MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #40): The Filthy Noonas’ rapidly expanding flock gambol into spring with a giddiness only matched by Junkook’s drunken vlives

[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)
Our Blooming Youth (Viki)
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/Netflix)
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 Course in Romance (Netflix)
Crash Landing on You (Netflix)🌟Descendants of the Sun (Viki/Netflix)
Doctors (Netflix)
Doom At Your Service (Viki)
Extraordinary Attorney Woo (Netflix)
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 (other sites)🌟
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)🌟
Delivery Man (Viki)
Happiness (Viki/Netflix)🌟
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’
We 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
Coutrtesy of much-missed Hello’s kdrama spreadsheet, updated by thread regulars. Marks out of 10.
#1 My Liberation Notes 9.45
#2 Alchemy 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 - 9.42
#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!

Oh, just watch it TheLoup. You can always fast forward through the annoying bits. Although I confess the "Pulp Fiction" scene still haunts me a little 🤣🤣🤣

TheLoupGarou oh, the coats, the coats are fabulous in Goblin. It certainly helps that Gong Yoo is tall and slim - short, fat dumpy me would give more a sack of potatoes tied in the middle vibe, not quite the same.

Back away from Backstreet Rookie, you will thank me in the long run.

Wait, 'the Pulp Fiction scene'?!? - hahaha - you know now that I'm going to have to check it out (with one hand on the FF button of course!).

You’re that lid who always put their hand on eg the hotplate after your parent told you not to touch the hotplate, aren’t you?

Under no circumstances whatsoever are you allowed to look at pictures of JK in his keks tomorrow, Loup.

Happy?

Lid = kid. Not for the first time I wish MN had an edit button. 😫

Boaty we both know that, even though I am the 900 year old Goblin and JK is my child-bride, I will be clicking refresh on the CK Insta tomorrow from dawn 🤣

Going back to the otters, this is not good is it? I’d definitely make him shower before taking a tumble with him after this.

What’s the equivalent of your mind’s eye? I’m having a flashback to the Scarborough sea life centre circa 1995. There are some funky smells that never leave you.

I took the kids somewhere where they had Asian short-clawed Otters and, no exaggeration, you could smell the enclosure from about 100 feet away. I'd say you'd definitely have to factor in a shower and a change of clothes before any form of skinship could commence....

Oh the knitwear and coats were just marvellous.!

A smell like when there's a massive storm and loads of seaweed washes up and stays for ages on the beach. It dries on top, but when you run over it your foot goes inside and it's all slimy and rotting and full the corpses of sea creatures (childhood trauma) - that smell, mixed with cat pee.

(sorry, that was re the smell of otter enclosure, should have specified!)

Pol, I recently walked down two flights of a GLASS staircase before giving up and bolting for the lift. It was awful and scary, especially the glass landings. I had to inch down hanging on to the hand rail like a 90 yo, and with my eyes looking firmly upwards. Finally, I understood why another visitor to the art museum (naturally!) had had her arse firmly glued to a step for quite a while.

Marking the thread but also asking - what currently airing shows are people watching??

The only thing I have on the go at the moment is OBY but I'm verrrrry close to dropping it due to the glacial pace...

Boaty, after seeing (baby) otter man even has one sleeping in his arms, I would defo jump him! I've only seen otters in the wild stalking baby ostriches playing and they weren't smelly. Smelly is when the farmer uses poo (including human waste) to fertilise his fields and the temperature is 33C!!! Yep, I've lived in some real fancy places! 😁
As an aside, Singapore has an urban otter population in Marina Bay.

AmVa
Divorce Attorney Shin and Taxi Driver 2

AmVa I'm watching Divorce Attorney Shin, OBY, Delivery Man and Secret Romantic Guesthouse.

I feel like I have unfairly maligned the otters now migs - I do like them and think they are cute. Perhaps smelly enclosure was due to incompetent human management?

Have just watched the Suchwita with Jimin : it was lovely - recommended!

pol I can't do glass floors/stairs - I really hate those glass elevators on the outside of buildings, horror inducing.

You're safe Loup, 'cause otters can't read!😁Thanks for the Suchwita reminder- I'm heading over there now!

Mmmhmm. I see your otters fronting up to that French bulldog. They only look cuddly. They have more attitude than the cat cafe inhabitants. A dog cafe makes sense but you just know the cats’ inner monologues are steeped with disdain. Otters would be the same.

I don’t like glass floors. Our kids were bouncing up and down on the glass viewing deck at the Spinaker in Portsmouth as preschoolers with our friends’ kids. There was a parental scissors-paper-rock over who would go onto the glass to haul them back to solid ground. I’ve also crept across a suspension footbridge over a canyon clinging to DH’s much older cousin and keeping my eyes on the back of her neck. Needless to say the kids skipped across the bridge.

This featured BOTH glass bottomed and sided bridge over mahoosive canyon AND high ropes style clip yourself on big gap wobbler also over mahoosive canyon. NOT ROMANTIC.
I'll take the otters thanks.
But show continues the absolute low stress fluffiest and full of so many snuggles, snogs and frisky FL who can't get enough of ML (and is already pregnant so hopefully a darling plump cheeked baby too before the end). Daily joy pill for no-plot-required me. Only missing the Westlife albums.

Currently rewatching The Silent Sea (still need that Gong Yoo hit) but had forgotten how dark and draining it is.

Started watching The Glory but got stuck after about 4 episodes and can't seem to get any further 🤷🏻‍♀️

Manhwa/manga has basically eaten up all my TV time. Apart from Kingdom with DS I haven’t actually turned on the TV for about a week. This is probably no bad thing as I’ll have coursework for a part-time course from next month. Before anyone asks, it’s a boring work thing so no Vikings, Korean or anything.

Fetlocks have you watched Coffee Prince? If not, you have to make allowances for it being from 2007 BUT it has young GY (plus smokin' young Kim Jae-Wook 🤣).

I don't know if I can take The Glory because of the school violence/bullying stuff, it's still on the watch-list.