MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #36): The one where gluten-free and baguettes stopped being about baked goods. Best leave it at that.

[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 a star 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!

I may have just added Singularity to my Spotify list @MigsandTiggs to listen to tomorrow.

Hope it doesn't disappoint Meth.

Gosh, I've had a few days away from the thread and had 6 pages to catch up on, you chatty bunch!

Real life has been getting in the way of my K drama viewing, but I have managed to squeeze in some Gaus Electronics which I am really enjoying, it's so much fun. I'm also 2 episodes in to Curtain Call, which although it's not the historical drama I was hoping, I'm quite enjoying.

I've also given up on LiC, I'm glad I'm not the only one, and it doesn't sound like I'm missing out on the ending, I had high hopes for that show so it's very disappointing.

Saram, about your Netflix issue, I was wondering if you had the parental controls set differently in your account to dh's one? It might explain why some titles aren't available to you.

I hope everyone is well

I shall report back, Migs

@Rowdythree Good call! But that can't be the problem as we have no age limit on our profiles (Junior Saram does ;) )

Ahhhhh the song that single-handedly sucked me in to BTS when it came out..... 4 years ago! How did that happen? Time goes by so fast .
Oh and also convinced me to watch Hwarang 😍

In a kdrama slump as dropped LiC, not sure I can watch Choi Siwon gurning in LifS though enjoy the meta tv show stuff. I am enjoying Forever & Ever - we should have added staged foreign locations with buskers to the bingo sheets . I think I will have to pop round to Olga's to watch Soundtrack as have developed a better appreciation of PHS since he came out of the army.

Eonnis, I've gone "otaku" and signed up for CrunchyRoll.

It's a slippery slope...

I dropped LiC after the first 5 episodes and skipped to the finale, which was also underwhelming. Someone up-thread recommended Her Private Life instead, which is brilliant so far - I'm even enjoying it more than Secretary Kim.... Quite like Law Café but I've found myself skipping a lot. I only kept watching for oppa LSG if I'm honest 😂.

DH and I have also been watching and enjoying 'Sell your Haunted House' on Netflix, and I've watched a couple of episodes of Masters Sun and Mystic pop-up bar, neither massively grabbed me yet but I'll probably persevere.

Hit up Hallyu! At the v&a at the weekend with my long-suffering mum. Really enjoyed it but agree about it being a total missed merchandising opportunity!

I'm saving the last few AoS episodes until the new ones are out so I can binge. My heart can't take the suspense!

I've had to admit defeat and take to my bed with tonsil and chest infection. After a well earned doze, it will be all guns blazing for a marathon watching spree.

Same here, lost my voice and having day in bed. Re-watching CLOY and going to catch up on CC

Oppa of choices' with porridge on their way to you both chingus.

Feel better soon Chingus, have a cool flannel to mop your brow 💜

Get well soon chingus! Is it wrong that I'm slightly envious of a day in bed binge-watching 😂?

Wishing you a swift recovery chingus! But not TOO quick 🤔😁

That's a very good description!

I also love this clip of V complaining about his Singularity outfit but then looking really pleased when he's told he's trending because of it

The absolute best remedy for anything going round this winter is a large slug of dark rum mixed with the juice of half a lime and a squeeze of honey. Fact!😁

Chingus, you're welcome!

Thegirl, love the clip. V has a very simple mind, bless!

I must say it's very convenient to have all those Chinese language signs in Bremen!

Also, doesn't it absolutely suck when you go out for a bun, and a very efficient and fast moving mini riot breaks out? What are the chances?

(Forever and Ever)

CC is sooo slow, Go Doo-Shim whose work I've always liked in other shows really hams it up and it's not feeling genuine. Storyline has dragged out. Safe to say I'm not continuing after 5 eps 😡

What can you expect from Foreigners FedUp ? They're ALWAYS indulging in filthy Capitalist daytime stick marauding 🙄

🤣

Great clip of V The Girl he’s such a cheeky chap 😍

Taehyung/V is indeed charm personified. And a cheeky devil to boot. Does anyone remember the clip from Festa 2021 was it (?) where he hadn't actually won a prize but still walked off with it despite the staff's protestations? 🤔 😁Only he could have gotten away with that.

It was also Taehyung who confirmed my pronunciation of 'kaktugi' (radish kimchi) in one of my mad BTS dreams 😂In the dream someone asked me to get the kimchi at some dinner I was at. I said 'Oh it's finished but I think there's still some.....kaktugi?' And looked around for someone to check I'd said it right. Taehyung (wearing nice colourful hanbok and with his glasses on) looked up and said 'kaktugi, yes' and then went back to what he was doing. As you do.

Getwell soon @AesopsMables & @FedUpWithBriiiiick 🥣🥣

@TheLoupGarou I admire your patience… if I was in your position, I would’ve watched the remaining episodes & then timed the re-watch of S1 with the release of S2.
I am totally starting S1 in December.

Thibking about rocking the cool eyeliner look on one of the Christmas parties.

If anyone is watching Under The Queens Umbrella, do watch BTS on YouTube. Interaction between Queen & princes are so cute. They all gave her hand written letter on her bday 🥰

It was raining cats & dogs today & got soaked twice. Ahhhh was wishing for oppa with umbrella & willing to give me his jacket/coat.

Speaking of coat: in Forever & Ever every one is wearing coats ALL the time, except the one who should be wrapping up & stay warm (unwell sister).