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]

Welcome back Andante, I'm glad it all came good in the end!

I'm half way through ep 13 of MLN , it was very interesting and instructive seeing Mr Gu's working life. I agree the baby scene was very nicely done. I also appreciated the scenes involving Chang-hee and his father.

I treated myself to Shting Stars last night Briiick, after a wedding reception where I knew no-one apart from the bride and my children and couldn't drink because I was wrangling my children solo. It was an especially good episode to soothe away the troubles of the day!

[Andante57]

Rowdy I’m glad you got a refund for your flights but I’m sorry your trip was cancelled. Maybe now Korea is opening up again to visitors some cheaper flights will become available?
Korean Airlines is expensive but we were booked on Asiana which is cheaper (though because of the travel agent’s error they had to pay for us to go Korean Air as it was the only flight available)

Any gangsters, envelopes of cash being pushed across a table, or Chaebols being chauffeured around

We did go for a wander around Pyeongchang-dong which was a location in The Heirs, My Love from the Star etc. The houses were behind walls with solid gates so we couldn’t see much but it had a ‘Chaebols Live Here’ vibe to it.

[Quirkycarrot]

Hello all, am still a relatively new poster here and excited to discover a kdrama corner!

Been watching since 2015 but a lot going on and slowed down a bit recently. Loving My Liberation Notes at the moment, working hard to catch up so I can be ready for the finale, don't know how I will be able to let this one go though!

[polkettle]

Isn't is great Quirky? I'm going to watch it straight back again when finished. And welcome!
Cracking episode of Our Blues too. Really breaking a lot of new ground this one I think.

[Quirkycarrot]

Thanks so much @polkettle ! Sounds like you'd recommend Our Blues? Have it on my watchlist as been wanting to see Kim Woo Bin again for ages

[Metheven]

Hi Quirkycarrot and welcome, this is a really fun board, I am sure you will enjoy yourself here.

[boatyardblues]

Anyeong quirkycarrot! 👋 Welcome. Who knew there were so many of us haunting MN. 😁

I loved today’s MLN but I also had the realisation that it’s all over next week. 😭 I’ll really miss it. I feel invited into the characters’ world and I’ll miss them like friends.

[Rowdythree]

Hello and welcome Quirky, I love MLN so much, I'm definitely going to watch it again straight after, like Pol. There are so many small things to pick up on, I'm bound to have missed loads of subtle but, facial expressions, or looks between characters for example. Also I just want to see sweaty Mr Gu again 😁

I'm still really enjoying Our Blues, I'm only on ep 12, so I've still got a bit of catching up to do.

I'm also watching Marriage, not Dating (I think I'm late to the party here!) it's so enjoyable, all the things I love about K drama!

[polkettle]

I'm really enjoying Our Blues Quirky - working class Jeju setting is refreshing and its plot strands are a bit more varied than the usual suspects too. It has lots of smaller stories slotted together like a jigsaw (although they come to mini conclusions in batches of 2 or 3 episodes) so inevitably some are more involving than others but I've got pleasure from them all.

[Metheven]

I realised today that Healer is leaving Netflix on the 6th of June, so I am trying to watch it all before then. It took me a while to realise that Park Min Young is in it, her face looks very different.

Also, I am very glad we have a reason why Mr. Lim's finger is constantly up his nose in Tomorrow, it was annoying me a lot.

[FedUpWithBriiiiick]

Welcome Quirky! We are a great bunch,all loving My Liberation Notes,^^ especially the sweaty Mr Gu.

[Bea]

@Andante57 glad you had a marvellous time! Horribly jealous!!

@JinBhoot 🤯🤯🤯🤯😱

Stars!... It's all gone a little dark! 😱

[JinBhoot]

Phewwww what a stressful afternoon … last day of English Premier League was an emotional roller coaster.
Back to Kdrama now - loving MLN, currently limiting my self to one episode per day. I want to savour it. Dialogues are just amazing.

I am also watching cDrama The King’s Avatar ML is same from You are my glory

[TheGirlWithTheArabStrap]

@JinBhoot DH was so stressed about the football that he'd fallen asleep by 10pm! He said the emotional rollercoaster wore him out, even though he's a city fan 😂
@Andante57 your trip sounds so good! I'd love to see more pictures if possible ☺️
@Quirkycarrot hello! 👋👋👋

[KpopArmy]

Hi! I just wanted to mention something I think most (if not all) of you can relate to.
My daughter (14yrs) is obsessed with Kpop, and it’s lovely to see. However, she hid this from us for a long time, even pretending to favour ‘popular’ music, as she was embarrassed to admit it to all who knew her.
Unfortunately, she has developed terrible anxiety since Covid, and one of her worries was about being judged. Once we discovered her love for all things Korean, we fully encouraged it, and wanted her to share this love with us. So much so, that she got me hooked too!
The other day, she was helping me with something and we were playing Kpop whilst singing along (badly, in my case!). She said: “a year ago, I never would have dreamt of telling you I liked this band, but now here we are singing along to them together!”. I told her that is why she should never be ashamed of who she is/what she likes, and by sharing her love for it, she got me into it too. I very much doubt I would have come across it independently.
We were in Starbucks last week and she recognised a Kpop song playing, and her eyes lit up. She suddenly felt the music she loves (and felt the need to hide) was finally being acknowledged by the world around her. It was lovely to see.
Just to add, I’m not posting this for sympathy or attention (I hate both!), but just a reminder to never be ashamed of who we are. My life is so much happier for having Kpop/Kdrama in it, and it’s all thanks to my lovely daughter 😊

[Quirkycarrot]

Thanks so much @Metheven @boatyardblues

[Quirkycarrot]

Sorry haven't quite got the hang of posting yet! Meant to say thanks and hello to you all, happy to be amongst friends :))

[Quirkycarrot]

@Rowdythree yep I think I'm definitely also going to going straight back in for a rewatch!

@polkettle that sounds good! 20 episodes does make me a bit doubtful as to my staying power but sounds like it's worth giving a go!

[Rowdythree]

The last 5 minutes of ep14 of MLN was 😍🥰 I cannot wait for next week! I'm going to rewind and watch it again 😁

[Quirkycarrot]

@Metheven

[Quirkycarrot]

Sorry! @Metheven have you seen City Hunter? That was a few years before Healer and I thought she looked very different even in those two!

@Rowdythree oooohhh! Now I need to get on with my work so that I can binge watch later 😉

[Rowdythree]

Hello @KpopArmy that sounds very similar to my situation! My eldest DD also suffered from extreme anxiety, and she found solace in BTS which lead to a love of all things Korean. I was so glad when she introduced me to it, and like you I fully embraced it as it was something we could do and enjoy together. Now she's 18 she's moved on to other things, but she still likes to watch Run BTS or have a sing along to their songs in the car with me. I bet your daughter is really happy that she can share her passion with you!

Now I'm the one with the K drama addiction on my own, but I don't mind 😁

[KpopArmy]

@Rowdythree

Hello @KpopArmy that sounds very similar to my situation! My eldest DD also suffered from extreme anxiety, and she found solace in BTS which lead to a love of all things Korean. I was so glad when she introduced me to it, and like you I fully embraced it as it was something we could do and enjoy together. Now she's 18 she's moved on to other things, but she still likes to watch Run BTS or have a sing along to their songs in the car with me. I bet your daughter is really happy that she can share her passion with you!

Now I'm the one with the K drama addiction on my own, but I don't mind 😁

Thanks for your reply. The girls sound very similar. It’s lovely to hear about your shared bond also; it has definitely brought us closer together.
Run BTS is so funny 😁!

[Rowdythree]

Eun Hui's friend's face is very distracting in Our Blues 😬

[Metheven]

No @Quirkycarrot I haven't seen that, I shall look out for it to compare faces! Such a difference in just a few years.