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!

Ha! Continuity error in ep 14 of King The Land. The woman in the paparazzi shots has a proper fringe. Cut to the woman, post paps: no bangs, long hair. 😂

I’d not spotted that Lee Min Ki is in Behind Your Touch. I’m about 15 mins in to ep 1. It is proper bonkers in that uniquely Korean way. 😂

We’ve just watched the film Dream with Park Seo Joon and IU. It’s an adorable, easy watch.

Just finished watching DP2 (with DH hence was unable to binge). Absolutely brilliant and gripping - not at all an easy watch, but so good. In the penultimate episode I felt absolute anxiety, frustration and anger in equal measure - An Jun Ho sort of inexplicably reminds me of my middle son and - I was yelling "stop hitting him!' at the TV at one point 😳

I'm so sorry it has ended - I would quite happily watch some sort of buddy cop series with Sergeant Han and An Jun Ho in civilian life!

...... And following on from that, I watched first episode of Behind Your Touch which was absolutely bonkers as only k-dramas can be - it was funny and I definitely will watch it, but I might wait until it is all out or until I can binge a few episodes at least. Lee Min Ki looking v good in it (you know I love a police officer character!)

Lee Min Ki has his irritable, careworn cop down pat. He’d basically rehashing his What Lies Beneath character but with fewer bodies (so far). I think he might even be drawing from the same middle-aged grunge wardrobe.

Possibly just the 'cop' section of the wardrobe department - jeans, sneakers, black bomber jackets and threadbare jumpers only 🤣

Yet again I’m finding the career-related detail interesting. Who knew a) flatfish could be farmed and b) you’d bother vaccinating farmed fish?

I would love a sergeant Han and An Jun Ho series! I think they are great together

It’s not just Ahn Bo Hyun who has Lego hair in SYIMNL: the other two main male characters’ hair is completely rigid. The hair stylists must have got through industrial quantities of hair spray.
I’m not sure why they need to make it quite so immobile.

I was trying to explain the ghost bride concept to DH earlier to provide context for The Ghost Husband, which is being heavily promoted/bumped on my Netflix profile. We got talking about different beliefs and myths that we probably don’t “see” because they’re part of the culture we swim in. We realised that a lot of hauntings in British/western telly are tied to buildings/place, which seems to be less of an issue in kdrama where the ghosts attach themselves to people. What else is different?

I just googled the Green Man, thinking I was solid on that being a Western pagan tradition of similar vintage to the 9 tailed fox in kdrama. Well, blow me!

Folk musician Mike Harding gave examples of foliate head figures from Lebanon and Iraq dated to the 2nd century in his A Little Book of The Green Man, as well as his website. There are similar figures in Borneo, Nepal, and India. Harding references a foliate head from an 8th-century Jain temple in Rajasthan.

🤷‍♀️ What do we have that we haven’t absorbed from elsewhere? (MN seems to have picked up all the embedded wiki links.)

Uh oh.

How the scouts survived the Korean jamboree.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/a50f3f18-3876-11ee-be2e-0cc7309dc5b8?shareToken=c9f0b13de1324625c3b239a802d6329d

I liked that the article touched on their warm reception in Seoul towards the end. You can just imagine the strips being torn off the organisers right now. Their national pride must have taken quite a knock.

I find folklore and mythology totally fascinating! British folklore is a total mishmash of different influences - vikings, Saxons, Picts, Celts, Normans, ancient Rome but all through the lens of 2000 years of Christianity.

In Japan/Korea there is also a strong influence of other religions like Buddhism, Shinto, Confucianism, Daoism + the concept of reincarnation but also generally a wider definition of spirits and deities and supernatural beings, not just black and white/good or evil but more ambiguous. I find the concept of spirits having grudges and resentments really interesting, something so strong that it kind of subsumes the human soul - I think that's probably something Buddhism related, where all the demons are basically human desires - lust, greed and whatnot, all preventing us reaching Nirvana....

Re: Jamboree - what an absolute fiasco. I am glad they had a good experience when they got to Seoul however. The article is probably right when it says that living through that will end up being a badge of honour (bit like Glastonbury 1997 when everything flooded 🤣)

There's a British journalist in Seoul I follow on X Twitter and he said yesterday someone randomly asked him where he was from in a shop and then brought his whole staff out to apologise for Jamboree 😂😭

Yet to see if it's on UK Disney but seeing a lot of love online for Moving if anyone wants a new series. Sounds like a sort of X Men adjacent thing (ie teenagers with special abilities).

I am LOVING Behind Your Touch 😁 and very happy indeed to see Lee Min-ki again. I do find it a bit jolting though when the camera moves from a 'regular' Korean face to him😁

boaty and TheLoup I'm totally into mythology and ghosts too 🙌. It's such a big part of British identity (didn't realise that till I left the UK, almost no 'ghost culture' whatsoever where I now live, my interest in it is another opportunity for DH to bombastic side-eye me 😁). Grew up with stories of two extremely down-to-earth male relatives having seen 'ghosts' (totally different places, times and circumstances). Very interesting how it's experienced/explained differently in different countries. (On this broad subject - don't want to spoil - did anyone else see the UK film Men last year? Deeply odd and very very good, I highly recommend it.)

The jamboree fiasco - pol how extremely Korean of the shop staff to apologise. I bet they meant it, too. Re: The Times article, I hadn't considered the impact on Busan EXPO plans but....yes 😬 Should've asked Hybe to organise it 🤔😁

Have just booked for a preview of Past Lives next week (with film quiz - will it be about Korean-themed films....????? ooooh excited!) It looks fantastic. For me, discovering Teo Yoo was the absolute highlight of Love to Hate You. He has a kind of contained/calm quality about him (haven't seen him in anything else, so maybe it was just LTHY, but sort of got the same vibe in the trailer of PL).

There are a lot of elements to the Scout jamboree fiasco - climate change, political incompetence (the opposition repeatedly raised concerns about the preparations), lack of adequate oversight by the World Scout organization - but thankfully everything ended up ok in the end and personally I found the worldwide concern for the plight of the scouts and the efforts of the participating countries alongside the South Korean government to salvage the event rather heartwarming.

I've also been musing over uniquely British supernatural beings. Those I can think of are mainly Celtic, like the Irish banshee or Scottish kelpie. I'd personally never heard of boggarts pre-Harry Potter but that's another British one. I think fairies in general are quite a British thing too, such as brownies, leprechauns and "little people", and there are similar beings in Scandinavian and German folklore such as trolls and elves. We also seem to have a lot more headless ghosts in the British tradition - I think we might have Elizabeth I to thank for that!

One of the things I think is really interesting about Irish mythology is the way it has been absorbed into the Catholic church - so the goddess Brigid became St Bridget, Imbolc became St Bridget's Day and so on - the traditional rituals and deities are still there to an extent, but just Christianised.

On Halloween there is a really cool event in Meath called the Púca Festival (named after the mischievous shape shifting Púca spirit)

Can confirm Moving is on Disney+ in the UK 👍 first episode was good, DH wouldn't watch more 🙄 but I will continue!

I am dramaless due to foreign Wi-Fi but enough juice to get absolutely stuck into An Hour of Romance. I've already cast the drama in my head 😁

Ooh, interested to hear who you would cast. If I get 5 mins peace this afternoon I will do the same. As I have said, Do-Jin is my 2D oppa of choice. It will be hard to find a real human that matches his attractiveness but it’ll need to be one of the leggy racehorses.