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!

Yes I have to say i often zone out in the extended surgery scenes because TBH I am usually not invested in the patient's story in any way, and often think why am i actually watching this, but yet I can't not!!

Must check out Mr Sunshine

@mokojolo I was away because I got a smart new job and had to pretend to be a grown up for a bit. It was terrible. This made me laugh!!

So glad you’re another Mr Queen fan! One of my top series this year.

Ooh- hometown cha cha cha looks good- might start it tomorrow as I've got a day to myself, I saw DP and thought it looked good but pretty hard hitting so might save it for when things are less stressy.
Finished doctors and now watching bits of "my only one" and might start either what happened to my family or father is strange both of which look like easy watching and plenty of episodes- any suggestions of one over the other?

I'm off on holiday tomorrow, so I'm just downloading a couple of things to watch whilst I'm away. Can anyone tell me if Doctor Stranger is decent enough?

I loved how the king and the queen were basically in two completely different dramas. He was the most brilliant straight man.

I worried for him, though, at the end losing Bong Hwan. Though I get that she wasn't completely Bong Hwan and was also there, and has those memories so is also that person so is not really lost.

mojoloko yes lots of questions but the chemistry was top-notch no matter which personality was in control! 🔥

Rowdy I watched Dr Stranger when I was having a Toasty LYS spiral - it has its moments but I ended up skipping huge chunks

Hi hi threadfam! I was away because I got a smart new job and had to pretend to be a grown up for a bit. It was terrible.

Good to have you back mokojolo. 👋 I’m presuming this ^ means you passed your probation and can slack off watching kdrama again. 😉

It's worse than probation. I'm the actual boss now. I really do have to do things. I've no one to blame! But I'm getting the hang of it now and have clawed back some drama time.

And frankly if I can't take an hour to watch the Devil Judge in my pants on a Monday morning what is the point of all those late nights and overwork in the first place. (I'm really obsessed with this show. The UST, the drama, the billowing robes!)

You’ve sold the Devil Judge to me Mokojolo. I started watching it in bed last night but nodded off.

The two MLs have crazy chemistry. It's kdrama so they are not going to go there -- also the backstory.... ANYWAY it's not much like my normal kdrama prefs. I pretty much like the romos exclusively. But this one has GRABBED me. It's like a Korean Black Mirror Game Of Thrones mashup?

Just 4 minutes of Yoo Yong-Seok and Spam

Based on Moko's rating and it being on the front page I've started W Two** Worlds. This is typically not my favourite genre however it's good so far. RB is slightly annoying me now 😒

I was feeling FOMO so started on Hometown Cha Cha Cha I should have waited for few more weeks to pile up more episodes.

Don’t know what else to watch these days.

Polkettle we are an anti-spam household, yet I want to make those Spam Pigs😂

@AesopsMables

Based on Moko's rating and it being on the front page I've started W Two** Worlds. This is typically not my favourite genre however it's good so far. RB is slightly annoying me now 😒

@AesopsMables I don’t like this type of dramas BUT I enjoyed this one a lot. Story is changing in each & every episode, you can’t predict how it will proceed. This might be the only LJS drama where he has a great romantic chemistry with FL.

@mokojolo... yay!!! someone else who is watching Devil Judge... upto ep 10 and I still not sure who to trust!!!! It's great though and i'm loving / hating the president (great nods to Trumpsim in his hateful dramatic speeches!!
Love Jinyoung in this... i've always loved his dramas since Psychometric have been waiting for a good meaty role for him and since GOT7 are on "hiatus" looking forward to much more from him...
Ji Sung - goodness can't get over how a hairdo can change someones looks so much!

@mokojolo @JinBhoot I love W Two Worlds... it's sooo gripping and fun and i love the style of it... I like Toasty LJS... all his dramas I've thoroughly enjoyed... looking forward to whatever he's going to do next now he's out of his military duty!!! (please no JCW Turkeys Please Please!!!!)

Ji Sung either has the Dorian Grey-style portrait in his attic or a really good surgeon. He seems to be getting younger with every passing drama. I’m finding the young judge’s heroism in ep 1 a touch by the numbers. I hope the writing finds its groove and some subtlety.

It's not subtle; don't look for subtle. It's hugely bombastic. It really leans in to it - everyone is BIG. It's all about the Big Emotion : power, sex, revenge, glory, bitterness, rage, longing. It just completely GOES for it. Ji Sung is having the time of his life.

(Kim Ga On has to be that heroic to be so broken by the true face of the world.)

The court robes are something else - the new priesthood.

@JinBhoot

I was feeling FOMO so started on Hometown Cha Cha Cha I should have waited for few more weeks to pile up more episodes.

Don’t know what else to watch these days.

Me too @JinBhoot - I keep dipping in and out of things but nothing has hugely grabbed me yet- I think my brain is a bit fried from work so anything that involves any kind of thinking is out!

For those that like a more grounded CDrama (like Go Ahead and Octogenarians) - I started The Bond today and it's really good so far. Beautifully shot and acted and authentic feeling small town China.
And do recommend Be Yourself for anyone who wants a new and light but still pretty good quality watch.

I just started descendents of the sun (ep 3 about to play) and I think I might actually be really in love with Song Joong Ki. Like, for reals. Twoo wuv. Big time crush. Not sure my marriage can take me watching the whole series.

@LarryUnderwood

I just started descendents of the sun (ep 3 about to play) and I think I might actually be really in love with Song Joong Ki. Like, for reals. Twoo wuv. Big time crush. Not sure my marriage can take me watching the whole series.

🤣😂🤣 He didn’t have that effect on me but I enjoyed the platoon’s morning runs at the camp.

Oh dear…..Larry …..🤦🏻‍♀️