MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #42): Where we weigh up two smokin’ hawt chaebol hotelliers, one tortured by loss and the other crippled by abandonment issues

[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
Bloodhounds (Netflix)
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)
Race (Disney+)
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)
The Good Bad Mother (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)
F4 Thailand (Viki)
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!

Thanks bettys. 😘

The Witch part 1 was OK. I’m a scaredy cat and don’t like horror but I found it to be fine.

Only 4 episodes up but anime My Happy Marriage on Netflix has sucked me in.

I really want to watch that pol! I see there is a live action film version coming out later in the year as well...

I've just watched ep25 of Six Flying Dragons and it was truly epic with nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat, sword-fighting action and wispy beard plotting that's off the scale. It's like a Shakespearian tragedy on speed. I've been watching it intermittently between other things but with the last couple of episodes it really moved up a gear. Still a long way to go, but it's proving worth sticking with so far. Very different from Empress Ki.

Phew, what a ride Let's get Divorced has been and I'm convinced that it was actually a very subversive take on Japanese culture and not a comedy at all, tho there were several funny bits. Defo not in YL league!

Some of the characters were unusual drama choices for me. Ok, I get the cheating, man child, politician husband but juxtaposed against a free spirited but impotent lover for the wife?? I honestly had no idea where the storyline was going and got thoroughly fed up of the FL's fake chuckle/smile and the ML stream of apologies, but wanted to keep on watching it. There were many "wtf?" said in Migs' household.

I don't regret watching it, but it's down as "learning about diverse J-drama" on my list.😉

Now hooked into the manga for My Happy Marriage - My Blissful Marriage on Bato.

It's a fantastic manga. Beautiful story.

I am also totally sucked into My Happy Marriage 👍 it is so perfectly up my street I'm going to have to read the manga because I don't want to wait to find out what happens!

Experience tells me this will now be the start of a deep dive into bato < pointedly ignores laundry >🤣

I am all caught up on HeartBeat after binging as fast as I could and am definitely on board the Taecyeon train 🚂🚂 first few episodes he was serving great physical comedy and now we're getting the handsome longing looks as well. This is the second thing I've seen him in after Vincenzo where he was almost laughable as any kind of romantic interest for the FL, so this is a very welcome turn of events.

Omg I am losing it in KTL episode 13 at 'Comfort Hotel in Belgium'. Can't decide if it sounds like the fakest fictional hotel to have ever existed, or if it's a depressing chain of motor inns... Does not give me 5 star King Hotel vibes 🤣🤣

Frustrated that the manga is not complete having read it up to date last night. Now I'll have to go to the novels!

The Comfortabele Resort of Belgium dontcha mean AmVa ? 😁
Given my trip's booked, I was slightly disturbed by the distinction being drawn between a REAL hotel and a mere "tourist hotel" yesterday. Better pack imodium...

@polkettle Frustrated that the manga is not complete having read it up to date last night. Now I'll have to go to the novels!

nooooooo why did you only say that AFTER I was up into the wee sma’s reading this? 🤯

I'm sorryBettys 😔. I didn't know 😭 I wonder if the series will be? 4 episodes out of 12 took us to 10 of 23 Manga chapters...

Sorry should have given you the heads up on that, eonnis. I imagine the success of the anime will drive the chapters on, but I've been waiting months for an update 😬

AmVa Taecyeon plays a much more likeable character in Bring it on Ghost but I wouldn't say he was especially hot in that either so I'm not sure where these sexy vibes he's giving off in Heartbeat have come from all of a sudden. I mean, he doesn't actually look any different, yet somehow he's now all handsome and swoony. Must be some sort of weird vampire glamour thing 😂

I'm totally behind on KTL now. It first lost out to Hidden Love and now it's losing out to Yoo Ah-in and his bow and arrows in Six Flying Dragons. He's a great actor, he's got real screen presence. It's a shame about his current troubles. I read his character in Hellbound 2 will be played by another actor - which is weird because I thought his character died in the first series! Flashbacks or spoilers?!!!

I liked Taecyeon in 'Bring it on Ghost!', but now have a proper crush on him because of Heartbeat - there is something very appealing about the way he has a sense of humour & doesn't take himself too seriously. I think the character in Heartbeat has a sort of sweetness/innocence about him somehow, despite being a 500 year old Vampire and he is very handsome too, of course 😉

'Comfort Hotel' makes me think the name is a euphemism for a chain of 'love hotels' with slightly sticky carpets and mirrored ceilings 🤣

I've been meaning to start Six Flying Dragons for ages! Maybe today is the day!

He's a great actor, he's got real screen presence. It's a shame about his current troubles.

I agree. I wonder if after a period of contrition (if that’s the right word) he will be given a second chance. I hope so.

@Cobol and @TheLoupGarou it's something about his role in HeartBeat!! 💓🧛
I liked his half slicked back hair at the party in the last episode - halfway between 1920s look and the idol-esque style he's had in a few other episodes.
Sad I'm caught up now and have to wait for episodes.

Andante I hope so too, but I'm not sure how these things are viewed in South Korea.

AmVa Heartbeat drops early in the week, I think, so we shouldn't have to wait long.

Andante I hope so too, but I'm not sure how these things are viewed in South Korea.

Cobol I think the Korean authorities are terrified of drugs getting a hold in the country so they’ve really come down hard on Yoo Ah In to set an example.
On the subject of cancelled actors, I wonder what will happen to Ji Soo when his military service ends.

Naughty boy Ju Ji-Hoon (recreational drugs) has been rehabilitated, so a come back is possible for some.