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!

Feeling positive about 2024 dramas. PD-nims must have heard our grumbles and turned to manwha and webtoons for fresh inspiration.

Well done, Filthy Noonas! 👏

I've just finished A Good Day to be a Dog. Finally 🥳. There was less cute dog action in the last few episodes, but it all wrapped up pretty well. I was about to say it reminded me of True Beauty but then realised Cha Eun-woo was in that too so that's probably why 😂

Updating to say I finished BMGM (tears!) which I enjoyed, so thank you for the rec's!

Decided to go for something a bit more current for a quick change and saw you all Inferno-ing so am over halfway through. Thought I'd jump in and agree about Lee Gwan-hee, who seems to be playing the field relentlessly. However he is one of the most entertaining on the island. Am on Ep 8 and people seem to be warming up and talking more, but it was quite painful until about Ep 5! Park Min-Kyu has my vote...that uniform and those shoulders! The women seem to all be very confident at least, so I can't see many hearts being too broken.

I might try Marry My Husband next, is it on Netflix?

Sobering stats in this article. 😬

Never dated, won’t marry: the rise of Japan’s perma-singles.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/b46fb187-bcfe-4da6-b5bb-2dc6fe9b35e2?shareToken=e1928e3b874fc86acea0278ee52d68b5

One of the comments below that article about Japan made me chuckle.

So are they all on Tinder swiping up down right and left and having rumpy pumpy every night or do young people not like sex anymore?
Is this a rejection of relationships or sex?

I haven’t seen the phrase “rumpy pumpy” used for ages. It has an 80’s Tory sex scandal vibe to it. 😂

I'm DYING at 'rumpy pumpy' it's like something out of Smash Hits magazine 🤣

Oppa Marry My Husband is on Prime 🙂

I am extremely late to the party but I've started watching Coffee Prince and I'm loving it so much!! The 2007 vibes are amazing!!
I didn't realise Lee Sun-Kyun was in it until I started watching and I've just seen the bit where he sings to the girlfriend he got back together with 😪
I would love to work at the coffee shop, they barely work and play in fountains and go on apple picking trips!

And HH KJW is ridiculously good looking! 2007's low cut t-shirts look daft on most men but he is rocking it!!

Here's the café now TheGirl.

I'm watching 2004 JDrama Orange Days which has just arrived on. Netflix as some classics JDrama job lot and it's really great so far.

And café for sale I think so maybe we could all invest and reopen as Coffee Noona

The cafe looks like it's in a fairy tale with all the moss growing on it 😍

Ooo Orange Days is going on my list pol 😁

Ahhh, TheGirl you cannot go wrong with Coffee Prince. I'm definitely up for being part of the 'Coffee Noona' management team - as long as we can have apple picking field trips with the hot baristas 😎. His Hotness as the waffle chef is one of my favourite characters ever, even with his borderline stalkerish behaviour 🤣 Oppa, you can follow me to a different country!

Pol, is the building in the middle of nowhere? If not, I would have thought the site, turned into a real cafe would have been a financial success.

We are trying this Soju additive thing tonight you screw it onto the top of your Soju bottle, they mix together, makes your Soju taste fruity and stops you getting a hangover (...apparently)

Can report back tomorrow morning 😅

It was a real cafe and had only very recently closed. And on a back street a little out of the way but still Hongdae so very much prime Seoul real estate. I daresay an apartment block will already have sprouted like a mushroom on its site

Ohh let us know!

Fighting! 💪

I started reading the Marry My Husband manhwa on bato, where they have the completed version. It is manhwa crack, totally gripping. I can see why it has been adapted for TV. 👏

That looks very interesting AmVa fighting for no hangover tomorrow 💪 We're having tteokbokki for dinner tonight and I'd love a bottle of soju to go with it. We have a new Asian food store opening soon so I hope they sell it 🙏🏻

I came on to say we finished Gyeongseong Creature and to say wtf to the ending but everyone has said it before me 😆. I was hoping it would all be wrapped up in one series, but I am looking forward to the next installment. I loved the whole cast (maybe not the whole cast - Wi Ha Joon I'm looking at you 😐)

We're going to start Death's Game tonight.

I’ve just met Mr Yu’s cat in Marry My Husband (manhwa). Any man with a cat this adorable is a keeper. My kinda aloof manager-nim.

WAIT! Its on bato??? Omg I've been on webtoon daily pass like a chump!

boaty Ilove manager-nim as well, plus cat.

Yep, completed and with a post completion side story. 😄 Fill yer boots Loup!

I can't believe I didn't check bato!!! That's me sorted for tonight!

Same! I've been chuffed that I've been able to watch ads to read extra episodes 🙈 I'm not going to start reading until tomorrow! I need some sleep 😬

We've just watched the first 2 episodes of Death's Game, it's totally not what I was expecting, but totally gripping. Some excellent cameos, I can't wait to see Lee Jae Wook and Lee Do Hyun especially 😍

I thought I’d continue to drop in gems from the Korea Deconstructed podcast as & when. There’s a great discussion about learning English as a Korean, how Korean learners (and triers) are perceived by Koreans (favourably!) and trying to use the other language in both directions (pod link below). This one yielded the gem that English is now North Korea’s official 2nd language, replacing Russian. Also that NK teaches British English because they hate the Americans, whereas American English is the default in SK teaching.
@Saram13 I think you’d really enjoy this one. 🙂

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/korea-deconstructed/id1587269128?i=1000641133144

Finished bingeing through Orange Days and, although it slightly went around the emotional houses at the end, finished up lovely. Probably one of my fave ever JDramas - solid recommend (if you can cope with a bit of dodgy early 2000s hair and clothes - although felt much less dated than you might expect).