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!

@AesopsMables, I'm looking forward to it!

Just dropped in to flail wildly at the HTCCC cute 💕💕💕💕

With Hye-jin and Du-sik's dimples combined, they can cause a cosmic explosion 💥

❤️❤️❤️

I love love HCCC!!!

Rowdy - if you are waiting until HCCC is all up, make sure you pick a clear weekend, stock up on ready meals and farm out any dog walking/child care to your DH. Just sayin’.

Clarification for you Jin

Just finished HTCCC and couldn't stop smiling all the way through 💕💕 I did feel a bit sorry for the sunbae but hopefully he can get through it and his bromance with chief Hong will blossom again 😁

@rowdythree I'd second what @boatyardblues says- if you're going to start it once it's all out of plan for a binge- I really don't want to wait for next week!

HTCCC awwwww 🥰🥰🥰
Now pairing is sorted let’s get to the mystery.

The glance ML gave to police guy was cute … attention to detail is awesome.

I agree with Boaty, only regret I have is not waiting for the full season. Waiting every week is different. It’s a proper bingeable drama. HTCCC IS THE drama of the year.

For now I am off to bed with a big grin. From tomorrow, I will be in my writers room, speculating the story - feel free to join me 😊

I was watching some interview clip of ML - some random facts about him. He dimples from his mum’s side & only boys in his generation have them.
His Christian name is Daniel.

@polkettle

Clarification for you Jin

Thanks 😊

Anyone else itching to know what officer Choi wanted to say but didn’t get the chance to? I am.

Also enjoyed the naughtysaurus, though was somewhat disappointed by the general assumption that Yumi/a woman wouldn’t have a naughtysaurus too.

@boatyardblues

Rowdy - if you are waiting until HCCC is all up, make sure you pick a clear weekend, stock up on ready meals and farm out any dog walking/child care to your DH. Just sayin’.

I wonder where I can pack them off to for a couple of days 😂 in reality, it will probably be some very late nights!

Looking forward to catching up with Yumi's Cells today

Disney+ subscription and a giant tub of Haribo in a another room, Rowdy?

Yesterday was chatting to old friend of DS who is half Japanese and has recently got his first pt job working in Korean restaurant in Piccadilly (he was recruited in school lunch queue by half Chinese friend so don't expect to get far practicing your Korean with teenage waiters at Central London bbq restaurants 😉). In passing he said..."Oh yeah, my first shift they were making some big deal because apparently some Korean actor was there or something.." Turns out he literally helped serve PSJ and Chris Lyon 🤯

@polkettle yesterday Son scored the only goal. I was thinking, what if Son goes to PSJ for celebrations.
Then I thought it’s away match so PSJ might not come. But then again its North London derby.

I have Son in my Fantasy Football League.

PSJ looks very thin in that photo. Us noonas will worry for the poor pet!!

Hospital Playlist’s main cast is appearing in a reality show Mountain Village Playlist.

There are clips on official insta account but no subs & post translation is all over the place so I am not sure what’s happening there.

It's starting on 8th October Jin but on TVN so unlikely to be easy to watch alas.

I watched the Coldplay/BTS ‘making of’ YouTube last night and was struck by how tall and solid Chris Martin looked hugging most of the BTS boys. A couple of them seemed quite slight. I then realised I hadn’t seen most of them with any Western famous people so I could calibrate. With James Corden they were mostly in the people carrier sitting down. Are they quite petite IRL? I get the slim thing because of their training schedule and the kind of diets/weigh-ins that idols have to follow. It was interesting how star struck some of them were as they are huge in their own right.

I watched that too Boaty! Chris did seem tall and solid in comparison, even to some of the taller BTS boys. And he made them all look exceptionally young. He always comes across as such a nice guy. I thought a couple of them (Jimin in particular) seemed really nervous... But then I guess most people would be, really. Fabulous song, I keep listening to it on repeat in the car 😁

For all you Hospital Playlist enthusiasts... In Front Of The Post Office in Autumn was used so well throughout the drama... Both as one of their band performances and as background music... I love this song as I know it as BTS Kim Seokjin Cover released as present for ARMY during Festa 2018 and since it really feels like Autumn... Here you go! 😂💜🥰

@boatyardblues

I watched the Coldplay/BTS ‘making of’ YouTube last night and was struck by how tall and solid Chris Martin looked hugging most of the BTS boys. A couple of them seemed quite slight. I then realised I hadn’t seen most of them with any Western famous people so I could calibrate. With James Corden they were mostly in the people carrier sitting down. Are they quite petite IRL? I get the slim thing because of their training schedule and the kind of diets/weigh-ins that idols have to follow. It was interesting how star struck some of them were as they are huge in their own right.

😂😂😂... I think they're just incredibly slim but they are quite muscular! There's lots of ahem... "Appreciation" on twitter over RM at the moment who has been hitting the gym quite a lot! 🥰😂😂.. See attached!. And jungkook has always been known as Muscle Bunny! 😂😂😂

My universe... There's a lovely acoustic version just released!

Thanks for that Bea. RM was already my favourite but I feel vindicated.

here you go @boatyardblues

twitter.com/kimseokjingifs/status/1442378914077184001?s=20

And another one for boaty with RM it’s all true - facts