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!

Found a clip on YouTube

@JinBhoot PSJ & Son Heung Min are in Olle restaurant in that clip! Such good Korean bbq, BTS have been there too 💜

FedUp I think WWWSK just beats Fight For My Way for sexee timez 😉

[quote bettys]@JinBhoot PSJ & Son Heung Min are in Olle restaurant in that clip! Such good Korean bbq, BTS have been there too 💜

FedUp I think WWWSK just beats Fight For My Way for sexee timez 😉[/quote]
Oh for sure WWWSK wins on skinship, but PSJ is 🔥🔥🔥 in FFMW.

[quote JinBhoot]Found a clip on YouTube

[/quote] I just watched this and found it so sad! Son Heung Min is obviously so lonely 😔

When you look for the all of the above option 😂

@Dontwanttobeyourmonkeywench

When you look for the all of the above option 😂

💯😂

Spent afternoon with cinephile DS watching Yi Yi - critically acclaimed Taiwanese film from 2000. Highly highly recommend if in arthouse cinema (character based, minimal plot, beautifully shot, 3 hours long...) mood.

@Dontwanttobeyourmonkeywench

When you look for the all of the above option 😂

Totally & all are happening simultaneously with various drama genres.

Btw Hometown Cha Cha ep3 is still not on Netflix

It’s up now Jin. Must have been posted shortly after you checked.

I've friends over tonight so will have to do a double showing of Hometown 💃💃💃 tomorrow.

Going to try and find Sixth Sense (variety show with Jessi) because so far the clips I've seen have been so funny😂 Poor Lee Sang Yeop 😄 😆 but their chemistry is fantastic

I really enjoyed today’s Hometown Cha Cha Cha. The endless drive to Seoul with all the stops reminded me of long car journeys when my kids were small.

Just back from Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings, which was excellent fun. Simu Liu was perfectly cast in the lead role. I didn’t realise that he’d worked as a stuntman and has martial arts training until I looked him up earlier, but he totally nailed all the comedy bits AND all the fighting. Chung is one of my favourite characters in Kim’s Convenience so I already knew I was in for a treat. 👏

I've been busy this week so not really managed to get through much viewing. Tonight I'm going to have a early night and catch up on this weeks 2 x cha cha cha !

Do you know what the blue chewy 'potato cakes' were Boaty? I was a bit mystified by them.

Yes! I would like to know about the blue potato cakes!

I am as mystified by the potato cakes as you all, though I suspect food colouring was involved.

Off the back of Shang-Chi, I looked up Awkwafina, the actress playing his sidekick, which led me to one of her rap videos on YouTube (NSFW): m.youtube.com/watch?v=z726OPwCnjE

Catchy as hell, but rude. 😄

Exhaustive research by a friend with the hangul subs on has revealed blue food to be tteok - rice cakes not potato cakes. Poor Netflix translation.

Hometown Cha Cha main couple is so cute & perfect for their roles, specially ML.
I do feel for FL, at times she is not wrong to be upset.
ML’s trip to Seoul, I don’t want tears in the drama.
2nd pair has emerged.
I want to try cucumber kimchi.

Cucumber kimchi is my favourite, they serve it at Olle, so you could go there to eat it and try & spot PSJ 👍

Will add Olle to my next London trip.

I am sad for Son and totally gets what he means, life in a foreign country is lonely & not easy. I can’t support Spurs to cheer him but I will add him in my next week’s Fantasy Premier League team.

Unpopular opinion I don’t like PSJ, specially after Fight for My Way, it’s a favourite show of you guys & I really wanted to like it but it just didn’t work for me.

hides behind sofa

I’m agnostic on PSJ, Jin, and I’ve tried Fight May Way three times now and haven’t been able to get past the 2nd episode. We’re a broader church than you think. 🙂

It would be dull if we all like the same actors and dramas. I do like PSJ but he's not my favourite.

With Son, I think he lives with his parents who are quite strict, I was wondering if this has lead to him being a bit more isolated than if he was on his own 🤔 I have no idea, I've never lived abroad unfortunately.

A friend and I were wondering why Ji Sung isn't as popular as some other lead actors, and thought maybe it might be because he appears to be happily married with kids. Having the image of availability probably appeals to more fans.

I've finished Pinocchio, and I want to finish My Strange Hero and Shopping Prince Louis before starting any new ones. I've been watching these in dribs and drabs for ages! Is anyone else looking forward to chilly autumn days so they have an excuse to stay in watching dramas? 😂

Is anyone else looking forward to chilly autumn days so they have an excuse to stay in watching dramas?

Yes.

Oh gosh, Rowdy! Fancy having to live with your parents in your late 20s in a foreign country. He's quite often linked with one of the BlackPink ladies (maybe Jisoo?).

I've been to a Korean restaurant in Soho today and no PSJ sadly 😂 I'm not too convinced it's being filmed in London now... It was my first time having Korean BBQ and soju. I was a big fan of both.

Hometown Cha Cha Cha is so heartwarming and feel good. I adore Kim Seon Ho. Bit worried about where Du-Sik was visiting in Seoul though!!