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!

Ooo I haven't seen that one either cobol!* *it sounds interesting and I'm adding to my list 👍

Ha - more breaking out of my comfort zone to watch medical related dramas 🤣 (I'm actually really enjoying Dr Cha and might even do Dr Romantic next - or Hospital Playlist 😮)

There was a cute '10 years of BTS' thing on twitter earlier looking back over old tweets from the members, and V did a weverse live with Yeontan (my favourite celebrity pet - sorry to Bam and Gong Yoo's cats).

We have just finished Black Knight - somehow it felt like it had both too much and not enough plot. So subplots that we never knew quite what was going on, but nothing really explained well enough. Some good slo-mo KWB dramatic walking but that was maybe the highlight 😬

I found the fake cherry tree for, you know, when I feel like recreating the bedroom scenes from Yakuza Lover. 😂

Hahahaha!!!! You need one for each side of the bed though 🤣 plus some purpley pink mood-lighting and a smoke machine.

(Did they have a smoke machine? My brain might be embellishing.....)

AmVa he looked so good slo-mo walking through the post apocalyptic wasteland though 🤣

Loup, every time I think of YL, I laugh at how rediculously, unintentionally funny it was.

Welcome@Saram13 😊 all the best for next course.

@Cobol I have seen Live up to your name but didn’t notice any of historical bits. I might re-watch.

Bloodhound bingers, how is it going?

Any idea what is replacing TGBM & Dr Chaa on Netflix?

Okay it was worth enduring the Noble Idiocy for episode 20 of A Date With The Future which involved reconciliation through an escaped rescue labrador leading ML who, despite being in hospital crippled with critical nerve leg injury, finds FL tied to a concrete pillar, in a thunderstorm, three storeys up on a building site with 4 minutes left on the bomb timer strapped to her.

Ha, pol that sounds quality! Is ML the traumatised firefighter or am I thinking of a different one?

Jin I'm recovering from Bloodhounds by watching Code Name Busan on Sky's Arirang TV. It's promoting Busan's 2030 World Expo and Suga and Jimin are in the ads.
I was disappointed that the writer/s tied up everything so quickly when we had already been subjected to looooog periods of stomach churning events. The main villain was so evil. I could not understand why no one thought to kick/punch their opponent in the balls 🤷🏻‍♀️

That's the one TheLoup. And still 16 episodes left to escalate.

Many thanks for the exam congrats chingus! It was alot of hard work, particularly on the listening and speaking. Which is showing some improvement I think. The longer I do it, the more I care about the result AND the harder the material gets of course 😬This is the first language I've learned with a 'script' rather than an alphabet and I'm really enjoying getting my head around something so different.

Andante - exam content - Speaking: prepare and memorise two longish conversations using the grammar points from the course. And memorise a 2-minute monologue on hobbies/experience (mine were running, making cakes 😁 and going to concerts 🙌). Listening: we heard fragments/conversations and had to answer questions (in Korean) on them. Writing: translate sentences from English to Korean, give advice on what to do in certain circumstances, fill in missing words in sentences. Conjugate verbs. Reading: read long-ish texts and answer questions (in Korean). Put sentences in logical order.

Starting watching Bloodhounds. Agree it is gripping! Love the setting! Couldn't work out where I'd seen Lee Sang-yi before - HCC of course, and Youth of May. This may sound a bit the lady doth protest too much 😁but I really do not dig the very muscly boxing bodies. Loving Hong Woo-jin's style though 🙌 I would definitely wear his outfits 👌

Saram I am also a fan of Woo Jin's stylin' outfits - I love his general labrador energy.

Jin episode 6 wtf?! - without spoilers- am on edge of my seat. Holy shit. I spent half that episode watching through my fingers.

I like the muscly boxer bods, especially the shoulders and arms 🤭

F4 Thailand is a blast. Loving it.
Will try Bloodhounds with DH I think.

Morning all.

6) The Tale of Nokdu

This light-hearted cross-dressing romcom has a dark vein of real and bloody history running through it.

Set in the early 17th century during the reign of Gwanghae-gun, 15th ruler of Joseon, the story of our fictional protagonists is weaved through the real events that led up to a palace coup in 1623 that saw Gwanghae deposed and eventually replaced by his nephew, Prince Neungyang, who became King Injo, 16th ruler of Joseon, after several months of upheaval and internal fighting.

As he was deposed in a coup d’etat Gwanghae-gun didn’t receive a temple name or royal mausoleum despite being a relatively successful and pragmatic ruler who, as Crown Prince and Regent, commanded battles during the Imjin war and oversaw reconstruction in their aftermath in place of the weak and aging King Seonjo and as king sought to maintain a balance between Joseon’s allies the Ming and the militarily powerful Manchus from the north, who later replaced the Ming Empire with the Qing dynasty that ruled China from 1644 to 1912.

Featuring some impressive sword-fighting scenes, a band of female assassins, a kisaeng house and a “widows village” The Tale of Nokdu is a novel and entertaining mix of fact and fiction.

Watch for : Girl power, cooking and palace plots.

Well done on your exam Saram!!
And I'm really enjoying Cobol's historical posts, v interesting.
I watched Suwichita episode with Jin last night too 😍😍😍
And I watched 3 episodes of TGBM , it's been months since I got through a series so quickly, I feel like I've got my drama mojo back! Definitely want to watch Bloodhounds next

Loup I know …. I was same with each and every scene. The never ending twists & turns.
The real has come is on Netflix now, is it worth the watch?

jin, I dropped The Real has come as there are so many better dramas around. it's the sort of formulaic stuff which means you could miss out 10eps and miss nothing. It's a daytime soap with a long run.

Saram - oh well done, that is really impressive. I've done both Cantonese and Mandarin classes over the years and never got beyond 'kitchen Cantonese'. I find it interesting picking up certain phrases in the K-dramas that are very similar in Chinese. Cobol- I am really enjoying your updates, got a few to add to my list now, thank you. Think I am going to need to drop Suspicious Partner as I am not sure how they can spin it out for 40 episodes, shame as I do like JCW. Might Go Nine Tail next...Need to watch Suwichita with Jin. So much content to catch up on.

@Dragonrock Suspicious Partner was only 20 episodes really - I looked it up as I was confused when I watched it why it said there were 40 episodes - it was to do with airing on a channel that couldn't have ad breaks in shows, so they split each episode in two and aired it back to back but with ads in the middle! When I watched it on Netflix it was back in 20 proper eps!

Oh AmVa, thanks for that tip. I might well persevere then.

We’ve watched one episode of The Good Bad Mother. Is the whole series as traumatic as the first episode?

For those wondering what's coming next on Netflix
best-kdramas-to-watch-june-2023-upcoming-look-forward-3448352

Andante I wouldn't call it traumatic but TGBM doesn't spare including some 😢elements but they are finely balanced with lighter moments too. It just goes from strength to strength with each episode as the characters are fleshed out. I really liked it.

Cobol I'm about to start Six Flying Dragons and already 😩just looking at the number of eps!!