MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #28): The Lord gives and He takes away. Lee Jong Suk & Park Hyung Sik return from the army; Seo Kang Joon departs.

[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. 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 Name (Netflix)
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)*
The King’s Affection (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, Netflix)*

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)*
Hospital Playlist 2 (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)
Ashin of the North (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!

Enjoying hearing about all the on-air dramas at the moment. Any consensus on what is the best?

Also glad Binnie is back on tour!

I finished Yumi's Cells yesterday. I was not happy to say the least.

Hopefully you'll enjoy series 2 of Yumi's Cells Sakura! I wasn't happy with the ending either, but I was expecting it.

I've taken to watching this Korean hairdresser on YouTube. He helps fix hair disasters (and is quite easy on the eye!)

It's quite satisfying to watch and good for those times in the middle of the night when you're awake but don't want to be 😁

Yes, the Yumi's Cells ending was downbeat to say the least.

I need to know more about potato bombs, I don't remember anything about them in Nevertheless so I am intrigued now.

I realised yesterday that I'd watched ep2 of Would You Like A Cup of Coffee first by accident, things made a lot more sense after watching ep 1 . The ex husband in ep 4 is a real piece of work, I can just imagine the response that dilemma would get on the mumsnet relationship boards - "Should I sell my house to fund my ex husband's struggling business after he's criticised me for being a working mother? Oh, and he also turfed me and my daughter out of the family home when he shacked up with the OW."

@sakura06

Enjoying hearing about all the on-air dramas at the moment. Any consensus on what is the best?

Also glad Binnie is back on tour!

I finished Yumi's Cells yesterday. I was not happy to say the least.

Best on air?... I think I'd have to say "Would You Like A Cup of Coffee?" ☕😊

It's not gripping thrilling like Happiness... Nor cherry blossom dreamy and romantic like The Kings Affection... Or spookily potato bombastic like Jirisan...

But its heartwarming, kind, gentle and soothing which fits well with me at the moment! 😍😊

Sakura - If you have Viki, Happiness is going down a storm on the thread but there are only 4 episodes up at the mo.

I will armwrestle Bea to get a definitive answer for you.

There are definitely no potato bombs in Nevertheless Musique. I'm being confusing. There's just potatoes on a bus picked up by the wet 2ML. But maybe 2ML would have given 1ML a better run for his money if he coulda rescued mardy butterfly girl from a rolling spud grenade.

(potato bombs are in Jirisan)

Nevertheless would have been improved by potato bombs. It was a bit drippy and slooooow. A game of potato grenade pass the parcel would have livened things up.

Would You Like A CUp of Coffee? is as soothing as everyone has said! Delightful stuff.

Also tried Love by Night which is a Chinese romance by numbers and I spent the first 2 episodes thinking how thin the FL & ML are and wondering where they put all their internal organs.

I see Just Between Lovers is coming to Netflix as Rain or Shine on Friday. I will update the OP-in-waiting for the next thread.

Ahhh! Just between Lovers! Traumatic! And angsty but... Lovely Eyes Junho! 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀
@boatyardblues! All the On Airs are too good and intriguing!!

Thanks @polkettle, I remember the potato incident now! I agree, noodle boy was robbed of his chance to defend Da Bi from spuds in retrospect. I'm sure I've seen rolling bus foodstuffs on another drama too, I like spotting minor tropes.

Work has been a massive pile of poo this week but I have Friday and the whole weekend off! Whoop!!
Looking forward to lots of drama watching and I'm hoping to take our cardboard friend to a few places. I'm going to have to get him a coat of some form -binbag- as cardboard and Manchester drizzle won't mix well

Phooey to that TheGirl. Enjoy sharing an umbrella with Oppa. Just don't expect him to hold it.
FINALLY reaching endgame in Yumi's Cells Webtoon. I'm going to be bereft when I no longer have my daily dose - it's the only Webtoon I've found that I'm really invested in (although keeping up with Let's Play for the abs) . Any recommendations for similarly grounded in reality ones welcome. I find the perverse incentive the popular ones with loyal fans have, to therefore never reach any kind of conclusion, frustrating.

Girl - I’m sorry to hear about the crap week, but oppa fun at weekend sounds great. You’ll keep us up to date with your adventures won’t you? It sounds like he needs one of those clear plastic rain ponchos that pound shops sell. That’s your first picture right there: oppa in the Manchester drizzle.

@boatyardblues

I see Just Between Lovers is coming to Netflix as Rain or Shine on Friday. I will update the OP-in-waiting for the next thread.

I enjoyed watching this, trauma is covered very well in this.

We should say for the lurkers that it is not all trauma. There is a core of warmth, humanity and love for your fellow human that runs right through it.

@boatyardblues

We should say for the lurkers that it is not all trauma. There is a core of warmth, humanity and love for your fellow human that runs right through it.

... and Lovely Eyes!.......😍

@boatyardblues

We should say for the lurkers that it is not all trauma. There is a core of warmth, humanity and love for your fellow human that runs right through it.

Definitely - heart warming drama.

Just finished Dali which was too heavy on arch family schemers and shriekers for me to totally fall for but agree central couple (particularly ML) v sweet. And they went back for seconds before breakfast fnarrr!

How Go bi didn't pour coffee over that critics head, I do not know! 😒

Ooooohhhhhh!!! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badandd_Crazy

I’m watching today’s Jirisan. It’s gone a bit public service announcement in places. Will there be a test on good forest incident management at the end?

Goddamn it Instagram stop giving me more dramas to watch!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OurBelovedd_Summer