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!

On the subject of perilla, the seeds sold in the UK are likely to be Shiso, Japanese version of perilla, and not perilla frutescens which is the korean one according to Kimchi Mari. I've been trying to get seeds for ages, they are always sold out at my local HMart. They should look like the ones on the Kimchi Mari website - sadly she doesn't ship to the UK.

I tried growing some I bought off Etsy from California; they germinated but didn't survive very well

Thanks for that info Bettys as it is indeed the Shiso variety on the website. I've now found some Korean perilla seeds on ebay - the seller has obvs split up packets of (400-900?) seeds and is re-selling them as 30 seeds for £3! I bought it anyway, and 🙏🏼 they will germinate.

😮expensive! But fun to try! 🌿

Not a K-drama as such, but I just started watching Beef on Netflix (writen by Lee Sung Jin and starring Steven Yeun, who most of the world seem to know from The Walking Dead but I know from Minari). First episode was excellent!

I saw Beef and wondered if it was worth a try, so I'll give it a go Saram.
After watching The Psick Show -Epik High and Duty after School Ep 1, I'm convinced that irl, Koreans must 🤬 like crazy!

Also, the Psick Show is very funny.

Ooooh I'll look those up Migs!

Aaaannnnddd 'People part 2'is released! I've just pissed MrSaram off by getting up early to listen. Sorry not sorry 😄

First impressions: like 'Eight' (his previous collab with IU) it's sad/reflective lyrical content with upbeat music. Nice 'Trivia' reference in there. Personally I would have preferred the refrain in Korean. Now three listens in and it's going to be an earworm 😊 There's a video out too. Yoongi, his massive lonely batchelor pad, lovely scenery and a dog. With what looks like a clip from the D-Dday doc at the end. Think I might be repeatedly charging the laptop today 😁.

Quite a read to start your BH weekend.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-64820529

Saram I just popped to YouTube for the video ( the algorithm had kindly/embarrassingly put it right at the top of the page for me to find 🤣) - I felt the same as you in that I think I would have preferred the refrain in Korean.

His voice sounds great, so nice to listen to and the video was very pretty : Now Yoongi! - stop moping about that gorgeous apartment and put your musings into song form!

There's a bit in the video where he looks in the mirror and tilts his head in the exact same way my cat does 😺

Haha Migs there's one kid in particular in DaS that swears constantly. I've also caught a bit of background swearing in Physical 100 (completely understandably 🤣) I love the Epik High guys, they seem like such good craic - I'd love to hang out with them.

Thread favourites and the Baeksangs in pretty good harmony for once!
Particularly pleased to see Jung Kyungho on there. I think he's such a gifted comic actor and that's rarely a rewarded skill.
https://www.soompi.com/article/1578376wpp/59th-baeksang-arts-awards-announces-nominees-for-tv-and-film-categories

pol that's such a moving story - that girl is so brave. The obstacles to leaving must have seemed almost insurmountable. The utter horror that her friend was executed after distributing copies of Squid Game 😨 - it shows the NK regime must feel really threatened by the explosion of SK culture. I can't see how there could be any prospect of reunification in the current political climate....

Off to check out the nominees now.

Pol that article about the mother and daughter is horrific. I often think of the people of North Korea, particularly when there's some mention in the news of the terrible food shortages (every Korean I know lists food and cooking as a hobby/passion, it's a cultural cornerstone. And then to have to live like that 😞). I don't ever want to visit North Korea (though I am interested in reading about it). I would in any case have a one-way ticket to a gulag or worse, what with the contents of my telephone 😳I once asked my savage teacher what she thought about North Korean defectors. She was kind of indifferent, but said her parents' generation (they're around 60) were literally taught at school that North Koreans were not human 😬 very different times politically....

The Baeksang awards... I'd have to flip a coin for best drama, actor and actress. Impossible to choose 😱I'd go for Yeom Hye-ran and Park Sung-hoon for best supporting actress and actor, and for best new performers Kim Gun-woo and Roh Yoon-seo.

I can't see how there could be any prospect of reunification in the current political climate....

I agree but on the other hand when dictatorships fall they tend to fall fast and often unpredictably. On the morning of November 9th, 1989 no one in the world knew the Berlin Wall would fall that night.

True Andante - at some point there will be some sort of catalyst for change....

A former colleague told me he was at a dinner party with some South Koreans and, when asked about NK, they were worried it would fail & the ensuing reunification would spike SK’s economic strides.

Yes there would be a lot of problems with reunification.
It’s far from a precise comparison, but there must have been problems when Germany reunified 20 odd years ago. Hopefully those problems are sorted out now - I’m not really up to speed on it - but I haven’t seen much about it in newspapers and magazines and news websites etc.

I just had dinner with my savage teacher and a former classmate (Korean pop up 😁 food was good!). Takeaways of the night: flipside of 'jeong', in her eyes, is the Korean tendency for everyone to copy everyone else. Example: her Dad (totally regular suburban ajeossi) recently got botox, and when she asked why, 'because everyone is doing it'.

And KLAXON KLAXON she once saw Gong Yoo IN REAL LIFE. Here, not in Korea. There was a famous Korean concert pianist in town and she was on the way to this concert with a friend. They got out of the tram and were struck by (in this order): two tall men - who were Asian - good looking - one of them was so exceptionally gorgeous it was like he was actually glowing, or walking in a spotlight - OH MY GOD IT'S GONG YOO. She said they just stood there with their mouths open while he walked by. And she wasn't/isn't a particular Gong Yoo fan, and isn't easily starstruck. I can believe that 😁 She said he was much better looking than in photographs/on film. And had a very small face 😁

Wooowwww! GY in the wild - and she missed her chance to capture him respectfully ask for a picture. Lol at 'small face' - it reminds me of the scene in Sh**ting Stars where FL is on a blind date and she is saying celebrities aren't like real humans, with long arms and legs and extremely small faces 🤣

I actually missed this live earlier - but from what I can gather - in scenes reminiscent of a chaotic bangtan dream: Tae and Hobi on weverse live briefly from JK's house. Hobi has short hair🥹 but no buzz cut yet ...JK wanders past with laundry basket. Tae and Hobi say bye and leave to get their taxi and JK comes back online for 10 mins or so, calls himself a laundry fairy and folds all his new Calvin Klein underwear, special purple boxers..

That's enough internet for me for today 🤣

Thank you for such a detailed & simple reply. Another reason to love my chingus here ☺️

On Germany:
There was disappointment on the part of EG and resentment from WG and it took about a decade for the Germany economy to recover from the cost of reunification.

I can't see how there could be any prospect of reunification in the current political climate.
Korean reunification will be far more traumatic, especially if even today NK defectors are treated so badly that many hide that they are NKeans and some have actually committed suicide. While there might be political kudos on the international stage for supporting reunification, I honestly don't think that ordinary people will welcome it, given the current intense competition for jobs.

Being taught that some people aren't human is similar to the position taken in countries that used African slaves - it was ok because they weren't human beings but animals. I'm not convinced that their parents' teaching on this has not influenced the opinions of the current generation.

The rise of China and its current amplified importance on the world stage over its support for Russian in Ukraine would mean that even if a NK dictator fell, it would be in China's interest for communism to continue there. And I don't see NKeans rioting in the streets for democracy any time soon.

There has been some discussion recently about the prospect of a united Ireland (which I think is also a very distant prospect for all sorts of reasons) and the general consensus in the non-rabid extremist camps has been that in order for that to happen it couldn't be 'NI joining the ROI' - both countries would sort of have to cease to exist and become a completely new Ireland that would belong to all citizens, embrace all groups etc and that there would have to be broad consent on both sides. That sort of thing seems light years away for Korea - especially with the influence and support of China in the North. My hope would be that relations can improve between the two countries and that the border can slowly become more permeable....

Good post Loup. Meanwhile where I am, we could (increasingly small chance) be facing yet another independence vote to separate from the U.K.

AAAAaaargh the stepmother in DAS is just so evil !! 🤬🤬🤬🤬

Oh bettys she is awful isn't she!

I am continuing with Empress Ki just got to the first bath scene 👍 this has brought a smile to my face after my mum made me watch 'The Banshees of Inishirin' which was way more grim than I thought it would be.

DAS. As the FIL said, stepmother is "shameless". My heart is breaking for the poor step son right now.😤 This drama is soooo good!

First two episodes of DAS just released here! Will watch later today. Really loving Beef. MrSaram is actually watching it with me (soundtrack: Hallelujah Chorus). But keeps saying 'it's not that funny'. It is 😁AND I had a brilliant BTS dream last night, where I was hanging out with Taehyung (he smelt very fresh 🤔😂).

I'm still bothered by the mangled English refrain in 'People part 2' 😟Maybe it's meant to reflect a.... troubled state of mind? [frown deeply as I clutch at straws] I was discussing it with my student exchange pal, who said she kind of got what they were trying to say, but it was weird. And she tried to translate it into Korean but that didn't work either 🙀 😃 Yoongi mate, next time you want to put some English in: give me a bell, I'll help you out for free. Chuck me a signed album and we're quits 😁