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!

I ❤️ Dong Mae too!!!

The final of Would you like a cup of coffee was just perfect 👌

I’m 😱😱😱 at Happiness and only 12 episodes !! They need to find a cure - stat!

I know, Betty!

@Rowdythree your oppa advent calendar is the best one 😁
A friend sent me a tea one which arrived yesterday- it's nice but still not as nice as an oppa a day

Would You Like a Cup of Coffee? was a wee joy of a show. I'll miss it 💔

DH has accidentally subscribed to AppleTV+ by failing to cancel a year’s free membership. Anything decent worth watching before we cancel?

Bloody cat has started the annual dismantling of the freshly decorated tree.

I am vying with DH and sons for control of the TV and there will be no kdrama until later when they’ve all gone to bed.

[quote Hydrogensonata]@Rowdythree your oppa advent calendar is the best one 😁
A friend sent me a tea one which arrived yesterday- it's nice but still not as nice as an oppa a day[/quote]
Thanks Hydrogensonata 🥰 doing the Oppa advent and watching Pol open her calendars are my version of having a calendar 😄

Leftfield age appropriate oppa: I just looked up John Cho’s age as DH agreed to watch some Cowboy Bebop instead of Marvel or Dr Who. John Cho is 49, born June 1972 in Seoul. Covert oppa win! He is also in amazing shape in this and funny to boot.

I've never heard of Cowboy Bebop but am obvs going to have to watch it now both for John Cho who I did like in Star Trek and because it sounds like Firefly which I loved.

I can put forward Daniel Wu (1974) as a leftfield oppa - Into The Badlands was one of the last series I watched before kdrama immersion. It's a dystopian future martial arts fantasy thing on Amazon Prime.

Drunk Shao Beishang in the ice skating drama 😂⛸️ what a poppet

@boatyardblues

DH has accidentally subscribed to AppleTV+ by failing to cancel a year’s free membership. Anything decent worth watching before we cancel?

Bloody cat has started the annual dismantling of the freshly decorated tree.

I am vying with DH and sons for control of the TV and there will be no kdrama until later when they’ve all gone to bed.

Haven’t watched any Kdrama. We only watched & enjoyed Ted Lasso. A funny watch for football fans.

@bettys

I've never heard of Cowboy Bebop but am obvs going to have to watch it now both for John Cho who I did like in Star Trek and because it sounds like Firefly which I loved.

I can put forward Daniel Wu (1974) as a leftfield oppa - Into The Badlands was one of the last series I watched before kdrama immersion. It's a dystopian future martial arts fantasy thing on Amazon Prime.

Betty - Both the original animé and the new live action version with Cho are on Netflix. DS loves the animé.

I've had another fun, festive day out with our cardboard Oppa 😅. I think I've shown him the main attractions now, so was wondering if anyone else wanted a visit from him 😁

@TheGirlWithTheArabStrap

I've had another fun, festive day out with our cardboard Oppa 😅. I think I've shown him the main attractions now, so was wondering if anyone else wanted a visit from him 😁

Bin on the bauble - very festive, awesome job @TheGirlWithTheArabStrap

Love the bauble pic. Where is it?

@TheGirlWithTheArabStrap

I've had another fun, festive day out with our cardboard Oppa 😅. I think I've shown him the main attractions now, so was wondering if anyone else wanted a visit from him 😁

How dare someone shout Squid Game at him 😂

The bauble is in St Peters Square in Manchester City Centre. Lots of people were interested in Mr Bin but the weather was awful so he was quickly bundled up back into his protective bin bag.

I started watching the Marriage Lottery show but I’m struggling with the concept of a law aimed at raising the birthrate including women up to the age of 39. Yes, women can and do conceive and have babies in their late thirties/early 40s, but with more variable success rates. I guess some is better than none re: improved birthrate, but it seems oddly targeted as a law. Are IVF success rates way higher in Japan than those in the UK? I can also see that it wouldn’t work if there were more men than women, hence equal age limits. Does the district thing work too? Surely there are sex imbalances in some areas due to work/migration patterns…. I am overthinking this, clearly, but it’s bugging the hell out of me.

@boatyardblues

I started watching the Marriage Lottery show but I’m struggling with the concept of a law aimed at raising the birthrate including women up to the age of 39. Yes, women can and do conceive and have babies in their late thirties/early 40s, but with more variable success rates. I guess some is better than none re: improved birthrate, but it seems oddly targeted as a law. Are IVF success rates way higher in Japan than those in the UK? I can also see that it wouldn’t work if there were more men than women, hence equal age limits. Does the district thing work too? Surely there are sex imbalances in some areas due to work/migration patterns…. I am overthinking this, clearly, but it’s bugging the hell out of me.

I also had so many questions, couple of these questions will be explored/questioned as the series will progress.

I wonder if such law will work anywhere, may be China 🤨. (Making this assumption based on implementation of one child policy)

I was speaking to someone about the situation China. They are in their 20s and are in the UK for study. The govt relaxed the one child policy, but there’s been no significant shift in the birth rate. Couples in their late 20s/30s have to work so hard to keep up at work, plus expectation about caring for older family members means they are reluctant to grow their families. Further incentives have been introduced, but with limited uptake. I’ve also seen articles about this in the Economist. Where European birth rates and demographic splits have been buoyed by immigrant populations, that’s not so easy fro societies like Japan and China where there’s less inward migration.

Would you like a cup of coffee what a lovely show. I now want to drink coffee (and I don’t even like coffee).
Orange latte with madeleines yummmmmmm

Oppa advent day five

It's age appropriate Oppa number one Shin Ha Kyun!

@Rowdythree

Oppa advent day five

It's age appropriate Oppa number one Shin Ha Kyun!

Oh yeaaaaah

I feel a bit flat after episode 10 of Happiness. I hope it’s because it’s one of those transitional episodes that shifts the story up a gear. 🤞