MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #31): After a kdrama dry January, a bounteous February glut saw the carousing begin!

[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, AppleTV and Disney+. 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 list 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. 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)
The Red Sleeve (Viki)*

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)
Black (Netflix)*
Happiness* (Viki)
Hotel del Luna (Viki/Netflix)*
King: The Eternal Monarch (Netflix)
Kingdom (Netflix)*
Kingdom: Ashin of the North (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)
In House Marriage Honey (Viki, Japanese)
In Time With You (Viki - Japanese)
Instead of Tipsy Why Not Get Drunk (Viki, Chinese)
Lost Romance (Viki, Taiwanese)
Love O2O (Viki, Chinese)
Million Yen Women (Netflix, Japanese)
Morning Call (Netflix, Japanese)
My Little Happiness (Viki, Chinese)
Put Your Head on My Shoulder (Netflix, Chinese)
Rinko Wants To Try (Viki)
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 aka “the shit list” 💩

Melting Me Softly
The Birth of a Beauty
Well-Intentioned Love season 1 (S2 is fine & stands alone)

The Addicts’ Top Scoring 2021 Dramas
Courtesy of Hello’s kdrama spreadsheet, updated by thread regulars. Marks out of 10.

So, current rankings @ 21.15ish today:

1. The Red Sleeve - 10 (2 votes, more pending)
2. Happiness - 9 (6 votes)
3. Devil Judge - 8.75 (3 votes)
4. Squid Game - 8.63 (12 votes)
5. Navillera - 8.57 (7 votes)

2020’s top scoring dramas
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 sometimes resort to acronyms and/or abbreviations of show titles or favourite actors’ names. 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!

Love the title @boatyardblues

Jin - I think it was you who prompted me to reuse something I posted on the previous thread as my next header. 👍

Oh YES!!
Loved it then too, It accurately reflects my current mood.

@JinBhoot

Oh YES!! Loved it then too, It accurately reflects my current mood.

I think quite a few of us have felt like that recently. Thank goodness things are getting back to normal!

Thanks for the new thread!

Boaty I was going to stream the show at home but my eldest has a birthday weekend and I feel a bit bad ignoring family and my child for BTS so I'm going to hold out for Vegas. I'm telling myself it'll be better as the audience will actually be allowed to make some audience type sounds but I am a bit gutted. I'm sure you will enjoy it and I'll try not to feel jealous. I didn't buy cinema tickets as was a bit worried I'd bump into some actual teenage BTS fans that I could possibly know and I'm not ready to be outed quite yet

Hawthornknitter are you new or a recent name change? I just watched Coffee Prince and loved it.

I quailed at the price of the Cineworld ticket. DH shrugged and said I should just go. It’s easier to justify if you go alone.

Can’t you wear a face mask and black baseball cap Musique? 😄

Thanks for the new thread. I am ready to carouse.

I have watched both episodes of Business Proposal and am really enjoying it.

I also managed to finish All of Us Are Dead last night. It really picked up in the last few episodes and I hope we have series 2.

Also just finished Love and Leashes which I thought was actually very lovely, if slightly vanilla considering subject matter. I didn't realise you left your trousers on in situations like that, but what do I know?

I didn't realise you left your trousers on in situations like that, but what do I know?

🤣😂🤣 I know what you mean!

I thought his barking was excellent, though. Just the right pitch. I wonder if he took lessons.

I just watched the blind date scene in ep 1 of Business Proposal again and it was just as funny second time around. Samantha and Rachel! 😂 On second viewing I wondered how many takes it took. Ahn Hyo Seop looks like he’s stifling laughter in a couple of places.

I must watch that scene again, it was very funny,

It took me a few minutes to realise that the guy cleaning the flat was the male lead, he looked so different - second episode I think.

Well, a man that can cook and likes to clean usually scores a big hit on the thread. I don’t think it will take long for Ahn Hyo Seop to win us round. He even had a floppy fringe in ep 2. 👌

I thought it was funny he has to go round to his secretary’s home to cook and clean because he has servants at home. Kind of mind bending when, for most of us, having someone to magically take care of the household drudgery is the dream.

I think it was the floppy fringe that confused me. I originally though that he was the secretary's boyfriend when he was in the flat.

The thought of having a man who would cook and clean for me sounds fabulous, can you imagine? Or servants, I wouldn't say no to servants.

Whoo lovely new thread! Thanks again boaty 💖
I have been strongly considering the BTS cinema tickets but I'm away for the weekend with friends in the Lake District. They do still have tickets at the cinema in Penrith but I feel a bit bad leaving for about 5 hours including travel from where we are 😔

Out of interest, I just looked up how much I paid to watch the Love Yourself concert, it was £13.70 for an adult ticket and £11.70 for a child in 2018. When DD was a die hard Army, I would have paid any price for her to see them, especially as we couldn't get concert tickets

I think the livestream ticket prices must be pegged to the standard local film ticket prices. Out here in the boonies I have bot had to pay the prices quoted above.

Not…

Odeon in Belfast showing. Adult ticket = £25 😱

Also £25 at my nearest cinema in London or £30 if you go for the Recliner seat at the next nearest ....

Thought I better join the new thread before I lose it.

I had a break from Kdramaland last night as DH wanted to watch Hero which he'd recently picked up on DVD. I find Chinese films quite hard to watch normally because of the dubbing but it was so impressive visually I did get into it in the end and rather enjoyed it.

I've also started Business Proposal as it seemed to be going down well on here and I'm liking it so far, I'm enjoying the silliness.

I've got the 2 online concerts already lined up and if i add the cinema live stream... i'll be watching thurs / sat and sun! .... debating to go to the cinema one... I'd love to but also not keen on going by myself!!!!

You won’t be there by yourself really. We’ll be there with you in solidarity, also sitting on our own in cinemas around the UK. 😄

I am working that day but will definitely be there in spirit! 💜💃🕺

Oh dear - several hours already lost to Tapas and their 'Modern Romance' section - SO many chisel jawed, 8 packed, nipple-less CEOs in suits and out of them...