MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #41): A poorly anticipated placeholder thread to contain the Filthy Noonas’ ongoing musings on all things Korean, with Japanese and Chinese sprinkles

[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’
Regulars 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
Courtesy 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 - 9.40
#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 can definitely see that Briiiiick, like you said the plastic surgery styles are similar.

Meanwhile over in Juvenile Justice I have branded Judge Cha the Korean Roy Cropper (from Coronation street), probably unfairly 😆

Ohhh The Loup - v excited here. How will it work with the $$$s though as I thought once conscripted they could not earn new money, so could not release an album/whatever while serving. Maybe why it is described as 'digital'? Oh well don't care, wonder if there will be an MV? Think I need to add Link to my list.

She's one unlucky pig farmer TGBM.
Dipped into Siren while I was waiting for episode to drop. Good stuff for Physical 100 fans (as long as you weren't only a fan for the abs as this is all women).

Phew, TGBM certainly worked my emotions today. Can't wait for tomorrow's ep.

Exciting Perilla update - Planted out the seedlings today and the leaves are starting to show the purple underside that indicates it's Korean and not Japanese shiso. It's the second batch of seeds as I think the heated mat plus fluffly blanket cover probably cooked the first lot!!

Off to calm down with Agency on Netflix after catching a Woosung vibe in the OST.

migs I'm mad invested in your perilla plants! Keep Growing Well little pretties!

dragon I'm not sure how it will all work in line with SK rules about making money during enlistment - I wonder if it's ok as all recorded previously? Also purely a digital release? I'm sure Hybe's lawyers have been working overtime 😂

I totally see it 😁

While we're doing 'the Korean x', I would like to put forward Nam Kyung Eup (recently seen in Black Knight as an evil chairman) as the Korean Robert Hardy. Not so much the visuals as the always-plays-the-same character vibe. He was also in CLOY as....an evil chairman. And in Hotel Del Luna as...you've guessed it😁 This dude.

The Great Dane from My liberation notes is in Agency!

Migs Yay perilla 😍

TheLoup new release.....oooh exciting! I wonder if if it's going to be an upbeat or an emotional ballad-y one? Maybe somewhere in between like YTC? (I mean, clearly not a ballad and definitely upbeat, but quite melancholy at the same time.)

Just heard from my course chingu that someone else on our course has VIP tickets for Agust D in Singapore 😀. I'm glad for him he got them. Slightly envious too, of course, not gonna lie. I was browsing Ebay earlier and saw someone is trying to flog a VIP package from that movie night fan event held to mark the launch of D-Day for upwards of 5,000 euros 😬. It's just a few bits and bobs really, including a signed note from the man himself, but didn't linger long enough to see if it was printed or actually handwrittten. The world is going mad.

I'd want Min Yoongi in person for 5000 euro (in my living room preferably 😂) ...... I was listening to the Afternoona Army podcast about the Agust-D show in Oakland and the process of getting into the arena sounds insane - lining up at arena at 3am for hours to get a numbered wristband, leaving, going back to hotel, showering, then going back to arena to line up in wristband order? I have been to a lot of gigs and I've never done anything remotely like that - is that a thing now? Bloody hell, if BTS tour I will need a bullet pointed itinerary/step by step guide (🙈 I am so not a planner 🤣)

I'm jealous of the Singapore tickets Saram!

TheLoup I read that people were going to similar lengths re: queuing at crazy hours, in fact for days, to get 'the best spot' even with their Golden Circle tickets for a recent Springsteen concert. My friend went to the same concert, turned up like an hour before it started, if that (with the same category of ticket) and got a great spot right at the front but slightly to one side. I guess this is what I mean when I say I dislike the whole hysteria about big-ticket concerts these days. It puts me right off. And I am the most pathological planner you can imagine 😁

I do get it can be part of the 'fun'/experience (people were doing the same for the ATEEZ concert I saw, but we just rolled up not long before it started as we had specific seat numbers). But it's not my thing.

Bah humbug. I got back from the gym half an hour ago and DH has commandeered the TV. He tells me the Indiana Jones films have all dropped on Disney+. He’s currently about 3/4 of the way through Raiders of the Lost Ark. Major impediment to me watching Link on Disney+ 😠 It also means he’s going to be a hindrance all week until he’s finished them.

The pacing of RotLA is surprisingly gentle by modern standards.

Haha, boaty I have had the same experience today re: MrLoup discovering Indiana Jones on Disney+ - thoughts and prayers 🤣

Saram I was thinking to myself - even if you are first in the line and run right to the barrier, Samsung in hand, for Yoongi to take a selfie - as soon as you need to pee or get a drink you lose your spot? Haha - the precarious balance of eating salty snacks to dehydrate yourself just enough to not need to pee but not so much that you need to buy drinks .....

Ooh ooh ooh! Not quite what I wanted but I'll take it. Hospital Playlist prequel!
https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/108/0003156383

This also happened to me. Except the gym.

Loving the mental image of DHs all glued to Indiana Jones, reliving their childhood/Leeds era 😁

Ooooo HOSPITAL PLAYLIST
What does it say?

You should be able to translate it with a toggle button Jin but as far as I can work out from a bit of toing and froing on Twitter today - there's going to be a prequel series with different young actors playing the 99ers, exploring their college years (so we can find out what happened in Hawaii for instance!) written and directed by a different junior team affiliated to the original director and writer. Meanwhile PD and writernim are also working on a whole new Playlist/Playbook series as yet to be announced. That will be a different setting (I'm thinking one with teachers might be quite likely).

Leeds era indeed. DH is just wrapping up the last 20 mins of Raiders of the Lost Ark. The German accents are pure ‘Allo ‘Allo cultural reference for our non-Brit regulars. I told DH ours was one of several Filthy Noona households inconvenienced by Indiana Jones. He thought it was really funny. 🤔

Pol - I wonder if they might go for a creative field next, eg a newsroom. Lawyers would provide a single graduating cohort as well as episodic churn with cases/stories.

The ark face-melting Nazis scene at the end of RotLA is still a lingering childhood trauma.... Have now passed this onto ds2 (along with emotional damage caused by monkey death - the 'bad dates' part).

pol I was scrolling through Netflix last night and found myself pausing on Hospital Playlist - perhaps it's time to challenge my aversion to medical dramas?

Yes, both good shouts Boaty. We should start a sweepstake!
TheLoup it's my absolute favourite but not for entirely rational reasons so don't feel honour bound if it's not to your taste. I'll do it the credit of saying the medicine in it is reasonably authentic in comparison to most medical dramas and mostly sensible although the doctors are all unreasonably brilliant, good humoured and good looking. It's just absolute comfort viewing for fluffy slice of life loving me. I love the Reply series and Prison Playbook too so that team just delivers what I want in terms of character based low stakes drama.

TGBM - I am looking forward to next week.
I am glad they didn’t drag the twins bit.
Wedding dress of assemblyman’s daughter is so beautiful.
ML must bag all the awards, his acting is amazing … he played every part exceptionally well. The hug in ep12, oh my, full of emotions.

Jin the ML in TGBM is indeed heading for gold in the award season.

I finished Agency (💪🏼 girl power)- the fashion, the characters, the sly digs at SKorean culture 😜 The story wasn't anything new- chaebol infighting with a feisty, damaged FL employee, a relationship which was very different, but the execution!!
A most enjoyable watch.