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!

Sakura Yay, I'm glad I'm not there only one enjoying Dr Slump, I know it's not got the best plot in the world, but it's easy watching and I like most of the cast. I just love PHS though 🥰

I managed to watch Loh Kiwan and Kill Boksoon this weekend! I hardly ever watch films, so it felt like a real indulgence to sit and watch 2 of them over the weekend. I need my DH to go out more often so I can work through my list. I'm desperate to watch Exhuma so I really hope it comes to a cinema near me 🙏🏻

I'm also thoroughly enjoying A Shop for Killers, particularly floppy haired Lee Dong Wook in his mercenary fatigues. I was disappointed to see he has chopped off his hair on his insta today 😞

Boaty I knew you'd come around to Sung Dong Il eventually 😂

Queen of Tears was one of The Times shows of the day in their review section on Saturday. We've not started that yet and may wait for a few more to come out.

We finished Marry My Husband on Sunday which continued with its lack of chemistry. I will never be able to see Park Min Young again without thinking of Colin Robinson @boatyardblues 🤣

Still got a Doctor Slump from the weekend to watch! 🥰

Chuckling to myself about Colin Robinson all over again 😁

All currently airing dramas apart from WI are taking a backseat to chinese epics/bl l/k-pop stuff at the minute for me. I need something really really good to tempt me back in....

I'm v salty that no NI cinemas showing Exhuma as it stands. Hoping for a wider release (maybe we need a ritual? seems fine - what could go wrong eh?...)😉

Boaty I knew you'd come around to Sung Dong Il eventually 😂

Steady on now. 😱 I didn’t go that far. I only conceded he had an attractive period. I didn’t say I found him attractive.

Nothing's really grabbing me among the currently airing either TheLoup. I even tried a couple of episodes of Word of Honour while waiting for something better to come along. It was OK but still a bit "take it or leave it". I'm just growing the started-but-haven't-finished pile atm, which is unusual for me. I've been stuck on ep 10 of Queen for Seven Days for a really long time now, pretty much the first kdrama I haven't finished (other than those I've bailed on in the first couple of episodes) and I think it's acting like some kind of block, with other not-quite-bingworthy shows starting to languish half-finished behind it. I did finish Legend of the Blue Sea, though, so maybe I'm just craving some good, old-fashioned fantasy.

@sakura06 glad I'm not the only one still wading through Dr Slump! Though mostly in it for the food* porn by now... and despite being caught up, still discombobulated by its tonal weirdness with each ep. 90% fluff and drunken slapstick, 10% po-faced modelling of Good Mental Health Self-Care in response to trauma.... induced by the most tropey makjang plot points.
After the latest developments genuinely 😂😆😅to think that I started on this show hoping for some thoughtful social commentary on the Korean healthcare sector....
2ML remains adorkable. Irritating little brother clearly has lucrative side gig selling on the half-sleeves he's chopped off PSH's thousand blazers.

Not a KSH fan, and comments about his PS make me want to swerve QOT. Pinning all hopes on Chicken Nugget.

*10/10 no notes. I took fatcarons over to my mum's yesterday!

Sharing this useful article.k-dramas 2024

I had to google fatcarons. I’m down with the concept. 😄
https://kpoplove.koreadaily.com/fatcaron-koreans-make-the-french-delicacy-fatter-and-fatter/

That’s a great resource! There are many promising shows in that line up. Funny to see elven king Lee Soo-hyuk doing his best Blue Steel (TM) model shot in the Queen Woo promo montage. 👌

The Hong Rang line up is impressive.

Great list Migs. Pathetic as it is, I'm most looking forward to Suho in The Crown Prince has Disappeared. I'll definitely have to finish Queen for Seven Days first, though. If I have more than one sageuk on the go at a time I start getting the wispy beards mixed up.

Thanks for the link @MigsandTiggs which has only just made me realise our thread title refers to an ACTUAL show. And I'll have to get over the LMH ick for lovely Gong Hyo-Jin and the writer of Miss Korea.

Agree @boatyardblues on Hong Rang with both Jae-Wooks (there's a fatcaron sandwich joke there somewhere...)

Excited for Gong Yoo contract romance. And plethora of 50s/60s period stuff (costume departments, fighting!)

boaty Sung Dong-il oh yes. The man IS a Leeds Era 😎

None of the current shows are really grabbing my attention. Although it's nearly time for Chicken Nugget 😀

The more I try, the more I have decided that the romance genre really isn't my thing. Or, it needs to have lots of humour and some off-the-wall stuff mixed in,, which I guess would explain why I'm really enjoying Yumi's Cells (still on a pre-fanmeet ABH binge at the moment).

Migs thanks for that overview. Looking ahead, I'm here for the two Kim Seon-ho vehicles, as I really loved him in HCCC. Especially the translator one. And IU + PYB and His Teeth. Gong Yoo and Song Kang-ho also big thumbs up. Ditto for Ra Mi-ran and the Chief Inspector prequel with Lee Je-hoon (which reminds me, I still need to watch Taxi Driver at some point).* *

maldo yes, there seem to be lots of dramas set in the recent(ish) past coming up - the only bit of Samdal-ri I enjoyed was the flashback to when they were young, and I loved Gyeongseong Creature, so curious as to whether any of these new dramas will scratch that same itch.

Cobol I've never made it through even one sageuk 😱asssuming we're not counting Kingdom as one. Wispy beards = 💀, maybe that's why 🤔

Saram Kingdom definitely counts as a sageuk. It has all the classic elements, as well as the zombies. Whereas Queen for 7 Days is a bit lacking in the hot assassin/swordfighting department so far, which is probably why I'm struggling with it.

I agree IU + Bogummy has to be checked out, it's not an obvious combination. I'm also not a fan of straight romance. I need other stuff going on whether it's supernatural, horror, thriller or whatever.

Up to date on QoT and bursting with things to speculate and theories but will contain myself.
I think it's a very promising start - unreliable narrators everywhere, lots to be revealed and very equivocal game playing leads - neither of whom one can root for yet. Reminding me of an Agatha Christie or Knives Out.
Loving crazy aunt and nice to see Park Sung Hoon all scrubbed up in charming baddy mode after all his honest straight talking copper turns.
Goodness there's been some dodgy surgery in that cast though. Know when to stop people!
So. Many. Cloy. Parallels. Too. Can't wait to find out their Fated Connections.

Great article migs!
There's a few I'm looking forward to there - JCW in a sageuk, LMH as space gynaecologist ofc AND - stuff that dreams are made of - Kim Woo Bin playing a Genie??? 🤭 What in the Ultimate-Fantasy??? Thank you k-drama gods. If anyone wants me I'll be out searching for antique lamps...

Saram Kingdom totally counts! LOADS of wispy beards and plotting, just with added zombies ....

In Queen of Tears, I wonder if there’ll be any cameos with actors reprising their roles from other films/dramas like KSH being Bang Dong Gu in CLOY.
I loved that scene - it was so clever and original. Has anything similar ever happened in Western films or dramas?

Goodness there's been some dodgy surgery in that cast though. Know when to stop people!

Yes! We don’t want KSH becoming Bridegroom of Wildenstein.

Thanks for the Fatcaron info Boaty, I've never heard of them either, delicious 😋

Migs excellent article, I'm looking forward to Chief Inspector, I think Lee Jae Hoon will be excellent in it, also seeing SSK as another sexy detective will be good 👍🏻 there's loads that look really promising, I hope they deliver 🙏🏻

I haven't started QoT yet, I'm going to wait for Dr Slump to finish before starting it. Loving all the good reviews of it so far 👍🏻

Randomly I started watching Fiery Priest whilst folding my laundry today, it seems totally bonkers and reminds me of SGBS, I love Kim Nam Gil as the hot priest 🔥

Has anyone (@Saram13 ) tried making vegetarian jajangmyeon? I really want to try it

Rowdy Yes! I make it quite frequently. Using a Joanne Lee Molinaro (The Korean Vegan author) recipe. It's quite fussy to make (and very messy) but tastes fantastic.

By Ep2 of (sans make-up)Cha Eun Woo's new drama Wonderful World (Disney+) my suspicions were aroused about the possibility of the FL's too good husband and the neighbour having an affair and that her child is actually his.

At the end of Ep4 everything is up in the air and I'm in the dark. A throwaway line about dna testing, the way some scenes are shot to lead the viewer down a certain path. RED HERRINGS!! or RED HERRINGS???

My major distraction is once again bad PS. The FL's nose job has left her with the deepest, longest philtrum even seen on a face. In some close up shots you can even see what looks like a scar on the inside of her septum. I was so curious that I even googled Asian rhinoplasty to get some idea of the process involved. It's horrendous and painful and Michael Jackson was an idiot to mess so much with his nose.

Revenge, Mystery, Thriller and its currently pulling 9.7 on Dramabeans.

Thus endeth today's sermon.⛪️

Thanks Saram, I do have that book so I will check it out 😁

I'm 8 episodes into Doctor Slump and really enjoying it!