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!

@FedUpWithBriiiiick

Those baggy jeans. I remember them soaking up all the water when it rained 🤣

Yes, and then they would get all frayed around the bottom of the leg 😂

@boatyardblues

Anyone else finding that Business Proposal has taken the sting out of the Monday morning blues? I’m counting down to tea time. 😄

Definitely! I can’t remember being this excited since Dallas and who shot JR.

I am watching. I should be getting dinner on. 😂

Hmm. Mismatched slip-ons maybe. Not this scenario.

I had to pause to howl at the ineptitude of the bomb shot set-up at Ha-Ri’s team dinner. If we ever have a funniest/crappest soju bomb category in our Daebak Awards this is it! 😄😂😄😂😄😂

So reporting back re Love Ft Marriage & Divorce. Finished season 1 (cos you now don't have to 😉) Utter melodrama in a soap opera delivery. Think Dynasty/Dallas etc but longer winded scenes. Infuriating at times due to one particular wife who is so obsessed with pleasing her husband. To the point of chilling his underwear in fridge everyday (gift wrapped in a box) as he is too hot after his shower!! The shower he needs after bonking his v young mistress 🤬

Gotta say though, I'm going in for Season 2😳. Not before I watch this weeks Business Proposal. Will try to save 2521 for next week so I can watch ep13-16 in one binge but not promising!

Gotta say though, I'm going in for Season 2
That's the spirit Aesops #proudofyou 😂👌
The Konglish really made me laugh in today's Business Proposal. Everyone is just having such a good time in that show. Boo hiss to it being over next week.

Boo hiss to it being over next week.

Noooooo. Is it a shorter series? I thought it was behind 25/21 and FLAW.

12 episoder 😭😭

I'm going to start Business Proposal if it's coming to an end! I really want a good binge, it's been a while!

I'm still 2 episodes behind on FLAW but I'm going to catch up tonight. I still enjoy the show, but it's not what I thought it was going to be after watching the first episode.

Thegirl how was your head after the soju? 😬

@polkettle

12 episoder 😭😭

😱😱😱😱... 12 eps! 😩😭😭😭😭

Dh just sent me this clip, if this isn't a plot of some crazy international movie I don't know what it is 😂

Rowdy! 🤣 I had to re-read that cutting twice to make sense of it.

I’m still laughing.

@boatyardblues

Rowdy! 🤣 I had to re-read that cutting twice to make sense of it.

I know! It's so crazy that it makes no sense at all 😂 I don't know how people have such crazy lives! I await the Netflix series

I really want to try the Dynamite Drink 🍻!! Business Proposal is so much fun.

I'm going to start Business Proposal if it's coming to an end! I really want a good binge, it's been a while!
Rowdy - it's really funny and sweet. Perfect binge fodder,

I need something fun to binge at the mo.

DH and I are loving Pachinko. Even though he has to stop it every 10 minutes to ask me something about Korean/Japanese language or culture 😁

Pachinko is so good. Even Lee Min Ho is doing a bit of proper acting (still looks like a crap kisser though)
It must be the only drama that I don't skip the titles for

Even Lee Min Ho is doing a bit of proper acting

LOL. The guy playing Solomon is definitely throwing LMH some shade in the acting stakes. Not difficult. The big rock by the laundry stream had more presence in those scenes. 😂

Just finished latest episode of Business Proposal.
I enjoyed it but the ‘team dinner’ made me cringe.
I know Kdrama wouldn’t be Kdrama without heavy drinking scenes but BP seems to have an awful lot.

Do we think the frequent drinking scenes are correlated with the 12 episode run? Alcohol-fuelled hijinx are the writer’s dream: plot advancement opportunities turned up to 11. 😄

Would any of you recommend your specific Korean tutor on italki or Verbling? I’m thinking about having another go at learning.

@boatyardblues

Do we think the frequent drinking scenes are correlated with the 12 episode run? Alcohol-fuelled hijinx are the writer’s dream: plot advancement opportunities turned up to 11. 😄

Good point -I hadn’t thought of that but you’re right.

Re a Korean tutor, my one bit of advice is to have a teacher who speaks very good English as some aspects of the Korean language are complicated and need careful and clear explanation.
화이팅!