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!

Another here who thinks Ik Jun is insufferably smug! However, his heart is definitely in the right place, and I think he is the right match for Song Hwa. Does anyone else think he sounds like the Korean James Bradfield (from the Manic Street Preachers) when he sings? I'm enjoying Dr Bong's increased screen time! He's an unsung hero of the show.

Looking forward to the Nethertheless finale! I have no idea how it will end. I'll keep my eyes peeled for moths Pol!

@Rowdythree

Another here who thinks Ik Jun is insufferably smug! However, his heart is definitely in the right place, and I think he is the right match for Song Hwa. Does anyone else think he sounds like the Korean James Bradfield (from the Manic Street Preachers) when he sings? I'm enjoying Dr Bong's increased screen time! He's an unsung hero of the show.

Looking forward to the Nethertheless finale! I have no idea how it will end. I'll keep my eyes peeled for moths Pol!

Korean James Dean Bradfield 😂😂😂

Spot on 💯

Oops, missed out the Dean 😬😅

Even though I am a massive HP fan and will also happily watch JJS in anything else, I can acknowledge that it is a weird preference given objectively he is a showy off, manic, plastic faced short arse (not that I am someone who minds about height) and of COURSE IkJun would be a friggin nightmare to live with if he was real. As I say - he has ADHD. But there we go - he does a hip wiggly dance and I melt. And am happy to watch him and all his chums in their endlessly long episodes not just once but two or three times a week in a happy fug. It's not an entirely explicable addiction but 🤷🥰

Butterflies are diurnal. Just sayin'

polkettle he is a showy off, manic, plastic faced short arse ouch... 🤣🤣🤣

Another big fan of HP and agree about IkJun. I wish I had that level of energy, intelligence & social skills but i can never hangout with so active person in real life. I also thing he has ADHD.
I am also not fan of his sister.

Jin - Have you seen My Fellow Citizens? If you like a political dramas, it fits the bill and it’s funny as hell too.

DS2 and I are watching The Godfather (the Coppola restoration). It’s so long it feels like we’ve been watching for 2 days. It’s part of a boxset and the only timing on the boxes is for the whole thing (526 minutes). Will it ever end? Al Pacino just asked Diane Keaton to marry him post-Sicily. We’ve decided to finish it tomorrow but are terrified the DVD player will lose our place. 😄 There was a time when DVDs seemed so modern. I haven’t watched one since last February and I’m missing the minutes remaining countdown that you get on streaming services.

I have a ds with ASD whose specialist enthusiasm is movies. He knows the running time and release date of every movie and has watched most of them too. He's just told me that the movie is 2 hours 57 mins long and he thinks you're about 2/3 through Boaty 😁
Meanwhile I'm going to watch the documentary about cold noodles...

Just finished Nevertheless.
It was as I expected if a little drawn out.

Continuing with Racket Boys whilst toying with starting Hosp Playlist, series 1.

@boatyardblues My Fellow Citizens is on my list.

@polkettle Korean Cold Noodle Rhapsody: I got notification from Netflix that it’s available to watch. Probably will watch it next week.

@polkettle

I have a ds with ASD whose specialist enthusiasm is movies. He knows the running time and release date of every movie and has watched most of them too. He's just told me that the movie is 2 hours 57 mins long and he thinks you're about 2/3 through Boaty 😁 Meanwhile I'm going to watch the documentary about cold noodles...

@polkettle I watched episode 1 of the cold noodles last night…. Then went out for ingredients today!

It's really good! Loving all the vintage footage. Bought some preprepared version from Seoul Plaza last week Pink . Will try it tomorrow and practice my two mouthful noodle slurp.

Thanks Pol! That’s quite a niche superpower that your son has & good to know we’re the right side of half way. I found the timings for the whole boxset on a bery niche bluray buffs’ site. Godfather 2 is even longer, nearly 3.5 hours. 😩

Jin - definitely give it a go soon. It’s the role Siwon was made for and contains his energy in a good way. There are some terrific female roles. FL and her mother are great, plus the backstabbing crime syndicate sisters. I also loved the highly skilled scammer. It’s such a great show. The upstanding politician brother was interesting too.

Have any of you seen a film called Over the Border? It’s about a N Korean musician who defects and then hears a rumour that his girlfriend who still in N Korea has got married. Or has she?

It was made in 2006 but I thought it sounded good and it will be interesting to see a different view of N Korea to the one shown in CLOY.

Regarding The Godfather, at nearly 3 hours I prefer a meandering mafioso turf war to 3 hours of CGI orcs any day.

I’m almost caught up on You Are My Spring. I’ll have to watch Navillera tomorrow.

I just finished Nevertheless God Bless the football being back on. DH was out for the afternoon/evening so I managed to watch 3 whole episodes 😳 that's the most I've managed in months!
I loved all the side couples so much! Hooray for Unni love ❤️.

Jin if you enjoy My Fellow Citizens (which I did) then you might want to follow up with Revolutionary Love also featuring Siwon and a feisty FL fighting for workers rights.

Took a sneaky peak at the end of Nevertheless just so that I know....and will watch the episode tomorrow. Mixed feelings about the bit that I saw.

Jin you might also like Designated Survivor which is based on the eponymous American series so not exactly realistic politics but it was better than I thought it would be. Plus it has the grumpy director from Be Melo in it as an aide-de-camp (not the ML, the one who falls for the bereaved FL)

I know I'm probs in the minority but nevertheless final ep made me v happy

Thank you lovelies for the drama recommendations… I have finished Into the Ring.

One Spring Night is on slow burner & enjoying the pace. Half episode before bedtime kinda 😆

I am planning to watch cold noodles when I am full as I am sure I will be hungry during the show.

My instant noodle consumption has sky rocketed since I have started kdramas. Maggie noodles jazzed up with soya sauce, herbs & vegs. But I must find healthier alternative. Was thinking about making ramen with proper broth.

Finished A Family so you don't have to.

Started out good, narrative on father substitutes, belonging, honour and vulnerable young men. A dash of gratuitous violence, just how I like.

Ended up being a moralistic melo about how crap being yakuza is.

Japanese PSA: DON'T JOIN THE YAKUZA!
Middle aged UK/IRE mums: Yeah, like, we know.

@boatyardblues noble idiocy is my second least favourite trope- after "disappearing for years" especially when it drags on!
I liked my fellow citizens although haven't finished it yet, planning to finish off nevertheless tomorrow and then YAMS this week.
It's been a long, hard day so I thought I'd watch timing on Viki, 4 20 minute episodes and it looked sweet and simple.
I was wrong. It had a very sad but in the way it felt blatantly manipulative rather then subtle (if that makes sense)
Should've just rewatched some racket boys or MMH