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!

@MusiqueAutomatique , if you're an avid bird watcher, I recommend a trip to Trinidad and Tobago.

Burden of filial devotion is certainly an ever present background but I'm not sure I've read anything that places it thematically central Migs 🤔 . Depending on your tastes I would say 'Kim Ji-Young, Born 1982' by Cho Nam-Ju is a must read starting point - partly because very influential in stirring up debate and kickback in SK and daughterly duties feature . I really enjoyed 'Love in the Big City' by Sang Young Park which (in part) explores gay son/parent relationship. 'Moms' graphic novel by Ma Young-Shin based on the author's own mother's life is fabulous too.

There's a book and Webtoon page on our spreadsheet...

Thanks @polkettle. That lot should keep me busy.😆

Just finished 💩🌟and was very distracted by the fact that the Jeju bedroom looked like student digs with posters sellotaped to the wall and a rather small bed.

Migs - there’s a two series web drama called ‘It’s okay to be Sensitive’ which features the problems and challenges that Korean women face at university and in the work place.
I think there is a law now in Korea which forbids silencing the camera click on the phone to try to stop women being secretly photographed.

Ahh I'm so emotional after watching BTS's Festa dinner 😭

@Andante57 , I'll look out for It's ok to be sensitive. I've bought Moms and Kim Ji-Young, Born 1982. I'm slowly ingesting what, to my Western eyes, are extremely outdated male attitudes towards females and I've lived in two macho South American countries! I guess the difference is that they didn't have ingrained cultural misogyny in the mix.
It's been a bit disappointing to discover that underneath the shine of the Korean Wave lies a dark underbelly of youth suicides (wtf, 9 yr olds!), bullying, exploitation of pop stars and predatory sexual behaviour. I'm now interested in exploring what their politicians and society think are solutions to these issues. If you know of any lectures, please share.
Meanwhile, I'm still a fan of kdramas 😁

Many thanks for the ongoing congrats on the study chingus 😊. I fear this fleeting success is however going to come back to bite me on the bum big time when I go up to the next level and fail horribly as we move past simple subjects like 'Family' and 'Transport' and hit 'Reasoning' 😵😂.

@FedUp I was in the middle of a Strong Girl last few episodes binge when I saw your message about Proof live. Immediately watched it. Then watched it another 3 times back to back. Guys....just..... 😍A course chingu just sent me an extract from the Festa dinner. I'm not sure I'm strong enough😧

@pol I wholeheartedly agree with what you say about the apparent clash between fluffy hallyu and the reality of Korean society being part of why it's so absorbing. Quite frankly there is nothing about Korea that doesn't fascinate me.

@Migs I hope to visit Korea in autumn 2023. Re: book recommendations, big thumbs up for pol's suggestions. 'One Left' by Kim Soon (on the subject of comfort women) is very well written and translated, but (unsurprisingly) not a cheery read and quite harrowing in places. (There is an excellent 1995 documentary by Byun Young-Joo on this subject, interviewing many of the remaining survivors and looking at the Korean and Japanese government's failure to address their situation. It's on YouTube but only in Korean with French subtitles. If anyone's interested, search for 'The Murmuring'.) I also really enjoyed the rather dark and odd 'The Impossible Fairytale', which is a true feat of literary translation.

Anyone else have a big old gurn at the BTS Festa 22? Hiatus begins.

Kim Namjoon broke my heart. He's so exhausted.

bullying, exploitation of pop stars and predatory sexual behaviour

Migs - one of the things that has shocked me is the viciousness with which netizens turn on actors and idols at any rumour proven or unproven.
Kim Seon Ho was accused of treating his girlfriend badly and was immediately dropped from his upcoming films and dramas and from his ongoing advertising campaigns.
Then it turned out that there was another side to the story and he was reinstated for some projects but it took a terrible toll on his mental health.
There are other examples too.
Life for a cancelled actor is shown well in My Love from the Star after Song Yi is falsely accused (though at least she had Do Min Joon!).
I suppose it’s the same the world over but it seems particularly bad in Korea.

@FedUpWithBriiiiick I know I really wanted to give him a hug!
I'm happy they will be able to do what they want in a way that they can't do when being BTS but I'm also selfishly sad about it!
At least I'll be able to catch up on all the content I've not seen yet. And v excited for wooga squad In The Soop

Migs I think It’s Okay to be Sensitive (I’ve only seen part 2) is probably an accurate account of what goes on in places of employment in Korea - except for one aspect:
The only decent man in the office who is kind, solicitous, sympathetic and likes baking, is also drop dead handsome (he played the good looking soldier in CLOY) whereas the sexist, misogynistic ones aren’t.
In real life good and bad come with a wide variety of looks.

@Saram13 , thanks for the suggestion; I'll add "One Left" to my list.

@Andante57
"In real life good and bad come with a wide variety of looks."

I learned from Twitter comments re Singles Inferno (which I was glued to), that SK society equates having white skin and good looks with purity and a "bright" personality, and vice versa, As you pointed out, the correlation doesn't exist irl... yet somehow the belief persists. Makes me wonder whether it is driven by a belief in karma and reincarnation.

On another note, on Twitter, there was much hilarity at Westerners expressing shock at the colourism in Korean culture that was exhibited in SI. This then led me down a whole new rabbit hole of abusive treatment and ostracism of darker skinned ASEAN brides .
I have too much spare time!! (But it's sooo interesting).

Thank you for the interesting chat Chingus! I also find Korean culture fascinating, and I'm very interested in finding out what lies beneath the shiny Hallyu surface. Thanks for the book and web drama recommendations Andante, Saram and Pol - more things to add to the list!

I have a very sad dd tonight due to BTS announcing their hiatus. I hope all other BTS fans are doing okay 💜

I’m so glad I shelled out for the streamed concert recently. Sad they aren’t touring at the mo. 😞 Bloody COVID. I had a wingwoman lined up for their 2020 London gigs n everything.

Interesting discussion- that’s why I enjoy hanging out with this group.
re: dark skin & prejudices, it’s in South Asian counties as well. I guess stems from colonialism era.

Whats going on with BTS? I quite don’t get it. Is it hiatus like One Direction’s ?

I really wish I'd been able to take DD to see them at least once before they took a break. We were unable to attend both times they came to London ☹️

Hopefully they'll be back with a greatest hits tour in a couple of years 🤞

I really do hope I can see them live one day 💜

Oh my goodness, me too.

Lots of emotions. But I'm glad they've been brave enough to take this step now rather than when they were too far down the path of being burnt out.

Jinbhoot they've announced they won't be working on BTS music for an unspecified period of time but will be focusing on solo releases. It's the unspecified bit that is hard for me!

Fingers crossed all those who want to see them live will be able to do so one day.

They didn't mention military service during the Festa, which is on the cards for Jin and Yoongi.

Maybe some strings are being pulled behind the scenes.

I also don't think Jin has spent two weeks playing video games. I think he's got a lady. He didn't seem too sad during the Festa 😁

Hope our @Bea is holding up 💜

And lo! It came to pass. The blown kimchi pouch, which DH had pushed to the back of the fridge behind the weekly shop, did rupture and spill its guts. It has blown along a seam at the base and bled out overnight. There is vinegary kimchi juice with gochugan flakes in every nook and cranny of our fridge below the rupture point. I should have acted decisively and binned it before the new shop. 😩 On the up side, it smells no worse than usual. 🤣 It probably was safe to eat after all.