MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #39): February sees the Filthy Noonas warmed by the smouldering embers of Jin’s leather trousers

[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)
Little Women (Netflix)
My Name (Netflix)
My Secret Terrius (Netflix)🌟
Signal (Netflix)🌟
Somebody (Netflix, content warning: sexual & violence)
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 Forbidden Marriage (Viki)
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 (Netflix)🌟
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)
Sell Your Haunted House (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)
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)
Meet Yourself (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 Makanai (Netflix, 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)

Top Scoring 2022 Dramas
Courtesy of much-missed Hello’s kdrama spreadsheet, updated by thread regulars. Marks out of 10.

#1 My Liberation Notes 9.45

#2Alchemy of Souls 9.10

#3 First Love 8.88 (Jdrama)

#4 Our Blues 8.83

#5 Gaus Electronics 8.75

Top Scoring 2021 Dramas
#1 The Red Sleeve - 10
#2 Happiness - 9
#3 Devil Judge - 8.75
#4 Squid Game - 8.6
#5 Navillera - 8.57

Top Scoring 2020 dramas
#1 Mr Queen - 9.4
#2 Parasite (film) - 9.05
#3 It's Okay To Not Be Okay - 8.88
#4 The Uncanny Counter - 8.50
#5 Once Again - 8.42

Top Scoring 2019 dramas
#1 Her Private Life - 9.40
#2 Melo is My Nature - 9.00
#3 tied: Crash Landing On You, The Crowned Clown, The Lies Within, and The Tale of Nokdu - 8.75
#4 Hotel del Luna - 8.50
#5 tied: Romance is a Bonus Book, and Search: WWW - 8.17

We are fans of all things Korean, so equally happy to talk about Korean cookery, language, current affairs, film and music when the mood takes us. A few of us are learning Korean, Japanese and/or Mandarin (some more diligently than others), so we swap tips and links to language resources. Basically, anything topical goes.

We often resort to acronyms and/or abbreviations of show titles or 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!

TheLoup an online acquaintance of mine posted a screenshot of prices between $650 and $1150 dollars. Said the $650 started out at $99 and then it changed in front of her eyes. They were crappy tickets up in nosebleeds too 😱 Sounds like a similar situation to the Taylor Swift ticket thing. Absolutely appalling. I generally pay between €10 and €40 for concerts, probably a bit cheaper than the going rate in the UK. Commercial K-pop concerts are always pricier, starting at around €60 (and we paid that for Giorgio Moroder too, he was fab 😁). But for €1150 I'd expect Yoongi to turn up with his laptop and a portable speaker and do a show in my front room. AND he could do the washing up on his way out. I'd provide soju, whisky and snacks though 🤩

I would want him in my living room for that amount as well.
Dynamic pricing should be illegal - I can't believe TM can get away with it!

Saram, those $ prices are not dissimilar to very good Center Court seats at the US Tennis Open. The difference is that avg K-pop audience is younger and most likely with less disposable income. Dynamic pricing is really price gouging and exploitation of fans. Bangtax indeed!

The Swoon is now Netflix K Content. Not quite the same ring to it 😣

Well I got a bit emosh at J-hope's new single today (a love letter to ARMY) although not keen on the J. Cole bit.

Me too - I really like the single - I wanted more of Hobi dancing in the subway and less camera on J Cole though. 💜 Hobi 🥹

FedUp and TheLoup thumbs up from me too. I like the J.Cole bit, but one verse probably would have been enough.

Makes me wonder how the 'pecking order'/egos work in these kind of collabs. I'd never heard of J.Cole before I started listening to BTS. But looking at Spotify he has 31 million monthly listeners to BTS's 37 million. And J-Hope has 3 million. So.....

Out of interest I just looked at the figures for BTS solo members on Spotify. Surprisingly to me 😁 AgustD is at the bottom of the list. Top is Jung Kook (so styled) with 15 million monthly listeners - then Jimin, nearly 6 million - RM, nearly 5 million - JIN, 3.5 million - j-hope, 3.5 million - V, nearly 3 million - AgustD also approaching 3 million. I'm assuming the AgustD figures will grow when the solo album is released.

See I told you I was a dork 😂

That is interesting Saram - particularly as JK only has a couple of songs - Left & Right is very ear-wormy though. Agree 1 J Cole verse would've been enough 🤣

I love the Jcole bit... it ws lovely and really fitting as I think for Jhope it's al thanks to cole that he became who he is... so he anted to give dues... plus... Cole be spitting Bars!!! as the kids say... I love how he managed to collab with cole... it's all come full circle ... full of lo fi vibes and calming in a very bitter sweet way.... 😭Pre debut J Hope would never have believed it!!!!! 😂

I also love the jhope single, only thing I wanted to change was for more dance content.

I’ve just finished Love Affairs in the Afternoon and I found it very affecting. I would’ve liked the last three minutes to be a bit longer.

It’s not on Viki or Netflix so I had to watch it on Olga’s which is fine except I had to be very careful to make sure all the numerous Olga websites were deleted from my history in case dh or the children should look something up on my iPad and see them!
It was interesting that in both LAinA and Crash Course in Romance people can be sacked for an adulterous love affair and cancelled. I don’t think that would happen in UK.

Anyway, LAitA is very slow moving but brilliantly acted and very moving

🚨FN/Bangtan klaxon🚨
JK is doing weverse live karaoke at the min. I can't watch him as I'm still in work - must remember to turn of my notifications for the sake of my professional image 🤣

He was at it for hours again and then fell asleep!! I had a house full last night but kept checking in on him🥰

TheGirl when I got home it was already over and the ARMY corner of the internet was freaking out about the lit candle being a fire risk 😂

pic of Hobi and Jimin visiting Jin on Insta this morning as well - cute.

Netflix showing Fujii Kaze live concert, LOVE ALL, SERVE ALL on Friday!

Thank you Fedup for introducing me to this artist.💖
Send more J-pop recommendations my way!

Kingdom was so much fun. Properly expecting a serious political drama but arraaahhh zombies. Rollercoaster!

Just catching up on Jung Kook's DJ set on Weverse and now I need a playlist!!

@Singleorigincoffee , I couldn't help smiling while imagining Kingdom as a serious political drama.

Thanks Lou, I saw your post and hurriedly put on Weverse, in time to catch the candle and snoring. It took a while to figure out what was happening. 🤣 Will catch up later, I love his singing so much.

Migs thanks for the Fujii Kaze heads up! 🙌

@Singleorigincoffee one of the things I really love about Kingdom is the perfectly balanced mix of political scheming, action and horror - me and DH re-watched it recently and it is still absolutely brilliant.

Speaking of Zombies, I randomly started watching Happiness yesterday. I'm not sure quite what I was expecting but, gosh, the first episode was really good. Police thriller - then suddenly zombies.

Hangover soup on the cards for our JK today I think 🤣 Migs I think someone on r/bangtan had made a playlist on Spotify so it's out there somewhere.. ..

DD diligently building her Dynamite Lego set - it's cute so far.

1 hour in listening to JK as I prune my ferns and not going to lie, if I were his parents I might be starting to have some concerns about his wellbeing. 😟

I love zombies and I imagined a Kingdom run by zombie civil servants. And the penalty for not paying your taxes is ....<bite> 😂

Migs I think JK must really miss the structure of the group schedule - how strange it must be for him to suddenly be at a semi-loose end & probably lonely without the other members. That level of fame is pretty scary really - 15m people listening to you sleep on livestream?! It's nuts.

Loup, that's exactly what I thought. Lonely, poor thing!

SUGOI!! ❤️❤️❤️