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!

@AesopsMables

Loved MMH- the last episode wasnt my favourite and I did do a slight eye roll at the tropey ending, I wish they'd just had an hour of them being cute

I agree 💯 with above Hydro

Me too. I wanted to type 나둘 (na dul - me too) but that’s only my phonetic best guess and some of the Korean words I’ve finally seen written down have been completely different to what I thought I’d heard. 🤷‍♀️

50% compatible with Song Kang too.

I'm in a glass half full kinda mood 👍 I think he would be dead keen on a 38 year old dumpy mother of one from NI.

He should be so lucky FedUp 😄 50% here too. The question is which 50% of him and which 50% of me... 😜

I win! 100% He’s mine!!! 🙌🙌🙌

And a stray random photo…

Boaty! Enjoy your prize 😜🙌

I’ve asked MNHQ to delete the random photo but only if my claim for Song Kang can stand as I scored 100% first. 😂

Wow! That was quick - all photos gone. Here is proof, posted with more care this time.

Grrr. Chaebol 2ML in Ms Hammurabi really is one unlikeable SOB. I so want to give him a slap.

Oh noes!!!!! I am 100% not compatible with Song Kang 😭😱 boaty can enjoy her prize in peace 😁

Squeeee! Exciting. On a par with getting a new kitten.

@boatyardblues

Squeeee! Exciting. On a par with getting a new kitten.

Ach let us play with him Boaty? Pleeeeeeease?

I’m only 50% compatible 🙇🏻‍♀️

If we set him to Park Jae Eon mode everyone with an interest would get a date and a fling eventually. I wonder what he’s like in real life.

Always in the gym Boaty as far as I can gather. Gotta keep himself in shape for you.
Between the tiny cupboard of cats, the 15 carat rock and the matchy matchy kid it's fair to say Unforgettable Love is slipping down a treat at Olga's this rainy morning. Thanks for the tip off Bettys.

I’ve just been reading that Song Kang is getting a slating from Netizen about his vocal technique and pronunciation. 🤷‍♀️

netizens plural.

Hopefully will be of interest to some of you, UCLAN in conjunction with the King Sejong Institute have online courses in Korean:

www.uclan.ac.uk/cpd/preston-sejong-institute-korean-language-programme

I just signed up! £100 for the term, and you get a textbook.

@JinBhoot me too, I'll just have to settle on being friends with him!
To be honest he is very beautiful to look at but not quite my style
I'm watching suspicious partners today and slightly dreading going out for a run later as it's pouring it down!

That looks really interesting Sakura! Did you take the entry level test?

I am interested in that UCLAN course too - it is excellent value.

When you click through the booking link it offers you the July-Sept dates.

@Rowdythree

Poor us Jin I mean!

@Rowdythree I have been bluntly friend zoned 😂

I’m taking my hulking teens out to buy longer trousers for the zillionth time this year, but am very much looking forwards to Nevertheless with a cuppa later. Especially because I won Song Kang in the quiz.

I have finished Ms Hammurabi after staying up late last night to cram. I thought it ended well but feel there was not nearly enough snogging, hugging or handholding. It was, however, an interesting window into Korean legal hot issues - for example that adultery was only recently decriminalised but is still surrounded by strong taboos/social stigma and moral judgement. Unsurprisingly, adultery seems to be judged far more harshly if the woman has strayed.

@boatyardblues I think that's just the timeline for when you can sign up to the course (July-Sept 11th). The dates Sept 6th-Dec 17th are also listed so hopefully that's the actual course (otherwise I'm in trouble!).
onlineshop.uclan.ac.uk/short-courses/school-of-humanities-language-and-global-studies/preston-sejong-institute

I emailed the course convener as I was a bit confused as to whether it was in-person or online. They were very helpful. [email protected]

@Rowdythree I didn't take a test. I'm starting with the lowest Beginners level, so hopefully will be ok!