MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #34): July brings internal conflict. Make the most of sunshine and the long days, or keep on top of your kdrama? 🤔

[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)🌟
My Liberation Notes🌟
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)
Our Blues (Netflix)🌟
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.

The Red Sleeve - 10
Happiness - 9
Devil Judge - 8.75
Squid Game - 8.63
Navillera - 8.57

2020’s top scoring dramas
Mr Queen - 9.4
Parasite - 9.05
It's Okay To Not Be Okay - 8.88
The Uncanny Counter - 8.50
Once Again - 8.42

2019’s top scoring dramas:
Her Private Life - 9.40
Melo is My Nature - 9.00
Tied 3rd: Crash Landing On You, The Crowned Clown, The Lies Within, and The Tale of Nokdu - 8.75
Hotel del Luna - 8.50
Tied 5th: Romance is a Bonus Book, and Search: WWW

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!

Any chance of a non-identifiable photo Boats?

You know it's illegal to mention cats on MN without one...

Holiday Villa Cats here too! We are leaving for home today and the mother cat and her kittens may have to go in my suitcase as we are fully emotionally invested. So much so - I have left a letter for the next renters/owners with instructions to feed them and left a sack of cat food.

Not managed to watch a single K Drama here as it has been full on each evening after busy days on beach/sightseeing. Looking forward to catching up this week on my current favourites.

I'm so jealous of all the holiday cats!

Hope you had a lovely break Aesops!

Very strong identify...
www.instagram.com/reel/Cf1HuN1gKkY/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=

I will get a decent photo of holiday cat later. He is very handsome.

I am on a self-inflicted siesta. Lunch came with a bottle of wine. DH was driving and DS1 is more into alcopops. I had a really good go at drinking it all with my set lunch. I’m not fit to do pool duty (fist pump) so I get to lie in our air-conditioned bedroom “sleeping it off”. Win! 🤣

We fed a nursing mum cat who came down every evening from the hillside behind our complex on a Greek Island holiday pre-kids. DH and I tanked her up with good cat food in case the next guests did not. I love holiday kitties. We are not feeding Handsome Beast because he looks well loved.

Ohh enjoy the holiday cats 😻
Just over a week till I'm off on holiday too! So excited! I'll provide cat pictures if possible

EAW - I love Attorney Choi Su Yeon... Attorney Kwon had better get his well deserved come uppance!... Just started ep8!! 😍

After 9 days of positive tests, I have FINALLY tested negative for covid. Yippee, I can go outside and see people, actually, not sure I like the sound of that, I hate going out and seeing people.

sakura06 Suspicious Partner is my favourite kdrama, I dip in and out all the time (fast forward all the boring bits with the 2FL and 2ML)

Very much enjoying EAW and loving Kan Ki-young as Attorney Jung, he is just gorgeous, lovely smile. I hope he gets a romance, although that probably won't happen.

Loving all the holiday cat stories, too.

I couldn't resist starting Remarriage and Desires, I'm kind of hoping for a Dynasty style fight between the two FLs! I love all the plotting and scheming and everyone looks absolutely gorgeous.

You have reminded me that I downloaded several hours of Remarriage & Desires, which does not require internet access. 🙌 To be honest, it’s too hot to watch kdrama - it was 37C at 2pm this afternoon. I don’t even care about kdrama at that temperature. God help me if I go to Seoul in high summer…

There was a natural history show about South Korea on BBC recently. DH taped it for me (bless). Includes tanuki.

That sounds interesting Briiiiick, I wonder if its still on Iplayer, can you remember what it was called?

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b09s0lss

Thanks chum 👍

@boatyardblues @AesopsMables @TheGirlWithTheArabStrapand @ anyone else soon off on their holidays: hope you have had/will have a lovely time 😀 😊

I'm tickled by the fact that many of you seem to be heading to Europe, whereas we're now in the UK 😂This hopefully means I can access the nature documentary you linked to @FedUpWithBriiiiick , thanks for the tip!

@Metheven actually, not sure I like the sound of that, I hate going out and seeing people AMEN 🙌 😂

This will be a K-drama drought of a holiday, but I managed to finish MLN before we left. Took me a while to get into it, and I first I didn't get the love for Mr Gu. But once I got it, I got it 😀 Fantastic series. I liked the brother's story in particular. Last two episodes of Our Blues await when we get home. And started EAW on the way over 👍🏻

We're back home (without our feline family 🥲) I'm washing and catching up on EAW all morning then this afternoon DH has offered to iron if I cook dinner tonight so lots of K Drama viewing for me today before back to work tomorrow.

I'm particularly looking forward to Why Her and Yumi 2 marathon watch!

I've just posted all above on a different thread by mistake 🤣

Finished She Would Never Know... I actually quite enjoyed it! I loved the relationship between the three siblings and it was a very very satisfactory ending!! 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝...

half way through first ep of alchemy... it's GOOD! makes me think I'm watching a Cdrama with all the sword and sorcery and slo mo! only difference is there's a plot I'm able to follow!... 😂🙈👍🏼😂😂

I quite enjoyed She Would Never Know as well. Not quite a "must see" but some of the peripheral characters were unexpectedly interesting.

Not sure what to try next, though. I seem to have started a lot of shows with DH lately which I now have to wait to continue with him - including a couple of episodes of Backstreet Rookie which is very silly and borderline inappropriate in places but also really rather funny, though I don't think JCW is going to reclaim his sex symbol status any time soon as his character in it is a bit of an idiot.

I have plumped for Korean Designated Survivor, which I’m watching fitfully as the stuttering wifi permits. But lo! Mr Gu in a suit! 😍

Designated Survivor was so gripping I didn't go to bed til 1.40 this morning. Oops. We’re an hour ahead so it wasn’t that late. 😉 The potential for all out nuclear war with North Korea and the stirring by the American and Japanese military attachés gave it a certain frisson that was missing from the US version.

Here is our visitor. He looks to be a cross with domestic shorthair as there are bits of him that are not quite as they should be if he was pedigree. He is also completely the wrong shape. 😆 I’d love to see his parents, because so much of him is the proper colouring.

But lo! Mr Gu in a suit!

I'm in!!

Mr Gu (Son Seok Koo) is the (late) president’s secretary, so a prominent role. He shows up in many scenes. 🙌

What a beautiful cat! 😻

Cat is gorgeous and clearly looked after.

I've finished Remarriage & Desires. Bit daft in places but binge able.