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!

I might have kept watching but the guy’s hair really annoyed me. My gut reaction was “nooooo, no no no”. And that was that. 🤣.

I’m now watching some webtoon on Viki and a white truck of doom has appeared. And I ask myself, does no truck driver in SK ever service their brakes? Think how many lives could be saved if the government had a targeted campaign!

does no truck driver in SK ever service their brakes?

I think they must have all learned to drive in the States

I might have kept watching but the guy’s hair really annoyed me. My gut reaction was “nooooo, no no no”. And that was that. 🤣

Same!!! Also don't like infidelity plots. Must admit I was looking more at the bathtub (v small & round but great view) than the hanky panky. Dropped it & went back to Why Women Love

@bettys

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

Tadaaaa In ep 6 there was a Balenciage denim shirt extended with tartan to look like trench coat.

Btw re the earlier conversation about Ji Chang-wook, personally I think Nam Ji-hyun in Suspicious Partner is the only FL he's had real chemistry with that I've seen him in. I think she's just a really great actress. I loved her in 100 Days My Prince and she was also good in a really different role opposite Park Hyung-sik in What Happens in My Family as well. I did like JCW in Healer too but looking back it's his character's relationship with his handler Jo that I remember more than that with the FL, strangely.

I've noticed an influx of BL dramas on Viki... the latest being Semantic Error which is a Webtoon that I may or may not be reading

FedUp I'm all in favour of an influx of BL dramas on Viki....

Well done Jin for screen grabbing that!

@AesopsMables Oh!!!! On the Verge of Insanity is intriguing! Unusual plot offset with great music - the first episode was slow as you said but by the end of it I was already rooting for the ML and hating Lee Sang Yeob! It has Misaeng overtones to it.

@FedUpWithBriiiiick

I've noticed an influx of BL dramas on Viki... the latest being Semantic Error which is a Webtoon that I may or may not be reading

I noticed this too. I got the impression that SK was fairly homophobic so what’s the market they are aiming for? Is it teenage girls and, ahem, the more mature lady consumer of BL manhwa? There seem to be rather a lot of fresh-faced idol-types and a distinct underrepresentation of bears, which makes me think my market analysis isn’t wildly off beam.

Sigh! Farewell Grr JCW... I fear he has gone for good! 😭😔😔😔

Love & Leashes was so much more enjoyable to watch than the awful 50 shades of grey films. There was a more balanced, nuanced approach to the two leads’ arrangement and a genuine appreciation of one another. I was impressed by the lengths the FL went to, especially boiling, drying and greasing all that red cord. She totally embraced the new hobby homework aspect. I bet she was top of her year in school. 😄

Ok so I've just realised the closest Hollywood gets to a Kdrama is...

^When Harry Met Sally
^

That’s so true FedUp!

@boatyardblues

That’s so true FedUp!

I'm a genius, girl.

No surprise that it's my favourite film. I may be able to recite it...

I bet she was top of her year in school. 😄 really made me laugh Boaty Totally!

I've never actually seen When Harry Met Sally. I'm not sure how I missed it. Think it might be too late now.

DH and I finally limped to the end of Possessed and have moved onto All of Us Are Dead which is much better paced although also a bit dark in places. Where did the more lightweight supernatural shows go? I'm sure I can't have watched them all. Stuff like Bring it on Ghost, My Girlfriend is a Gumiho and Bong Soon. I'm craving something daft.

Prestel it's never too late for When Harry Met Sally, or Sleepless in Seattle for that matter!

Have you watched Zombie Detective That's a good fun 'horror' drama.

😂😂😂... Watching Scripting My Destiny on Viki... Kdrama... 25 mins... All eps up I think!
Gods control everyone's destiny! They write the destinies in books. One god decides to use a writer's school magazine love stories to influence her own destiny... Quite funny and frothy!... 👍😁😂

... And you can guess where the love triangle is going to be! 😂😂😂💜💜

Both written by the brilliant Nora Ephron who was the best friend of someone who watched CLOY because her daughter told her to, who watched CLOY because her friend told her to, who watched CLOY because her oldest friend told her to... Which was ME! How's that for degrees of separation? Anyway Nora Ephron's best friend was reportedly very sad that Nora was no longer around so she could tell her to watch it as she would have loved it.
Which all just goes to prove your point beautifully FedUp.

@polkettle

Both written by the brilliant Nora Ephron who was the best friend of someone who watched CLOY because her daughter told her to, who watched CLOY because her friend told her to, who watched CLOY because her oldest friend told her to... Which was ME! How's that for degrees of separation? Anyway Nora Ephron's best friend was reportedly very sad that Nora was no longer around so she could tell her to watch it as she would have loved it. Which all just goes to prove your point beautifully FedUp.

Wow! That's so cool

bettys Yes, I've seen Zombie Detective and you've definitely picked up the vibe I'm going for . I'm sure there must be some similar little gem I've missed. Alas I'm not sure where you can watch When Harry Met Sally these days otherwise it would be a good one for when I'm ironing and can't keep up with subtitles.

Thirty Nine is a bit... strange?

Some of it is desperately cringe 😬

Oh?! I really liked it and have been rewatching bits already? But it is a bit info-dumpy in the first half. Second half I thought really got into stride with all the peony shenanigans. See how we go today... (as I say did eye roll at the Botox and also the Covid protocol orphanage of about 8 kids)