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!

boaty if you mean Lee Pil Mo he played the rather attractive TV director in Pinocchio and also the rather attractive love interest for the kimbap lady in Once Again and I think he was the rather attractive love rival in Emergency Couple

Thanks Betty. It was Emergency Couple which I’d scrubbed from my memory and it is Lee Pil Mo in twinkly eyed king mode.

"I have been acting like a rutting stag eager to slake my thirst with a comely doe" - entirely authentic internal voice of your average Welsh valley lad.
(Let's Play)

@polkettle

"I have been acting like a rutting stag eager to slake my thirst with a comely doe" - entirely authentic internal voice of your average Welsh valley lad. (Let's Play)

😂😂😂

I have been acting like a rutting stag eager to slake my thirst with a comely doe" - entirely authentic internal voice of your average Welsh valley lad

😂😂 gotta love Let’s Play ! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

….and Monica’s advice “Head Up, Heels On, Tits Out!!”
🤣🤣👏👏

Ah adieu Park Seo-Joon 👋 #NotInCamdenAnymore

Omo! Maybe the Korean tourist board have finally nailed their marketing and target audience. Oppatastic ad! This popped up on an AIBU thread. Google has me correctly pigeonholed. 😂

Actually, that ad is missing Korean food. Otherwise, they got me.

@polkettle

Ah adieu Park Seo-Joon 👋 #NotInCamdenAnymore

Farewell, my love!

안녕히가세요 PSJ! Is he headed back home, or else where?

Back in Seoul, although sounds like filming not complete so he may come back to us. I've become quite invested in his manager/minder's very cute baby on Instagram who celebrated his/her 100 day old milestone without him so I'm pleased they're home for a bit. As must be manager/minder's poor wife - left on her own with a new baby for weeks.

Let's hope he comes back soon, and to the premier of the film too!

I think I'm going to re watch Her Private Life, I'm not feeling great, so I'm in need of comfort, low stress tv.

@Rowdythree

Let's hope he comes back soon, and to the premier of the film too!

I think I'm going to re watch Her Private Life, I'm not feeling great, so I'm in need of comfort, low stress tv.

Good idea Rowdy. Feel better soon x

I really want to like WWW Search BUT camera work is extremely annoying & irritating. I know they are trying to show tension between ML & FL but I HATE closeups of hands/face/eyes whatever body part it is. It is sooooooo irritating. (This is the reason I didn’t watch Nevertheless, I hate slow motion expressions less faces)

WWW is an interesting & different story with strong female characters but romance bit ughhhh I am not feeling it.
Tell me it will get better & story will focus on work aspect rather then romantic line.

Jinbhoot agree ré main love line (although appreciate the crisp white shirt scene that appears later) - I was far more interested in the second romance that appears a bit later. Also the marriage story. It does get better it took me a couple of episodes to really get in to it.

Stick with it Jin. It gets better and better. The scene with FL and the chaebol husband’s car is a classic. The ‘business marriage’ chaebol couple’s storyline develops in a really interesting way. The 3 lead women’s relationships also develop in interesting ways. In some respects the mismatched ages lead romance is the least interesting storyline.m in the whole thing, though I enjoyed the fantasy of a housework-mad toyboy. A fantasy we can all aspire to. 😍

I agree with Boaty, I loved everything about WWW. Seeing three strong female leads was great, and to me it felt like the romances weren't the most important aspect of the show. However, I did particularly enjoy the secret snog in the coffee room scene! Park Morgan is just 😍

Flirty Park Morgan in his crisp white shirt was memorable too.

Let’s not forget Brian either, who becomes more adorably avuncular and admirable with every scene.

Plus a baddy who tattoos a beautiful man for anger management is top later life goalz

ahhhh Park Morgan!!!!!......

Plus a baddy who tattoos a beautiful man for anger management is top later life goalz

🤣🤣 Sod later life goalz that’s anytime goalz !!

All this talk of WWW makes me want to watch it again. And Melo.

I've never seen WWW...

I will now!!

Ooh you will likey FedUp. Also very keen on the absolute NONSENSE interior design of the interweb offices which is basically a recreation of The Crystal Maze zones.
Enjoying Would You Like A Cup of Coffee as a gentle coffee break suitable dip into drama. (though its level of bean handling nerdery is set to 11.)