MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #26): With the dog days of summer behind us, it’s time to dust off your persimmon racks and dig out your down jackets for a cosy k-autumn

[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)
Monthly Magazine Home (Viki)
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)
Racket Boys (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/Netflix)


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)*

AVOID, AVOID, AVOID aka “the shit list” 💩

Well-Intentioned Love season 1 (S2 is fine)
The Birth of a Beauty

Thread Regulars’ Top Scoring Dramas of 2020
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). 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!

Yeah, Betty has it. Both of those were a mixed bag. Remind us which genres you like, Fiddlefig, and we’ll come up with some alternatives. Actually, if you fancy something slick & with a sci-fi angle, Sisyphus was fun.

Ah, thanks @bettys - to my shame I've watched Pinocchio, but don't remember that at all. It doesn't look very romantic... Or indeed hygienic! 😂

I'm on my 3rd rewatch of romance is a bonus book (after finishing racket boys and in between hp2 episodes), but can't bring myself to rewatch Pinocchio, as I felt the brother's story was just too tragic.

Has anyone watched ljs' vip serial killer film? I haven't found it anywhere to watch - and am in 2 minds about watching him being evil, but love the soundtrack.

I'm loving all the k drama t-shirts. 😊

Omo! These trousers are so tight I’m fearing for Bin’s sperm count.

@boatyardblues

Omo! These trousers are so tight I’m fearing for Bin’s sperm count.

Mate he better loose those bad boys up before the wedding day!! 👀 👀

I mean I do love the t-shirt but I bought him tickets to Dinosaur Jr and a night in Dublin so... 😂

OMO 😂 I bet as soon as the shoot was over those trousers were peeled off and he was into his golf trews before you could shout FORE!!

I have to say the IG handle hyunbin_actor makes me think of Spitting Image & the Leonard Nimoy Spock puppet saying ‘ I…..am an ac-TOR!’

@leeloo1 I watched VIP where LJS is a serial killer on the now-defunct Dramabus site and I have to say it was so unpleasant I couldn't finish watching it. Toasty LJS nekkid under a see-through plastic mac dismembering bodies while having a ciggie

This was basically me during an epically boring staff meeting today. I'm providing relief cover so no skin in the game anymore (previous workplace, only providing cover for continuity and next years travel costs 🤞) so took the opportunity to lob a few handgrenades towards upper management. Definitely left the meeting with a BongBong hair flick 😁

[quote bettys]@leeloo1 I watched VIP where LJS is a serial killer on the now-defunct Dramabus site and I have to say it was so unpleasant I couldn't finish watching it. Toasty LJS nekkid under a see-through plastic mac dismembering bodies while having a ciggie [/quote]
Yoiks!! 😱😱😱😱

@boatyardblues

I’m puzzling over how Su Hyeon got Elijah up to the rooftop garden. Piggyback up the stairs and a second trip for the wheelchair? 🤔 Also, Su Hyeon has a bad habit of not calling for back up.

I pondered this too! 😱

@Dontwanttobeyourmonkeywench

This was basically me during an epically boring staff meeting today. I'm providing relief cover so no skin in the game anymore (previous workplace, only providing cover for continuity and next years travel costs 🤞) so took the opportunity to lob a few handgrenades towards upper management. Definitely left the meeting with a BongBong hair flick 😁

I fukkin love you MonkeyWrench

Sounds fun Monkey. 😄

I wish to comment on the amount of throttling in Devil Judge. There’s a lot. The writer is male. 🤔

@fedupwithbriiiiickit felt so gooood 😁

@bettys...nekkid you say? 🤯 Exactly how much can you see of ljs through the plastic mac? I'm wondering if it's worth having another try to seek it out. I'm thinking I could try to ignore the gore and focus on checking how effective the mac was at preventing blood spatter to ljs' personage...

... Erm about that perimenopausal inappropriate crushing that was being mentioned... 🙈 🤷‍♂️

@Dontwanttobeyourmonkeywench - I love the gif and your hair flicking style! 😁

I feel I need to defend my Binnie and point out Hyunbin_actor is a devoted fan's account (not me honest guv) and not his own ego's work.
I will be fretting about his testicles all day now though. Come on Binjin! Enough raking in the random sponsorship dough - time to spend it on a pwetty wedding and have a mini binniejinnie.

@leeloo1 I think he had pants on but you could see his chest....you can probably find it round at Olga's house.

pol I love Binnie I really do , just some of the fan pages make me chuckle

@leeloo1 re wanting to see poss naked axe murdering, I saw this helpful chart on twitter today 😂

TheGirl Bwaaa ha ha!! 😈😈

@TheGirlWithTheArabStrap - haha, that's hilarious and so true!

@bettys, thanks. 🙂 I'm not actually sure where to find olga, but between (what I've heard of her friends' photos and ljs' semi-naked blood spattered state I'm not sure my nerves (or our anti virus protection) are strong enough. 🙈

@boatyardblues

Omo! These trousers are so tight I’m fearing for Bin’s sperm count.

Todays thread has made me laugh a lot- thankyou! Those trousers though- they're not quite David Bowie's Labyrinth tight but not far off.. I've been watching kill me heal me- should've started it before as it's fab!

@TheGirlWithTheArabStrap that is pretty much how DD chooses her favourite anime characters 😂

Started Romance is a Bonus Book this evening, seems nice

@hawthornknitter... It is lovely! 💕👍

Finished my second ReWatch of CLOY this afternoon! I still blubbed! It's the only kdrama I love rewatching from beginning to end! It's a classic! 🥰💕😭🥰💕