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!

TheLoup there will be a livestream! Of one or both of the Seoul concerts, in June 🙂 Ticketing info is not up yet.

Loup, I too found D-Day to be very open and honest. Coupled with Suga's talk on Suchwita with the lads from TxT, on wanting to share his advice/experience with the next generation of idols, it showed the kind of person he is inside. I'm also loving the fan vids from his tour.💜

Is there anything good kdrama-wise on Disney+ or Apple TV+ at the mo? We seem to so many services between me & DH but I don’t get any alerts for those two, aside from what you all post.

Yay! a potential outing for us FedUp?

Had a fun little outing yesterday to the Sydney Korean Festival. It was mostly food stalls and various bits of entertainment on a big stage. Tried a Korean style corn dog (with cheese as the potato ones were sold out) which was insanely delicious and also lots of spicy rice cake skewers. There was some kind of traditional dance performance going on while we were there and there was going to be K-pop performers later but the raffle prize drawing was going on for so long we had to leave for toddler dinner time at home.
I was very exited to report to my husband the snippets of Korean I understood from the conversation around us whispering things like 'that woman just said 'over here honey' and 'those people said 'this way quickly'😂 I'll be fluent in no time.

Hi! I’ve posted on here previously, but recently changed my name (IheartBTS).

My daughter and I went to the HallyU exhibition at the V&A on Friday, and (as others before me on here have confirmed) it is very good! I regret not doing the dance video now, but I knew my daughter would have walked away from me 😁!

If you get an opportunity to go before it finishes, we highly recommend it.

Call it Love was good Boaty.

Welcome back HeartandSeoul! 👋

TheLoup I believe D-Day will be available for streaming at home rather than in the cinemas. But that's no reason not to have your own 'cinema experience'😁

AmVa That sounds like a good day out! 😃

Ahhh got excited there for a minute Saram😂 I suppose home streaming makes more sense with time zones etc..

AmVa that sounds so fun! I pride myself that I am now good at picking out Korean swearing and curses, I probably need to learn something more useful 😂

< Waves > at HeartandSeoul really glad you enjoyed Hallyu! When I went there were loads of international students doing the K-pop video, it was really fun and so entertaining to watch - I was sorry I hadn't taken my ds2 as he would have been right in there doing it - I wasn't brave enough!

Thank you 😊 👋🏻

TheLoupGarou that sounds fun! Perhaps we should go back together and bust some moves 😂

That was me by the way 🤦🏼‍♀️🫢 ⬆️ (if you hadn’t already guessed!). Not sure why it reverts to my old name on here (maybe because I previously was in this chat under the old name?).

Finished second watch of Shitting Stars. It's on the comfort watch list. Not quite as high up as BTIMFL or Be Melodramatic.

Also watching: Jdrama Animals and making a start on Family: The Unbreakable Bond round at Olga's.

Gotta love a bank holiday 👏

Gotta love a bank holiday

Yes and no, with the kids home there’s more competition for the big telly. Yes, Mythic Quest (Apple TV+) and Last Man on Earth (Disney+) are both funny, but they are NOT KDRAMA. Sigh. Keeping myself busy with gluten free manga Double the Trouble, Twice as Nice on bato.

I've just been adding some scores on the spreadsheet and blimey Polkettle, you've been busy (or not, depending on what you should have been doing 😂😂😂).

I've mostly been watching older stuff lately as recent new shows haven't been grabbing me and there were still a few gems I hadn't gotten around to (including Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo, which was as fantastic as everyone has said).

As well as Hi Bye Mama, which I'm watching with DH, I'm currently watching a cdrama called Destined to Meet You. It's a short, budget one and quite fun in an undemanding way. I can't see it on the spreadsheet for 2022 so I might attempt to add it when I've finished it, if I can work out how.

Hello (again) to HeartandSeoul.

Hush now Cobol shhhhh🤫

Hush now Cobol shhhhh🤫

That's reminded me I really need to update the spreadsheet 🤣

I've done another K-pop fuelled gym session today but no hope of getting near the big TV for any dramas until later on - DD is watching the cringe-fest that is Supernatural Academy on Netflix 🤣 (I literally have no room to criticize)

Sorry Pol but it was hard not to notice 😁. Of course it could just be everyone else not getting around to adding scores. Certainly I'm way too lazy to score anything pre-2022, otherwise I'm sure I'd easily rival you and then some!

I haven't updated the spreadsheet in a while, will do so

In the meantime, BLOODY MS JANG JUST PISS OFF TO THE U.S. WILL YOU!!!!! - The Real Has Come and at last an explanation for the peculiar title

Always, DR3 always ...

Is Love with Flaws any good? I don’t like Ahn Jae Hyun at all. I get an off vibe from him which makes me dislike him. Is it worth persevering?

I couldn't get into it to be honest but I haven't given it a fair roll of the dice tbh.

Bettys OMG re: The Real Has Come - I am so frustrated with Tae Gong's AWFUL family. Why in the name of God, as a adult professional, does he not tell the lot of them to go fuck themselves???!!! And Ms Jang : Amen to her just pissing off to the US, the conniving wench. The last two episodes caused me genuine stress at the in-laws antics!

pol yay for DR3!

I know what you mean about Ahn Jae Hyun giving off a slightly strange vibe - he's not one of my favourites. I always think he looks a bit sickly and pale 🤣

Hahahahahahaha! So much blood, a plethora of hot doctors (and male nurse), cute romance, mystery, evil parents sigh! Welcome back Dr R 3!

I have updated spreadsheet & added more titles