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!

Wasn't he lovely!?! 😍

Loving the advent calendars! I felt for you Pol
I'm feeling all Christmassy now as me and DH had the day off yesterday and went round the Christmas markets (and pubs)
DH was v excited because he saw a local YouTuber (Rate My Takeaway) reviewing the Yorkshire pudding wraps

And brunch today is jjigae!
I just tried it with the konjac noodles but will get out the rice and kimchi next. Now I know why Korean use such huge soup bowls. It's delicious 😋

I have jjigae envy. I am nursing a stonking hangover and that stew looks delicious. I should get up but the sofa is too comfy. I am hunkered down with unpaywalled Love & Leashes on Bato (posted as The Sensual M, characters have westernised names but otherwise same as Webtoons) and a warm cat.

Ahhh boaty, I would share it with you if I could.

Thegirl, look what I found In Sainsbury's- the drink you both chew and swallow

I’m enjoying RM’s Indigo. Lonely (track) made me want to give RM a big motherly hug. 😕 Much as I want them to keep touring, I’d imagine that life on the road is gruelling and makes it hard to form and sustain romantic attachments.

Mmmmmm delicious!!

Is this from Sainsbury?
DC are desperate for this drink (after seeing in Run BTS episode).

Yes Jin. It was actually in a smaller Sainsbury's that had more Korean items than the main store.

I ordered some a few weeks ago from an online company. I thought they were a reasonable price, even with postage. I cannot recall the company right now, but definitely worth looking online if you cannot get any in Sainsbury’s.

Mogu mogu sold at Asda too

Jin now on sale online at https://starrymart.co.uk/mogu-mogu-fruit-juice-drink-with-nata-de-coco-gotta-chew-320ml-10-flavours-set.html?ff=2&fp=7433&gclid=CjwKCAiAhKycBhAQEiwAgf19evKYvHR0T5MXYjxV8Zcos16R2QrZtkbW3mF36Rzy5DGiNqlurr40hoCs2oQAvDD_BwE

Very proud of myself. Identified that it was JHope in the airport Insta Despatch photo even though he's masked and hatted so it was just his eyes.

Thanks for the links & info, will order some now.

These two podcast hosts (I think) referring to BTS. Members as cookies 😂

Well done, Pol. We'll make a baby ARMY of you yet.

Jin is making no more public appearances now. They maybe have to isolate before enlistment? I wonder what he'll look like with military hair cut? I hope he has a nice squad and isn't bullied.

I'm 39 years and 11 months old.

It is a worry but take comfort in the fact that he is probably too famous to be bullied.

I'm 39 years and 11 months old.

😂 (I wish I was 39 again, but with my current level of cussedness.)

We’re getting near to the end of this thread so this is my customary reminder for additions to the OP. First Love is defo going on the not-kdrama list & I think it warrants a star.

Just back from a day out and catching up.....also loving Indigo & Tiny Desk was awesome.......loving AHS in knitwear perfect for Oppa Advent Calendar .....and finally YORKSHIRE PUDDING WRAPS!!!!!!!!! I need to try this so badly

Even though I'm not a fan of polo-necks I also enjoyed AHS in knitwear this morning 🙂 Migs that soup looked amazing - has anyone got any recommendations for Korean cookery books I can add to my Xmas list? Preferably with nice pictures...

Very impressed with your jjigae Migs

Here is my Saturday dinner - kimcheese toast on sourdough

Way to go bettys, perfect choice, pairing the toasty with bubbles! I tried the cheese and kimchi combination as a snack without the bread and I liked it.

My new next door neighbour came over to help me remove a bloody great crow's nest blocking my chimney and as he lives on his own I have been "paying" him in food. Yesterday he had a chickpea and vegetable curry and today it was the jjigae. Turns out he had spent a year living and working in S Korea and loves their food, so we chatted a bit.

He said the drinking culture is extreme to the point that at a work event he'd even had someone pour soju into his shirt pocket, in a drunken attempt to make him drink, after he told them he was teetotal. I have to say that I'm now waiting for this scene to appear in a kdrama 😂

@TheLoupGarou I only have a Korean e-cookbook, which I haven't tried out yet. I tend to look online for recipes, and choose depending on the seasoning ingredients, as that gives me an idea of what it will taste like.

I have this one in paperback & it is fab - dead easy to follow, good results: www.scribd.com/document/421255253/Korean-Food-Made-Easy-Caroline-Hwang

I'm hoping for a FedUp special birthday thread title 😁