MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #37): The one where FedUp’s big birthday could tip her into ajumma territory. Thankfully filthy noona status is forever.

[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 an asterisk 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)
Little Women (Netflix)
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
Gaus Electronics (Viki)
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 Recommendations
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)
First Love (Netflix - Japanese)🌟
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.

So, current rankings @ 21.15ish today:

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

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!

😂😂😂Well that pose is going to be a classic! Where do you find them Rowdy?**

That is the best 24th door of any advent calendar in history. Phwoar. And bravo Rowdy for bringing us 24 days of warmth comfort and joy despite everything else on your plate.
GET WELL SOON all you poor poorly chingus!
I'm away with a mere 31 other family members so the chances of escaping unscathed from either bug or cirrhosis are minimal.

As an adult I think my subconscious would prob pick Namjoon as a husband as well saram 🤣

No,no RM would be the boss and try to manage you. The best husband material is the lovely Suga. 😎He's so gentle (obvs I know him well 😂)

Binjin baby feet on Insta! And for the birth curious...(maybe just me)

Mr Gu!!!! Love it!!!
Thanks so much for all the advent Oppas Rowdy, so much fun ❤️

@Saram13 I'm laughing so much at your dream!

I saw this and was interested too! The insta translate is hilarious but I think I got the jist.

Rowdy ⭐️ for Mr Gu as our finale. He is sexy AF. You’ve really spoiled us this year. Thank you!

I dreamt that I had an unused upper floor in my house which was converted into a (bogging, dated) flat - think 70s bedsit - and Rishi Sunak wanted to move his family in. No RM for me!

My favourite Oppa Rowdy Thank You!! ♥️♥️♥️

Loving hearing about everyone's dreams, no such luck for me, I had a dream about our strange neighbours 😏

No, posted too soon and wrong emoji, it should have been 😱

2 of the kids are now better, but my poor ds is feeling so poorly, he's so upset about not being able to enjoy Christmas, and it's his birthday in a couple of days too 😟 poor thing.

On the plus side DH and I managed to watch an episode of Somebody last night, and I have to agree with Briiiiick's assessment of the police officer in the wheelchair, she's thick as shit! Got 2 episodes to go, I can't wait to see how it ends.

Haha I'm hypothetically ok with him being the boss 🤣

Love today's oppa 😍

It took me a long time to really get the appeal of Mr Gu. But I did in the end 🤩 Mr Gu Oppa of the Year 🏅

Thanks for the daily cheer Rowdy! And am very curious to hear what your final conclusion on Somebody is when you're finished. Hope your lad is feeling better soon, poor thing.

Junior Saram was up feeling manky in the night and now seems to be fevery 😬just what we need with a semi-hypochondriac aged relative visiting 🙈

JinBhoot, great idea for a dream! 🤩 may all of us having boring dreams (Sunak one sounds frankly disturbing Boaty 💀) be visited by Mr Gu/oppa of choice tonight 😊

Mr Gu! 👏
Love it ❤. I'd forgotten all about the SSK love-in earlier in the year. What a lovely xmas eve advent oppa surprise. (Nice abs too 😍).
You've done a great job Rowdy, thank you for all your pic hunting efforts (especially for page 8!).

Fabulous Oppa Advent Calendar Rowdy it has been a daily delight! 🫰🏻

Now gleefully looking forward to the Alternative Oppas 🤭

Fighting 💪🏻 to all of you feeling poorly or with poorly households. Wishing you lots of comforting remedies of your choice

The advent oppas have been my December highlight - thanks Rowdy 🎄

DH and I started watching The Missing last night - 3 episodes in and intrigued so far.

The advent oppas have been my December highlight - thanks Rowdy 🎄

I agree.

Rowdy Mr Gu! The only real choice for 2022.

Sorry to hear of all the illness and sickness around the place. DH has had the horrid flu-cold thing but is mostly better. I'm praying I can avoid the germs for the rest of the holiday.

Boaty we watched Glass Onion last night too and I agree it was excellent. I wasn't feeling that great (perhaps the two pints in the pub earlier?) so I fell asleep before the end. My favourite part was finding out who Benoit Blanc's significant other was...

We just started watching Bad and Crazy which seems to have just popped up on Netflix (it was an iQIYI show) and it seems to have reignited DH's waning love for Kdramas. I really like it too, has anyone else seen it?

Totally agree - Suga is top of the list.

As a teenager it would have been Namjoon.

Thanks for all the advent love Chingus, it's been fun searching for all the fabulous Oppa pictures. Same again next December! ❤️

Thanks @Rowdythree for bringing festive cheer 🍶
After page 8 I stopped opening the thread in public 🤭

@Saram13 make sure I am sitting next to my dear oppa Yoongi.

In other news I am hosting on Boxing Day (last min) so I am off to shops to get groceries as I was planning to eat our way though freezer & clear it by next food shop😭
Will all this faze me … nah I will still watch the AOS2 ep5.

Yes in 'real' [cough] life Yoongi is my ultimate top oppa too 😁 In my crazy dreams he is always my chingu and a constant reassurung presence. We've had a picnic in the park, chatted about his clothes, had half-time drinks at the theatre, been to a charity auction 😂 Mr Saram would argue that BTS's main raison d'être is to generate cash for themselves and their management company 🤔. If, as I prefer to believe, there is at least a kernal of truth in their hope that their music and fan interaction brings people happiness and comfort, I'd say good job well done 🙏💜

Thank you Rowdy for a gorgeous, woolly jumper laden Age Appropriate Oppa Advent this year.

Boxing Day will see the return of the Twelve Days of Alternative Oppas. A chance to celebrate some of our less well known oppas, and see some of our favourite 2ML actors in a whole new light, culminating in a special treat on 6th January (which just happens to be my 40th birthday - I never mention it).

FedUp 😁 I'm all 👀

Saram your dreams sound like the plot of a baguette free special 🤣

Rowdy my introduction to your Advent Calendar was a hoot and even in 2023 I might revisit page 8 every now and again for a reminder. Great selections and I will miss the banter every morning. 😘 <Yank accent >Thank you for your service!!!

Hope all the covid/flu/cold casualties are better by tomorrow 🎄🎄🤶🎅

Merry Christmas everyone!