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!

Dr Romantic 3 wrapped up nicely. Shall miss its weekly carnage and shouting "Have none of you ever heard of triage for chrissake??" at the screen.
I'll save the new Netflix arrivals for when I've finished F4

Thanks Loup. Mr Loup is a cricket fan too? Way before his time, I stayed up in the wee hours to watch Brian Lara score his record 501!!

First impressions of today's viewings- as usual Shin Hye Sun is in a great show, while Junho is struggling to repeat the success of Red Sleeve. Perhaps recently watching 3 shows in succession with a storyline featuring chaebol half/siblings fighting over who would succeed their father is influencing my decision.

Really enjoyed both new shows (despite being relegated to the small screen) now catching up with this week's Race (on big TV, ha) 🙂

For those who are interested Yeouido fireworks now there to re-watch on Weverse 🎆🎇

Teaser for Squid Game 2 dropped and the Feathery Stroker has been confirmed. Also Kang Ha-neul who I like very much.

Not a female character in sight so far. Huh.

Migs I have perilla envy 😀

TheLoup thanks for the prompt, just watched the fireworks. Usually I'm a bit meh about those kinds of shows, but aw that was lovely! What an amazing back catalogue they have. I agree it seems inevitable that Namjoon will be off into the military sooner rather than later.

Course chingu will be seeing Agust D live in about 12 hours 🙌. Apparently it's 40 degrees in Singapore 🙀That's got to mess with your concert outfit....

Had the penultimate lesson of this term of Korean this morning. Man I will miss it. Spent the afternoon de-grossing the house (the amount of dust I've hoovered up today isn't funny 💀). Then caught up with Dr Cha (6 episodes left to go here). Downloaded the two new shows for tomorrow morning. Tempted to watch a bit of Bloodhounds tonight still.

FedUp Can you remind me who Feathery Stroker is please? I thought it was IU's bf = creepy dude in Unlocked. But according to Google the first is Lee Jong-suk and the second is Im Si-Wan. Arrrggghhh help.

Saram Im Siwan is top Feathery Stroker, of course. Second place goes to Park Yer Bum, with Lee Jong-suk a close 3rd (only saved by his post military look).

FedUp Ah ok - there's more than one! That explains alot. Thanks! (Totally agree that PYB is a FS - not so familiar with the other two but will keep my eyes peeled 😁)

😂 at Feathery Stroker league - I think they can move up and down it like football teams depending on points gained/lost for styling and character played....

Saram I started watching the fireworks but decided to wait and watch with the kids tomorrow, gah, I have FOMO now!

I'm off to check out the Squid Game 2 teaser!

I’m pretty sure Lee Jong-Suk was the OG feathery stroker, but has since been unseated from his throne by Im Siwan and Park Yer Bum as FedUp says.

I've watched the first 10 minutes of King the Land and looking gooooood 😁 don't think I've ever actually seen a chaebol drama before🤔 Not where it's the main theme, anyway. I have a few hours clear this morning so will watch the rest shortly.

Yes Squid Game 2 wot no women? 🤔

Course chingu is AS WE SPEAK in the line for D-Day in Singapore....with VIP tickets 😵I think that means they get to see the soundcheck etc. (it's only mid-afternoon there at the moment, unless I'm mistaken). I am promised photos and videos 😁 AMAZING 😍 So excited for him!

Ooo Saram exciting! Has she got get Samsung phone ready for Yoongi to record himself? X

TheLoup No, iPhone. He's kicking himself 😂 I have Samsung everything but am not there 💀 #Fail

Aw he should just write 'samsung' on a mini post-it and stick it on and cross fingers! ( and sorry for assuming he was female 😳) hope he has an amazing time!

Just watched fireworks with dd - wow they were amazing, I found it really moving actually as well, especially Spring Day and Butterfly bits. DD was all "but mummy, I wanted to go there" ...... Waaaahhhh me too!! 😭

I'm working this weekend but have seen little clips of the fireworks on twitter, definitely want to rewatch, they look amazing!!

I keep sitting down 5 mins too early for King The Land and watching See You in my 19th Life first instead. It’s really delivering on the feels (sniff) and Shin Hye-Sun is fab in it. This show might even rehabilitate Ahn Bo Hyun for me - jury’s still out on that.

Now for my Junho top up.

Ep2 of King the Land was great and the preview for EP3 looks chefs kiss : I'm really enjoying it. Goes without saying Junho is 🔥🔥 of course....

Oh yes, Junho was 🧨

Happily lurking on this thread and understanding most of your comments. But struggling with Feathery Stroker??? Especially as it may relate to my favourite Im Siwan 😂ps I’ve just enjoyed Secret life of my Secretary and Somebody. Somebody very dark and all the actual sex as opposed to one kiss in episode 8 a bit of a shock! … Fell down a Kim Young kwang rabbit hole. His shoulders. Gulp. 🔥

It’s a Marion Keyes reference, Dolores: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/60657-feathery-stokers---there-is-no-definitive-list-but-here Good to have you aboard the Filthy Noona Express. 😄

Oh my God. I just watched ep 1 of Bloodhounds. In the final scene once Woo Do Hwan is on the floor I was emitting such a distressed keening sound I set the cat off yowling. I’m assuming it gets worse. I’m not sure I’ll make it through 8 episodes. Someone tell me there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Please. 🙏

Ooo Dolores I like Kim Young-kwang as well, haven't watched anything with him in for ages - I've been meaning to check out Somebody so I might bump it up my list 👍

Feathery Stroker comes from a Marion Keyes book, where a friend of the heroine is complaining about being in bed with a guy and him just stroking her gently as if she were a fragile flower instead of tearing her clothes off in passion - I think poor Lee Jong Suk got the rep because of his uninspiring kissing technique in ?every single drama? Although, I thought he had quite good chemistry with Suzy in While You Were Sleeping....

On the other end of the scale, no one could call Park Seo Joon or Ji Chang Wook a feathery stroker 😂

TheLoup totally understandable you thought my friend was female! 😃 It's him and his wife gone with another couple.

Topical:

Agust D - Guardian article

boaty Bloodhounds stays intense - I think every episode is pretty violent, it has some funny and heartwarming bits as well though.

Saram I absolutely love that article - it resonates with me so strongly 💜

TheLoup yep! Apart from the actually being able to go to the concerts bit 😜🤔💀😁

I mentioned going to the live cinema broadcast to old friends today (the city it was in came up in the conversation) and I immediately got the ha-ha mid-life crisis line 🙄 Sigh.

Oh I've had similar Saram - I think that article points out that no one would comment if a sports fan (probably a man, let's face it) went abroad to see their team play, or bought a shirt or merchandise. I just think the patriarchy likes to belittle anything that is seen as 'for women' and middle aged women are supposed to just be invisible of course .....

A lovely friend said to me "when you talk about BTS it's like you have love and happiness shining out of you" and that's really how I feel - being Army is awesome 😎