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!

Started a c-drama Love at Night on Viki for brain fodder.

Might give Cowboy Bebop a go. I've heard of the anime/manga, but know not much else. I do very much like John Cho though...

ML’s behaviour in ep 3 of Now we are Breaking Up leaves a lot to be desired IMO. I thought he’d returned to her apartment to give a full explanation. The way things unfolded and the sequence of events was a A grade dick move on his part. 😠

an A grade…

Thanks for the Crazy Romance tip off Aesops. Slipped down nice for a Saturday evening.
Otherwise rewatching Melo which was a great idea. So much to love.

I’m watching The Spy Gone North for shallow reasons (Ju Ji Hoon in uniform 👍). It’s relentlessly dingy and looks more like it’s set in the 50s, not the early 90s - even the bits set in SK and China. I found it slow initially but it’s ratcheting up. Half the cast look like weather-beaten satchels, it’s heavy on character actors, but that lends an air of authenticity. Shiny kdrama it ain’t. 😄

Where would I find the Spy Gone North @boatyardblues?

Just watched Happiness ep 5 after much dicking about with the Viki app being unhappy with the scheduled maintenance. It brought a whole new meaning to trolley dash. I enjoyed immensely, best episode yet.

I watched that - quite a story! iPlayer I think Musique

Yes, iPlayer

I will add that my absolute favourite thing about Spy Gone North was Kim Jeong Il’s little floofy white dog shimmying across the marble floors. It beat Ju Ji Hoon in uniform hands down.

I saw my BIL and his partner last night and they were saying that MIL was loving Mr Sunshine and that she'd sent them a photo to give to me from her. They said it's some sort of hand signal!?! And looked confused 😂
It was this!

So I've sent her my own finger hearts back 🥺😍

Aw! 🥰 I've indoctrinated my own MIL. She's done CLOY, Navillera and Hometown Cha Cha Cha so far.

Adorable!

It's so satisfying when you recommend k drama to someone who never even thought it would be their cup of tea and they come back happy and wanting more!! ❣️

I’m finding this episode of Happiness so flippin’ stressful. 😱

Sidebar: For Betty and any other fans of European subtitled content as well as kdrama, DH just watched Army of Thieves (German/international) and roped me in. It was very good. It made we want to holiday in the Alps.

I went away after this morning’s Happiness post and pondered penthouse guy. I think he might have made his money in something like virology and I’m starting to wonder if he has a sweet set-up in his mysterious apartment which could help with cure or rescue. It might not be as dire as we’re left thinking.

Gaaaaahh!!! Another 5 days before next ep of Happiness!
SPECULATIVE SPOILER
I did think when FL was talking to little girl about how she was also ill as a child that there may be a reason linked to that & her not getting the rabies illness. If she had a brain tumour or something that may be why. They seem to be hinting at that in the preview for next week.

I have no idea why but I'm also watching Love by Night cdrama with a great deal of skipping. The secondary couples are extremely tedious.

Thanks boaty I will add Army of Thieves to the joint view list. Currently debating whether a holiday in the Alps is a good idea or not (skiing)

I’ll PM you about resort recommendations Betty.

I watched Hellbound last night with DH Rowdy, I liked the detective and the premise but I didn't think much of the demons or the angel. The demons were too Marvel for me, but I shall keep watching to find out more about creepy cult guy.

I agree with you about the demons! They were definitely marvel inspired. I'm intrigued by the creepy cult guy too, so I hope that aspect of it is explored more. I'm not very keen on Yoo Ah In, but the shows he's in are usually pretty good!

@Rowdythree

I watched Hellbound last night with DH Rowdy, I liked the detective and the premise but I didn't think much of the demons or the angel. The demons were too Marvel for me, but I shall keep watching to find out more about creepy cult guy.

I agree with you about the demons! They were definitely marvel inspired. I'm intrigued by the creepy cult guy too, so I hope that aspect of it is explored more. I'm not very keen on Yoo Ah In, but the shows he's in are usually pretty good!

Yeah, I went off Yoo In Ah after following him on Insta for a bit. Ugh.

He may well be a nob but he has real range as an actor. Proper chops.

I know but I can still dislike him. He’s definitely not invited to the pub.

@boatyardblues

I know but I can still dislike him. He’s definitely not invited to the pub.