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 haves added Agency in my list.
next week TGBM & Dr Chaa is coming to end, I wonder which show will cover those slots?
I am enjoying Jinny’s Kitchen …. finally I can see the hype around PSJ.

Haha - jin I love PSJ in Jinny's Kitchen - quietly competent, cooking his noodles 🤣 a reliable employee!

I seem to be rewatching Suspicious Partner - not sure how it happened, but I'm enjoying another look at Prosecutor Noh 😍

This week I also went on a Sageuk binge and watched Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency (kind of meh) and started Love in the Moonlight - I'm enjoying it BUT again we have another completely implausible female eunuch storyline. Can only conclude Joseon era was one of poor eyesight 🤣

AND we are getting Suchwita with WWH Jin next week! Yay.

I’m going to the Agust-D livestream on Sunday. 🎉

Yay boaty!

Have a high five chingu 😁

I've tried not to read/watch too much concert content so there's still an element of surprise. Looking forward to hopefully 2+ hours in the company of my lovely course chingus, our legendary first Korean teacher and of course Agust D himself. In high definition on the big screen and Dolby surround sound 🙌 Very tempted to smuggle some whisky in 🤔

I’m going with the friend I turned. She’s older than me. I suspect we’ll at the top end of the age range in the cinema. 🤷‍♀️

I'm sure it will be amazing! I remember once smuggling Bacardi into the cinema during my student days (to pour into coke) and even though we only had a miniature bottle each the SMELL was so strong 🙈 thankfully a student filled performance so no one batted an eye! Don't get kicked out with your whisky Saram! 🤣

Whoa. Too many exclamation marks in that post, I apologise, I'm multitasking

Also lol at today's binof_theday 🤣 why a flat cap?

Flat caps are de rigueur in Yorkshire, dunt tha kno?

Wouldn't want to be caught on Ilkley Moor bar t'at ......

Is MrBin in Yorkshire currently?

He just might be Boaty.
Because See You in my 19th Life is about to be on Netflix, I started reading the Webtoon with enjoyment (but slowly as from legal source) and that led me to same author's previous series which I have binged through at Bato - 'A Good Day to be a Dog'. Gluten free wholesome fun.

I love that MrBin is so well travelled. Do you still have all the Hyun Bin global randoms following, or have they dropped away over time?

Oh my word. More of the adorable lambs. https://www.instagram.com/p/CstkBRZuCXp/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== Want some.

Now I liked the lambs, I’m getting baby capybaras hitching a ride too: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpnT7fRqz2-/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== (No more off topic insta, I promise.)

Now back to Dr Cha. Can I just say how gratifying it is seeing Prof Seo and his awful mother on the receiving end of karmic backlash? 🙌

Haha- My kids are obsessed with the capybara song. They remind me of giant guinea pigs. Sheep round here are all bog-standard: I demand some extra cute ones!!

Has anyone caught any of the weverse content today - there was live streaming of old concerts plus some previously unreleased practice videos. Sadly, I was in Decathlon and then IKEA and missed it all 🙈. MrLoup is out tonight though so I HAVE THE BIG TV ALL TO MYSELF 🎉 oh what to watch.....

He still has some loyal international fans Boaty.

Good to hear. 🙂

I saw my Agust-D concert buddy today. She embarrassed me with her recently acquired knowledge about Yoon-gi. She’s been doing proper research about his early career, watching his older stuff on YouTube, reading up on BTS’ origins, the idol system (with proper critique of its failings) etc ahead of tomorrow’s show. She’s retired so she has more free time, but I felt humbled all the same. When I say I turned her to kdrama and Korean music, she fell HARD.

Today’s Dr Cha was marvellous. I sniffled through quite a lot of the second half but I cackled when she appeared in the bike shop. Brava eonni!

Dr Cha better not have a realistic ending.

Recently I was having a conversation with my friends about living up to 100+. The old lady’s & my view quite similar.

My grandfather passed away just few months before his 100th. His later years were full of heartache. In his lifetime he buried his wife & 4/5 children. Despite being in good health (physical & mental) and being financially independent, in the end he was at the mercy of my uncle & his wife.
Old lady reminded me of him.

Why, oh why, did I start Siren:survive the island? It's gripping and a pita having to wait for next ep to air.

Just putting it out there that capybaras are delicious.
In my defence I should state that I was taken to a roadside bbq tent by fellow members of a SE Asian cooking group and only told afterwards that the delicious pork we had wasn't pig! 😇
I now tell people that I have eaten rat. 😎

Just putting it out there that capybaras are delicious.

😧😧😧 Though I shouldn’t be surprised, as they are related to guinea pigs which are a household staple in Peru.

boaty, I have had so many "interesting experiences". 😉

I thought you meant deliciously cute Migs! 😱😆 My insta is full of capybaras and baby hippos 😍

Only managing one episode of Juvenile Justice a night at the moment, which is enjoyable as well as being very informative. It feels like a public information video at times. DH is getting very distracted by FL's lips 😬