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!

Im now watching Witches Diner as fully caught up on MM. It's not my usual genre as I'm more a slice of life/romantic comedy but it's keeping me interested for sure.

Hi AesopsMabels, welcome back 👋

Just finished Ashin of the North, what a way to get revenge! 👏😯 It's left open for more episodes. This wont be the last we see of Kingdom, I'm sure!

One question, the guy she served up for dinner at the end, was that the nobleman she asked to avenge her dad's death?

Hi Mabel!

I forgot to sing the praises of the hanok in MMH. I love a bit of classic Korean architecture. 👌

@Rowdythree

Hi AesopsMabels, welcome back 👋

Just finished Ashin of the North, what a way to get revenge! 👏😯 It's left open for more episodes. This wont be the last we see of Kingdom, I'm sure!

One question, the guy she served up for dinner at the end, was that the nobleman she asked to avenge her dad's death?

I wasn't sure Rowdy! I'll Pm you to avoid spoilers.

STAHP

Thanks Briiiiick 👍

No Hospital Playlist this week

Hi 🙋🏼‍♀️ Aesop welcome back!

I am going to call Tears in Heaven as one for the list, 10 episodes in and it is Come and Hug Me levels of crying over the angst 😭😭😭

@boatyardblues

The anonymous chat room party game? On a work trip? 🤯😱😱😱 I just can’t… It’s the stuff HR investigations are made of. What could possibly go wrong? 😳

Oh yes- I feel HR should have burst in with a Stahp of their own! Is it up to episode 10 on Viki? 11 has been my favourite so far i think or the one with the flats for dogs Managzine sunbae is very fashion forward- although not quite cdrama fashion forward as yet. I haven't noticed as many suits with no socks and ankles on show in recent dramas- has it gone out of fashion or am I just used to it?! Up to episode 14 of MMH on IQYI- o don't think I'll renew the subscription after this month but I need to finish episode 15&16 first!

Gosh writhing & unbuttoning in Be Loved In House before a swift cut to black 😮😂

Good to see you again Aesops!! 👋👋

I know Bettys. For an awful moment as the belt buckle was loosened it appeared to be heading into buttock pumping territory 😲

@polkettle

I know Bettys. For an awful moment as the belt buckle was loosened it appeared to be heading into buttock pumping territory 😲

We’ll have none of that around here.

Not really. We love naughty Song Kang in Nevertheless, but it’s way more tasteful than Bridgerton and its ilk.

I was actually very distracted by how ML took his T-shirt off. ML1 did a straightforward crossover 2 handed whoosh and off ( gosh those are some serious scars 😞) while ML2 sort of wriggled one arm out then the whole thing over his head then paused and looked a little pleased he’d got it off that way.

I can see I will have to rewatch to appreciate technique. What a chore.

Just watched the Korean gay male choir doc. V touching and also heartbreaking at points.

I was hoping to watch that tonight Pol, DH not keen though 🙄 I was hoping he'd be going out 😒

I’m watching it now, it’s rather good. Plus I’m enjoying seeing all the street scenes in a more documentary style, or at least without the kdrama filter

To be fair to DH, he did say put it on, but I don't think I can cast it to the TV, so I'll watch it tomorrow on my laptop... Disappointed though 😔

Omg DH has done it! We're watching! 🙌

I enjoyed watching that! When I first heard them I thought they needed some Gareth Malone intervention, but they sounded good! I enjoyed the real life stories, I would have liked to have seen more back stories, particularly about the chap who died. Also found the Christian protests quite surprising. It seemed a lot of the men had come from religious families, I don't think I realised how religious a country Korea is. Overall I thought it was a good documentary, very interesting.

I've signed up to watch the next free one; Sound of Nomad

I’m watching ep 4 of The Witch’s Diner and the actress who plays the OBGYN resident in HP has a beautiful singing voice (assuming she’s not dubbed).

Not kdrama but it was such a gratuitous but knowing shirts-off-hunk-for-the-lady-viewer power sanding scene that I was guffawing, whilst enjoying the optics obvs. Never Have I Ever S2 Ep5 c14 mins, Netflix. Seriously funny. 😂

I’m watching ep 4 of The Witch’s Diner and the actress who plays the OBGYN resident in HP has a beautiful singing voice (assuming she’s not dubbed).

I'm just starting ep 4 now Boaty, I watched reply 1988 the other week and really enjoyed it. Now need to find a fully dropped series to binge on today as the two I'm watching are not fully released, wish I could binge all MMH 🥲

Any suggestions for a charming slice of life drama?

I’ve also signed up for Sound of Nomad!

Had a kday out in London recently with a friend to the Korean Cultural Centre to see the Joseon Palaces Exhibition (followed by Bunsik hot dogs & Korean BBQ at Olle 🤷🏻‍♀️) Our delightful guide at KCC is studying for her MA at UAL with the Korean Wave in London as her dissertation theme so naturally we told her about this thread and you lovely addicts! Because of course there is only one Daebak Café …..😂

Exhibition is only on until 21st August and if you time it right you can then nip to Bunsik and beat the queues 😏

I am watching Japan with Sue Perkins (BBC2). It is fascinating, in part 2 Sue met a lady who runs a ‘rent a family’ business. She signed up to play a role of someone’s wife. I am thinking so many new story lines for Jdrama.
If you get a chance, do watch this 2 part program.