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!

@Cassini

I have just watched the opening 8 minutes of the new Chinese sports drama GO into your heart and can report a gratuitous shower scene and a fringe that I am forecasting with lead to one of the great forehead reveals of the year!

🤣🤣🤣

GO into your Heart now on watch list, thanks Cassini! Has parallels with Reply 1988?

I’ve just started Wild Grass on Viki (film). It stars thread favourites Sandra Ma and Johnny Huang. Six minutes in, it is has more nudity (carefully cropped) than I’ve seen over 100 hours of Cdrama. I think it could be a cracker, possibly racier than average too. I will report back later. The opening contemporary dance scene was good & worth a quick look.

somehow it is a weird thrill after all of the lockdowns to have him local

Ha yes, Camden is still 50 mins away from me but A DAMN SIGHT NEARER THAN SEOUL!!!!!! 🤯🤯

To be fair I’d be excited if ANY Oppa was this close (even Korean Dennis Waterman Sung Dong Il)

@bettys

To be fair I’d be excited if ANY Oppa was this close (even Korean Dennis Waterman Sung Dong Il)

I sorted out loud at this, but I agree 🥰

@FedUpWithBriiiiick I haven't seen any of the replies yet so can't answer

OK, Wild Grass is dark! Poor Sandra. 😕

The kind of dark where I’m surprised it got past the censors.

Finally getting round to watching GGS:Appledog Time and while I'm enjoying it for what it is, I'm really struggling with reconciling the timeline and plot 🤔

1. The age difference between DT and Appledog is probably a lot less than Gun and Nian, which makes sense in this. There was an age gap between Solo and Gun, which would make it feasible that AD is either around Gun's age or slightly younger, and I don't think there was a big age difference between Gun (30) and DT (25).

2. It's nice to get the back story for the start of K&K, but the timeline makes no sense. By the time Gun meets Nian in GGS it has been running for a few years. Gun was nearly 30 during GGS and DT mentions that Gun completed uni after retiring from competition at 19/20. There is the constant mention of the last competition that DT saw AD being 3 years prior and that K&K was established after that. I suppose I could stretch to robot combat being DTs thing and CTF being Gun's so they have 2 teams and DT competes in CTF when not building robots, with team SP having the same set-up of robots and CTF.

3. According to the drama, Gun is already in an established relationship with Nian during AD Time, which makes the timeline all weird because it took him a while to get it together, yet they constantly mention that DT and AD had only been apart for 3/4 years.

Yes, I'm far too invested in it 😂😂 I just wish the writers had taken the time to plug potholes and timelines because without the constant niggling of the change from CTF to robots and establishing the timeline for K&K, it's been enjoyable to watch a less aloof DT. I'm just going to enjoy it as all those times DT wasn't at K&K with Gun he was at his facility and he was trailing 97 and Grunt along with him.

@bettys I am also excited, but in reality wouldn't have a clue what to say or how to act upon meeting someone famous. I think Sung Dong Sil would be great to have a drink with though!

I'm a little concerned by the fact PSJ and crew were quarantined which must mean they're not double vaccinated and we're basically plague island at the mo... Please don't catch Covid!

I know I keep pausing to comment but Wild Grass is really classy, like proper good. The 2FL (dancer) is absolutely stunning.

*Sung Dong Il

[quote sakura06]@bettys I am also excited, but in reality wouldn't have a clue what to say or how to act upon meeting someone famous. I think Sung Dong Sil would be great to have a drink with though!

I'm a little concerned by the fact PSJ and crew were quarantined which must mean they're not double vaccinated and we're basically plague island at the mo... Please don't catch Covid! [/quote]
His quarantine might be a filming risk mitigation measure to keep the production on track rather than a govt measure.

boaty I watched Wild Grass and thought it good if dark. Very dark. And surprising.

Johnny Plug Huang is good in it, thanks for reminding me as I’d gone right off him after My Dear Guardian

I'm laughing my head off at the excellent sleuthing!!! 👏👏👏

@bettys

boaty I watched Wild Grass and thought it good if dark. Very dark. And surprising.

Johnny Plug Huang is good in it, thanks for reminding me as I’d gone right off him after My Dear Guardian

I’ve just finished it. It was really good, high production values and well written and acted. I thought it was a bit limited by the structure, as Johnny Huang and Sandra Ma were very good together when they were on screen together. However, that was also part of its charm and drove the narrative.

It also looked great. The burlesque scenes were as dazzling as the contemporary dance.

Thanks for the reassurance on the quarantine boaty!

God Help Me... I've been listening to TXT (in between the Bangtan obvs!) and I'm loving their new album! It's appealing to my angst ridden rock teenager in days of yore!

Sooooo good!!! I WILL NOT fall for another group! Bangtan take up all my wakiing hours!!!! (and they're even younger than BTS!)

@Bea

God Help Me... I've been listening to TXT (in between the Bangtan obvs!) and I'm loving their new album! It's appealing to my angst ridden rock teenager in days of yore!

Sooooo good!!! I WILL NOT fall for another group! Bangtan take up all my wakiing hours!!!! (and they're even younger than BTS!)

Are they going to be BTS’ replacement?

Temporary replacement, surely? Perish the thought of an early retirement. The lamentations globally from a bereft ARMY would be deafening….

Daebak!!
Korean words added to the Oxford English Dictionary! 😂👍

@boatyardblues

Temporary replacement, surely? Perish the thought of an early retirement. The lamentations globally from a bereft ARMY would be deafening….

Nooooo! No replacement... Temporary or otherwise! More like a side dish! Banchan! 반찬 🤣😂🤣😂🤣..... Oooo! Get me! Making a pun in Korean! 🤣😂🤣😁

@Bea

Daebak!! Korean words added to the Oxford English Dictionary! 😂👍

KWWAAAAAAA!

You have to wonder if the OED’s web searching threw up these threads as an example of the word in established usage. 🤔 If so, daebak! 🎉😄

"Why are you standing there naked?" asked the heroine in today's unlocked episode of Men of the Harem and it wasn't a question I was asking.

Love the new OED additions!