it's surprisingly dark especially considering the very jaunty intro! Took me a while to place Yoon Park - I knew I recognised him but couldn't think where from

Sakura I really enjoyed Doctors... In fact I've watched it several times I don't like the 2ml though 😬

I'm sticking with Racket Boys! I don't give up that easily Hydrogensonata 😂

Currently sat in a field, but I'm glad to know I've got Nethertheless for later, when I inevitably won't be able to sleep.

Rowdy & sakura I didn’t like 2ML in Doctors either, but rather enjoyed the rest of it. Especially the helicopter bit 😏

Song Kang in a tent……possibly the only reason why I would ever consider camping ….although I do have my Girl Guide camping badge

How are the other members of your camping party coping with the heat, Rowdy? I have one young fellow particularly in mind. 😉

He's had a paddle in the river and has flopped in the shade! Currently awaiting a sausage from the barbecue 😁 it's his first time camping, bed time could be interesting 🤞😬

@Rowdythree

He's had a paddle in the river and has flopped in the shade! Currently awaiting a sausage from the barbecue 😁 it's his first time camping, bed time could be interesting 🤞😬

Adorable 🥰

Glad Doctors is a good watch! I'm not too happy about the student/teacher storyline at the moment!

Hope you have fun camping Rowdy and manage to watch Nevertheless!

That pup's going to be hot to sleep next to......

Olga's subtitles can be little random... in the exchange below they are bickering about how to squeeze toothpaste. I kind of don't want to know what the real translation is (if anyone can tell me) as this is so much more fun

Sorry the pup comment was for Rowdy and not Song Kang related