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!

Agree with this, keep everything in one place please! I dip in and out of Webtoons so it's good to be able to look back for recommendations.

saram well done on your hangul success! I'm hoping to get going on my language learning again soon, after a few months break. If anyone is in the Birmingham area, the Brasshouse language centre are starting their in person Korean classes again in September.

Is it the final episodes of Our Blues this weekend?

Also sticking hand up for single thread. How would my slow slow BTS education progress if that was happening elsewhere?
Started day with (after Saturday webtoon installments obv) ep 15 💩🌟 Delighted to report it's finished with any semblance of plot and is entirely fluff. I liked the artful/shameless PPL.

Also I'm really enjoying Matrimonial Chaos which was a great find by Briiiiick! Even if Son Seok Ku is a love rat in it 😒

Really looking forward to Our Blues and will miss it very much. A top notch show for my tastes.

I want everything in one thread too! I love hearing what everyone is up to 💜

I only got into webtoons because you lot led me astray. 😆

I'll miss it too, it feels like it could carry on forever with all the different characters and storylines. A very good show!

I'm going to miss Our Blues too. I liked the omnibus style and stellar cast.

Very much looking forward to last episodes of Shitting Stars fluff and nonsense!

Matrimonial Chaos is shaping up very well if anyone wants to join me and Rowdy in a watchalong. Pol it's right up your street 😁

I'm coming FedUp. I'd say "wait for MEEEEE!" only I might need to palate cleanse post Marriage not Dating (which I have thoroughly enjoyed) with something different first. I might go to Olga's for Lost.

Oooh if you do pls report back on Lost pol as I have had my eye on that, ML (From Reply thingy) is excellent & usually chooses great projects (plus is a photographer in RL & devoted to GF who he met on Reply thingy 😍) at least I hope I'm thinking of the right person.
Random info 'cos I can't double check on MDL right now

Has anyone had a pouch of unopened commercial kimchi puff up like there’s wild fermentation still going on? I have a 500g pouch in the fridge that’s still a month inside its use by date. It looks like it could explode at any minute. Will it still be OK to eat? (Obviously I could open it and sniff/taste but I’m scared it will blow AND smell like death. If it’s already a goner I’d prefer to move it to the wheelie bin before it blows.)

/firstworldproblems

Thinking about restarting my Viki membership soon but the only thing on my watch list at the moment is 'Again my Life'. Has anyone seen this? Any good? I do like Lee Joon Gi but wasn't wowed by Flower of Evil if that helps

Re:Brasshouse... Just looked on their website... Can't find it! Can't find Sept courses... Have you got a link?! 🙏... Ta! Xx

@Quirkycarrot it's a good one! It's just taking a loooong time! Lots of fun and likeable characters! And lots not to like as well!! I think it might be the drama with biggest cast of characters as there are sooooo many evil / bad men!! It's making my head spin!! 😂😳

boaty Your kimchi sounds like a "blown" yoghurt where puffing up like you describe is caused by mould or bacteria giving off CO2 that can't escape so "blows up" the packaging. I think you're probably in a 'bin without opening situation', but kimchi might be different.

I've had that Boaty. It will be fine to eat but open it and release some of the gas.

(If you make anything fermented you need to 'vent' it every so often...cf what is known in our family as the Ginger Beer Brew Incident)

My friend brought round a bottle of home brewed ginger beer a few years ago for a meal at ours. It had one of those Grolsch/Kilner style flip tops. As he uncorked it he unleashed a fountain of wild ginger beer. One it had calmed down there was about a glass left in the bottle. We all had a taste of it & that was that. 😆 Thankfully he opened it in the kitchen so it was easy enough to mop up.

Bea I've just sent you a pm 👍

We've also had a ginger beer incident, when we had a go at making it in the first lockdown 😂

Doesn't it become more sour as if continues to ferment? Admittedly my knowledge of "living foods' begins and ends with rough cider, which just gets drier and stronger, which isn't normally considered a bad thing but can cause an almost hallucinogenic effect on occasion 😁

The Ginger Beer Brew Incident involved a lot of exploding glass - although thankfully no-one was around at the time as it was down to my brother leaving it to ferment while on holiday.
Finally worked out who Ok Dong has been reminding me of in OB - channelling pure Dot Cotton.

I’m half way through Yumi’scCells S2 Ep 1. There’s too many cells, not enough Yumi & new squeeze. I will bail if it doesn’t pick up.

MY LEGO BONSAI TREE ARRIVED AND I AM MAKING IT YIPEE!!

The some of the leaves/petals are miniature frogs!! So apt given our thread title.

Sounds fun. We need a pic when it’s done FedUp.

Just asking. Is there an ethical problem about using Olga or is it the pop ups? If the latter, I use Olga and don't get any pop ups. I have Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime and some free Appletv for a year.