MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #43): Where we marvel over the singularity of Taecyeon’s ears while waiting for Lee Min Ho to show up in his space scrubs

[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, Thai & Chinese drama as & when.

The previous thread is www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts/4842000-mslattes-daebak-cybercafe-kdrama-addicts-42-where-we-weigh-up-two-smokin-hawt-chaebol-hotelliers-one-tortured-by-loss-and-the-other-crippled-by-abandonment-issues?page=1here
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, 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)🌟
King The Land (Netflix)
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)h
Misaeng (Netflix)🌟
My Liberation Notes🌟
Move to Heaven (Netflix)
My Mister (Viki/Netflix)🌟
My Unfamiliar Family (Viki)🌟
Navillera (Netflix)🌟
Not Others (Viki)
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
A Time Called You (Netflix)
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)🌟
My Lovely Liar (Viki)
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
Behind Your Touch (Netflix)
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)
Fake it Till You Make it (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!

A weird thing we've not found is pocha tent bars

We noticed that too.

Anyway, chingus I’m so delighted it all went so well and you had a great time. I agree feeling safe is such a plus when visiting a country.
We’ve been home for over a fortnight and we are still missing it.

Guys. You are making me waver. I have been struggling to reconcile the quote we got for a modest 8 nights split between Seoul, Andong and Gyeonju for the four of us. Head says its a mad amount of money that would be better spent on the house, but the heart wants what the heart wants. DH is inclined to be supportive but finding the costs a struggle to justify. He’s very much a European city break on a shoestring kinda guy. Your pictures and stories are amazing though. 😫

I’ve been listening to Loco’s new album Weak. It’s pretty good, very easy to have on in the background while you potter.

Saram & Polkettle - sound like wonderful trips. Really makes me want to go again as realising all I missed !

Oh my God. The fashion fitting scene in episode 7 of Doona. I’m crying! 😂🤣😂🤣😂

It has been amazing and we are aware of how fortunate we've been- both in terms of having time and budget to do the eccentric KD itinerary we wanted and in the serendipity of pretty much perfect weather and magic (cough) chance encounters...
But much of the fun has been in this being a holiday that's all been about us as individuals with a shared passion, all being able to wallow with no responsibility for anyone else's happiness and comfort! I love going on holiday with my family (honest I do family) but this has truly been a holiday and I am refreshed.
I'm not saying you should ditch your boys Boaty and you'd all.have a great time but... a longer backpacking adventure with DH in the future?

DH did actually suggest ditching the kids and doing the trip as a couple. He might be right.

I really want to visit SK but I do not want to go with a 3 year old... I want a holiday where I can eat out at night time and have drinks and have no responsibility. Would be very happy to do a solo trip but can't see how I would sell it to the husband - I'm spending a bunch of money on an overseas trip that you don't get to come on, and you have to stay here and solo parent while I do 😅😅 my argument probably could use some work to make it sound more appealing.

and you have to stay here and solo parent while I do

Have precious bonding time?

I agree totally with what pol says. The joy lies not only in the wonderful country and people, but in the freedom from responsibility to others. And, on this particular trip, the total visceral joy of sharing our individual and very niche KD/K-culture obsessions. Because everyone in the group understands the feeling. I mean, one of the highlights for me was seeing the closed and semi-abandoned Coffee Prince cafe. In the dark 🤔 😁 Go figure. It would have been a very different trip with DH and DC.

I had a combo of travelling round with pol and co, four days alone, then a week with a friend from home. Who has her own niche interest, so we each had two days off doing our own thing in and around Seoul. Alone bits weren't really alone though, as I met so many people and, in Seoul and at MBC Dramaland, fellow ARMY 💜

Non-K-drama-loving travel chingu did watch The Sound of Magic before she came over and subsequently insisted on going to Yongma Land alone (I'd already been with pol and co), binge-watched a JCW drama in the plane on the way back and has announced, I quote, 'from now on I am only communicating in JCW gifs' 😁 😂 🙌 I think that's a successful conversion right there. She also said she 'sometimes' listens to BTS 🤔😁

AmVa your DC is younger than mine, which does put a different slant on the DH ask. But, yeah, relationships are give and take, right?

However you end up doing it, it is a big investment in terms of time and money, for sure. It became clear to me that I'd need to go and see the country for myself about one year into my interest. So DH had two years to prepare himself 😁 and I had two years to save up holiday hours and try to moderate spending elsewhere to balance it out failed. My teachers all encouraged me to go (my first teacher galvanised me into action and said I should just go ahead and book my flight) and MsLatte's did the rest 🙌

It's not expensive once over. You can eat simple Korean food very well for under 10,000 won (about 6.00 GBP). Public transport and taxis are cheap. Depending on what you buy, fashion/make-up/home products/merch are also very reasonably priced (bought some excellent Korean perfume for about 20 pounds).

Dragonrock for me the absolute highlights were the random things (e.g. BTS 2021 Seasons Greetings billiards hall with random Seoul ajussis and halabujis, who got the BTS billiards cues out for me to pose with 😁 and directed a photoshoot 😂). Not the big tourist must-sees (I'm glad I did them though, with the exception of Namsan which was a tourist trap and a waste of our last evening in some ways). Speaking the language did help with that, but it wouldn't have been impossible only speaking English. I would recommend a temple stay to anyone, especially vegetarians/vegans as the food was literally DIVINE. And, sitting in a hall on a heated floor meditating at 4.30 am with a group of Koreans and hearing the wind rushing around the mountain outside - 😳

I also agree with what @polkettle says. It is undoubtedly possible to have a great time here as a family, but it is a different sort of holiday. Travelling with chingus who all get equally excited about the same things (like a well-known but can't place him drama actor smiling at you) is so much fun! There's a lot to see and do here, and for me personally it has ticked other interests I have as well as kdrama & kpop. The scenery, art, history, activities and people-watching are all captivating.

I'm spending a bunch of money on an overseas trip that you don't get to come on, and you have to stay here and solo parent while I do 😅😅 my argument probably could use some work to make it sound more appealing.

Hmm…..do you have any friends in PR who could help you polish your argument? Though Boaty’s bonding suggestion is a good one.

Agree with everything the travellers have said. I love the fact there is such reasonably priced delicious food and the public transport is cheap and efficient and the people are friendly and welcoming.
Also, our trip was hugely enhanced by Alex the wonderful guide and we are hoping to have him again next year.

Heheh Saram solidarity to your friend and her new found love of JCW - heheh we've all been there 😁

AmVa I totally get where you are coming from, especially as 2/3 of my kids are big kpop fans - I would feel guilty going somewhere alone that I know they would like to visit BUT I do think as a parent it is OK to do things for yourself and meet your own needs. For me, I need to save up so that korea trip costs are coming out of my own budget rather than the family holiday pot- it won't be before 2025....

Love all the empathizing here from people who get it. The idea of a trip solely with like-minded chingus and everyone being excited about the same things sounds amazing - so glad the recent travellers all had a great time ❤️❤️

Since I am based in Aus flights to get there might be slightly more reasonable... But who knows. Maybe in next couple of years!

Also, bringing things back to a drama, I am 4 episodes into AoS Part 2 and really loving this new, brooding Jang Uk. I do like the new dynamic between them, and he does 'sad about his lost love' extremely well. But I am definitely missing Jung So Min - she was so sparky and great.

AmVa There's a real change in pace and tone in AoS pt2, it's a bit of a Hong sisters thing, A Korean Odyssey was the same, but it really sets the scene for an epic finale. Unlike a lot of kdramas, they really know how to do endings. The last scene from A Korean Odyssey with Lee Seung Gi driving along the coastal bridge is particularly memorable. And absolutely no Subway, pizza or egg sandwiches 😂

Ah Cobol I really liked that ending (KO) I know lots of people didn't, but I thought it was just enough. If anyone could pull off such a crazy rescue it would be Son Oh Gong!

And AmVa yes yes yes to brooding, angsty Jang Uk 😁

That's what I like about fantasy TheLoup - anything's possible!

I'm so excited to hear that So Ji-sub is back on our screens soon!!!

As I said to DH yesterday..

"As soon as Netflix drops 'Mercy For None' I'm afraid for you it's 'Dinner for one' 😉

Haha Aesops! when is it out?

I watched the first episode of The Matchmakers (our lovely boy Rowoon's new drama) - he was gorgeous and in loveable golden retriever mode. The plot seems a bit generic and similar to various other sageuk dramas I've watched recently BUT early days, FL likeable and will keep watching 👍

I watched no dramas at all while I was away, or indeed in the plane on the way over. But finished off A Time Called You on the way back (loved it, luckily the cabin lights were dimmed so I could do silent ugly crying 😁), and watched Ballerina (quite enjoyed Kim Ji-hoon being so grim, and get the impression he enjoyed playing such an unsympathetic character too). Had to keep putting my hand over the screen 🙈luckily was in the back row, but might have shocked the business ajussi next to me 😂 👀 Knew I recognised the FL from somewhere - it was Burning.

Also continued with Moving - great. And took advantage of the in-flight entertainment to see Alienoid and Rebound (family-friendly Ahn Jae-hong vehicle, really enjoyed that). Tonight will return to The Worst of Evil - 5 episodes to go!

Saram I started watching Rebound and I was enjoying it but I fell asleep and I can’t find it on Netflix or Viki.
Do films sometimes take a long time to appear on streaming services or do they sometimes never appear?