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!

I really enjoyed Into the Ring Jin
I love a local election 😊

I've not watched Into the Ring! Another in the watchlist 👍

Watching Japanese yakuza film A Family. It's a bit meh. I'll give my verdict at the end.

I started a proper thread in Telly Addicts, but The Chair is worth a watch. Sandra Oh is fantastic as a harried Chair of Department at a fusty liberal arts college. Jay Duplass is great as her colleague and the writing is razor sharp, plus close to the bone. Finally, lots & lots of incidental Korean as her elderly father converses with her in Korean and there are scenes with her extended family. Top notch!

Oooh I love Sandra Oh, may give that a watch @boatyardblues.

So I just sat down to watch something, didn't feel like HP, I am not anr0bot not really grabbing me tonight, DAYS - not really in the mood for tears. So I decided to give boys over flowers a go despite my lee min ho aversion. 2 mins in and the snazzy opening has put the biggest grin on my face. Am I going to love this or do I need to prepare for disappointment?

There's a thread in chat looking for fellow.. ahem... mature BTS fans, I shall point her in this direction 😁

Another week of watch HP in instalments, hey Ho! 🤷‍♀️ I've had very little time to watch dramas this week 🙁 But it looks like heavy rain tomorrow, so hopefully that means lots of drama watching without feeling guilty about not being in the garden! 👏

Do it Rowdy!

I binged the whole of The Chair this evening. It’s only 6 x 30 min episodes. It is brilliant. So, so good.

^ The AIBU Army waif, I meant.

@Rowdythree

There's a thread in chat looking for fellow.. ahem... mature BTS fans, I shall point her in this direction 😁

Popped over! 😁💜

@Bea did your head go up like a meerkat when you heard the sound of your people? 😂💜

I'm trying not to blather on and on and try to remain calm and collected!
😇😇😇😇💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

V calm Bea 😁
I'm slowly converting DH. He told me Jimin is his favourite tonight 😂

Yup! It's that Jimin effect! Dh always says Jimin is the cutest! 🤣🤣🤣 And he likes RM... Mono is something he would actually choose to listen to! 😁... And why not! It's a masterpiece!! 💜😻

Love Sandra Oh - will definitely look The Chair up.
Started Be Yourself new CDrama on Viki. Very sweet so far - 4 female college students dorm share.

Just started ep 2 if Racket Boys it's sweet and funny. I'm not sure if it will keep me glued for all episodes though. Those of you who've watched it, does the plot get more layered or is it just about Badminton comps?

It's a sort of ensemble piece about rural village life, family life and teenager life with quite a lot of badminton competitions sandwiching it all together Aesops Lots of warmth and heart to it and little individual stories but no massive Big Plot development.

Aesops, the more I watched Racket Boys, the more I enjoyed it. It took me a while to get past the moody teenagers, but as Pol says, it has a lot of heart and warmth

I've started watching Pinocchio, despite my aversion to Lee Jong Suk. It's easy watching for a rainy Saturday. It's helping my chore of folding all the laundry go quicker anyway 🤣

Thanks Polkettle, I will dip in and out of it whilst looking for new one to binge.

I'm watching Nevertheless ep 9 in prep for the finale tonight, the PP of the ginseng sachets is awkward to watch. Especially when I have £50 of the stuff collecting dust in a cupboard 😳

What does it taste like Aesops?

It's sooo bitter. I don't mind bitter normally yet this makes me shudder. Think angostura bitters x100 😬

blog.kocowa.com/trending/celebrities/jang-ki-yong-enlists-in-the-military-on-august-23/?amp&__twitter_impression=true

🙈🙈🙈🙈😭😭😭Farewell Park Morgan!! Fare thee well! Come back soon! You will always be welcome to do the housework at my house!! 😁🤣😂

I’ve got up to the bit of You Are My Spring with the outbreak of noble idiocy. 🤦‍♀️

I am really enjoying Into the Ring and watching since morning … I will most probably finish the whole drama today 😆 political dramas are my favourite genre.

Agree with Racket Boys, it’s simple plot with warmth and heart.

@boatyardblues I'm so happy you also find Ik Jun smug! I thought if I were to share that view, I might be kicked off the thread 😂 I can see he's quite likeable but if I knew him, I'd find him insufferable! I'm only 3 episodes into Season 2 though. The episodes are SO long.

I've started The Heirs which I am unashamedly loving, but am a big fan of Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye.

Just finished When the Camellia Blooms too which I quite enjoyed but makes me wonder how it won the Grand Prize at the Baeksangs in the same year CLOY was nominated!

Nevertheless finale... Was he actually keeping moths?...🤔