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!

Well done Lionesses!

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🙌 That was a stressful afternoon of Football 😅 I need a nice calming episode of Alchemy of Souls now

I’m looking forward to my 4 hour catch up of Alchemy of Souls when I get home. Our cat will be a limpet for the first couple of days so it’s going to be prime cat cuddle fodder. I plan to watch them all back to back. I have ordered supermarket pizza for our first night back. Self-catering feels a lot home if you are chief cook. 😕

I am catching you all up on EAW and doesn't Attorney Jung look absolutely gorgeous in his pjs? He deserves his own series.

Thanks Larry for the insta account recommendation, his tips will come in handy when I get over there. I'm now following and already obsessed with his beautiful skin (I have a thing for flawless skin)😁
I've now finished the crime drama, Insider. It was a brutal watch and not just because of the subject matter. I've never come across a drama with such a wide cast of characters, so much so, I was reduced to keeping a tab open with the cast list in order to remind myself who was who and in which group/gang, and it didn't help that the show ended with a cliffhanger.
Today's Webtoon is what I need to help me forget it, so I'm joining the K watch group.

I've now finished the crime drama, Insider. It was a brutal watch and not just because of the subject matter. I've never come across a drama with such a wide cast of characters, so much so, I was reduced to keeping a tab open with the cast list in order to remind myself who was who and in which group/gang, and it didn't help that the show ended with a cliffhanger.

Oh I'm glad you posted this Migs. I'd also started insider but found the violence too much so had resorted to reading the recaps on Dramabeans. Was going to watch the last 2 episodes but not sure that I will now.

Thoroughly enjoyed Today's Webtoon, it's going to be a weekly favourite.

May have to ditch Love The Way You Are, I am finding it as frustrating as ^Something In The Rain - (soooo want to tell the ex to get the f away) but without the sizzling chemistry of Jung Hae-in and Son Ye Jin - am more interested in the second couple for once.

Can one do both at once or would that make one's head explode? Team K if I have to choose...

I'm considering doing Both Pol, and I think Briiiiick might be too. It will be interesting to compare the two

DD is so cute in You are my Glory. I'm loving it now the mobile game advertising has calmed down.

As per, the J is simple, straightforward and charming. The K is more plot heavy, but slick and definitely better budget.

A bit like The Wheel of Fortune, The choice is YOURS!

I'm a little jealous of all you viewing buddies watching the same things as I'm currently off in a little viewing world all of my own. I'm now on episode 42 of Empress Ki, it's been a long haul but I'm determined to finish it as it's vaguely following real historical events which is quite interesting (although I could do with another not so historical extended bath scene to ease it along a little).

I'm also tantalizingly close to the end of Vincenzo, having taken a long time to get around to starting it, but have been prevented from finishing it by F1 taking over the main telly for the weekend. V frustrating (though it was a good race).

I also seem to have developed a weird habit of starting Park Bo-Gum dramas I'm not really that interested in plotwise but then getting strangely and inexplicably hooked. I only started watching Encounter because I was curious about reports of a bad hairstyle (it was, indeed, really bad) but ending up watching it to the end and have now started Record of My Youth with similar low expectations but seem unable to tear myself away.

I'm hoping to get back to Alchemy of Souls soon and restore some sanity.....

Whi h one has the better oppas?

My Kang Ha Neul pashing chingu loyally did Insider even though she hates violence. She was hoping there might be a Misaeng-type fan service moment but was reduced to settling for him slurping noodles in the final episode as her paltry reward...
Me - "Did he not get his top off at all?"
Her -"Maybe briefly in an earlier episode but poor thing was so covered in blood and bruises at all times that I wouldn't have appreciated it anyway,"

Which one has better oppas?

Boaty, the K version has Choi Daniel in it so we all know the answer to that...

Choi Daniel's Japanese counterpart is quite handsome too...

After watching both K episodes and one J episode, I do prefer the Korean one, it's shinier and better produced. They're both enjoyable too watch though.

Prestel, I liked Record of Youth. There was an unexpected depth to the characters, and I was so invested in their arcs that I rather hoped for a season 2.
polkettle, Oh, how disappointing for your poor friend! The violent and sadistic beatings, abuse of power and corruption everywhere was made even worse when the ML realised that he was always going to be a captive to those with power, and only the "prison" changes. It was just so bleak.😔

MigsandTigs That's excellent news. Although it wasn't really awful, Encounter did feel a bit like the kdrama equivalent of candy floss - all sugar and no substance, I'm not really sure why I finished it. This one does look more promising.

Are you me? We have the exact same scenario with an added Facebook group for the poor stray cat!

Just done a very poor speed-read of the thread.

I've finished Remarriage and Desires and concluded that (1) it has the baddest baddie since the baddie in CLOY and (2) it was the most melodramatic kdrama I've seen yet. Wilkie Collins would be clapping the writer from the sidelines.

ML from Business Proposal? I think I'll join you Rowdy and Briiick. Off to look it up now!

I'm giving Sixth Sense Kiss another go chez Olga. Now that I've wrapped my head around the fact that the leads are a good 10 years older than in the toon, and the ML isn't (to me) very dishy (shallow, moi?) it's actually not bad.

ML from Business Proposal? I think I'll join you Rowdy and Briiick. Off to look it up now!

It's the FL Musique, sorry to disappoint

I just watched EAW ep 9 with the character Bang Gu Ppong. And that reminded me that there was another drama I watched with a character of the same name 🤣 Has anyone else seen it? I can't remember what it was called and its driving me mad!

I don't remember hearing that character name before, but I love that actor.

Did anyone else think that he absolutely deserved to go to prison for snatching those kids? He drugged the bus driver!!! I just couldn't get my head around it 😁

He absolutely deserved to go to prison! I couldn't get my head around why they weren't taking it more seriously. Saying that, those kids did need liberating, but he could have gone about it in a different way.

I love the actor too

Yeah, I thought drugging the bus driver should have been a separate charge and he was bang to rights on the kidnapping. I wouldn’t want to be a Korean kid though - those study schedules!

I just spotted a contract marriage film in my Netflix trending. It’s American though 😉 - woman struggling with medical bills marries a marine for his benefits & starts to fall in love. Purple Hearts.

The kiss was also as lovely as you all said. I sense there will be a big fight over who gets to sit next to Kang Tae Oh if he ever comes to our fantasy oppas’ pub outing.