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!

Friend told me about this which had passed me by. This episode is so good 🤣
Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens, Series 1: 8. Grandma & Chill: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p08q6ffh via @bbciplayer

What are the complaints about the subtitles in SG? Are they genuinely out of whack or are uninitiated not understanding the way Netflix translate Korean words and phrases e.g. subtitling name instead of "hyung".

@bettys

someone suddenly leapt in with some Danish thing on iPlayer which obeyed NONE of her specifications and she immediately went oh yes I want that actually. Huh. It wasn't even like I was being the horse dragger on this occasion

Pah! So frustrating! It’s like they expect everything to be like SG or Parasite 🙄

In other news, is anyone else worried that PSJ is taking his life in his hands cycling around London without a helmet? (And advertising Santander 😡)

Haha!!! Look who's liked the photo 😳😂

@FedUpWithBriiiiick yes!! So I cropped it but mistakenly didn’t delete the first one 🤦🏻‍♀️

[quote bettys]@FedUpWithBriiiiick yes!! So I cropped it but mistakenly didn’t delete the first one 🤦🏻‍♀️[/quote]
That's ok 😁

Watched Sweet Sweet. If you want a CDrama shallower than a puddle with absolutely no jeopardy and minimal plot it'll sort you out. FL the annoying cutesy sort and ML a man of few words and fewer facial expressions but somehow I still watched the whole thing.

@polkettle

Friend told me about this which had passed me by. This episode is so good 🤣 Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens, Series 1: 8. Grandma & Chill: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p08q6ffh via *@bbciplayer*

Awkwafina was in the most recent Marvel film. She’s very funny.

And that episode also features a topless Simu Liu...

@polkettle

And that episode also features a topless Simu Liu...

🙌 I will watch it. He’s my favourite character in Kim’s Convenience, with his Mum a close second.

All caught up with Yumi, SeYi 😒 what a bitch! Also, Yumi keeps her face marks in the fridge! A revelation! I think I much prefer the cartoon Yu Babi to the real life Babi. Maybe he'll grow on me like he did in the Webtoon.

Yumi's cells the Webtoon just got very interesting! I'm fighting the urge to buy coins 😬 also Yumi's cells have a bob club, where they try to persuade all the cells that Yumi should have her hair cut into a bob! I've definitely got one of those! 😂

@Rowdythree gah where are you at now??? I’ve just got to the jacket lending bit & wonder if it’s going to kick off from that?
Still not sure about Control Z but like Control V 🐶

Episode 414! I gave in and bought coins 😂 I like Control Z now, I've learned a bit more about his character.

I’m in 381…..

Have you tried Eleceed? I am hooked but it is ongoing 🤦🏻‍♀️ sort of a superpower school mashup but the character building & friendships are great

No I haven't. I need a new one to read as I'm up to date with all the others I'm reading. Except True Beauty, but I've gone off that one.

Very pleased to discover this cookbook was published today!

Hahaha .. was at a work lunch yesterday & all young ones (under 30s) were talking about SQ.

And yes Korean drama recommendation was cut by some Scandi drama or maybe it was Dutch.

@Rowdythree

Very pleased to discover this cookbook was published today!

This looks interesting.

I saw the thread and minutes later this popped up on my TL www.timeout.com/news/how-the-korean-vegan-is-championing-the-marginalized-one-plant-based-dish-at-a-time-101221

Korean vegan... I've seen her lots on tik tok... Her stories are sometimes too sad! 😢

Oh no Bea! Why? I've never heard of her before. I just thought it was a cookbook!

The ones I've seen are her lovely preparing a meal but with a narration usually from her childhood often laced with sad realisations of racism that she and her family have endured... 😭

Not sure if they're ALL like that but the ones I've seen are.. 😔

Oh dear, that's sad to hear 😔

Thanks for the vegan cookbook recommendation. I want to start having friends round for a Korean feast & we have quite a lot of veggie/vegan friends.

Has anyone started The King’s Affection with Lovely Rowoon (TM) on Netflix? Is it any good? I’m off to see whether sageuk dressy up suits him. The topknot manbun isn’t for everyone. 😄

Not started it yet Boaty, but do report back on the topknot situation!