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!

The Dynamite Lego is complete! Despite it being an 18+ set, DD (7) was able to build most of it herself, with minor assistance from ds1 with the stickers, palm trees and donut. It is currently being utilised in a game with some LOL dolls, but I will take some pics tomorrow of it's full glory 👍👍

FedUp fascinating article, thanks! I sent it on to my savage Korean teacher - met with her yesterday to see a film and we were talking afterwards about exactly these issues. She hadn't heard of this particular movement (but hasn't lived in Korea for some time). She was saying that many young Korean men just can't relate normally to women. And parental expectations for sons and daughters are extremely different (three guesses which gender gets lumbered with greater pressure and expectation and less support). Pol I thought the freeloading daughter was a bit of a cheeky mare too. And had kind of missed the sisterhood memo, for that matter...

The travel vlogger boat trip thing was also great, thanks FedUp! I went to take a quick look and ended up watching the whole thing. I want to get a drink from that machine with the little door 😁 Will definitely be checking out more of his stuff 😃

Have binge-watched as much of The Glory part 2 as possible and it's just getting better and better. I found episode 11 very affecting. Enthusiastic applause all round for the cast.

The film we saw yesterday was Hunt. Lee Jung-jae's directorial debut. It was a good old-fashioned spy thriller. Genuinely exciting, occasionally a bit silly. Lots of age-appropriate oppas 😁Plenty of explosions and high-octane chases, and definitely a touch of Chuck Norris. Loved it! It is probably best enjoyed on the big screen, but will be out on Netflix later this year.

boaty was it you who was asking about hair dyeing in Korea? Savage teacher confirms that pretty much everyone dyes their hair (certainly women), well into old age. She described it as, you go for a trim, they'll dye it at the same time. All part of keeping up appearances I guess.

Hello Boat invited me over after I started a thread on Physical 100.
Im mostly a horror, post apocalyptic fiction enthusiast, so I have branched out across different countries offerings.

Obviously I like Squid game, Alice in Borderland (Japanese), All of us are Dead, Sweet Home and Train to Busan.

I also like Extraordinary Attorney Woo very much.

I'll mostly lurk, but I thought I'd say hi.

Welcome OYBBK! I’m really pleased you’ve taken the plunge. You’ll find this a very welcoming thread. You already have some great kdrama under your belt. We can definitely point you to more content that will appeal.

Welcome @OhYouBadBadKitten, I'm a hardcore horror, sci-fi, dystopian world fan too. I liked Alice in Borderland more than Squid Game but might have a quick rewatch with much ffing before SG2 lands.Have you seen Altered Carbon on Netflix? It's not Korean but it does have Will Yun Lee, whose parents are Korean, in it, plus it's very good.😀

Loup, can't wait for the Lego photos!

I finished The Glory after a marathon binge watch and now need a dark room with Tablo playing in the background, a G&T in one hand and a purring cat in another.

I’m kind of envious of you OYBBK. You don’t have Kingdom (2 seasons) and prequel Ashin of the North on your watched list. You have no idea of the treat ahead of you. It’s a top notch historical zombie series with a heady stew of palace intrigue woven through it.

Welcome OYBBK 🙂👋

If you like zombies/jombies (spelling depending on whether we're going UK-style or K-style 😁) and post-apocalyptic stuff, try the film #Alive (Netflix). Hellbound may also appeal.

TheLoup here for Dynamite Lego 🤩

It feels like a whole new world of viewing has opened up thank you for the welcome! I've not seen Altered Carbon or any of the others recommended. I've clearly got a lot of catching up to do.

Welcome OYBBK 🙂🎊 I had great fun watching Physical 100 with the kids. I'll add to all the voices recommending Kingdom. Also saw that All of Us Are Dead and Sweet Home (I think) are getting a season 2 this year.

The first series of Altered Carbon was great, definitely worth a try. I really enjoyed Uncanny Counter as well - no zombies, but it does have plenty of demons....

Welcome OYBBK! I echo calls to watch Kingdom. As I always say, out of all the zombie-horror-historical-political-thrillers out there, it's the best.

Hi OYBBK 👋 Lovely to have you here. I like heart-warming slice of life realism and romantic fluff so don't take ANY recommendations from me 😂

fedup, re the 4B article, I'm wondering if we will see SK females marrying more foreign males which in turn will lead to a change in cultural norms... or will the deference to parental wishes prevail?
KDrama depiction of MLs is feeding foreign females a fairytale, that they often fail/don't want to recognise.

Sorry TheLoup 😂 I've got to say, the hot baddie is a lot hotter than the hot Priest! My husband said last night, when he goes grey he wants Gungtan's hair 😍😜 we've got one episode to go, it took me a while to get into the show, and I still am a bit confused about what is actually happening , but it's been quite enjoyable to watch.

I'm also on the final episode of TioL, I feel like I've been watching it for years! 😂 Can't wait to start The Glory part 2!

It's taken me ages to catch up with the thread! Welcome OYBBK I'm a fan of horror and dystopian drama, but only Korean or Japanese as I don't find them as scary as western horror!

Speaking of Kingdom I saw an article yesterday hinting that a third season is coming soon! I really hope its not fake news 🙏

Really interesting article Briiiiick, it makes me so cross reading it

Spotted on the Southbank yesterday. Coincidence or has someone been watching Physical 100 ? 😆

Ooo I am so here for Kingdom season 3 🤞🤞 Rowdy- Gungtan could convert me to the side of evil anytime < fans self> (DH says 'actyal murderous demon' is taking the whole 'bad boy' thing too far, but I digress 🤣)

Dd's Dynamite Lego - she's worked hard! Otsukaresama deshita!

Love that Lego! Well done your DD (and DS).

Amazing TheLoup! 🤩

No stage photo I'm afraid - DD says the boys are on an 'ice cream break" and could not be repositioned 🤣

Rowdy, come on, No one is hotter than the supernova priest and even he wasn't enough to make me not drop island!
Now I have to revisit to check out the evil baddie to see if he changes my mind

Loup, Lego 🌟 for dd & ds!

Bettys, well spotted Physical 100 homage. Do you know what it was about ? - please don't answer Netflix ppl!

Migs I think the Island finale is worth watching solely for the shot of Father Johan with his shirt off - he is smoking hot 🔥 - a priest with those abs and shoulders is the most unrealistic thing about that entire show 🤣

On episode 5 of Call it Love. It's very slow. The sister is extremely annoying. But I'm watching for the tall tall chemistry between Lee Sung-kyung and Kim Young-kwang. Leggy lovelies both.

That is some great lego building TheLoup.

Polkettle I'll take note.

We are going to start Kingdom this evening. I fear that weathering may suffer!