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!

I can't find Snowdrop. Where is it please?!

Disney plus Aesops. I want to watch Rookie Cops but doesn't appear to be on there yet. Neither is Crazy Love which is on Disney in other regions 🙄
39 continues to be baffling in tone and intent but the hideous golf outfit PPL today was a treat.

Snowdrop is brilliant Aesops, my favourite show of the year so far

Oooh I don't have Disney+ 🤨

I am enjoying my rewatch of Hwarang far too much. It must be 4 yrs since I watched it, right at the start of my kdrama conversion. It's got everyone in it and I recognise them all now and am positively revelling in the bonkersness of it.

AesopsMables I think you can get 3 months of Disney+ using Tesco clubcard vouchers if you have them.

bettys I can't wait to watch this, once I have finished several other dramas I have on the go.

Polkettle I watched Rookie Cops with a VPN.
I’m saving the last episode until tomorrow. Opinion seems to be mixed about Kang Daniel’s acting - I thought it was ok but not amazing.

I’m still ploughing through Only Just Married on Viki. The ML is a complete turnip. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ Romantically inept doesn’t even touch the sides. I have just witnessed some cringingly wooden lip stashing. It’s like watching a love robot with a programming error. FL is more compelling. Still not persuaded that anyone could love that cat, though he seems to have zero get up & go so your upholstery might be spared.

I'm back into Business Proposal after banking a few episodes.

Thon boyo Ahn Hyo-seop has a wee bit of Lee Dong-wook about him, don't you think?

@Metheven I love Hwarang too! Make sure you look out for the very realistic, ye olde shower scene 😍

I just went to remind myself on YouTube. 😂 So good! 5 kdrama lovelies in one shower scene! And they do some dancing to Its Definitely You

Thanks TheGirlWithTheArabStrab that has now leapt up to next in the queue to watch.

😁

My goodness Metheven... what did you say?! I don't think we've ever had a deletion before 😁

No, it was something I wanted deleting, nothing more.

Understood 😊

@JinBhoot

25/21 - there are so many tweets with possible theories I am sure hashtag 25/21 theory is trending in Korea.

I will start once ep14 is on air.
I need to know if it will have a Bea friendly ending.
I have seen numerous clips on insta & they are so cute. Loved the cooking scenes from recent episodes.

If it isn't my sort of ending I'll bead blardy furious! Can't bear the thought of investing all that time and for the ending to be... "unsatisfactory"!! 😡😡😡

@bettys yayaaa my 25/21 buddy.

It’s rare that I want drama character in RL, the sister & friend of ML in I'll Find You on a Beautiful Day are just lovely, I want to meet such people for real. I am starting ep10 and it seems ploy twist is coming and it might ruin the show (hence the rating on the spread sheet).

Rating reminded me of The light in your eyes it’s rated -10 by bettys was it it the story?

@boatyardblues that cat 😂😂😂 I want to see other cats in Japan to gauge how do cats look like in that region. I wonder if animals (like humans) also have different features depending on ethnicity.

Happy Paddy's Day FedUp! Hope Mr Binn is pacing himself on the breakfast Guinness.

Rating reminded me of The light in your eyes it’s rated -10 by bettys was it it the story?

Oh I was so disappointed in that drama! It’s a marmite one, with a plot twist that really pissed me off. The FL is one whose acting I really don’t rate, and while I tried to watch just for Nam Joo Hyuk I felt he was wasted in it. I skipped to the last episode and then was very very glad I hadn’tt watched it all.

But hey, other online reviews really rated it 🤷🏻‍♀️

@polkettle

Happy Paddy's Day FedUp! Hope Mr Binn is pacing himself on the breakfast Guinness.

Go raibh maith agat, Pol!

All very healthy here. Going on a lovely walk to a gorgeous Irish woodland.

Followed by plenty Guinness.

I dipped into Semantic Error last night. Episodes are bite sized (30mins) and easy enough to watch. VIKI viewers rating it at 9.7 is puzzling me though as after 4 episodes I would say 7 at best. Will continue a few more and report back..

I dipped into Semantic Error last night. Episodes are bite sized (30mins) and easy enough to watch. VIKI viewers rating it at 9.7 is puzzling me though as after 4 episodes I would say 7 at best. Will continue a few more and report back..

I’ve also dipped into it & wonder if the score is based on the manwha which is much better imo…🤔

25 21... Nam Joo Hyuk is 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰... I'm reminded how lovely and great actor... And how much I rated him in WFKBJ... and what a waste with more recent dramas!... Scenes with his dad at the bus made me 😭😭😭😭😭.. It's a great proper drama! 👍👍👍