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!

Finished HTCCC- pizza PPL was a bit wierd- I get the feeling they'd forgotten to put it in and then suddenly had to fit it into the last episode!
My only wish would have been a bit more of the policeman/dental nurse story. Not sure what's going to fill the HTCCC gap ☹️

I liked this funeral too, Jin. Was it a buddhist funeral? I wasn’t much struck on the artificial white chrysanthemums, but otherwise I liked it very much. I wondered how they manage the procession if it is bucketing down and/or blowing a hoolie.

The 4th January cut-off for selected cell expansion in last night’s Yumi's Cells made me LOL. 😂

Finally finished Squid Game. I was right about who the Front Man and the Host were 😁

DH was bamboozled, I put my brilliance down to years of training watching K 😄

@boatyardblues that bit in Yumis cells made me laugh - I'm really enjoying Yumis cells- does anyone know when the second series is out? Only 4 episodes left

I've finished princess jellyfish, I'm not sure bingeing a Japanese drama about a jellyfish obsessed otaku, her love triangle involving a man scared of women and a crossdresser and her gang of oddball friends is what a grown woman in her thirties should be doing on a weekend! When people ask what I've done at the weekend I might stick to "relaxing" 😁

I need a reminder of the Awkwafina series on iPlayer. Pol - was it you that has been watching it?

Also, watching My Name made me want to pat Ahn Bo Hyun’s perfect tummy, not that he has any kind of belly. It was all ripped abs, but such smooth, tanned abs. That kind of manscaped perfection must take a lot of work. I suspect I’d find him quite dull and unappealing IRL (and the feeling would be mutual). At a glance he fails my affable pub companion test.

Coffee Prince a soap?!?! Hmmm. 🤔 Otherwise, a few points of interest and some new instagram accounts to follow:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/883a70ec-2de2-11ec-a548-f9bb1ebf6985?shareToken=f1bd4e2f04f97452b5dcb9fce0d3672a

[quote boatyardblues]Coffee Prince a soap?!?! Hmmm. 🤔 Otherwise, a few points of interest and some new instagram accounts to follow:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/883a70ec-2de2-11ec-a548-f9bb1ebf6985?shareToken=f1bd4e2f04f97452b5dcb9fce0d3672a[/quote]
Yeah some total inaccuracies in that article!!

It's called Awkwafina is Nora from Queens Boaty. Episode 8 is the one not to miss and can be enjoyed on its own and then go back to rest of series if fancied.
In the group's honour I murdered "took on" singing Butter entirely solo at karaoke last night earning a round of applause from my politely baffled friends at the end.

My Universe fans should check out the first 5 minutes of the Earthshot prize ceremony on iPlayer. Although your fave boys only background content. If I'd craned out of my bedroom window at the right time with binoculars I'd have glimpsed them. Rats.

👏👏👏 For the singing pol 😄

There was a point where I broke off and shouted with fear in my eyes "I'm doing the work of 7 here you know?"
Now we're caught up can I go 🚨 WHITE TRUCK OF DOOM 🚨

👏I'd have loved to have seen your karaoke version of butter Pol! 🎤

Pol How brave of you! Bet you slayed it ✊

Good job Pol!! 🎤🎤🎤

The PPL in HCCC finale is pretty wild 😂 they are really cramming them in there. Gongjin doesn't have a doctor's surgery, but Domino's is readily available

SNL version of Squid Game
Might contain spoilers & song is catchy

@polkettle - I saw few clips of My Universe.
It was colourful & cheery.

This Twitter poll from Count Binface 😂
Yes I have voted insane, cyclist seemed to enjoy it so only conclusion is insane or high or they like the music.

Finally caught up with HCCC so I can now read the thread properly! I must have a heart of stone as I didn't cry at all! It was a very nice ending though, despite the very unnecessary and embarrassing pizza eating scene 😂🍕

So many spoilers in that SNL skit! Fortunately we’re all k-nuts so have already watched it. I agree it is insanely catchy.

I’m looking forwards to tonight’s King’s Affection more than Red Sky. Turns out I am choosy and snobbish about my sageuk.

I only watched 2 episodes of LOTRS. I haven't been able to get into it I might come back to it in the future. I've got so many other things to watch at the moment though!

The PPL was SO brazen in HCCC finale! Gah! I loved the series though. So heartwarming. I was also baffled by the disappearance of the baby...

My Name looks good! My Viki plan is to go for Secretary Kim next.

Up to date with LOTRS but have rather lost my grip on what's going on. Quite into becoming a shaman lady and muttering in cool robes with a cool sword though

@sakura06

The PPL was SO brazen in HCCC finale! Gah! I loved the series though. So heartwarming. I was also baffled by the disappearance of the baby...

My Name looks good! My Viki plan is to go for Secretary Kim next.

Yep, the disappearing baby was notable in an otherwise well-rounded script. Perhaps Ms Dentist wasn’t such a good midwife after all.

Also agree with the comment about the nearest doctor being over half an hour’s drive but there’s a Dominos?!?!

I thought the disappearing baby was a bit odd- and yes no doctors, no dentist until she turns up but dominoes- no problem!
Caught up with one the woman - Lee Hanee has such great comedic timing but she can also do the more dramatic bits and she's looks amazing in all the outfits, she can certainly rock a powersuit! - I can't think I've seen her in anything before? Drunk dialing at the end of episode 10 genuinely made me lol

The disappearing baby was most notable, especially during the funeral when there was no one who could have been baby sitting! Such a strange thing to miss, when the whole series has shown her being heavily pregnant, then the giving birth during a typhoon drama!

Beyond Evil is making my brain hurt! Just watched ep 11,and it seems that the pieces are starting to be put together, but I'm still not convinced about how it's going to end, with 5 episodes to go. It felt like it went a bit Poirot tonight 🧐 not that that's a bad thing!