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!

I watch a vlogger on YT 'it's Michelle' who is a Korean mum living in Canada who cooks the most amazing dishes. She has arrived in Seoul with her hubby and kids for the first time in 8 yrs. watching her eat out and shop and enjoy being in SK again is really fab. Im screen capturing all her k Beauty buys and restaurant choices. 🙏

I can recommend Juvenile Justice as it is very good. Be warned it's heavy going though with very adult content.

Rowdythree hopefully it was just a bigger stone. I hadn't realised she still had the tracker on the watch. Must be my suspicious nature.

I don't know if she still wore the watch either but I give Mr Ahn the benefit of the doubt

What’s The Scholar Who Walks at Night like? Is there enough Elven King to justify the time outlay? And does he also rock the vampire look? I might also watch Weightlifting Fairy again to help me deal with my NJH withdrawal

Boaty it looks like it has gone from Netflix ...although it may have been Dramabus I watched it on originally. To be fair it is mostly Lee Joon Gi anyway, though Elven King does rock the evil vampire look. If you can find it anywhere, Sweet Stranger & Me aka Man Living at My House has the double whammy of Lee Soo Hyuk and Kim Young Kwan, a positive stable of horseracy legginess and is quite watchable.

I may try to track down Pipeline (film) which came out last year and has Elven King and Seo In Guk - a DAYS reunion

Failing thaT I think I'LL JOIN YOU IN A WLFKBJ rewatch for NJH

Oooh has anyone seen King of High School Savvy? Viki - another Lee Soo Hyuk & Seo In Guk collaboration

Although I'm really in a NJH frame of mind now.....better go open the prosecco and put t'oven on and stop monologuing

I just stumbled on the School Nurse Files trailer on Netflix. I’d written it off as too bonkers but I didn’t realise Jung Yu-Mi is the FL. The combination of her with NJH has tipped me into giving it a try. I really like her performances. She’s great in anything where she’s paired with Gong Yoo and I think NJH has a similar vibe.

@Rowdythree

I don't know if she still wore the watch either but I give Mr Ahn the benefit of the doubt

You are a lot more trusting than I am, but as he is so pretty, I shall too

I started school nurse files and then stopped... Can't remember why....??.

Might give it another go... 👍👍👍

It’s proper weird Bea. 🤯

What. the. fuck? < Me one episode in. It makes Strong Girl Bong Soon look like a sedate Merchant Ivory period drama.

boaty here’s a pic of Elven King in Scholar Who Walks The Night

Popped round to Olga’s to watch Pipeline , it’s a perfectly acceptable crime caper about nicking oil from a …..pipeline

@Rowdythree - I loved the bride of haebak - there is a lot of scenes of njh outdoor bathing, strolling around after doing so! To the point I can’t really remember the story line… but does it need a story line beyond that really? Tbh they could film 16 hours of that and I’d be quite happy to watch it. 🙈 sure it had some funny bits (with an underling to the gods maybe?) and a happy ending!

I’ve found my groove with School Nurse Files now. It’s bonkers but it’s developing its own mad logic. NJH i s playing a very different role - a complete misfit, oddball type - but, well, NJH innit?

Does anyone fancy a day out?

Boaty - how many episodes of school nurse files did it take you to get into it? I watched 1 or 2 a while ago, but didn’t warm to it. Though I wanted to after loving njh in haebak and wfkbj. Maybe really I should be asking how many episodes before the poor man takes his top off (surely monsters have to be fought topless??) so I stop worrying about the plot? … I must now seem like a total perve, but he is just so beautiful.

Good evening all (assuming it's evening where you are). Another lurker de-lurking! 🙂 Must be the lighter evenings bringing us out....

My Korea interest started with mild lockdown-born curiosity about BTS after Dynamite featured on Strictly back in 2020 🤔 18 months later I've branched out into all things Korean, am 8 weeks into a beginners' language course, and am hoping to visit the country next year. The Bangtan-minded among you will see from my username that my initial interest in BTS has not waned 😀

I discovered this thread fairly early on and it has been invaluable in guiding my Netflix explorations (haven't succumbed to Viki yet, but I might be tempted 😁). So cheers for that! 🙏

Hi Saram 👋👋👋
You should definitely get Viki 😁
boaty School Nurse Files is proper weird but also v short (six EPs) and NJH is lovely but not a traditional romantic lead ie he doesn't take his top off 🤣

Thanks for the ElvenKing explanation bettys, he really does have that air of pale languor about him. I’ve been looking up The Scholar Who Walks The Night and it is on Viki but not in the UK. I’ve tried a few different regions via my VPN but I haven’t struck lucky so far.

I think I am going to start Doom At Your Service as I didn’t watch that last year, and join in with bettys and Boaty on an NJH inspired watch of Weightlifting Fairy, except it won’t be a re-watch for me. Nothing else I’ve seen pop up has been that inspiring so far. Netflix wants me to watch Green Mothers’ Club but it looks too similar to my life (apart from the competitive aspect of it that is) so I don’t fancy it to be honest.

TheGirl and Bea I already have no life and it only started in December! I bought their entire back catalogue in January (I don’t do streaming) but luckily DH can legitimately write it off against tax Have you recovered from that shift TheGirl? It sounds totally crap.

Rowdy hurrah! I bet you feel great now Hwaiting for your future plans. I watched The Bride of Habaek and from one perspective it is a total load of old tosh but I enjoyed it hugely nevertheless. Just NJH in a wig and eyeliner was worth all the silly bits. Plus I really like the FL but I can’t remember her name at the present, she was in Run On and Rookie Historian too.

Boaty The School Nurse Files is totally crazy but I did like it. The two leads worked really well together and it was nice to see NJH in a role where he isn’t exactly a romantic lead.

I finished FLAW. My favourite bit was Mr Penguin’s TMI moment in front of Ms.Penguin and her mother. She couldn’t get out of there fast enough!

Welcome saram13! 👋 Love a delurker. 😄

I’ve now rolled into ep 4 of School Nurse Files to start off with. It is massively weird but does start to take a shape and become more intriguing. There’s a shady cult-like organisation and a baddy rival. There are a couple of key school kids whose roles are shaping up. I still haven’t worked out what the ducks are all about. NJH is less glam in this but his lovely voice is 👌.

Wow Musique the whole back catalogue 😍 I'm jealous of the photocards you will have amassed 😅

Welcome @Saram13!

I'm pondering whether to get stuck into another drama before Sunday or not. Plowing through Bridgerton for rumpiness, so might counterbalance with a c-drama - @polkettle didnt you recommend Oath of Love for nerd poppet value?

It also has the FL from On the Verge of Insanity as Jung Yu-Mi’s mystic acupuncturist bestie. Side bar: Is tongue acupuncture a thing? That scene made me squeak.

Boatyard happy to oblige 😀

TheGirl I'm currently moving through Netflix's back catalogue at a sub-sloth pace (somewhat ironically, largely due to the enjoyable demands of the Korean course). But I'm sure Viki will get me in the end 😁 [Eyes the Bangtan Season's Greetings desktop calendar lurking accusingly on top of the record player, purchased approximately six weeks after defending my interest with the immortal words 'no, of course I won't be buying any merchandise' 🤔 It's a slippery slope 😂]

Musique I've also acquired the entire back catalogue over the last year, in fits and starts. And, yes, wigs and eyeliner are surely a sound recommendation for ANY viewing [nods sagely]

Briiiiick 👋🙂