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!

If you want a fascinating if depressing (and long!) in depth look at digital sex crime in SK...
www.codastory.com/authoritarian-tech/molka-digital-sex-crimes-south-korea/

Oof, it’s tight this year. Updated scores with Rowdy’s & corrected vote count:

#1 My Liberation Notes 9.55 (10 votes)
#2 Somebody 9.5 (3 votes)
#3 First Love 9.17 (7 votes)
#4 Our Blues 8.83 (7 votes)
#5 Gaus Electronics 8.75 (6 votes)

And relegated to 6th place by the serial killers at #2: Alchemy of Souls on 8.6 (6 votes). 😭

I think there's a bit of a problem there as everyone's aware that Somebody is very gritty so only people who like that sort of thing have watched it whereas as lots of people have given Alchemy of Souls a go, even if they don't normally like fantasy shows.

Oh God now I feel really guilty for the Somebody love! As AoS is so popular with everyone 😱 (except MrSaram who fell asleep during episode 2 and has shown no interest in returning to it 😁). FedUp you weren't keen were you? If you add your vote it will even things out a bit perhaps? 🤔 Or we change the threshold to 5 votes? #Controversial. Either way, I would say it merits a content warning.

I think it should stand. Quality is quality, even if it’s not to everyone’s taste. Based on the high scores I’m going to give it a go. AOS has a star in the listings, so the popularity aspect is already covered. The scores are about the finer value judgements.

I’ve added Somebody to the content list with a warning. Any other shows to go on since the update a month ago?

I think I'm going to have to work out how to add myself to this spreadsheet. I just can't have AoS left off the top 5, it doesn't seem right.

I feel bad that AoS has been knocked out of the top5, it's my favourite show of the year, along with MLN. Somebody does deserve its high score though

👍🏻 I must say Somebody is the only thing I've seen recently that I've felt totally compelled to binge-watch as I was so invested in the story. It worked for me on all levels.

@boatyardblues There were lots of new series just before the year's end (e.g. The Glory). But I guess most of us won't have started them yet and/or not all episodes have been released. How does that work? Do they get carried over to the next year?

@Cobol do it! 😁

Ooh I missed yesterday's alternative opportunity so get to enjoy two today! Whoop!
Thanks for compiling all the scores boaty I agree that we should keep it as it is. No vote fixing on this thread! 🤣
I'm making myself take down the Christmas stuff today (too early for me) as I won't have time the rest of the week. I hate taking them down 😔
I'm planning a Singles Inferno marathon this evening to reward myself

Right, I'm on the spreadsheet now and I've added my scores and I think that may have just bumped Alchemy of Souls above Gaus Electronics. I hope I haven't upset anyone with my late entry but I've been loving AoS so much I just couldn't let it be relegated to 6th place.

Ah, I just PMed you the link @Cobol but someone else beat me to it.

Shall we say scores on by 7pm today & then I do the final snapshot then? I’m back in work tomorrow so can’t keep checking until the thread is full.

Hmmmm I wonder if we should wait until AoS is finished? Never forget the horror of endings such as Black and Black Knight <throws spanner in works>

I think there's a case to be made for breaking it down into our favourite category shows of the year (felt this last year too) because tastes differ and hard to compare apples and oranges. So Top or even Top Twos perhaps of Thriller, Fantasy, Romance, Slice of Life, Movies and Non-Korean.
But I am just being meddlesome and over-complicating.

Oh good point! This would solve the whole Gaus Electronics vs Aos vs Somebody dilemma very neatly

Thank you for todays Oppa! Very lovely!
@Saram13 . The thought of Suga processing passports is mind blowing.
Off to explore Somebody.

Hmm there's something wrong with the formulas in the spreadsheet. Stupid iPad won't let me see what the problem is though.

It's a good point but we're talking about the Hong sisters here. I've never known them write an unsatisfactory ending, so I think (hope) we're fairly safe🤞(famous last words and all that... 😂)

We’re running out of thread if we want to do anything fancy with categories AND get the top 5 in the the OP of the first new thread of the year. I also quite like the consistency with previous years. However, I’m open to persuasion if someone else wants to do the legwork. 😄

It means the alt Oppas will be split over two threads too! And my birthday title will be for nowt! 😰

It was important plot foreshadowing FedUp.

I am happy to swap First Love with AOS

1. it’s J drama
2. I am enjoying AOS way more then First Love (unfortunately i watched it after raving reviews & it didn’t meet my expectations 😞)

Ah but Jin I enjoyed First Love more than AoS which I've never gone back to much as I like the leads.
Horses for courses innit? 🤷🏻‍♀️
I also never finished My Liberation Notes or My Blues <runs and hides>

Betty!!! 😱 If only we had a naughty step. We’ll just ask you to kneel in the corner with your arms raised above your head while you contemplate your sins. 😂

To my mind, the debate over the last couple of hours makes the case for the top 5 to be the top 5, however the chips fall. We all have differing preferences but if at least 3 people have scored, it’s fair to say something is decent.