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!

@polkettle

Omo they're doing a Korean remake of Call My Agent! That's either going to be all my Christmases come at once or deeply unsettling.

Goody!! I saw a Bollywood version is on Netflix and pondered on a Hallyu one. 😁

I have finished Just between Lovers and enjoyed it to. A good slice of life drama.
2ML is very tall & broad, I kept thinking, it must be difficult to find clothes in his size.

Hello @AlexTheLittleCat, welcome aboard 🙂

Massive plot info dumps going on in LoTRS today. Thankful that its pretty but flat nonsense coming to an end tomorrow. Don't bother if you never started.

Don't bother if you never started

Alright then pol I won’t! LotRS was in my list so I’m glad not to waste precious viewing time 😉

I am v excited about k version of Call My Agent 👍

I only got 2 episodes into LOTRS, I won't bother to continue. If anyone wants a very good Saeguk, then Bossam-steal the fate is well worth a watch. I love it

@Rowdythree

I only got 2 episodes into LOTRS, I won't bother to continue. If anyone wants a very good Saeguk, then Bossam-steal the fate is well worth a watch. I love it

I am in a mood for one, watched Sungkyunkwan Scandal it’s ok but I prefer FL to play the role of FL. I don’t get it why people go blind when FL dress up as male. I struggle to switch off my logical side of the brain.

Ha ha, that's a common theme in Saeguk isn't it 😂

Thanks for the tip! I also only watched the first 2 eps of LotRS. I won't bother going back to it 👍

I dipped into Lovestruck in the city for ep 1, not going to continue as it felt very western and the kissing scenes are way to long with horrible smacking of lips sounds dubbed onto them 😟

@Rowdythree

I only got 2 episodes into LOTRS, I won't bother to continue. If anyone wants a very good Saeguk, then Bossam-steal the fate is well worth a watch. I love it

I got up to around ep 11 of Bossam and ran out of steam but have returned off the back of your enthusiasm Rowdy.

I concur with Pol about LotRS. It is visually lovely and plotwise OK but it plods a bit. A crying waste of Ahn Hyo-seop.

Also, I’m glad you’ve stuck around Alex.

I’ve been recruiting over here this evening: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/4384609-Best-gifts-for-stepdaughter-who-loves-Japanese-Korean-culture?msgid=111939769 😄

The palace maids all cooing over the new flower boy bodyguard in The King’s Affection is getting on my wick, though the prince looks set to blow ‘his’ stack any minute too. 🤞If he’s 2ML I say there’s only room for one pretty fellow & I hope he’s dispatched quickly.

@polkettle Jirisan coming to Viki on 28th according to YouTube channel

Thanks for breaking my monologue FedUp! 👍😂

The King’s Affection is everything LotRS should have been. It’s sparky, lively and beautiful to look at, plus I’m rooting for the FL and Rowoon. There is nothing dreary about it. Plus Rowoon really suits sageuk dressy-up.

Oh hooray! Thanks FedUp.
Looking forward to getting into the King's Affection when I've tidied up LOTRS Boaty. Can only do one sageuk at a time.
Loving PP but has anyone ever experienced a longer drug withdrawal than Loonie 🤣

So here’s a question (which has no doubt been asked before) - if you had ONE show to convince some Otto becomes a kdrama concert to, what would it be? It’s harder than it looks - each one I think of, even my favourites, I rule out for reasons:

Korean Odyssey - not very typical, with its heavy supernatural element and the demons are quite spooky at times
Secret Garden - One of my favourites of all time, a close contender indeed but I found the first episode slow and actually paused about 6 months between the first episode and the rest of the series. Otherwise perfect and a banging OST!

Someone not some Otto (confused face)

A kdrama convert. Fuck me

Good to see you Heechul! Can you give us a bit more info about the person you’re trying to convert? Agree that neither Korean Odyssey or Secret Garden are the way in, but if you’ve only got one shot we need to help you pick a cracker.

I like Because This Is My First Life because it has good character development, quirkiness, an unconventional romance, good friendship dynamics and supporting cast, but I know it’s not to everyone’s taste.

I have recently convinced few family members to watch Crash Landing on You, they enjoyed it but didn’t get hocked to Kdrama.
Youngones watched Squid Game but that’s it.

I am starting ep4 of Blossom, so far it’s alright. Couldn’t place ML, finally googled & he is ML from 4 Knights

Boaty What made you stop at ep11?

I’m like you Heechul , when I look at my absolute favourites they might be tricky ones to try & convert someone to kdrama
My Mister - you really have to plough through the grim first eps to get into it but then it is so worth it.
Mr Queen - you need some familiarity with kdrama tropes otherwise it just seems insane
Moon Lovers - see above

Maybe The Crowned Clown, or Her Private Life or BTIMFL

Agree ré Korean Odyssey it took me 3 attempts but then I loved it.