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!

Some MARVELLOUS person - not me - has started a 2022 page on the spreadsheet - thank you!!

I've added a couple of new dramas to get the ball rolling.

Please update your score for 2021 so we can do a results score for the next thread.

Currently the most scored / watched drama of 2021 is Squid Game, but interestingly no drama has yet scored 9 or above

My interest in YYS only extends to Dong Mae

@bettys

My interest in YYS only extends to Dong Mae

Same 🤷‍♀️

@bettys

My interest in YYS only extends to Dong Mae

Me too. Also shallow in this. 🤷‍♀️

@bettys, I have a couple of 9s to dramas, Beyond Evil and Doom at your service I think

My DH and I added scores to the spread sheet. I hope you don't mind, I let him do his own column as we couldn't always agree. Sadly he's extremely biased in favour of Park Shin Hye so that's reflected in the scores. 😂

He does a pretty good snog in Dr Romantic tbf but I agree that Dong Mae is next tier unexpected phwoarness. Generally I'm not "interested" in him but I have soft spot for the sweetly earnest mundanity of his YouTube channel.

@bettys

My interest in YYS only extends to Dong Mae

I also.

Has someone put Nigeru... in the pre 2019 sheet yet?

@FedUpWithBriiiiick

Has someone put Nigeru... in the pre 2019 sheet yet?

Never mind, couldn't see it so I popped it in

@Rowdythree and @MusiqueAutomatique I have DMed you.

Well done everyone on the scoring updates. We’re nearly 3/4 way through this thread and, with the way our recent jdramas have upped our posting rate, I think we’ll soon fill it. Give me a shout with any additions to the recommendations list & include a suggested category.

@boatyardblues

Well done everyone on the scoring updates. We’re nearly 3/4 way through this thread and, with the way our recent jdramas have upped our posting rate, I think we’ll soon fill it. Give me a shout with any additions to the recommendations list & include a suggested category.

I've reflected and bumped Squid Game up by .5. Also added Nigeru and the 2021 special in to 2016 and 2021 respectively so folks might want to check that out 👍

I have now completed In-house Marriage Honey and can report it is harmless fluff. I feel like I’ve eaten a whole tube of Pringles in a single sitting. I’m not drama hungry but I’m not satisfied either.

A side observation: if i was a newly arrived alien watching jdrama to ascertain how humans sexually reproduce I would be reporting back to the mothership that it appears to be achieved through clasped hands with interlocked fingers. Alien me would still be mulling over the role of neck nuzzles, possibly a means to subdue the female to make the hand clasping easier? Penises and vaginas would not appear in my report as there is no indication that the groin area is involved. (Note: recreational BL content excluded from this analysis.)

Ahn Jae-hong is looking pretty good there Briiiick. I've got a contender for alternative oppa status too - Sung Dong-il. He just has a certain something. Maybe it's his laugh...

We are making our way slowly through The Red Sleeve and I am waiting impatiently for the fabled bath scene.

In other news I finally made japchae and it tasted pretty good to me. I have no idea what it is actually supposed to taste like though.

Omg Musique, I really like Sung Dong Il! He definitely has something about him, I thought I was the only one 😆

Rowdy & Musique - best get down to Specsavers on Monday, the pair of you! 🤣

The fabled bath scene does not disappoint. If they could have got away with putting a 70’s boom-chick-a-wah-wah soundtrack over it, they would have done.

I really liked him in Sysiphus

DH and I are watching s1 of Kingdom again, Ju Ji Hoon and zombies, what more can we want on a Saturday night

I noticed most of Joo Ji Hoon’s (Viki spelling) shows are not available in our region, but there is now a link in the app to the Viki request form. I’ve been busy. If any other Ju Ji Hoon fans on the thread feel similarly frustrated, get requesting.

@bettys, I have a couple of 9s to dramas, Beyond Evil and Doom at your service I think

It's interesting because although some scores for Doom were 9 and above it was rated by 9 people with scores from 10 to 5.5 which resulted in an overall 7.56 points.

@bettys, I see what you mean

I'm removing my unfairly low score for DAYS in light of other people's love. It was the only drama last year I didn't actually finish because weirdly I just didn't care enough. But don't want to drag it down because it wasn't my particular bag and given others' strong love. It's not like I didn't get enjoyment from parts of it.

Briiiick I'm glad it's not just me! He has a twinkle in his eye and a surfeit of personality. I'd take that over a set of abs with no sense of humour any day.

I think the bath scene may be next episode. In the meantime I'm thoroughly enjoying the rotteness of Sir Prereceptor and all the scheming that is going on.

I'd take that over a set of abs with no sense of humour any day

Surely it must be possible to have a set of abs AND a sense of humour

Look. Stop trying to make Song Dong-il happen. IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

He's the Korean Dennis Waterman, for goodness sake!