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!

@LarryUnderwood

What is GO?

GO into your heart, Larry. C-drama

I ❤️ weightlifting fairy, Jin!!!

*HP Hospital playlist.

I don’t know what I feel about last episode yet.
Seeing all residents flourishing & excelling was quite heartwarming

I loved weight lifting fairy too!! Lovely weight lifting girls 🏋️‍♀️ (and some lovely abs 😊)

@FedUpWithBriiiiick

I ❤️ weightlifting fairy, Jin!!!

Me too! But I had to keep stopping that one and watch it through my hands due to second hand embarrassment 🙈 especially the first half of the series 😂 so funny though! It might be due a rewatch!

Right DH is away camping, kids are in bed, I have and I'm going in for HP finale. I don't think I'll manage it all tonight though, it's too long.

Anyone else find Seok Hyeong rather attractive in the final episode I've never once thought that before 😂 his is my favourite romance 🥰

I’m all caught up with HP. I can see how I managed to sleep through it. Everything was stowed away to my satisfaction but I felt it was a little muted.

I have just watched a fab little Italian rom com on Netflix, Out of My League. Shades of Amelie but with more sex.

@Rowdythree same here with the 2nd hand embarrassment. I enjoyed the second half more. Friendship, group dynamics (5 of them) & budding love is all very cute.

I have just watched my first Korean movie, took a plunge after watching 2hr HP2 finale.

I can watch long dramas but when it comes to movies they seem tooooo long.
I have watched Tune in for Love.

Parasite is on my watch list since Oscar’s, I should watch it soon.

Weightlifting Fairy is lovely! I didn't notice the knitwear, but did feel like Nam Joo Hyuk had a different coat on every time he appeared on screen!

@JinBhoot Parasite is a phenomenal film. The best one I saw in 2020 easily (not that there was much opportunity to go to the cinema!).

How was Tune in for Love? I have that on my watchlist.

Ahhh! Went to Seoul Kitchen in Birmingham! Sooo yummy! And BTS playing all evening! Huzzah!

And look who provided the water! 😂😂

Going back next time for hotpot! 👍... Sooooon!!.. 😁

Ooh, that dinner looks amazing Bea. I have menu envy.

It's really nice there Bea isn't it! I had the soya bean paste stew and it was so delicious 😋😋😋 we didn't get fancy water bottles though!

Yum.
Folding my laundry to the first episode of Squid Game and already hooked.

@polkettle

Yum. Folding my laundry to the first episode of Squid Game and already hooked.

Is it jumpy, Pol? DH fancies it.

Have had to leave house 10 mins before end of first ep and just at the point where it gets jumpy... Think it would be a good DH watch. Definitely dark! But fun and great cameo...

@sakura06 Tune in for love is not everyone’s cup of tea, it is slow paced & realistic without any major plot twists.
I say watch it when you want to have a chilled & slow evening.
Coldplay’s Fix you is used very well in the end.
I don’t have any movies to compare it with but if to compare with dramas, story buildup/pace is like On Spring Night & Something in the rain.

Thanks Jin. It sounds nice.

Bea - your food looks amazing! Also, loving the SJK and IU water bottles!

I agree with Jin, Tune in For Love is a nice, slice of life film, suitable for a cosy Sunday afternoon in front of the fire.

I'm very much enjoying the ML in Witch in the Courtroom!

I've just finished HP! Shed a little tear at the end! However, there was one scene that I was hoping to see that wasn't in the final episode. Nevermind though, it was still a lovely way to wrap it up

@polkettle

Yum. Folding my laundry to the first episode of Squid Game and already hooked.

Watching with DS2 as he’d heard about it (favourably) on TicToc)! 😮 Gong Yoo!!! (Though what’s going on with his droopy right eyelid?)

The opening scene of ep 2 in the crematorium. 😱 So fecking dark! (Squid Game)

I missed the eyelid. Will go back and inspect.

The gassing in the people carrier thing is silly. There are usually several other people in there. By the time they gas the 3rd or 4th person, the first one must be near to a lethal dose! It’s not like only the new person is knocked out. 🙄