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 am still in ep1.5 of Replay 1997
I don’t like screaming, shouty & whining people. FL & her parents are now starting to annoy me.
Maybe it’s my mood these days, I’ll comeback to it later.

The screaming means I’m having to hitch our AppleTV to my airpods so DH doesn’t get the rage. He hates the screechy fighting in kdramas.

Oh hooray Boaty! I know, it's so clever.

Ah... Unusually and possibly tellingly Nevertheless has a female director as well as writer I see.

I am reading the webtoon & spoilers for Nevertheless, as I want to be prepared if it all goes pear-shaped.

Interestingly, the other title is I Know, Nevertheless, which makes sense

Hi Kdrama people. Life got in the way of my drama watching for a bit, but I'm just getting back in my stride. Started watching Itaewon Class on the basis of the OST someone posted upthread. 2 episodes in Can't decide if pretty boy bully is going to turn out to be OK in the end or not. His dad seems pretty evil.
Can I recommend a book? The island of sea women, which I've just started listening to on audible
www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Island-of-Sea-Women-Audiobook/1471184722
about the female divers of Jeju.

Ooh thanks for the rec pagansophie I've just realised I have an Audible credit left!

Ha! 2.9 million views already for the Swoon clip of norty Nevertheless scene posted this morning. I may be responsible for a couple of them...

@polkettle

Ha! 2.9 million views already for the Swoon clip of norty Nevertheless scene posted this morning. I may be responsible for a couple of them...

Poor show Pol. This should have been accompanied by the link. 😄

sorry 😆
Comments are good.

Poor show Pol. This should have been accompanied by the link. 😄

Quite right Boaty! 😂

The comments are funny. Some very frisky women on there. Have to say, I so would if Song Kang was involved. I feel a bit sad that the fantasy doesn’t hold up when I imagine his horrified reaction to all my wobbly peri-menopausal lady lumps. 😂

If Song Kang was prowling towards you on the bed all tousled and fresh from the shower it would be very hard to say no. However I do think that little slight smile he gives when she kisses him first is a 'gotcha' smile.

Disclaimer if it was me I'd be panicking about having had a temperature then slept in a hot sweaty hoody and not brushed my teeth

@bettys

If Song Kang was prowling towards you on the bed all tousled and fresh from the shower it would be very hard to say no. However I do think that little slight smile he gives when she kisses him first is a 'gotcha' smile.

Disclaimer if it was me I'd be panicking about having had a temperature then slept in a hot sweaty hoody and not brushed my teeth

Glad it's not just me- I can't imagine feeling frisky after a night running a temperature and sleeping under a duvet in a hoodie. Although maybe it wouldn't bother me if I looked like her in the morning! Looking forward to monthly home magazine tomorrow- the last episode in particular was fun

I've been watching lovely gong shim which is fun man's has the best heartfelt Dad bromance ever in episode 17 complete with Melo background music 😁

oooOOOOooo You Are My Spring (Netflix) is really good, not what I expected from the title at all!

Only seen ep 1 mind you but it's got Seo Hyun Jin (always so good), Kim Dong Work (nice man from Find Me In Your Memory ), Yoon Park (we like him but not sure of his character in this) and more. I thought it was going to be a romcom but there's dark edges & murder mystery

I was also thinking about the non teeth brushing in that scene! Id be totally panicking if I had actual real life Song Kang in my bed. Much better in my imagination 😉😂

Are yous all watching the football?

Nah…I’m reading webtoons….

@FedUpWithBriiiiick

Are yous all watching the football?

I am trying to herd kids to bed but they reappear after goals. I might give in soon.

No. The rest of my family watched Loki. I’ve been trying on a parcel of sales clothes that arrived earlier. Am I allowed to ask who won, or are there posters who will be watching later?

@bettys

Nah…I’m reading webtoons….

Me too lol!!!

@boatyardblues

No. The rest of my family watched Loki. I’ve been trying on a parcel of sales clothes that arrived earlier. Am I allowed to ask who won, or are there posters who will be watching later?

its 1-1 into extra time

I can hear cheers from across the street, but I don’t know whether that means England has scored or Denmark. My neighbours are Scots. 😂 I’d turn the telly on if I could be bothered. But I can’t. If the whole country had just 2 teams, A and B, to play each other that'd be fine with me.

@boatyardblues

I can hear cheers from across the street, but I don’t know whether that means England has scored or Denmark. My neighbours are Scots. 😂 I’d turn the telly on if I could be bothered. But I can’t. If the whole country had just 2 teams, A and B, to play each other that'd be fine with me.

2-1 to Eng second half ET.

I'm N Irish as you all know. A lot of my compatriots are saying they are from "West Copenhagen" 😂