MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #44): In which a surprise feast of corking contract marriage dramas 🙌 is undercut by an imminent BTS content famine as Jung Kook, RM, V and Jimin enlist 😭

[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 www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts/4894818-mslattes-daebak-cybercafe-kdrama-addicts-42-where-we-marvel-over-the-singularity-of-taecyeons-ears-while-waiting-for-lee-min-ho-to-show-up-in-his-space-scrubs?page=1here.
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)🌟
The Worst of Evil (Disney+)
Tunnel (Netflix)🌟
Vigilante (Disney+)

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)🌟

Makjang
Perfect Marriage Revenge (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 The Eighth Sense [BL] (Viki)
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)
Semantic Error [BL] (Viki)
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)🌟
Daily Dose of Sunshine (Netflix)
Descendants of the Sun (Viki/Netflix)
Doctors (Netflix)
Doom At Your Service (Netflix/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)/When the Weather is Nice (Netflix)
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 (Netflix)🌟
My Strange Hero (Viki)
One Spring Night (Netflix)
Red Carpet - film (Netflix, very adult content)
Romantic Dr Kim - seasons 1&2 (Viki), season 3 (Disney+)
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)🌟
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/Netflix)🌟

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)
Twinkling Watermelon (Viki)
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)
Moon in the Day (Viki)
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)

Decent Japanese, Taiwanese, Thai and Chinese dramas
The Chinese & Taiwanese stuff especially is more variable quality-wise, so we’ve noted anything decent or worth a look 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)
My Personal Weatherman [BL] (Jdrama, Viki)
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.

When we 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.

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!

This is always my thoughts when I see V 🤣

I can't quite tell if I've got a crush on him or if I want to be him. 🤷🤷

AmVa 😁 Yes Taehyung is the objectively best-looking member of BTS by far (sorry Jin 😁). When a puzzled friend asked me if I thought they were good looking I just pulled up a picture of him, but got an Alan Partridge-esque shrug back 🤔

Currently catching up on Suchwitas. The episodes with Taehyung - all the talk about 2025 and chapter 2 and going to see the Northern Lights - I really can't quite imagine what form it will take. But I felt a bit ambivalent about the Busan concert and look how that turned out 🤩 Love all the cheesy product placement in Suchwita, too 😁 🙌

I pressed on with Welcome to Samdal-ri and felt it definitely picked up again in episodes 3 and 4. Hoping 5 and 6 will keep up the good work.

Just dropping a rec in here for anyone that enjoyed Behind Your Touch - I've just watched the first couple of episodes of My Man Is Cupid on Prime and it is really good fun - it reminds me a bit of a mash-up of BYT and Bride of Haebak with a bit of My Roomate is a Gumiho thrown in. Am enjoying - I love me a supernatural boyfriend - but be warned, it does have the 2023 serial killer subplot™️.....

Edited to say 4 episodes out so far, I could happily have binged them but had to stop after 2 as I'm up early tomorrow!

I found the Taehyung Suchwita quite sad - when he talked about asking for one rest day when they'd won some big award (can't remember which, I watched it a while ago) and being told no, and then him thinking maybe if he got injured at least he'd be able to rest. Very grim - makes me think they'll be working less hard in the army 😅 hopefully they have enough power now as well as artists to not have to put up with that sort of thing.

AmVa I agree it was confronting to hear that. I don't mean to down-play or be flippant about it, but I think that's just how the idol industry operates, unhealthy as it is. And is kind of typical of the Korean work ethic (ok, not some of the loser husbands in that documentary series ?Jin once linked to 🤔), plus the product of an intensely competitive society.

Having seen how happy and 'themselves' the members have looked in recent months (J-Hope and Jin were the picture of health in this week's enlistment photos), I do hope chapter 2 is not going to be a massive pressure fest. The expectation for 2025 is inevitably going to be HUGE. I was talking to someone in Korea about this and they just shrugged and said 'they signed for another 7 years'.

Oppa advent day 15

Rocking the double denim it's Ahn Hypo Seop

Morning Rowdy, morning Ahn Hyo Seop! He looks like he got in late last night from his work Xmas do, fell asleep where he landed and then got woken up to do the school run 🤣

Still looks enticing in double denim though 😍

Double denim looking good on AHS... ❤️

Thanks Rowdy, you trooper!

Oh a different look from ANS! Thank you Rowdy for all your hard work on our behalf. I was just the other day admiring again his wardrobe from Business Proposal. Not many men can carry off a double-breasted, four button, stitched lapel grey and yellow check suit!

Loving the double denim with a cheeky belly button AHS ❤️
Thank you Rowdy!!

I'm not a double denim fan so that's coming straight off in the kitchen and into the wash 😘

"Arms up!"

It won't take you long Pol, he's half undressed already. And looking very sexy in his Calvin Kleins, I have to say🔥

Great oppa choice again Rowdy! Likey.

DH collected DS1 from uni today. The fam are now frustrating my kdrama plans. I’m having to watch the new Aardman chicken film on Netflix instead of Demon or TSOPCM. Still, its good to have the whole gang here. Cat is v v happy - DS1 is the favoured human.

Ha. Every now and then I think I’m picking up a few more words of Korean. Then I get a few minutes of unsubbed drama like the preview at the end of tonight’s TSOPMC and I realise I got nothin’. Not a Scooby.

Oppa advent day 16

Thank God he ditched the mullet, it's Park Sung Hoon

They are some big boots, oppa!

Good pick Rowdy ❤️

I can't tell where the boot ends and the trousers begin... Unless you're talking about the size of his feet...👀

Are they even boots? I think it’s a shoe/shiny trouser combo illusion. I love the photo and his expression. 👌 I would be steering him away from naked flames and heat sources in that trouser/top combo though. They both look highly flammable. 😬

After Rowdy posted Teo Yoo in the oppa advent earlier this week, I am tempted to go and see Past Lives again over Christmas when it returns to a local cinema.

Hello! Can I join in? I have a teenager obsessed with K-pop and we watched the first series of Singles Inferno in the summer and loved it. This week, I decided to try a K drama on Netflix. Choose Hometown Cha Cha Cha and I am addicted!! It's so sweet and wholesome. The episodes are so long though - it's quite the commitment time wise!

Already thinking about what'll be next when I'm done.

Welcome @mrsfeatherbottom ! 👋 Of course you can join in! It’s what the internet was made for - uniting people with niche hobbies. We have a pretty comprehensive list of recommendations in the OP, by genre. The romances and fantasy lists are split into lighter/fluffier and darker/more adult. You don’t say how old your daughter is, but the lighter lists are probably all OK for younger viewers. Ask if there’s something you’re interested in & you’re not sure about, even if it’s not listed. One of us is bound to have watched it.

If you are watching with your daughter Twenty-five Twenty-one would probably keep both of you happy.

Chingus ! I am going to Seoul tomorrow! Can’t believe it really. I am drinking coffee and trying to finish packing.