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!

HDL is just sooo beautifully done! And I still 😍😍😱😱😱😍😍😍😍at the end! 😚👌😚😳😚💞💕

Aww today's vet programme gave me the feels 🤗 apart from wishing the ML and FL would both just get their act together. It was just what I needed to watch tonight, I'm looking forward to tomorrow's episode ❤️

I love how the vet show has been brought back from the brink and gently rehabilitated by a couple of more patient posters. Well done guys! 😄

@Ridingthegravytrain HDL is fab isn't it??
I'm dragging myself out of the filthy manhwas to watch the first ep of Little Women

Well done TheGirl. I’m on ep 4 now and it is riveting. It’s twisting and turning like a snared tiger. I have absolutely no idea how the story will play out, who will be left standing at the end or whether Wi Ha Joon is a baddie or a deep cover goodie. It’s the cure for filthy manhwa for sure.

Aargh. The scene with the money counters is gut-wrenching.

Just watched the first two episodes of Little Women
It's very good! So dramatic and foreboding! I'm gripped

I've just finished Youth of May. Really enjoyed it, great performances from all 😍

The vet drama is not released here for another month. Little Women doesn't appear in the search yet, so I'm guessing it will be out sometime in November. One good thing about my lagging so ridiculously behind with dramas is that I have PLENTY left to watch (including the last few episodes of EAW). 25/21, Business Proposal, AOS, Sound of Magic and even classics like Itaewon Class, Hotel del Luna, Hospital Playlist are all still to go 😨 And I've never watched ANY historical dramas 😱 (apart from Kingdom, which was fantastic). As always, lack of time not lack of interest. Am going to mentally veg out and go for FLAW next, though 😁

And on another matter altogether.

I will be in London next month, with two days to spare. I have seen recommendations for Korean restaurants etc. on this thread before, but I'm afraid I didn't note them at the time and now can't find them 🙈Would any London-based chingus be kind enough to repeat them please? (I don't eat meat or fish, so BBQ restaurants are probably out.)

And, I've watched Hanguk Hapa's video on all things Korean in New Maldon and think I'd like to head out there too. So, New Maldon recommendations are equally welcome 🙏

Good morning chingus.
I’ve just got back from the press morning at the Hallyu exhibition. It is absolutely fantastic and I highly recommend for those who can to go.
So much to see - fashion, history, the growth of Korean from one of the poorest countries to a rich one, technology, obviously lots about drama and k pop.
The poor museum attendants in the first room is going to be mightily sick of Gangnam Style by the end of their shifts as it’s played on repeat on a large screen at high volume.

It would be a bit too serendipitous if this happened to be the date you were here Saram but I'll post link anyway (with proviso that cafe owners are not actually Korean)
www.instagram.com/p/Ciu-i0eNdEy/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
There are so many Korean restaurants in London now that I've completely lost the plot on what to recommend that's non-BBQ orientated. Rowdy is veggie and was here recently so may have an idea?
Lucky you Andante! Great to hear it's a good un. I must sort out my ticket.

It was brutal, the show just has me on the edge of my seat, its excellent. I can't wait to see where the plot goes, like you say its got so many twists and turns. I'm rooting for the austere rich aunt to continue to support the sisters though 🙏

Saram we went to a small restaurant called Petit Coree in West Hampstead but I saw plenty of more central ones. I think you'll be fine with most korean restaurants, even the bbq places will have traditional favourites like teokbokki, vegetable mandu, Kimchi pancake and doenjang jjigae. I always order doenjang jjigae, it's just so delicious. I've tried to recreate it at home but I can't get it quite the same 🙁

Andante that sounds fabulous, lucky you. I'm hoping to drag my mum there when we are in London next month, I also need to sort my ticket out

@Andante57 Oooh how exciting! Tickets purchased, I am sooooo looking forward to it! As is my Korea-curious best mate in London 🙂 I pre-ordered the exhibition catalogue, so it's lurking in the cupboard just a few feet away 😱 but I don't want to look at it till I've been 😃

@polkettle Ah it's just a few days out 🙄 but thanks for the thought! Maybe someone else will be in London then for Hallyu!

@Rowdythree Thanks for the tip, will check it out. My friend spotted a place called 'Gogi' so wondered if we could try that. But going by the name, it's going to be meat-oriented...

Re: doenjang jigae. I think I've sung her praises before, but Joanne Lee Molinaro (The Korean Vegan) has an excellent recipe for Fennel Doenjang Guk, if it's the doenjang you particularly like. Highly recommend her book for anyone wanting to cook authentic Korean without meat or fish. It looks super complicated but most recipes are surprisingly easy to follow. There's a strong autobiographical strand running through the book explaining the context of the recipes, which I really like.

She also has a podcast, which I listen to on Spotify. It's very American-self-help, which usually has me doing the side-eyes (instead of Mr Saram 😂). But somehow I can take it from her.

Fennel Doenjang Guk. Apologies for disgusting state of the book 😁

Saram I have that cookbook, but I've not tried that recipe. Thanks 👍 I didn't realise she had a podcast, I should check it out, although American self help is not usually my style 😬 Her story in the cookbook is very interesting though

Excellent report!! I can't wait to go now 👍

Ooh Mr Strong and Silent Forearms Vet has some moves. For anyone who hasn't done it and fancies it - completing next week and will make perfect rainy-day-and-Im-a-bit-poorly-and-need-something-cosy-and-mindless binge.

He may have too many teeth to stir any filthy noona loins but I have to say Park yer bum comes across as absolute sweetheart in Youth Actors'Retreat. I want to tuck him into bed with a bear and a story (rather than any other activity).

Pol - your bear and story intentions sit entirely well with how I feel about Park Yer Bum too. Lovely boy, but anything else would be so, so wrong.

In news from the yoof, DS (17) told me today that The Cure is defined as “male manipulator music” along with the likes of The Smiths and Radiohead. Asked to expand on this shocking revelation (music of my youth, chingus!) it seems it’s the listener demographic (as perceived by da kidz) that’s the issue. He assures me it’s “a thing” out in the world, not just specific to his friendship group. I am not sure how this leaves me feeling about my misspent youth playlist. Confused mainly.

There's a bit with a running oppa grabby ghost in a corridor in ep 3 of Youth Actors' Retreat and all I'm saying is that ghost would fit right in here...

I cannot wait to go to the exhibition in London on Saturday!

Currently sat in airport lounge waiting for my flight home, 3 full days of meetings/business dinners (boring corporate stuff) Poured a glass of beer and catching up on my favourite K Vloggers.

Ooh ooh ooooh Alienoid is opening the Korean Film Festival on 3rd November! I REALLY want to see that. Is that when you're in town too FedUp?

I'm rooting for the austere rich aunt to continue to support the sisters though

I’m getting seriously curious about how the aunt made her money and her relationship with ‘the General’. She seems to have a lot of soft power. I am wondering if she’s as dirty as the General’s son and wife.

Still on the fence about urbane money launderer. Is she so naive that he’ll persuade her to transfer the money & then disappear with it? Do I trust him yet? Hard no!

Yup I'm there with the boys from 1st to 4th. V&A booked for 2nd 👍

Promised the boys in return I would go to Madame Tussaud's which gives me the ick. Am good wife and mother.