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!

I'm watching the latest ep of Queen of Masks and it made me wonder if a host/hostess bar offers more than company. I found the following quotes in a 2017 article from Forbes on Host Bars.

"Half of married Korean men have had extramarital sex, while 40% of married Korean men do not think buying sex is considered cheating. While its prevalence has declined with the younger generation in recent years, it’s a practice that has run so deep that even Korean expats have carried the tradition abroad"

"Prostitution has been criminalized in Korea since 2004, but it is as pervasive as the cronyism that finances it. Until recently, business executives would even put it on the company card. Before being criminalized, total prostitution sales reached 24 trillion won ($22 billion) in 2002, nearly the same economic contribution as agriculture and forestry. It’s a tiny but meaningful fraction of that amount more recently, topping 6.9 trillion won($6.2 billion) in 2010."

"On entering the noraebang, soliciting men pay around 100,000-200,000 won ($100-200) to pick out of a lineup of young women. After a few hours of drinking, flirting and singing in a private karaoke room, which could include foreplay and lap dances, the women lead the clients to private corridors where they perform full sex services."

The host bars apparently supply a similar service for females but the take up there is less than for male customers. There's an instance where a female spent $60K on "gifts" for a host, as it's usually a non-cash transaction. 'Cause prostitution is illegal🙄

AmVa I loved Lovestruck in the City. The leading pair are great as are Kim minsuk and So juyeon. There’s a hilarious scene in the architect practice.

I liked LITS as well - JCW was SMOKING HOT in it - he always kisses like he knows what he's doing 😂. Obviously he's gorgeous in The K2 as well - plus there is the infamous bath fight scene 👀, it's not a patch on Healer though. I was watching Healer when ds2 wandered in, glanced at the screen, said 'wow, that guy is really handsome' and wandered out again 😂

(aged 9 😂)

Chingus! PSA - just realised Tale of The Nine Tailed 1938 has dropped without fanfare on Prime - with that and Black Knight coming at the weekend my fantasy cup runneth over....

Oh damn it. We’re going to have to subscribe to prime too, aren’t we?

AmVa I am with you with the JCW love. If you get a chance to watch Backstreet Rookie just walk on by, it is a hot mess, even JCW can't save it. Suspicious Partner is my absolute favourite of his, just love it. I adored The Sound of Magic, I don't think that many people did, but I do love a musical and JCW has a lovely voice.

Migs that was an interesting but truly grim read.

AmVa I have only ever seen JCW in The Sound of Magic, which I absolutely loved. Have the others (apart from the turkey) on my list.

Pol I went through Love Village like a dose of salts. LOVED it. Have to wait till next week for more episodes, what the hell?! I'm not used to this 😂I'm guess not all dating programmes are this 'easy-going' ???? (Spoiler: I haven't seen Singles Inferno or Love Island/its European equivalent. I'm assuming there's less DIY, more posing and surgery and, in the UK one at least, (pseudo) shagging?) Thought it was interesting that the two objectively nicest-looking contestants (so far, in my opinion) both have Korean heritage 😁🤔. Hollywood and Sakechan's hair reminds me of guinea-pig fur.

TheLoup JuniorSaram saw a film of Yoongi doing one of those challenge dances with members from another group over my shoulder and proceeded to prance about saying 'oooh! I'm a handsome teenager!' When I drily said he was 30 there was 'bruh' and disbelief 😁

Off to watch episode 5 of TGBM. If Lee Do-hyun doesn't walk away with all the awards next time round...😐

I've finally met a Korean irl!!!!
'Accosted' (quoting Fedup here) her at the gym today after listening to her talking to her son. I knew for sure she was Korean when she ended it with "aigoo!"😂

Migs 🙌 😃

Klaxon! New Takeru Satoh content hitting Netflix on Friday, Why Didn’t I Tell You a Million Times? No preview sadly so we’ll just have to visualise our own trailers. 😄

🚨🚨🚨

I am meerkat sitting up and sniffing the air with quivering whiskers at that klaxon Boaty

I was distracted by Jewish Matchmaking and Race Across the World finale last night Saram but your analysis of dating show differences pretty spot on. Enjoying how totally random they all are - it's like the casters went to a supermarket, grabbed anyone with a single basket and press ganged them. The whole atmosphere is "you'll do". And I reckon the director owns that house they're doing up.

I felt like I had discovered the source of the Nile!😂

New Takeru Satoh! <adds to list> I'll be getting in zero steps daily. Started the Japanese matching one last night, then there's that lot on Netflix and Prime and Viki.... need to get in a further supply of Mogu Mogu for energy. Btw, melon MM is significantly enhanced by adding a shot of gin!😜

More klaxons!!! D-Day will be broadcast in my region, and in Showcase and Vue cinemas in the UK on Saturday 3 June at 15.00. Tickets go on sale on Monday! 😻🍊💜

Re: the rumoured BTS book I posted about the in other day - this is the story I had been following which is pretty funny - https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/may/10/rumours-of-a-taylor-swift-memoir-pushes-mysterious-untitled-us-book-up-charts?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=twt_gu&utm_medium&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1683693180

In response to my own message 😁 - they seem to have put it back one day. It's now Sunday 4 June at 15.00 (the initial announcement said 3 June, but I guess it varies per territory).

AmVa I was also looking into this, as online ARMY friends have been speculating. Apparently the date of the title reveal is 13 June - the 10th anniversary of BTS's debut - and the book will be released on ARMY day in July. AND 40 pages of photos, which sounds about right 😁

I've also read some online speculation that it could be a Harry Styles memoir.....

This is actually hilarious because it could be anyone .... I think if it's BTS it won't be a mega juicy reveal-all probably more if a companion to the upcoming Disney+ documentary.

Re: Tale of the nine tailed 1938 - 2 episodes out so far, I actually love it - great fun, just the right amount of tongue-in-cheek.

Lee Rang (Kim Beom) is one of my favourite characters in K-drama.

Can someone introduce me to Lee Dong Wook's dermatologist/plastic surgeon? He's only a bit younger than me & it's not fair that he looks so good!

Watching episode 9 of Bora Deborah and the gym scene is making me laugh so much

sets reminder on phone

Haha! That bit was really funny 😂

Saw this linked on Reddit Saram! BTS book!

Looks like the rumours are true! 😮