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!

Aww Deema Loves Drama has travelled to Korea for the first time! I'm so excited for her (an Internet stranger 😅)
www.instagram.com/reel/Cw76zCuLrVB/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Am also excited for Deema! Hope she has an amazing trip

🚨 Ahn Hyo Seop fans 🚨 12 episodes of A Time Called You have dropped on Netflix. Also has Kang Hoon, Jeon Yeo Been. First couple of episodes quite twisty-turny timey-wimey. I'm intrigued and have also cried in s veral places (I may be hormonal 🤣)

Also, TIL that Rowoon's friend in Destined With You is also the dried squid fairy from Extraordinary You!

Anyone wanting to see Balming Tiger live and with cash to blow on a European citybreak may want to check out the line-up for the Airwaves festival in Iceland in early November. 😉

https://icelandairwaves.is/lineup/

I really loved the original Taiwanese version TheLoup - Someday or One day. Not sure I want to repeat it in Korean but interested to hear whether its good.

pol there's been a lot of chat online about the Taiwanese version being really good. I'm enjoying the K version so far, but have nothing to compare to - am going in blind....

boaty me and MrLoup were both like "ooh, we fancy a trip to Iceland" but then were immediately suckerpunched by the reality of having 3 kids 😬🤣 ah well Balming Tiger - maybe next time....

Watching Project Wolf Hunting tonight. Current thoughts: I do not know who signed off the risk assessment on this entire prisoner transport situation but I would suggest they are operating at a level above their competency 😉

Also, I am still finding Seo In-guk attractive as a murderous gangster stabbing people in the face. I'm not proud of it.

Whoever designed the monsters bath of orbeez as sufficient security for transportation should also pretty much lose their job.

DH fell asleep 5 minutes in 🙄. I am enjoying this movie immensely.

Sounds like a ball Loup. 😄

DH and I are biding our time ‘til the kids move out/pass the illicit house(wrecking) party stage and then we’ll buy tickets for Airwaves.

Does anyone know what the historic links are between Germany and SK? I just spotted that the lead actor in Past Lives Teo Yoo is German-Korean, born in Cologne. Wikipedia says his father was a miner. I remember reading that there are quite a lot of German loanwords in Korean. I was also thinking that there are political parallels between Korea & Germany, nations split along ideological/political lines after the Koran War and WW2 respectively. Are the links political or more related to trade/commerce links?

Apparently in 1960s a number of Koreans went to Germany to work as miners and nurses.
A German style village was built in Korea for returning workers:

‘Established in 2001 to provide a place for Koreans residing in Germany who were dispatched to Germany as an industrial force in the 1960s and contributed to the economic development of Korea to settle in Korea, and to develop it as a tourist destination where they can experience Germany’s foreign culture. The upper half of the area is the German Village. The lower half is the tourist town of pubs, restaurants, and shops that are German inspired. Keep in mind that the food is inspired by German food. Many pensions and restaurants, great place to visit. The view of the marina from this part of the mountain is breathtaking.”

아르바이트 - Aleubaiteu from the German, "Arbeit" meaning labour is one loan word I know.

Oh wow! That’s interesting. Thank you Andante.

We are on our way home from Past Lives. It was beautiful. 💕

May be of interest 🙂

www.axs.com/uk/events/501002/www.axs.com/uk/events/501002/korea-on-stage-tickets

@Andante57 that's so interesting, the German village has appeared in several dramas and I always wondered what it was there for. Moon Ga Young was also born in Germany, I never realised there was such a link between the countries. Fascinating!

I can't find anywhere local to me to watch Past Lives which is very disappointing 😔

The link isn't working Briiiiick

Oops sorry!!

www.ovoarena.co.uk/events/detail/korea-on-stage

More info

www.hallyudoing.com/hallyu-events-in-the-uk/korea-on-stage-london

All good now 👍🏻

Andante funnily enough 아르바이트 came up in class today. I had no idea of the historical background, thank you! Or that Teo Yoo's German-ness was linked to it 🙂 There's a sizeable Korean community in Düsseldorf too (great rivals of Cologne, at least in football 😁). The city has what claims to be the largest Korean supermarket in Europe (and the only place I've been able to get Korean melons, which were 👌)

boaty so glad you enjoyed the film!

TheLoup I've made a start on A Time Called You as well. Liking it so far. I also haven't seen the Taiwanese original.

After Rowoon's cameo I am cheated - the bl that never was 😢

Have finally dropped my toe into the world of c-dramas based on all the comments here about Fake it till you make it. Episode 1 very business heavy as everyone has said but I am holding the faith!

@polkettle pleased to report that I didn't even have to watch one full episode before seeing my first logic-defying item of clothing as you promised a while ago when talking about c-dramas... suit jacket sleeves that seemed to be totally disconnected to the waistcoat part of the jacket??? Do you pull them on separately and how do they stay up??

AmVa by CDrama standards the fashion in Fake it barely registers on the bonkers scale. I must have become so inured I didn't even clock 😁
Show finished yesterday and totally satisfying all round.

Cdrama fashion is its own whole category of crazy. On occasion we have kicked around the idea of our own annual Daebak Awards to reward the most outstanding examples of k/c/jdrama outlandishness and excellence. A Cdrama fashion misfires category was mooted.

Liu Meiling = legend