MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #35): Autumn - season of mists, mellow fruitfulness and Woolly Wookiee oppa

[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 an asterisk 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
Alchemy of Souls (Netflix) 🌟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)
Sweat and Soap (Viki, Japanese)
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.

1. The Red Sleeve - 10
2. Happiness - 9
3. Devil Judge - 8.75
4. Squid Game - 8.63
5. Navillera - 8.57

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

2019’s top scoring dramas

1. Her Private Life - 9.40
2. Melo is My Nature - 9.00

3.= Crash Landing On You, The Crowned Clown, The Lies Within, and The Tale of Nokdu - 8.75

1. Hotel del Luna - 8.50

5.= Romance is a Bonus Book, and Search: WWW - 8.17

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!

Apologies to any of our lurkers who were expecting genteel chat about today’s episodes of Today’s Webtoon or Little Women. Bad eonni FedUp has corrupted us terribly. Normal service will resume when everyone has sated their curiosity about the eerie white baguette. 🤣

I admit my part in this whole sorry affair. But I'm not going down (fnar fnar) alone.

I accuse Goody Bettys. I accuse Goody Polkettle.

Let's face it - more likely to bring a lurker out of lurking to DEMAND access to eerily white baguette secrets.

I’m not sure normal service can ever be resumed <shakes head sadly> 🤣

Smutty link for me too please!!

It was me that found the amazingly named "Jaffa cakes are not the only fruit" Mel/Sue fic!

I am absolutely loving the jungkook is Diana stuff on Twitter!!! Look!! It's definitely true!! 😂

Okay Permission To Dance on Disney is pretty amazing. Those boys eh? Loving the white fluffy swan arm dancers.

💜💜💜WE GOT HER @BEA! WE FINALLY GOT HER!!💜💜💜

Please confirm receipt!

@Cobol I did start Empress Ki but ditched it towards the end of episode one.

Then started Chinese drama Love like the Galaxy. I am enjoying it so far, ML is easy on the eyes. It’s 52☺️ Episodes and I am currently in 16th (started on Thursday).

I've found the baguette! I'm 😂😂😂

I’m impressed by the amount of foreplay on FedUp’s naughty manhwa site. The pumping overlord MLs in the slightly iffier Manta stuff seem to take pride in their conquests being sore, in pain or (BL ones) having difficulty sitting the next day. Plus a more casual relationship with consent. To his credit, Baguette man seems eager to please and better prepared. 😆

Agreed. Foreplay is ubiquitous and in some cases, the men don't take it any further. Very refreshing. Could do without the words squelch and shlup though 🤢

Of course, explicit consent is still a bit iffy 😑

EVERYONE succombs sooner or later... Those boys are just too bloody good at their stuff!! 😍😎

Having a vasectomy though? 🤔
Agree the sex noises get a bit tedious.....all the hnnn ahhh ngn -ing . Other than the frequent appearance of the eerily white baguette it plays out like a mini kdrama or rather jdrama based on the baguette premise 😂

I'm going to pass on the baguette, trying to cut out carbs 😇

Misaeng is soo good. Got visitors today so just squeezing in ep 13 before I get out of bed. Be interested in what you think Miggs? I'm waiting for HR to step in on the atrocious sexist and bullying behaviour (where the hell are they?)

Yeah, the vasectomy was a puzzler - seems a bit drastic in a 20-something guy and, well, you need a sperm test at 3 months post-op before you get the all clear for consequence-free humping. I was hoping it was a translation error.

Agree on everything being a formulaic kdrama with tropes aside from the sex. I’m noticing even the sex is pretty formulaic and trope-filled too.

You didn't miss much JinBhoot. The only reason I stuck with it was because I became interested in the real historical events it was based on and the cultural bias within the storytelling which depicts the Yuan empire from a Korean perspective. I'm tempted to join you with your Chinese epic but although Chinese film and tv is often visually stunning, I struggle with the dubbing into Mandarin, especially when the lipsyncing is poor, I find it quite distracting. Maybe when I run out of Korean ones.....

DH got free access to some free AI art software. He wanted ‘out there’ suggestions to put it through its paces. I gave him search terms involving a hanok, hanbok, handsome man (ethnicity not specified) and Siamese cats. The art was meh. The cats looked wrong. The AI’s definition of handsome does not concur with mine, though interestingly it defaulted to Korean men and improved with ‘in the style of Vogue’. Not enough hanok in shot either. Fails the uncanny valley test overall - whatever the AI is doing to adjust the lighting and stitch the images together, they don’t look natural. And that, chingus, is how we like to waste our Sunday afternoons at the Boathouse.

What an interesting day I’ve had today. Started with the baguette then realised that when BTS raps “my dick is long, I’m filthy rich” they’re channeling the ML in OB! Would it have made a difference if it was a web-foot baby octopus that the ex had? but regardless, now I will be forever unable to view any baby octopi in the old way again 🫣

Next came paying my respects at the roadside as the Queen’s cortège went by. So proud at how beautiful Aberdeenshire looked on tv.

Then I made about 10 litres of plum liqueur (I have a plum tree) pretending it was ginseng liquor 🥃 that I’ll be quaffing at Christmas 😂 Now it it’s kdrama time!
And how was your day?

Both Boaty's and Migs's days sound productive to me. I have been languishing sloth like due to covid and very much amused by Baguette and then disappeared down to the bottom of a webtoon BL well thanks to FedUp's linky 😆

I have just watched 2.5 minutes of Youth Actor's Retreat on Viki and am astounded as ever by kstars ability to appear on variety shows and do idiotic things. You could never make this programme with these stars anywhere else 😂

I will be forever unable to view any baby octopi in the old way again 🫣

Me too Migs, me too 😱

🐙🙄
I did feel that the FL could have explored a middle ground dick in the 7 years between octopus and baguette.

3 episodes into Little Women and it's classy stuff but why is there ALWAYS a bloody ledger. Be less diligent in your paperwork Bad Guys of Korea!

Oh @polkettle! The rest of One Night Morning has dropped. Looking forward to that.

bettys I’m with the energy company that has a cute pink 🐙 logo. I’m doomed!

🤣 Miggs
Ooh! FedUp That'll be my breakfast company next week