MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #45): Where we are *still* waiting on Lee Min Ho’s astronaut OBGYN to arrive and ponder whether 2024 will be kdrama’s breakout year

[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/4956077-mslattes-daebak-cybercafe-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?page=1 here. Our list is cumulative so includes previous threads’ recommendations. 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)
Maestra (Disney+)
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)
Tell Me That You Love Me (Disney+)
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)

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)
My Personal Weatherman [BL] (Jdrama, Viki)
Orange Days (Japan, Netflix)
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 💩
Melting Me Softly
The Birth of a Beauty
Well-Intentioned Love season 1 (S2 is fine & stands alone)

Top Scoring 2023 Dramas
#1 Bloodhounds 8.9
#2 = The Good Bad Mother 8.8
#2 = Deaths Game 8.8
#2 = Moving 8.8
#2 = The Glory 8.8
(#2 rankings by number of votes)

Top Scoring 2022 Dramas
#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!

@TheLoupGarou ok good tip I certainly have no problem with reading manhwas first, I will check out The Untamed......in fact I may have to go back to the MMH manhwa as I don't remember the appearance of bitch no. 2

Catching up with Dr Slump with enjoyment and, after another drunk scene I have a two part hypothesis about why they're ubiquitous Andante.

1. SK society being built on tight hierarchies and layers of behavioural expectations to do with rank and age - getting drunk is a useful tool for writer nim to break those down and enable "truths" to be shared between characters in a levelled environment.
2. Big PPL bucks.

pol, drink as deus ex machina. Genius hypothesis!

I think bitch #2 is a TV fabrication. I read the source MMH manhwa just before it started airing and I don’t recall bitch #2. The TV version is producing impressively loopy bunny boilers. I didn’t think anyone could top Su-Min but bitch #2 is next level crackers. PMY’s Busan mum is a piece of work too.

I don't recall bitch#2 either.
Just catching up with MMH (had to take a break from The Untamed as dds2 has unexpectedly got massively into it and I had to stop watching when he went to bed. He made me laugh by saying "whoa! Wei Ying bro's got rizz! Why's he got so much drip bro"

Gen alpha, eh. I think it means he finds him 'cool'. Anyway, thanks to the Chinese censors I have a fun watching companion 😄

I'm worried about poor Ji-won getting dehydrated from all the crying. 😭

Sleeping in woolly jumpers won't help. Keep up with the fluids Ji-won!

Wtf is up with the turtle neck sweaters on the beach ji-hyuk?? I would have ended up with soup all down myself, hats off.

I enjoy watching her videos on YouTube- I think I have made Korean pancakes once a n pancake day as an alternative option

It might be poor translation but do you think grand dad & his secretary (HR director) are also living again? As they referenced some
like ‘ he is caring/smiling this time around’

I still have to watch today’s episode but I am not looking forward to 2nd baddie. I want more screen time for chef.

Slight grumble: I found the fever scene in the lounge mawkish rather than endearing. I think it was the syruppy music over the top. Also, all those candles left burning unattended overnight% with that skittish cheese tabby on the loose? 😱🔥🧯🚒
that’s the first thing I’ve have noticed & it was very distracting.

Polkettle your hypothesis makes a lot of sense. I just wish they weren’t quite so prolonged.

It might be poor translation but do you think grand dad & his secretary (HR director) are also living again? As they referenced some like ‘ he is caring/smiling this time around’

Good catch Jin. I’m sure all will be revealed.

I’m now watching Knight Flower. The Great Dane’s robes seem much shiner than everyone else’s. I’m wondering if they had to make new ones for him because he’s too tall and broad for the general wardrobe ones. I also wish to state my admiration for Lee Jong Won’s stellar abs in episode 3. 👏 Well done! They demonstrate many hours in the gym and months foregoing carbs, for which I am grateful.

Ugh, I could do without the plot line with the bitchy fiance in MMH. I absolutely hate that trope, its knocking off at least 1 point for me depending on how long it drags on for. Seems like such an uneccesary addition - there's already plenty going on.

Also kopiko candy and protein chips ppl is really something in ep 12

The idea of dried, puffed salmon flakes gave me the ick but is entirely consistent with dried squid (actual ick IRL). What’s wrong with pork scratchings, eh? 😉

Oh shit! A white truck of doom?? Bloody cliffhangers

Hard agree. Bloody grim 🐙🐟

Finally got the chance to catch up on both MMH eps and boooo to see this drama starting to make missteps/succumb to tropes (all of the tropes!) when it was doing so well sidestepping them before. And not that anything would redeem that particular role, but I find Boa completely unwatchable.

Even the cute coupley stuff in Ep 11 was underwhelming because it was so halfhearted, like here's your dose of sugar Kopiko(TM) to help the incoming makjang go down.

Min-hwan and Su-min remain bright spots for me.

I 😍dried squid! You can chew it for days and it's still there. 😎

There are so many ongoing dramas that I'm enjoying and on Friday A Killer Paradox lands.
Also, that Jung Haein photoshoot for Harper's Bazaar .... swathed in pearls 🙌

Another vote for fried squid here! And haven't tried puffed salmon but I probably would like it. I am getting my son started early on the seafood snacking - he is also a dried squid fan at 3.5 and tried soy & chilli braised dried anchovies from local banchan shop the other day. I was very proud 🍥

In other Korean food adventures, bought some proper Korean sweet potatoes the other day, slow roasted them and now understand how that is a delicious snack on its own.

I have limited tolerance for smelly seafood so it is no surprise that dried squid isn’t my thing. It started OK when I first opened the pack but it got smellier as it warmed up and rehumidified in my in laws’s steamy kitchen.

Ooh, now that's a thought! 😃

Catching up on the food chat as I'm Netflixless and can't watch C/T dramas, salmon puffs sound nicer than the salmon skin crisps that were A Thing here (hipster London) about a decade ago, along with biltong, chorizo crisps, posh pork scratchings, dried mushrooms etc. in the dark days of peak paleo. Thankfully Actual Crisps have made a roaring comeback, even if they're often fried egg flavour and over £5 a bag!

My favourite K-youtuber is planD came for the sewing, stayed for her batshit-- inventive snacks. Really inspired me to up my game when sorting WFH lunches for one. When needing to look up a specific classic recipe, I tend to prefer Paik Jong Won (authentic) and Korean Bapsang (American diaspora) to maangchi (though she's adorable). For baking, I love CookingTree and Jocondesbaking.

Sorry for the derail 😅was overexcited by discovery of gosari yesterday (in the big Oseyo, not the mountains) and impending yukgaejang

Sorry for the formatting weirdness and ramble!

I like cooking and korean food but rarely make anything too adventurous as it is completely wasted on the kids and I refuse to make two separate meals! I did make korean style fried chicken/sticky rice which went down well with everyone except veggie ds1 (he ate the rice).....

Just caught up with Doctor Slump - all I can say is Park Hyung-sik was made for romcom and romcom was made for PHS - he's so cute in this with his big eyes and comfy hoodies . I love the two leads and am so there for the romance, am less into the side plot with the trial and Ha-neul's shitty ex colleagues - what's the craic with the pen recording device in the rooftop room & who was the dude showering at the end? Why is there such a big conspiracy going on? Who is the stalker?

I want a rooftop room with a big table I can sit out drinking beer on and look at the night view of Seoul, but there's no way yer woman would have looked so fresh faced waking up after sitting out all night drinking beer, soju and whiskey! She didn't even have a hangover remedy.

I was thinking the same thing @TheLoupGarou, clearly these Korean skincare products are the bees knees 😆
I would also have broken my neck (or at least an ankle) getting back down those steps after so much booze! 😲