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!

Jooahn is pure Park Min-young territory. I’m going to give Dojin to Kim Seon-ho. I like Nana and Lee Soo Hyuk for the besties. Chansung for Deputy Pyo.

or we could just reuse the WWWSK cast…

🚨 new Ji Chang Wook action/cop drama 🚨

Premiere Sept 27

Set in the 90's, catching drug dealers 👍 I am In!

12 episodes, Wi Ha-jun as a gang leader and my own personal Leeds Era. Think I can live with that 😁 🙌

I'm loving Wi Ha-jun as a gangster in that screenshot!

Also want the wee boy from The Good Bad Mother as the baby monk 😍

My weekly I ❤️ Not Others - so funny and warm. And actually I think Park Sung Hoon would make a fine Dojin. Please not PMY in this imaginary show we're casting. Much as I love her earlier work.

I agree PMY has not been on form recently. But I feel writer-nim has written with her in mind.

Dream casting? Seol In-ha - but she's too young.

What about Suzy as Joo ahn in imaginary show? I hesitate to say, but is KSH a bit old for Dojin? I imagined someone a bit younger....

Also, you guys are to blame for telling me about bato and setting me on the slippery path to manhwa addiction 😁

PMY is all wrong for Joo Ahn in my opinion. Funnily enough I considered Seol In-ha but ruled her out for the same reason as Fed Up. Suzy might work. I wondered if Lee Da-Hee might work, but I think you need someone a little younger. Shin Se-kyung (Rookie Historian) is the right age, has a serious-ish side to her and can also do comedy.

For Do-Jin you need someone sensible, a little bit boyish with a warm vibe. I thought of Kang Tae-Oh but I don’t think he’s leggy enough, especially if we were to go with a taller FL. I don’t think Kim Seon-ho is right for it - he’s friendly but not warm enough. What about Woo Do-Hwan?

Woo Do-Hwan! Yes! I think he's actually perfect!

The bets are on, eonnis!!!

I got all excited for a minute and then remembered that FedUp was doing fantasy casting to while kdrama deprived. We still need to get someone to buy the rights and adapt it. 🤞🤞🤞

Woo Do Hwan has already done a body swap for King The Eternal Monarch and was all round excellent switching between two characters.

5 episodes in and I'm declaring My Lovely Liar a great wee show.

Yes! pol - I love it too. Very sweet and I'm enjoying the fact that the two leads both randomly support rival premiership teams 🤣 ..... Could a Man U and a Liverpool fan ever really fall in love though? Bit far fetched 🤣🤣 (am kidding 😉)

Less believable than hearing a bonging noise in your head every time someone lies for sure TheLoup 😉

Haha! Touché 😉

In the most recent episode I did enjoy the whole stress-induced fever that included delirious sleep talking, touching forehead with back of hand and "omo! You are burning up" exclamation. I think overall MLL has a bit of an old school vibe, without feeling too dated...

I did have the thought while watching that KD ripe for some forehead thermometer PPL but then realised I was rather missing the point.

Two and a half episodes of Wok of Love to go and I absolutely cannot stand the mother!!!! I haven't really liked her the whole way through but she's just unbearable now!!!

Pung + Gangster Hyung 4 Eva

Now I've got Six Flying Dragons out of my system I've gone back to KtL and I'm quite enjoying the glacial pace now that I'm more in the mood for it.

DH has just been quizzing me on a list of top watched kdramas to see if I could get them from the descriptions. I got all of them, even the ones I haven't watched, except for Start-Up, which I may have to add to my list, although it will have to wait until I've finished everything I've started as I've decided to have a big push to finish all the stragglers, including Queen for Seven Days which I started an eternity ago and never quite got around to finishing.

I'm also keen to see the FedUp/Boaty production of An Hour of Romance starring Woo Do Hwan. I'm currently favouring Shin Se-kyung for FL but could be swayed to Suzy (even though I've not read it and have no clue what it's about 😁)

Last Heartbeat tonight? Regardless, I'm ready with a bottle of wine and a timely lie in tomorrow 🥂

I'm also keen to see the FedUp/Boaty production of An Hour of Romance starring Woo Do Hwan. I'm currently favouring Shin Se-kyung for FL but could be swayed to Suzy (even though I've not read it and have no clue what it's about 😁)

I’m totally open to another FL. I’d forgotten Shin Se-kyung was also the FL in Run On as well as the Rookie Historian. I’m not sure she’s our woman. We should keep workshopping the casting. There’s always room for improvement.

For anyone interested, An Hour of Romance is excellent clean fun. No stray baguettes. Excellent plot device - bath house KO scene a fave. https://batotoo.com/title/80087-an-hour-of-romance

Ooo I think Shin Se-kyung is a v good shout for imaginary female lead - sorry Suzy, you are cut.

Today I've been watching 'My Dearest' on Viki - currently airing and 4 eps out so far - if anyone is up for sort of a Joseon 'Gone With The Wind' this drama has got you covered. I really like it 👍

Last Heartbeat tonight! Once MrLoup has finished watching the bloody Uefa cup qualifier I am commandeering the big TV!

Well, Heartbeat ending was a bit unsatisfying.
Overall loved the show though.

I really have a MAJOR crush on Taecyeon now ..... Ottoke, ottoke. I'm going to have to rewatch Lets fight ghost, or get into 2pm : 🫣

Lovely eyes Junho was in 2PM as well. 🤷‍♀️

Loup, lots of 2pm on Youtube, which I discovered after becoming interested in Junho ( Red Sleeve) and Taecyeon (Vincenzo). Chansung also acts.

I enjoyed Heartbeat very much and thought the writer/s had done an excellent job of developing Taecyeon's multi-faceted character. I also liked how they subverted the ENTIRE history of vampiredom - who knew a vampire could have a day out at the beach? I even laughed as Taecyeon's tan subtly deepened in a nice contrast to the FL's white complexion. Possibly caused by too many days filming the beach scenes?

I'm rewatching Doom and finding it both more moving and romantic than on first watch. Seo In-Guk is so pretty, and his real life story of extreme family poverty is eye opening.

I cannot stop thinking of JK's 'performance' on Suchwita. I keep seeing Suga, dressed to go home, coming back to the set and telling him to go to a noraebang if he wants to keep on singing. 'Course he ignored him!