MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #32): Spring is in the air, it’s blossom season and the BinJin wedding was lovely. Happiness abounds!

[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 actively 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)*
Snowdrop (Disney+)
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)
Pachinko (AppleTV)
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)
Business Proposal (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)
Twenty-five Twenty-one (Netflix)*
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)*

On The Verge of Insanity (Viki)
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)

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

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, writers, film and music when the mood takes us. We have some ARMY (BTS fans) among our regulars. Some 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!

😂😂😂... Lots of those clips were from Mr Vampire! Hilarious! Thanks @boatyardblues 👍😂😂

Not the covid Andante! I hope you have a mild dose.

I've watched three episodes of Weightlifting Fairy so far and it's definitely doing the job. Boaty in my opinion swimmers have the best physique of all the athletes so it's obviously a major hardship to watch from that point of view. The rivalry between the weightlifters and the gymnasts is very enjoyable.

Briiick thanks for the Bridgerton review. Next week I will give it a whirl.

We seem to have started watching Stardust again. There's something about magic from the British Isles that is very wonderful.

Back home tomorrow after a week of sunsets and beaches and fresh air. To be fair, I can have all of that at home but most of the time I'm too busy watching kdrama

Right, off to watch about hopping vampires...

in my opinion swimmers have the best physique of all the athletes

I agree. 🙂

Stardust is also a favourite here. We must rewatch it at least once a year. Robert de Niro’s character is great & such a fun performance.

I'm catching up on FLAW right now and astounded at how someone who was just moments ago was in hospital is in the next episode conducting dangerous open sea missions in the midst of a typhoon. I know there's a very different work ethic in Korea but that really takes the biscuit.

Metheven and Musique 👋🙂

Andante I was Covid-ed for the first time recently too and spent my isolation from the rest of the family binge-watching Coffee Prince (I did say I had alot of catching up to do 🙈). Hope you recover without incident 🙏

Thanks to Boatyard and others for the introduction to hopping vampires in general and Mr Vampire in particular 😁

Series go up later here than in the UK, but I shall be checking out FLAW and Business Proposal in due course. My teacher is currently visiting family in Korea and says 25/21 is an absolute craze out there, so that's going on the list. As is Strong Woman (more catching up....)

I see alot of you are into webtoons. I haven't dipped my toes into those waters yet (the old slippery slope again 🤔) but do love graphic novels. I would recommend Moms by Ma Yeong-shin (darkly funny and great for Korean cultural references) and Palimpsest by Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom (not a very cheerful subject matter 😕 but, again, provides an insight into the culture).

I flippin' love Stardust! It's an absolute gem of a film! Charlie Cox is lovely lovely in it! Sooo funny and brilliantly done! 😍😍

Oh I loved Moms Saram. Will check out Palimpsest.
Finally reading Crying in H Mart Michelle Zauner - tender Korean American memoir about bereavement and straddling two cultures. It's great.
25/21 definitely really worth watching. I've just about come to terms with the lack of ending twist now and the writing and performances in it are so good. You just need the lens that it's a nostalgic ensemble drama about youth rather than a straight romance.

I've started Live this morning and it's keeping my interest. There are some new dramas released on Netflix which also seem like potential however will wait a few weeks for more episodes to drop.

Love fst Marriage &Divorce is only being released one ep per week for the final 6 which is annoying as I want to finish it 😏

@AesopsMables, another LftMD fan here. It's so good in parts yet bonkers (really, a ghost?) in others but I do love a good cheating husband/bf getting their comeuppance. I've even watched all 150 episodes of The Second Husband.

Any revenge makjang recommendations?

@MigsandTiggs @AesopsMables you are making me want to try LftMD which I had avoided as I’m not keen on infidelity storylines. Might wait until s3 is all up.

For makjang revenge I can recommend The Last Empress on Viki. It seems to have left Netflix. It does suffer slightly from the fact that it was so popular they stuck another couple of episodes on, which led to an untimely exit for one character as they had to go film something else, but it’s a fun ride.

Bettys LFM&D is choc full of infidelity yet as always the perpetrators get their comeuppance.As Miggs says it's utterly bonkers, particularly series 3. Yet I got sucked in and overall enjoyed it, apart from the stoopid ghost scenes which are just daft 😆

Miggs I tried searching for The Second Husband to add to my watch list but can't see it on Netflix or Vikki?

@AesopsMables

Miggs I tried searching for The Second Husband to add to my watch list but can't see it on Netflix or Vikki?

sent you a pm.

[quote bettys]**@MigsandTiggs* @AesopsMables* you are making me want to try LftMD which I had avoided as I’m not keen on infidelity storylines. Might wait until s3 is all up.

For makjang revenge I can recommend The Last Empress on Viki. It seems to have left Netflix. It does suffer slightly from the fact that it was so popular they stuck another couple of episodes on, which led to an untimely exit for one character as they had to go film something else, but it’s a fun ride.[/quote]
@bettys, thanks for the recommendation, I'll try it.

@AesopsMarbles, have you tried watching the Youtube channel of Two TenEast? The review n comments on LftM&D had me in stitches

Our Blues has landed on Netflix! I know I'm going on holiday tomorrow but I can't resist! Going in...

Yep. So, it's already brilliant. I've got the feeling it's going to be a classic.

Hope the curse of the covid production doesn't strike again!

Ooh yes. Bang into first episode of Our Blues. Also bang into brooding eyes Kim Woo-Bin. All the Bins please.

Love the way it's filmed and the omnibus approach.

I'm a sucker for a fish market anyway but all the heart eyes for Jeju divers.

Our Blues... I'm looking forward to this and to hear the lovely Park Jimin on the OST! 😍😂😊

Diving for Abalone looks fun! I'm
getting serious HTCCC vibes from Our Blues

@Rowdythree

Hope you feel better soon Andante! At least covid has struck now than just before your holiday! Tune in for Love and a Wish You are both pleasent enough movies, fine for watching when you're not feeling up to much

Speaking of films, has anyone seen The Wailing? We might watch it over the weekend

Rowdy The Wailing is my brother's all-time favourite film. He studied film though, and can have quite pretentious taste. DH says it's excellent too but very creepy.

Oh, looking forward to Our Blues! Bit gutted that I don't think Kim Woo-Bin and Shin Min-ah are paired up in it though.

I enjoyed Our Blues. I loved all the little details like the quay-side fish auction - such an efficient way of getting things done with a highly perishable commodity. The Han-Su/Eun-Hui story line is great and I love the flashbacks. The pig on the bus was a great touch. Agree with everyone else that it has got off to an excellent start. I paused to do the currency conversion on Eun-Hui’s annual take home (does anyone else do that?) - nearly £200K. 👏 Well done that woman! What a great character.

SK may have issues with a heavily patriarchal culture but it seems to give rise to some really forthright, impressive female characters. I recall we dug down into this a while ago and someone turned out an article which basically said (parapheasing from memory) that because Korean men are less chivalrous and sexism is more entrenched than in western society the women don’t pussyfoot around with female socialisation either and just crack on with being formidable.