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!

pol I can't find anywhere to watch it online unfortunately. It's about to feature in a Korean film festival in the UEA, so there's a trailer with English subs available.

Fanatic trailer

Thanks for that link Saram, I've also been listening to the podcast today. Only 2 episodes in but like Pol said it's very grim but compelling listening.

I love reading everyone's reviews of KtL it sounds like a good one to binge watch so I'll wait for it to complete before starting to watch it. I'm really enjoying Dr Romantic 3 Dr Seo Woo Jin is just so bloomin perfect 😍

I only watched Glasto over the weekend too Thegirl, so I'm really behind on everything. DH and I are still watching TGBM and Love Village! Come on Rowdy - get watching! ✋🏻

Finished Love Village 🙌🏻 I enjoyed it so much, absolutely loved the two hosts. I wish we had an update on all the couples though to see if they were still together 💗

We’ve finished The Good Bad Mother and have started See you in my 19th Life.
TGBM was excellent though I thought the last episode dragged a bit though I liked the ending and I loved Sam Shik’s final act. I bet it will win awards.

I'm nearly up to speed with SYIMNL and actually really like Ahn Bo-Hyun in it so far. Don't really find him any more Lego-haired than average 🤔

TALKING OF WHICH I preferred Lee Hae-Young (sashimi chef 😁) in Bloodhounds above the younger actors especially in that flash-back bit (though will be making seaweed soup for them all in my dreams 😍). But wardrobe has royally screwed him over in SYIMNL - awful hair and eyebrows there 😳😂

I liked sashimi chef too - did not recognise him in SYIMNL 😳 they did him dirty!

On my goodness, another one here who didn't recognise him either!

After listening to the Burning Sun scandal BBC podcast, I made the mistake of a deep dive follow up as I had read a report on it a couple of years ago. Some idols who shared the sexual assault images issued the usual "I will reflect" apology, charges were dropped (because only shared, not produced images) and then just continued with their careers. Thoroughly depressing, especially when one person said she had decided that never dating was the only way to be sure of her own safety.😿

2023 done!
https://korean-binge.com/2022/10/28/2023-korean-drama-full-list/

Thanks for that, Migs. Blimey, I was about to say how many miles of cellulose film has been used to make that list but then I realised that it probably hasn’t been used for 30 years.
Anyway, all of us chingus are going to be kept busy.

I've caught up with King the Land but am finding it really boring TBH🙈😬. Unless something dramatic happens soon I think this is going to be the series that confirms that romance is not my genre. But having said that, I loved HCCC and Love to Hate You. Arrrrgggghhhh.

I think I need to focus on catching up with some classics (HP, PP, Itaewon Class, and maybe The Uncanny Counter before season 2 come along). Or maybe continue with creepy stuff, despite the summer weather. Definitely more my thing.

Folllowing on from this😁 Migs I'm excited to see there's more All of Us Are Dead, Sweet Home and Hellbound on their way!

AmVa - I am really keen to watch Forbidden Marriage, I am wondering what platform is it on in the UK? Keep seeing clips and think it will suit me! KLAXON - I got my sister watching KtL on the plane and Jun-ho did the trick! Sadly only had the first two episodes downloaded and she was most disappointed. Hoping she will pick it up now she is home.

That list is exhilarating and overwhelming all at once. I’m slogging away at a part-time course (boring career stuff) in the background which is eating into my available kdrama time. That list makes me want to stamp my foot and scream “s’not fair!”

Bite-sized manhwa is definitely my thing right now. The latest Red Sleeve on bato! 🔥 For a gluten-free manhwa, the weight of the unresolved sexual tension is crushing. It’s a wonder the pair of them haven't spontaneously combusted. They’re not safe to be in a library again any time soon.

Dragon Forbidden Marriage is on Viki in the UK 😊

Saram, I've just finished The Uncanny Counter - prepping for S2 🤩
Need to watch DP too, but afraid as apparently the horrors actually led to changes in the military.

Imho, KTL could do with a white truck of doom, an evil MIL, a cheating husband, a ghost or two and several zombies running amok in the background 😂

Imho, KTL could do with a white truck of doom, an evil MIL, a cheating husband, a ghost or two and several zombies running amok in the background

You can tell you’ve acculturated when all the usual tropes aren’t cutting it. I get makjang now. There comes a point where you want the drama turned up to 11.

I recommend The Uncanny Counter too Saram and it was one that MrLoup enjoyed also. I o know what you mean re KTL - I do like and will watch pure romance BUT by far prefer a strong genre subplot preferably high-stakes, end of the world, life and death shenanigans.

I'm really looking forward to more All of Us Are Dead, Uncanny Counter, Sweet Home 👍 also, when is vampire Taecyeon show coming out? I'm waiting for that too and PSJ in Gyeongseong Creature ....

🚨 can report first two episodes of Heartbeat (Vampire Taecyeon drama not the UK cop show set in the 50's) are on Amazon Prime 🚨

Does anyone want a giant toddler dog?! I can't sit down for 5 minutes and watch Dr Romantic without him getting up to something 🤬

boaty I'll go with that, thanks - must be that I'm now a seasoned pro 😁😘(not really 🙂). As far as I'm aware I've not watched a makjang drama yet - made a start on Sky Castle (but only the first 10 mins), but I think it was poorly rated by the Ms Latte collective so I bumped it back down the list. May return to that at some point.

Migs and TheLoup yes I think I need a sub-plot to grab me for a romance to work. And/or take an instant like to one of the leads. I'll give The Uncanny Counter a go next. After episodes 13 and 14 of Doctor Cha, which just landed here.

Rowdy thoughts and prayers.

I just watched this reel 3 times before I even thought about wondering what he was advertising Kim Woo Bin
👀

Ooh yes please I'll sniff you Mr Malone.

Try SYIMNL instead Saram. That's got more plot. Having said that I'm always happy to paddle in soothingly plotless waters.

pol i kept skipping it back to the bit where there are loads of him lifting weights and things 😂 think my brain was buffering.

I think I would short circuit if an ad featured more than one Min Yoongi at once [zones out]

pol Yes! Spot on - I'm watching and very much enjoying SYIMNL 😃 Enjoying seeing her from EAW again (the best friend, right?) and love all the cute kids 😍 And I want to know about lurking guy and the bells 🤔 (I'm really selling it to anyone who hasn't started it yet 😂)