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!

I know - all this talk of him being such a mature man and he looks about 17

He’s actually 30!! 😮

Contract marriage one (my faves!!) called Nigeru wa Haji daga yaku ni tatsu (We Married as a Job)

Definitely checking this out!👍

Oh I love a real life cast romance 😍 Let us know if it's a good un.

Make sure you finish it off well

@FedUpWithBriiiiick

Oh Pumped Plug has a new drama on Viki, Lucky With You. I'll check it out and report back

Yayaa someone else is watching it, hopefully all the cool kids will pick it up too.

I am on ep13

That’s what I think so far its on air. FL is bodyguard & ML is heir-to-be/volunteer rescuer. Like all CDramas, I am sure there will be an earthquake disaster in few episodes & whole cast will end up volunteering one way or another. 2nd pair, work politics & usual cdrama stuff, good light watch

Thanks for that contract marriage tip off FedUp. Just did the first episode and the final credit dance is all my January needs answered.

@polkettle

Thanks for that contract marriage tip off FedUp. Just did the first episode and the final credit dance is all my January needs answered.

I actually love it.

I want to ask how those of you who are paying for 1-2-1 Korean tuition are getting on. Is it helping you to progress and how much are you paying? Likewise, any good courses?

@polkettle

Thanks for that contract marriage tip off FedUp. Just did the first episode and the final credit dance is all my January needs answered.

EVEN BETTER NEWS. The exit song is sung by ML!!

He's a gorgeous J-pop artist 😍

Guys, I'm in love with Gen Hoshido.

I have bookmarked the contract marriage Jdrama. I have to set aside my feminist principles every time, but I love a well done contract marriage drama. Not the icky ones, mind.

Not icky Boaty - really good on first few episodes. Some plot similarities with BTIMFL

Yep. Feminist principles firmly intact here.

It's very witty, quirky and smart. Episode 6 here, if it carries on in the same vein it might just take the top J-drama spot 😊

@boatyardblues I am having lessons with a teacher on Verbling. I pay around £15 per lesson (50 mins) - the price varies from 14-16 depending on how many classes you book. I'm pretty happy with it so far. I've had 20 lessons and we've covered hangul, introductions (name, age, nationality, job), ordering simple drinks in a cafe, sino korean and korean numbers, time and date, talking about possessions and locations. We've just started present tense conjugations for the verbs to go and to have. Overall I feel like that's a lot for just 20 classes and I'm pleased with my progress. It would be better if I revised my vocab more! I'd recommend for a beginner, can't say for higher levels. I tried the Sejong Institute course at Preston but it was just too much with the 2 video classes and 1 live class per week, and I didn't find the teacher very engaging. I think it was great value for money but I was overly optimistic about how much time I could commit. 1 lesson per week before work, plus a bit of homework, is realistic for me right now. I like verbling as a platform, its very easy to use. I work in the language training industry and I think it's a good set up. I don't work with a Korean teacher from my company because they are more than double the price (with good reason - they are super qualified and experienced, but at my level I don't actually need the level of specialist expertise and knowledge they have). I also like using an alternative (not a direct competitor but, adjacent, let's say) as it gives me a great insight into what is happening elsewhere in the industry.

I must learn this choreography

Thanks Larry.

Boaty I have a lesson every week. Sometimes we meet in person and sometimes the lesson is on zoom.
My teacher is adorable, charming, patient and a fabulous teacher - she has become a friend.
We are doing verbs now and prepositions - I’ve understood everything so far, but as Larry says, I should keep on top of my vocab a bit more.
We’re on holiday at the moment and I haven’t done my homework and my zoom lesson is tomorrow morning so I should do some homework now before I go to bed.
I can’t understand dialogue in dramas except for one word comments such as chincha?, saranghae, mwol etc. but I can read the alphabet fairly easily now.

When I tell people I’m learning Korean quite a few of them burst out laughing which I find extremely annoying and patronising.

Boaty I also have one to one lessons, although they have been a bit sporadic over Christmas. I started off with my teacher in a group lesson, but now have moved to one to one with her. She tends to make us use korean conversation, which I find difficult as I don't have the vocabulary yet but it does get me thinking and learning.We have a conversation in a mixture of Korean and English. I find I can definitely understand a lot more than I can say. My tutor uses italki as her teaching platform and I pay about £15 an hour.

Andante how rude of people to laugh when you say you're learning korean 😡 I find people just ask me 'why'?

IT'S SO LOVELY FedUp ! I'm having to drag myself away from final 3 episodes so I can at least pretend to do some work (which involves kittens so shouldn't be a chore for goodness sake).
Thanks for the video Jin - ear AND fingerworm.

@polkettle

IT'S SO LOVELY FedUp ! I'm having to drag myself away from final 3 episodes so I can at least pretend to do some work (which involves kittens so shouldn't be a chore for goodness sake). Thanks for the video Jin - ear AND fingerworm.

I'm loving ML's work on Apple Music. He's a talented guy!

I have a soft spot for musicians... 😅

@LarryUnderwood we must have been classmates. 😊 I did the Sejong Institute course too. I agree with Larry that it was a lot of work (probably around 4 hours a week if you did the homework and took notes in the pre-recorded lessons). Their expectations were very high! I thought it was great value for money and really liked the pre-recorded lessons. Sadly there wasn't enough time to really talk to anyone, so I feel like one-to-one must be great. They have taken onboard some comments from participants and are making the courses slightly longer now (17 instead of 15 weeks). I learnt a lot but I'm not sure I'll commit to studying the next level.

Andante sorry to hear you've experienced negativity. That's rubbish. I think learning anything language is amazing.

Thanks for the info about tutoring.

I find people just ask me 'why'?

Same here. I always reply “why not?”

@boatyardblues

Thanks for the info about tutoring.

I find people just ask me 'why'?

Same here. I always reply “why not?”

Brilliant response.

I'm just doing Duolingo for Japanese, but I'm sticking to my New Years resolution this time with it!

@boatyardblues

Thanks for the info about tutoring.

I find people just ask me 'why'?

Same here. I always reply “why not?”

That's what I always say, why does anyone learn anything? I think anyone learning anything is brilliant, I don't understand why anyone would question it 🤷‍♀️

I need to get back on duolingo Briiiiick, once I lost my streak, I found it difficult to get back into it. I must do that today!

I'm only 10 mins into Nigeru wa Haji daga yaku ni tatsu (We Married as a Job) and I have cleaner envy and am trying to work out how the sink tidy sticks on as that would mean clutter free worktop