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!

See you on the other side Bea 👋😂

Confused by the eunuchs having wives in Joseon... 🤔

@Bea

oooo! Ep 9 of Coffee is up... so going to enjoy that one! its got Ms Jo (Healer) in!!!

Oh I see who you mean now!! My favourite ajumma 😍

Ive started Coffee and so far so good.

The comparison of Once Again to old school Coronation St is pretty accurate. I stopped watching CS about 15 yrs ago when it started to lose its charm and humour, prior to that it was the only soap I watched. No time for any now though with K Drama. That got me wondering what K Soaps would be like?! In WWW Scarlet had some great scenes where she watched the soap when at the gym and starts cursing out load on the treadmill 😂

Coming on Netflix in December with Choi Woo Shik! It looks lovely and fun!

Ooh, episode 5 of Happiness was brilliant! Can't wait to watch the next one! 🧟‍♀️🧟

Some premium hanbok loveliness in tonight’s King’s Affection (new queen’s). The colours and embroidery were wonderful. Hat tip (as so often) to the wardrobe team with special mention for Rowoon’s crisp, white colours. Can I just check we didn’t see a royal wedding? I’m worried I slept through a bit of last night’s without realising. I’m also impressed with 2ML in this. There are very few men who wouldn’t look like a Sasquatch next to Rowoon, but he’s one of them. /streamofconsciousness

I'm loving the endgame of Yumis Cells SO much. I keep on paying coins to get just one more piece of candy 😔☺️ Goddam the algorithm that plays me so cleverly.
You did not miss a wedding Boaty

Thanks Pol! Also, colours in my previous post should have been collars. 🙂

Yep!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CWpPdHIkSt/?utmmmedium=sharesheet

I think I'm going to watch Our Beloved Summer too @bea.
We should have finished Her Private Life by then, so I'll need something romantic to fill the void.

Thanks for the info Boaty about the actor who plays creepy cult guy in Hellbound, I somehow thought he might be pretty annoying in real life!

Kdramas are getting me through hard times at work at the moment, I really need the escapism. Plus covid is rife at my dc's school - I keep wondering when they'll be next.

Is Korea particularly prone to cults? 😬

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/24/south-korea-cult-whose-leader-heals-by-poking-eyes-at-centre-of-covid-outbreak

Looking forward to Thirtynine next year but wondering about the atmosphere on set between the two leading actresses due to their different sized fan bases. Son Ye-Jin is posing on Insta with a full school hall sized indoor buffet complete with balloons, flowers, cake and endless heaped platters including lobster and scallops. Jean Mido is shivering outside with a mini coffee truck and some indeterminate deep fried spiral.

I think I'd rather be at the coffee truck outside, maybe they've some soju stashed under the counter for warmth!

I would go to the coffee truck in solidarity with the less famous cast member, but I would be sad about missing the buffet.

But I just re-read Pol’s post and saw there is cake at the buffet. Um. Dilemma.

Is going to both an option?🤔

I love the idea of an “almost large medium” portion of fried chicken (Once Again). I don’t know whether it’s a quirk of the translation or an actual thing, but I think fence-sitting serving sizes could have a future. Still finding it weirdly addictive, though I have started skipping the older brother/stunt man centure bits. 😴

Centure = venture.

@bea I liked once again! Started watching secret royal inspector and joy- I'm not usually a saeguk fan but it's good so far- the divorce argument is both funny and sad in a way when you think about how hard she has it just to get shot of lousy husband and MIL
Just got back from a meal at a Korean restaurant on Ramsbottom- had dojeang, kimchi pancakes, rice tea and heoteok- it was amazing!

Well they’ve certainly turned the woo up to 11 in this week’s Jirisan and the preview of tomorrow’s looks totally bonkers. A low rent Blair Witch project.

First 4 eps of To Fly With You have just slipped down enjoyably. Ice skating CDrama. Not sure whether I need the next 29 episodes as it's one where the entire series trajectory is in the opening and closing credits.

It was a hot mess of an episode Boaty with so many random strands, directions and possible misdirections. I liked the pom pom festival hats though.

@polkettle

First 4 eps of To Fly With You have just slipped down enjoyably. Ice skating CDrama. Not sure whether I need the next 29 episodes as it's one where the entire series trajectory is in the opening and closing credits.

🤣 Yeah, well you know you won’t even a whiff of Bridgerton-style fun. Maybe a handhold in the first 15 hours if they push the boat out. Let me know if the ice-skating’s good. I’m quite susceptible to a romance on ice. I have an inkling I have already bookmarked this one.

We've just watched Ep6 of Happiness, what the heck is wrong with the residents of this apartment block! Do they have no survival skills!

Going for ep2 of Hellbound now. Hope I can stay awake!