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!

Some manhwa, like Comedown Machine, has the mature version accessible on laptop but not iPhone, and on Lezhin you can't access mature content on an iPhone at all unless you have bought it previously on a laptop but then you can see it. Must be a pita for the artists to provide 2 versions. Sometimes whole frames are missing, not just nipples😂
At the end the filthy golf pro manhwa was quite endearing!

Just read the Cherry Blossoms After Winter manwha on Bato.

Phew that went from 0-60 in three seasons...

Baguettes a-go-go. All very sore looking 😬

I opened Fly Me to the Moon on Bato this morning. It looks to be a gluten-free vampire story. There aren’t many episodes yet but I like the artwork a lot. I’ve bookmarked for later as I need to get to work.

I'm bookmarking your bookmark boaty!

I have the last 2 episodes of First Love to watch tonight, I think it might be my favourite drama of 2022. I have watched a lot less this year according to the spreadsheet, and while there are a fair few 8s I think if the ending is good t'll be my first 9.

Also the music is lovely to listen to...hints of Riuchi Sakamoto in the background music open.spotify.com/playlist/1uWOU5cGLI598nZj9lwmcy?si=866f09fde1864e03

Happy news noonas! The First Love OST album is available on Apple Music for streaming. The artist is Taisei Iwasaki and there are 47 tracks/2 hours of loveliness, including a track with an Icelandic vocalist. 🥰

Ah, cross post with Betty.

I may have got a bit teary at the end of First Love , the bit in the plane at the end, and the epilogue shots were sweet as well 🥰 I think this was my favourite drama this year, just so beautiful. And I may have a new crush. What cheekbones. And I now agree with boaty, definite HH KJW vibes

Right work to do. Need to watch the assassin films and tsundere doctor drama

The tsundere doctor drama is no patch on First Love, but Satoh gives good tsundere. Even typing this gave me smouldering Satoh in black roll neck and sharp coat combo flashbacks. 🔥

@Saram13 after buying makgeolli today and finding that the price has almost doubled, my fingers are firmly crossed that yours ferments well as I might be looking for tips.

Probably too late for the Christmas party but I this tip on* *a vlog on how Koreans stay slim even as they age. konjac noodles
How to use
Needless to say, I bought some to try.
But now it's Netflix and the hot assassin time!😜

Sounds like I need to watch First Love, we're off to Iceland in January, so will be good to watch it to get excited. Thanks for the tips Migs and Boaty

This week I've started Reborn Rich and Under the Queen's umbrella - they latter mainly due to Jin's enjoyment of it ☔. Real life has been getting in the way of my K drama viewing lately though (also Christmas films 🎅)

Migs where are you watching this hot assassin that you speak of? 👀🧐

Migs I tried Konjac noodles a few times when low carbing. Make sure you rinse them well before using as they have a strange smell. You can get them In Sainsbury's and Waitrose as they both sell these.

Thanks for the tip Aesops. I've actually had those noodles you mention but didn't realise they were konjac. And mine are the brown seaweed ones, so I'll be seasoning them a lot!!! In the vlog they were used straight out of the packet.

@Rowdythree the assassin we are panting over is in the 5 Rurouni Kenshin movies on Netflix

I fell asleep watching the first Rurouni Kenshin film. Every time I woke up Satoh was swashbuckling in his robes in yet another epic swordfight. It could be a sampling error but it seems to be 90% sword fight to 10% story. This is not necessarily a bad thing.

Rowdy - Iceland is amazing. One of my favourite places.

Oppa advent day 1

Easing us gently into December is Kim Woo Bin

GET YER BINS OUT! Now THAT'S the way to start December 😍

Strong start Rowdy. 👌

Good god, what a sight to wake up to! Phoar!

First oppa in the bag 😁 BACK OF THE NET 🤟
Thanks Rowdy! 🤩

Strong start Rowdy! Happy December 😍

HAPPY DECEMBER!!

Thanks Rowdy

GET THE BINS OUT!!

Ooh nice choice Rowdy, thank you. From his 2020 comeback I believe. Very smouldering 😍. Though it's his smile that really gets me.

Well that was supposed to be a smile but Mumsnet doesn't do gifs it seems.Oh well. It'll have to be a link instead.

www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=4z89cTQ9&id=0E69E2B8F46554457BD9640A1995F622B7F09625&thid=OIP.4z89cTQ9uRMp2Ulc16utkgHaEL&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fi.pinimg.com%2foriginals%2f61%2f9f%2f40%2f619f4082dbc1541e2ffceabf2ea6772a.gif&cdnurl=https%3a%2f%2fth.bing.com%2fth%2fid%2fR.e33f3d71343db91329d9495cd7abad92%3frik%3dJZbwtyL2lRkKZA%26pid%3dImgRaw%26r%3d0&exph=282&expw=500&q=kim+woo+bin+smiling+gif&simid=607996348360777497&FORM=IRPRST&ck=5597A01B4BD4CC7B9519E71F90B49D70&selectedIndex=3&qpvt=kim+woo+bin+smiling+gif

O lalala - advent Calendar is back
thank you @Rowdythree for your services 🤗

I hope you’ll enjoy UTQU ☔️ as much as I did. This weekend last two episodes will air so your timing is perfect 👍🏼

Can I just throw in Take 1 Netflix @ 00:51 Topless Rain as an opening day bonus?