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!

< Looks around nervously for pol > I haven't watched Hospital Playlist 😂 is this sacrilege? I have seen clips though!

Disney + doesn't tend to serialise many things (apart from some StarWars and Marvel stuff) so perhaps they are waiting for the whole thing to drop? V annoying though.

I think it's probably not your thing Loup 😁
I will stop banging on about this now but Disney + are showing it in other regions as it drops. They haven't made this series, just bought it in as far as I understand. And yes, they may add it on when complete in a few months time (as they did with eg Crazy Love) but I'll have watched it elsewhere by then. It's just so arbitrary what and when they show stuff and I'm annoyed they've got involved in KD on that basis.

Apparently the head of Netflix met with the SK prime minister as part of a $$$ deal for K-content. They must have been feeling the heat from Disney and Prime...

amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/04/24/media/netflix-south-korea-investment-intl-hnk/index.html

Getting fed up of Bo Ra! Deborah's repetitive flashbacks. Move the story on fgs!! Do some women really beg that much after being dumped??🧐

Migs I got to ep 6 of Bo Ra! Deborah and thought 'right, NOW the plot is starting' - I agree that how upset she was seemed disproportionate to the apparent depth of the relationship - what on earth did her and chicken shop chaebol have to talk about?

Oh and, I went to the gym today ( nobody faint from shock - it's my first time since lockdown 😳 and my body was like "what the hell are you doing to me??") and can report that the 'High Octane K-Pop' playlist on Spotify made the experience much more bearable 😂

High octane kpop makes everything bearable, except maybe childbirth and root canal surgery. It even made the pandemic OK (fond memories of my daily hour’s walk with my BTS playlist on loop).

I suspect the SK govt will want to keep Netflix close. Netflix’s content is much racier than SK’s tightly controlled networks’ output. I suspect the local networks are feeling Netflix’s heat as much as Netflix is feeling Prime/Disney’s.

I’m watching When the Weather is Fine atm. I’m very much enjoying Lee Jae-Wook in his role as slightly gormless but enthusiastic provincial civil servant and he makes a pleasant change from the the two leads brooding stares and profound silences.

boaty and TheLoup BTS (especially Be, and all the online concerts and performances) and D-2 definitely got me through the pandemic. As well as dealing with the personal impact of the world turning inside out, it also dominated work for the best part of two years 😬The old chestnut about finding BTS when you need them the most was definitely true in my case. I now use K-pop as motivation for cleaning and running goals 😁

Yayaaaa - it’s Dr Cha day, too early for Oppa advantage calendar but I will put in my request for liver Dr. his expressions at the team dinner 😂😂😂 he had a front row seat to the family drama.

Bo Ra! Deborah is about to get on my nerves too, story should move on now.

Started Our Beloved Summer FL’s character is annoying but I am watching it just to see ML taking naps. He is living the life I am dreaming of.

@Andante57 I also enjoyed When the Weather is Fine - book group is cute.

Hospital Playlist
That’s on my top of the list for a drama I would love to live in.

Jin I was just chatting with my conversation teacher about current K-drama watches. She's loving Dr Cha 😁 I definitely have FOMO about that now 😂 I think I have to bump it to the top of the post-Be Melodramatic/Goblin/The Cursed list. (Plus DAS and TGBM ongoing episodes....) Oh God Black Knight is starting soon too arrrgggghhh help 😂

I started Hospital Playlist but although I liked it never pursued it because of the sheer number of episodes (see above 😬🤔).

Jin I enjoyed Our Beloved Summer.

I'm not ashamed to say that Charlie Puth and Sean Mendes and Doja Cat and Santana got me through lockdown 😆 But in my defence, that was before I discovered BTS 💜(and Woosung!💞)

@Saram13 keep HP on the playlist … and you might need to watch first couple of episodes twice to get to know characters. That was my 2nd k-drama so had to re-watch early episodes as watching with subtitles & getting used to Korean names was new.

Have you finished Racket Boys?

I can't wait for Black Knight - KWB looks 🔥🔥 in the trailer and would totally Get It 😂.

I enjoyed When the Weather is Fine as well and liked Lee Jae Wook's character in it - although the story has faded in my memory now, might have to rewatch at some point....

I'm also still watching Racket Boys with the kids - all enjoying it but we only do 1 - 2 episodes a week so we are only on ep 5!

But...but... it's only two series of 12 episodes Saram ?
MORE'S THE PITY.
Quality snooze in the sun sees me ready to complete Dinner Mates which will then free me to double bill TGBM before double billing Dr Cha tomorrow and DR3 after that. May also have room to start one of those CDramas too...
cracks knuckles

@TheLoupGarou it was you watching Racket boys with your DC, my apologies.

I admire your DC’s patience … we watched it live and DC used to be all set in-front of telly at 3pm 😂

This article touches on so many of the issues facing SK society today.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/climate-and-people/mental-health-south-korea-suicide-seoul-crowd-crush-itaewon/

Pol (and Jin) Hmmmm in my head Hospital Playlist was 3 x 16 episodes. Looks like I'm catastrophising again 😂Were you guys maybe speculating about a third series? Is that where I might have gotten that bit from? I'll try and watch it in the summer (when I'll be between courses and will have more time [laughs cynically]) .

Migs gosh that article is absolutely heartbreaking. Parents grieving for their son being targeted by online trolls - Jesus what is wrong with people. I guess the same happens elsewhere too, sadly enough. I really hope that idols addressing mental health issues (yes I'm looking at Mr D-Day again 🙂) will genuinely help break down some walls and lift the taboo for others. Though I wonder if it gets the coverage in Korea it does in the rest of the world? I will ask my student friend about that right now actually. Will forward her this article.

I talked with her last time we met about her experience of social pressure and conventions. She said her parents were unusually relaxed about academic achievement. And there are many things about Korean society she is proud about. What strikes me though is how she (and all the other Koreans I know here) are emphatically enthusiastic about living in Europe. All chose to stay on here after study, or have plans to do so. She said the social freedom and equality is astounding to her - making friends with someone my age would be almost impossible in Korea due to social convention. It just wouldn't occur to either party. I also asked her if she recognised the portrayal of Korean men in Return to Seoul (don't want to spoil), she nodded. Of course our society has problems of its own: nowhere is perfect.

Jin they do love Racket Boys (surprisingly, even dd who have thought might get bored) there's been a bit of cringing at the minuscule amounts of romance, but I think they like it really 😂 - the friendship between the boys is what really appeals to them. DS is saying it makes him want to play badminton....

migs that's a good article - lots to think about. It's easy to forget that the pace of change in SK has been so fast - the country is still catching up to itself in lots of ways. Itaewon tragedy so horrendous - I can't bear to think of the aftermath for all the relatives and friends of the victims....

Saram that's very interesting that your student friend said that about having friends of different ages - it wouldn't have occurred to me, but makes sense of course in the context.

Return to Seoul is on UK release from 5 May. I’ve tracked down a screening I can get to.

I watched and enjoyed Suga’s D-Day documentary this evening. My soft spot for him is even bigger now.

I still haven't watched the D-Day doc I keep getting side tracked.

MrLoup had an early night last night so I watched a couple of Our Blues episodes - it's so good and the characters feel so real. The teen pregnancy storyline is so unexpected for a K-drama. Plus obviously Kim Woo Bin 😍 I could watch him with the sound off, he's so attractive, and his character in this is chefs kiss < swoon >

I’ve been thinking about Saram’s Korean buddy’s feedback that intergenerational friendships are unusual in SK. That makes the book group in I’ll Go to You When the Weather is Nice really unexpected.