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!

@Bea

I BLARDY LOVE CLOY!... I'm in between watches at the moment so just stuck it on again and it's just..... Gorgeous in EVERYTHING!... It's the most perfect Kdrama... sigh!...........

Me too.

SPOILER ALERTS
SPOILER ALERTS
SPOILER ALERTS

There are so many perfect scenes that I just watch over and over.
The fortune teller with the NK ladies (acted by a well known Korean comedian, apparently).
The sauna, especially when Gwang Beom gets scouted. “What are these codes?”
KSH fabulous cameo from Secretly Greatly.
The bicycle made for two.
Scented candle in the market
JH telling Seri about Dan and her fury
JH telling the ducklings about how he saved SeRi from the house search and Ju-Meok giving a SK drama commentary.
Ju-Meok meeting his heroine from Stairway to Heaven (that must be one of the most adorable scenes in the history of drama)
JH & Se Ri in the Pyongyang chicken and beer restaurant
The broke down train
And loads more
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@Metheven
You are a very strange bunch of people on here. I have found my home ☺️☺️☺️ we are glad to have you.

LOVE Mr Binn getting a violin recital from your DS FedUp ❤️
I finished All of us are Dead last night. Very gripping and some excellent bits and some slightly questionable bits. I overall really enjoyed it.

I'm not sure what to watch now. I had started Million Yen Woman but from the descriptions on here I'm not sure I'm bothered about finishing it.
I might go for Future Diaries as it sounds lovely if I go by Pols enthusiasm about it ☺️

Mr Binn’s latest photo is very cheering. It looks like he had a decent send-off from his most recent homestay. 😄

We had to have a final hurrah with him before we sent him on his way 😀

I'm off to the actual cinema, so no K drama tonight! It's taking DH and I ages to watch All of us are Dead, we've only had time to watch 2 episodes so far. We still have the final episode of The Red Sleeve to watch too. I need to build myself up for the emotional roller coaster that I'm expecting it to be.

[quote TheGirlWithTheArabStrap]@Metheven
You are a very strange bunch of people on here. I have found my home ☺️☺️☺️ we are glad to have you.[/quote]
Thank you @TheGirlWithTheArabStrap everyone is so welcoming. My poor husband's eyes start to glaze over now when I talk about kdrama, so it is great to have somewhere to chat about it.

Does everybody watch one kdrama at a time? I am watching Touch Your Heart at the moment and All of Us Are Dead. I can keep them separate in my mind because they are so different. But I desperately want to start Goblin, which I know would confuse me, because one of the couples is the same as in Touch Your Heart. What to do, what to do?

Come join the beamy club TheGirl. It's just a very very sweet Japanese holiday to enjoy between Proper Dramas.

I’ve started watching at least 2 or 3 dramas on the go Metheven, often because 1 or 2 of them are airing and I need to cover the other nights of the week. Also, it means I can mix and match depending on mood and level of wakefulness. I love a good binge watch that I can lose myself in.

I think if I watch too many at the same time, my head will explode boatyardblues I do find it hard to keep track of the different names when watching just one.

It is sooooooo tempting to bingewatch though. I was up till 1.00 last night and I have to get up for work at 4.30. Maybe just one or two more episodes tonight ...................... or possibly three?

It is sooooooo tempting to bingewatch though. I was up till 1.00 last night and I have to get up for work at 4.30. Maybe just one or two more episodes tonight grin ...................... or possibly three?

Well, you’re definitely in the right place on the thread.

boatyardblues I think this thread is going to be a very bad influence on me.

That is generally the way of things. We’re a terrible influence on each other.

Noble My Love - yes or no? I couldn’t see a score on the spreadsheet but one of you must have watched it. Sung Hoon’s dramas are a real mixed bag but I saw it on a contract marriage list.

Sticking with it for now because I seriously admire Sung Hoon’s swimmer’s physique. 🙌

boaty I watched it ages ago, probably after Venus and would classify it as an ironing drama (and there's nothing wrong with that )

It’s as cheap as chips and ticking all the kdrama tropes. I may even have cleared half the bingo list before ep 2 is done. What I will say is that they’ve twigged what an asset Hoon’s abs are and are showcasing them at every opportunity, which is no bad thing in my book.

Hello everyone!!!! I've been lurking quietly and not posting due to my ridiculous work/bereavement/elderly parent drama life crap but I have just got lost down a BTS youtube rabbit hole and I feel reborn . Thanks to all who recommended weightlifting fairy, it helped me thorugh a shit few weeks and now I'm on our beloved summer and enjoying it enormously. But my god, I need to sort out my life as I don't have nearly enough time for kdrama and BTS videos (am far too old and yet...I can't help myself)

@LarryUnderwood

Hello everyone!!!! I've been lurking quietly and not posting due to my ridiculous work/bereavement/elderly parent drama life crap but I have just got lost down a BTS youtube rabbit hole and I feel reborn . Thanks to all who recommended weightlifting fairy, it helped me thorugh a shit few weeks and now I'm on our beloved summer and enjoying it enormously. But my god, I need to sort out my life as I don't have nearly enough time for kdrama and BTS videos (am far too old and yet...I can't help myself)

Ah Larry, sorry to hear about your woes. To be honest, it was similar hard times that originally sent me down the kdrama rabbit hole. I found it a real comfort. I say lean in to it. (And I hope things ease up for you soon. Hugs, and )

Oh that sounds hard Larry but BTS can sooth many a crappy situation ❤️
I've just watched the first 4 EPs of Future Diary and can confirm it is super cute! I was not expecting the trauma of the bus stop and melty snowman situation though 😭
I wonder how many people they had to search through to find such absolute cuties???

Noble My Love is a touch dated. Sung Hoon’s character is in the wrist-grabbing mould and comes across as pretty domineering and controlling. It’s not an attractive MO.

And he’s constantly negging her. 😕 Ironing telly is spot on.

I know TheGirl - pay those casting agents/finders a bonus! beams

@polkettle

I know TheGirl - pay those casting agents/finders a bonus! beams

She's still beaming... 😊

Pol's 😊 beam. New vernacular alongside Bea 🐝 friendly ending.

@boatyardblues

Has anyone PMed Metheven the breadcrumb trail to Mr Binn’s travels yet?

What else has he been up to?!

I will PM you Musique.