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!

AmVa why draw closer my child MWAH HA HA

😁

Album recommendations....well the way I did it was this. I didn't have Spotify back when I first got interested, so I relied on YouTube to lead me from one song to another (it did a pretty good job). Once I'd figured out which songs I liked the best, I decided to work my way through the albums one by one simply according to which one had the most songs I liked on it. So, the first I bought was 'The Most Beautiful Moment in Life part 1' as it had 'I Need You', 'Hold Me Tight' and 'Moving On' and I was totally obsessed with them. When this beautifully designed delicate little book + CD arrived - the first item to enter our house with hangul on 😁- the ball really got rolling. What's that writing? Why all the photos? Are they trying to tell a story? Rinse and repeat. Never looked back!

So I wouldn't necessarily recommend starting from the beginning and moving through chronologicially. The earliest albums definitely have some excellent tracks, but I'd go with what you like the most and the rest will follow 🙂

To start another topic of conversation - my husband heard about a k-drama which he thought sounded good but didn't hear the title. Googling has not helped so wondering if you detectives can help- sounded a bit like a Korean doctor who. A man who can teleport and there are different episodes set in different places. One is set in an old mining town which was apparently filmed in Australia?? Does this ring any bells?? Maybe has had more than one season .

AmVa could it be ‘Kokdu season of deity’?
It has doctors in it, one of whom, the male lead Kim Jung Hyun, can teleport.
We gave up at the 4th episode so I don’t know about the Australian mining town - it may have featured in a later episode.

Watching D-Day docu now and had to come here to fangirl over Woosung and Saga collaboration on Snooze. I had had the poor man on repeat for a straight week when I discovered him!! Merry me Woosung!!!😂

Where are you all watching the D-Day documentary? Is it paywalled?

Watched R-chwita with AgustD and RM and it's a great episode with lots of interesting chat and some extra funny-yet-smoothly-done product placement, these guys are pros 🤣

Haegeum dance challenges also on TikTok with Jimin and Hobi both eating up the choreo 😍💜 (Hobiiiiiiii 🥹 )

Ok..... < Gently pulls AmVa inside the Magic Shop > I tend to listen to playlists on Spotify rather than Albums, and like Saram I think I initially fell down a YouTube MV rabbit hole BUT I suggest the "Proof" anthology as a good starting point? I also really like "Love Yourself: Answer" "Be" and "Map of the Soul: 7" - I am actually struggling here as I just want to list all their albums 🤣 ..... I like hip-hop in general so prefer the rap-line solo stuff - I listen to all J-Hope, RM and AgustD/Suga's albums and mix-tapes a lot.

boaty it's on Disney+ .....

You and me both @MigsandTiggs !! I already had D-Day & Snooze on a spotify loop but have just watched the doc and watched the bit where they perform it umpteen times 🥰🥰🥰

Plus the bit with Sakamoto made me well up!

Suga: Road to D-Day is also on
https://kissasian.li/ for those without Disney+

Omo! We have Disney+. Not just for the boys (endless Marvel/Star Wars spin-offs) then? 🙌

Currently enjoying Dr Romantic (sorry I can't work out how to do italics on my phone!). Gradually being won over by surly Teacher Kim and petulant Dr Kang 😂

You've prob found these already boaty but Disney+ also has J Hope in the box doc, PTD live in LA and the Wooga Squad In The Soop .....

Randomly, as an aside, my kids really like watching 'Jinnys Kitchen' reality show on Amazon prime - they started watching for V but stayed with it for cheeky Choi Woo Shik and the restaurant dog. DD now obsessed with trying Korean style corn dogs ....

I'm catching up on Suswita ep9 with RM and totally amused by the revelation that Jimin only wears clothes to take them off and grows his hair long, to shake it! Apparently he's like modern art!!😂

Hi @GreenDressy , I loved Dr Romantic, I'm patiently waiting to get back to Doldum hospital for series 3. Is it the first series you are watching?

I also enjoyed D-day and the latest Suwichta! I'm totally oblivious and missed Yoongi's girlfriend though 👀👀👀 ill have to rewatch 😊

That bit cracked me up migs - also when they were saying Armys saw JK's Calvin Klein campaign and thought "Hey, chapter 2 is not so bad after all" 🤣

I finished the D-Day documentary. Happy ugly crying at the Sakamoto bit. Then I made the mistake of watching J-Hope's enlistment video (more ugly crying, mainly because of Namjoon) and then.... the video for AMYGDALA 😧. What is this man doing to us?! I'm looking very bug-eyed today 😂 Apparently Yoongi will be appearing on Jimmy Fallon on 1 May (interview and performance). Jimin is in New York for a Tiffany promotion and is tipped to be attending the NY D-Day concert 😍

I have a morning to myself so am going to catch up on the latest Divorce Attorney Shin. Episodes 8 and 9 of Suchwita on the menu for after that or tonight.

The Good Bad Mother starts here tomorrow, so am looking forward to getting my Ra Mi-ran and Lee Do-hyun on 🙌

TheLoup Hwaiting for your exam! And/or I hope it went well 🙂

Thanks Saram exam is tonight. Thoughts and prayers appreciated 🤣 it's probably too late to get a shaman to do me a success ritual, right?!

Also - that video for AMYGDALA - very powerful. I have such a lot of respect for Yoongi - it's no small thing to reveal so much about his own personal experiences. From what he has said, it feels like it has been cathartic for him.

Also - I know everyone jokes about 'golden maknae' JK, but seriously how multi-talented is Suga? Writing, producing, rapping, singing, storyboarding MV concepts, acting, hosting talkshow/interviews, MC'ing Run BTS games, (!) , Plus great visuals, playing guitar and now also eating up the aegyo and dance challenges .... Mic Drop! 🤣

Good luck for your exam @TheLoupGarou 💪

Good luck TheLoup - 화이팅 (hwaiting)

Thanks chingus! Am procrastinating heavily today 🤣

Fighting TheLoup 💪

TheLoupGarou - you are right about Yoongi, multi-talented and a wry sense of humour. He probably does not get as much notice from younger ARMY as he does not fit the 'Idol' standards for looks, he and J Hope mentioned as much when they went onto the I-Land set. He is a real force of nature, I can watch Daechwita at any time anywhere.

Dragonrock I think it's true that Yoongi used to get less attention, but not any more judging by the guttural screams at the Yet to Come screenings 🤔😁. He was my bias within weeks of discovering BTS despite his looks (I'm referring to the boyband curtains/dodgy brushed-forward 2020 hair and the fact he looked about the same age as kids I tell off for dropping litter in my street 🙈). The glow up over the last year or so has been real and I hope it comes from genuinely being more comfortable in his own skin - as D-Day and the closure of the Agust D era wd suggest.

I do wonder if he has some body dysmorphia as he has always referred to himself as the least attractive of the group, and those almost constant references to needing to lose weight. And the comments about don't look at me in the first 30 mins of the documentary 🙄🤥 where he looks relaxed and happy and all the more beautiful for it. And I'm still convinced he's had cosmetic work done between late 2021 and now. Yoongi pop over in a dream mate and we'll have a chat about it 😁