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!

Same Bettys! Haven't stopped this week, and manhwas have been addictive. Ashin of the North is calling though!

Managed to squeeze in HP2 episode 6. It's going quite slowly.

How is your Mum doing FedUp? On the mend I hope.

We're back home from Camping! I didn't watch a single minute of K drama the whole time! 😱 We might watch Kingdom tonight if I can stay awake. I'm still annoyed it's not a series though 😒

I think the Olympics is seriously going to impact my Drama viewing over the next few weeks. Hopefully I can keep up with the currently airing ones I'm watching though.

Just catching up with Racket Boys, tbh I'm not loving it, but I'll persevere.

@boatyardblues

How is your Mum doing FedUp? On the mend I hope.

Got her home from hospital on Monday, and she's able to get about by zimmer and wheelchair (thank crunchie for bungalows!). I'm going in 3 times a day to do her meals, general tidying and give her the blood thinner injection.

Too early to tell long term impact, whether she'll need mobility aids for a long time or not. Review next week to hear more.

Thanks for asking xxx

Sounds tough Briiiiick at least she's able to be mobile. Sending positive thoughts 🙏

Thanks for all the previous recommendations - we’re munching our way steadily through Mr Sunshine and loving it. Just seen an advert for Space Sweeper (Netflix algorithm noticing our love of action/sci-fi/k-drama?) - definitely on my list! Does anyone know, spoiler-free, if it has a satisfying ending?

Fiddle Space Sweeper is a jolly space romp with a satisfactory ending!

Kingdom: Ashin of the North is very ominous throughout. Gotta love how FL is a woman of few words and doesn't bother with monologuing or explanations as she is taking her revenge

Fiddlefig Space Sweepers does have a satisfactory ending 😁

@Rowdythree I feel your pain 🏕🏕🏕

@FedUpWithBriiiiick don't forget to take car of yourself too, you cannot pour from an empty jug

Space sweepers is a fun piece of silliness but don't forget to check you have the subtitles/language settings right as for us is defaulted to dubbed English and then it dubs the English into another language and all the other languages too which is very confusing!

It’s Nevertheless day! 🎉

Thanks, phew. With reality being as it is, I can’t deal with bad endings right now!

@Cassini will def check the dubbing. We watched the dubbed trailer but it was totally not right without the Korean intonations, guttural sounds and exhalations that I’ve got so used to!

Dh is working away until Monday and the children have gone to a pop festival so I’m on my own. All I have to do is walk and feed the dog and do the chickens. I don’t even have to water the garden as it’s been raining.
Olympics then K drama then more Olympics and K drama. Nutella sandwiches for supper at 7pm.
Gosh what bliss.
We are half way through the utterly brilliant Secret Love Affair which must come at or near the top of best K drama list. It’s shame it’s no longer on Netflix, but it and Mr Queen are good reasons to get Viki.
I’ve started The Heirs and I’m enjoying it - just looking at Lee Min Ho is a pleasure in itself.

Loving your schedule there Andante enjoy your Nutella sandwiches 😋 I've been watching the Olympics all day and not putting away all the camping paraphernalia

Looks like DH might be going out tonight so I will start Nethertheless if that's the case 🙌

Rowdy - the Olympics are much more important than dealing with camping kit!

@boatyardblues I am very much looking forward to watching Nevertheless once the kids are in bed. I know he's a walking red flag but I am rooting for Jae Eun, chemistry and multiple orgasms over reliability and making good noodles for me I'm afraid!

I know he's a walking red flag but I am rooting for Jae Eun, chemistry and multiple orgasms over reliability and making good noodles for me I'm afraid!

Oh I do love Mumsnet 😂😂😂

Gotta agree @LarryUnderwood though I still think there’ll be tears!

I have so many dramas to catch up on……but I can’t resist starting Broker (Viki) as it has various Chinese MLs ( from Love is Sweet, Well Intended Love & My Little Happiness) It’s a thriller/romance so could go either way 🤷🏻‍♀️

Also FL from Find Yourself (Victoria Song) who was really good in that but as is sometimes the way with cdrama it was filmed a while ago but has taken ages to be actually aired

[quote LarryUnderwood]@boatyardblues I am very much looking forward to watching Nevertheless once the kids are in bed. I know he's a walking red flag but I am rooting for Jae Eun, chemistry and multiple orgasms over reliability and making good noodles for me I'm afraid![/quote]
I'm really looking forward to watching Nethertheless now 😂 but it's it too much to ask for all of these things from a bloke?!

@Rowdythree I think Jae Eun could provide all of those things, he's being held back right now by some SECRET TRAUMA that will be exposed over the next few episodes. Mr Potato man on the other hand is just too sweet. I believe he could well turn out to be the real cad.
But I may be in the minority believing this

I'm on holiday with my family this week, and due to work hecticness I have got tonight and last week's Nevertheless still to watch. I reckon my Mum and SIL can be convinced to watch on the above recommendations 😁

I have already got my SIL to follow BTS on IG 😁

You could be right Larry, by kdrama law there's no way FL will end up with someone else. She's already definitely slept with 2 people, they deffo couldn't stomach a third

@TheGirlWithTheArabStrap yeah absolutely. And all the red flags are basically other people saying he's a player and her listening to them I think it's going to end up being all about how listening to gossip about him amd herself makes her distance herself and causes them both loneliness and there will be a MORAL about being true to your HEART and not paying attention to chatter. But I really like Jae Eun and my viewpoint may be somewhat clouded by his sexiness

I'm enjoying Monthly Magazine Home. Warming.

Bloody hell, Song Kang is 🔥 I think a two man tent would be far too roomy!

Resuming ep1 of Nethertheless