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!

I'll bow out of that ajumma hair puller, Boaty.

I'm sneaking off to the loos with SSK...

Oh no you don't FedUp because I'm blocking the doorway and rawrring.
(Kang Tae Oh seems like a sweet boy but not for me either.)

You’re talking like it’s an either/or situation. I will be joining the ahjumma hairpulling for SSK too. 😂

I'll join you all in the fight, especially for SSK 🤣🥊

I've finished Into the Ring, I quite fancy the ML so I'm going to start Psychopath Diary on Viki that he's also in.

Such greedy Filthy Noonas we are...

I’m loving Son Seok Koo as Secretary Cha in Designated Survivor. I just love how working for such a principled politician is cutting all his tried & tested spinning off at the knees. He gets more hangdog and frustrated by the episode. I also love that acting president’s previous aide has worked out how to push his buttons. I like Lee Moo Saeng’s slightly out of his depth press officer - I can relate to his discomfort & how that could play out in real life. It’s great fun. Casting deserve a too for the wealth of chiselled, age appropriate oppas on display. It’s top notch stuff. 👏

All caught up on EAW and looking forward to the next episode. Not sure whether to start Alchemy of Souls yet or wait for the whole series to be available.

Has anyone started Cafe Minamdang and if so, is it any good?

Designated Survivor has chiselled, age appropriate oppas you say, boatyardblues ? I think that might be my next thing to watch then. I saw most of the USA first series, but Kiefer Sutherland was just so annoying, I couldn't finish it.

The Korean acting president is 1000x more believable than Kiefer. Likeable too, and easy on the eye.

Excellent, I shall start it tonight then.

Metheven, I'm waiting for all eps to drop before starting AOS. I've also just started Designated Survivor where the ML is more age appropriate. He was also in One Warm Word which I really liked.
Re the fantasy oppa's pub outing, I won't be joining the SSK bun fight because I'm inviting, just off the top of my head: Taecyeon's or Bu Bae's body, Song Joong Ki's lips, Lee Joon Gi's eyes and Lee Jin Wook's hair. Obviously I have never, ever contemplated these body parts before I would never objectify a fellow human being.😄

Metheven, forgot to add that I'm watching Cafe Minamdang too. It started off well but is now struggling to find its way between the two genres of comedy and crime; it is no Vincenzo. I parked it for the last two episodes but will resume to see if watching several episodes in one go would improve the experience.

MigsandTiggs I think I might wait for all of AOS to drop as well before I start it, god knows I have plenty of other stuff to watch 😂. Also will do the same with Cafe Minamdang and hope I can get through it better as a binge watch. I haven't seen Vincenzo yet, but definitely will at some point.

Rowdy ah, darn it! I did really like the FL in both Uncanny Counter and Business Proposal so I think I'll still give it a go.

I've not had much time for kdrama because of travelling to the paradise of Worcestershire yesterday and then going to see the gymnastics at the Commonwealth games. It was ever so good. All that bouncing about and balancing was most enjoyable to watch. I can only think of one kdrama featuring gymnasts though.

I've got some time now though and I have a question for those who finished Woori the Virgin - should I bother watching the last five hours?

You were visiting my neck of the woods Musique! I've also been to the commonwealth games today to watch 3x3 basket ball which was great fun to watch, high energy and exciting!

The only drama I can think of with gymnasts in is Weight lifting fairy - I definitely need to rewatch that soon.

I'm not so sure about Psychopath Diary, the stuffy civil servant from Into the Ring plays an equally stuffy serial killer, which is not quite as appealing 😆 I'll give it a few more episodes before I make my mind up

They’re working the Ediya Coffee PPL to the max in Designated Survivor. 😂

Forgot to say props to Another Miss Oh for it's kitchen waste disposal unit PPL.

A solid 👍 for Secretary Cha and the Press Secretary “taking it outside” in ep 13 of Designated Survivor. 😄

^You were visiting my neck of the woods Musique! I've also been to the commonwealth games today to watch 3x3 basket ball which was great fun to watch, high energy and exciting!

The only drama I can think of with gymnasts in is Weight lifting fairy.^

I thought it was you Rowdy who lived around here. I'm glad the basketball was good, I enjoyed seeing it on the TV. Hockey for me today, definitely not a sport I've ever seen in kdrama. The gymnasts in Weightlifting fairy weren't portrayed in a very flattering light were they?

I've started Today's Webtoon and I really enjoyed it. I have a fondness for the actor who plays mage Lee in AoS so I wad delighted to see him pop up in a role that I think will let him really use all his comedy skills.

How are you finding Another Miss Oh Pol? I just remember feeling uneasy all the time when I watched it. It certainly wasn't just a straightforward romance.

I’m watching Today’s Webtoon. I knew I recognised the artist but couldn’t place him. He’s definitely off the chaste tea in this one. 🤣

Today’s Webtoon is a delight. I thoroughly enjoyed both episodes.

How is the jdrama shaping up?

I've just started latest ep of EAW
The lift scene with the CEO resonated with me as I had the same concern after watching Love Story in the 70's. I even started to hold my breath in kissing scenes and still couldn't work out that they were breathing through their nose. It worried me for weeks and then I asked my elder brother's sister who set me straight on that point. Hasten to add that I was about 10yrs old 😚

That's very cute Aesops ☺️
Timestamping today's EAW 1 hr and 2 mins in for a Daebak category.
I've finished Miss Oh now Musique,. I enjoyed it - although it is a chaotic mess of ideas at times. It's very much the writer of My Mister and My Liberation Notes trying to work out what it is she wants to say and the tone she wants to say it in but not having quite got there yet. I liked the noona pregnancy subplot and also the good snog ratio!

So many famous faces in Todays Webtoon! I'm enjoying seeing the differences between this and the J version.

@boatyardblues the J only has two episodes up as well, but so far so good (you know me though, I'm a sucker for the simple joy of a rickity, pacey Jdrama!)

It seems that Sleepeeer Hit! sticks much closer to the plot of the manga than Today's Webtoon.

I wondered if all the artist’s assistants who turned up at the veteran artist’s house in ep 2 were RL webtoon artists doing cameos. Knowing the way kdramas work, there will be many of them dotted around in the series for the hardcore fans. The girl group slot at the awards dinner in ep 1 was also probably fiercely fought over behind the scenes as a debut for a real idol trainee group.

DH is poorly and watched Daily Webtoon with me. He grudgingly admitted to enjoying it. 😄