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!

There's often more depth to dramas than at first sight (but not always, looking at you The Fabulous). Saram I just finished The Fabulous and thought it the equivalent of looking through a glossy magazine where most of the content is advertising 😂 definitely no depth or layers in that one. Good for a bit of mindless entertainment though

Anyone making Korean pancakes today?

Just bog standard NI pancakes here 😃

No, but it’s a great idea.

💜💜💜
Run BTS field day part 2: so funny. The kids and I were cracking up and even DH laughed in a couple of places.

Also, our Jiminie announced his solo album release date today.....

Just watched Run BTS, v v funny!

I watched the Physical 100 finale this evening. It was gripping. I was quite touched when one of the athletes welled up over his friend’s situation. All in all, a thoroughly engaging and interesting show. The challenges in the finale were cooked up by an evil genius. They were so seemingly simple but really damned hard. Good job all round! 👏

boatyardblues I have just finished Physical 100 myself, it was just brilliant. I am in absolute awe of those men and women. I would love to know how long filming was, how long a break they had between challenges, especially the last four. Fingers crossed there is another series.

I felt sad that the one who was my favourite got the hardest challenge for him first in the final. And, as previously discussed, the notion that there was parity for women was a nonsense, but otherwise they were all amazing. Still boggling at how long they held up the 100kg Atlas stones in the semi.
The size of that lobster!

Cry laughing at this guy this morning.

I felt sad that the one who was my favourite got the hardest challenge for him first in the final.

I wanted him to win too. I think he would have done well in the remaining challenges as well. I liked how earnest he was. 🙂 If I’m honest I preferred his physique to all the Shrek-sized heavyweights.

Hmm. Let's try that link again.

Still not working Pol

Physical 100, the search for the perfect body - won by a 37 yr old male Crossfitter with perfect hair!

How could a fairer system for the female competitors be implemented? 🤷🏻‍♀️

The pink haired, exercise YouTuber was awesome in her mental strength; I was thoroughly impressed by the mountain rescue ice climber, and the contestants were generous towards each other (except that one!)

Enjoyed the show and looking forward to a S2 with new quests.

I've just watched J-Hope In The Box instead of doing the cleaning. Would love them all to do a documentary like this, but don't really see that happening. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Loved seeing him in his home environment, his unfailing courtesy and politeness to everyone he works with, fanboying when meeting J.Cole, and snippets of the other Bangtanners all displaying characteristic behaviour (Namjoon offering guidance - Taehyung enjoying a party - Yoongi drily commenting that the listening party snacks look expensive - Jimin supporting him in Chicago). Then I got all excited at the end when it reminded me that PTD is on Disney+ too and can be rewatched at any time.

😁

I've just watched J-Hope In The Box instead of doing the cleaning.

Quite right Saram.
Dh is away so Crash Course in Romance is on hold until he’s home and I’m watching Love Affairs in the Afternoon on Olga’s.

There's no chance a female competitor can win. No chance.

I loved it too Saram - Hobi and Jimin seem to have such a genuinely sweet friendship. I could feel myself getting anxious for him before Lollapalooza even though I already knew he smashed it 🤣

Agree re Physical 100 (tho haven't watched it all yet) - it would be very difficult for a female competitor to win (unless actual Wonder Woman or similar superpowers!)

I'm not sure it could Migs which made their inclusion slightly mysterious. Why set up failure? Eye candy? Although I think they probably defied expectations enough to create a stir. Also loved the "regardless of race" thing when I think there were about 4 non-Koreans in the show. But fair enough.
Will attempt different way to link to funny man...

Third time's a charm...
twitter.com/PakistaniPepper/status/1628089651922599947?t=61qatww7GtjJ2vh6i9m7pQ&s=19

It was worth the wait Pol 😂 all of that is so true! That's why we love a romantic kdrama ❤️

I haven't completed Physical 100 yet, but there is no way on earth a woman could win it. The only way is to have 2 competitions, one for men and for women. Saying that, the women all did amazingly well, and some of the men despite having all the muscle were mentally weak so struggled with the tasks! The man with his wife in the competition struggled quite a lot I thought, for his physique.

Haha Pol - I've actually seen that before at some point but I still proper lol'd watching it again. The bit that really gets me is his expression/gazing at his hand at the end and then the song + subway logo popping up 🤣❤️

So true!! 😂

Nice one Pol 😁 it's all especially true when the leads have great chemistry. Romance is not generally my favourite genre because I REALLY have to believe in it to enjoy it. I can't just go along with it on a fluff level. But when it works...nothing better! And I love the dig at product placement.