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!

Get this on your Xmas gift list, eonnis!

amzn.eu/d/3lyX610

We were talking about fermentation - here is a clip of drunk squirrel Courtesy fermented pears

@MigsandTiggs Well I'm waiting for feedback on the fermentation progress report I sent the organiser of the workshop. Apparently it's ready when (gross reference warning, avert eyes if eating) it looks like ants have laid eggs in yoghurt 🤔😂 Frankly, I want a Korean-approved thumbs up before I risk life and limb eating or drinking rice that's been out of the fridge for a week 😱 On a more positive note, it is smelling of alcohol now!

Well I just flew through First Love. It's really good, isn't it? That was a top tip from whoever first recommended it. I'm really wanting to watch the rest of the Rurouni Kenshin films as well now but I started them with DH and I know he wants to watch the rest of them so I'll have to wait. He wants to watch Wednesday (can't watch just kdrama, I suppose) after we finish My Roommate is a Gumiho and then Alchemy of Souls will be back and we've still got Our Blues to get back to (although if he takes much longer on that one I'll have to go ahead and watch it on my own - I've shown amazing restraint so far given a certain advent oppa is in it) not to mention Fairy and Devil and I've also been slowly working through Our Beloved Summer on my own and rewatching Bring it on Ghost while I'm doing the ironing! So although new recommendations are always welcome, I don't think I'm going to need any for a while, or I'm literally not going to get anything else done 😂😂😂

Whoop whoop! Bad & Crazy has landed on Netflix. I will be topping up on Wi Ha Jun over the weekend. I know some of you are partial to Lee Dong-Wook too.

I just showed DH today’s advent calendar pic. He said it was a lovely pic of KWB “presenting his elbow for inspection”. 🤦‍♀️

Oh lovely first advent picture!!
I have a free evening and could watch some dramas but I'm falling asleep on the couch already 😴

Yup

www.instagram.com/reel/Cjkyh7mJm_W/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

I’m only 15 mins into Bad & Crazy. Lee Dong Wook is providing great fan service. 👌

Poor love is getting a battering though. 😕

Cobol DH and I are currently watching Wednesday with DD1. I have to give them a choice since of the time 😁 I'm hoping we'll watch Somebody once we've finished Wednesday - DD is obsessed with it and it's nice that she actually wants to spend time with us in the evening!

I'm glad the 1st calendar picture was well received 😅. Boaty, it's not often we get to inspect on Oppa's elbow, KWB has a fine one 🤣

I love Lee Dong Wook! I'll be adding that to my watch list, it seems like my slump might be coming to an end! 🎉

It’s quite violent so far - lots of bent coppers.

In other news ⚽️ Japan is through we are I am now routing for them
SK still have a chance.

Time to claim the TV & resume normal drama services.

That's an impressive reel Fedup. I'm slightly worried by how many I know. I'm not sure I could name that many young British celebs these days, anyone younger than David Tenant or Simon Pegg and I'd really struggle.

It's always grim reaper LFW for me. Love him in Goblin

LDW!!! Fgs!

Good cleaning up the dramas evening - finished the meh LisfS with PPL every 5 minutes by the end (mmmm - robot fried chicken! Ooh - an air purifier! Nice - skin cream!) Liked the restaurant couple and the chef/Webtoon artist but went off leads. Those were some really hideous white cowboy boots Scarlett wore all the time too.
Up to date with May I Help You? which is lovely trad territory - lots of tropes but really enjoying it.
Also up to date with Summer Strike. I think it's about the most 'real' rural drama I've seen. Everyone is properly grubby and a bit down at heel and there's alcohol issues and flytipping and stuff. But it's also not gritty as such. Liking it a lot so far.

Those were some really hideous white cowboy boots Scarlett wore all the time too.

They reminded me of the white wellies people wear in food processing plants and factories.

Anyone else unthrilled at the idea of Jae Hoon going back to neurosurgery after a breakdown and 18 months doing fillers and botox? 🙋‍♀️ I hope to God he’s properly retrained/supervised. (I’m only 10 mins in.)

Oppa advent day 2

Here to warm you up on this cold winter's morning, is Park Seo Ham

Well, Good Morning!!!!💖💖

Is that the boyband singer from Semantic Error Rowdy? I don't remember him being that hot!

That's the fella Cobol, I've got to say, he's much more handsome in his photos than he was in the show! I think maybe it was @Metheven that requested him

Gooooood morning!!! 😍😍😍