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!

I just stumbled on IU’s eight (feat Suga) listening to the S Korea top 100 on Apple Music while I was unpacking the shopping. It’s great. I was also amazed that two of the totally forgettable over-produced pop tracks were Ed Sheeran. He have some of the more saccharine kpop bands a run for their money. 😦

The Samsung Centre by Kings Cross has a huge screen playing BTS on a loop! Watching larger than life BTS boys advertise a new phone was a fun moment in the day. 😁

What is everyone doing for Halloween? I got scammed on eBay so no 067 Squid Game costume for me 😡

Sorry to hear that Fed Up. I'm hoping to go as the doll from Squid Game but also depends on an orange pinafore arriving on time!

@sakura06

Sorry to hear that Fed Up. I'm hoping to go as the doll from Squid Game but also depends on an orange pinafore arriving on time!

Fingers crossed!!! That will be cool. I have the hair for that 😂

Oh no Briiiiick! Hope you get your money back at least! I think I must be the only one not doing anything for Halloween, no costume for me 😕

@Andante57
I've had no time for K drama today either 😔 I'm so tired as DH has made me watch a Stephen King thing this week, and I keep waking up being scared 😂 hopefully I can get up and have a few hours drama viewing in the morning 🤞

@Andante57, how are you getting on with your Korean lessons?

Rowdy I’m having my first lesson with a tutor on Wednesday and then will have them weekly for the next 16 weeks. After that I can buy another lot of lessons if I so wish.
I’ve sort of learned the alphabet but it takes me ages to read any word with more than a couple of syllables and even if I can read it I don’t usually know what it means.
The problem is in dramas they speak so fast - but of course that’s the case in any spoken language.

We are thoroughly enjoying Hometown Cha Cha Cha and I’m glad Kim Seon Ho is being uncancelled.

We usually have trick or treaters in our village and I’m wondering if any of them will come in Squid Game costumes.

I hope we see a few Squid Game characters as we go around trick or treating!

@Andante57 lots of luck with your lesson! I had mine today, I feel like I'm trying to walk through treacle with it, it's very slow progress 😂

Thanks Rowdy.
Which aspect of learning the language do you find the hardest?

Fighting Rowdy and Andante!

파이팅 !

@Andante57

Thanks Rowdy. Which aspect of learning the language do you find the hardest?

I just struggle to remember it 😂 When the teacher asks me to say a sentence about something, my mind goes blank!

I’ve just started ep 1 of Jirisan, about 17 min in as the typhoon is taking hold. The guys on the rope bridge is - I assume - intended to build the tension and sympathy for the ranger team. I’m getting cross with Sung Dong Il for managing the incident so poorly. He should have pulled his teams out of that area given the risks. Then there’s the idiocy of sending Ju Ji Hoon out without proper kit or training. How many lives are going to risked for one missing person? That said, it looks like a great cast and the scenery is lovely. Ju Ji Hoon with floppy hair as well. 👌

Me too! I am not sure if it's my age or the language...but I definitely didn't find French, German or Japanese (my other, v mediocre langs) as difficult. It's the vowels.

It's Friday night so it's obviously time to disappear down the J drama rabbit hole- send 👢🍑 - luckily I don't have to be up for anything tomorrow!

Hello @Hydrogensonata, I am heading off to bed.
Finished Oh my Venus … it was fun watch, was hoping for more screen time for ML’s sidekicks.
Now tomorrow I can focus on house work. I was off all week and did nothing except Kdrama. Binge watched Bossam & Oh my Venus.

Thank you for setting me off on my OMV rewatch Jin. It ate up a fair bit of my week but was worthwhile.

I agree that the health and safety of the Jirisan mountain rescue team leaves a lot to be desired Boaty. But impressed they can get Egg Drop at the ranger station.
Starting a rainy Saturday with Wise Mountain Village Life in bed which continues to be entirely DELIGHTFUL. Wintergarden couple are so clearly a thing irl. I'm calling the Dispatch eventual outing now.

I'm a bit behind on Bossam, but I much prefer Ba Wu as a peasant rather than a yangban! Looks wise that it 😬

@boatyardblues

I just stumbled on IU’s eight (feat Suga) listening to the S Korea top 100 on Apple Music while I was unpacking the shopping. It’s great. I was also amazed that two of the totally forgettable over-produced pop tracks were Ed Sheeran. He have some of the more saccharine kpop bands a run for their money. 😦

I love Eight! It's a great driving song! 👍😍

@polkettle where are you watching Wise Mountain Village Life? Do you know how many episodes will be in total?

Dodgy sites Jin. Worth it though. 5 or 6 I think?

@polkettle

Dodgy sites Jin. Worth it though. 5 or 6 I think?

It’s on Olga & called Three meals a day I have never seen eggplants in rice, might give it a try. They should publish recipients. Why did they soak rice with kelp? Loving the show & my tummy is rumbling.