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!

NIW is well cast as 'solid land' isn't he? With or without 🤓 Noticed lots of manly hand porn in the latest eps, much cradling of wine glasses/PMY/kittens etc.

Finished Death's Game yesterday but found the ending a bit...flat? pat? like a cop-out? Annoyed at the emotional manipulation (obvs still cried because Kim Mi-Kyung is a queen 👑) and lost sleep pondering the implications for the timeline which is clearly more than the writer did And how many spreadsheet bonus points to award based on man-bunned flappy-coat dashingly-striding KJW, TheLoup??

Guided by its perfect score (ty boaty) I also began The Red Sleeve. Ep 1 impressions: so pretty! Such musics! That boy playing the young crown prince can ACT.

@maldoandwae AT LEAST a full bonus point for KJW in that outfit 😁 The coat! The hair! The boots! 10/10 - no notes.

I know what you mean about timeline things - keeping it vague to avoid spoilers, but it is a fantasy setting and I did feel it was wrapped up satisfactorily, kind of the only way it could be really? I thought the messaging was a bit heavy at times, but then it's a heavy subject so overall, the tone felt ok to me.

I am 100% in for the manly hand coverage in MMH as well 😁

Enjoy The Red Sleeve that's one I sort of wish I could watch again for the first time.....

Love a swishy coat! 😁

I really want to watch 'The Red Sleeve' but need Netflix to pull their finger out. I'm hopeful though, as I waited AGES for them to see sense and show Tale of the Nine-Tailed so you never know.

Hi Punks. It's available with subtitles on dramacool as The Red Sleeve Cuff if you are prepared to take a walk on the wild side. Just make sure you have a good pop-up blocker or you’ll see a lot of tits and ass as you move between episodes. 😬

I would add to boaty's post - And a good VPN.

**@PunksVersusBrats I'm watching TRS on Viki (without a subscription)

**@TheLoupGarou this is going to be garbled 😅but if the end of Death's Game resets everything up to that point, by then the traffic accident before Choi Yi-Jae's first job interview has already happened and the driver will be set on their path. Surely CYJ has moral imperative to Do Something About This.... but how, without certain special skills/access of others? And what happens to all the other lives, do they play out the same way we saw even without CYJ i.e. was he just a spectator all along to learn the Very Important Lesson? 🤔Which would allow handwaving the wackier elements away as Death writing hoomins but feels so unsatisfactory! I’m not after Dr Who levels of snoozewank about this stuff but just a basic MMH-level of consideration of the mechanics of time travel would be welcome!

Okay, slinking back back to the Joseon bookroom now 🤓

I am filing away snoozewank for future use. 🙂

@maldoandwae wins the thread with snoozewank 👏👏👏

I don't know how it happened, but I'm guessing that the plethora of rom-coms last year meant (Prime) was completely off our radar. It wasn't even on the spreadsheet, which is a shame because I reckon that it could well have taken the top spot.

It has a heartwarming M/FL relationship and the young FL actress, Yuna is particularly good. In fact all the actors, some familiar, are great in it. The story never flags, possibly because of the 12 episode format leading to tighter direction of the story arcs. Definitely no fillers anywhere and the ending is particularly😮 So many themes are explored - family, greed, guilt, ethics, that I don't know how to categorise it - mystery thriller?

A very satisfying 9.5 for me. Several review sites have scored it 9+ and it has 5 stars on Prime.

@maldoandwae yeah, I did think to myself "are we ok with having more than 1 serial killer wandering about Seoul now?" - I suppose a lot of the things that happened in the different lives were a cascading reaction and things might have played out differently had CYJ not been involved?

Maybe he could do an anonymous tip off to the cops about a certain high tech murder-room? And I think plane crash guy and the chairman dad were already sus about another character being a psycho so ....

I just snort-laughed aloud at 'snoozewank' btw 😆

migs I've definitely seen that one mentioned online, I might bump it up my list after your glowing review ✨️

I remembered my MMH gripe. Could they not find a single solid colour “cheese tabby” kitten in the whole of SK to help sustain the kitten-cat timeline? Ginger tabby kittens with white paws and chests do not grow into just ginger adults!

Ooh. I remember hearing about that and thinking it sounded interesting and then forgot Migs. Definitely lining it up.

Pfffffff like Ji-hyuk that's not the same cat dude 🤣

Ooh juicy MMH detail! Does this mean cats are stealing/swapping fates too? 🙀Thanks Migs, The Kidnapping Day looks really promising! Think DP would like it too and would help justify keeping the Amazon prime subscription until MMH ends.....

TheLoup IKR? Was a bit "All best, CYJ, remember to savour your precious everyday moments while keeping your loved ones away from all roads forever. Oh, and mind random shit falling from the skies. xoxo, Death 💀"

Ah this was airing as we were on a luxury bus crossing SK 💅It did look good but I forgot about it and Prime's kdrama stuff is not well laid out....you seem to have to know exactly what you're searching for by title. The other one that seemed to be airing on a loop was Return of the Seven which looked marvellously makjang and that was without sound, just going by expression 😂

Thanks for the Red Sleeve pointers @boatyardblues, @MigsandTiggs and @maldoandwae 😀

The Kidnapping Day looks interesting and I completely agree that Prime need an overall of how they target content.

More importantly though ('cos I'm childish and shallow) 'snoozewank' is already my favourite word of the year!
🤣🤣🤣

bettys The Escape of the Seven is absolutely nuts. Its one of the most bonkers things I've seen and I don't say that lightly 🤣 I dunno if I can really recommend it but I was definitely entertained/outraged/confused....

I think Prime is actually the worst user interface of any streaming service, not just for k content but for anything. They are also crap at promoting their dramas .

Right. DH is out for the evening and I'm about to evict DS from the big telly so I can drink wine and watch the last 2 eps of Coffee Prince 😁

Sounds like an excellent plan. 👏

I’ve been reading manhwa. I’m really behind with my actual dramas.

Wahhhh just finished it!!! Such a good drama!!! I havnt enjoyed a drama that much for years ❤️❤️❤️

Top quality Friday evening plans all round 😁
DH and I are FINALLY watching Tale of the Nine-Tailed. My word, that was a lot of plot for episode 1! 😯😄

Starting Flowers in the Sand now 😄

I have started Marry my husband, after a veryyyyyy long time I am hooked
finished ep 2 & it is getting interesting- manager (is there a plot twist). I like the chef too (I think more to come in ep 3).

Wasn't it just so great!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️