MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #30): In which we return to Korea from our January Japanese adventures

[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. 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)

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, 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!

@JinBhoot oh good! Yes in this one the male fashion is more wacky (ML's BFF returned from abroad and seems to have a rug sewn on the back of his top)
I am slightly more interested than usual in the 2 side relationships but have still managed to cook/tidy up while watching and not miss anything.

I just looked up Kim Tae-Ri and Nam Joo Hyuk’s ages to see how much older he is than her. Well, he is 27 but she is an astonishingly youthful 31! 😱 What’s her secret? She is so fresh faced.

I am slightly more interested than usual in the 2 side relationships but have still managed to cook/tidy up while watching and not miss anything

^ The cdrama experience in a nutshell. 👌

[quote bettys]@JinBhoot oh good! Yes in this one the male fashion is more wacky (ML's BFF returned from abroad and seems to have a rug sewn on the back of his top)
I am slightly more interested than usual in the 2 side relationships but have still managed to cook/tidy up while watching and not miss anything.[/quote]
Just spotted that, when I was young, that how my mum used to measure the size of jumper while knitting 😂 (hard to explain)

ML is now wearing Pearl necklace with silver chain, which oddly enough suits him.

I liked the Pearl necklace on him too …..🤔

ML is now wearing Pearl necklace with silver chain, which oddly enough suits him.

I hope you’re bookmarking these top notch outfits on the Daebak Award spreadsheet.

I’d forgotten how much I like Nam Joo Hyuk. He deserves to have a higher profile and better roles. Casting him with Kim Tae-Ri in Twenty-five Twenty-One was a great decision. They’re a good combination.

Waaa ha ha! ML is now wearing a jacket with a yellow carrier bag stapled to the back 😬
Why Women Love Ep 7 03:41 Viki won’t let me screengrab

Ooh also just spotted at 10:43 that said jacket appears to have beer bottle caps as studs on the epaulettes.
This takes recycling to a whole new level 👍

It sounds like you are mining a rich seam of fashion faux pas there Betty. Paydirt!!!

HAPPY THIRTY-NINE DAY!
(quite excited)
Off to check out the CDrama fashion in the meantime

Oh that is pretty special Bettys Built in emergency life raft for the nervous flyer? THE POWER OF DREAMS

Enjoy your days off FedUp !!
boaty I also googled Kim Tae Ri to check her age!
I'm excited about Thirty Nine too!!

I'm looking forward to Thirty Nine too and am contemplating starting Twenty Five Twenty One. I need to finish a couple of dramas first before I find myself overwhelmed. Are the above releasing a couple of episodes a week or are they all available at once? I prefer the former, more like the olden days when binging wasn't possible.

Good news for BTS too!

Gong Yoo has been showing off his golfing skills on Instagram

Started Weather last night. After one episode I'm not that impressed but will apply the 'three then you will see' rule.

Rachmaninoff and peonies in first episode of Thirty-nine pressing all my buttons 🥰 Although did hoot at idea that any of those women needed the "treat" of facial fillers.

I am absolutely loving Suspicious Partner Ji Chang-Wook makes me come over all unneccessary when he looks over the top of his glasses in that lawyerly way of his.

@AesopsMables

Started Weather last night. After one episode I'm not that impressed but will apply the 'three then you will see' rule.

I like it! (The rule)

@Metheven

I am absolutely loving Suspicious Partner Ji Chang-Wook makes me come over all unneccessary when he looks over the top of his glasses in that lawyerly way of his.

I think we were all of the same mind three years ago but his mojo has deserted him post-army service. Also, I think he’s possibly gone down the Renee Zellweger gradual smudging out his familiarity route (c/o surgeon).

boatyardblues Oh that's a shame, I shall just have to enjoy him in Suspicious Partner.

Pre-army JCW = grrrrrr (a good thing)
Post-army JCW = whatever

@boatyardblues

Pre-army JCW = grrrrrr (a good thing) Post-army JCW = whatever

What did they do to him in the army? The mind boggles.

I was sympathy-cringing over Son Ye Jin’s awkwardness with Peony Man.

I fired up Fishbowl Wives and got Bridgertonned barely 10 seconds in. My eyes! I’m not in the right frame of mind for a saucy jdrama today.

@boatyardblues

I fired up Fishbowl Wives and got Bridgertonned barely 10 seconds in. My eyes! I’m not in the right frame of mind for a saucy jdrama today.

I had it pinned, but the trailer and description were enough to put me off. I'm not keen on infidelity plots.