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!

Nobody knew Kwak Dong Yeon was only 25 Rowdy, even Ahn Bo-hyun made the same mistake in Young Actors Retreat and he was talking to him in real life!

And then there's Kim Min Jae who I thought was older when he was in Dali and Cocky Prince but that was probably more wishful thinking than really believing it <sigh> 😪

I would definitely come to visit your tent/beach bar Fed Up and Loup Garou

Heheh @FedUpWithBriiiiick I'm up for it, glamorous long expensive coats and scarves essential in this weather.

I'm just doing a mini -binge of My roommate is a gumiho, holy good god, both male leads are gorgeous fans self

I'm just doing a mini -binge of My roommate is a gumiho, holy good god, both male leads are gorgeous fans self

The monthly Netflix AND Viki bill is probably still cheaper than 2hrs’ central heating in these end of days times. By far, the most cost effective and cheering cost of living measure.

Maybe we should add an "adoring auntie" category for the jailbait young 'uns. No filthy noona for Jungkook and Kwak Dong Yeon (love their cheeky faces/personalities) yet I'm all filthy noona watching Jimin's fluid dancing and he's equally age inappropriate!!

Cdrama bingo card printed and ready for watching A Thousand Years for You.

Feeling myself again! Hope everyone else is fully recovered.

I'm awake at stupid o'clock on a Sat as we are away for weekend and I'm alternating between packing and watching Love is for Suckers which I'm enjoying so far. On ep 4. Did anyone comment previously on the bouquet 1st ML gave to FL when he saved her from chef John? What was that? It looked like a giant cone shaped bag , potentially filled with Flumps and topped with the tiniest roses which looked like they would never open as cut too early 😕
Disclaimer - I know jack about horticulture 🪴

Early morning GENIUS
twitter.com/keira_dominguez/status/1593851228756537344?t=9MqiZoPtg4320fqoUZInsQ&s=19

Love that tree! I'm now thinking about what I would decorate a K D Tree with..
I'm more a minimalist with design. Maybe fill it with Soju glasses on string alternating with sprinkle of Kopiko?!

That tree is pure genius. I wonder if you could decorate one with mini versions of the plushy dolls that our ML's gift our FL's with (preferably having won them at a fair/from a claw-grab machine?

Soju glasses sounds ideal for a pop-up beach bar, right @FedUpWithBriiiiick ?😂

if you set up your beachside pop up bar Loup and FedUp, you can import soju in bulk & your donestic consumption needs will be sorted! 👍

Boatyard That's the kind of problem-solving thinking the world needs 😁I'm totally up for the soju caravan, by the way 😃

Aesops oh that tree is already minimalist for me 😂ours should actually come with a health warning. God knows where I'm going to fit the BTS baubles in amongst all the rest 😱

YES to double-take at vet ML age 😮

Tom Cruise...nah. My childhood and subsquent ideas of handsome men were (drum roll): Morten Harket, C. Thomas Howell (specifically as Ponyboy Curtis, an age-appropriate choice back then - see The Outsiders for Tom Cruise before he had his teeth fixed, incidentally). Then moved on to David Bowie (specifically mid-late 70s), Ian Brown (then not now, sorry Ian) and smallish androgynous musicians in general. You get the idea. I don't think it's a million miles from them to Min Yoongi actually 🙂Someone once told Mr Saram he looked like Richard Ashcroft - maybe in very unclear light many years ago 😁- so there does seem to be a theme developing here 😂

Had a series of undignified middle-aged mini-sleeps watching episode 11 of Little Women last night. Think I may need to rewatch it, what with all the twists and turns. Nearly there!

Started watching Somebody. It's odd, but very compelling viewing.

Oh dear. Poor Tom! His heartthrob status really is a bit of a mystery, isn't it?

Anyway, I was curious about the age inappropriate oppa that sparked off the whole "younger than they look" thing so I've been checking him out in Once Upon a Small Town this morning. He's got quite a muscly physique, hasn't he? I can certainly get the age confusion when a lot Korean actors often look younger than their age due to their slender frames compared to western norms, but once you know his age you can see how young he is really. According to Wiki they were originally going to do the show with actors in their 30s, which is hard to imagine as the young cast makes the whole show really rather sweet.

Ok, word of warning. Somebody is extremely violent and graphic.

It's very compelling viewing, but it's hard going.

I was about to say I thought it looked like it was going to be quite dark!
I think I'll stick with the age inappropriate vet and the cute puppies...

I finished the vet thing on Netflix after breakfast this morning. The kissing was really, really wooden giving it a cdrama finish. His smile saved the last couple of episodes. Phew! It’s a shame the manhwa is on Manta. It’s crying out for a norty Bato version with numerous shower scenes when he gets home from delivering calves in filthy barns. (Like I said, the filthy manwha colours things.)

Boaty:

🥖🥖🥖
🥖🤩🥖
🥖🥖🥖

His smile saved the last couple of episodes.

Yes, I liked the way he went from being introverted and serious to relaxed and happy.

Phwoooar! Get a load of those baguettes. 😂🤣😂

I am OK with him being 23. It hopefully means he has a long career ahead of him which will see me nicely into my dotage.

From one end of the spectrum to the other: after the 23 yo vet, the “high schooler” ML in 20th Century Girl (Netflix) is 31! 😱 I feel like the two audition lists got muddled.

I've been watching Jin's traditional alcohol program on YouTube. It's basically Jin and his TV chef friend making makgeoli and drinking it for breakfast lunch and tea 🤣 They also went to buy ingredients at a market and everyone recognised the chef and not Jin.

@Bea : your eonni alert that 20th Century Girl does not have a Bea-friendly ending.

Just watched Cfilm Upcoming Summer
Genre is teen/coming of age & it’s sweet. Really enjoyed watching it. Perfect weekend watch 😊

The clip of Jin’s eye rolling (from alcohol program) is making rounds on twitter.

Jin I'm the same as you at the moment, my house is getting a thorough clean, and I'm doing all the DIY jobs that I've put off for the last couple of years. Now I've finished Gaus, I'm only watching Through the Darkness with DH.

However, I've just started Lighter and Princess Cdrama, which I'm really enjoying, so far nothing ticked off the bingo card. The ML has a look of a young Hyun Bin about him.

Briiiiick thanks for the warning about Somebody, I think I'll be watching that with DH.

Pol love the Kdrama Christmas tree 🎄