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!

10 days to go! Look at the packing progress I am making! Moved some clothes from over here 👈 to over there 👉

FedUp MEGA exciting!!!!!!

It's so SOON! ⛩️🇯🇵🎌🏯🗼🗾

My normal packing m.o is:

1. meticulously pack kids suitcases 2 weeks before.
2. Forget to wash my clothes until the day before, frantically do laundry and shove barely dry rumpled clothes into my own bag at 2am shortly before leaving the house.

So you are doing v well. Fighting!

Ahh Min Yoongi looking v cute there!

I've just gasped in the tea room at work at Taehyung's latest IG posts 😲💜

I did a tea-room double-take at those as well TheGirl - i was scrolling and at first didn't even recognise him!

If anyone just needs a teeny swoony moment without investing in a whole CDrama. Road Home, episode 17, 24 mins in will sort ya. It gives great snog and hug ratio generally this show.

I’m enjoying Lady Evony, a quietly feminist gluten-free manhwa on bato/Tapas. It’s about the rehabilitation of a wrongly convicted (murder) woman to badass fixer under the wing of third in line to the throne ML. It’s set in a different world, well realised and fleshed out. Yes ML deploys her as a useful agent in his political machinations but he’s also creating opportunities which are enabling her to realise her full potential. ML is the one in need of a bra that I posted a couple of nights ago. It’s great fun.

Chingus, I just had to explain the concept of "gluten free" manhwa and the context of ghost baguette to DD who is here with me in Tbilisi. Needless to say, she fell of the bed laughing - but hydrating sheet mask remained in place!
We are currently in an arms race of who brought the most SK beauty products with them. She is winning. 😂

Fedup, I feel you with the packing dilemma. I'm also rather taken with the new unit of measurement and can just imagine the look on the builder's face when one asks for a ceiling "one great dane plus 10 inches" high!!!!

I now am enjoying this too 👍

I'm watching episode 5 of Suchwita. I had no idea Tablo co-wrote 'Song Request' (Lee Sora ft Suga). I love it when all the ends tie up. Beautiful song. 😍

Does any one have opinions on any of the following ... If you wish upon me, lovestruck in the city, healer??
I think after Suspicious Partner I feel like a bit more Ji Chang-wook in my life 😁

I know Healer is one that is thriller / romance and the others seem a bit more straight forward romance. And Healer I often see on best of lists etc.. but any opinions from this group would be good!

I have watched ALL of those AmVa and enjoyed them all. Healer is great and swoony and widely considered his best - depends if you're in the mood for something thrillerish. LSitC is, as you say, much more of a romance with some attempt perhaps to appeal to Western audiences with shorter format and fairly racy snogs from early on and an experimental fake documentary approach. I really enjoyed it - it's very funny and arch in its writing in places -and I still rewatch parts, but it was very Marmite and some people didn't get on with it at all and I understand why. IYWUM is more of a sentimental (sometimes treacly so) episodic show about people having their last wishes granted but the loveline in it with Wookie is sweetly played and he does shambling reformed badboy slowly thawing everso well.

(I should add Healer also has great romance as well as the thriller).

AmVa we loved Lovestruck in the City but as Pol says, it is marmite. There’s a scene in which a character says that one day the contents of a letter will explain all so I think a second series was planned but the show wasn’t popular enough for this to happen.
Ji Chang Wook is wonderful as is Kim Ji Won (who will be starring with Kim Soo Hyun in Park Ji Eun’s new series - can’t wait) and there’s also the best acted break up scene I’ve ever witnessed.

Healer is also excellent so you’ve got plenty to look forward to.

Healer is really good - I would totally recommend it - there is some really cool action scenes and the romance has great chemistry 👍

Saram I loved that Tablo episode of Suchwita - I'm looking forward to Jimin's turn next week as well....

I liked ep 1 of Romantic Guesthouse btw - it's giving me a bit of a Nokdu vibe (no cross-dressing so far Cobol) some action, a secret deposed prince and an evil-seeming king. Quite light in tone but early days....

I liked the Tablo episode too. He's had a tough time of it. Pol or Boaty a long while ago posted an article about the whole affair. I'll see if I can dig it out.

I think it was this one.

stanfordmag.org/contents/the-persecution-of-daniel-lee

Thanks for the recs guys - Pol yours and my taste seem to align a lot so hopefully I have some good watching ahead of me.

This is the nice thing about being relatively new to K-drama world (I think I'm about a year into the obsession) - still so many actors to discover, crush on, and then follow through their various dramas 😍😍

That's a good article FedUp - I read up on him a bit after the Suchwita episode, I had heard of Epik High but the whole controversy didn't hit my radar - the poor guy, it is actually completely insane what he went through.

Cheers FedUp! I read this article when it was first posted and was wondering how to find it back for another read 🙂 Tablo seems to have his feet firmly on the ground and be a great mentor for Yoongi and Namjoon. I'm currently working my way through Epik High's back catalogue. Had only dipped in inconsistently before. It's 🙌

Another vote for Healer. I particularly like the ensemble cast and the comedy elements that they bring. Now I think on it, I really enjoy the ensemble ones - Hometown Ch cha Cha, Vincenzo, CLOY etc

Bloody Hell, FedUp, that article is terrifying.
I really hope the trolls who’ve been identified and sued are punished.
Since I’ve been into k drama there have been a number of false accusations made against actors such as Kim Seon ho, Kim Jung hyun and Lee Shin Young and everyone seems to believe the accusers so that the actors lose film parts and advertising without any investigation.
Ok, they are usually reinstated when they’ve proved their innocence but only after what must be a nightmare for them and their families.