MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #27): The one where global smash Squid Game launches kdrama into the stratosphere. C’mon in!

[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/Netflix)*
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)
Hometown Cha Cha Cha (Viki)
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)/Couple on the Backtrack (Netflix)
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” 💩

Melting Me Softly
The Birth of a Beauty
Well-Intentioned Love season 1 (S2 is fine)

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!

🥾🍑 (A bad case of Dr Smoulder/Nurse Sunshine) Oops! 😂

Damn, a quick google of Takeru Satoh (Dr Smoulder) has dashed my hopes. Despite his obvious talent for tsundere smouldering and showcasing quality knitware to best effect, he is 5’7” so is shorter than me. He doesn’t strike me as the kind of dandy who’d be willing to wear glam rock platforms, so it won't work out for us. 😔

😂 Nurse Sunshine can't even be 5 foot then!

I want to nominate that show for our guilty pleasures category.

Reflecting on yesterday's HTCCC and, as someone who once worked nights on call, I would like to say that a. Morning after not the time to start unpicking your relationship and b. Peach dress with belt and crisp pleats combined with pearl drop earrings not the most restful catch-up-on-your-sleep combo. If she'd bunged on a onesie and grabbed a bag of dunkin donuts for them to share I don't think we'd be facing a potentially tricky episode 14.
Also still worrying about the placenta.

A great one for guilty pleasures along with In house Marriage Honey if that's not there already.
Although I reject the notion of ever feeling guilt about my pleasures 😂

Also still worrying about the placenta.

Me too! I spent far too much time thinking about this yesterday and worrying about the new mum.

Yu Babi as a girl? So, so wrong. Shaking my head. Though these idol chaps are all so pretty they carry it off frighteningly well.

Also still worrying about the placenta.

Same here & was worried about the sheets too. This is the first time I have seen giving birth in a non-medical drama.
I have rarely seen pregnant characters in dramas.

Where was 2FL, she is quite often missing from home.

I am going back to my original lottery theory - it’s the grandma.

Photo family is his close friends and he was particularly close to the lady (big sister type relationship).

I also wondered why didn’t they go to clinic but then FL might have not ended up at ML’s house leading to conversation etc.

Only 3 episodes left and we are none the wiser.

My money is still on fish restaurant lady as the lottery winner.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0010fzl

a report on why all things Korea are the talking point of the moment...

Todays episode... I'm waiitng for it now so i'm interested in what they will say.....obvs triggered by Squid Games!

@JinBhoot I was getting big sister vibes from the flashback but hopefully all will be revealed soon?
Good point about dental nurse- where was she overnight in a typhoon?
I'd like to recommend one the woman if no-ones watched it- fairly light hearted and silly but I really like the FL who kicks ass and so far I like the relationship aspect- it's the old classic "he likes her but doesn't know he does, she's too focused on her amnesia/double life and everyone trying to bump her off" set up.

26 minutes or so in... www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p09xq96v
shifty eye

@Hydrogensonata she had obviously convinced Eun-Cheol to skip bases! I was also questioning the distinct lack of viscera in that birth scene and the fact Hye-Jin didn't even put on some scrubs! Agree about the strange dress for catching up on sleep too! I was not hugely into the Gucci Christmas dress either (although I'm probably just a tad jealous I have neither the figure nor bank balance for her gorgeous clothes).

I'm still watching Legends of the Blue Sea and enjoying it but it's not particularly compelling. I could easily leave it for ages without watching again. Some of the secondary characters are a little confusing too as they exist as younger versions in modern day and the younger and older versions in Joseon!

I feel another candidate gas entered the frame for lottery winner: Eun-Cheol is surprisingly generous in his gifts for Mi-Seon. 🤔

The coffee place has an upstairs?!?!? 😲

Given the shop only ever has one table in use he should consider subletting that or redeveloping as hot desking space

HTCCC story has taken interesting turn.

Just back in from watching the Bond film

Will finish Strictly and then get stuck into 2 eps of HCCC

Sitting upstairs might make it easier to have a conversation without the whole town getting to know about it?
HTCCC has definitely taken an interesting turn - I'm sure it'll all end happily though - I just want to find the details of what happened.

Although I'm impressed my Unni 💕 Unni prediction was hinted at - that scene with her Mum 💔

Ex husband is slightly less irritating now.
I think cafe owner/ex singer could be the lottery winner- he can't be making much from that cafe?

Sorry guys, I know I'm way behind the rest of you but, WHY DON'T THEY TAKE HER TO THE DENTAL CLINIC???

@FedUpWithBriiiiick have you got to the morning after outfit?
I know that's exactly what I wear to catch up on my sleep after pulling an all nighter....

Caught up on Yumis cells- Sae-Yi 😠 it was the smirk as she walked away that did it

WHERE IS THE PLACENTA? WHY IS THERE NO BLOOD? DID SHE CLAMP THE CORD?

So many questions!

She is sitting up. On her fanny. Impossible.