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!

Blowing my money to get up to date with My Boss's Special Request 🙄💰 Ripe for an adaptation that one. Who would we cast?

I bet Park Min Young will be eyeing this up for a chance to costar with another hot fresh young face #livingherbestlife
I’d like to see someone else though ….. like Da Mi from www Search or FL from Vincenzo & Melo (can’t look up names or will lose post thanks MN for crap update)

for ML someone slightish but good-looking like the manhwa…like an idol….or maybe Junho….

I’m butting up against the paid content too. I’m slightly cynical about the young guy dreaming of kids etc before they’ve ever laid a finger on one another. Maybe I’m stereotyping but I think he’d be more interested in finding out whether they are sexually compatible before contemplating kids. 🤷‍♀️

Oh yeah, Junho for the win. 👍

Oooh or Jinyoung <thinking about this a bit too much>

I thought they all were going together but with J-Hope’s solo event, I am thinking that it will be in stages. May be in 2 goes? Half now & rest later?
I think Jin, Suga & JK will go now.

I think Da Mi from WWW: Search might be a touch mature for FL casting. It needs to be someone late 20s/early 30s and a younger ML, which may put Junho out of the running.

Ooh Scarlett from Search WWW would be a great call for FL. And yes a young idol un with race horse leggies for the ML.
The ability to make a baby IS the same as sexual compatibility in manhwa law though Boaty. And if you do it properly twice in a night you make twins...
I do always feel sad for these characters who have one night of incredible passion and then end up immediately up the duff.

Nam Joo-Hyuk would work for me...
(this sentence has multiple applications really)

Gah I meant Scarlett not Da Mi!!!! Da Mi definitely too old for the manhwa.
agree Nam Ju Hyuk ideal

Good call on Nam Ju Hyuk. He is good at humble, self-effacing slightly beta males which would work well as foil to a ball breaking FL CEO. Junho’s got a touch too much machismo and swagger.

Have followed Rowdy into Marriage not Dating and thoroughly enjoying my trip to K-drama's hot pants era. Feel very at home among the ppl for Magners, Portmerion china and (most bizarrely) a Tesco bag for life.

I’ve had the Yaeji AppleMusic playlist on in the background while I’ve been doing some paperwork. It’s great. Clubby electronica with laid back vocals and a few tracks with naughty lyrics (best not to listen in the car with younger kids). I feel at least 20% cooler and younger after 45 mins of it. 🤣

I’ve just discovered Purple Hyacinth on Webtoon. It’s like In the Bleak Midwinter in that it has a score. It’s good. Revenge-based, hot assassin (the Blue Hyacinth), kickass lady cop FL, sorta late C19 Euro vibe to the setting and costumes (could also old bits of NYC) but with modern elements and a gumshoe cop aspect. It looks like it’s an all female creative team behind it too. 💪

I missed the Tesco bag Pol 😂 I'm glad you're enjoying it, there are a Lot of hot pants!

I've just watched the first episode of Why Her on Viki, with Handsome Hwang In Yeop and Seo Hyun Jin (who looks amazing!) is anyone else watching?

I would have watched kdrama tonight but my cat overlord pinned me to the sofa with the best lap cuddle and I have been unable to get across the room to reboot our misfiring AppleTV. Hence the webtoons… (I feel we need a better way of distinguishing between the manhwa webtoons and the viki TV adapted webtoons. Too confusing for the casual reader.)

I see your Purple Hyacinth on Webtoon boaty and I raise you Will You Be My Male Lead on Tapas.
I am also reading The Abandoned Bride (novel) on Tapas. I have no idea why it is utter nonsense.

Only in Korean manhwa would you get non-ironic pick up/offering a ride in a car (so FL doesn't need to walk off her snack food) with the line "I specialise in liposuction".

'and I'll give you a treatment for free' (forgot that part) 😂

The leads in Purple Hyacinth have geeat sexual tension. I have high hopes of it moving past flirtation, bantz and rolling around on the floor fighting. 🤞

Link here if anyone is interested: www.webtoons.com/en/mystery/purple-hyacinth/ep-0-prologue/viewer?title_no=1621&episode_no=1 I’ve not been charged yet.

I see I’m now monologuing. (Shrug) The tango scene between ML/FL in Blue Hyacinth is crying out for and adaptation, though I think it would need 18 rated jdrama to really do it justice. There are 120 episodes published (so far). I’d try to guess at when they have throw down dirty sex, but it’s hard to tell. They look set to combust fully clothed by episode 30 at this rate. 🤣

Tango scene is ep 20

Just coming on to say congratulations to Bea on being on the new BTS album! One of the new songs For Youth starts with Army singing Young Forever at Wembley!!!!!! 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

Ohh got it bookmarked Boaty. Looking forward to getting stuck into that one.

Rowdy and I are watching Matrimonial Chaos with Bae Doona, Lee El and stupid, sexy Son Seok-koo. Unusually it is 32 1/2 hour episodes, but we are both 4 eps in and enjoying it!