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!

Getting inappropriately giggly over tragic death of Chinese medic in indeterminate African war zone in first episode of CDrama Thank you Doctor because he is called Ron and FL is called Shirley and had to wail (in English) "Ron! Ron!" while a nurse patted her and said "Shirley, Ron's gone"

I've dipped into Behind Every Star it seems identical to the French version so not going to bother. Even with the very cute Lee Seo-jin.

Yes Saram! Tata mike!
And what an excellent BTS dream 😍

As everyone else has FedUp and Aesop’s porridge and oppa needs taken care of, I have brought fruit baskets and citron tea. Get well soon eonnis!

Oh my goodness Tae & the Tata Mic is seriously cute!!🥰

Hope you're feeling better @AesopsMables and @FedUpWithBriiiiick

@polkettle that sounds like a QUALITY watch 😁

@TheGirlWithTheArabStrap yes! That's it! 😃

Well, I don't think you will make a proper Army out of me @MigsandTiggs - sorry, but Singularity didn't float my boat. I think I prefer the more pop like songs, Permission to Dance etc. I am halfway through the BTS concert on Disney+ though, which is quite good.

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but there is a programme on BBCiPlayer called Talking Movies that has an episode about Korean cinema. It also shows some of the Hallyu exhibition at the V&A, if anyone is interested.

I finally finished Love In Contract which limped its way to the end, such a shame, I think it did have promise. I think I might try Gaus Electronics next, it looks like fun.

ROFL

Been given a mountain of antibiotics by GP so hopefully on my way to recovery.

Apparently you should stop work and take better care of yourself when you are sick. Who knew?

Nah you just get yourself a drip down A and E innit and then you're good. (I wonder if British A and Es are full of confused Korean and Chinese students requesting IVs?)

Oh if I was in SK or China I'd have been down at the hospital at the first sign of a sniffle. Hooked up to the IV in my

H
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S
P
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branded pyjamas in the VIP suite, with my stranger guardian happily off paying the bill.

Your hospital fantasies, Pol & Fedup!😂
Meth, fair doos, at least you gave it a try. What I like about BTS is the variety of music genres they attempt.

Feel better soon Fedup and Aesop.(Citron tea really is perfect when you're under the weather, btw, it's like a hug in a cup).

I've been branching out a little this week with some jdrama in the form of My Cuteness is about to Expire which I've been enjoying enormously. I definitely needed something lighthearted to counter the misery of constant rain and dark evenings.

🤩🤩🤩

www.instagram.com/reel/Ci8oY94jM44/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Migs there is definitely a great variety of BTS songs, so I shall keep trying them to see which ones I like.

Piggyback klaxon for May I Help You 🚨🐖 Shaping up pretty cute 7 episodes in.

I like their style - hangover cure with your hooch. 👏

I can’t get going on kdrama. I’m enjoying the manhwa crazy too much. Gluten-free A World Run by Cats on Manta is fun. It has a Baz Luhrmann Romeo & Juliet vibe going with the cat v dog gang styling. Cat-humanoid ML Caesar would not be out of place in a kdrama - he has the muscles for a fan-pleasing shower scene, but I’m guessing cats don’t shower. 🤷‍♀️ Shame.

Currently bingeing Grid on Disney+ as I like sci-fi.

The Empire was a completed wasted opportunity by the script writer. It could have been a crazy murder/ corruption/ revenge/ cheating husband, mash-up in true kdrama fashion. But no, and damp squib doesn't even start to describe it. Despite one character revealing he was gay totally against the ongoing storyline, it's "nul points".

I've been hitting quite a few disappointing dramas lately.

@MigsandTiggs good luck with grid... i'm not sure what it was all about in the end... i got horribley confused! and when i think about it now... i've forgotten how it ended!!!!! 🤣😂😣

I love this grid.. Though its very much dated now I look at it! So much more stuff has been created since it first appeared... But its useful and goes to show how diverse there discography is! 👍🏼😊😁

A clearer version?

and i Love these soo much....😍

Bea, when the FL in Grid said that she didn't understand the past, I thought, "you and me both". There was no ending!!

@MigsandTiggs it only just went... "flumphhhh"... and i was like.... huh? what happenned? what was that all about.??? it felt like everuone f=got to the ending... decided no one knew what was going on and just ended it...😣