MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #47: Lee Min-Ho’s a no-show, Kim Soo-Hyun cried himself into a dry husk and a sweet mobster sausage supremo is currently charming the noonas. We continue our ongoing mission to spread Kdrama joy. 😘

[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.
Our list is cumulative so includes recommendations and favourites from all previous threads. Shows marked with a star 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
I picked up a celebrity on the street (Viki)
LTNS (no major platform yet)
My Fellow Citizens (Viki/Netflix)
The Fiery Priest (Netflix)

Crime/Thriller
Bloodhounds (Netflix)
Come and Hug Me (Dramafast)
Graceful Family (Viki)
Healer (Netflix)🌟
Heartless City (Viki)
He is Psychometric (Viki)
I Hear Your Voice (Netflix /Viki)
Killer Paradox (Netflix)
Life on Mars (classy remake of BBC series, no major site yet)
Little Women (Netflix)
Maestra (Disney+)
My Name (Netflix)
My Secret Terrius (Netflix)🌟
Signal (Netflix)🌟
Somebody (Netflix, content warning: sexual & violence)
Snowdrop (Disney+)
Stranger - 2 seasons (Netflix)
Suspicious Partner (Netflix)🌟
The Lies Within (Netflix)🌟
The Worst of Evil (Disney+)
Tunnel (Netflix)🌟
Vigilante (Disney+)

Historical/Period drama (“sageuk”)
100 Days My Prince (Viki/Netflix)
Crowned Clown (Viki/Netflix)🌟
Missing Crown Prince (Viki)
Mr Queen (Viki)🌟
Mr Sunshine (Netflix)
My Dearest (Viki)
Our Blooming Youth (Viki)
Pachinko (AppleTV)
Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung (Netflix)
Tale of Nokdu (Viki/Netflix)🌟
The Forbidden Marriage (Viki)
The King’s Affection (Netflix)
The Red Sleeve (Viki)🌟

Makjang
Perfect Marriage Revenge (Viki)

Romance - lighter & fluffier
Beating Again (Netflix)
Business Proposal (Netflix)
Coffee Prince (Netflix)
Dali & the Cocky Prince (Viki)
Destined with You (Netflix)
Don’t Dare to Dream (Netflix, or as The Eighth Sense [BL] (Viki)
Jealousy Incarnate on Viki)🌟
Gogh, The Starry Night (Viki)
Happy Once Again (Netflix)
Her Private Life (Viki/Netflix)
His Master’s Sun (Netflix) 🌟
Hometown Cha Cha Cha (Viki)🌟
King The Land (Netflix)
Love for Love’s Sake(QiYi)
Love from a Star (Netflix)🌟
Lovely Runner (Viki)
Lovestruck in the City (Netflix)
Monthly Magazine Home (Viki)
Pinocchio (Netflix)
Race (Disney+)
Radio Romance (Netflix)
Romance is the Bonus Book (Netflix)🌟
Run On (Netflix)
Semantic Error [BL] (Viki)
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)🌟
Wedding Impossible (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 Course in Romance (Netflix)
Crash Landing on You (Netflix)🌟
Daily Dose of Sunshine (Netflix)
Descendants of the Sun (Viki/Netflix)
Doctors (Netflix)
Doom At Your Service (Netflix/Viki)
Extraordinary Attorney Woo (Netflix)
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)/When the Weather is Nice (Netflix)
It’s OK Not To Be OK (Netflix)
Just Between Lovers (Viki)/Rain or Shine (Netflix)🌟
Mad For Each Other (Netflix)🌟
Marry My Husband (
Melo is my Nature (Viki)/Be Melodramatic (Netflix)🌟
My Strange Hero (Viki)
One Spring Night (Netflix)
Red Carpet - film (Netflix, very adult content)
Romantic Dr Kim - seasons 1&2 (Viki), season 3 (Disney+)
Search: WWW (Viki, Netflix)🌟
Something in the Rain (Netflix)
Tell Me That You Love Me (Disney+)
The Atypical Family (Netflix)
The Handmaid (film, Netflix - content warning: explicit sexual content)
The Package (Viki)

Straighter ‘Slice of Life’ dramas on universal themes
Gaus Electronics (Viki)🌟
First Responders (Disney+)
Hospital Playlist (Netflix)🌟
Hospital Playlist 2 (Netflix)🌟
Into The Ring (Viki)
Itaewon Class (Netflix)
Live (Netflix)
Misaeng (Netflix)🌟
My Liberation Notes🌟
Move to Heaven (Netflix)
My Mister (Viki/Netflix)🌟
My Unfamiliar Family (Viki)🌟
Navillera (Netflix)🌟
Not Others (Viki)
Prison Playbook (Netflix)🌟
On The Verge of Insanity (Viki)
Once Again (Viki)
Our Blues (Netflix)🌟
Stove League (Viki)/Hot Stove League (Netflix)
Racket Boys (Netflix)
The Good Bad Mother (Netflix)
Would You Like a Cup of Coffee (Viki/Netflix)🌟

Supernatural/zombies/vampires/fantasy/sci-fi - lighter & fluffier
A Time Called You (Netflix)
Alchemy of Souls (Netflix) 🌟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)🌟
My Lovely Liar (Viki)
Orange Marmalade (Netflix)
Twinkling Watermelon (Viki)
While You Were Sleeping (Viki)🌟

Supernatural/zombies/vampires/fantasy/sci-fi - darker/more grown up themes
#Alive (Netflix)
Black (Netflix)🌟
Delivery Man (Viki)
Happiness (Viki/Netflix)🌟
Hotel del Luna (Viki/Netflix)🌟
King: The Eternal Monarch (Netflix)
Kingdom (Netflix)🌟
Kingdom: Ashin of the North (Netflix)
Moon in the Day (Viki)
Mystic Pop-up Bar (Netflix)
Peninsula - film, Train to Busan sequel (Amazon Prime, iMovies)
Sisyphus (Netflix)
Sell Your Haunted House (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
Chicken Nugget (Netflix)
Behind Your Touch (Netflix)
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)
F4 Thailand (Viki)
Fake it Till You Make it (Viki)
Find Yourself (Netflix - Chinese)
First Love (Netflix - Japanese)🌟
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)
Let’s Talk About Chu (Netflix, Taiwan)⭐️
Lost Romance [BL] (Viki, Taiwanese)
Love O2O (Viki, Chinese)
Meet Yourself (Viki, Chinese)
Million Yen Women (Netflix, Japanese)
Morning Call (Netflix, Japanese)
My Little Happiness (Viki, Chinese)
My Personal Weatherman [BL] (Jdrama, Viki)
Orange Days (Japan, Netflix)
Put Your Head on My Shoulder (Netflix, Chinese)
Rinko Wants To Try (Viki, Japanese)
Some Day or One Day (Viki, Taiwanese)
Sweat and Soap (Viki, Japanese)
The Makanai (Netflix, Japanese)
The Romance of Tiger & Rose (Viki, Chinese)
The Untamed (Nertlix, 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)

Top Scoring 2023 Dramas
#1 Bloodhounds 8.9
#2 = The Good Bad Mother 8.8
#2 = Deaths Game 8.8
#2 = Moving 8.8
#2 = The Glory 8.8
(#2 rankings by number of votes)

Top Scoring 2022 Dramas
#1 My Liberation Notes 9.45
#2 Alchemy of Souls 9.10
#3 First Love 8.88 (Jdrama)
#4 Our Blues 8.83
#5 Gaus Electronics 8.75

Top Scoring 2021 Dramas
#1 The Red Sleeve - 10
#2 Happiness - 9
#3 Devil Judge - 8.75
#4 Squid Game - 8.6
#5 Navillera - 8.57

Top Scoring 2020 dramas
#1 Mr Queen - 9.4
#2 Parasite (film) - 9.05
#3 It's Okay To Not Be Okay - 8.88
#4 The Uncanny Counter - 8.50
#5 Once Again - 8.42

Top Scoring 2019 dramas
#1 Her Private Life - 9.40
#2 Melo is My Nature - 9.00
#3 tied: Crash Landing On You, The Crowned Clown, The Lies Within, and The Tale of Nokdu - 8.75
#4 Hotel del Luna - 8.50
#5 tied: Romance is a Bonus Book, and Search: WWW - 8.17

We are fans of all things Korean, so equally happy to talk about Korean cookery, language, current affairs, film and music when the mood takes us. A few of us are learning Korean, Japanese and/or Mandarin (some more diligently than others), so we swap tips and links to language resources. Basically, anything topical goes.

We often resort to acronyms and/or abbreviations of show titles or 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!

Welcome to the 47th MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé Kdrama addicts thread courtesy of Boatyardblues -

• please like and subscribe ❤️ 😘 😁

Thanks for the thread!

Thanks for the thread!

Just coming out of lurking to say hello and a huge thank you for all of your thoughts and recommendations on these threads. I’ve been reading for recommendations for a while now - just never actually posted on a forum before!

I started watching k-dramas about two years ago (Hometown Cha Cha Cha and Crash Landing on You were the first ones) and now need to always have one or two on the go. I’ve even advanced to needing a Viki subscription to keep up.

waiting for the next episodes of My Sweet Mobster to drop and searching for something to watch and discovered Inheritors / The Heirs. Have enjoyed it so much. It’s old (2013) and outdated but feels like watching old friends as I felt like I recognised everyone in it (although that might just mean I’m watching too much k-drama!!). My first sighting of the elusive Lee Min-Ho from these thread titles 😂

Anyway, just wanted to say thank you!

Hi ClarityJones 🤗
I enjoyed The Heirs as well and you're right, there's a lot of actors in it who have gone on to do a lot of other things, including a very young Park Hyung-Sik. It's weird about Lee Min-Ho's latest, though, the gynaecologist in space thing, it's been put back so long now I'm starting to wonder if there's actually an issue with it, though it could just be CGI delaying things.

Thanks for the new thread Boaty.

Thanks for new thread of dreams @boatyardblues.

The Sisterhood of the Filthy Noonas continues.

Undefeated by all who try to cross us!

(Except MN when they curtail my posting 🤣)

Thanks for the new thread boaty 😘
welcome aboard clarity!

Can't remember who mentioned it on the last thread, but I've never seen Black. I'll have to get on it. My mission for this week is My Sweet Mobster though as i have serious FOMO and, of course, new episodes of The Boyfriend dropping tomorrow on Netflix. < rubs hands together >

Thanks for the new thread Boaty!

Welcome @ClarityJones ! 👋 I’ve said it before but we like it when people delurk & say they’ve found the list helpful. Do stick around & contribute. The thread is strengthened by a diversity of opinions and recommendations.

Hello clarity, welcome on board, you sound just like I did when I found the thread! Been away for a while but was able to watch Because This Is My First Life - and enjoyed it a LOT. I love me a contract marriage plot and it met all my needs, funny ensemble cast, solid ML/FL. Amazed at how quickly I was able to zip through (with no FF) when I think how time I wasted on She was Pretty. I might need to check out another sageuk drama as not down one for a while and am missing the hanboks, so think I will dive into Missing Crown Prince.

Hello everyone! We’ve decided that we’re going to blast through loads of series during the summer holidays and I’ve told my eldest that we could get a Viki subscription for the next couple of months.

Welcome clarity! you and I must have had a similar HTCCC / CLOY road to obsession!

Speaking of Vicki - does anyone else have constant tech struggles with the app? At the moment it is only working on my phone, and crashes on the tv or tablet whenever I try and open it. I was just thinking today it was a good time to start MSM but no dice.

Have been watching True Beauty which didn't interest me at all whenever Netflix recommended it, but seeing as it's the same writer as Lovely Runner I decided to give it a try. Enjoying it way more that I thought I would. Laughing a lot at the ensemble cast in the same way that LR made me laugh.

I love True Beauty AmVa! the bromance is great. The 2ML deserves the world.

I only ever use viki on my phone and occasionally cast to the TV - haven't had any issues. Have you trued uninstalling/reinstalling? Sometimes that fixes weird glitches....

Viki threw a wobbly for me over the weekend, on both iphone and AppleTV box. I wasn’t able to log in at all. It seems to have sorted itself out over the weekend. I wonder if they had an update go awry or similar.

I made the jump to the new thread! Thank you boaty.
👋@ClarityJones , welcome, we are ALL friendly, helpful nutters here.

AmVa, the Viki app has never worked on my tv, but works perfectly on my phone and mac. I airplay to tv.

@boaty thank you for the FABULOUSLY titled new thread 😍👏

And welcome @ClarityJones 🙂🖐 (do I detect a play on a Pixies song title in your username? Or am I barking up the wrong tree? entirely possible)

I finished My Mister. Ohhhhhhh man well it's clear why it's a classic. What a perfect series, in every way, Joins Reply 1988 and The Good Bad Mother on the do-not-make-any-appointments-for-the-day-after list #puffyeyes 👀

Currently airing shows I'm watching: My Sweet Mobster (LOVE IT) and The Boyfriend (LOVE IT).

I do want to make a start on Miss Night and Day, too.

I started Queen of Tears and am really enjoying it so far (up to episode 5). Also made a start on Will Love in Spring. Lovely Runner is also on the list of recent shows I want to catch up on. I have six weeks before Korean school starts again, so need to prioritise rounding off Japanese and Chinese content before then, or I get confused 🤔😂

I started watching My Name is Gabriel on Disney+ because I wanted to see Park Bogum in Dublin. It's very sweet and funny. Laughing at the fact that they gave him the name Ruaidhri to deal with which even a lot English speakers struggle to pronounce!

Not sure I'll watch everyone else on it but enjoying this episode.

@Saram13 My Mister finale!!!😭

I have some kdrama curious friends watching it at the moment on my recommendation and after getting their heads around who all the characters are in the first couple of episodes, they are really enjoying it. Phew!!

Thanks for the Vicki tips guys - will try casting from my phone next time I have the big tv to myself :)

I have My Mister on my list but in the mood for very much light and fluffy at the minute. You guys are making me want to watch it so much, though. Is it one MrFB would like too?

Yes MrsF, I think there is a lot in it that would speak to a middle aged man - work, male friendships, domestic relationships, mid life crisis. Plus industrial shenanigans - almost noir thrillerish. It’s very good

How very presumptuous of you to assume MrFB is middle aged?! For all you know, I could be married to a young hunk of a 30 year old.

Just kidding, we're so middle aged, it's not even funny. And he does love industrial shenanigans.

How very presumptuous of you to assume MrFB is middle aged?! For all you know, I could be married to a young hunk of a 30 year old.

Maybe an addition to your harem? (Nod to the manhwa readers out there 😉)

Yes I think so @mrsfeatherbottom ! I am annoyed I didn't watch it with my husband initially as now I'm trying to convince him we should watch / rewatch together. But def not light and fluffy.

Misaeng is a great one for husbands too.
Shiny new thread! Thanks Boaty and welcome Clarity (I always welcome clarity)😘 Off on hols tomorrow so wondering what to download for the plane but that will almost certainly mean a beloved rewatch.