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!

@hawthornknitter

Started Romance is a Bonus Book this evening, seems nice

Good choice!!

I’ve started Splash Splash Love for an Ahn Hyo Seop fix to get me through to next Monday’s Lovers of the Red Sky. It’s such a tonic, delightfully batty and played for laughs (so far). Shades of Mr Queen. Seop is the king’s right hand man, so plenty of screen time but not the lead.

The Crowned Clown, Her Private Life and Go Back Couple (as Couple on the Backtrack) are all coming to Netflix soon.

The Crowned Clown is one fo my absolute faves!!!! It's sooooo goood!!!!

@Bea

The Crowned Clown is one fo my absolute faves!!!! It's sooooo goood!!!!

Ohhh I must watch!!

Rumours on Twitter that Park Seo Joon has left Korea for Blighty to film for The Marvels!!!!!

Do we need to start up a PSJ Blighty Watch?

I thought PJS was going to Los Angeles to film Marvel?

We need to set up a spycam in Olle 👀 👀

OMO! Hang on - I'll just look out of the window in case he's walking down the street.

@Andante57

I thought PJS was going to Los Angeles to film Marvel?

Twitter thinks it's UK!... 🤷🏻‍♀️... Who knows!?... No harm in keeping a lookout! 🤣😂🤣😎🥸🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐

I thought it was LA too but on Wikipedia it says principal filming is at Pinewood! Would love to see PSJ! Seems unlikely sadly...

Which premier league team does PSJ’s mate play for? That’s where I’d be hanging out at weekends for the next few months. 😉 I couldn’t give a monkeys about footie, but I’m not a PSJ fangirl so I’m all good. 😀

I want a smart phone with the impressive battery life of Splash Splash Love’s FL.

I'm guessing it's Tottenham Boaty! How exciting that PSJ is coming to these shores 👏 I hope he has a good experience here!

I'm back from holiday, where I got to watch about 10 minutes of drama!

I did so many trips to the Titanic quarter when they were filming bits of Superman in Belfast. Road trips down to watch 4 Children and IT and The Norseman being filmed as well. NI is getting some exposure as a film location, so maybe one of these days...

@Dontwanttobeyourmonkeywench

I did so many trips to the Titanic quarter when they were filming bits of Superman in Belfast. Road trips down to watch 4 Children and IT and The Norseman being filmed as well. NI is getting some exposure as a film location, so maybe one of these days...

Just thinking that MonkeyWrench! And Carrick castle is closed for filming next week 🤔🤔🤔

I have to tear myself away from Splash Splash Love for out-out/drinks with friends. I’m enjoying it far too much. ML is the v tall ML from Radio Romance. He’s throwing Ahn Hyo Seop some shade, which is a good thing in a drama - good optics. There has been snogging and heartfelt declaration of big feelings from the get-go. It is a proper fun romp.

In the mood for some PSJ action now, so starting Kill Me, Heal Me.

Then I might take a wander over to YouTube for some of WWWSK clips 🥵

Now in a slightly Friday wine influenced state of giggly Google searches involving PSJ, Spurs players houses and Marvels filming schedule to decide where to camp with a banner. God help me if anyone I actually really liked came over.

@Rowdythree

I'm guessing it's Tottenham Boaty! How exciting that PSJ is coming to these shores 👏 I hope he has a good experience here!

I'm back from holiday, where I got to watch about 10 minutes of drama!

Is Tottenham’s Son his mate?

PSJ is everyone's mate 😁

Actually no, I'm going to watch Fight For My Way again. Or WWWSK...

Sexy decisions, decisions...

Certified Noonas has whole podcast on PSJ which I listened to the other night (complete coincidence!) They recommended a witch's romance 🔥 not watched it myself but maybe I should try...
I did laugh out loud at a witty comment about him constantly having his top off - the man walking his dog as I ran passed looked alarmed!

@JinBhoot yes, Son Heung-Min of Tottenham is his friend. I think it was you guys on here who pointed to a YouTube video where PSJ came to visit him. I loved the part where PSJ was incredulous at Son just wandering around London and not getting harassed by fans!

I've still not seen WWWSK but am forever grateful to you all for recommending Fight for my Way! Definitely one of my favourites!