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!

Is there any way I can watch all of MMH? I even upgraded my VIKI to annual payment thinking it would release all episodes, it did not 😢

dramacool.fm/drama-detail/monthly-house-2020 If you don’t have good adblocker software installed, expect to see scantily women showing their wares in NSFW poses. You can close the windows to get back to MMH, but just beware.

Is there any way I can watch all of MMH? I even upgraded my VIKI to annual payment thinking it would release all episodes, it did not 😢

It's up to ep 14 on iQ if you have a free trial or a subscription

@AesopsMables you can get a month free on IQYI at the moment and episode 15&16 should be out this week

I've just caught up with Nevertheless... Mr Nice Noodles needs to do one! Definitely team Park Jae Eon now.

I hope the two girls confess to each other! ❤️

Oh my word. I’m loving Ms Hammurabi. The sexual harassment case in ep 3 is a peach. The trip to the market for dinner was excellent fun. 😂

The older, more ambitious judges are all hideous though. Their casual sexism is urgh.

On holiday in Whitby but just had great fried chicken, kimchi dumplings and bibimbap from tiny local Korean takeout complete with slightly harassed appa aigoo-ing over fryer in kitchen. All very Once Again 😋 Love that it's becoming a standard cuisine option.

Polkettle that is so cute! Who'd of thought in Whitby?! I'm craving kimchi dumplings now 🥟 🥟🥟.

@polkettle

On holiday in Whitby but just had great fried chicken, kimchi dumplings and bibimbap from tiny local Korean takeout complete with slightly harassed appa aigoo-ing over fryer in kitchen. All very Once Again 😋 Love that it's becoming a standard cuisine option.

How utterly charming!

Another reason for a visit to Whitby! I hope my county gets a Korean restaurant soon (complete with Aigooing Ahjussi!) have a fab holiday Pol

Was someone watching Beyond Evil recently? I'm looking for something new to tempt DH with

Haven't got far with it Rowdy due to holiday telly share but it's a good DH watch I reckon.
Loving the sweetness in YAMS, mystified and losing patience with the doomy badness.

Ms Hammurabi is exactly the tonic I needed. Kim Myung-Soo in twinkly eyed serious lawyer mode is 👌. Even Sung Il Dong is growing on me in this. He’s toned down the shouting for a bit, which helps. 😂

I've succumbed and registered with QIYI just to watch MMH of course😉.

Shame that it doesn't have the TV mirroring option, that alone would prevent me from extending after free month.

Evening Addicts!! I'm back in the land of proper Internet and not living in a slightly too small holiday house with lots of family members. We actually got back a few days ago but work has been ridic so only just watched ep 5 and 6 of Nevertheless
I definitely think that Jae Eon will turn out to be a sweetheart and she had her head turned by the gossip!
I also have major ceramic envy from Nabi's Aunty's place.

Oh Pol we are going to Whitby in a few weeks. What the name of the Korean takeaway?? 😋

The anonymous group chat in MMH was an HR nightmare. But I loved it.

For those of you catching up on MMH on QIYI, can I ask a favour? One of the episodes between 11-14 featured a house visit to a modern house inspired by Hanok design principles. It was amazing. Unfortunately I binge watched those episodes Cookie Monster-style. I want to watch that bit again but have no idea which episode it was in. It was one glorious 4 hour splurge into the wee small hours. If anyone can assist with the episode number & approx time stamp I’d be mighty grateful.

I had to force myself off Netflix to go to bed. Ms Hammurabi has hit a bump in the road in amongst the drunken piano bar nights out. I have faith that it will right itself, but I didn’t want to pull another semi-all nighter.

TheGirl KoKo on Grape Street.

@boatyardblues

For those of you catching up on MMH on QIYI, can I ask a favour? One of the episodes between 11-14 featured a house visit to a modern house inspired by Hanok design principles. It was amazing. Unfortunately I binge watched those episodes Cookie Monster-style. I want to watch that bit again but have no idea which episode it was in. It was one glorious 4 hour splurge into the wee small hours. If anyone can assist with the episode number & approx time stamp I’d be mighty grateful.

I had to force myself off Netflix to go to bed. Ms Hammurabi has hit a bump in the road in amongst the drunken piano bar nights out. I have faith that it will right itself, but I didn’t want to pull another semi-all nighter.

I'll keep an eye out on VIKI when the eps are released also 👍

Good point about Viki. I coukd just watch again/scroll through. 😄 I find Dramacool glitchy, but Viki is fine.

Thanks Pol I'll add KoKo to our Whitby list 😘

Boaty - I think I've just got to it.
Ep 14 at 10:10.
I'm still counting the number of different coats FL has worn, 8 so far. At this rate she will need a bigger apartment just for closet space. Sunbae's will be huge also just judging by her paper leather trouser collection.

Oh well done Aesop!

I'm entranced by the "jumper-over-shoulders-of jumper-wearer" trend in MMH. They must be flipping roasted! 🥵

Also currently in North Yorkshire and have discovered a café offering Korean food in Leyburn in the very heart of the dales! Haven’t tried it yet, mind🤔

Aesop’s I have the iQ subscription (was on special offer) and have actually watched it a lot, as I find the download & Ffrwd functions very useful

Thank you Aesops. 🙌