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!

I definitely think this too. I think I mentioned upthread. Hybe should be doing some care and well being.

I agree 100%.
I watched a bit of it this morning and it made me feel sad for him - the para-social relationship with fans via social media taking the place of where rl people would be if he was living a more normal life. I'm not saying he doesn't have friends of course, but I bet they are all over-scheduled idols/famous etc. It must be hard to make genuine connections with people. I wonder if the structure of military service might actually suit him well?

The JK Weverse thing - I haven't seen it, but have just looked up what it was about and I see that among other things he addressed the issue of stalking. And said that he had been followed to and stalked at the gym the other day and was afraid to go home. And directly asked people to stop doing this. Poor guy.

Yoongi addressed this less directly in his recent Weverse thing (along with all the basketball stuff 😁). When someone asked why he walked so fast at the airport he looked irritated and said he always walks fast. Then there was a slightly garbled bit where he was talking about young people banging into things and having accidents at airports. And then he said that you need to take other airport users into account. I guess what he really wanted to say was, leave me the fuck alone you stalking weirdos, but that was probably a bridge too far.

As for JK's family stepping in....or Hybe. As I understand it the latter did intervene eventually yesterday. I hope he is still close with his family after all those years in the idol system. And I agree that he will probably feel lost and alone without the structure of group life.

I think Hybe had to use the streaming kill switch after JK fell asleep and started snoring! It was actually quite poignant to see JK (drunk, according to Tae who had joined the chat) stressing that he is human too (in addition to being an idol "owned" by fans). The reality is that for BTS there is no escape from enthusiastic fans/stalkers and in future they will all be like GY and posting after the fact.

Loup, I found the Spotify playlist and it's on while I wait for CCiR. Love the first song, thank you!

On Suchwita ep 5, Tablo mentions that RM and Suga call him up for a chat when they're feeling down. JK needs someone like this in his life, who understands the pressures on a SK idol and can bring experience, empathy and support to the situation.
The cynic in me however, thinks that with the older members going sooner into military service, mgt thinks that JK's drunk streaming will help keep all of BTS in the public eye, so they might not be overly invested in intervening. (I'm probably overthinking this, but Elvis comes to mind).

I think there must be ‘fans’ who go to lengths I can’t even image. I am glad he called them out, but wonder if it will change them. RM seems to like to travel on trains a lot, but wonder if he will stop after the latest news. I hope JK has lots of genuine people around him. I tend to get news of them on Reddit as the board is very heavily moderated and respectful, in the true spirit of ARMY.

Did anyone know that there's a Japan Store on Amazon prime? Strange and expensive selection of items on sale.

"JAPAN STORE is a part of a collaboration between Japan External Trade Organization and Amazon, to bring Japanese products to your doorstep with Prime experience*."

It's actually relatively easy to open an account with Amazon Japan and have stuff shipped direct, if you want more choice, although postage is quite expensive. DS buys CDs and stuff on ebay in Japan as well sometimes and uses a Japan based shipping service to send it over, they bundle everything together and sort out all the customs fees and things and it's often very fast. He's had things come from Japan in the same time as things I've ordered from this country 😀. He also had a box come from South Korea once but apparently it's much harder to get stuff shipped from there. I don't think Koreans are as keen on dealing with the mind-boggling bureaucracy of international postage as the Japanese 😁.

I wish CCiR was 20 episodes, there's still more I want to see from the characters. I hope the ending won't be rushed and a disappointment tomorrow

I loved Happiness !! Really excellent FL and ML! Actually one of my favourite FLs, she's so kickass 🥰

Agree, Happiness was fab! TheLoup the BTS lego is so cute!

We just watched ep1 of Name of God on Netflix. Very disturbing viewing, but I do find religion and cults fascinating so I'll keep watching. I hope we find out the bastard has been properly punished at the end.

Rowdy, I've started Name of God too; seeing how lightly sex crimes are treated, it will be interesting to see the legal punishments the guilty receive.
You probably already know that in the USA you have to pay to be a member of a Christian church and the amount is actually 10% as mentioned in the Bible and you have to disclose your finances. I don't know if it's all churchs tho but I was very disappointed when I found this out. Robbery with a Bible instead of a gun.

Andante, I watched the J version of LAitA during lockdown when I was first introduced to kdramas. I don't think I fully appreciated it then, so will watch the Korean one as I enjoy these thoughtful types of dramas.

Re CCiR finale, I thing the writers are heading for the stir fry version.

Divorce Attorney Shin on Netflix is off to a promising start!

MigsandTiggs I don’t think I’d dare watch the Japanese version of Love Affairs in the Afternoon as apparently it’s very sad.
As I said, the Korean version is very slow moving but the acting is brilliant.
Like several K dramas (My Love from the Star for example) the ending is rushed for which there’s no excuse as plenty of other bits could’ve been speeded up.

m.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20230305000103

Whaaaaaaatttttt 😨

• whilst it's a jarring realisation that you are no longer a noona but irrefutably an ajumma, I've decided to try and own it.

I'm going to watch Divorce Attorney Shin today. Still enjoying Happiness - I really like FL as well as the post-covid zombie concept 👍

Ooo a bulletpoint! How did I do that?

A single asterisk is converted to a bullet, just in Word (one of my pet peeves).

At 37 I can see how ajumma might be an insult. I’m firmly in ajumma territory and have leaned into it by growing my grey out. I wonder whether grey = a no-no in SK unless you’re of pension age.

I'm 44 this year which is unbelievable to me - old enough to be JK's mum - so ajumma is technically correct! I like to think I maintain an immature youthful outlook though 🤣 I'm always saying to the kids that you don't stop liking the things you like, or being who you are just because you get older.

Can confirm that @TheLoupGarou is as fresh as a daisy and twice as gwiyeowo.

Haha thanks Fedup I'll send you that tenner later 😉

Ahjummagate 😱although I'm well into grey hair territory, it's not turned just yet. But the first silver strands are starting to come in. And I dress like a much younger person most of the time 🤔. However, the face does rather give it away 😂Certainly when make-up free. I'm expecting ahjumma in Korea. Facts.

Two new episodes of CCiR here today. Have managed to squash in one (ep 9), but 10 is going to have to wait for my day off later in the week 😭Still loving it.

No sign of DAS here yet. I'm really looking forward to it though! I've given up on The Interest of Love. Waiting till all episodes are out so I can fast forward through.

LOVING LOVING LOVING Be Melodramatic. I want a man who'll masquerade my public burps 😂The savageness of the characters really reminds me of my lovely teacher, in a good way. I sorted of fancied Ahn Jae-hong after Reply 1988 and Be Melodramatic has sealed the deal. Is that bad? I don't care 😄

Is Happiness Viki only? Sounds good, but again no sign of it here. Will be checking out Name of God with MrSaram. Though if it progresses at the speed of AoS (still only 1.5 episodes watched, 3 months after we started 💀) .....😬

I sorted of fancied Ahn Jae-hong after Reply 1988 and Be Melodramatic has sealed the deal. Is that bad? I don't care 😄

There’s a travel show on Netflix where he visits south America with Kang Ha-Neul and some maknae idol chap. It was surprisingly engaging, although the Argentinian episode was about 40% shots of them all saying “whoah!” at the size and deliciousness of the steaks in the barbecue restaurants and grill houses. The sky diving episode made me laugh. I can’t remember what it was called, but it’s worth digging out.

I googled. It was called <drumroll> Traveler. They must have really scratched their heads to come up with that one. 😂

I can’t remember who pointed out lip lifts and made me google, but I cannot unsee that now. They’re everywhere!!!