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!

Going back a few posts I keep thinking of FedUp’s use of the phrase ‘feathery-stroker’ and snickering I don’t know why

I often check out the comments on the filthy manhwa first as all the other filthy noonas will flag anything grim, aimed at the male gaze etc. I made the mistake of opening one flagged ‘seinen’ (aimed at young males) rather than ‘josei’ (aimed at older women). There was a lot wrong with it but the women all looked like they needed the attention of a gynaecologist. I feared there’d been a mass prolapse event in the artist’s universe.

Pretty fabulous Little Women finale I thought. Will be unpicking the imagery in it for weeks.

Wow. Little Women finale was... something else.

About to watch ep 11 and 12 of Little Women. Excited!!!!

Oof. That was a cracking finale. 👏 I wanted to know if In-Joo made it to Greece. I really hope so. I also really hope Wi Ha Joon gets his own ML role pronto. More WHJ pls. 🙏

It was excellent!!! Absolutely no filler, just careering from super dramatic plot twists all over the place ☺️

Going in for the last 2 eps of your norty JDrama over breakfast Bettys (Perfect Crime) and boy oh boy is it a dodgy consent one. An incel's wetdream I'd say.
And yet I'm still finishing it 🤷😁

New favourite insta account - Korean comedian Shin Young Hwang and her triplets
www.instagram.com/reel/Cie4RoqOzOZ/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=
(No I AM working)

Brilliant. (I'm not working I'm in another capital city for a GIG 💃)

Saw a tweet this morning recommending an app called Hitv as a place to watch KDramas for free without a sub. Just downloaded it to take a look and it definitely seems too good to be true/legal. Has Viki and Netflix and other stuff (including recent films). Haven't started watching anything yet to check sub quality or what happens ad wise (although tweeter seemed to suggest that they were minimal).

Seeing so many hot snog spoilers for The Law Café. I know people gave up on it but I might have to investigate...
Although new, possibly dodgy app has Link on it which I had my eye on.

Ooh! Little Women was very action packed right to the end. It's funny though, I am not sure if I really really liked it or will be marking as average. The production and sets were very good. The storyline was just not my normal thing. Shall be mulling this over before I commit to scoring.

Nearly at the end of Through The Darkness, if anyone enjoyed Juvenile Justice they will enjoy this, otherwise stay clear if serial killing is not for you. Scary and very good story (based on fact) with this and Dahmer under my belt this month already I am going to look forward to a huge slice of comedy life next !!

I watched the new In The Soop with V, PSJ, PHS, etc on hitv, it seemed ok but I haven't seen anything else on it

Started watching Link, Eat, Love, Kill on it with no issues. It's got all the current screeners on it.

Finally finished Little Women, I loved it when things finally started unravelling for Won Sang-A. A very action packed last couple of episodes.

I'm not sure what to watch next, has anyone watched Narco Saints? Or I might see if DH will watch Through the Darkness with me, I'm too scared to watch it in my own... They're both based on true events I just noticed.

Finished my first Japanese lesson! Nervous but it went ok I think.

I’m impressed FedUp. Learning all those characters must be much harder than learning a new alphabet.
One of the main problems with learning Korean is pronunciation as there are sounds that don’t exist in English. Also there are subtle differences in sounds which are completely obvious to a Korean but less so to an English speaker and it takes some time to get one’s ear in.

Had a fab kday yesterday with @Bea taking in Foyles, Hallyu! & a new favourite restaurant Kimchee near Kings Cross. Can highly recommend all 3 (sorry had already started eating when took food pic!)
The Foyles & KCC event is only on until the end of this month & am cross that their music gig has already sold out. The clothes on display at V&A are beautiful - you can see the actual hanbok worn by Park Yer Bum 😆 To eat we ordered Kimchee Jeon, King Prawn Chilli, Boneless Soy Fried Chicken & Ugeoji Galbitang and rice. All utterly delicious!

Another food pic showing the chicken, I’ve been wanting to try Korean fried chicken for ages. Didn’t have enough room for bingsu but that’s on the list for next time.
The only thing is I would’ve liked more merch in the V&A shop, some Seri’s Choice moisturiser would’ve been fab!

I concur with @bettys A most splendiforous day was had and we did eat too much! and squeeled rather a lot... kudos to @bettys for having to put up with me recommending CLOY to anyone at the exhibit who had not dipped their toes in KDrama and harrasssing ARMYs in the Wild with photocards!!! 😂 and persuading the ARMY Foyles employee to give us any photocards, he didn't have any, but he did gift us with these lovely lovely gorgeous bookmarks! @bettys tried to persuade him to sell us the lovely Soju Shot Glasses in the window display! 😂💜😎

@bettys @Bea The food! I'm envious...

Ahhhh what a perfect day! Good job chingus. Jalaesso 👏👏👏👏
In other news ...they've got me...

Oops...supposed to be a pic of my Kopiko attached.

Ah that's sounds like an excellent day chingus!!!