MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #29): The one where we celebrate our growing community, score the year’s dramas, thank Korean creatives and performers for another year’s happy distraction

[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, but we can point you in the right direction. We also dip into Japanese, Taiwanese & Chinese drama as & when.

The previous thread is here but our lists below are cumulative so include 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. Writer/actor Simon Pegg referred to it fondly as “tonal chaos” - it’s part of kdrama’s charm. View the categories below as best approximate & ask if you need guidance about suitability for younger viewers.

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)
Dali & the Cocky Prince (Viki)
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)
Yumi’s Cells (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)/Rain or Shine (Netflix)*
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)
Would You Like a Cup of Coffee (Viki)

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)*
Happiness* (Viki)
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)
To Fly with Me (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 & can be viewed without S1)

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

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!

It’s just wiki boaty but I cross reference. I agree it would be good to read up in more detail. From what I can work out SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER his only children at first were with Deok Im until she died in spite of official Queen & other concubines, and after her death he had two more with a later concubine, but always pronounced Deok Im was his favourite and planted a whopping great forest for her.

It's the penultimate Alternative Oppa day! And this one's a doozy.

He's all angles and grumpiness, and so skinny that a gust of wind would send him flying. But his gloriously intense stare will have you weak at the knees... it's Lee Min-ki.

Oooooh FedUp my knees have gone a bit wobbly there……

Worth the wait.

Ahh Lee Min-Ki 😍an excellent choice!
I have at rewatched one of our favourite kiss scenes

Now I've had to rewatch it too.

😬

The One and Only is a lot like the KDrama equivalent of the soups I make from elderly veg at the back of the fridge - bung a lot of familiar ingredients that don't necessarily go together at random, throw in something experimental on a whim and hope. I can see they're desperately going to be adding more and more salt and cream by the end to try and pull it together.

[quote TheGirlWithTheArabStrap]Ahh Lee Min-Ki 😍an excellent choice!
I have at rewatched one of our favourite kiss scenes

[/quote] One of the best 🥵

Very nice indeed Briiiick! Here's another nice one of Lee Min-ki with extra added eyeliner.

Hi Leelol1, yes, Dan-I didn't get it did she? Loved that show.

Rowdy I watched PSJ's bicycle trip, it was a bit peculiar to see him mooching around Camden. I am just glad that he chose to cycle on the wrong side of the road in a one way section! I am hoping for more drama from his this year but it does seem like he is focusing on films now.

No children in the house today so I watched a fair bit of kdrama today. Still enjoying Let Me Be Your Knight but the volunteer subtitlers don't seem to be that interested in it, it's a frustrating wait for subtitles most weeks.

I'm thinking of starting the new one with Rain and Kim Bum, Ghost Doctor, anyone else?

Yes I'm going to watch Ghost Doctor. Is it on Viki or are we going to Olga's house?

I'm loving his comeback... Rain Oppa, fighting!

It's on Viki thankfully!

I love Lee Min Ki Briiiiick, he very nearly made it onto the advent calendar. Musique that photo of him is stunning!

I've done very little drama viewing over the last couple of days, but I'm hoping to watch an episode tonight. Not sure if we'll watch The Red Sleeve or Silent Sea

I'm having my covid booster tomorrow, so I plan on binging Oh my Venus after

I’m struggling a bit with last 3 alternative oppas as they’ve have been oppa-oppas from my standard oppa list. Am I wired differently or something? All excellent picks though & well posed to show them off to their best. for FedUp!

Yes to be fair Boaty, the last few Oppas are real Oppas too, but it's so damn hard to find non-perfect Oppas!!

Last one tomorrow... let me know your own alt-oppas! Who should have been on there? 😁

Sung Dong Il 😬😬

Can we have Choi Jin Hyuk as an alt oppa based on the amount of eyeliner he wears in Zombie Detective ???

The love triangles in Singles Inferno! That Ji-a has got moves 👀 Gripped.

@TheGirlWithTheArabStrap

Can we have Choi Jin Hyuk as an alt oppa based on the amount of eyeliner he wears in Zombie Detective ???

Also an oppa-oppa. But nice try at smuggling in those abs under false pretences. 😄😉

Right. I’m between shows and need a hot tip. What’s good right now? I got half way into ep 2 of Bulgasal but I was wearying of the red corn syrup and angry villagers with pitchforks. I need something modern and snappy. A Melo would slip down a treat right about now.

You got me boaty 🙋

I've just watched ep 3 of Bulgasol and was also wearying of the pitchfork villagers but it has picked up now. I was going to nominate ML Lee Jin Wook for Alternative Oppa but he is more Oppa Oppa

Was going to finish Red Sleeve but was too brain frazzled for complicated nuances

I want to be in their gang

(Silent Sea)

@Rowdythree

Sung Dong Il 😬😬

Behave yourself.