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!

@boatyardblues I've added The Glory, Eve and One Dollar Lawyer to the end of the spreadsheet.

Day 6 and it's Byun Yo-han, who although quite classically handsome, has that Alternative Oppa look we all* find swoony.

me and Rowdy*

Happy New Year, Filthy Noonas!

Hahaha, Byun Yo-han looks positively filthy himself! 😍

He does look very swoony indeed!

Feathery stroker!!! I forgot about this piece of Marian Keyes brilliance🤣
Yes LJS is pretty to look at but his kiss scenes are always so disappointing - that terrible first kiss in RIABB was just awful

@Rowdythree oooh glad to hear you liked Somebody!

Am noting all the recommendations for future reference. 2023 needs to be the year I finally see Goblin. Was even recommended by the barman of that Korean cocktail bar in London 😁 In the meantime, I think I'll probably get waylaid by The Glory as do like darker stuff and have enjoyed everything I've seen with Lee Do-hyun.

IU and LJS seem well-matched in the celebiness and cosmetically improved stakes. Both of them leave me cold too so it’s a match I can fully support. 👍

I’m crunching through Black Dragon’s Choice manhwa on Bato, gluten-free fun. This frame made me chuckle, though not for the usual reasons. A fax? Are we stuck in the 90s? 😂

IU & LJS - very interesting pairing. I agree with other comments & speculation about brother 😂😂😂.

@FedUpWithBriiiiick & @polkettle Whoops - I totally missed the romance part 😂
I was giving general Jdrama recommendations.

AOS day yayaaaaaa
If unrequited love had a face it would have been Seo Yul, give this mage a break pleaseeeeee.
Only 4 episodes left, my expectations are very high, looking forward to nail biting, full of suspense & action packed story line.
Is there season 3?

Isn’t it annoying NYE has landed on a weekend? I want to stay in and watch AOS but I have plans.

Have fun, tomorrow you will have a double episodes.

Unfortunately AOS is my NYE plan
That’s me currently waiting for 3pm

AoS is also my NYE plan. Indeed, it's been a bit of a k/jdrama day for me, having caught up on all the post-Xmas housework, I've been alternating between Beautiful Love, Wonderful Life, The Full Time Wife Escapist (FedUp sucked me in with her enthusiasm, damn it) and Our Beloved Summer. I can't seem to settle on any of them, though, probably as I've no chance of finishing any of them this year. I used to enjoy looking forward to a new year but these days I'm just dismayed it's another one gone. Where does the time go? (I know, I know... 😂😂😂)

I wondered about this too - why else would you take your girlfriend's brother with you on a romantic Christmas break? I wish them all well however, whatever the situation.

I woke up feeling crap today with a high temp, so NY plans cancelled in favour of watching Netflix in bed. Might save AoS for tomorrow if I can bear to wait, and watch both episodes.

I'm actually in love. He's only 25 though, absolute Filthy Noona territory.

@FedUpWithBriiiiick oooh that's a great song! I've also been listening to his new album, which is really good. To be fair I'd say he looks older than 25 here 🤔😁 must have had a hard life

Listening to Fujii Kaze and watching First Love reminded me that I was totally obsessed with a Japanese song I heard at random on in-flight entertainment when I flew to the US for work some years ago (it was an introduction to J-pop playlist). Long before my Korea interest and when most of BTS were still in primary school 🤩 I even tracked down the CD from some specialist online Japanese music store. Looking back, I'm sure it sowed the seeds for the reward centres of my brain to go nuts the first time I heard BTS singing in Korean.

This was it. Terrible name 😁 but I still love it. (Apologies if I've ballsed up the Japanese.)

Funky Monkey Babys - Soredemo Shinjiteru

Talking of BTS, Jin has wished for us all to win the lottery in 2023, which I have to say was very thoughtful of him. And I think Jhope might have been at the Xmas Makgeolli, or whatever the Korean version of sherry is 😁

Have also been enjoying the new video of Yoongi practicising hip-hop dancing 😀 Had a 💀 moment when I realised I was dancing to some of these 'classics' when they first came out 🤔And then again when he was harping on about learning new stuff at the grand old age of 30 and that he felt like it was his last chance to learn. Mate try doing what I'm doing 😂 Video was a great opportunity to practice listening to directions/instructions 😇 so clearly counts as study 🤔😁

Are you sure the artsy black and white video isn't a mask for the very strong stuff he's on?🚬 🇯🇲 Where do I find the Eng lyrics, my word!😆

Warning. The English translation lyrics may cause fanny gallops.

Fedup without the distraction of the video, I love it!! Sexy voice.

I've just discovered

Is this from First Love?

@MigsandTiggs cc option is working if you play this on YouTube. He definitely looks older then 25.

AOS - perfect ending 🥺
What is Jin Mu’s problem? AND lady Jin, can’t she stop meddling in her daughters lives, both are suffering.
There must be something with that generation of Jin family.
Lady Heo is also getting on my nerves, I don’t want her to get married to any of top 4 eligible bachelors (not even crown prince).

Re: holidaying (romantic ones) with a family is quite a norm in south Asian culture so I would extend it further east and assume it’s a normal-ish in Korea as well, specially when you are not married.

@Cobol cheers for that! Mr Saram sought cover upstairs when I put it on 😂 I'm now slightly riskily doing NYE baking while listening to a Fujii Kaze/K-pop mix 🤘🏻

After seeing the Hospital Playlist crew camping, there's no way any of them could be trusted to cook a Christmas Lunch unless you want to eat it on Boxing Day!

I’m happy. I squeezed today’s AOS in before the online shop arrived. The party I’m heading out doesn’t start until later so I have some pottering time. I enjoyed your jpop diversion just now. I’m listening to Motte’s album Between while I potter - it’s a laid back female artist equivalent to RM’s Mono.