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!

Then I'm afraid one making Webtoon series is enough for me. Even if I picked wrong.

I saw the Big Mouth spoiler. Not gonna watch that one. ☹️👎

I don't think I'm going to bother with ep16 of Today's Webtoon, I'm going to ditch Law Cafe too, I'm not enjoying it and I don't want to waste my time on another dud.

I am enjoying The Nokdu Flower which so far, is fulfilling the brief of being 'historical but not palace'

I was out in town this week and saw ANOTHER Korean food place has opened up.

This is the fourth to launch in the last few months 😳Numbers one and two are expansions of existing small chains, both visited and both good, as opposed to excellent. My Korean teacher tried number three. Asked her what she thought and she paused and said 'Well, they tried'. Coming from a very polite young Korean, this means it's actively bad 😂Number four looks good. Run by a middle-aged Korean couple, at least they were in the shop that day. I didn't buy anything as I'd just come from a very Instagrammed cafe specialising in Korean toast (really excellent, but about 4 times as expensive as in Korea I understand....)

Here comes the exciting bit. While I was waiting for my Mum to take a photo of the Instagrammable cafe, a young Korean couple stopped next to me and the girl went to do the same. I sort of glanced at the chap and then did a Looney-Tunes-style double-take 😂He looked like Son Seok-koo, only 10 years younger and even better-looking. He had such a lovely face I found myself just smiling at him spontaneously. He gave me the friendliest smile back. Totally non-conceited. I did have a Korean-themed hoodie on, so maybe that was it too 😃

I like to think this is the kind of smooth interaction I might have with a member of BTS if I saw them in real life. Reality: I'd probably turn purple (appropriately enough) and collapse.

Nice encounter Saram. A 30 year old SSK? This Filthy Noona can get behind that 😁

A bit of low rent vet niceness exactly what today needed 🥰 (more a reference to brewing a cold here rather than Our Beloved Monarch's interment although felt slightly sad when I saw her pony)(also deferred reading explicit new fanfic that dropped during the service out of Respect)(then read it and it was an aaargh need to scrub my brain one so that'll learn me) Vet! 🥰🐇

I'm in a total watching slump. Nothing is tickling my fancy! I think I'm still pining for MLN.

Everything seems like such a slog, everything is so serious with no lovely 🐝 friendly endings.

Will I give the vet show a spin? The Webtoon was a bit boring.

It's not high octane FedUp. But sometimes you want to know exactly where you're going. Are you doing Little Women? That's very good if you want Plot.

I am to be fair. But quite slowly. Need to get my arse in gear.

FedUp’s filthy manhwa cesspool has been a disaster for my kdrama viewing but I’m resolute that I will clamber back out this week.

I plan to catch up on Little Women after dinner.

The spoiler is misleading….not sad at all.

One for the filthy noonas. I never saw anyone who looks like this when I lived in Brunei. He deserves to be in a kdrama!!

Is he the Sultan’s bodyguard or a younger relative? He looks like he needs a better fitting jacket. No self-respecting kdrama oppa would be seen dead in such poorly fitting tailoring.

Today’s manhwa filth time-sink has been The Missing O, which is about 3 female housemates looking for, well, the big O. It has a proper story and interesting 2nd & 3rd couples, strays into some niche bedroom interests 😳 but is overall a fun story with a heavy focus on friendship. There is a lot of bonking, but also a lot of bonding.

Watching Little Women ep 3. I started off thinking Wi Ha Joon’s character was a bad guy. Now I’m flip-flopping with every twist and turn. Just watched the bit at the psychiatric hospital. 😦 It’s so gripping. I honestly have no idea where this show is taking me, but it’s a wild ride already. Also, Wi Ha Joon is growing on me. He was such a shit as FL’s pampered brother in Something in the Rain, but he does urbane, morally compromised corporate grifter brilliantly. 👌

I happened to notice the screenwriter and director of Little Women are both women. Brava ladies! It’s a brilliant show. 👏 The same director, Kim Hee Won, also directed The Crowned Clown, Money Flower and Vincenzo. Money Flower was sark and murky like this.

There's a reason you are our leader, Boaty. And your last three posts prove it. Thanks, chum 👍

I've just watched ep3 of Little Women too Boaty, it is very good. The acting is excellent and throughout the whole episode there is an ominous feeling. It's definitely not one to binge, it's too tense.

I can see there are 6 episodes up. It’s not labelled as a Netflix limited series so I was expecting a standard run of 16, but Netflix doesn’t have placeholders for future episodes like it usually does. (Little Women this is.) I’m torn between wanting the full 1) and thinking my nerves will be shredded by ep 6. I agree about the ominous tone, very much like Money Flower in that respect.

I think it's supposed to be 12 episodes. I'm up to date on it and I can tell you the twists keep twisting... Beautifully shot too. Don't attempt to binge or watch drunk or you'll miss something.

Thanks Pol. Yes, I stopped at one episode last night because I was getting sleepy and didn’t want to miss anything.

Boaty, yes, shame about the tight suit😁I thought it might be a bodyguard too as a son would be rolling in wealth.

Wish I had followed the pp who said they weren't going to bother with finale of Today's Webtoon. Total damp squib. All. Of. It.

I haven't seen the wrist grabbing technique in quite some time - ep7 of the vet show. It was a sweet episode though and I am enjoying the show

i'm still very very much enjoying the vet show... don't think it was as wrist grabby as past dramas... it wasn't so agressive!!! 😂
It's a very soft and cosy show...😊 just right for autumn!!!

Yes it was a gentle wrist grab to be fair, it's a nice gentle show 🤗

Can I just say thank you to whoever recommended hotel del Luna and sell my haunted house. We finished HdL (my husband welled up a few times towards the end 😂) he got straight online and is glad to see there should be a second season. Now on ep 11 of sell my haunted house and have really enjoyed it. Korean odyssey next on the list 👍