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 Secret Romantic Guesthouse sounds like it might be a bit too fluffy for me TheLoup. I prefer the ones with lots of epic sword fights and hot assassins. (Though exceptions have been made for anything featuring Kim Min-jae, so I can be tempted outside my usual preferences sometimes).

My DD has just castigated me for not realising that the male in need of a bra has under the skin, chest implants!! He should have opted for the more expensive under the muscle ones.😝

I though he did but didn't like to say 😳

Fedup I am so naive in some areas...<sigh>

Welcome back Jin!

How very modern re chest implants 🤣 there was I thinking he was just flexing extremely hard !

Loup, apparently the give way was his nipples pointing to the floor!!!!

Whoa. The mind boggles - I'll be looking out for that now!

Cobol I also love epic sword fights and hot assassin's - have you got any good recs?

There's definitely something attractive about a man with deadly sword skills 😜

@MigsandTiggs 🤣 I guess I could say my 2 year old wears a backless blazer for most meals then.

Thank you for warm welcome 😊

Chest implants - very interesting. I am so naive & seems like I live under the rock or don’t have access to internet.
I am learning so much from you guys, what will I do without my chingus.

I will check out The secret romantic guesthouse. I like sageuk & it’s been a while since I have seen a good one. Need a palette cleanser after Our Blooming Youth
Every week I think about ditching OBY but then there is nothing else to watch. I don’t like woman dressed as men and in this one there are TWO. Com’n people.

Noooo! That’s so weird (and wrong imo), but does at least explain it is not naturally achieved.

TheLoup 100 Days My Prince easily has the best fight scenes - and hottest assassin - of any of the sageuks I've seen so far. Others I've enjoyed have been Moon Embracing the Sun and, despite the much disliked cross-dressing themes, both Tale of Nokdu and Love in the Moonlight have some good fight scenes/assassin action. I believe Six Flying Dragons has some good sword fight scenes as well, but I haven't watched that one yet. As mentioned recently, however, Takeru Satoh as Rurouni Kenshin is the ultimate "hot assassin" imo, the sword fight scenes in those films are amazing.

Can anybody give me any good recs to watch on Amazon Prime please? My daughter has a free trial, so I am going to watch what I can while she has it. I think Island is on it, is it worth watching?

Cobol you are so right about 100 Days My Prince good fight scenes and a delicious assassin.

Cobol 100-times YES! to 100 Days my Prince & smokin' hot assassin 🔥😍 I really enjoyed that one & Nokdu as well, despite the aforementioned implausible cross-dressing.

Ooo thanks so much for the recs - I haven't seen Love in the Moonlight or Moon Embracing the Sun so they are going straight on my (ever-growing) watchlist. Am also a Rurouni Kenshin fan but haven't watched them all yet either, or Six Flying Dragons.

Metheven We enjoyed May I Help You? (sometimes alternatively titled Kann Ich Helfen!) on Amazon.

Thanks Cobol, I shall check that one out.

For me pec implants definitely fall under the Actively Unattractive category. It just looks a bit silly. You see some real sights at the 'boutique' gym my running club departs from, but I haven't spotted those kind of implants yet. I did however overhear a hilarious conversation between two of the trainers recently. One of them was talking very self-importantly about his work as a kind of Chippendales/Dreamboys stripper and all the dietary stuff/training/supplements involved to get the right body. Christ it was boring and very funny at the same time.

TheLoup YES photo folio 💜😁I haven't looked at it properly yet. But going by a quick flick-through: I love the styling and concept (also loved Jin's Hello Sailor look and Taehyung channeling Hugh Grant in Maurice, in fact I think they did a good job on all the concepts). Nice cheerful colourful and/or comfy-looking clothes and lots of gummy smiles. And on the right person, dyed orange hair (as once sported by both MrSaram and David Bowie) takes me right back to my Leeds Era. So it's a resounding ddaeng from me. Very nicely produced too but it bloody well should be for 60 euros - Bangtax.

I'm up to episode 14 in CCiR. Last two are out here on Sunday. Loving Jeon Do-yeon more and more each week, can't wait to see her in Kill Boksoon. Was getting very shouty at the telly today watching it. I'm seriously invested 😂

Hi Jin! 👋

Oh off to check out - 'The secret romantic guesthouse'. I have Forecasting Love and Weather on Netflix on the TV and My Secret Terrius on Viki on the ipad at the moment. I also have Mr Queen on the go but keep dipping in and out as should not watch anything with even the slightest bit of suspense before bed.

Consider seeking out Lost Saram Absolutely great performance from Jeon Do-yeon in that (although it's not on Netflix or Viki)

Saram how in the world did you keep a straight face when exposed to the self-important stripper convo? It reminds me of a guy who was a well known character in the rock/metal scene in London back in the day - really handsome and great body but Holy Shit was he dull - he only ever talked his diet and workout regime and the amount of water he drank. We used to joke that he oiled his pecs in the toilets of Camden Underworld 🤣

Am chuckling at 'bangtax' but Yoongi looks great, so needs must!

Jin I'm getting so frustrated with OBY - I'm up to date now and I just want to bang all their heads together and tell them to stop moping about. At least OTT evil Minister has realised the tiny dainty flower-like eunuch is in fact: a woman so perhaps evil plans will ensue. I'm in this far so I can't stop now, but it feels like 10 or so episodes of plot spun out to 20.

Dragonrock oooh I really enjoyed Forecasting Love and Weather!

Pol adding Lost to the Sisyphean list

TheLoup how could I keep a straight face? I couldn't 😁it was just us, as I was a bit early for my class. I had to turn my back on them and pretrend to study protein supplements and hope they didn't notice my shoulders shaking.

Just gratuitously sharing a photo from the folio here - style-wise this was kind of me and MrSaram back in the day 🤩 Thank you Yoongi (and your team of stylists) for making an old lady very happy. I do hope the dog didn't ill-advisedly lunge at that pointy stick with marshmallows though and do itself an injury 🤔

New unit of measurement: 1 Great Dane = 2 washing machines

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