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!

Agree Bea 💜

Kimchi and tarts looking amazing 😋
Cheese and onion popcorn sounds awful though 😨

Your Kimchi looks amazing PolI hope it works out well. We always have cabbage in our veg box too, I'd never considered making my own Kimchi with it!

I'm watching Hotel del Luna, it's about my 3rd attempt at watching it, and I'm finally getting into it. Currently on ep5. I seem to struggle with Yeo Jin Goo as the ML, I don't know why, he seems perfectly nice and a decent actor 🤷‍♀️

Still no fancy telly... Apparently the delivery company have lost our parcel 😭🤬😡

Reminds me of the posh Prosecco crisps I had a couple of years ago. Shudder.

Bea your tarts look bloomin delicious 😋

I'm on a baking binge at the moment! More fun then tidying up!!

Current watches... Bad Prosecutor (not bad!) law cafe (watching on and off) started Gauss electronics (will continue!)
Current ReWatch... Vincenzo!
Lining up for when I'm in the mood = Big Mouth (now on Disney+)... Which reminds me... They seem to be adding more and more kdrama!

I'm in for kimchi/tart swapsies... YUM.
Prosecco crisps are indeed the devil's work.
Watched your Bollywood tip with enjoyment last night FedUp. Cheers chingu!

Cute little Japanese BL to recommend on Viki, although only 3 episodes available. About a Yaoi manga artist and an idol who were high school friends. Quite similar in tone to Senpai, This Can't Be Love!

<deep inhale>

Kabe-Koji-Nekoyashiki-kun Desires to be Recognised.

This kimchi & tarts 🥰
I have never eaten these tarts.
kimchi I have tried once and wasnt expecting it to taste like that. In my mind, it’s spicy & sour. May the canned stuff from Morrisons wasn’t up to par.

In other news

Jin upcoming single The Astronaut will be released on Oct. 28 at 12am Eastern, 1pm KST

The song was co-produced and co-written by Jin, Coldplay, Kygo and Max Martin

Chris and his son Moses provide background vocals. Hmmm trying to get his son known via ARMY

Just popping in to spread the love for Gaus Electronics it's a cracking wee show!

Hooray Bettys!
I've had to put my fermenting kimchi in the garden temporarily as son was complaining about the whole house stinking 😂 Not quite sure whether my fridge is going to be able to take it.

Pol I spilled some kimchi juice in the kitchen floor and it certainly has a lasting odour, despite much mopping.

Pol This is why they have kimchee fridges and those heavy duty klippit boxes! Mini fridge in potting shed? Although with it getting colder it'd prob be alright outside...insulated in a huge plantpot

Thanks for the tip about Gaus I love Kwak Dong Yeon in this, his little wee face when it was raining & he was talking to the teddy bear by the bin 😭Enjoying the ensemble cast and keep comparing the women to PMY & thinking they are so much more enjoyable to watch, especially Go Sung See

I mentioned the past eat by date kimchi pouch rupture in our fridge a couple of threads ago. The juice got everywhere before we discovered it. The smell has gone now but it took a while. If anyone gets a kimchi pack that puffs up, beware the stinking, ticking grenade and ignore at your peril. A kimchi fridge seems eminently sensible - containment zone and sensible risk management. 😄

It would entirely On Brand for me to make kimchi as a way of frugally using up three cabbages and end up buying a whole fridge to store it.
I know Bettys - whole cast is great and clearly having a good time in Gaus and so much more human than PMY being pretty on a golf course.

I think me and PMY might be headed for a break up after Love in Contract. I’ve crossed over into not liking her and thinking she detracts from, rather than improves, a drama.

I'm agreeing with the comments about LIC , not really loving it!
I had some kimchi that I have been forced into eating tonight due to DH and DS complaining about the smell (despite it being inside a klipit Tupperware box sealed inside a Ziploc bag) 😋

Love love LOVE Love is for Suckers right now. It’s pitch perfect. The Love Island-type show is perfection. Abs, intrigue… Hair-pulling and yahhhing before the end of tomorrow night’s episode, or I’ll eat my hat. I loved the Kingdom of Perverts quip as well. It’s where Filthy Noonas go on their holidays. 😂

Pol, your kimchi looks good but I'm even more interested in the jars as I've never seen lids like that. Are they especially for relieving the gas pressure during the fermenting process?

They are Migs - Lakeland (of course) kimchi jars (see I've already blown my "using up cabbage" budget). Great in theory that they don't need burping but does mean they're constantly eni

Pressed wrong button!
Constantly emitting kimchi smell...

Pol, I'm thinking of making this, but if you have time, have a look at the video for white kimchi and tell me what you think.

I'm laughing so much at this 🤣

Jin looks genuinely alarmed at some points 🤣🤣🤣

Laughing at the idea that I am qualified to comment 3 days into my first go Migs! I would say that's not the most authentic spice mix (I believe it should be made with gochurang chilli flakes and not paste) but I'm sure it would work and taste good. And with considerably less garlic than mine maybe be a bit less stinky? Had some of mine for lunch today and it was good.