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!

Thanks FedUp. As you can probably tell my interest in football is as tiny as Hyun Bin’s sense of his own loveliness is immense.

@boatyardblues

Thanks FedUp. As you can probably tell my interest in football is as tiny as Hyun Bin’s sense of his own loveliness is immense.

😂

I’m guessing England won. Half the neighbourhood is letting off fireworks.

Yes apparently they won

Ooh look!! (far more interesting)

www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/hallyu-the-korean-wave

With the help of forward button I have finished Replay 1997.
I think it was the right guy as a husband. She had no chemistry with the other guy & relationship felt awkward.

Ooh ooh oooooh to that exhibition Bettys.
If I wanted to read webtoons how/where would I do that?

I’m annoyed that V&A exhibition starts after our London trip at the end of the summer, but I will just have to make a separate trip. 😄

That exhibition looks so fun!!

@bettys I use Webtoons, but you only get 2 free eps a day, and you use "coins" (in app purchases) to access more eps. Also use Manta which is a Korean web comic platform that you can pay monthly on but it has some unsavoury content.

@FedUpWithBriiiiick

That exhibition looks so fun!!

@bettys I use Webtoons, but you only get 2 free eps a day, and you use "coins" (in app purchases) to access more eps. Also use Manta which is a Korean web comic platform that you can pay monthly on but it has some unsavoury content.

Ah sorry! @polkettle that info was for you

Thank you FedUp. I shall investigate. Like I need any more distractions.
Could do Be Loved in House as a drinking game with a shot whenever someone falls on top of someone but it would put you in need of a trip to Yulje for one of their liver transplant specials.

Oh hurrah I could just do with catching up with Be Loved in House and people accidentally falling on top of each other

@polkettle @FedUpWithBriiiiick I started off with Yumi’s Cells on Webtoons, then Nevertheless, My Boo, and now have a whole list that I can only access with daily episodes. They suck you in with their fast pass and you’re hooked. I just started Let’s Play and am now on #123 in the space of a couple of days 😭 🤩 - free so far, no coins, but I will be up to date soon and then on the horror of weekly episodes

Also use Manta which is a Korean web comic platform that you can pay monthly on but it has some unsavoury content

I keep getting ads for Manta, but haven’t checked it out yet, will there be recalibration needed? 😳😳

@bettys

Oh hurrah I could just do with catching up with Be Loved in House and people accidentally falling on top of each other

@polkettle @FedUpWithBriiiiick I started off with Yumi’s Cells on Webtoons, then Nevertheless, My Boo, and now have a whole list that I can only access with daily episodes. They suck you in with their fast pass and you’re hooked. I just started Let’s Play and am now on #123 in the space of a couple of days 😭 🤩 - free so far, no coins, but I will be up to date soon and then on the horror of weekly episodes

I'm on Let's Play too!

@bettys

Also use Manta which is a Korean web comic platform that you can pay monthly on but it has some unsavoury content

I keep getting ads for Manta, but haven’t checked it out yet, will there be recalibration needed? 😳😳

I'll PM you

Let’s Play is great - really funny and sweet with lots of good characters. Dunno why she made one of the MLs Welsh, but I looked up the actor whose voice she based him on (Gareth David-Lloyd) and now I can’t unhear his voice in my head!

OMG OMG OMG. Just realised today is Thursday
Eeeeeeee that means HOSPITAL PLAYLIST

The bromance between Dr Do and JunWan has all of my heart.

@JinBhoot

OMG OMG OMG. Just realised today is Thursday Eeeeeeee that means HOSPITAL PLAYLIST

Yes!

I'd recommend monthly magazine home so far - it's very relaxing and you can see what's going to happen a mile off (unless they pull a fast one and ruin it!) but there's something very sweet and comforting about it so far

I have started Replay 1994.
Is guess the husband theme of Replay series?

I’m absolutely shattered this week, so I’ve had a warm up sleep on the sofa occasionally resurfacing to get snippets of Hospital Playlist. Piecing together the fragments, I’ve got the gist of the UK-based sister’s and JKH’s situation. Everything else is blurry. 😆 I think it’s funny that JJS’ character is the hospital gossip and yet he’s been totally clueless about his sister and JKH’s character’s relationship.

Yes Jin. I can PM you the answer to Reply 1994 if it will help you relax into it, but it’ll be in the morning. 🙂

Yee Haw! You've all got Permission To Dance! 💜😊😂.. It's full of joy! 😂💜💃

@Hydrogensonata

I'd recommend monthly magazine home so far - it's very relaxing and you can see what's going to happen a mile off (unless they pull a fast one and ruin it!) but there's something very sweet and comforting about it so far

Oh thanks Hydro! It's on my list 👍