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!

Metheven - if you have Viki you must also watch Goblin and Melo is my Nature. Two entirely different beasts but both excellent. Melo is one of the cleverest, sharply observed and humane dramas I’ve ever seen, funny as hell in places too.

Thanks, boatyardblues I have seen Goblin, loved it. I haven't heard of Melo is my Nature, I shall look out for it.

It was bad enough with just Netflix, but with Viki I struggle to find time to go to work let alone anything else 😁

Melo is Top Three. Absolutely brilliant. Also, sexy SSK 😍

Aesops small world, I work in that field too 😁

Cute Programmer is really pretty bad but somehow I’m on episode 19 🤷🏻‍♀️ML is a right pillock though 🤦🏻‍♀️

Stumbled on this doing the course reading for the Coursera Yonsei course: m.koreatimes.co.kr/pages/article.asp?newsIdx=334758 (Kang Tae Oh interviewed about EAW). Parking here so I don’t disrupt today’s learning objectives. 😉

This is interesting too, especially the section about the US’ involvement in SK’s politics immediately after WW2. Given the population’s appetite for a socialist or communist administration, you have to wonder what path it might have taken if the US hadn’t kept on some of the right wing occupation collaborators for the new administration. 🤔

usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-08-16-1670381282_x.htm

(Shakes head) Why do you do it to yourself Betty? Why? 😂

I've finished Semantic Error, it was very sweet, I really liked the older ML, he made me feel a bit swoony - not normally my type, but his character was very alluring. I might read the Webtoon now

He IS a pillock Bettys. It's a shit show. And somehow I'm on episode 12 and have no intention of abandoning it 🤷

Phew thank goodness it’s not just me polkettle ! I’ve reached the pillock redemption arc finally with a lot of judicious skipping - mainly over the BFF and her creepy af ‘brother’

Rowdy I really enjoyed the Semantic Error webtoon but couldn’t get into the drama, maybe I should give it another go

Anyone watched Alice, the Final Weapon on Viki yet? Looks dark

Not kdrama, but the Game of Thrones prequel is already streaming on Olga’s.

I am close to finishing Hwarang - they killed the little fella from BTS😱Why would they do that?

Aw, the Great Dane is getting hitched 😍 Puppies!

How lovely! (Great Dane news) I was initially charmed by his Californian adventure but started to wonder whether Jeep were sponsoring the trip. Can anyone shed light on whether the PPL on his Insta is incidental?

Is anyone still watching Today's Webtoon? I've just caught up on the last few episodes, it's not going the way I expected. It's getting a bit boring, and I was hoping for a romance between the FL and Choi Daniel but I don't think that's going to happen 😒

I’m enjoying it. It has slowed a little in the middle, but I’m enjoying learning about webtoon services as much as the story.

Me too, I feel bad that I've abandoned so many webtoons when so much work goes into them 😬

Hopefully it will pick up, I'm intrigued about the silent female in Jun Yeong's life, I don't like the way he keeps looking at Ma Eum though 😂

That is lovely news!

I think he's sponsored by Jeep and the outdoor brand Patagonia.

Netflix is non stop recommending Young Lady & Gentalman
52 episodes is a big commitment.
anyone seen it or planing to?

Jin I'm starting that now as given up on the other due to the pace being far too drawn out.
I'm hoping for another Once Again or My Only One which were also 50 episodes but kept my interest. As did the wonderfully bonkers Love Ft Marriage & Divorce

I'm getting that too.

We are being TRACKED by VERY ACCURATE ALGORITHMS

Oh god! I did! It's a humdinger!! The soapiest of soaps of all time! It was soooo ridiculous I couldn't stop watching!
It was a definite case of... It's sooo bad! It's good! 👍🏼😁😱😭😂😁👍🏼

Rowdy I'm still enjoying Today's Webtoon but increasingly of the opinion that many kdramas don't benefit from sticking so rigidly to a16 eps format.
I can recommend the crime/thriller Big Mouth with ml, Lee Jung-suk. 8 eps in and I haven't a scobbie of Big Mouth's real identity.

Jin, I'm eyeing up YL&G as my next watch when AOS ends. Read that it got some stick in SK because of the age difference bet ml and fl but that doesn't bother me.

I dropped Cafe Minamdang but might resume if anyone recommends.

So accurate indeed that my Netflix has decided I’m too lightweight for a 52 episode marathon. I’m seeing it but it’s not being heavily pushed on my feed.