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!

🤣🤣 It just shows how much better the women are to the men! 😜

Doh! Of course. Such a silly mistake to make. My joke fell flat… 😂

Not sure about Euros, it’s the political s**t show that’s keeping us glued to TV.

Today’s episode of Extraordinary Attorney Woo, was perfect.

Currently I am supporting a family where young person’s ASD is quite similar to the boy in today’s episode. I was in tears as emotions of mother were spot on.

I’m pretending the Westminster circus isn’t in full clown mode by binging Jinxed at First. It’s still silly but all the better for it. I’m not wild about FL but there is enough to hold my attention.

Starting to wonder if Boris is a secret KDrama fan and is just bingeing to the end of a series before he resigns. "Yes, yes, I'll be out later but it's episode 14 of Hometown ChaChaCha and I want to get through to the end on the big Downing Street telly"

It may be imperfect but impressed by the nuance and positivity in episode 3 of EAW. The drama has its heart in the right place in terms of increasing understanding of neurodiversity. And parental method of stopping a meltdown as demonstrated by Woo's dad was spot on 😁

💯 agree Pol. This drama is not as superficial as I first though.

I just stumbled on 2021 She Would Never Know on Netflix. Mint condition Rowoon? Check! Office romance? Check! Noona romance? Check! All episodes available? Check! How did I miss this??? Happy day!!!

It was on iQyi first so only a few of us caught it last year. I think pol's comment on the spreadsheet sums it up

You know what it is worth watching though. Sweet office bantz and swoony in places (depending on how you feel about FL). Plus Rowoon chopping a carrot with unparalleled concentration.

Ah, FL has Sad Ajumma for her mum. 😭 Let’s hope FL fares better than Jeon Min Do in Thirty-Nine.

It’s slipping down just fine. Perfect moderate stakes weekend binge IMO.

I'm sold <adds to watchlist for tomorrow>

I like Rowoon in this. He sometimes slips into Choi Siwon over-mugging-it mode and starts to irritate me. He’s playing a grown-up in this and putting those purty eyes to good use. So. Many. Longing. Looks. 👌

Ooh beautiful Ryu wotsit has come to London town!! (just as I'm leaving it so we'll have to have a cup of tea together next time)

Ooooh! I’m in town today 👀👀👀

But sadly not at Wimbledon or polo or the photographers gallery or other likely spots 😩

It's the, Hallyu Pop Festival at Wembley Arena this weekend so there should be lots of K beauties wondering around London!

I'm currently on holiday, but ds is poorly 🤮 so I'm still managing to keep up with my dramas... Silver linings and all that

(Sorry, it’s been a while since I last posted on here 😞).
I was going to ask if anyone is going to the Hallypopfest this weekend? My daughter has roped me into going, and I have mixed feelings about it. Being surrounded by 12,000 others in a cramped area isn’t my idea of fun, but I will be listening and seeing all things Kpop, so that’s a bonus 😍!

Awww feel better soon MiniRowdy!!

Anyone watching Dear M?

A Rowoon drama?! I've missed this one! Deffo will watch!
I'm watching Moonshine on viki on ep 14! Almost done! which is fun and enjoyable and not too taxing! All leads are lovely but I'm especially enjoying the storyline of Defence Minister's daughter AeJin.. It's lovely!
Also lining up Extraordinary Attorney I enjoyed the First two eps... So I'm intrigued!
Hope you've all had a cool Saturday had not got too hot and bothered!! 😎

My Detective Ahjumma colleagues have worked out he's staying at The Corinthia. Not that we're planning a stake out or anything...

I don't think I’m going out on much of a limb here, but I’m guessing the handsome chef in She Would Never Know prefers Bruces to Sheilas. The smug married eonni thinks he’s carrying a torch for her, but I think she’s deluded.

Thanks Briiiiick, it looks like he got food poisoning from dinner out last night 🙄😷

Where are you getting your info from Pol? I can't see anything on insta or twitter 🧐

migs I forgot to say thank you for trying to find me Sam Soon the other day, unfortunately I couldn't get the links to work. I'll get DH on the case.

His Insta Rowdy - ryusdb . Then a little zooming in and sleuthing on hotel interior for fun and to keep the eye in 😉 It's not like I have a secret room with a map where I push models of Korean celebrities around the globe on long sticks