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!

What a lovely smile from today's advent Oppa! ❤️

Hes practically granola he's so wholesome 😍
Were thread Army aware of this?
www.musicglue.com/bts-popup

If you're a Korean star, the endorsements you want are alcohol, beds, nice comfy clothes, maybe a perfume.

You'd be raging if you got the outdoor clothing sponsor, all that fucking hoofing up and down mountains (see Lee Min-ki).

Fedup calling a spade a spade* *😂😂😂

Search WWW is proving a rich stream for advent oppas. Two in two days. It's getting me all nostalgic for Ta-mi, Scarlett, Brian and co. I wish I had time for a rewatch, but there's so much on atm I can't keep up!

Good morning oppa!

😱😱😱😱...You MUST watch ASAP! It is (IMHO) the best!!!!!.... Ohhhh I am sooo jealous you get to watch it al new and unknown with ALL eps up! ENJOY!!!!

@Rowdythree loving today's wholesome oppa 😊

Talking about endorsements FedUp I'm catching up with recent BTS content. Just watched Suchwita, which I thoroughly recommend for anyone with an existing or burgeoning Namjoon or Yoongi bias. They're flogging Milkis like their lives depend on it 😂 As well as a pleasingly Pepysian section where Yoongi talks about getting inspired while on the toilet and creating music being a form of excretion (that's my boy 😁) he also gets very animated talking about the importance of having a passion for something, anything, in life. And how people who have the capacity for that have a different quality of life. I think he's been reading that Benedict Cumberbatch book 😁 See 23.10 onwards for that particular bit:

Bea I will bump CLOY up the list as so many of you have recommended it so enthusiastically ❤️

**

@TheLoupGarou 🙌it really is brilliant. And there are so many top oppas and eonnis in it you'll spend the rest of your drama (and film) watching career going 'oooh that's x from CLOY!'

Yes the acting is top notch from everyone in CLOY in both major and minor roles.
Park Hyoung-Soo & Yoon Ji-Min as the wicked elder brother and his scheming wife were absolutely brilliant - I’m surprised that they haven’t had more leading roles.
I loved the scene when he orders Capt Ri to get out of his way …..

After watching Suchwita, I fear for RM and Suga's livers 🍶
Once again, their intelligence, hard working personalities and knowledge of trivia shone through. 💜A most enjoyable watch. Thank you Saram!

Hello - a newbie here, I've been watching Kdrama and listening to Kpop for the last two years but was billynokoreamates and feeling quite desolute with my lonely passion for the two genres. Mind if I squeeze in and get comfy?

Welcome @Gottabesomethingbetterthanthis! You have no idea what is in store for you on this thread... but it's such fun finding out!

Hi @Gottabesomethingbetterthanthis
👋👋👋 You are very welcome to join the thread! You have found your corner of Mumsnet 😊

I also enjoyed Suwichita,they didn't seem that tipsy for sharing a whole bottle of 40% booze though 😅

Thank you thank you :-) Not sure I'll be able to add anything useful - I'm pretty new so I would be gushing over mainstream stuff mainly - started off watching kdrama via Netflix, then found 'My Asian TV' - what a treasure! Must say, I hardly ever watch western tv these days.. kdrama just hits so differently. Just finished Goblin, now on to Tale of the Nine-Tailed Fox - wanted to start Untamed but.. how many episodes?!! Have been switching between Kdrama and Thai BL recently, just for a change.

Any other Kpoppers here too?

Welcome @Gottabesomethingbetterthanthis we are here to enable you!

saram thanks for the BTS content!

Gottabe I'm a K-pop fan, but my knowledge is purely from drama soundtracks and pre-teen kids 😂

I love BTS, much to DH's horror 😂

Glad you found us @Gottabesomethingbetterthanthis ! 👋

One of our old threads (#24?) bobbed up in my Threads I’m On last night - a plaintive “is anyone still there?” from Gottabe on the 1000th post, so I pointed her here.

You are most definitely in the right place and have found your people. 😄

Welcome Gottabe!

Loving the newcomers this week! The title and promise of Filthy Noona must have lured them in 👀

Just had a wee nosy at thread #24 and look:



Hard proof of the timeframe of Rowdy's strange sexual foibles

Ah god damn it the image didn't post. Bloody MN and their fuckery.

Anyway, as far back as June 2021 there is evidence of Rowdy's taste for Korean Dennis Waterman.

@Gottabesomethingbetterthanthis 🙂👋I got into K-drama via K-pop (BTS, specifically, as you may have guessed from the posts on this page 😁). Now up for pretty much anything if it's Korean! Including various genres of Korean music. Since meeting real-life chingus on a Korean course back in January this year I've been introduced to more K-pop. Nothing grabs me like quite like BTS, but I do like SUNMI, Mamamoo and KAI and am going to see ATEEZ in the new year 🤘😃 (their concert outfits featured in the V&A Hallyu! exhibition, for those who've been - Gottabe it's really worth seeing if you have the chance).

Korean Dennis Waterman? 🤔Tell me more 😁This reminds me of Chinese Terry Nutkins in Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection but that was probably just me and my mates