MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #33): So much good content airing just now our Filthy Noonas’ hearts are fit to burst like squashed frogs on a country road

[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 but 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 (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. Happiness - 9
3. Devil Judge - 8.75
4. Squid Game - 8.63
5. Navillera - 8.57

2020’s top scoring dramas
1 - Mr Queen - 9.4
2 - Parasite - 9.05
3 - It's Okay To Not Be Okay - 8.88
4 - The Uncanny Counter - 8.50
5 - Once Again - 8.42

2019’s top scoring dramas:

1. Her Private Life - 9.40
2. Melo is My Nature - 9.00

3.= Crash Landing On You, The Crowned Clown, The Lies Within, and The Tale of Nokdu - 8.75

1. Hotel del Luna - 8.50

5.= Romance is a Bonus Book, and Search: WWW - 8.17

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've just finished Military Prosecutor Doberman Ep1 and it's a keeper. FL with a revenge motive and kick ass martial arts skills; handsome ML motivated by money and working for the dark side, but you know he's going to turn. And as it's already finished I can binge watch over the Platinum Jubilee long weekend...between the gardening off course.😎

I’m catching up on Our Blues. I love the relationship between Eun-gi, her grandmother and her friend.

Gah damn you *boaty& I have read all available episodes this morning and how it's on hiatus 😭

Took me a while to get in to at first as wasn't sure of the art style but liking the futuristic terminator love triangle aspect of it. 👌

I thought it was brilliant Betty. I want to know more about the soul numbers and why FL is so resilient (being opaque so as not to spoil for anyone else reading it). I was showing DH forst episode to show how the music interacts with the story & in the first few frames FL asks her mother why she’s different from her brother. I think she & Omega have a lot more in common than they realise.

Yes the soul numbers are fascinating , I just hope it doesn’t turn out to be all a dream - not a spoiler just a theory as the drawing style changes once she wakes up. Want to know what happened to the sister 🤔Hope the hiatus doesn’t go on too long but not hopeful as it’s taken 2 years to get to 42 episodes.

if you like that you might want to try Teenage Mercenary or Eleceed

if you like that you might want to try Teenage Mercenary or Eleceed

Bad, bad Betty! 🤣

Boaty I like romance but I prefer the more comedy-based to the serious mooning about. Supernatural elements are brilliant but I'm not a fan of dramas with lots of violence or suicide. I will basically give most things a go if it's well-written and well-acted. I've settled into a routine of having two new dramas and one classic drama on the go, so I might give My Mister a try.

TheGirl and Briiick BTS conducted themselves beautifully, I hope that their visit will have a real impact on anti-Asian hate around the world. It was rather surreal though, seeing all the photos of them in front of the White House and with President Biden!

Migs thank you for that link. I've discovered from it that Yumi's Cells 2 premieres on June 10th and it looks like it's going to be on Viki. YAY! Also as Briiick spotted, Alchemy of Souls will be on Netflix on June 18th. The Hong sisters are heros of mine so I'll definitely be watching that.

Musique - Have you watched The Other Miss Oh yet? It’s a comedy of errors type of romance with good leads and numero uno kdrama Mum, Kim Mi Kyung. Whenever she’s in something you know it’ll be good.

My Mister needs some light fluff on the side as a counterbalance at the start.

FLIGHTS TO JAPAN BOOKED YEEOOOO!!!

Ooh, exciting news FedUp! 👏

That’s exciting FedUp. How long are you going for?
I am craving Korean food. We bought some ‘Asian dumplings’ in the supermarket which looked like the delicious mandu we had in Korea but I’m afraid they were a swizz and nothing like the real thing.
FedUp I hear from friends who have been to Japan that the food is absolutely delicious there.

Exciting @FedUpWithBriiiiick 😬😬😬
@MigsandTiggs I did start Military Prosecutor Doberman but got sidetracked. I will start it up again hopefully 👍

I made a sort of strange sobbing sound at the end of Our Blues episode 15.

Boaty, yes I've seen Another Miss Oh. It was enjoyable as well as a bit bonkers but I think I loved the side characters more than the leads in this instance.

Briiick omo! That's v.v.v. exciting! How long are you going for?

I think we will watch episode 15 of Our Blues tonight, we've been on a bit of Reply 1988 binge lately so need to balance it out again.

Andante you definitely wouldn't've approved of the cheeseburger filled mandu DH had over the weekend then 😂

Going for 2 weeks next Easter Andante and Musique for the big 4-0.

Very much looking forward to the food!!!

Exciting @FedUpWithBriiiiick 😊

I am watching Shootinv Stars, it’s much better then I initially anticipated.
head of management team is so caring (would love to work with such colleagues). Lawyer ML is also gorgeous.

So far it’s enjoyable, don’t think I will be able to stretch it till last episode (next week). I have no self control.

UK chingus, what are planning to binge watch over jubilee weekend?

I've built up a couple of weeks of Shitting Stars and Woori the Virgin to watch.

Might also snuggle down for a rewatch of something. Maybe Another Miss Oh...

I need to finish Pachinko, so that’s high on my to do list for the weekend. I might try Military Prosecutor Doberman, though I’m not a fan of Ahn Bo-hyun.

It might be time for a rewatch of Melo as Son Seok Koo was a sexy bastard in that too.

Oh god yes!!! Pachinko!!

In other TV, there's Stranger Things and Obi-wan Kenobi.

So much good TV!!

Oh god yes. Him and Jeon Yeo-been SIZZLE.

Oh my God, Obi Wan made us die of boredom. It’s all CGI shizzle with no plot or character development. DH binned it off after ep 1. The kids watched ep 2 but said it was more of the same.

Really? We liked it here! 😁

As we always say, our different tastes are what make us 💪