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!

Less than 100 days till Christmas… I can’t wait for our Oppas.

Day off today. Should I be doing something else? Undoubtedly. Am I going in? Yes I am.

Me too! I was thinking about the joy of advent oppas only the other day 😁

I can't wait for the inexplicable oppa fashion choices!

I'm watching The Escape of the Seven on Wiki. Awful people doing hateful things, so I hope the baddies all get their just deserts. It's a rollicking watch tho.

Is Mouse gripping? Thinking of what to download for watching on the long flight to Japan, as I can't sleep on a plane. Suggestions welcome. Thrillers, revenge dramas, preferred, but anything really.

Migs I started Escape of the Seven as well what a bunch of horrible bastards! I was wondering whether to continue to watch it, but I do want to see them get their comeuppance.

Mouse is pretty dark and it's not my favourite, even though I'm a big fan of LSG usually. I'm trying to think what I've watched recently. Have you seen DP and Bloodhounds (Netflix)?

I'm enjoying My Lovely Boxer currently airing on Viki, there's about 10 episodes out.

Revenant (Disney+) is really good as well. I think it's one of my top dramas this year. I always recommend Sell Your Haunted House. It's a good all rounder!

I remember in Start Up when they thought they would be moving to America they were all choosing their American names and one of them was Stephanie. I guess I was surprised they were using English names when it was all locals in the office talking to each other 🤷

Thanks Loup, I've seen them all except for My Lovely Boxer, so will take a peek at it.

Any who liked Ra Mi-Ran in TGBM she is in a new drama Cold-Blooded Intern about a woman returning to work after a career break to raise her child. Looks good and also has Uhm Ji-Won, so we have two FLs. Not sure where we might all be able to watch it but the clip I saw looked good. Also, on the Western name, it was very much the norm in the workplace a few years ago. A bit less so these days, but still very common indeed. When I went to work there it was reversed and I was given a very pretty Chinese name but it was only for business cards no one ever used it.

Dragonrock oooh thank you for the Ra Mi-ran klaxon! Will keep an eye out for it.

Up to date with Behind Your Touch and now really quite invested in the upcoming last two episodes. I've not had this with a drama before - SUCH a big dip in the middle, and then it gets really gripping. While still being really quite silly. Both FL and ML have also turned it around. Also continuing with and enjoying A Time Called You, Moving and The Unanny Counter.

Yes to Behind Your Touch! who tf is the killer???? I'm invested and was genuinely not expecting the events of episode 14. However (and I apologise because I know some chingus liked Dr Bongs outfits) I CANNOT COPE with her sludge green puffa jacket with the giant collar. I am almost invested enough to Google it so I can be horrified at how much it costs. I know it is in character and whatever but I also can't believe it is practical for veterinary activities because it flaps about everywhere and could easily be eaten by goats or get stuck on barbed wire < eye twitch >

Oooo I will keep an eye out for cold-blooded intern as well.

I think Twinkling Watermelon first episode is dropping today on viki - don't know much except it sounds a bit Back To The Futurey and Ryeoun is in it...

Pretty common to have an English work name in both China and international Korean companies (cf Search WWW) I think.

Also in Korea in the workplace people are addressed by their job titles - secretary Kim, team leader Park, actor Lee and so on and also formal forms of address are used by Koreans which foreigners wouldn’t know about so it’s easier just to have a western name.

Andante that's a really good point about names and the working environment. Had never thought of it like that!

I turn my back for 5 mins and you fill the thread up with lots of enticing suggestions that I have no time to watch. 😫 I am away with work and missing my big telly and cuddly cat. I’m making do with tiny Rowoon on my phone.

Andante57 - that's a good tip, thank you. I will remember that for any future interaction. I am onto Ep3 of 'Oh My Baby' with Jang Na-ra & Go Jun. I needed something very light after a really tough week last week, as even the mild suspense in Destined for You and 100 Days my Prince was not helping me relax🙄

This is a pretty good potted history.

Back in work today but popping on here to say I really liked first episode of Twinkling Watermelon - it's all backstory so far but I'm onboard. CEO-dol Mart also continuing to be cute and funny. I'm so fond of the (ex)Thunder Boys and totally rooting for them so the writer-nims are doing a good job 👏

Ooo that looks good pol - will watch later !

The hold of "lookism" on South Korean culture is unreal.
here

Dear god.

Migs that article 😳

I was talking to my Korean student friends (women, early-mid 20s) about these kind of issues just this weekend. We watched the D-Day documentary together 😁 as they were both curious (because of me and my course chingu's love of Yoongi). We discussed various aspects of the documentary afterwards - including the bit where he casually says he hadn't eaten 3 meals a day for 18 months, and would need to lose weight after his US trip. They said the appearance thing, and the feeling of 'owing' other people a good appearance (in the case of idols x 100 of course) is real. And, sadly, that is always associated with thinness and the specific beauty ideals we've discussed before.

They asked if we had dating agencies here (like, literal offices) and I said no, almost none now, but they were more common pre-internet dating. They said in Korea dating agencies are absolutely still a thing (this is touched on in the Elise Hu book too) and that - wait for it - people are literally graded A, B, C etc. based on height and weight. And education/salary level too.

Yoongi-wise, they said they enjoyed the documentary and appreciated the insight into how some idols work, and how emotionally tough it can be. As they'd never really considered that idols might write/produce their own music, or the levels of anxiety and pressure they must experience. Well done sir 😁

Whoa.

I've just been watching RM on Instagram playing the piano back to front (mirror mode?!) which was super confusing and also speaking in Japanese which was super impressive. His hair's looking very short now, I guess he'll be enlisting soon?