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 finished Our Blues, I must admit to a lump in my throat in the final episode, despite finding both characters unlikeable. One thing I must complain about though, I wanted to see more of the baby! There are not enough cute babies in K dramas!

@FedUpWithBriiiiick I watched Proof live 😍. They looked so handsome! And the songs were gorgeous! Definitely had a tear in my eye

We all have to take one for the team, Migs.

You watched it, so we don't have to 😁

Re: 2nd season, that’s what I thought as well.
High5 for finding Lovestruck in City enjoyable. I think we are in minority.
I really liked the format & gym teacher’s responses on chat were fantastic.
JCW’s house 🥰

Few not so positives:
JCW: what’s with his face, can’t figure out what surgery he has done.
when they found out who the wife was - I wish there was more scenes on the chat, I wanted to see gym teachers snappy response.

I’ve finished MLN and The Uncanny Counter, both wonderful in their own way, oh and Hospital Playlist too ( is there anyway to stop yourself falling for the ML each time?). I’m going to try Our Blues next.

I am in awe of all the hard work you put into learning Korean @Saram13

I have asked DH to buy me some Soju for my birthday! I’m really looking forward to trying it!

One thing I must complain about though, I wanted to see more of the baby! There are not enough cute babies in K dramas!

No no no. Kdrama new mums misplace their babies. We never found out what happened to Hometown Cha Cha Cha’s newborn. I think it’s safer all round if they do the show & tell and then hand them back to someone competent. 😉

Good to see you’re cracking through the classics there, Galadriel. 😄 I don’t know about the ML thing. Jo Jung-Suk leaves me cold so I’m usually safe with anything he’s in. 😂

I’m giving a Trot playlist a whirl while I cook dinner off the back of Woori’s Mum’s storyline. It’s a bit florid for me. I saw on wiki that there is a Super Junior-T trot spin off which might better hit the mark.

See I would have said that Yoo Yeon Seok was the ML for Hospital Playlist ( he was for me anyway!).

Re: 2nd season, that’s what I thought as well
JinBhoot - yes and then there was that reference by Jae Won’s cousin played by
Kim Min Seok about a letter from his grandfather which would explain why he lied to the grandfather about his girlfriend Rin I.
That was never followed up or explained.
I suppose the viewing figures weren’t good enough to warrant a second series.
I didn’t really notice JCW’s plastic surgery - I’ll have another look.

See I would have said that Yoo Yeon Seok was the ML for Hospital Playlist ( he was for me anyway!).

Ah yes, well your post now makes complete sense. YYS is unlikely to better his performance in Mr Sunshine. 👌

@FedUpWithBriiiiick
"We all have to take one for the team, Migs.

You watched it, so we don't have to 😁"
Quite!😂

If you like YYS in a white coat Galadriel then he's 🔥 in Dr Romantic.

We shall not talk about the amount of Ikjun and Songhwa fanfic I'm burning through daily...

Soju is seriously good. Just don't decide to drink a bottle when you've already polished off a bottle of wine 🤢😰*

That @Rowdythree one is a bad influence on me!!!*

Forget the white coats, YYS is best in long hair and hakama, Pol... we all know that.

🥵

We shall not talk about the amount of Ikjun and Songhwa fanfic I'm burning through daily...

You’re on your own there Pol. However, please tell me he’s a considerate lover in the fanfic because his showboating persona in the show suggests otherwise. 😆

Nice! 🔥

Oh Boaty - he's a sweetheart with Songhwa. He only showboats at everyone else. And of course they're perfect together in bed and out of it 😉 (Actually the really filthy ones are a Bit Much even for me). That show and that couple is/are a weird little comfort blanket of mine but I know this is an (almost) judgement free space 😁...
We shall not talk about how I'm burning through Chinese froth A Time to Fall in Love today either. Every trope! ALL of them! It's ripe for a drinking game watch.

That @Rowdythree one is a bad influence on me

I take no responsibility! 😂

Absolutely loving the sound of your fanfiction pol, there is no judgement here!

YYS definitely will never top his role in Mr Sunshine for sexiness, he peaked at that point 👌

Oh my!

Reading it not writing it for clarity Rowdy! (And AMAZED by how much some people write of it)

Did someone mentioned HOSPITAL PLAYLIST

Deciding ML is bit tough - it’s cardio dr Junwan for me 😂 but I had a crush on Songhwa as well.
YYS was my least favourite.

I'm sure you could write some good stuff too Pol! 😉😆

YYS definitely will never top his role in Mr Sunshine for sexiness, he peaked at that point 💯 agree
Pol where are you getting your fanfic from? AO3? I love it ❤️. Although I think I'm becoming used to some of the weirdness now😬

Does anyone know if there is any hidden message behind patting someone on the head? I am watching Semantic Error and quite a thing is made out of asking someone to pat him on the head. Is it some type of foreplay?